Azamara Quest - Mediterranean Cities, October 28-November 4 2021

[Bimmer09]

Next -I'll put up those last two issues of the Insider so we can have closure on that aspect which I promised. I am a man of my word. My word is my bond. James Bond.

 

Then we go ashore, easily find our luggage and go outside without hindrance (no passport control, yippee!) and await our tour car. We have a 4 hour tour booked. Some months ago, now. With Pepito Tours which we found out about in 2015 from Rick Steves. I have an email trail with its owner Jose Soler.

[hrhdhd]

On 11/17/2021 at 6:12 PM, Bimmer09 said:

In the midwest USA we pull off the highways at the T.A brand where there will be a Popeyes and a Subway, a crowded dimly lit shop and some neglected toilets that need a refurb.

Norris, I am finally coming out of the shadows to tell you that you need a trip to TX or FL for a visit to Buc-ee's, the Nordstrom of gas stations.

 

Thanks for the glorious review.

[Grandma Cruising]

THERE ARE NO WORDS
 

 

Kitty Donohoe from the album ‘Northern Border’

[Stem to Stern]

Norris,  

Thank you ever so much for another fantastic review.  It looks like Carol and you had a glorious trip.  I had the pleasure of meeting you several years ago while on board a catamaran sailing along the coast of St Kitts as part of an excursion from Celebrity Silhouette  It is always a pleasure to discover more of your clever writings and spectacular photography from another one of your journeys.  Now that I am all caught up to page 22, I am looking forward to following you on your final legs home to Chicago and your precious four-legged babies.  Thanks again for taking us all along.  

Cheers!

Paul

Edited November 24, 2021 by Stem to Stern

[Bimmer09]

[Bimmer09]

5 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Norris,  

Thank you ever so much for another fantastic review.  It looks like Carol and you had a glorious trip.  I had the pleasure of meeting you several years ago while on board a catamaran sailing along the coast of St Kitts as part of an excursion from Celebrity Silhouette  It is always a pleasure to discover more of your clever writings and spectacular photography from another one of your journeys.  Now that I am all caught up to page 22, I am looking forward to following you on your final legs home to Chicago and your precious four-legged babies.  Thanks again for taking us all along.  

Cheers!

Paul

Paul! Welcome and thanks for the compliments.

I certainly remember talking to you on the catamaran. That was January 2016 and our first X cruise.

Silhouette to Norway was our last Pre-Covid cruise, September 2019. Fantastic ship!

Yes, stick around. Lots of Barcelona and a taste of Dublin to come.

Cheers Paul!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

BARCELONA

 

3 photos stitched together (make it bigger if on computer)

[Ilovemygarden]

Hi -‘ I have so enjoyed following your trip.   Also the one you had to Cuba which sounded wonderful.  I did a Cuba cruise in 2019 but only had an overnight in Havana.   A question for Carol - does the onboard shop sell cosmetics and perfume?  I will be on the Journey in January.

[Bimmer09]

We're on the plaza outside the Cruise Terminal. The transfers to the airport are loading their passengers.

Taxis are lined up-they are black and yellow in Barcelona. Private drivers hold pieces of paper or iPads with customer's names. It's a lovely morning. Carol has found a bench. We are out early and waiting for our driver and guide to show up. They are not late.

 

Just before 9 a.m a black Mercedes sedan draws up and I call Carol from her bench. It is Pepito Tours.

The driver steps from the car, having stopped it first and pops the trunk for our luggage and the guide introduces himself as Jose. Jose Soler? I ask. None other. "Carol this is Jose-the owner, the Big Cheese, the Grand Wazoo, the Big Kahuna!". Jose laughs and it dawns on me that he has no OFF switch. This is the happiest, smilingest, laughingest, easy going bundle of fun in Barcelona. Our kind of guy and this will be a fun morning.

The driver, Paul is a big Cuban guy so instantly likable. Bottles of cold water in the back and an immaculate car.

I had asked to visit two Gaudi sites; La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell but first as in 2015 I wanted a quick tour of Montjuic (home of the Olympic Stadium of 1992) to get my bearings on some things I was interested in like Poble Espanol and the big fountain that has a light show some nights but mostly for the panoramic views of the city below.

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

5 minutes ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Hi -‘ I have so enjoyed following your trip.   Also the one you had to Cuba which sounded wonderful.  I did a Cuba cruise in 2019 but only had an overnight in Havana.   A question for Carol - does the onboard shop sell cosmetics and perfume?  I will be on the Journey in January.

Hi, thanks for following my 2 Azamara reviews! 

I am glad you asked Carol that question as I never set foot in any of the shops on the Quest nor the Journey. I think your best bet is to buy in the Duty Free shops if you are sailing abroad. Big selections and good prices (based on my cigarette purchases)

Alas we are being denied cruising to Cuba by our government currently. As soon as that restriction is lifted we will return.

Carol will like your screen name. She has green fingers as they say.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We are still up on Montjuic, enjoying the marvelous weather and Jose's commentary. His English is perfect and he's even studied in the USA and he knows a lot about Barcelona's history. He's also an architecture buff which means he and Carol hit it off immediately as that's her jam. I am soaking up the atmosphere .

 

 

 

 

Escalators help tourists move up the terraces on Montjuic. There's also an aerial cable car on the mountain and a cable car system (which you saw by the ship) that runs from Montjuic down to the beach

[Mackdogmolly]

Wonderful review. Thanks for taking us along! Question about something I noticed in one of the Insiders. Urging people to spend their OBC, as it’s not refundable. It’s my understanding that only Azamara OBC is non refundable and that TA OBC is. Has that changed?

[Ilovemygarden]

19 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Hi, thanks for following my 2 Azamara reviews! 

I am glad you asked Carol that question as I never set foot in any of the shops on the Quest nor the Journey. I think your best bet is to buy in the Duty Free shops if you are sailing abroad. Big selections and good prices (based on my cigarette purchases)

Alas we are being denied cruising to Cuba by our government currently. As soon as that restriction is lifted we will return.

Carol will like your screen name. She has green fingers as they say.

Norris

Thanks Norris - I ask because I have secured a very generous amount of obc and might need ideas to get rid of it!

[Bimmer09]

30 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Wonderful review. Thanks for taking us along! Question about something I noticed in one of the Insiders. Urging people to spend their OBC, as it’s not refundable. It’s my understanding that only Azamara OBC is non refundable and that TA OBC is. Has that changed?

I hope someone else can answer this. We have never used a TA.

Norris

[Mackdogmolly]

11 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

I hope someone else can answer this. We have never used a TA.

Norris

I could book on my own, but I get lots of OBC by going through a TA, or transferring to after booking myself.

[Bimmer09]

We're heading over to La Sagrada Familia but Jose wants to show us a Gaudi building which is on a side street off Las Ramblas which is the main tourist drag with lots of sidewalk cafes and restaurants. I'm taking just a few pics out of the window until we get there. It's Thursday morning and not yet busy.

 

 

Barcelona is Balcony Central. I love that!

 

Paul drops us off and goes to find parking until we call him

Up ahead is the Gaudi-note the rooftop

 

 

Graffitti is a thing in Europe

 

Unmistakeable style

 

Next we visit La Sagrada Familia. Jose has already bought the tickets so we won't have to line up for those.

 

Meantime I have to make a trip to Indiana. While I am gone you can learn about Barcelona...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona#Late_twentieth_century

[ChucktownSteve]

13 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I could book on my own, but I get lots of OBC by going through a TA, or transferring to after booking myself.

 

On my upcoming Azamara Quest cruise, my TA was able to reduce the cruise booking price by the same amount of OBC he would have given me so I took that.  Celebrity refunds TA OBC if it's not a TA/Celebrity cross promotion which is not refundable.  On Regent my TA will send me a rebate check after the cruise since they don't refund TA OBC.

 

But the best thing to do is ask your TA if their OBC is refundable.  Don't assume.  Or ask what other options are available from them.

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

But the best thing to do is ask your TA if their OBC is refundable.  Don't assume.  Or ask what other options are available from them.

Thanks Steve. That’s a good idea. I have a new TA and I did assume it would be refundable as it was with my former TA.

[Bimmer09]

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Família

 

A work in progress for the past 139 years. We visited in October 2015 and were back to see the progress made. There's more of it (more towers) is the bottom line. When finished in 2026(ish) the biggest tower will rise 500 feet. 

 

Paul drops us off nearby so we can see it first from the little park opposite

 

 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

24 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Thanks Steve. That’s a good idea. I have a new TA and I did assume it would be refundable as it was with my former TA.

 

Also ask your TA if they charge a cancellation or change fee on top of what the cruise line charges.  When I got hit with the charge by a new TA a few ears ago, I moved to one that didn't charge.  As a bonus, I even got higher rebates/OBC. The first one was also the one who taught me the hard way that not all TA OBC if refundable because theirs wasn't.

[helen haywood]

On 11/23/2021 at 1:00 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Not familiar with Todd but meant the pics tell the story without help from me.

Norris

Every picture tells a story don’t it.

[Bimmer09]

We cross the street to enter

 

You'll spend a lot of time looking straight up-it's a pain in the neck 

 

and there's not much to see....

 

 

[Bimmer09]

more details

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

Next- we go inside (later this afternoon)