LIVE FROM JOURNEY

[Wheelhouse]

My wife and I are also on this cruise and have had no problem with the service in the MDR. We request Joseph as our waiter every night we are there.   He always has a big smile on his face.  We took two nights at Prime C and one at Aqualina and the food and service were top notch.  The itinerary change is disappointing as we have no interest in spending the extra night in NYC and are missing the Harbor Night festivity because of the change in the White Night schedule.  The big ships in port have not changed their schedules. 

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

To all of you who are on the sailing, glad you are having one of your best cruises ever. I did not give my opinions to say others don't  have different ones........geeezzz..........

I enjoy a nice dinner but when the waiters seem to forget you? Sorry, that doesn't cut it for me.

 

 

Yes, I enjoyed Charleston if not only for the reason that I could find a bar to watch The Masters as the ship only showed rounds 1 and 2......Saturday and Sunday we were told they had a Satellite blockage......which when sitting in a port on the Eastern Seaboard (In MY opinion) sounds crazy. So part of Sat and Sunday I was eating/drinking/watching golf in local establishments.

 

As for the officers, I never went into detail on that......yes, they are visible. I never said otherwise.  I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same on here. I was just giving my view. 

 

Oh, I ate with 3 sisters in PRIME C last night......they are sailing from the UK.....we all had issues with the food......one steak had to be sent back, 1 lamb was totally under cooked and ALL the veggies were COLD.  

 

I will speak with Management about my experience.  Again, happy to know everyone else on here is having wonderful time.

 

I am not telling a lie about things.....these are my experiences. Sorry if that offends other people.

 

I will probably pass on posting again before I get home (which will be Sunday night).

 

 

 

Lois, I feel your pain.

 

 We did our first Azamara cruise a few months ago and when I posted and commented that I was underwhelmed and that the service and food in the MDR left something to be desired I too got a flood of comments.

 

Enjoy the Broadway show!

 

 

 

[CateW]

One thing I will say, is that we went to white night for a couple of hours and enjoyed it tremendously.   After a long day of on shore and lots of sun,  we were ready to relax in our cabin and watch a news program.  Neither MSNBC, FOX,  BBC, or even ESPN are available.    We've been on Escape to Bermuda, (Dockyard) Summit (Dockyard) numerous times,  as well as Oceania Regatta (Hamilton) and on each of those ships we had some sort of news programming.   Now, some might say you can watch that at home and that would be a fair assessment, however, everyone makes their choices.  I find this more annoying than anything else and I agree that I missed the Masters on Saturday and Sunday as well!   

Edited April 17, 2019 by CateW

[CateW]

2 hours ago, bbqoug said:

Very interesting how different passengers can have a completely different experience on the same cruise, even on a ship as small as Journey.

We were also on this cruise until a family emergency caused us to disembark after only 3 nights.

 

I don't discount or question Lois' experience at all, but our enjoyment was much more in line with CateW than with Lois & CruisingChick's experience.

Our 3 nights in the MDR had excellent food the first night and what I would call very good the next 2. Food is so subjective, so someone else could eat our same meals with a totally different opinion.

We had different wait teams all 3 nights with very attentive service each of those nights. The service seemed very friendly and efficient, and our wine glasses were constantly filled to the point where at one point I let them know that we were fine & would not need any more.

 

I feel bad that Lois and CruisingChick have been disappointed with their experience so far. Hopefully things improve for them for the remainder of the cruise.

 

For us, this was starting out to be so enjoyable that it was on track to be our best cruise yet. I have to admit that this was only our 9th cruise, sailing previously on Azamara, Celebrity, and Princess.

 I'm so sorry to see that you had to leave the ship for a family emergency.  I hope that everything works out and that you have the opportunity to sail Azamara again soon!

[Whitby100]

Wheelhouse makes a good suggestion.  If you find wait staff you like, request their section in subsequent nights.  A relationship typically develops and service becomes consistent.  They know what you like! Last time our server knew we’d request a wine from a previous night and always had a bottle waiting (until we drank through the stocks 😎)

[marinaro44]

46 minutes ago, CateW said:

Neither MSNBC, FOX,  BBC, or even ESPN are available.

Strange.  The first three have always been available.

[SkystheLimit]

The Saturday, Sunday rounds were broadcast on CBS.  I believe that is an exclusive contract with the Augusta National Golf Club.  With that in mind, surely Azamara could have secured the CBS feed while in Charleston. Readily available on any household cable/satellite feed in the US.

 

We are booked on the Journey 5/28.  Two itinerary changes so far that have  significantly impacted the original itinerary we booked. These changes were made after final payment.  Something definitely seems to be slipping at Azamara.  The prices they are charging for early booking have soared while many prices for booking after final payment often plummet.

 

It's the little things that set a product apart.

 

 Hope that those currently on the Journey enjoy the remainder of the cruise back to New York.

 

 

[lovecruzin]

Wasn't this a Perry Golf cruise? It seems Azamara should have made it a priority to have the Masters shown on the ship. 🤨 sort of like a Super Bowl party!

[CateW]

12 hours ago, SkystheLimit said:

The Saturday, Sunday rounds were broadcast on CBS.  I believe that is an exclusive contract with the Augusta National Golf Club.  With that in mind, surely Azamara could have secured the CBS feed while in Charleston. Readily available on any household cable/satellite feed in the US.

 

 

 

Good point!  Thinking back on it, I did bring my laptop and probably could have streamed (maybe) since I have CBS all access.  Too bad I didn't think of it.

[Lois R]

Since we are still in port, I know I said I probably would not post again but since I have the choice to change my mind..... White Night was alot of fun....yes, I enjoyed it very much😂 just you know I can still have a good time.

Food was good, it was VERY easy to find a table to share with another couple I had previously met.  There was not pushing and shoving to get the food.......and the music and dancing were fun.

 

As for the tv, I agree that right now, there are NO tv channels at all.........None........Sky News, BBC, FOX, MSNBC are all non working.

 

And yes, it is a Golf Cruise.......so ya think they might have considered that? Guess not!

[CruisingChick]

Maybe things are just off for some reason with this sailing.  I feel like some of the crew just seemed "tired" and are going through the motions.  For us at least the crew overall does not seem anywhere near as friendly as on our Celebrity Cruises.  Our assistant stateroom attendant, Amol and bartender Ali in The Living Room are two exceptions to that.  They have been great.

[hrhdhd]

17 hours ago, jelayne said:

Lois, I feel your pain.

 

 We did our first Azamara cruise a few months ago and when I posted and commented that I was underwhelmed and that the service and food in the MDR left something to be desired I too got a flood of comments.

 

This being a discussion board, people will discuss postings. I find the AZ board to be among the more civilized ones on CC. But sometimes people will disagree with you. It doesn't mean your experience wasn't your experience.

[manc]

We too are on this cruise.

We were on the previous one too.

We find the food is mainly good in all places but have told head waiter when too salty or cold etc. Service has mainly been good but many staff changed in NY and it took a couple of days for them to settle in.

We completed the survey and had coversations about our comments with officers and staff.

In roomTV info still saying upgrades at $199 per person available etc and misleading! A smart lawyer couod have  a field day with the changes to membership benefits.

Predicted bad weather has brought about changes but safety and comfort first for us. 

Do find lack of tablecloths in Peime C odd in a speciality restaurant when Windows has cloths! Personal.view. 

This is pur 4th Azamara in 9 months and 2 more booked. We love the casual ambience, the friendly cincerned staff and mooring in town meets our desires in ports we want to visit for the maximum time. Yesterday in Bermuda 2 huge ships were docked at rhe Dockyard and the few ferries at irregular times could not cope with the level of demand. Once back in Hamilton we were home!!!

Nothing is perfect but Azamara us close enough 

 

 

[laurieb]

On 4/17/2019 at 4:56 AM, CateW said:

NY Gal I agree, what did you book?  I so wanted to book the 18 night LA to Papette but the flight back is just too long. 

The flight from Papeete to LA is 8 hours; you could always spend a night in LA( or fly through San Francisco) to break up the long flight home

[CateW]

5 hours ago, laurieb said:

The flight from Papeete to LA is 8 hours; you could always spend a night in LA( or fly through San Francisco) to break up the long flight home

I'm thinking about that right now!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I understand that Azamara is not a luxury line (and someone on the Regent board makes sure you never forget that ), but it is still one of the top lines I check when planning a new cruise for two important reasons:  (1) the itineraries, especially the country-intensive ones like the Pacific coast of Costa Rica [which puts Azamara in a small class with only Windstar and Ponant, neither of which we have sailed yet but will be trying out soon], and (2) the staff and crew [which may not be at their best on this cruise].  

 

One's first cruise on a line tends to set one's permanent image of that line, and it's too bad that this cruise seems to be offering you neither the exotic itinerary nor the staff at their best that have made our Azamara cruises so special.  I hope you will give Azamara another try.

[rallydave]

Not on this cruise but, have some thoughts.  Did our first Azamara Cruise in 2016 to Norway and we were wowed.  Booked another cruise on board and were very much looking forward to it until the home office stepped in and cancelled the cruise in order to sail more to Cuba and increased profits.

 

Took the hit and booked with Seabourn and were very happy again with them.  Since then the home office has seemed to be in the CC news almost weekly with numerous screw ups and even issues that should be resolved after a single screw up repeat and repeat.   Don't think management in the home office has a clue how to run a cruise line.  For instance emailing has been screwed up for several years and the president and CEO a few years ago instead of saying he would fix the problem, offered only to CC the suggestion to contact Nicole.  These issues continue to this day and they claim they are fixing things one customer at a time forcing people to write in rather that just fixing things once and for all.  Today once again the home office and even the UK office reportedly had no idea about a 2 or 3 month promise from on board to issue FCC's and again people have to write in instead of the home office just getting the letter out.

 

Like I said, loved the onboard experience and wish we could book again however the ongoing lack of professionalship and ineptitude in the home office precludes us from booking again.  Should a complete house cleaning ever occur, which I believe to be impossible, we will be back as long as the pricing is reasonable in our opinion.  YMMV.

[laurieb]

3 hours ago, rallydave said:

  Today once again the home office and even the UK office reportedly had no idea about a 2 or 3 month promise from on board to issue FCC's and again people have to write in instead of the home office just getting the letter out.

If you're referring to the thread I started, it hasn't even been two months since the cruise ended (March 8).  When I spoke with the customer relations department, they weren't even aware of the FCC letters as the ship had not notified them.  Now they are aware and will be getting the certificates mailed.  I'll report back when friends that were also on the cruise receive theirs in the mail. 

[rallydave]

19 hours ago, laurieb said:

If you're referring to the thread I started, it hasn't even been two months since the cruise ended (March 8).  When I spoke with the customer relations department, they weren't even aware of the FCC letters as the ship had not notified them.  Now they are aware and will be getting the certificates mailed.  I'll report back when friends that were also on the cruise receive theirs in the mail. 

Based on history and the wonderful crew, do not believe that the ship had not sent the information back to Miami.  Another recent post states that the ship could not refund the port charges without authority from Miami so would think the offer of the $250pp was cleared thru Miami before you got the letter so then for sure Miami knew about it but, probably just fell thru the cracks like so many other things.

 

And speaking about not getting you port fees and taxes returned, the response that they were too low for the whole cruise is just too bad for Azamara.  An error on their part should not impact the fact that you missed the ports and that dollars that would otherwise been spent were saved if that is true at all since many of the things explained on this board simply don't ring true when from Miami.  They may not nickel and dime passengers visually like many other cruise lines but, they sure do in the background and from Miami.

[excitedofharpenden]

Dave, I know you will take every opportunity to hammer Azamara with negatives, which if you want to do it here is entirely your right.  Just to add a bit of balance to the FCC debate, I was on Pursuit in December when we missed a port due to engine issues.  Everyone received an FCC based upon a pro-rata for the fare they paid.  From memory mine was $200 or a little more.  It was all dealt with efficiently. No complaints.  I’ve also received FCC for being quarantined.  Once again generous and dealt with totally satisfactorily.  So it’s not all bad. 

 

Phil

[rallydave]

Thanks for the reply Phil; I am an equal opportunity hammerer and will hammer any cruise line that does things wrong and I also praise them when they do thing correctly.  Almost always say how great the on board experience on Azamara.  Speaking of port fees and taxes, not sure if you are aware of a signed agreement from about 10 or so years ago between all cruise lines and the State of Florida because of law suits regarding lack of refunds for port fees and taxes.  This agreement resolved the law suits and in simple terms said that any dollars specified to be paid by customers for port fees or taxes will be only used to pay government entities for these costs and that any not paid in this manner would be refunded to the customers and could not be otherwise diverted.  This is why it is not a matter of Miami or anybody on board refunding any dollars not paid to a government entity for the services, it has to be done or the cruise line as violated their agreement.

 

Always nice to hear from you Phil.  You do have a lot of great information that you always share.

[Lois R]

I am sitting in JFK waiting for my flight home which leaves at 4:30.

I cannot recall the last time I did  "A Live From" so I do not remember if all these responses are "normal" or not BUT I did have a fairly good time.

I won't be doing another review and I do not know if I am sailing Azamara again.  Will have to give it some thought.

[macmax]

21 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I am sitting in JFK waiting for my flight home which leaves at 4:30.

I cannot recall the last time I did  "A Live From" so I do not remember if all these responses are "normal" or not BUT I did have a fairly good time.

I won't be doing another review and I do not know if I am smiling Azamara again.

 

That's too bad that you won't be doing a follow up review as I for one  would like to know if things improved for you and how the ride back from Bermuda was?

[Hoyaheel]

Lois - I'm so sorry your cruise was only "good" and not amazing! (or, azamazing 😉 Sorry 😉 ) We LOVED our Asia Azamara cruise in 2016 and raved - my in-laws booked an Azamara cruiseon our recommendation (Caribbean, I think it was one with Cuba) and had a lot of issues on their cruise, including being forgotten in port (along with others, NOT because they were late....) So they booked an Oceania cruise and have stayed there. Though at least one of their issues is they prefer slightly larger ships - even on Oceania.

 

On the other hand, with Azamara's rising fares....We booked Seabourn for Alaska last year and haven't been tempted to look at Azamara recently. 

[excitedofharpenden]

36 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I am sitting in JFK waiting for my flight home which leaves at 4:30.

I cannot recall the last time I did  "A Live From" so I do not remember if all these responses are "normal" or not BUT I did have a fairly good time.

I won't be doing another review and I do not know if I am sailing Azamara again.  Will have to give it some thought.

Lois, I will say, don't take comments here personally. I for one am pleased to read your thoughts. Obviously I am one who enjoys the Azamara experience, but it's not for everyone. You tried it and it wasn't for you. We all have a good choice out there  

 

Safe trip back home and keep well. 

 

Phil