Rare uktog Posted November 20, 2023 #2801 Share Posted November 20, 2023 If you’re bored with the whole thing why not do what others do - ask that they recognise the second top cruiser instead? For them it might be a very meaningful event. I much prefer the Viking model of a drinks party but simple round of applause for the top cruiser - no pointing them out or parading. The event should recognise loyalty many are very loyal with less than 5 cruises. Top cruiser only recognises wealth and the personal circumstances to be able to engage in multiple cruises only. So I agree time for a radical rethink 20 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belfastman Posted November 20, 2023 #2802 Share Posted November 20, 2023 The top cruiser on one of our recent cruises built up their nights in inside cabins and so could get more nights for much less cost than those who cruise in suites. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS Posted November 20, 2023 #2803 Share Posted November 20, 2023 Amazon update for Monday from onboard Quest The specialist electrician will be flying into Macapa (pilot station at mouth of Amazon) Tuesday afternoon (from Bogota!). We will get there about 8 PM Tuesday. Then the work starts. No definitive word on itinerary changes yet and don’t expect any until we get to Macapa and they get better info -- with one exception… looks like we will skip Santarem: the 8 or 9 hours we were to be there are how much behind we will be and we have to get to Manaus for several reasons. First, it’s the Azamazing Evening, but more important operationally, it’s the only place in the river we can get fresh water and offload dirty water. The ship can not make its own fresh water in the dirty/muddy river, and it’s illegal to discharge waste water in the river. That announcement (skipping Santarem) has not been publicly/officially made, but several senior officers have said that’s what will happen. We do expect some measure of water rationing ( not for passengers, but for ships systems like laundry) while in the river-- looks like I might have to hang up my own towels! Meanwhile onboard the food is good, the entertainment fine, the sea pretty calm and the weather glorious! 9 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS Posted November 22, 2023 #2804 Share Posted November 22, 2023 Amazon update for Tuesday from onboard Quest Its 9:30 PM, ships time, and we are just hauling in anchor to leave Macapa, after picking up river pilot and specialist electricians, and clearing Brazilian customs/formalities—been anchored about 3 hours. Entered the Amazon this morning. Well before we could see land, we could see the muddy waters. After land was sighted, one could see areas where smoke was rising. Within a few hours the air was redolent with smoke, as it continues now, permeating into the cabins and other rooms onboard. The river flow out at about 3 knots, so our forward speed today has been reduced to 10-12 knots. There appeared to be a following wind this afternoon, so we ended up making good time to Macapa. Don’t expect updated itinerary until sometime tomorrow, after ship’s staff confers with river pilots, gets input from electricians, works with port agents and Miami on various stops. All-in-all, a nice day at sea with calm seas (rivers) until the smoke took over in midafternoon. As noted, tomorrow’s planned stop in Santarem has been cancelled, so expect another sea day—hopefully with less smoke 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackdogmolly Posted November 22, 2023 #2805 Share Posted November 22, 2023 22 minutes ago, DS said: Amazon update for Tuesday from onboard Quest Its 9:30 PM, ships time, and we are just hauling in anchor to leave Macapa, after picking up river pilot and specialist electricians, and clearing Brazilian customs/formalities—been anchored about 3 hours. Entered the Amazon this morning. Well before we could see land, we could see the muddy waters. After land was sighted, one could see areas where smoke was rising. Within a few hours the air was redolent with smoke, as it continues now, permeating into the cabins and other rooms onboard. The river flow out at about 3 knots, so our forward speed today has been reduced to 10-12 knots. There appeared to be a following wind this afternoon, so we ended up making good time to Macapa. Don’t expect updated itinerary until sometime tomorrow, after ship’s staff confers with river pilots, gets input from electricians, works with port agents and Miami on various stops. All-in-all, a nice day at sea with calm seas (rivers) until the smoke took over in midafternoon. As noted, tomorrow’s planned stop in Santarem has been cancelled, so expect another sea day—hopefully with less smoke Thanks for the update. Hope all goes well for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terry&mike Posted November 22, 2023 #2806 Share Posted November 22, 2023 12 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said: Thanks for the update. Hope all goes well for you In looking at the TV this morning, although it hasn’t been announced yet, it appears as though our stop in Boca tomorrow has also been cancelled. Currently, we are cruising up the Amazon, and can see houses along the shore, jungle, and a few small boats about. The air is heavy with smoke from the wildfires. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terry&mike Posted November 22, 2023 #2807 Share Posted November 22, 2023 1 hour ago, terry&mike said: In looking at the TV this morning, although it hasn’t been announced yet, it appears as though our stop in Boca tomorrow has also been cancelled. Currently, we are cruising up the Amazon, and can see houses along the shore, jungle, and a few small boats about. The air is heavy with smoke from the wildfires. Captain just said we will port in Boca de Veleria tomorrow! Yay! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS Posted November 25, 2023 #2808 Share Posted November 25, 2023 We made it to Manaus! On our way back out the river. In both Manaus and Santarem we were originally scheduled to be docked, but had to revert to using tenders because of the water level. What does this actually look like? see attached. The water usually is at or near the top of the dock, with “floating docks” attached to it. You can see the floating dock (looks like a barge) now (with a bus on it) where the tenders dock. The water level is down 50 feet or more, and dropping another foot every 3-4 days! You can see lots of sand that used to be underwater (with some grass beginning to grow). The water level on shore is way to shallow for our ship. 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS Posted November 25, 2023 #2809 Share Posted November 25, 2023 7 minutes ago, DS said: We made it to Manaus! On our way back out the river. In both Manaus and Santarem we were originally scheduled to be docked, but had to revert to using tenders because of the water level. What does this actually look like? see attached. The water usually is at or near the top of the dock, with “floating docks” attached to it. You can see the floating dock (looks like a barge) now (with a bus on it) where the tenders dock. The water level is down 50 feet or more, and dropping another foot every 3-4 days! You can see lots of sand that used to be underwater (with some grass beginning to grow). The water level on shore is way to shallow for our ship. Actually, @terry&mike have posted some other nice pictures and info on our trip on the "roll call" page. If interested in more Amazon stuff, see their excellent info: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2828028-november-18-2023-amazon-intensive-voyage/page/10/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lahore Posted November 27, 2023 #2810 Share Posted November 27, 2023 On 11/20/2023 at 9:50 PM, uktog said: If you’re bored with the whole thing why not do what others do - ask that they recognise the second top cruiser instead? For them it might be a very meaningful event. I much prefer the Viking model of a drinks party but simple round of applause for the top cruiser - no pointing them out or parading. The event should recognise loyalty many are very loyal with less than 5 cruises. Top cruiser only recognises wealth and the personal circumstances to be able to engage in multiple cruises only. So I agree time for a radical rethink Agree, I think Azamara is quite classy because of its understated-ness. I find this whole celebration of wealth and indulgence thing really crass, So what if someone has enough money to spend cumulative years on a costly cruise line, I also celebrate someone who saved up like crazy for their first cruise on Azamara (I fit into neither category btw). If I wanted ostentatious wealth I'd sail on Regent or Silversea etc.. 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger b Posted December 4, 2023 #2811 Share Posted December 4, 2023 We are on Pursuit sailing Las Palmas to Cape Town, this being our first time with Azamara, we have been privileged to travel with the best Captain and crew we have ever cruised with in 50+ cruises . The Captain Antonio is everywhere and has been on the ball all day and evening participating in everything. They crew and service are also first class . With so many sea days they have made it a wonderful trip. My only down side is the food could be so much better and the two specialty restaurants are not worth the added expense. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatnix Posted December 4, 2023 #2812 Share Posted December 4, 2023 54 minutes ago, roger b said: We are on Pursuit sailing Las Palmas to Cape Town, this being our first time with Azamara, we have been privileged to travel with the best Captain and crew we have ever cruised with in 50+ cruises . The Captain Antonio is everywhere and has been on the ball all day and evening participating in everything. They crew and service are also first class . With so many sea days they have made it a wonderful trip. My only down side is the food could be so much better and the two specialty restaurants are not worth the added expense. We are also on this cruise and enjoy every moment. Meals we usually have at Disoveries and had some really wonderful dishes. Antonio for me is a role model for a captain, never met one like him on nearly 30 cruises. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackdogmolly Posted December 4, 2023 #2813 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Azamara has the best crews and captains at sea! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
java spot Posted December 5, 2023 #2814 Share Posted December 5, 2023 If someone on any ship has a spare moment to post I would love to see a menu of prices at the spa for the more mundane services such as haircut and pedicure. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo_On_Geo Posted December 10, 2023 #2815 Share Posted December 10, 2023 Also on this cruise, and I have to say I had some the best meals in discoveries every night. I think Azamara has really stepped up its game in terms of food. My only negative comment is the lack of variety in discoveries for lunch. Menus were rather repetitive. Overall, it was an excellent cruise, and very happy with the FCC we were given. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ghstudio Posted December 14, 2023 #2816 Share Posted December 14, 2023 We are on the onward in an n2 suite on the way to San Juan. No issues other than grey sky and roughish seas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabrina5zunoi3 Posted December 15, 2023 #2817 Share Posted December 15, 2023 On 11/20/2023 at 1:25 PM, Belfastman said: The top cruiser on one of our recent cruises built up their nights in inside cabins and so could get more nights for much less cost than those who cruise in suites. It is a fact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FengShui@Sea Posted December 17, 2023 #2818 Share Posted December 17, 2023 We are currently on the Quest. One of the issues that we attribute to only operating on three engines is reduced electrical power throughout the ship. It appears that Azamara determined that sending a ship down to the Antarctic without sufficient power to heat our suite would be perfectly acceptable. Granted we are in an Owners suite with a lot of windows, but there is minimal heat coming out of the ceiling vent, and I stress ‘minimal’. So after two visits from technicians pretending to fix the problem, and us making note of this issue on the comment card, we arrived back to our suite last evening to the comical sight of blankets attached to the balcony windows with masking tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FengShui@Sea Posted December 17, 2023 #2819 Share Posted December 17, 2023 @java spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted December 17, 2023 #2820 Share Posted December 17, 2023 1 hour ago, FengShui@Sea said: We are currently on the Quest. One of the issues that we attribute to only operating on three engines is reduced electrical power throughout the ship. It appears that Azamara determined that sending a ship down to the Antarctic without sufficient power to heat our suite would be perfectly acceptable. Granted we are in an Owners suite with a lot of windows, but there is minimal heat coming out of the ceiling vent, and I stress ‘minimal’. So after two visits from technicians pretending to fix the problem, and us making note of this issue on the comment card, we arrived back to our suite last evening to the comical sight of blankets attached to the balcony windows with masking tape. Oh dear. Looks a bit sad. What if you wanted to take a photo out the window? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted December 17, 2023 #2821 Share Posted December 17, 2023 A question for anyone who brought hair straighteners- do they still work on reduced power? And is phone charging etc slower? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FengShui@Sea Posted December 17, 2023 #2822 Share Posted December 17, 2023 1 hour ago, uktog said: A question for anyone who brought hair straighteners- do they still work on reduced power? And is phone charging etc slower? All of our devices seem to charge the same as at home, no problem there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackdogmolly Posted December 17, 2023 #2823 Share Posted December 17, 2023 I wonder if there is any news on when they will receive the part they need to fix the problem. And so sorry about the lack of proper heat in your suite, Holly and Will! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riocca Posted December 17, 2023 #2824 Share Posted December 17, 2023 Years ago we did the Antarctic Cruise on Star Princess in a corner aft suite of similar size to an Owners Suite on Azamara. The ship was operating normally but we also suffered the heating in the suite being unable to cope with the low outside temperatures, we also lost hot water for 2 days. Just wondering if it could be that modern cruise ships are not designed to handle the low Antarctic temperatures. That said we’re hoping that they can fix Quest soon as we are due to join her in Rio in March. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackdogmolly Posted December 17, 2023 #2825 Share Posted December 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, Riocca said: Years ago we did the Antarctic Cruise on Star Princess in a corner aft suite of similar size to an Owners Suite on Azamara. The ship was operating normally but we also suffered the heating in the suite being unable to cope with the low outside temperatures, we also lost hot water for 2 days. Just wondering if it could be that modern cruise ships are not designed to handle the low Antarctic temperatures. That said we’re hoping that they can fix Quest soon as we are due to join her in Rio in March. If this is the case, I’m surprised we haven’t heard more complaints about this issue. Since I will be on board in February for this itinerary, I guess I should be grateful for a lower cabin class! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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