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Tips for Azamara Newbies


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Like @Port Power I have used the laundry facilities on Azamara many times.

 

I have not been aware of any "scent" on clothes either as they came out of the washing machine, or when they were dry.

 

I do not know whether the same pods are the same as were used in 2019.

 

@Europe and beyond perhaps you might pose the question for an up to date response on this thread :

 

 

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On 6/30/2022 at 4:39 AM, Fish & Chips said:

Thank you for such an informative post. We are thinking of booking a cruise on the Journey from Australia to Hong Kong in 2024. Should we book direct or through a travel agent? Have cruised with other companies eg P&O, Royal Caribbean, Cunard and have used travel agents. 

Travel agents work for you…

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On 6/30/2022 at 12:39 PM, Fish & Chips said:

Should we book direct or through a travel agent? Have cruised with other companies eg P&O, Royal Caribbean, Cunard and have used travel agents. 

I always use a TA. You can get a useful discount. I don't think I am allowed to recommend any specific companies on here.

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I always use a TA for cruises, someone who lives in my community and is quite experienced, so we have a more personal relationship than a phone rep at a service.   I look at this as part of my travel insurance plan -- I want someone in my court who understands the many systems involved and can jump in to help us effectively if something goes wrong.  

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Now for my silly little question -- about the electric outlets in the cabin -- the spreadsheet says they are US and European on a couple of the ships but didn't mention Pursuit.  Would that be the same for Pursuit?  Are there any UK outlets?  I want make sure I bring the proper plug adapters!

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1 hour ago, kaymoz said:

Now for my silly little question -- about the electric outlets in the cabin -- the spreadsheet says they are US and European on a couple of the ships but didn't mention Pursuit.  Would that be the same for Pursuit?  Are there any UK outlets?  I want make sure I bring the proper plug adapters!

It is the same for Pursuit, Onward also has UK plugs 

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38 minutes ago, uktog said:

It is the same for Pursuit, Onward also has UK plugs 


Amazing!  We alway carry adapters.  For boarding in the UK we would have been in a hotel where we needed them. Our cruise on the Pursuit was cancelled or I’d have known.

 

what did surprise me was the plugs by the bed on the quest were European, but that worked okay because we started in Stockholm.  Now we always have European adapters for the ships. 

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5 minutes ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:


Amazing!  We alway carry adapters.  For boarding in the UK we would have been in a hotel where we needed them. Our cruise on the Pursuit was cancelled or I’d have known.

 

what did surprise me was the plugs by the bed on the quest were European, but that worked okay because we started in Stockholm.  Now we always have European adapters for the ships. 

To be clear sorry onward has UK, US and European plugs.  We’ve got a Universal travel adapter that goes everywhere with us, it’s also got 3 USB ports on the top so it’s all our charging needs in one place. It always comes hand luggage so we can also charge on the plane on long flights 

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24 minutes ago, uktog said:

To be clear sorry onward has UK, US and European plugs.  We’ve got a Universal travel adapter that goes everywhere with us, it’s also got 3 USB ports on the top so it’s all our charging needs in one place. It always comes hand luggage so we can also charge on the plane on long flights 


Thanks.  We have a universal adapter too, too many OBCs but it doesn’t do all plugs seems Italy was one of the .  We have a power strip we take and several adapters because of medical equipment.  The power strip is European so occasionally we use the universal to conver it.  

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1 minute ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:


Thanks.  We have a universal adapter too, too many OBCs but it doesn’t do all plugs seems Italy was one of the .  We have a power strip we take and several adapters because of medical equipment.  The power strip is European so occasionally we use the universal to conver it.  

Azamara scans luggage for power strips. They are not allowed, if somehow they miss it your room attendant is supposed to report it and remove it (you get it back at the end of the cruise). If you need extra power strips for medical it’s a good idea to highlight that on the special needs form you can submit so it can be set up before you arrive. 

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20 minutes ago, uktog said:

Azamara scans luggage for power strips. They are not allowed, if somehow they miss it your room attendant is supposed to report it and remove it (you get it back at the end of the cruise). If you need extra power strips for medical it’s a good idea to highlight that on the special needs form you can submit so it can be set up before you arrive. 


We have given them it to check every time we’ve boarded, it’s always returned for our use.  We have to carry it for hotels.  As for the special needs forms, the last journey I was on the room steward actually had read it and had everything there when we arrived. I wrote a nice review and got thanked I think for 3 days by both room stewards!   Normally they just tell us they know that we need an extension cord, but not all extension cords will handle two plug ins and rarely do they want to give me a second extension.  With the new configurations, plugs on each side of the bed we rarely need an extension cord now although I think we’ve been in one Azamara that only had a plug on one side so we used the power strip.  It’s visible but no one has said much. 
 

On a Royal out of Australia our old strip was taken but returned to us when we couldn’t plug what we needed in.  They required the electrician check it and approve, which they did.    In Miami for Celebrity I believe they kept the strip on shore and we had to chase it down.  That was shore security so now the new one is normally in checked luggage so it makes the ship.  Since I switched to the European plug on a 220 rated strip, I’ve never had to retrieve it from the naughty room, we just voluntarily have it checked.  Last time I went to the naughty room they thought a curling iron was a power strip!  We told them we already had that and it had been checked.  Can’t recall who that was but since I don’t know where the naughty room is on Azamara I assume it wasn’t them.  
 

for what it is worth I’ve never found a ship that had power strips other than Australia and then those required Australian plugs! We had been told they were available, when pointed out that that was useless we were told we’d have to get one from the shops but they didn’t know if they would be right either.  When we said we brought one was when they said they’d have it checked.  

Edited by Benthayer Gonbak
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7 hours ago, kaymoz said:

I always use a TA for cruises, someone who lives in my community and is quite experienced, so we have a more personal relationship than a phone rep at a service.   I look at this as part of my travel insurance plan -- I want someone in my court who understands the many systems involved and can jump in to help us effectively if something goes wrong.  

We do the same.  A friend as well as a TA.

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I’ve been on approximately 15 cruises and booked every one of them directly with the cruiseline. Mainly because I’m, unfortunately, a control freak who doesn’t want to have to go through a TA if I have an issue. I’ve never had any kind of problem or issue dealing directly with any cruiseline. 

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I have an additional electrical outlet question--first time cruiser and international traveler from US--I have an adapter for UK/EU plugs and I realize that the voltage is different than in US. So on the ship, if I want to use my hairdryer, which has a 110/220 switch, which voltage would I use?  Is the voltage determined by the type of outlet?  Thanks for the help!

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13 minutes ago, RDR Cruisers said:

I have an additional electrical outlet question--first time cruiser and international traveler from US--I have an adapter for UK/EU plugs and I realize that the voltage is different than in US. So on the ship, if I want to use my hairdryer, which has a 110/220 switch, which voltage would I use?  Is the voltage determined by the type of outlet?  Thanks for the help!

Yes, U.S. outlets are 110v whilst European/U.K. outlets are 220v

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1 hour ago, RDR Cruisers said:

I have an additional electrical outlet question--first time cruiser and international traveler from US--I have an adapter for UK/EU plugs and I realize that the voltage is different than in US. So on the ship, if I want to use my hairdryer, which has a 110/220 switch, which voltage would I use?  Is the voltage determined by the type of outlet?  Thanks for the help!

I didn't think you were allowed to take your own hairdryer on board! 

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51 minutes ago, blag said:

Do you let Azamara know?

Seriously, I think such things are not allowed.

There has been discussion about this previously (of course!).

You are incorrect.  There is absolutely no issue taking  your own hairdryer or your straighteners (flat irons) Indeed Azamara recently emailed guests travelling on Onward suggesting you did bring your own hairdryer.  The issue is some hairdryers might not work on the voltage, those with the dual voltage as RDR describes will, my high powered GHD will not.  A hairdryer is certainly not a prohibited item.  Here is the list of prohibitions from Azamara website

 

PROHIBITED ITEMS

  • Firearms & ammunition, including realistic replicas
  • Sharp objects, including knives and scissors (Personal grooming items such as safety razors and scissors with blades less than 4 inches are allowed)
  • Illegal drugs & substances
  • Candles & incense
  • Coffee makers, clothes irons, & hot plates
  • Baseball bats, hockey sticks, cricket bats, bows & arrows
  • Skateboards & surfboards
  • Martial arts gear
  • Self-defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks
  • Flammable liquids and explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks
  • HAM radios
  • Dangerous chemicals, including bleach and paint
  • Electric water kettles
  • Extension Cords and Multi-Plug Outlets/Power Strips
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59 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

Do the hairdryers that Azamara supplies in the staterooms dry long hair fast?  Can they be moved to a convenient location, or are they fastened to the bathroom wall?

Hairdryers are not fastened to the bathroom wall. You can plug them in anywhere. We leave it in the desk and use it there as there is a mirror and outlet. They don't produce as much air flow as our home hair dryer but they are ok. Besides we walk outside and the weather rearranges our hair.

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1 hour ago, PirateWife said:

Hairdryers are not fastened to the bathroom wall. You can plug them in anywhere. We leave it in the desk and use it there as there is a mirror and outlet. They don't produce as much air flow as our home hair dryer but they are ok. Besides we walk outside and the weather rearranges our hair.

 

1 hour ago, PirateWife said:

Hairdryers are not fastened to the bathroom wall. You can plug them in anywhere. We leave it in the desk and use it there as there is a mirror and outlet. They don't produce as much air flow as our home hair dryer but they are ok. Besides we walk outside and the weather rearranges our hair.

 the ship's hairdryers take a VERY long time to dry my shoulder length hair

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2 hours ago, uktog said:

There is a time delay sometimes in posts coming through so your posts may appear prior to one but the writer of the second post does not see it as happens her.  .  None of the cruise lines list what you can bring, they focus on what you cannot bring

Sorry about interfering: there's one restriction indeed, not specifically related to the hair driers but to any electrical device used in the cabin: the maximum wattage is 1500 W, and some hair driers may exceed that value, so good that https://boards.cruisecritic.com/profile/1509315-blag/ raised this issue .

https://www.azamara.com/ie/plan/general-information

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20 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

We do the same.  A friend as well as a TA.


We had a family emergency and although my TA doesn’t normally do domestic flights I sent an email asking for best connections from St Martin. I got an answer in about 20 minutes and made my own reservations.  Yes, the ship would have helped but I doubt they could have done what he did!  
 

Now, with the long waits on the phones it’s better my TA does that.  He can do other things while waiting so it’s a win win! 

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11 hours ago, PirateWife said:

Hairdryers are not fastened to the bathroom wall. You can plug them in anywhere. We leave it in the desk and use it there as there is a mirror and outlet. They don't produce as much air flow as our home hair dryer but they are ok. Besides we walk outside and the weather rearranges our hair.


Not all desks have mirrors over them, hopefully that’s been fixed!  

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