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Great cruise on 9/29

moonmom

By moonmom,
in Azamara

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moonmom

moonmom

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My thoughts on the 9/29 sailing...

 

Beautiful ship...very clean and well-maintained...not as tiny as i thought it would be, easy to navigate..never too far away from where you want to go-it offered as much as possible for a ship that size...great for the bermuda run...personally i would need a larger ship with a few more options for anything longer...especially if the pool deck was not an option due to weather on sea days..

 

Awesome crew...always had a smile and seemed happy to be there and to see you- we were especially impressed by our assistant cabin steward...always called down the hallway to us to wish us a nice day when he saw us leaving the cabin...the captain and officers were the most accessible of any of the cruises i have been on

 

Both Prime C and Aqualina were fantastic dining experiences- the food was outrageous, the service professional and friendly- as good as any of the upscale restaurants as I have been to onshore

 

Sky Suite 8068 was very large, pretty, comfortable and quiet- plenty of storage, great bathroom, comfy bed, nice sized fridge, beautiful furnishings. Balcony was wonderful and large- reclining chairs would be nice..the frosted glass dividers were pretty but allowed light from neighbors balconies/rooms to intrude on the quiet ocean darkness...

 

Food in main dining room...the appetizers were awesome, main courses were varied and good, desserts were very good, service was great- one kind of frenzied experience but definitely not the norm for us...not a big deal

 

Never felt crowded...except in the tiny smoking areas...there were many of us...standing room only- met some great fellow passengers here! Found it more restrictive than i anticipated...missed having cocktails on the balcony and relaxing there...

 

Good mix of ages of passengers...expected a much older crowd...the ship was a very early to bed one...not much happening at night

 

Casino was a nice size for a small ship...often empty...maybe a correlation between drinking, gambling and smoking? I play video poker slots...did pretty well but found it annoying to have to cash out to go to the ladies room, get a drink, go up 4/5 decks to have a smoke...i like to machines that pay you out with a coupon...just easier...

 

Lots of motion on the way down...to be expected with the rough seas we had...smooth on the way home...could hardly tell you were moving

 

People LOVE to complain and share their opinions about totally subjective matters with anyone who will listen...i cannot tell you how many times i heard things like the filet mignon was terrible/the filet mignon was great...aqualina was ok prime c is better...prime c was ok/aqualina was better...for every positive there was someone else who would view it negatively...just go and form your own opinion...facts are one thing...opinions are just that...they’re nice to hear beforehand for sure...but try not to let those things jade your view until you experience it...just my opinion! ;)

 

Open seating worked just fine for us- we ate late...9’ish never a wait...told a couple of times by the waiters that it was a good time because the dining room was crazy earlier...

 

Buffets were great for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plenty of variety...lobster tails were much better and bigger there than the “lobster four ways” in the dining room....we would sometimes go just to snack a little bit before going to a late dinner...

 

The pool grill was a nice option for burgers, dogs, nachos, pretzels if you came back to the ship too late for lunch and needed a little something before dinner..Cova cafe had little finger sandwiches and sweets...until 1am...nothing available after that other than room service....but the ship was pretty much asleep by then anyway...maybe a tray of something near the 24 hour self service coffee/drinks station would be a nice option...

 

Pool was great and really never too crowded to cool off in- we only got to use it the last sea day...way too much to do in bermuda and usually got back too late to hang out there....happy we had a beautiful last day

 

Hmmm...i’m sure i’m forgetting something....please feel free to ask any questions you may have...i’ll post a link to my photos as soon as i can!

 

jane

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moonmom

moonmom

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stephie67: Yes there was a good variety of foods at the buffet at dinnertime; they had sushi, pasta station (you choose your pasta and sauce) and a stir fry station each night as well as trays of different prepared foods each night. Of course there was always bread, salad, desserts, cheese and antipasto...it really was great! Loved the breakfast buffet also.

 

We arrived at the pier at about 11am and boarded no later than 11:30...

 

Here is the link to my ship pictures...will publish a separate Bermuda album when i complete it! Enjoy!

 

Journey Ship Shots

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cruiseyguy

cruiseyguy

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These ships are best utilized as floating hotels on port-intensive cruises. For example, Quest has several upcoming European itineraries with only two sea days out of fourteen. Late evening entertainment and/or shipboard activities will be rarely attended (or missed) under these circumstances. And I agree that cruising seems to attract an inordinate number of complainers (not "critics")-----more than any travel sector, in my experience.

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moonmom

moonmom

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These ships are best utilized as floating hotels on port-intensive cruises. For example, Quest has several upcoming European itineraries with only two sea days out of fourteen. Late evening entertainment and/or shipboard activities will be rarely attended (or missed) under these circumstances. And I agree that cruising seems to attract an inordinate number of complainers (not "critics")-----more than any travel sector, in my experience.

 

Great point cruiseguy...and what lovely hotels they are! I didn't mind getting to bed early and rising with the sun so I didn't miss a moment of our beautiful days in Bermuda! As for the complainers...i agree there also...i guess its more conducive to comparing and dissecting on the confined spaces of a ship than at a resort or hotel on land...funny thing was i heard things like "they have a lot of improvements to make" .. there were no answers when i asked..."specifically what?" ;)

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koolforkatz

koolforkatz

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Thank you for your taking the time to post your pictures and share them with everybody. The ship loooks beautiful and it sounds like you had a fantastic time. I can't wait to sail with the Quest in four months; I hope my experince is as good as yours was on the Journey.

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moonmom

moonmom

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What time did it say on your documents for boarding? We were told 2:00 for the Quest, but we'd love to get on early!!!

 

jbmom: My docs stated 12:30pm as the time for boarding...after reading many reviews on these boards we knew that we could probably board earlier than that...hope you can too...its a nice time to roam around the ship to get familiar with it, take pictures and start to get into vacation mode!

 

jane

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Andy

Andy

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some other questions are;

1. do they have waffles?

2. do they have a special non acoholic drink daily as they did on x

3.do they have philly cheesesteaks at the grill yet?

4.cn you but liquor and cigarrettes on board?

 

Hi Stefie !

 

The answers to questions 1 & 4 are yes. As for #2 it is probably a yes. Not sure about #3.

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moonmom

moonmom

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stefie67: i'm thinking that 9am MAY be too early...we were given a debarkation time of 9:10 and they actually didn't start debarkation until about 9:45 or so due to an unspecified delay with clearing the ship...once we got off the ship it was probably only 10-15 minutes to get our luggage, get thru customs and get our car from the lot!

 

Andy is right, they do have waffles at the buffet and on the room service menu for breakfast.

 

I remember seeing a pretty extensive non-alcoholic drink menu that was available every day..

 

No, there were no philly cheesesteaks at the pool grill...they had hamburgers, hotdogs, nachos, fries, pretzels and some salads.

 

Yes, you can buy cigarettes and liquor onboard...i know the liquor is delivered on the last day...not sure about the cigarettes...they had a limited selection but the prices seemed good. We learned too late that you can get excellent duty free prices at the liquor store on front street that will be delivered to the ship if you order by a specified time (12pm the day we left in our case) If you want to take it with you or if you go too late, you will have to pay full retail prices (about 2x as much as the duty free!)

 

Hope this info helps you!

 

jane

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PSCruiser

PSCruiser

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Answer to "do they have waffles" - yes. As you are approaching the main buffet line, there is a window where you can get pancakes and waffles, including a very thick (Belgian?) waffle. However, the reason I took the time to respond is to mention the "pancake man". If it is the same guy on each voyage, he makes a great start to your morning - happiest guy on the ship! Just walk past and he will have a big greeting for you.

 

Question - heard from someone on another ship that it was rough going out that week. How did the Journey ride in those seas?

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Granny&Pap

Granny&Pap

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Question - heard from someone on another ship that it was rough going out that week. How did the Journey ride in those seas?

 

Seas were pretty choppy. Lots of people sick.

Understand that the Grandeur of Seas had rough going. Journey rocked and rolled. Servers did a great job not dropping anything.:)

Ask one of the servers in Acqualina if this was normal for departing Bayonne, and he said "NO". First sailing out in early spring was bad but nothing til this cruise. Sea sick pills were available at guest relations. Took one myself just to make sure I wouldn't get sick AND I DIDN'T!!:D Our cruising friends didn't make dinner on Sunday evening.:(

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moonmom

moonmom

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just to add to the previous comments...yes they were rough...we were also told that it was the roughest they have been going to Bermuda...something about following a cold front? I usually take a bonine the night before leaving and each night (sometimes just a half) after that...i stopped while in Bermuda and began the day we left for home...no problems at all...it usually helps me to be out in the fresh air and to avoid enclosed spaces...it was actually a lot of fun! Honestly though, i thought the ship handled just as well as the larger ships i have been on....oh our butler suggested drinking some straight whiskey to settle the stomach! never heard that one before...

 

stefie...have a wonderful cruise...you must be beyond excitement at this point! smooth sails!

 

jane

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lovetoleave

lovetoleave

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My thoughts on the 9/29 sailing...

 

 

Hmmm...i’m sure i’m forgetting something....please feel free to ask any questions you may have...i’ll post a link to my photos as soon as i can!

 

jane

icon10.gif Of course you are forgetting something. Did you have the lychee martini????

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Jancruz

Jancruz

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Thanks so much for taking the time to share the pictures. Looks like a beautiful way to spend a vacation. We're booked for the Norwegian fjords cruise next summer. Your pictures and review really made us excited about our choice of the Journey.

 

The Norwegian fjords is one of the most beautiful trips we have ever taken..you will have lots of pictures!

Jan

*****

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moonmom

moonmom

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icon10.gif Of course you are forgetting something. Did you have the lychee martini????

 

You're gonna have to have one for me on your upcoming trip! I REMEMBERED that i WANTED to have one....unfortunately we NEVER had to wait for a table for dinner;) ....i guess we have to make our own opportunities! ....have a great trip!

 

jane

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