gogo65

We did one with Ponant and one with Silversea.

Thank you so much for clarifying, we have done 3 expedition cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica and they would normally have two zodiacs rides or landings per day (morning and afternoon), so was just trying to clarify how much opportunity there was to go on the zodiacs (and the kayaking opportunities) each day and if they were in different areas each time. The fact they are out all day while in the glaciers is a good thing and it appears everyone has an opportunity to enjoy. Thanks again for your response and I really appreciate the photos!

Thank you for your report, we are currently investigating a Chilean fjord/Patagonia expedition cruise. It seems that the ‘toys’ are not used as much as a normal expedition cruise? Generally I would have thought they would be used daily/twice daily (except for actual port days), were you disappointed on the number of opportunities? Thank you!

Your’e welcome, here’s the link

Ive done Ponant and Silversea, Ponant to Antartica, SS to Svalbard and Ponant North west passage. We loved Ponant to Antartica and had booked another trip with Ponant that was subsequently cancelled, so we did the SS cruise as a last minute replacement. On comparison we felt Ponant was far superior for the lectures, naturalists etc, we also found silver cloud to be quite old and dark, we didnt really see much benefit from having a butler, and to a degree SS had more ‘snobbish’ people onboard, so we thought we would be Ponant people (more Australians onboard so generally a more relaxed feel), we don’t do jackets and gowns and Ponant is definitely more casual. Fast Forward to 2022 when we did the NW passage with Ponant from Tromso to Nome, 30 days, we had a great group of people, some excellent naturalists (they all freelance and choose what expedition they go on) but it was an absolute mess of a cruise, it was meant to be a NE passage over Russia but was cancelled, it felt like they were making it up as they went (I’ve done a trip report if your interested). So here i am looking at another expedition and will keep an open mind, it will be down to itinerary and dates, our son is getting married in Mexico in March 2025 so will be based on dates, at this point it will likely be SS (back on cloud), because the itinerary covers more of what we want(Patagonia and the Chilean fjords + Antarctica).

Oh buggar, I’m already Major having completed two Ponant cruises, am diamond on RCCL and elite on celebrity, looks like I remain the same..

Thanks Hammer, that’s interesting as we originally booked through Azamara but transferred to the TA who is an acquaintance of one of our travelling companions. The agent at the time advised about the best price guarantee. I normally book everything myself (except expedition cruising as I have found they can offer significant savings (5-7%). I also weighed up the cost of credit card fees (again I normally negotiate with an agent if necessary or book myself) but against my better judgement went with an agent that i dont have any relationship with…) Interestingly she has just called and Azamara have waived the fee, we have moved into a club continent suite for a $478 saving (from a P1), we loose the excursion OBC ($300) and the upgraded drinks package, being a port intensive cruise not sure how much benefit we would get from the the upgraded drinks package and happy to book excursions on our own, so happy for the upgrade.

Although it’s not on the list, I did celebrity edge a few years ago. I loved the ship, we were in aqua class and Blu was pretty good.

We saw explora 1 in Greenland last year, the ship was stunning. We spoke with a few passengers and they loved it. We would definitely consider them. We have done two Ponant and one silversea (all expeditions), we preferred Ponant from an expedition perspective, however I think SS would be good on a normal cruise on one of the slightly newer bigger ships. We have booked Azamara Greece intensive for August next year, we have no sea days, the basic alcohol package will probably suffice although we would happily upgrade, the azamazing evenings get great reviews. You can pick up an Azamara for about $300/night all inclusive, so pretty good value. We are looking forward to trying them due to their interesting itineraries. We still have a significant credit to spend on SS so will likely book something in the near future.

We have recently booked an Azamara cruise for next year, I had read about their best price guarantee, so figured we would be ok if the price dropped. Unfortunately we booked through an agent who is now saying that we need to cancel and rebook for the best price guarantee to kick in. While paying the $100 cancellation fee (and $50 change fee from the TA), we are still better off, it just seems ridiculous that the only way to honour this is to cancel. To be honest the T&C’s are fairly non descript. Has anyone had any experience with Azamara and their best price guarantee? Thanks

Thanks gbenjo, may need to consider end of 2024, have a few trips booked at the moment, but might squeeze another in.

I cruised on the edge from Rome back in 2019, I really enjoyed it, was very tempted to book one of the Aussie cruises when they were first released, the prices seemed to skyrocket but now they are settling again. I would consider Virgin cruises but not really interested 3/4 day booze cruises. Will be interested to see if both come back next year!

We've also booked intensive Greece for August 2024, again slightly different itinerary to both you and Bimmer. We have no sea days! Doing Istanbul, Canakkale, Kavala, Thessaloniki, Volos, Cesme, Amorgos, Rhodes, Santorini, Aegina, Athens. New ports for us are Kavala, Thessaloniki, Volos, Cesme, Amorgos, Aegina. This is our first Azamara, looking forward to visiting a few new places.

I’m happy following along here, as I’ve just booked the same cruise for 2025. It’s been about 20 years since I was last on P&O (pacific sky!) so not sure how we will like it. However it’s a great price for a PNG cruise, and princess don’t seem to be offering it in 2025. We booked two adjoining aft suites, so should be nice.

Currently on quantum of the seas and approx 1hour ago an Oscar Oscar Oscar call was placed. They currently have 4 boats on the water searching, and have requested all guests return to their rooms. It is currently midnight ship time so very dark.we are due into Hawaii in 2 days on route from Tahiti. Praying it is a false alarm.