‘Live From’ Spirit of Discovery, 5th-12th September.

[Glenndale]

19 minutes ago, cinnamon said:

Very pleasant breakfast in the MDR. Only found out at the end that they have a proper bean to cup coffee machine and had the ordinary stuff.

It takes a while to suss out all options, so tomorrow you'll know, and thanks to you we'll know straight away 😀

At least you can get the bean to cup in the library.

Is the library well stocked?

 

[christine848]

Just now, christine848 said:

Good morning! An interesting comment from the Captain about Azamara...I agree...not sure about that!

i was wondering how we let the state room attendants know the appropriate time to make up the rooms on our Viking cruise...new ship etc. I've completely forgotten! 

Just realised my comment re Azamara is ambiguous. I agree with you, Cinnamon...I don't think they would cram so many in.

[Azamazingal]

Azamazingal, I didn’t realise there was an option to fly down to London, is that because you are more than 250 miles from Dover? was that included in your cruise or is it an optional extra! We live in NW wales and are also more than 250 miles away, it would be easier for us to get to Manchester and fly down to London x

 

As we are nearly 500 miles from Dover, I asked if we could drive to relatives in Yorkshire (250 miles) and get picked up from there.  Instant response was that a flight from Scotland and transfer would be provided at no extra cost.  Would it not be easier for you to drive to the other side of Chester, rather than be bothered with a short flight?  It might be possible to "buy" extra miles over the 250, either from home or from Chester.  Why not explore all these options with Saga?

 

[cinnamon]

All ready for a lecture. 

[Glenndale]

6 minutes ago, christine848 said:

Just realised my comment re Azamara is ambiguous. I agree with you, Cinnamon...I don't think they would cram so many in.

No, think he got that wrong, probably around 1400.

I'm sure someone will be along with an accurate figure.

[snoopy4]

Lolou, FYI, we live 261 miles away,paid an extra £26 for the shared car service,& our pick up time is 9.10 this Thursday.

Thank you Corrine for all the very useful information you are passing on .

[kentchris]

39 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

No, think he got that wrong, probably around 1400.

I'm sure someone will be along with an accurate figure.

R Class ships are about 30,000 gross tonnage and Azamara operate them with just under 700 pax, Saga new ships 58,000 gross tonnage for 999 pax. On that basis 1400 sounds about right given we don't know exactly how much of that space is taken up by cabins, but whichever way you look at it the difference is significant. The Captain can't be blamed for bigging up his shiny new ship 😊

Edited September 6, 2019 by kentchris

[cinnamon]

Excellent port talk on Bergen by Howard Cook. We’ve visited the city at least twice and we still learnt from him. He was very thorough at recommending what to do as an independent traveller and which places really would be best on a tour. He did not push the ship’s excursions though. He showed maps, pointing out walking distances. 

 

Bergen is the wettest city in Europe. He used the quote “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”. Unfortunately when the taxi arrived for us early yesterday I was a bit panicked. The cases were ready but I was not. As a result I forgot my lovely Goretex waterproof coat!  I only have a denim jacket or sift fleece like jacket. Could be a challenge. 

 

As the weather is grim everyone is inside. We went to the library for another coffee but there were no empty seats so brought it back to the cabin. Time to read.........or learn my lines for a play I’m doing next month. 

[hermioneb]

2 hours ago, cinnamon said:

Very pleasant breakfast in the MDR. Only found out at the end that they have a proper bean to cup coffee machine and had the ordinary stuff. Therefore now on Library having excellent ☕️ coffee. After Azamara I can’t get over how spacious this ship 🚢 is. 

 

Side note.

The in cabin TV has loads of regular tv channels plus on demand movies. Not first run, some classics and others a few months old. 

You will also find one of those marvellous coffee machines on deck 6, at the stern (it is a bit hidden away) and also in the Grill. I do hope the weather cheers up for you. 

[Glenndale]

The weather for Bergen is looking dry and bright for tomorrow.

Have you been up to the Britannia lounge?

[cinnamon]

I agree, I don’t blame Captain Sutherland for bigging up his beautiful shiny new ship. But yes, under 1,400 a more realistic number for a scaled up R ship. 

 

The Library looks to be pretty well stocked, lots of shelving and books. We’re only in for 7 days and each brought reading material with us so I haven’t searched hard. There is also a nice large table with a jigsaw, which I would normally enjoy but the motion means I’m not keen on peering at the detailed pieces. 

 

TV channels available. 

BBC1, BBC2, ITV 1, Ch 4, Ch 5, ITV 2, ITV 3, ITV 4, Film 4, Sony Movies, E4, BBC News, Sky News plus a few others and loads of radio stations. 

I don’t know if they’ll all continue to work as they’re obviously dependent on satellite signal but at the moment we have them. 

 

I havent been up to the Britannia lounge yet but will this afternoon. There’s a choir ‘rehearsal’ today. Just up my street but I didn’t expect that on a such a short cruise. I

 

Thanks for the positive weather forecast. 😀😀😀

[Jammy Bun]

Enjoying your regular reports!  Can you tell us what art or crafts are available, if any, on your cruise?

[Tigrou]

18 hours ago, cinnamon said:

Apparently other cabins do have Uk sockets but not ours. 😏

 

That’s weird Corinne. I’ve got UK sockets above the desk. Have they explained why you haven’t? 

 

Agree about the separate lines at check in. It would make far more sense to have one line feeding to all the agents.

 

[Tigrou]

2 hours ago, cinnamon said:

There is an excellent system for the stewards to know when to make up the room. There are switches to show Do not Disturb or Make up Room. Outside there is then either a small circular White or Red light. Very easy for the staff to see. The benefits of a newly designed ship. 

 

I thought this is a great idea too, for both passengers and crew.

 

[Tigrou]

20 hours ago, Literary Lynne said:

Hi Corinne,

Here's another following along. Really interested to 'share' your cruise with you. As you know, we first met on a Celebrity cruise to the Baltics many years ago and both have sailed quite a number of times on Azamara. Our next is on Pursuit next month. I am interested to hear about the age demographics on your current cruise. I know that Saga caters to the over 50s, which isn't at all old, but just the name now has poor ageist connotations (wish they would change it).  I know when my DH rang Saga for car insurance when he was 53, he was told that at his age for them he was a 'boy racer'!

 

Looking forward to your blog.

Lynne 😀

 

Lynne. Hope Corinne doesn’t mind me chipping in but you asked about age demographic. I’m early 50s and have to say I feel a little outnumbered (pardon the pun!). Although I’m not good at telling people’s age the majority seem ‘old’ to me so I’d guess well into their 80s. I’m far from swift but you can’t rush anywhere because lots of slow movers. Except on the stairs which are underused.

 

But then I suppose there’s no reason to rush especially given there’s a fair bit of ship movement today. It doesn’t bother me but I am surprised at the movement given the weather isn’t particularly bad. Not sure I’d fancy being in a Force 10 across the Atlantic on this ship but then that isn’t what she was built to do.

[Lindy028]

Hi Corinne, we too are long time Azamara cruisers who are finding the numbers just aren’t adding up and we have been thinking about trying the new Saga ships. 
So, we are glad we’ve found your blog today! Really looking forward to hearing your views on all things Saga, especially the included wines. We’re not alcoholics 😮 but do enjoy good wine and the odd G&T and cocktail 😀!

Enjoy your cruise.

[cinnamon]

2 hours ago, Jammy Bun said:

Enjoying your regular reports!  Can you tell us what art or crafts are available, if any, on your cruise?

Crafts not my thing but there is s good size area just next to the Library with decent sized tables and ‘hard’ chairs. This morning at 10.30 there was a class making a Nordic house gift box. 

[cinnamon]

2 hours ago, Tigrou said:

 

That’s weird Corinne. I’ve got UK sockets above the desk. Have they explained why you haven’t? 

 

Agree about the separate lines at check in. It would make far more sense to have one line feeding to all the agents.

 

Our cabin steward asked if we were planning to go ashore tomorrow so that the Electrician could change some of the sockets!  How good is that?  😄

[cinnamon]

1 hour ago, Tigrou said:

 

Lynne. Hope Corinne doesn’t mind me chipping in but you asked about age demographic. I’m early 50s and have to say I feel a little outnumbered (pardon the pun!). Although I’m not good at telling people’s age the majority seem ‘old’ to me so I’d guess well into their 80s. I’m far from swift but you can’t rush anywhere because lots of slow movers. Except on the stairs which are underused.

 

But then I suppose there’s no reason to rush especially given there’s a fair bit of ship movement today. It doesn’t bother me but I am surprised at the movement given the weather isn’t particularly bad. Not sure I’d fancy being in a Force 10 across the Atlantic on this ship but then that isn’t what she was built to do.

I agree about the ages. Definitely average is closer to 80 than 70 and many with mobility issues. Not many wheelchairs but dozens of walkers. We use the stairs for 2 or 3 flights but not 5. 

It is certainly challenging with the motion of the ocean, I’ve been on smaller ships on rougher seas that were less rocky. 😏

[cinnamon]

1 hour ago, Lindy028 said:

Hi Corinne, we too are long time Azamara cruisers who are finding the numbers just aren’t adding up and we have been thinking about trying the new Saga ships. 
So, we are glad we’ve found your blog today! Really looking forward to hearing your views on all things Saga, especially the included wines. We’re not alcoholics 😮 but do enjoy good wine and the odd G&T and cocktail 😀!

Enjoy your cruise.

Last night we were offered Pinot Grigio for white and Cabernet Sauvignon for red. I tried both with different courses. They were acceptable but not memorable. The red was Chilean but I didn’t notice the origin of the white. Both Probably slightly better than the Azamara included wines. 

[cinnamon]

PS standard cocktails cost £2.90 but from November it will be all inclusive.......with higher fares of course!

Diet Pepsi was £1.50 so not much more for the booze. 😉

We had complementary Diet Pepsi with lunch, not being drinkers much ourselves. 

Now for the talk on Geiranger before the Choir. 

[welwyngirl]

Following on, too.  We are Azamara fans and have met some lovely people onboard.  We agree, though, that the prices are becoming very high.  We've also done around 40 cruises and have recently done other cruise lines but they don't compare to Azamara, so really enjoying your posts and we will look into booking with Saga!  We're in the home counties, too, in Hertfordshire and like the idea of the transportation down to Dover.  We're in our 70s but like a drink and a good time.  I'm sure you if you've been on Azamara you know our good friend 'excited of harpenden' and many others. 

 

Do hope you have a great time on your cruise and maybe we'll meet up sometime, somewhere.

 

Thanks again.

[Lolou127]

Thanks both for the replies, I think I’ll call saga and talk it through with them, I tried online chat but I think speaking to someone will be better 

17 hours ago, Azamazingal said:

I'm following too as we will be on Spirit of Discovery next April,

Hoping to pick up lots of advice.

This will be our 40th cruise with ten completed on Azamara.

Saga are flying us from Glasgow to Gatwick with a transfer to Dover.

A

 

6 hours ago, Azamazingal said:

Azamazingal, I didn’t realise there was an option to fly down to London, is that because you are more than 250 miles from Dover? was that included in your cruise or is it an optional extra! We live in NW wales and are also more than 250 miles away, it would be easier for us to get to Manchester and fly down to London x

 

As we are nearly 500 miles from Dover, I asked if we could drive to relatives in Yorkshire (250 miles) and get picked up from there.  Instant response was that a flight from Scotland and transfer would be provided at no extra cost.  Would it not be easier for you to drive to the other side of Chester, rather than be bothered with a short flight?  It might be possible to "buy" extra miles over the 250, either from home or from Chester.  Why not explore all these options with Saga?

 

 

5 hours ago, snoopy4 said:

Lolou, FYI, we live 261 miles away,paid an extra £26 for the shared car service,& our pick up time is 9.10 this Thursday.

Thank you Corrine for all the very useful information you are passing on .

 

[cinnamon]

I do know the gentleman you refer to, he was a member of our Progressive Trivia team on a TA earlier this year although we have met a few times before that. 😄

 

The choir was fun. One lead singer and two assistants, all from the Cast plus the musical director on the piano. David made it a fun experience, doing warm ups and singing rounds. 

 

I agree that the Britannia Lounge is a good venue. Very similar to the Living Room on Az but much larger with a good sized dance floor.

 

Tonight there is a full production show at 9.45 in the theatre so I’m looking forward to that. A tribute to Queen.   

 

Before that we are dining in The Club steakhouse. 

[Glenndale]

44 minutes ago, welwyngirl said:

I'm sure you if you've been on Azamara you know our good friend 'excited of harpenden' and many others. 

I think it would be hard to find an Azamara cruiser who doesn’t know EofH,

I sometimes think he lives on board and goes home for a break 😂