uktog

Unfortunately we have the curse of Azamara IT. Our surveys have arrived - neither survey will allow us to progress beyond Page 1 on any device. We had many positive things we wished to say and in particular there were four excellent staff members (two on first contracts) we wanted to highlight. After so many positives and green shoots of recovery onboard they go back to the old ways!

You were lucky we got no tablecloth 2/3 mornings and only got called ahead after the first no call delivery as I wrote that on the special request on the order form. Every time tray just dumped down and we were left to manage it - we did think that change in procedures was unnecessary and disappointing if you want to stay a premium line

We are now in The Intercontinental Strings. A lovely hotel right by Shinigawa station which has the fast line to HND the Shinkansen and excellent local connections eg 12 minutes to Shibuya Crossing for less than £1 It’s the same rating as the New Otani that Azamara used for the pre cruise extension, its room rates on Expedia are lower than the Otani but this is a far better more personal experience. Azamara sometimes uses here. I think our pre cruise would have been 100 times better if they had for us Weve just braved the crossing and some back streets and didn’t get lost! We did however resist buying outfits for our sons new kittens. We’ve seen dogs dressed up but never cats!

Safe travels home. Hope it’s negative for you. I’ve realised our tests are past their sell by so tonight’s results may not be reliable. I noticed the stateroom staff were masked up this morning but maybe that’s standard on turn around

It’s so hard to say. They were all so different in their own way. And some like Kanazawa got extra points because they had the best blossom, Niigata had the sweetest pier staff and was quieter. Hiroshima was busy but thought provoking Kobe/Kyoto was very hectic but three iconic sights. I just can’t pick

Azamara provided a shuttle bus to Ginza 6 shopping mall every 30 minutes which worked extremely well for those who wish to explore Tokyo independently. Port authorities also provided a shuttle to the nearby area, including one that toured a range of parks locally. I just love the quirkiness of little things that have fascinated me in Japan, including the very small fire snf police stations at Ginza and the range of unusual products for sale in shops Today we disembark for two days, independent travelling before going home It has been a really good cruise showing what Azamara does best destination immersion. Having been on quest only a month previously the inconsistency of standards between the two ships was remarkable. Something that the officers we spoke with were well aware off - Journey food wise was far better than Quest and although where a few trainees who needed further guidance, the general level of service was also much higher. The hotel director Ryzard is returning to Quest mid contract in May having been over to support the Japan programme and he himself has identified how far ahead journey was from quest. In conversation in relation to the food side of the operations he was quick to highlight how good the executive chef Dhani is and the significance difference his hands on the approach to overseeing the galley makes It’s a very positive experience for us, but until we see consistency, we still have a little bit nervous about the future. Yes we saw small cutbacks, some more annoying than others but most of all we now feel without new ships and space layouts that work for today’s passengers Azamara are going to face more and more challenges. That said they nail destination immersion something they should really focus on

No they should be. We’ve got tests with us and I’m going to do one on DH tonight

On Azamara journey at present there is a really bad cough going round - it’s not hayfever as people say because it’s a rasping rattling chest cough and unfortunately when you’re on tour you have people bringing up phlegm beside you and doing very little to take care of where they dispose of their tissues. Also, the concept of putting your hand to your mouth is not something that many of the older guests seem to want to do. Despite being extremely careful we now are coming down with it and I think we can pinpoint which shore excursion that happened on - even our guide spoke to the guest about her coughing fits. Many crew have the cough as well and I really think the ship should have been more open about the problems and perhaps to have made facemasks more readily available. For several guests the argument for not wearing one when they should be as they did not bring any with them If embarking tomorrow you might want to get some cough medicine before boarding

Captain Dario has taken over from Captain Kresimir on journey today and Darren Lynton has rejoined as the cruise Director replacing Steven Willet who has been excellent and deserves his holiday. Darren will be on until the 10th August.

Shimizu was an interesting little town again an opportunity to see a real Japanese fishing town. Many made attempts to try and see Mount Fuji on ships excursions, but it was clear from sailing in today that it was not going to be the iconic picture day. I know the Cruise before I did have the iconic picture day, but then they had a lot more bad weather elsewhere than we had and it’s the price to pay for the many good days we’ve had. We had identified that there was a simple little ferry that cruises around the port with a 40 minute cruise costing ¥1500 but we even abandoned that idea when the clouds rolled down Fuji almost as soon as we arrived, Instead, we took the shuttle which dropped you off at the main station and walked over the walkway to the fish market -again the helpful locals made sure we were pointing in the right direction and as always the station overpass was absolutely immaculate. I think it’s going to be a real culture shock when we get home and start seeing litter and graffiti. I can’t really explain how clean you have to experience it to it. Two weeks in and we’ve never seen one piece. The market had so many different little restaurants serving fresh fish and it was clear that local people stopped for a snack whenever they wished Some of the restaurants had terminals that you ordered your seat and the food was brought to you The stall holders were so welcoming though spoke little English so google translate was a must. We did get the opportunity to try the local delicacy Sakura prawns which are so small so sweet and so fresh you do not even cook them We had an afternoon on the ship and also enjoyed a quiet evening They experimented with the timings on the ship moving the ABBA night to 2015 in the Cabaret lounge but unfortunately most of us were not out of dinner until later so could not enjoy it. It was over by 9 o’clock it was not the disco but the band and again many had to leave the cabaret because the band were too loud so not a huge success in our view. The Assistant CD was doing her show in the living room at 9:30 but we were so tired we decided to have an early night and be ready to enjoy Tokyo again. Unfortunately more and more people are coughing on board. It is certainly not an allergic reaction. It’s a deep rattling mucus chesty cough and those who have it are showing no regard for others - very rarely even wearing a mask to give some protection to others. It’s obvious who has got it and I do feel a little bit more should be being done directing these people to distance themselves and protect others and one critical direction should be to avoid travelling on the shuttle bus or shore excursions. I don’t think Azamara has done enough to limit the spread of these chest infections onboard.We saw crew working in state rooms and also in food service area with the same hacking cough which really surprised us.

As well as the guidance of sites already given I would suggest a starting point for your knowledge enhancement might also be the Apple site which is known for straight facts and no spin

It’s not allergies coughs. They aren’t typically coughing fits. They are very different and for the last week we’ve beyond the areas affected.

Next to the funnel is shuffleboard or a walkway

Fortunately we didn’t have to cancel any but I wish the guests who had hacking coughs had

Cabanas would likely have issues up there - everything has to be secured on Deck 11 whenever there is any breeze or when sailing in open seas.