Just Returned from Quest sailing

[nikibear]

I have read the reviews of the Quest and thought I would post my own for anyone's benefit, or not :o . We just returned from the 12/8 sailing, 14 days through the canal.
First, the food on the ship was the best we have ever had. The Specialty Resturants were over rated, and unless you just want a quiet time, they are not worth it. Expect to spend two and half hours.

With little exception, the service was mediocre at best. Our "butler" was seldom seen, and on the last night, did not even service our cabin.

Something happened to the water supply on the second day out, turning the water a nasty rust color. There was no mention of it from the staff, but our room attendant did tell us not to drink the water.

The internet service is not only terribly expensive, but painfully slow. Most of your spent minutes are used waiting for the thing to respond.

In spite of the fact that they do not cater to children, there were several on the ship, most of whose parents neglected them and allowed them to be out of control. One little boy was found wandering on the dock in Santa Marta. His father did not even notice he was missing. I understand that on the return trip there were going to be 73 children on board. I pity the staff. One couple took their baby into the pool and said baby made a deposit in the pool.

The best part of the cruise was the people we met. In spite of the fact that it is a no smoking ship, the smoking areas became a common place for all of us to meet. They do need to work on better ventilation for these two areas.

The small ship concept is not one that I enjoyed as much as a larger ship. Yes, it was quiet. The Looking Glass Lounge was empty every night by the time that the entertainment started. The staff outnumbered the guests by two to one. This is definitely a ship for older, if not elderly, people.

We did enjoy the trip and the time away. And there is no such thing as a bad cruise.

[Loucat]

I have read the reviews of the Quest and thought I would post my own for anyone's benefit, or not :o . We just returned from the 12/8 sailing, 14 days through the canal.
First, the food on the ship was the best we have ever had. The Specialty Resturants were over rated, and unless you just want a quiet time, they are not worth it. Expect to spend two and half hours.

With little exception, the service was mediocre at best. Our "butler" was seldom seen, and on the last night, did not even service our cabin.

Something happened to the water supply on the second day out, turning the water a nasty rust color. There was no mention of it from the staff, but our room attendant did tell us not to drink the water.

The internet service is not only terribly expensive, but painfully slow. Most of your spent minutes are used waiting for the thing to respond.

In spite of the fact that they do not cater to children, there were several on the ship, most of whose parents neglected them and allowed them to be out of control. One little boy was found wandering on the dock in Santa Marta. His father did not even notice he was missing. I understand that on the return trip there were going to be 73 children on board. I pity the staff. One couple took their baby into the pool and said baby made a deposit in the pool.

The best part of the cruise was the people we met. In spite of the fact that it is a no smoking ship, the smoking areas became a common place for all of us to meet. They do need to work on better ventilation for these two areas.

The small ship concept is not one that I enjoyed as much as a larger ship. Yes, it was quiet. The Looking Glass Lounge was empty every night by the time that the entertainment started. The staff outnumbered the guests by two to one. This is definitely a ship for older, if not elderly, people.

We did enjoy the trip and the time away. And there is no such thing as a bad cruise.
Thank you for your posting. We are sailing on Quest 2/14 and like to hear of your experiences. It seems this ship still needs work!!

[Ms. J.]

Hi, Nikibear....

Thanks for posting a most balanced post. I will be on the Quest for the Panama canal sailing, on Jan. 19th....and looking forward to it. Jini

[LMKohler]

Hi,

We will be taking this exact itinerary on March 1st. I would be interested to hear about any excursions you took and the ports of call.

How was your cabin setup? Did you use the laundry?

Thanks:)

Lucy

[hudunnit]

DH and I were also on the 12/8 Quest cruise and, with 10 or 11 cruises in our past, we found this to be one of the best ever. Our butler was superb, the man could not do enough for us (and we tipped him extra in appreciation, as we also did his assistant). I felt like a princess.

We didn't notice any rusty water; we were on Deck 7, so maybe this was just on a particular deck.

We thought the food was good, but not superb. We are early diners and asked for and got the same table each night with no trouble, so we got to know our servers. We did enjoy Prime C, but it didn't take us more than two hours to eat. Loved that chocolate lava dessert:) .

The internet was just fine the two times I used it. I wasn't expecting much, because I'd read comments concerning slow connections, so I was surprised. I did think it was expensive, though. Dennis, the computer guy, was very knowledgeable, and we found his computer lectures to be helpful. He has an accent but wasn't difficult to understand.

I certainly agree about the children--the parents pretty much let them run loose, especially in the buffet. They were annoying, and I'm being polite.

We loved the small ship, no lines, easy to get wherever you were going, and always easy to get a seat in the Cabaret. We've never sailed on anything that held more than 2000 passengers, so we can't compare it with the mega ships, but we'll most likely never sail on one of them anyway, they're not our style.

The majority of passengers were indeed older, but as we are also, that was ok with us. Actually, with all the older people around, the younger ones looked sort of out of place.

I particularly noticed how quiet our stateroom was--we never heard conversations from either side of us unless we all were out on our balconies.

We don't cruise very far from home because we don't like the long, uncomfortable plane travel to and from, but if Azamara keeps a presence in Bermuda or the Caribbean or anywhere closer to the USA, we'd happily sail with them again.

[LMKohler]

Hudunnit, we will also be on Deck 7 in an aft cabin. Were you in a suite? I'm wondering if you had an actual "butler" or just one of the cabin attendants (which is what I beleive we will have:). We are easy and not demanding--just like ice in the afternoons. We are older as well, so the age of fellow passengers will be fine.

Maybe the children were because of the time of year, except your cruise ended before the holidays.

How were the ports and excursions?

Thanks for any information you have.

Lucy

[worries gone]

My wife and I were fellow cruisers on the 12/8 Panama Canal sailing. We both feel from our experience on board the Quest all responses are subjective as we found the cruise to be one of our best to date.

We found the service to be exceptional. Our butles/attendant was always available and our cabin was kept spotless. We ate late at discoveries and requested a special seating. After our second request the maitre d' saved the seating for us or at least he claimed to have. The service we received was great from the entire staff.

The food was fantastic in all of the resturants. While dining in the specialty resturants did take 2 to 2 1/2 hours we took advantage of the wine pairing at Aqualina and I have yet had a wine pairing not last 2 1/2 hours.

The few children on board were bluntly annoying and distracting. The Quest does not cater to children of any age.

The Quest is not a party ship and anyone expecting one will be deeply disappointed. However, we found something to do all the time. Becky the cruise director is super. We met her replacement, Paul, and think he will be a great match for the Quest.

For the most part the entertainment was enjoyable. The shows put on by the three female and two males dancer-singers were professional and well done. The magician/comedian was very good. While I was not crazy about a comedian my wife reminds me I did laugh.

In all, the ship and the cruise was what we expected, hoped for and received. Give us another cruise on the Quest at a comparable price and we would book it immediately.

[luv2cruisemore]

We were also on the 12/8 Quest Panama Canal cruise and were pleasantly surprised by the cruise. I guess after reading all of the problems on prior cruises, we were concerned. But, as mentioned above, it's all subjective.

We had a wonderful time, our best cruise experience ever. We especially loved the size of the ship; it was surely a more intimate experience than the larger ships we've been on in the past. We could get anywhere quickly and easily.

The staff would always be around to see how we were doing, asking if there was anything they could do for us. We had a CC meeting on the third day and Becky introduced us to the Captain and all of the department heads. We had never been on a ship where we knew the names of the key staff, no less having met them and interacted with them during the cruise. At that meeting, we asked why we were only given one night free at the specialty restaurants since we were on a two-week cruise. That has since been changed as of the return cruise from Acapulco. We also asked that the fitness center be opened at six rather than seven and that was changed immediately---much to Matthew's chagrin. Well, I guess he gets to admire himself in the mirrors earlier in the day now!

No, the butler is not really a butler, but Vazio was always there when we needed him. He even asked me if he could polish my shoes. He brought tea and fruit to our cabin daily, along with the canapes (which we didn't eat).

We ate most of our dinners in Discoveries at 7:30 at the same table with the same wait staff. Aldwin and Jorge couldn't do enough for us. They catered to our every whim. Lorenzo, the Restaurant Manager, came over to our table daily to make sure everything was to our liking. The Asst. Maitre' D's, Cem and Jan were always around making sure we had a great dining experience. One of our new friends who dined with us daily had many requests and they met every one of them including having coffee ice cream made daily, serving clams casino to the entire table and getting raspberries at every meal. They even provided a free glass of wine for one of our tablemates on his birthday, along with a glass of champagne for all of us. Pete, the birthday boy was serenaded by Gustave, who has a magnificent voice.

Talking about berries, we've never had such delicious berries (fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries) on any cruise. They were on the Windows buffet at all meals and you could order them in Discoveries and the two specialty restaurants.

We ate in both Prime C and Aqualina and preferred the selection and service in Aqualina. We had great lobster tails in both.

Windows (Breezes at night) buffet was delicious. Although it looks small, there was an excellent selection of food. An omelete chef did a great job in the mornings and there were all kinds of salads at lunch. Their "no sugar added" deserts were a welcome treat for me and they always had a low fat ice cream available. Before dinner in Discoveries, a few of us would go to Breezes to have Sushi...Thanks, Jo-El for making some of our favorites.

We were in a 1A Veranda cabin mid-ship on the 7th level. It was small, but quiet and comfortable and well-appointed. Yes, the bathroom was small, but we made do. It wasn't a problem for us.

There were just a handful of children on the ship and they didn't bother us. We didn't know about a kid pooping in the pool but we do remember the pool being closed for a little while when it was being cleaned one morning.

As far as the age of the cruisers, we were pleasantly surprised that there was a good mix of age groups. We're in our mid-to-late 50's and there were plenty of people younger and older than ourselves that we could relate to.

Overall, we had a wonderful vacation. The ship was great, the food for the most part was better than other cruises we've been on and the service far exceeded anything we had ever experienced. We'd sign up again for the Quest, given the right itinerary and price.

Regards to the friends we made: Sue and Pete, Carol and Pete, Cheryl and Denny, Sang and Ron, Kate and Steve, Laura and Marv, Penny and Len, etc.

Cheryl and Howard

[Host Andy]

Hi Worries Gone !

Thank you for your excellent review. I am glad you had a great time on Quest. Happy New Year !

[Host Andy]

Hi Luv2cruisemore !

Thank you for your excellent review. It was nice to see names mentioned of some of the wonderful people we met on Quest, such as Lorenzo, and Cem. I know they have their hands full in Discoveries, but it sure sounds as if things are much improved.

I am glad you had a great time on Quest. Happy New Year !

[LMKohler]

Worries Gone and Cheryl and Howard:) Thank you so much for posting your reviews. I must say that I'm a tad bit relieved. You can only hear so many negatives before you begin to wonder if you made the right decision:D Having said that, we always go on cruises with the expectation of having a good time. We are so looking forward to this cruise and the new experience of a small ship.

It is nice to hear that for the most part the problems in Discoveries have been corrected.

Can you tell us anything about the new CD? Has he been with Celebrity before coming to Azamara?

Also, any information on excursions?

Thanks:D
Lucy

[gkm]

I have been reading everything posted about the Quest since we'll be sailing on her this spring. It's nice to see that things seem to be improving with each cruise.

Lucy, I'll really be looking forward to hearing from you after your cruise. We'll be taking the Quest's first transatlantic cruise and will be at sea for 6 days.:D :D :D

Garry

[luv2cruisemore]

Hi Luv2cruisemore !

Thank you for your excellent review. It was nice to see names mentioned of some of the wonderful people we met on Quest, such as Lorenzo, and Cem. I know they have their hands full in Discoveries, but it sure sounds as if things are much improved.

I am glad you had a great time on Quest. Happy New Year !
Andy, Cem mentioned that he was impressed seeing his name on a previous Cruise Critic note. Obviously, they read CC and we felt that they were very concerned about what we were saying.

We have a question for you. Do you work for CC? How do you get the name Host Andy?

Howard

[LMKohler]

Hi Garry:D It's so nice to hear from you. I'll be sure and let you know our thoughts on the Panama Canal cruise and the Quest in particular. If you are like me, I've been trying to read everything I can on this new (to us:eek: ) ship.

I hope we can some day manage another cruise together. Hawaii was a blast;)

Take care and stay in touch.
Lucy

[Host Andy]

Andy, Cem mentioned that he was impressed seeing his name on a previous Cruise Critic note. Obviously, they read CC and we felt that they were very concerned about what we were saying.

We have a question for you. Do you work for CC? How do you get the name Host Andy?

Howard

Hi Howard !

I am a Moderator of several boards here at Cruise Critic. Some of my other boards are Oceania, MSC and Cunard. All Moderators have the name "Host ____ " the blank being a name of their choosing. Many hosts use their first name, but some have nicknames. I have been with Cruise Critic for many many years, including when I previously hosted a Cruise chat room on America Online before AOL chose to get rid of their sponsored chat rooms.

We choose to be moderators here at Cruise Critic, as we all share a common bond.... we love to Cruise, and enjoy sharing our knowledge and helping others !

Happy New Year !

[photojunkie]

We agree with everything Cheryl and Howard said (luv2cruisemore) about the food and the ship. It was indeed a wonderful experience.
The service was fantastic. We don't ask much from our room "butler", who is the same as any housekeeping person on any other ship. We just want it to be clean and ready for us and the person to be friendly. The wait staff in Discoveries, Aqualina, and the Windows Cafe buffet were very friendly, fun, interesting and met our requests promptly and really went overboard for us.
The only staff that did not impress us were the front desk/reception people. They were evasive about our upgrade which we requested from day 1. On day 8 of 14 we were offered a window upgrade for $450 that we could have had for free when we booked the cruise and was actually a grade down from out nice interior 8th floor room. We knew there were other rooms available. Many times we called reception with a question and the phone rang and rang without ever being answered. The same with the wake up call service. Their general attitude was really not helpful. We didn't let this affect our experience, after all we are on vacation, getting great meals and great service overall.

We spent a short time in the casino every evening. It seemed a good size for the size of the ship but did not have a crap table. This probably saved me some money but was slightly disappointing. Everyone complained about the tightness of the slots. I think they could loosen this up a bit as they were not that busy. To see more people winning might make some play more.

Much of the port information could be expanded by Azamara. For instance, near the Santa Marta, Colombia stop there is a fishing village, Tagagna, about at 20 minute taxi ride away ($4). It is beautiful, authentic and doesn't see many tourists. We found out about this on our own and found another couple to go with. The size of the ship makes it easy to meet people and arrange tours together, even while on board. Many of the ports are not usual stops for other ships. I had a hard time finding out pre-cruise where the ship stopped in relation to the town. My emails to Celebrity were answered saying the information is on the website which it is not. They also said if it wasn't there to assume we did not need a taxi and could walk right into the town which was not always true. In Puerto Caldera for instance, there is no town. It is just a shipping port with nothing at all within walking distance except a tent with a few vendors. Even the excursions desk on the ship told me we could walk into that town. Really, there is none!
We ziplined with Pete and Sue in Puerto Limon, adding them to our 2 person Oscar Brown tour, which turned out to be an 8 person tour.
Oscar Brown drove across Costa Rica to take us on another tour out of Puerto Caldera which is on the other side. This is not his forte as he had limited information about the area and I would probably not recommend him for this stop. He did provide us with transportation for $63 each for 8 people to the Skywalk which was included in the price, is an hour away and costs $30 alone. The Skywalk is a series of bridges that go across the jungle canopy. It was beautiful as far as trees and some scenery but the only wildlife we saw were ants. The terrain is uneven but the hike is mostly downhill as you are driven to the top. We did not have a guide which was included in the tour as we did not want to wait 1 1/2 hours. I think if Oscar knew more he could have arranged this ahead of time. We stopped to see crocodiles and also did an hour in Puntarenas (don't bother!). Oscar is reliable and was always waiting for us when he was supposed to.
We just had a great time with our new friends, Cheryl and Howard, Pete and Sue, Denny and Cheryl. To those in the know, Ola Hola! Pictures soon.

Carol and Pete

[worries gone]

Hi, LMKohler-
You asked about the Quest's new CD. Paul Grant will be assuming the post in February or March when Becky Field goes on vacation after which she returns to Celebrity. He was on the 12/8 Canal transit and will be on several others - observing, having meetings, getting to know the staff and vice versa, learning the administrative/paperwork aspects, and making creative plans for his tenure. We met him on a ship-sponsored excursion in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica; he is also familiarizing himself with the ports and the excursions offered. He is a warm, bright and friendly fellow, perhaps 40-ish, and is enthusiatic about the Quest, Azamara in general, and his role. He has had cruise experience although I can't recall where or in what capacity, and has many years of experience as a singer-actor as well as holding a degree in organizational management. His enthuisiasm plus our positive onboard experience have prompted us to look seriously into future Quest/Azamara cruises!

[vanman]

Hi Carole and Pete

Thanks for your information. How was your inside cabin? Was there enough storage room? How was the layout?

[hudunnit]

We were in 7106, which was aft, port side and was a 2A category room. Our butler was Joao Gonsalves, and he was superb in every way. He told us he used to be on Celebrity. He and his assistant, Baby Jose, were great--very accessible and helpful, seemingly always around.

We were not too far from the laundry room, which got heavy usage and it sometimes was not easy to find a washer free. I asked the front desk why they couldn't open it earlier than 9 a.m., and was told that they had done that on the previous cruise but got many complaints from passengers in nearby cabins because of the noise and talking, so the laundry will not be opened before 9 a.m. and will be closed at 8 p.m. from now on:( .

I'm sorry but I can't address the ship's excursions because we didn't take any. The only excursion we did was in Cartagena and was arranged by Laura (Not Chopped Liver), and we thought it worked out just fine and at a good price. We mostly just got off the ship and wandered around. We've seen the flora and fauna before and so we found people watching to be the most interesting onshore activity.

Jean

[photojunkie]

The inside cabin was just fine. We split the beds into twins as we wanted the space in between. The bathrooms are the same size as the verandah rooms. If you look online you can see from the layout that instead of being across from the outer rooms, they are in small inner hallways. This makes them VERY quiet with no noise from the hall. You will need a wakeup call with the quiet and the dark though. We slept until 10am one day at sea...amazing for us! There was plenty of storage after we asked for the ladders to be removed from the closet. These were for bunks that come out of the ceiling which were not exposed since we did not need them. We put our full size empty suitcases under the bed.

Hi Carole and Pete

Thanks for your information. How was your inside cabin? Was there enough storage room? How was the layout?

[luv2cruisemore]

The inside cabin was just fine. We split the beds into twins as we wanted the space in between. The bathrooms are the same size as the verandah rooms. If you look online you can see from the layout that instead of being across from the outer rooms, they are in small inner hallways. This makes them VERY quiet with no noise from the hall. You will need a wakeup call with the quiet and the dark though. We slept until 10am one day at sea...amazing for us! There was plenty of storage after we asked for the ladders to be removed from the closet. These were for bunks that come out of the ceiling which were not exposed since we did not need them. We put our full size empty suitcases under the bed.
Hey Carol and Pete,
Did you have to tell the whole world that you had twin beds?

It was great playing with you for two weeks, even though you ONLY had an inside cabin....

How's the Hola, Whole-Ah holding up?

Loveya,
Cheryl and Howard

[LMKohler]

Hi Jean - thank you for the information:p . I had heard they changed the laundry room hours because of noise from inside cabins nearby. I'm glad to hear that you had a good experience with your "butler". We are in a Sunset Veranda stateroom on Deck 7.

Worries Gone -- it sounds like we will have Paul Grant on our cruise on March 1st. It's nice to hear that Paul is familiarizing himself with the ships, etc. Your response was very informative and positive. Thank you:)

Carol & Pete -- again, thanks for the information on the ports of call, although I'm sorry to hear about the cabin upgrade problem. It sounds like your cruise was not completely booked? That's interesting if Azamara is not filling up their longer itineraries especially around the holidays when you would expect to be full. We have not decided on excursions just yet and will have to look into that after New Year's.

I'm sure I'll think of more questions;)

Lucy

[susiesan]

I know that a large group of you who were on this sailing took many excursions on your own. I am using your roll call planning as a guide for our cruise March 1 as we have the same itinerary as you did. Could someone tell me about the independent tours you did, how they went, and if you advise us to use the same companies? Were the tours worth it or did you hear that ship tours were preferable in some ports? How about hiring cabs on the piers?

Thanks for your input.

Susie

[NotChoppedLiver]

"We split the beds into twins as we wanted the space in between."

Sounds like a good idea for making best use of the space, in spite of someone's snide jibe.

It was nice meeting you both.

Laura & Marv

[xlixer]

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience with us, but one quick question, does the Azamara's cruises offer any ship board amenity for RCI's Diamond or Celebrity's Elite members. Thank you in advance for your replies.

xlixer

[Host Andy]

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience with us, but one quick question, does the Azamara's cruises offer any ship board amenity for RCI's Diamond or Celebrity's Elite members. Thank you in advance for your replies.

xlixer

Hi Xlixer !

If you are Elite on Celebrity, You would get the same amenities on Azamara. Unfortunately, Captains Club amenities are not the greatest, so dont expect anything above what you would recieve on Celebrity.

[guavaman]

A few more notes on the 12/8 sailing...

We really enjoyed the whole experience. Small ship, attentive service and unusual ports. We also asked for the same table at the early time of 6:00 and were lucky to be served by Gustavo (with the great voice) who sang for us several times. Gem or Cem? was also very attentive to my wife's special diet needs. We thought the food was some of the best we have had on cruise ships. We agree the specialty venues were not worth the extra price except for the setting and service.

Some notes on the ports. We did Oscar Brown's Canal and Ariel Tram tour in Limon. We thought it was overpriced and too rushed and would not recommend it. In Caldera we picked up a tour on the dock which was great at $30 each. Our guide was Greivin who can be reached at greivinum@costaricense.cr. The tour lasted 5 hours. In San Juan del Sur we used Tierra Tours for a great tour of Granada and the islets which included lunch.

Hello to our fellow cruise mates. Ron and Sang and Dad

[Viva Las Vegas]

Some notes on the ports. We did Oscar Brown's Canal and Ariel Tram tour in Limon. We thought it was overpriced and too rushed and would not recommend it. In Caldera we picked up a tour on the dock which was great at $30 each. Our guide was Greivin who can be reached at greivinum@costaricense.cr. The tour lasted 5 hours. In San Juan del Sur we used Tierra Tours for a great tour of Granada and the islets which included lunch.



Guavaman....thanks for your informative description of your tours. With Oscar Brown, was it private (just two people) or with a small group of folks? Are there any alternatives you might suggest? Thank you again for your input.

[rockysquirrel]

Carol,

You forgot to mention Oscar's thank you gift for arranging the tour. Not everyday do you get a bag that says "Little Gril".

[bububr]

Unfortunately since Azamara like anyother line is revenue driven...yopu will have absent parents and unruly children.

Personally I wish Azamara would step up to the plate and impose an age limit. Quite possible 18 or older ONLY to solve some of the issues. While we did have a few children on our cruise, we didn't weren't really bothered as they were so few...however, at this point in my life I really wouldn't put up with that crap and I'd be at the pursers desk EVERY morning complaining, and Complaining, and complaining until something was resolved.

As for the incident in the pool, I feel for you. I just joined a new gym and swim diapers are not allowed in the pool as well as children that are not potty trained. My second day there after driving and paying for parking, I found the pool to be closed for the day because some parent put their infant in the pool and they had an accident......At my expense....:mad: .

Ban the kids from Azamara...its the only way. TA's want their commissions and will not tell people about the rules, and most parents (sorry) are clueless about the rules and regulations regarding their "little angels".

Dave:eek:

[Susan-M]

Ban the kids from Azamara...its the only way.

Dave:eek:

Hi Dave, Has this been done on other lines? I'm sure that Azamara could quickly develop a devoted following if it was adults-only.

I'm starting to wonder about children on the June 7th med cruise that I've booked with them...knowing that school will be out by that time. I might have to look at September offerings instead.

[rathgael]

At least one of P&O Cruise ships is Adults only and is proving very popular:)

[rathgael]

Hi Dave, Has this been done on other lines? I'm sure that Azamara could quickly develop a devoted following if it was adults-only.

I'm starting to wonder about children on the June 7th med cruise that I've booked with them...knowing that school will be out by that time. I might have to look at September offerings instead.

You will not get UK based children on this cruise as the schools do not break-up untill the end of June in Scotland and into well into July in England. only you willknow about USA based ones!:)

[wtrmdr]

The only staff that did not impress us were the front desk/reception people. They were evasive about our upgrade which we requested from day 1. On day 8 of 14 we were offered a window upgrade for $450 that we could have had for free when we booked the cruise and was actually a grade down from out nice interior 8th floor room. We knew there were other rooms available. Many times we called reception with a question and the phone rang and rang without ever being answered. The same with the wake up call service. Their general attitude was really not helpful. We didn't let this affect our experience, after all we are on vacation, getting great meals and great service overall.
Carol and Pete

I'm sorry to hear you had problems with the front desk. We were on the 11/24/07 sailing of the Quest and found the front desk/reception personnel to be wonderful, friendly and very responsive. I don't know if there was a change in personnel or not.
As for the wakeup call - that was an automatic, computerized wakeup call set from the cabin telephone. Very reliable (although ran about 3 minutes late each morning - no problem, we got 3 minutes more sleep).

[Host Andy]

Hi Dave, Has this been done on other lines? I'm sure that Azamara could quickly develop a devoted following if it was adults-only.

I'm starting to wonder about children on the June 7th med cruise that I've booked with them...knowing that school will be out by that time. I might have to look at September offerings instead.

Hi Susan !

A few years ago, Celebrity tried a handful of "Adults-Only" Sailings. They were a complete failure. However, I believe it failed, not because of lack of demand, but more that Celebrity had virtually zero marketing on them. I believe a limited amount "Adults-Only" Cruises should have appeal, especially for a line like Azamara..... but they must be marketed as well.

[legacy]

As with many other things in this world, each individual is subjective in their description of their experiences. We are experienced cruisers on small ships, having sailed numerous times with Windstar and Radisson. The Azamara has positioned itself as an above average cruise ship. Their price stucture is higher than the larger ships. If one is willing to pay the "up charge" it is reasonable to expect abetter than Windows Cafe terrific. We ate between 7 and 8 pm and some nights we sat with other people and some nights we sat alone. We always were seated promptly and the dining room service was always excellent. Kudos to the pastry chef. He was unbelievable. The speciallty restaurants were very good,ut not necessary. The only recommendation we made to the food streward, is that he put someone at the pool grill who can accomadate more that one person at a time. They had assigned somone to the pool grill who had no experience with that type of service and was painfully slow. They need a "short order" cook at the pool grill.
As on every other cruise, the shore tour staff knew nothing about the tours and could offer very littlle information about what to do in each port. You really needed to take care of things yourself. Many people got groups together to take tours, not part of the ships tours.
The entertainment left a lot to be desired. The ship had an ensamble group of 5 signers which was very good. In 14 days they performed twice. The entertainment other than that was medicore at best.
Lastly, the initial boarding was not a pleasant experience. They need to have more personnel avialable at the time you board.. This was not handled well, as they only had one person at the customer service desk to handle all the problems of initial boarding.

[guavaman]

Guavaman....thanks for your informative description of your tours. With Oscar Brown, was it private (just two people) or with a small group of folks? Are there any alternatives you might suggest? Thank you again for your input.

There were 7 of us on this tour. I think the best bet is to pick up a tour on the dock. There were plenty of operators with the same offerings. Oscar was a competent driver but the tour was too far for the time available.

[capegranny]

Several people have mentioned tht they had the same table each night in Discoveries. Because this will be a new ship for most of us, can you suggest a good table? And how does one ask for a particular table?

Also, we are going in to Miami a day before our sailing, staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay. Can anyone suggest a handy place to purchase the two bottles of wine that I understand we are permitted to carry on board?

Very much appreciate the information coming out recently. We're really feeling much more positive about our Jan. 19th cruise. This is a special celebration for us and I was getting worried! We're experiencd travelers, and pretty flexible, but when I book what's to be something 'special,' that's what I want. Recent info from all of you is much more positive and we appreciate the comments. I think we're getting to a realistic level now.

[photojunkie]

Ha ha. He meant well and wanted that tip! I showed it to Aldwin our evening waiter. He said it was something his 7 year old daughter would like...so she has it now!

Carol,

You forgot to mention Oscar's thank you gift for arranging the tour. Not everyday do you get a bag that says "Little Gril".

[NotChoppedLiver]

Now that things have settled down from Christmas and New Years, here are my own random thoughts on the 12/8 Quest cruise, in no special order.

First of all, we loved the cruise, but to be realistic there were pluses and minuses.

Contrary to the experience of others, boarding was a breeze;
it took scant minutes.

Our 1A verandah cabin, 7059, was ready, with all amenities in place.
We found the cabin to have plenty of storage and was decorated
very smartly.
The bedding is terrific.
For me the bed itself was way too firm but was immed remedied with
a very cushy bedpad, so I was happy.
The towels were wonderful, soft and new. The bath towels are
actually bath sheets, almost beach size.
The bathroom is small but manageable.


The ship is beautifully decorated with no glitz and a lot of dark woods.
The artwork is a mixed bag with no rhyme or reason, but I paid little
attention to the art.
It was nice to see Christmas trees and holiday decor everywhere.

The crew and staff would stand on their heads to please.
To a person they were pleasant and helpful. And we
had no problem with Guest Relations.

For us, our butler Fasio was indeed a butler and could be found either
nearby or by phone.
His assistant/attendant, Catiano, is the one who cleaned and made up the room.
Fasio brought hors d'oeuvres at 5pm, fresh fruit daily, fresh ice morning
and evening, ran errands for us and filled any requests.
He acted as a butler acts.
Fasio and Catiano were both very obliging.

Like Jean, we were also on Deck 7 and experienced no rusty water.

In contrast to others who enjoyed dining every night at the same table
and with the same people, we found it more interesting to meet
and get to know different people at dinner. Just a personal thing.
But any future Quest cruisers would enjoy sitting at Vincent's
table (he services the capt's table). He's very efficient and
full of fun.
One night we were at Gustavo's table. He's very sweet and
serenaded us for quite a while.

Lorenzo, the restaurant mgr is amazing, and I'm looking fwd
to receiving his mom's homemade preserves from Romania.

We dined at Prime C twice, both times it was excellent, but
took a pass on Aqualina.

Personally, I found the food in Discoveries spotty.
The first night we had a steak worthy of any top steakhouse,
but another night had a ribeye that was tough, chewy, dry and tasteless.
One night I was served the most delicious short ribs I've ever had.
Many people seemed to enjoy the shrimp; I thought the shrimp had no taste which
is not unusual for shrimp that has been frozen.

We sat at the table with Cheryl & Howard the night they were
served clams casino. It was just okay IMO.
Only my view but I think the kitchen seems to do fish much better than
shellfish.
All terrific were the seabass, salmon, tilapia and corvina (a white sea bass
from Latin American waters).
Having numerous chefs on board perhaps explains the inconsistencies.

I don't know if this happened to others but on the final morning our Azamara
laundry bag had "disappeared." We'd brought our own so it didn't matter.
I suspected they didn't want people taking home their nice cloth bags.

I barely noticed the children on board, however this is NOT a cruise
for kids. We were sitting near the pool while they cleaned it and
guessed that a child had pooped. Not a good thing.

Speaking of "clean," every day at each meal handwipes were passed out
so no one could avoid cleaning their hands. A good thing.

We too loved the no smoking concept especially since I have a slight case
of seasonal allergic asthma.
Now that I think of it...
For the entire two weeks on the ship I coughed almost non-stop,
far more than I ever have.
But when we disembarked in Acapulco the coughing stopped cold and hasn't
returned.
I now attribute it to the ship's new carpet, wallcovering
and paint which are likely still emitting chemicals.

We were expecting $12.00 martinis but surprised to be charged
only $9.00 instead. However, it was a very small drink.

Let me set the record straight on the $25.00 corkage fee:
One night we'd brought a bottle of wine to Discoveries to share
with Carol and Bob.
I would have to dig out the receipt for the verbatim wording,
but it said,
Corkage $20.00
Gratuity @ 18% $5.00
The math is easy.
$5.00 ='s 25%
18% would've been $3.60 so DH felt that was dishonest.

Guavaman (Ron) is right about the Limon tour we shared, with Oscar Brown
as our guide to the Aerial Tram and Canal: Too darn far!
Others may feel differently but I would not recommend Oscar Brown.

However I highly recommend TierraTours for San Juan Del Sur which
I'd arranged with Antonio back in October. www.Tierratour.com (http://www.tierratour.com/) or
email alvaroab@ibw.com.ni (alvaroab@ibw.com.ni)
Our group was full so I was glad Guavaman was able to form his own group.
The tour to Granada and Isletas was very worthwhile in spite of
countless pot holes which made the road look like the moon. A very scenic drive. It's virtually the same as the ship's tour but far less expensive.
The difference is the ship's tour includes lunch on an island while
Tierra Tour includes lunch at a lovely colonial hotel which was
well reviewed in the NYTimes.
A great tour, we had a lot of laughs along the "moon road."

For Cartagena I booked with Tesorotours.com. Reasonably
priced and a good city tour.

We did a ship's tour at Puerto Caldera to the Scarlet Macaw
Sanctuary. Very special place, not to be missed.

Santa Marta in my view was a dud. We did the ship's ecological tour
to a not-so-spectacular waterfall. It was listed as "moderate." But
it was a hard walk for a total of 3 miles over hazardous terrain, and crossed a stream
4 times each way on foot in our shoes. The tour info offered
no warning even tho we'd discussed it with the excursion desk prior
to booking.
DH rec'd a ship's credit for the damage to his leather walking shoes which
took 3 days to dry.

As with any trip there's usually something that isn't perfect, but all in all we had a great time.

Laura

[RMLLEL]

We are going on the Quest on March 15th, Acapulco to Miami. I was wondering if anyone has the dining room menus for the 2 week Panama Canal Cruise? I wonder if they are the same as the Journey menus.
Thank you,
RMLLEL

[LMKohler]

Hi Laura:)

Thank you so much for all your information. We are doing this intinerary on March 1st. You covered everything so nicely I only have a few questions.

Were the bathroom amenities sufficient? Can I leave shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shower gel at home?

Did you eat at Breezes? If so, how did you like it compared to the other restaurants.

How was the entertainment?

On your Oscar Brown tour -- how long was it? I've heard two of you say it was too far away. We want to try ziplining in Costa Rica but do not want to do an all day trip.

From your description of Santa Marta -- it sounds like we may just stay on the ship:p

Sorry, guess I had more questions than I thought!!
Thanks,
Lucy

[NotChoppedLiver]

Hi Lucy,
The bathroom amenities are generous.
I'd brought my own shampoo but used the ship's Elemis products which were fine.
If you should need more shampoo just ask.
I used the conditioner because I couldn't find where I'd put my own.
We seemed to spend a lot of time looking for little things only to find them when we packed :(
If you prefer a leave-in conditioner like I do, bring it.

We never had dinner at Breezes, only at Prime C and Discoveries.
Be sure to have the molten lava cake at Prime C...or the creme brulee...
or both! :D

I wasn't wild about the entertainment, particularly the magician/comedian.
I thought the band was good when they played in the Cabaret but fell short up at Looking Glass. Maybe it's the sound system that makes the difference.

The Oscar Brown tour we did was a combination tour of Aerial Tram and
Tortuguero Canal. It took maybe an hour and a half to get to the Aerial Tram. There was a very nice gift shop at the base of the tram but
we were not given any time to shop. I managed to run in to use the bathroom and quickly purchase a postcard, but I could see that they had some nice merchandise. The canal trip was supposed to be for one hour. For the sake of time we cut it back to 45min.
Here's what we saw: Birds, Iguanas and Sloths.
In my view a half hour would've
been plenty.
The return traffic was really really bad so we just made it back in time
with a mere 10 minute stop in Limon to shop. Not enough time to
figure out where to go.
If I had to do it again I would choose a tour that's not so time consuming.
The tour we did was also quite expensive.

Maybe the zip lining tour is closer to the ship; you would have to
ask the tour operator.

Yes, you'd be wise to skip Santa Marta. You can always get off the
ship and walk around the town, but don't expect to be wowed.
I wouldn't be surprised if Azamara eliminated S.Marta from its ports-of-call.

Am trying to remember another town that was, according to reports, nothing to see.
Oh yes, it was Puerto Caldera/Puntarenas.
But take a tour. We loved the Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary.

You'll have a great time.

Laura

[rockysquirrel]

Hola, Hole-A! ;) We send our warmest wishes to Howard & Cheryl, Pete (Pierre) & Carol, Isabelle & Mike, Ron, Sang, & Richard, Steve & Kate, Ken & Kathy, Denny & Cheryl.

Here's a snippet from our detailed review of the 12/8 Quest sailing. Note: The handful of children onboard were not a major problem like the Christmas sailing we've been reading about. Also, we forgot to mention how great it was to have the majority of the ship be non-smoking.

We have cruised with Celebrity in the past and we endorse the quality and service of the line. We had three bookings to the Panama Canal (two on Summit) and decided to give Azamara a try based on the marketing information we reviewed. Azamara claimed to be a "deluxe cruise experience" with "service unparalleled on the high seas". We knew that this was not going to be Celebrity because of the size of the ship and the upscale yet casual approach. As the sailing date neared, we read the Cruise Critic threads and began to worry about our decision to go with Azamara. This review mentions a number of concerns but we want the readers to know that we say these things to help Azamara improve. We believe that Azamara has the potential to fulfill the expectations they promise to "discerning travelers". This cruise was incredibly relaxing. The Quest is lovely, intimate, and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the dining, the staff, and the experience. It was a good value and we would cruise Azamara again for the right price, level of service, and itinerary. Being back in Philly (we're teased that we're just a suburb of New York) is just a temporary exile! The people we met, the friends we made, and the laughs we shared will long be remembered.

"Sir Pete" & Sue

For the full review, here's the link.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=36176 (http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=36176).

[luv2cruisemore]

Sir Pete and Sue, good meeting you as well...haven't emailed directly as we've misplaced your email address. Cheryl and I hope you're enjoying the balmy weather in your NY suburbhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon8.gif...and before I forget, "she's so nice"! Sue, I hope you're feeding Pete well, at least three entrees nightly along with fresh raspberries and coffee ice cream...he might lose weight and just disappear if you don't. By the way, we're all looking forward to the Wedding cruise.

Pierre and Carol, need to email you as well. We didn't know you gave the bag to Aldwin...that was so nice of you...so "you're so nice". Carol, hope to see you when you come down to So. Cal. on biz next month. We'll be sure to get a supply of rum for your iced tea. By the way, that combination really tasted terrible.

Laura, that was an excellent review. By the way, I actually didn't like the clams casino and didn't eat it...I passed it on nightly to "Sir Pete" or Carol.

FYI: Called Azamara billing today and they were very nice in taking care of a billing error to do with surcharges in using the task bar on my laptop.

Missing all of you and loved the cruise. Cheryl sends her love.

Howardhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[LMKohler]

Hi Laura,

I can't tell you how much you have helped me with your insights on your cruise. This will be our first small ship, informal cruise and we are looking forward to a new experience. I've warned my DH that the entertainment will be quite different than on the M-Class Celebrity ships.

Another question about Oscar Brown -- were you ever concerned that you would get back to the ship in time? You also stated that it was quite expensive. I do know that the ship excursions are more expensive -- but you don't have to worry about getting back on time. We'll have to check this out.

What did you end up doing in Nicaragua? It seems all the trips are 8 or 9 hours long.

Thanks again,
Lucy

[LMKohler]

Laura,

My apologies:o I went back and read your review again and you answered my questions about Nicaragua.

Lucy

[Napi's Mom]

Hi Laura,

I can't tell you how much you have helped me with your insights on your cruise. This will be our first small ship, informal cruise and we are looking forward to a new experience. I've warned my DH that the entertainment will be quite different than on the M-Class Celebrity ships.

Another question about Oscar Brown -- were you ever concerned that you would get back to the ship in time? You also stated that it was quite expensive. I do know that the ship excursions are more expensive -- but you don't have to worry about getting back on time. We'll have to check this out.

What did you end up doing in Nicaragua? It seems all the trips are 8 or 9 hours long.

Thanks again,
Lucy
We were with Laura on the Quest, did several tours with her. We did slightly worry about returning to ship...but it IS your tour...watch the time and let the guide know it's time to go. Our tour with the Ziplining was great fun for my DH and the canal would have been better in the morning when more animals are out. Oscar Brown is only expensive because the we took 2 tours in 1. each one are far cheaper than the ships touras, and the ziplining ended up at the same place as the ships tour. Ask for his sister tho...he seemed not as well informed, didn't speak english as well! Plus she's fun!:)
In Nicaragua there is NO place closer hardly than the 8-9 hrs. read the reviews and find out why (the road!) It was great tho to do the San Juan tour to Grenada, the tour of the Isleta's the best part.
St. Marta...we did the wrong tour, as I found out later the Gold Museum with the Atocha gold treasure was in the city, we really never saw the city on our tour.

[gillianrose]

Hi Susan !

A few years ago, Celebrity tried a handful of "Adults-Only" Sailings. They were a complete failure. However, I believe it failed, not because of lack of demand, but more that Celebrity had virtually zero marketing on them. I believe a limited amount "Adults-Only" Cruises should have appeal, especially for a line like Azamara..... but they must be marketed as well.

We were thrilled at first when we read about those "adults only" cruises with Celebrity until we looked closer at the dates that were made available. None of the dates (with the exception perhaps of New Years or thereabouts) had any interest for us. We wanted to take an ADULTS ONLY cruise when it would normally be a school holiday and kids would be MORE likely to be aboard, in other words to have AN ADULTS ONLY HOLIDAY when normally one would be surrounded by kids. PRIME TIME.

One date in particular stood out and that was the very same week as FOURTH OF JULY. Everyone (including adults) wants to enjoy FOURTH of JULY on land, at a BARBECUE, ETC. Celebrity admitted the date was chosen because the sales were soft during that week for families.

In other words, all the dates were, in our opinion, disingenous offers from Celebrity. They sought to use the adults only cruise offers at a time when it would not really impact their other popular sailings.

That sort of thing riles me. We boycotted those sailings and would in the future, too.

Give me PRIME TIME, normally KID-INFESTED cruises for ADULTS ONLY, and then watch me get out the pocket book.

Don't try to package your hard-to-sell weeks and tell me I'm a special ADULT. :mad:

[susiesan]

Laura,

My apologies:o I went back and read your review again and you answered my questions about Nicaragua.

Lucy

Lucy:
If you look at the e mails I sent about Tierra Tours in Nicaragua, it is the same one this group took and I would like to book for us. But they need a minimum of six people. Would the four of you say "yes" and I'll make the arrangements? If we wait until too close to the sailing the limited on-our-own tours could be filled forcing us to use ship's tours. According to the Lonely Planet book on this port, there is very little to do that is close by.

Susie

[NotChoppedLiver]

Great review, Pete (and Sue).
Couldn't agree with you more on too many points to mention.

Laura

[NotChoppedLiver]

"Another question about Oscar Brown -- were you ever concerned that you would get back to the ship in time? You also stated that it was quite expensive. I do know that the ship excursions are more expensive -- but you don't have to worry about getting back on time. We'll have to check this out"

You better believe we were concerned, Lucy! (Though Carol and I were also concerned about having a little shopping time in Limon.)
We returned to Quest with maybe 5 minutes to spare with a scant 10 minutes spent in Limon.
The road we traveled was two-lane and
consumed with construction projects.
I recommend against the Aerial Tram tour for that reason -- the time element.
Let's see...I think there were about 7 of us in our group and
Oscar Brown charged us $125.00 per person for the combined Tram and
Canal tour. There are plenty of rain forests to see on this cruise so
if you miss one it won't be a great loss.

I was surprised that unlike other tour guides Oscar Brown did not keep
up a line of entertaining/informative patter.
Perhaps he was having an off day.

Incidentally, we haven't mentioned much about Port Antonio because our
ship didn't make it into port.
But I had planned an excursion with Marva Shaw of KnowJamaica.com.
She receives very high marks from others on CC. Just drop her an email
at knowjam@yahoo.com

Laura

[~Nereus~]

If anyone still has their ship programs, could you post the names of the Azamara staff for my chart?

I have read some of the posts but the name of the captain beyond "Emmanuoil" ---------- is a mystery..

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/XatSea/WhosWhereonXJan52008.jpg

[Napi's Mom]

If anyone still has their ship programs, could you post the names of the Azamara staff for my chart?

I have read some of the posts but the name of the captain beyond "Emmanuoil" ---------- is a mystery..

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/XatSea/WhosWhereonXJan52008.jpg
Have to admit I'm not sure of the spelling but the name was the Greek version on Emmanuel...and was fairly sure of the "O" being in there, his last name started with a "A" not sure where my husband put our newsletters. All I know is that Becky the CD could never pronounce his name correctly. He cheated...he promised to give us his age before the end of the cruise..and never did (He looked much too young to have been doing all he told us) He was the Capt. of the Journey for the first months...does that help???:confused:

[rockysquirrel]

He cheated...he promised to give us his age before the end of the cruise..and never did (He looked much too young to have been doing all he told us) He was the Capt. of the Journey for the first months...does that help???:confused:

Nancy,
The spelling of the Captain of the Quest on the 12/8/2007 sailing was Emmanouil Alevropoulos. We (Sue and I) personally do not care how old or good looking he is as long as he is competent to do the job and clearly he demonstrated that. It was rather inappropriate that someone asked him his age when we met him at the CC meeting. He did respond by saying that he has been with Celebrity since he was 18 years old. There were more important questions and issues to ask during the time we had with the senior staff of the Quest. Did you ask the flight crew for their ages too? Please focus on what is important.

[LMKohler]

Laura & Napi's Mom -- thanks for following up on the tours. I had forgotten that you never made it to Port Antonio.

Susie -- I'm sorry, we just haven't made up our minds on Nicaragua. I fully understand the benefit of doing independent tours, however, the time-frame is worrisome for us (and I presume Joyce & Carl). I would be uncomfortable getting back to the ship 10 minutes before it sailed. I appreciate Laura's and Napi's Mom candid reply to my question. So the choice DH and I have to make is going with the ships tour and paying more but having piece of mind, or going independently.

Lucy

[~Nereus~]

Nancy,
The spelling of the Captain of the Quest on the 12/8/2007 sailing was Emmanouil Alevropoulos.

Thanks for the information. It's greatly appreciated.

Arno

[karolm]

""It was rather inappropriate that someone asked him his age when we met him at the CC meeting. ""

I don't know who asked but IMHO it certainly was not an inappropriate question. I think he considered it a compliment.
This was a rather informal "social" meeting. Not a get on a plane
and in passing asking the age of the pilot.

Those are two different scenarios completely.

Carol M

[Host Andy]

Hi Everyone !

Interesting comments posted here. I have to say I am not sure it's in the best of taste to ask a Captain his age. However, it all depends on if the Captain appears to be approachable or not. I can say that I have come across many Captains who would be offended at such a question. On the other side of the equation.... there are a few Captains on Celebrity who are also on the young-ish side, and are very proud of it ! (as they should be).

As far as I am concerned, as long as they are qualified and do a great job, then age shouldnt be a factor. I'd probably pass on asking the question though :)

[susiesan]

Laura & Napi's Mom -- thanks for following up on the tours. I had forgotten that you never made it to Port Antonio.

Susie -- I'm sorry, we just haven't made up our minds on Nicaragua. I fully understand the benefit of doing independent tours, however, the time-frame is worrisome for us (and I presume Joyce & Carl). I would be uncomfortable getting back to the ship 10 minutes before it sailed. I appreciate Laura's and Napi's Mom candid reply to my question. So the choice DH and I have to make is going with the ships tour and paying more but having piece of mind, or going independently.

Lucy

Lucy:
The tour that got them back 10 minutes before sailing was in Limon, Costa Rica. The Nicaragua tour they took is the Tierra Tour and they all said it was very good. Unless someone from this sailing was not happy with Tierra Tours, it looks to be one of the better tours this group took. Is this true Dec. 8 sailors? Can you reassure Lucy she won't miss the ship. There are very few people on our sailing's roll call and most of them do not want to tour independently. Some of these tours won't go for just 2 people. Of the one's that do, I'm signing up DH and myself for what will be private tours!

[NotChoppedLiver]

"Interesting comments posted here. I have to say I am not sure it's in the best of taste to ask a Captain his age. However, it all depends on if the Captain appears to be approachable or not."

Andy, you would've had to be there.
I was present.
While I would not have asked the question, the Capt was very approachable and seemed flattered to be
asked about his age.
In fact he was all over the ship. One day my DH found him
just standing at the rail on Deck 5. He was very congenial and
they snapped photos.

He wasn't asked his age because he looked 95 yrs old
with one foot on the banana peel. He wasn't asked because
it looked like he'd just had his 3rd facelift.
He was asked because he is very handsome and youthful --
a compliment.

Everyone has his or her own opinion on what constitutes
"good taste" or gauche behavior

So, while asking the Capt his age didn't bother me because
the Capt had a choice or answering or not, I
felt that certain people asking on a daily basis for special treatment in the dining room was piggish and insensitive to the wait staff who
already run in circles trying to please the passengers, and
have no choice but to comply.

Therefore we each have our own take on "unrefined."

Laura

[Napi's Mom]

Lucy:
The tour that got them back 10 minutes before sailing was in Limon, Costa Rica. The Nicaragua tour they took is the Tierra Tour and they all said it was very good. Unless someone from this sailing was not happy with Tierra Tours, it looks to be one of the better tours this group took. Is this true Dec. 8 sailors? Can you reassure Lucy she won't miss the ship. There are very few people on our sailing's roll call and most of them do not want to tour independently. Some of these tours won't go for just 2 people. Of the one's that do, I'm signing up DH and myself for what will be private tours!
Yes we found that OUR tour was back before the ships tours were in San Juan...we passed their bus on the road. Remember that with a private tour...IT IS YOUR TOUR~you control the time, if you take charge and make sure it is your tour.

Sorry we caused such a furor over the Capt.s' name. As I said I didn't have our ships' newsletters at hand. I also do not remember who asked about his age, but it WAS all in good fun as he looks VERY young, and was flattered that we asked him. We also met him on many other occasions, not a stuffy sort at all. Had a long discussion with him along with our 83 yr old Mary, as she had missed our CC meeting due to my faulty transcription of her room number, when I saw him walking around the pool patio area where we were chatting, I introduced her to him...and he was so charming to her...no she's not just a "little Old Lady" she's a seasoned world traveler, who does it all on her own, even tho she uses a walker. He found much to discuss with her. He is VERY accessable. As "Rockey" said he's been with Celebrity since he was 18. He discussed that he was from Athens, and missed home.:)

[NotChoppedLiver]

Lucy,

Nancy and I were on the Nicaragua tour together.
No problem getting back to the ship on time.

As I recall our ship left port at 6PM.
We asked our tour guide, Antonio, to
leave Granada at 3PM and got back in plenty
of time.
As Nancy said, we returned to Quest before
the ship's tour

If you still feel uncomfortable going on an
independent tour, by all means don't go,
but you would be missing a great excursion
(plus we had a lot of laughs).

Laura

[LMKohler]

Hi Nancy & Laura:)

Thank you for the reassurance:D We obviously need to make a decision with our travelling companions about which trip we are going to take. I'm certainly not opposed to independent excursions and have done them in the past.

Unlike your cruise, our cruise has very few (8) people:( on our roll call. When our friends get back from Florida (lucky them:) ) we'll sit down and make decisions.

Thanks,

Lucy

[SunDapple]

""It was rather inappropriate that someone asked him his age when we met him at the CC meeting. ""

I don't know who asked but IMHO it certainly was not an inappropriate question. I think he considered it a compliment.
This was a rather informal "social" meeting. Not a get on a plane
and in passing asking the age of the pilot.

Those are two different scenarios completely.

Carol M

Re: the Captain's Age: It was listed in one of the first newsletters. He is 35 years old.

[Napi's Mom]

Re: the Captain's Age: It was listed in one of the first newsletters. He is 35 years old.Thanks for this info...was rather curious...and that's about where I put him, tho some thought 40's but NO not possible, but he must have come up fast, to be so young, and this is not his first ship.

[VA-Cruiser]

Hi to everyone we met from Penny and Len. We had a wonderful time on the Dec 8th Quest.
We took private tours with Charlie Soto in both Costa Rica stops and he was excellent. We had him personally on the Pacific side and some of his staff on the Caribbean side. Both trips included lunch for a lot less than the ship tours. Charlie really knows his way around and Charlie Brown was constantly asking him for help on the Pacific side. His company is okeydokeytours@hotmail.com. I highly recommend him. We had one tour with 4 and one with 8 people. We did the tierratour with Ron, Sang and Dad and Cheryl and Howard and other than the roads the tour was very good. I thought we would all need a chiropractor when we got back to the ship!
No one has said a lot about dinner in Breezes. They made the best stir fry to order up there and that, along with the sushi, was more than you could eat. Also made fresh pasta dishes. It was a great alternative if you were tired from a long tour and just wanted to put your jeans on for dinner. And there was an entertainer out on the back deck while you ate.
Lorenzo was amazing. He made everyone of us feel like we were his special friend. He really worked overtime.
We loved the small ship and the friendliness of staff and cruisers. We had sailed on Renaissance and found the same on that cruise.
It is so cold in Virginia this week, I'm dreaming of Central America to keep warm.
Happy New Year!