Dr H

Which Phil goes to show that there are 2 male soap crazies out there is the world! Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Funny, I'm looking at a circumnav of Japan followed by a return to Seattle in May of next year, 39 nights total. ASDF very quickly ended any thoughts I had of a drinks package, much less two of them! Looking through the Cunard Bar Menu from 2022(?), prices are very reasonable for the amount I/we consume in a day. I usually get hit for about $75 for the two of us on Azamara (alcohol is included.) Even if we got hit for $400. next year, that's still a very far cry from $5500.!

I might add that there are two large showers in the changing rooms, stocked with premium Elemis soap products. For those of us who find the standard cabin shower somewhat restrictive, the changing room showers are both a godsend, as well as virtually unknown and unused by most of the passengers. Spotlessly clean and maintained, the steam room and showers are one of Azamara's little secrets, and the fewer who know about them, the better. (Oh, the men's steam room, try not to sit on the second seat to the right as you enter. Your tush will never forgive you or be the same if you do sit there. You've been warned.)

It boils down to how much credit do you already have, and what do you want to do on board? The drinks package on any cruise is a gravy train, money making deal for the cruise line. I believe you break even after 6 drinks each and every day. Remember, there is plenty of decent wine and hard liquor already included with the cruise fare. Wine packages, depend upon how much you drink. You can buy a good bottle of wine for $50-100. on board, on the approved list or off. They store any unconsumed wine very well, so you don't have to drink it all at one. WIFI Plus. I believe the Plus is Elon Musk's high speed Starlink system. Having spoken to several people on board as of last November, if you need the internet for work, splurge on the Plus. I think it runs about $10 a day, over and above the cost of the standard internet. Since this is only your second cruise, your benefits aren't up there with the big boys yet. We are each Discoverer Plus, unlimited Internet runs us under $50 for the full cruise. We are leaving next week, I'm undecided about going for the better package. (And I'm told it's a LOT better, not a little bit better, than the regular wifi). Do your homework. How much credit is already in the bank, what will the cost of excursions be over 25 days, realistically how much alcohol can you consume in 25 days (coffee, water, soft drinks, espresso/cappuccino, basic cocktails are all included, so they don't enter into your calculus). Have a great time planning. Wish I could say I'm envious.

Maybe I was on a carbonara high, but there was juice, water, and chocolate cookies at the Civitavecchia terminal last November. I know I'm special and deserving, but I can't believe they did the catering just for me...

Checking in at the port usually starts around1-1:30. Could be earlier, could be later, we are talking about Italy. Sometimes Azamara actually notifies you about your scheduled check in time, but don't hold me to it. Rules are that you must be onboard the ship at least 90 minutes prior to departure, which in your case means 4PM at the latest. Oh, Azamara usually has drinks and cookies waiting for you in the terminal following checkin and before the actual boarding. Have a great trip!

Kevin, I've got a similar story re lower price followed by credit. I suspect your TA is the same one I use here in Atlanta. And yes OJ, I've had my wrists slapped because I alluded to the name of my TA. Naturally, I won't do that again, but will say the TA I use on line no longer shows vacant rooms on Azamara as they used to. Guess I have to do some detective work.

I follow prices too, and while we are fully booked for the rest of the year, I like your logic. Could you please tell us how you know the cruise is half full? We have a lot of folks in the audience trying to figure out which rooms are free for booking on Azamara. It used to be very easy to do, now it's almost impossible with their new software system.

I'm searching for the price of the surcharge - it/they seem to have vanished. We were onboard Onward as recently as Nov '23, and we had one of the packages -$30/head. I might point out to Mom that she probably has onboard credit as part of her booking, and that credit can be applied to an individual night in Prime C or Aqualina, or to the dining packages. House cocktails are still part of the Azamara fare, and as long as you stick to the house brands, they will be happy to make them for you at no additional charge. The upper tiered drinks tend to run about $10-15. depending upon what you order, and if you wish to brink a bottle of liquor or wine on board, it is permitted. The two of us have had a bottle of wine follow us for about 3 days, no spoilage, no difficulty storing it. That special $30-40 bottle of wine lasting for days is not an expensive investment. I hope this helps.

We've been in suites on D8 on several occasions. We were not happy with the morning noise of pool chairs being scraped around in circles. That said, the room was larger, and my wife wanted a tub. Life is full of compromises. Now, being in a peasant level veranda room on D8 dealing with the noise for the sake of a few bottles of booze and I believe a single specialty dinner reservation, well, personally, I wouldn't go there. D7 is a much, much better deal. Especially if you have any status (😀) with Azamara. On board credit easily buys the alcohol and the specialty dining, you can bring your own alcohol if you so choose, and you can figure out the internet package. These are somewhat subtle complaints we have with Azamara, dirty laundry we don't want to show the public, but the company could be offering better perks to their very loyal customers. That said, we love Azamara, and have no plans to desert ship, metaphorically or otherwise. Basically, Phil said it all. Stay on Deck 7.

There is a B2B meeting the afternoon before disembarkation. You will get your new room key, as well as your pass to get back on the ship. If you are changing rooms, you need to pack up your loose items, stuff in drawers, the bathroom, etc. if it's hanging in the closet, just leave it. It magically reappears in your new room. If you want to stay on board the ship, you can. Or you can use the day like any port stop. Just be back on at the appropriate time. Early arrival at the cruise port, you show your boarding pass, and up you go. Have a great time!

In room mini-bar. Seems the booze has disappeared completely. The soft drinks are included, and you can request what you want, ie tonic water and coke, but no sprite... They are extremely accommodating. I'm not a big beer drinker, I believe it's Becks, Heineken, Bud Lite, and Millers (?). Good luck for the rest.

I am a very jaded American who is not exactly thrilled with American cities. Question. Are you willing to drive here? Personally, the thought of driving in the UK terrifies me, and I won't do it. But if you are willing and brave, you can have an amazing time. Drive into the Keys, possibly as far as Key West. That is a good 3hrs away, but you don't have to go that far. Consider driving across to the Gulf side and staying in the Naples area. The Gulf is infinitely nicer than the Atlantic side. PH mentioned South Beach in Miami. I've never been, it's on my bucket list. See the film "The Birdcage" first. Then go. Do your homework regarding restaurants and dining. Seafood is amazing in Miami. Joe's Stone Crab is probably a tad touristy and definitely not cheap, but the crab is incredible. (Stone crabs come from the Miami area, crab is caught, one hand is chopped off for you, the crab goes back into the drink to regrow the limb.) The Cuban coffee is to die for, sadly a huge number of Cubans had to die to get to our shores. Cuban food in Miami is unlike Cuban anywhere else in the country, or probably Cuba. Go into Tripadvisor.com which I believe is the parent company of cruisecritic, you should find a wealth of information there. I wouldn't stay near the airport. It's great for an overnight stay, but restaurants will be limited, and the airport itself is only about 20 minutes from just about anywhere in Miami. I recommend the beach area, but do some homework. I love using booking dot com (hope I'm not committing a mortal sin by saying such a thing) because it is free, very easy to compare places, locations, prices, and both making and cancelling reservations is very easy. Happy planning, and great to have you coming to the States.

Trust but verify. I doubt the Venetians will be allowing cruise ships back in any time soon. Those ships are tearing up the lagoon and canals.

Hamrag, if you have room in your suitcase, please pack me up and take me. Quoting my own pithy self, "Make your own decisions for your own reasons. And ask yourselves, just what is it about .... that makes it special to you? " You answered your own question, and came up with a very reasonable answer. I've heard poor things about your lines, but whether they were legitimate complaints or envy I have no idea. Perish the thought Azamara goes belly up or destroys their brand, Oceania and Windstar will probably get my business. Albeit not as often. I think your reply was certainly on par with the one EEC gave our new friends.