Anybody onboard currently?

[JYDCruise]

14 minutes ago, wjfan417 said:

Our current voyage on Quest has been one of the best. Officers and staff have been wonderful, food has been great, Captain Johannes has been very visible. Only complaint is the quality of the wines (both included and in the ultimate package). They’re out of the Sokol Blosser Pinot noir that’s supposed to be in the ultimate package and are substituting Cavit, which retails for about $15 a magnum at home.

This (Dublin-Reykyavik on the Pursuit) was our first Azamara cruise (and only my second overall) and while I was generally very happy, the wine selection and availability was one of the few areas where I feel that the line falls short. From the very first night, a number of the wines on the Ultimate Package were not available, e.g. the Matanzas Creek Merlot*, the Pinot as you mentioned (for which was initially substituted La Crema, then a New Zealand Pinot whose name I did not catch), and the Sauvignon Blanc. For the most part, I felt the substitutions were not bad, but yeah . . . the SB Pinot is ~~$30 retail, La Crema $15. Also, it seemed that on multiple occasions they would refill a partially finished glass with the house wine without checking that we were drinking an Ultimate Package selection. That's one way to make a blend, I guess.

 

*Oddly, midway through the trip I saw an open bottle of the Matanzas Creek at one of the bars.

[takemewithyou]

13 hours ago, laurieb said:

It’s referred to as Spirits in the Insider.  Spirits is in the den

Can you comment on what going on with the wines?

We had the Ultimate Package last cruise and the wines were not great.  Now I read they are running out of wine on the Ultimate Package…….

I am not encouraged! 

[81Zoomie]

We are sailing on the upcoming “Wine and Culture” cruise that visits Bordeaux, Porto, and Lisbon.  It will be very disappointing if AZ is serving the low end supermarket wines on this cruise.  Fortunately we have a day at sea to figure it out.  If the included wines are poor, we will stock up in port and gladly pay the corkage.  No reason to spend hundreds to upgrade to the ultimate package if the wines don’t command the price. Life is too short to drink bad wine 🍷❤️🍷, especially on vacation!  

[asnaleah]

I concur @81Zoomie. We will be on Pursuit in February, sailing from Buenos Aires. I think we will bring wine onboard with us.

[uktog]

6 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Can you comment on what going on with the wines?

We had the Ultimate Package last cruise and the wines were not great.  Now I read they are running out of wine on the Ultimate Package…….

I am not encouraged! 

On Quest they did not have Wairu River Sauvignon Blanc.  We did not care for the substitute - sorry can’t remember the name.  There did seem to be issues finding bottles of all the wines when we ordered in the main dining room.  We would often wait a long time for our wine to be poured whereas obviously if we went with the ordinary  included it was instant 

 

I see a problem with the wine supply for the Ultimate Package if more and more people buy it to get the fancy cocktails in the Den this has a knock on effect on the demand for the wines.  

[laurieb]

6 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Can you comment on what going on with the wines?

We had the Ultimate Package last cruise and the wines were not great.  Now I read they are running out of wine on the Ultimate Package…….

I am not encouraged! 

We have Matanzas Creek and Whispering Angel on the Quest.  Can’t comment on the others

[wjfan417]

6 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

We are sailing on the upcoming “Wine and Culture” cruise that visits Bordeaux, Porto, and Lisbon.  It will be very disappointing if AZ is serving the low end supermarket wines on this cruise.  Fortunately we have a day at sea to figure it out.  If the included wines are poor, we will stock up in port and gladly pay the corkage.  No reason to spend hundreds to upgrade to the ultimate package if the wines don’t command the price. Life is too short to drink bad wine 🍷❤️🍷, especially on vacation!  

We’ll still be on for that cruise also and will probably purchase a few bottles in Bordeaux and Spain! 

[81Zoomie]

7 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

We’ll still be on for that cruise also and will probably purchase a few bottles in Bordeaux and Spain! 

@wjfan417, can you comment on what red wines are currently available on the Quest in the Ultimate package?

[Beamafar]

On 8/12/2022 at 1:59 PM, lisiamc said:

We are onboard Pursuit currently, and I am thrilled to report that the Patio Grill is open for dinner. It’s just as delicious as I remember it, but a bit underused, possibly because we are in Iceland, and people may not realise that the heaters are on, so it’s very nice even at night.

The Patio closed every day at 5pm on Journey.  (Disembarked yesterday). 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Beamafar

[Miss_Confused]

On 8/17/2022 at 8:49 PM, wjfan417 said:

Our current voyage on Quest has been one of the best. Officers and staff have been wonderful, food has been great, Captain Johannes has been very visible. Only complaint is the quality of the wines (both included and in the ultimate package). They’re out of the Sokol Blosser Pinot noir that’s supposed to be in the ultimate package and are substituting Cavit, which retails for about $15 a magnum at home.

Cavit?! Really? I would be unhappy with that as a complimentary wine. They really should be offering more local wines, I bet people would be much happier and also easier to supply. Honestly these indications are making me think one should just skip the ultimate package and use the money for corkage...

[lisiamc]

13 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The Patio closed every day at 5pm on Journey.  (Disembarked yesterday). 

The different approach from ship to ship is interesting. Maybe down to available personnel?

[Beamafar]

Just now, lisiamc said:

The different approach from ship to ship is interesting. Maybe down to available personnel?

It may have been more to do with the numbers of passengers onboard.   I heard there were only 410 (haven’t done the math on the number from different nationalities so can’t confirm this). 

[oddjob16]

Off the Journey. Generally a nice cruise. Great crew in all aspects. Many new employees, but in most cases with experience from other companies.

Wines in Ultimate package was in many cases "out of stock". Wairrau River and Matanzas Creek were replaced with Honig and a chilean merlot I can't remember. I got Kiona instead of the chilean merlot and was happy with that. Honig Sauvignon Blanc is totally different  but equal in quality.

Entertainement was so and so. Azamara recruits many out of US and the "school" nowadays seem to prefer vocalists to pitch higher than they are trained for. We have seen this as a development during many years. 

Food was fairly good with some discrepancies. Why not make a decent scrambled egg instead of using egg powder? No idea why this shortcut is necessary. More of the food in Windows were bland and could use some "spice-up".

Disvoveries and speciality restaurants were very good, as expected.

No dinner in Patio so far. This would be one of our preferred venues. 

Bars were up to standards. Very good in all venues. Spirits served the new cocktails and we tried a few. Very nice complement, but NO, I don't want another bar for it. 

Did I forget anything?

[marinaro44]

Just ask the chef in Windows to make scrambled eggs for you.

[laurieb]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:19 AM, 81Zoomie said:

We are sailing on the upcoming “Wine and Culture” cruise that visits Bordeaux, Porto, and Lisbon.  It will be very disappointing if AZ is serving the low end supermarket wines on this cruise.  Fortunately we have a day at sea to figure it out.  If the included wines are poor, we will stock up in port and gladly pay the corkage.  No reason to spend hundreds to upgrade to the ultimate package if the wines don’t command the price. Life is too short to drink bad wine 🍷❤️🍷, especially on vacation!  

We were on the Bordeaux cruise in 2018; found a great wine shop and purchased enough wine for that cruise and the following.  Love that Azamara allows you to carry on as much wine as you like

[lisiamc]

1 hour ago, oddjob16 said:

Off the Journey. Generally a nice cruise. Great crew in all aspects. Many new employees, but in most cases with experience from other companies.

Wines in Ultimate package was in many cases "out of stock". Wairrau River and Matanzas Creek were replaced with Honig and a chilean merlot I can't remember. I got Kiona instead of the chilean merlot and was happy with that. Honig Sauvignon Blanc is totally different  but equal in quality.

Entertainement was so and so. Azamara recruits many out of US and the "school" nowadays seem to prefer vocalists to pitch higher than they are trained for. We have seen this as a development during many years. 

Food was fairly good with some discrepancies. Why not make a decent scrambled egg instead of using egg powder? No idea why this shortcut is necessary. More of the food in Windows were bland and could use some "spice-up".

Disvoveries and speciality restaurants were very good, as expected.

No dinner in Patio so far. This would be one of our preferred venues. 

Bars were up to standards. Very good in all venues. Spirits served the new cocktails and we tried a few. Very nice complement, but NO, I don't want another bar for it. 

Did I forget anything?

I would still say, don’t knock the Atlas Bar until you’ve tried it! The fancy cocktails are irrelevant to me, as they’re too sugary for me to drink. It’s the ambiance of the bar, and the quiet intimacy of the place that charmed me. Have you tried having a quiet conversation with anyone in The Living Room or The Den when the entertainment is on after dinner? Impossible.

 

And for research purposes, I took many trips through the Drawing Room on our recent Pursuit cruise to count how many people were using the room. The highest count was six, and only once, in the afternoon. Most of the time it was zero, especially in the evenings, and sometimes one or two.

[Mackdogmolly]

Well, I would agree that it’s impossible to have a conversation over drinks in the Living Room. 

[oddjob16]

1 hour ago, marinaro44 said:

Just ask the chef in Windows to make scrambled eggs for you.

Why didn't I think of that.🤣😂

[oddjob16]

49 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

I would still say, don’t knock the Atlas Bar until you’ve tried it! The fancy cocktails are irrelevant to me, as they’re too sugary for me to drink. It’s the ambiance of the bar, and the quiet intimacy of the place that charmed me. Have you tried having a quiet conversation with anyone in The Living Room or The Den when the entertainment is on after dinner? Impossible.

 

And for research purposes, I took many trips through the Drawing Room on our recent Pursuit cruise to count how many people were using the room. The highest count was six, and only once, in the afternoon. Most of the time it was zero, especially in the evenings, and sometimes one or two.

I wouldn't. I agree that music in the Den is too loud for conversation. That, however, is easily fixed by having the piano player turning the volume down.

The piano player on Journey Anna Tchepalova, was an excellent musician and a great entertainer, but we could not speak when she was supposed to provide us with background music.

[uktog]

I agree, regardless of where the cocktails are the cruise directors need to tell the entertainers to turn the dial down.  I think-part of the problem is they do not sit in the lounges for a while and get the sense of the volume.  I loved the Fantastic Beats in the living room but they needed to turn the dial down.  Its not going to impact on anyone hearing their music but is going to make the guests enjoy their music and the company of others much more

[gaspari]

Just returned 17 Aug from Journey. Still a really nice experience on the whole. Excellent housekeeping/internal standards/hygiene and decor. Cabin steward exceptional. Balconies and balcony furniture showing their age. Officers almost invisible until we commented mid cruise, and some with very poor personal standards/ image - needing to wash with Persil! Certainly not like the old days with Heike/Eric and the like. Cruise Director not really front of house at all, but does have a nice voice! Many pleasant staff, some inexperienced, but growing into the role as the cruise progressed. We felt the casual/daytime food offer was pretty good, especially Windows breakfast. Discoveries food seriously hit and miss, speciality restaurants better. We were not a fan of the limited a la carte evening offer in Windows, but perhaps a reflection of the 450 load factor. Shuttles where they were provided were infrequent and not managed, with not enough, no schedules, and sometimes pick up points that didn’t exist. Overall this last minute cruise was enjoyable at a very good price point,  the ship was looking very nice, and the clientele charming. No Covid issues we were aware of. Although some aspects, especially management team need work, we would certainly rebook again.

[TeaBag]

Just off our first Azamara cruise.  This was on Quest.  We found the food bland and the chef in Discoveries doesn't know how to cook steak medium rare.  He only knows well done and tough, so we stopped eating there preferring Windows with their ethnic offering each night. Crew were amazing and we thought the service went above and beyond.  Loved Captain Tysee with his amazing sense of humor.  Also loved the small ship.

[mchell810]

2 hours ago, gaspari said:

Just returned 17 Aug from Journey. Still a really nice experience on the whole. Excellent housekeeping/internal standards/hygiene and decor. Cabin steward exceptional. Balconies and balcony furniture showing their age. Officers almost invisible until we commented mid cruise, and some with very poor personal standards/ image - needing to wash with Persil! Certainly not like the old days with Heike/Eric and the like. Cruise Director not really front of house at all, but does have a nice voice! Many pleasant staff, some inexperienced, but growing into the role as the cruise progressed. We felt the casual/daytime food offer was pretty good, especially Windows breakfast. Discoveries food seriously hit and miss, speciality restaurants better. We were not a fan of the limited a la carte evening offer in Windows, but perhaps a reflection of the 450 load factor. Shuttles where they were provided were infrequent and not managed, with not enough, no schedules, and sometimes pick up points that didn’t exist. Overall this last minute cruise was enjoyable at a very good price point,  the ship was looking very nice, and the clientele charming. No Covid issues we were aware of. Although some aspects, especially management team need work, we would certainly rebook again.

 

Thanks for your summary.  Could you comment a bit more on the shuttles? Where were shuttles offered and in which cities it was problematic?  Thanks.

[gaspari]

Will try and summarise.

Shuttles were provided in Civitavecchia to a walkable but not very convenient location, which was completely unmanned. Schedule supposedly half hourly, but no timings and didn’t seem that frequent. We walked to the Costa ship and used theirs in the morning, and got the MSC one in the evening, then walked, as no sign of anything for Azamara.

Shuttle not needed in Santa Margherita, Sorrento, or Kotor, as good tender locations. No shuttle in Livorno, but fairly close to town of Livorno (such as it is!) or Giardino Naxos (we taxied to Taormina).  Infrequent half hourly (full) shuttles to get from Port to town in Monopoli, so we walked about 1 mile to town intending to get the shuttle back, but pick up location in town didn’t exist, according to tourist office, so we walked back too. Two shuttles booked by Azamara and provided by port to take us to Ravenna town half hourly, but long wait as full.

Overall, just felt a bit limited, and unmanaged, not reflecting that everyone gets off in the morning

[Baynanno1]

From comments above it seems the music volume continues to be problematic. I can't comment on recent volume of the various entertainers as we have not yet re-commenced cruising, our last was November 2019.

 

Volume well above the safe decibel level (tested on a sound meter) was the norm rather than a safe volume in the Living Room at night. When you can hear the noise from deck 9 or even deck 8 as you walk up the stairs, you know the "music" is way too loud to be enjoyable.

 

We don't complain about much, but few staff showed any inclination to have the volume to a safe level.

We wondered on more than one occasion whether some of those people had developed hearing problems as a result of constant exposure to unsafe volumes over many years in their chosen profession.