Just returned on the Journey

[Melady]

My DH & I are leaving on 6/16/07 - am anxious to hear about the good points and bad points of the Journey from those who have and will be sailing her before our trip date. Thanks so much :)

[jandiart]

Hi,

I haven't posted up to now. We just got off the ship this morning. I feel that this ship will be a great ship to cruise on in a few more weeks. All the public rooms are beautiful. The pool area looks like it will be usable for this weeks cruise. They were sanding the floors all week. The cruise that we were on was really a shake down cruise ironing out a lot of kinks like televisions working, safes opening, no soap in the bathrooms etc. We never got any tissues for the entire cruise. They finally unpacked the umbrellas the last day at sea. The bingo machine was not on board as yet and activities were lacking. Entertainment was not up to par either. However, I have to say that the food service and the food presentation as well as the quality of the food was magnificent. I really looked foward to every meal in the dining room. We even had kobe beef hamburgers on Thursday. Prime C needs some work on the spicing of the food. Dominique told us that the chef comes from Bellagio and Mirage in Vegas. All the staff members were kept very busy all week. I understand their sleeping quarters wer much worst than ours as they worked to put the ship together. If they can improve on the activities this is going to be a class act ship. It was very rocky going to Hamilton because thewre was a big storm brewing that started right at the pier in Bayonne. I don't believe that it was the ship that was unstable. It was the weather. We spoke to people who came on the Norwegian Crown and they told us that the waves were hitting the 4 th floor windows. That was not the case with us. Our captain of the ship put on almost 100 extra miles going around the bad weather rather than take us through it. Besides the other perks we all received a free day(worth $12) transportation pass so that we could use it to go to St Georges if we wished or use it anyway we wished. I thought that that was very generous since we were cruising for free.

Some people made the mistake of flying home from Bermuda, afraid of the impending bad weather. The ocaen was like a smooth lake all the way home and the trip and amenities increased as the days went on. The staff was very friendly. The country club casual dress code was great. There is a small bar area where you can wait for your friends before going in to dine together. We did not consider what we had as butler service since we only received fruit once, never got canapes or fresh flowers and never really saw our butler. This may be because of other duties that had been assigned to them in preparing the ship. The bedding is great. We slept well on thick mattresses and had down comforters. We weren't given a pillow menu but I did have my pillows changed since the ones on the bed were feathers. We had a good time and would not hesitate to go on this ship again. We were put up in the Doubletree hotel at Newark airport. Some people were brought to the Hilton at JFK because all the hotels in NJ were filled up (they only put us up at Hilton owned hotels . ) We really have nothing to complain about. We now have the funds for a second vacation since we didn't pay for this one.

This ship will be a quality product. I spoke to John our cruise director and told him about my concerns for 30 minute shows that we had on two occasions and hw assured me that he is going to make sure that the shows are longer.

Don't be afraid to go on this ship. If the sea is rough every ship will have motion. This ship is as stable as any other larger ship.

[Andy]

Hi Jandiart !

 

Thank you for the update, it is much appreciated !

[corona5657]

i am also waiting to hear some news regarding journey. we are leaving 6/23. curious as to what the attire is on this ship. am getting mixed answers.

[bestz5403]

i am also waiting to hear some news regarding journey. we are leaving 6/23. curious as to what the attire is on this ship. am getting mixed answers.

 

We are on the Quest on 12/22/07. Hope the reviews are GREAT!

[Dolphins]

Great review. Thought the cruiseline was very generous in compensating the passengers for the shortcomings. Look forward to our Journey cruise.

[Wheeler63]

Thank you!

[Spender Nui]

Thanks for the information. I wonder if they're not over reaching with the butler thing?

[corona5657]

thanks for the info. we are leaving for bermuda on journey 6/23, so any info is greatly appreciated!!

[patpaul]

Hi,

I haven't posted up to now. We just got off the ship this morning. I feel that this ship will be a great ship to cruise on in a few more weeks. All the public rooms are beautiful. The pool area looks like it will be usable for this weeks cruise. They were sanding the floors all week. The cruise that we were on was really a shake down cruise ironing out a lot of kinks like televisions working, safes opening, no soap in the bathrooms etc. We never got any tissues for the entire cruise. They finally unpacked the umbrellas the last day at sea. The bingo machine was not on board as yet and activities were lacking. Entertainment was not up to par either. However, I have to say that the food service and the food presentation as well as the quality of the food was magnificent. I really looked foward to every meal in the dining room. We even had kobe beef hamburgers on Thursday. Prime C needs some work on the spicing of the food. Dominique told us that the chef comes from Bellagio and Mirage in Vegas. All the staff members were kept very busy all week. I understand their sleeping quarters wer much worst than ours as they worked to put the ship together. If they can improve on the activities this is going to be a class act ship. It was very rocky going to Hamilton because thewre was a big storm brewing that started right at the pier in Bayonne. I don't believe that it was the ship that was unstable. It was the weather. We spoke to people who came on the Norwegian Crown and they told us that the waves were hitting the 4 th floor windows. That was not the case with us. Our captain of the ship put on almost 100 extra miles going around the bad weather rather than take us through it. Besides the other perks we all received a free day(worth $12) transportation pass so that we could use it to go to St Georges if we wished or use it anyway we wished. I thought that that was very generous since we were cruising for free.

Some people made the mistake of flying home from Bermuda, afraid of the impending bad weather. The ocaen was like a smooth lake all the way home and the trip and amenities increased as the days went on. The staff was very friendly. The country club casual dress code was great. There is a small bar area where you can wait for your friends before going in to dine together. We did not consider what we had as butler service since we only received fruit once, never got canapes or fresh flowers and never really saw our butler. This may be because of other duties that had been assigned to them in preparing the ship. The bedding is great. We slept well on thick mattresses and had down comforters. We weren't given a pillow menu but I did have my pillows changed since the ones on the bed were feathers. We had a good time and would not hesitate to go on this ship again. We were put up in the Doubletree hotel at Newark airport. Some people were brought to the Hilton at JFK because all the hotels in NJ were filled up (they only put us up at Hilton owned hotels . ) We really have nothing to complain about. We now have the funds for a second vacation since we didn't pay for this one.

This ship will be a quality product. I spoke to John our cruise director and told him about my concerns for 30 minute shows that we had on two occasions and hw assured me that he is going to make sure that the shows are longer.

Don't be afraid to go on this ship. If the sea is rough every ship will have motion. This ship is as stable as any other larger ship.

Thanks for the info. we are sailing on 5/26. hope they have things organized by then

[smdubowsky]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Journey on Aug. 11th. They should have the kinks worked out by then.

[JanSun]

Jandiart,

 

My DH and I are sailing on the Journey the end of September. Just a few questions.

How was the weather in Bermuda?

What are some things we "have to do/see" while we're there?

And how did you manage to cruise for free?

 

Thanks, JanSun

[jandiart]

Jandiart,

 

My DH and I are sailing on the Journey the end of September. Just a few questions.

How was the weather in Bermuda?

What are some things we "have to do/see" while we're there?

And how did you manage to cruise for free?

 

Thanks, JanSun

Unfortunately, it rained a little on our first day in Hamilton. There were no umbrellas in our room so it made getting off in the morning difficult. It was a bit chilly that day. A light jacket was needeed. The rest of that day was overcast and breezy. The second day was also overcast , a bit warmer and very windy at the beach. The third day was warmer and very nice in the morning and afternoon. Since we missed a day of the cruise and the ship really wasn't ready to sail, Azamara knew they had to do something to avoid a riot at the pier so they offered all of us a full refund on our trip and $100 on board credit. They also gave free parking to those who drove to the pier, hotel rooms for those who could not get home and back the next morning (the majority of people got this)and paid for limo services and cabs to return people home and bring back to the pier the next day. Most of us left our luggage at the pier and had to live with whatever we had in our carry ons. The hotel that we were at gave us toiletries to help out.

[jandiart]

Jandiart,

 

My DH and I are sailing on the Journey the end of September. Just a few questions.

How was the weather in Bermuda?

What are some things we "have to do/see" while we're there?

And how did you manage to cruise for free?

 

Thanks, JanSun

You must see the beaches. My favorite are St Catherines in St. Georges and Horseshoe Bay. The public transportation is very good. Spend some time at the docks area. Take the ferries. Buy a day transportation pass for $12 It's worth it if you will be going to different places. We took the little trolley tour and really liked it. Some people went to the caves and enjoyed that. St. Georges is very quaint to stroll though. There is plenty to do and see and nothing better than lying on the beach if the weather permits.

[davejnkntwn]

Check out the comments on the thread posted 5/14/07 for Azamura Debacle.

You can make your own decision as to how the first Azamara cruise went. You may want to check out what the folks on the second cruise say when they return after 5/19/07.

[1cruiselvr]

I have noticed in life that those who see things as 'the glass is half empty' can't wait to tell everyone of their bad luck that the cup is not full and boy did they suffer with only a half glass. Those that see things as 'the glass is half full' are never heard from as they are too busy enjoy their half full glass. I don't care if the TV doesn't work (got that at home) or if the bed isn't made until noon (at least I didn't have to do it), the ship didn't sink and the food was reported as great, so what's there to be so upset about? Add the icing on the cake that it was free. Okay, you didn't get a perfect vacation. Nothing in life is perfect. Okay, so you don't get another vacation from work this year. Would you have preferred that they cancelled the entire cruise and you went home to unpack instead? I just don't get what was so AWFUL?

[AllAboutCruising]

Here's my take on the the glass is half full/half empty. I believe the people who cruised last week all made the best of their half full glass as they all said so in their posts. I think what was so aweful was they were never told when they arrived at port on Saturday that the glass was going to be half empty. Azamara could have been up front with their guests. They knew the condition of the ship, why not be honest.

[1cruiselvr]

BUT THEY GOT IT FOR FREE. Free buys alot in my book. I don't apply the same expectations or demands on anything that is given to me for free. I could understand if they paid for it and got less than expected. I too would be upset in that case, but I would think that when the cruiseline told them the trip was going to be free, that would have been their first clue that Azamara knew they were not going to deliver as expected. Do they think a cruiseline would actually give a cruise away for free just because they were delayed one day?

[nlvc12]

BUT THEY GOT IT FOR FREE. Free buys alot in my book. I don't apply the same expectations or demands on anything that is given to me for free. I could understand if they paid for it and got less than expected. I too would be upset in that case, but I would think that when the cruiseline told them the trip was going to be free, that would have been their first clue that Azamara knew they were not going to deliver as expected. Do they think a cruiseline would actually give a cruise away for free just because they were delayed one day?

 

Again, I think you and other posters are wrong in chastising those that are complaining. Keep in mind many of these people rec'd calls on the Friday before telling them what a wonderful cruise they were going to have. I think the objection is the blatant dishonesty by the Cruise Line. While I may expect some inconvenience on a Free Cruise, I would not expect backed up toilets, no pool, and the sounds of construction all day long.

 

Please lighten up on those that have suffered enough. Most of us appreciate their honesty, especially those going within the next few weeks.

 

nlvc12

[surfklutz]

BUT THEY GOT IT FOR FREE. Free buys alot in my book. I don't apply the same expectations or demands on anything that is given to me for free. I could understand if they paid for it and got less than expected. I too would be upset in that case, but I would think that when the cruiseline told them the trip was going to be free, that would have been their first clue that Azamara knew they were not going to deliver as expected. Do they think a cruiseline would actually give a cruise away for free just because they were delayed one day?

 

Free doesn't always equal desirable. If you went to a restaurant and wanted to order a steak, but all they had was corn beef hash - but they would give it to you free, would you be completely satisfied - especially if you had planned and anticipated the steak. (oh - and while you were enjoying the free hash - they were varnishing the floor around you and hammering in the kitchen. )

 

And the problems extended much much further than just being delayed by one day.

[cocteau]

I have no problem with people complaining for bad service even when it is "free". For many of us with busy lives and career, time is a precious commodity that has a very high cost and thus if my vacation time were ruined, I would be fuming.

[rebeccalouise]

Have you ever stayed at a hotel that overbooked and they put you up in another? Have you ever arrived at the airport and the car you reserved they were out of? Have you ever had a flight cancelled or delayed or where the airline overbooked and had to put you on another flight?

 

All these things have happened to me and at no time did they do anything to compensate me for the aggravation.

 

In contrast, Azamara, refunded the cruise (minus taxes and onboard credit) and paid for the lost night with a hotel credit. I do think they made the most of a bad situation and everyone does have the money back. That is a $ 3000 savings and they did eat steak (not corned beef).

 

If a free trip to Bermuda has ruined anyone's life then I really wonder what type of charmed life they lead!

 

As for myself, I would not book an inaugural cruise (or even one where the ship is only a couple months old)- seems like they have to get the glitches out in general and Journey was an extreme case.

[dabear]

It seems the problem was X's lack of honesty. If they presented it as choice of a free shakedown cruise or the opportunity to transfer the customers credit to another cruise, then almost everyone would have had realistic expectations. Unfortunately , lost vacation time is harder to deal with.

[yosh12]

It seems the problem was X's lack of honesty. If they presented it as choice of a free shakedown cruise or the opportunity to transfer the customers credit to another cruise, then almost everyone would have had realistic expectations. Unfortunately , lost vacation time is harder to deal with.

 

Good point, but actually, the announcement of the new ship was made last Nov/Dec 2006. Anyone on this first sailing would have known then they will now be on the maiden voyage on a new ship, kicking off a new season in Bermuda. Travel agents everywhere were informing their passengers of such (at least the ones I'm familiar with). And if you booked on your own, this is something you should have been aware of (the whole "maiden voyage" issue). So people had opportunities to cancel 6 months ago and rebook if they wanted to.

[Trash Queen]

Even Cunard has had backed up toilets and no carpeting on shakedown cruises. If, by some chance, we had booked the maiden voyage, then we'd have felt fortunate to have cruised for free with money for another. Life goes much easier for those who learn to roll with the punches.

 

Charlotte