First time AZ cruiser questions

This is our first ever cruise, not just with AZ. I have a few questions that I hope you can help with...

- firstly, we are probably younger than the average cruiser (29 and 30 yrs old) and as we will be travelling around europe (mainly by train) for a few weeks following the cruise we need to travel light. We are concerned with the requirement to wear "resort casual" in the restaurants, therefore we are thinking of enjoying room service on our balcony most nights. My question is - is the complimentary wine available for room service?

- I have seen people also mention a drinks package - does this need to be purchased before the cruise, or once on board? I havent seen it mentioned anywhere on the official website or in the paperwork.

- I have seen that AZ often provides free shuttle services from the ports? Do you know if this will likely be provided for the Quest cruise departing Istanbul (going through the Greek Islands) on 3 Sept?

- If anyone has travelled around the Greek Islands at this time of year, I would be interested to know if seasickness could be an issue.

If you can think of anything else that might help us make the most of our first cruise, that would be most appreciated as well!! Thanks :)

Hi

Welcome to Azamara, I have marked below as best I can responses to your queries. You have chosen a very good line for your first cruise and this will spoil you for any later trips you make!!

This is our first ever cruise, not just with AZ. I have a few questions that I hope you can help with...

 

- firstly, we are probably younger than the average cruiser (29 and 30 yrs old) and as we will be travelling around europe (mainly by train) for a few weeks following the cruise we need to travel light. We are concerned with the requirement to wear "resort casual" in the restaurants, therefore we are thinking of enjoying room service on our balcony most nights. My question is - is the complimentary wine available for room service?

 

I would not worry about resort casual - it is very likely that you will have items with you that will reflect that, a sun dress can be dressed up with a wrap for the evenings etc. You do not want to limit yourself to room service, particualry as the wine is not included for free! The food in the dining room is lovely and although you can have room service from that menu, it is not the same, it can be cool when it arrives, all the courses will arrive at once etc

The other thing to bear in mind, you can eat in the buffet each night and dress there is casual and the food is excellent.

 

- I have seen people also mention a drinks package - does this need to be purchased before the cruise, or once on board? I havent seen it mentioned anywhere on the official website or in the paperwork.

 

The drinks packages are new, most people here do not see them as great value as you have all the free wine and sodas on board. You would be able to purchase them on board if you still wanted one

 

- I have seen that AZ often provides free shuttle services from the ports? Do you know if this will likely be provided for the Quest cruise departing Istanbul (going through the Greek Islands) on 3 Sept?

 

No reason to believe they will not

 

- If anyone has travelled around the Greek Islands at this time of year, I would be interested to know if seasickness could be an issue.

 

We did on Quest a few years ago and had no issues. A nice thing, rather than carry medication, you can on Azamara get it from free from Guest Relations, they have a little basket on the desk and it is on a help yourslef basis

 

If you can think of anything else that might help us make the most of our first cruise, that would be most appreciated as well!! Thanks :)

Enjoy it, you will love the trip. One tip as you are travelling there is a free launderette on board which will make any laundry you want to do easy (though it takes up valuable cruising time!!) If you have anything that needs drycleaning the ships prices compare very favourably with land prices

There is a little laundry? Where is it? Do you bring your own soap? Hours?

Thank you, Sherry

There is a little laundry? Where is it? Do you bring your own soap? Hours?

Thank you, Sherry

From the Azamara website

Laundry and Dry-Cleaning

Azamara ships feature a self-service laundry, free of charge for our guests. Detergent is provided for self-service laundry. Full laundry and dry-cleaning services are also available for a charge

It is on Deck Seven opposite rooms 7076

I cannot recall the exact times it is open I think it was 0800-1900 I know the hours were daytime so as not to disturb those around that area

Thanks Uktog, you've been really helpful!!

Welcome bronnie 43.

Please do not hide away in your cabin during the dinner service. One of the greatest joys of sailing Azamara is the camaraderie that is established with other passengers. The tables in the main dining room (MDR) are close enough for conversation with neighbors. You can request a table for two or you can be seated with strangers that will become your new best friends!

About the only thing that is not appropriate in the MDR for evening service is shorts for men and women, tank tops for men, sometimes blue jeans are acceptable but not often. Patagonia style clothing is fine. The suggestion ala Azamara is for the men to wear a shirt with a collar. The older passengers tend to dress a little more formerly. In this case that might mean a sport coat without tie and church type clothing for the women.

Please do not bring laundry detergent for use on the ship. The laundry system is designed to use eco responsive detergent. The same is true for toilet tissue.

Many of us like to recommend that you check out the Roll Call for your sailing. On the board you will find others sailing on your cruise. It is a wonderful opportunity to help plan your cruise. You can also sign up for a Meet and Mingle with other Cruise Critic contributors. Azamara will sponsor at least one gathering for this group and it is a great way to meet the officers and learn more about cruising with Azamara.

The little pills in the basket at the Purser's Desk that UKTOG was referring to is Bonine. I don't know if it is available in Australia. It is not available in Canada. It is a mild form of Dramamine with virtually no side effects. If you are the least bit concerned about sea conditions then you can start taking the bonine before you embark on your cruise.

There is no way any of us can predict the sea conditions or the weather for that matter. We have checked forecasts before leaving home for a cruise and the weather is almost never what we used to expect. Now we just expect anything.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.

Hi Bronnie!

This is "alperlma" from TripAdvisor. I don't know why I have a different name here but I do. I'm glad you found the right place and are getting good answers. There is a wealth of information over here both from people who are just getting into cruising and from veterans who can tell you everything from what to wear to your servers names ahead of time (just kidding on that last one). Keep reading & posting & enjoy getting ready for a great trip!

Hi Bronnie

Welcome to CC. We're just back from two week cruise on Az Journey from Barcelona. Our first time on Azamara though we have done many cruises and I can tell you this was the best. So impressed are we with Azamara that we have booked the Quest for March next year.

There were several people in their twenties/thirties so quite a wide age range. Very casual and extremely friendly - you are really going to enjoy this cruise.

If the weather is warm enough there's an aft deck just beyond the buffet where we enjoyed several meals including dinner. And a good pool grill to enjoy lunch (draught beer with lunch is only $2.35)

If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

Vera

Vera,

Thanks for mentioning those two areas. We ended up on the aft Lido almost every afternoon for ice cream, sweets or just a libation (or two.) It's the perfect spot to relax and often overlooked.

The pool grill offers much more than the standard burger and pizza. The kabobs were terrific and I could always get a salad.

Vera,

Thanks for mentioning those two areas. We ended up on the aft Lido almost every afternoon for ice cream, sweets or just a libation (or two.) It's the perfect spot to relax and often overlooked.

The pool grill offers much more than the standard burger and pizza. The kabobs were terrific and I could always get a salad.

I often had a baked potato and salad at the grill!! Oh to be back on board!

Vera

Hey Vera!

Hope all is well with you and glad you enjoyed the second week. It's looking increasingly likely we'll be seeing you again for my 30th in March, fingers crossed...

To Bronnie43 - we were amongst the 20 and 30 somethings on Vera's cruise. We travelled light as we had just one small suitcase for the two of us. I wore a shirt to dinner and either sort of trousers I would wear out for the evening with friends in the (UK) summer. Our best tip was to bring enough clothes etc for half the trip and send it out to be laundered, it was worth every penny as everything comes back neatly ironed and on hangers. It saves you the time doing laundry on holiday and the ironing is much beter than I would ever manage :o) Just remember to have clothes for that day when the ship is sorting your laundry...

We met with friends in the library on 10 for drinks before dinner quite often, as many people had complimentary bottles of champagne and wine in their cabins. The staff in Prime C would happily bring glasses, open and pour etc and the room is a great place which barely gets used otherwise.

Food-wise, also keep an eye out for the themed buffet nights. If you like a good curry, its an impressive spread...

Have fun; like Vera said you will have a fab time on board with a great range of people. The Greek islands are all so different. No one can predict the weather but we have visited the area on a big ship (Celebrity Equinox) and a small ship (AZ Journey) and had no issues either time.

Best wishes

Thom

Hey Vera!

 

Hope all is well with you and glad you enjoyed the second week. It's looking increasingly likely we'll be seeing you again for my 30th in March, fingers crossed...

Thom

That's great! Will keep fingers and toes crossed and hope to see you on the roll call soon.

Bronnie - don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you think of them.

Vera

Hi Vera, Thom, alcpa1 and perlgirlnj,

Thanks everyone for sharing your tips and experiences. You've convinced us to pack one or two nicer outfits so we can have dinner in discoveries, but when we feel like being more casual, I'll keep a look out for the themed buffet nights (we do love a nice curry!) The outdoor area near the buffet also sounds great for warmer nights, thanks Vera. All the positive feedback from AZ cruisers is really encouraging, we're getting really excited, I'm sure we are going to have a fantastic time! :)

Cheers, Bronnie

Hi Bronnie - glad that we can be of help. Suggest you join your roll call, or at least read through it as you will pick up alot of ideas - this link should get you there http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1300749

Also at the top of this page, if you haven't already done so, why don't you register for the Azamara Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle. If they get 25 people registered then Az will organise a get-together, both times for us it was at sailaway in the Looking Glass. Some of the Officers were there and drinks provided. It was a casual affair and a lovely way of meeting your CC friends.

Vera

If you like a nice curry do look out for the Indian night, with several chefs on board from Goa/India etc there are some lovely offerings. As everyone says Azamara is a friendly line, the ships are small enough so there is a lot of interaction between everyone including the officers who will join in at the buffets and deck events.

Make sure you sign up for your roll call and for the meet and mingle party. Do not be put off by the fact you will get emails that say minimum numbers have not been met - even if this happens, keep an eye on the daily news, there will be a get together announced in there and the cruise line will lay on (another!) nice round of nibbles and some cocktails/champagne

You will get a lot of good advice here everyone wants first time cruisers to make the most of their Azamara experience!

UKtog, interesting comment as I have often thought special events should be put onfor new 'customers' to encourage them to book again. Repeat cruisers have already been hooked. Due to RCI loyalty we were invited to many events on Quest last year but around the ship the crew, officers and Captain have no idea of your status and they were phenomenal. An incredible cruising experience.

Geoffrey

Hi Bonnie,

My husband and I will be on that same cruise. We cruised with Azamara in 2009 and loved it. I am sure you will too! Check out the roll call and be sure to sign up for the Meet and Mingle.

Six weeks and can't wait!

Terri