Texter2

Jim, I look forward to following you and Iain over the pond! We took the Apex TA last Spring and loved it. 

Have a great trip!

Jorge, 

Thank you for taking us along! I feel like I am there with y’all. Your photos are amazing.

4 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I just tried to do a mock booking with Explora and ran into the same issue of needing to enter all of my contact information.

I am having the same problem. I hope they get it fixed soon. I tried several online agencies and also found that they didn’t have availability of cabins. Looking at several alternative cruises for our first Azamara cruise, but not willing to take the equivalent of a guarantee cabin assigned. 

I found that I could find out which cabin Azamara assigned to me, before I put in contact information, by clicking on the satchel icon on the top right. I could not figure out how to see which cabins are available or change the prospectively assigned cabin. 

Concur with above. We generally choose for itinerary and can find enjoyable itineraries on both lines. 

Love the new Celebrity edge class ships. Hoping to try new Sun Princess in Fall of 2024. Preference to Celebrity for food quality, except for three (or maybe four) cheese pizza on Princess. Do like being able to wash clothes on Princess without paying $49 (was the cost for “special” on day 10 of 14) for one bag.   

Thanks for all the assistance. I am hopeful that the functionality comes back to be able to see what is available without having to put in all guest information. I am sure the functionality will get better over time.   

21 hours ago, susiesan said:

So I decided to go ahead and book an AZ cruise, It's port intensive, Croatia Sept. 8, 2024 on Pursuit. My TA got a great rate on a cat 4 outside with a total of $750 in OBC. This is a hosted consortium signature cruise with added amenities. She put a cabin on hold for me. She called AZ today with my credit card info to book it and put down my deposit. She was on hold on the phone forever and AZ shut down their computers for the day before anyone at AZ would answer the phone. They abruptly closed at 2:00pm CST in the US. My TA said the offers expired today and AZ may not honor them next week. If that's the case then I will stick with Oceania. Not a good way to do business and get new customers.

 

Let's hope AZ gets their act together and will honor the rate and cabin my TA tried to get for me. She has been trying to book this cruise for a whole week now, told me AZ doesn't answer the phone and when they do the agents are clueless about the bookings. She says it is due to the AZ IT department and a new computer system that has everything mucked up.

Oceania seems to have AZ beat when it comes to web sites and IT.

I have been looking at that itinerary too. It will be our first Azamara cruise. Unfortunately, when I look at the website, I cannot see which cabins are available in each category. The website also does not show any OBC, etc. This issue might be because of the changeover, but I am reluctant to book a cabin if I don’t know where it is. Is there a step that I am missing? I used to be able to see and select specific cabins. There was also a ribbon that showed early booking OBC, etc.  

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

I you sure about that? I find it hard to believe they would put clotheslines in the shower stall in an OV cabin but not in the IV or Sky Suites. I've been on all three E-Class ships and none of the shower stalls had clotheslines, including the Beyond.  

Not positive, but thought I remember hanging laundry in the shower. I do remember that the IV was a great place to dry clothes! The magnetic hooks recommended on CC work very well too.

I believe we had a retractable line in our OV on Apex. We also took the magnetic hooks for the walls and they worked well. 

AndyPandy, kudos to starting the cruising bug at a much earlier age than most! You will love it and hopefully enjoy a lifetime of cruises. 

I have been on three Disney cruises. Two were Transatlantic cruises. DH first cruise was a WBTA. I had to promise him he could get off at any port and fly home if he didn’t enjoy it. He stayed on and we have been enjoying cruises ever since. If you can arrange the vacay time, a longer cruise will be a lot of fun. 

If you like Star Wars, you might also enjoy a few days at WDW (especially Hollywood Studios) before or after your cruise.

Hoping you both enjoy your first cruise!

Texter2

We took the Apex EBTA last April/May and had the same noise experience in an oceanview cabin at the front of the ship. We would hear laughing and yelling until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. most nights. I did mention it to Guest Services, but was told the crew were not allowed to get together. This is the first report I have had that verifies my experience. Thank you for verifying that I was not hearing things!

OTOH the front facing OV cabins are the most exciting place to be if there is a medical evacuation!  

Four cheese pizza. 

We took a taxi from Port Everglades to FL airport last month and it was $15 plus tip.

Saw it on the Caribbean Princess for breakfast recently. Did not see it for lunch or dinner. 

I believe it was a discounted price of $49 on our TA in April/May. It appears to be a good deal.

Thanks for taking us along! I enjoyed every minute!

Also following. Would love to take this cruise. Congrats on retirement! From north LA county too (but have not lived there in many years). 

Cruzer0007 - I would look at the itineraries and use that as a guide. Are there any ports that you have not been to that you might want to visit?  We were on the Apex TA with you! Part of the reason we chose that TA was because it visited new and different ports than we had not been to previously. It was our third TA. It is easy to get hooked. You may enjoy the WBTA even more as you gain an hour rather than lose an hour on most sea days. We also love the entertainment, but make our choices mainly based on itinerary. So many places to see! 

We have done two Disney TAs. Love them. Never bored, but I love sea days.

Mel Starr - who done it series about a 14th century surgeon. On Audible. I started the series on a EBTA in April and am now on his 8th book. 

2 hours ago, alohayall said:

Wine and beer (buy 5 beers, get a 6th free).

 

I think they will save your wine for the next night in the dining room.  Others mention taking the bottle back to the room to enjoy on the balcony.

 

Oh, yes, alcohol on board; they just want you to pay for every glass/ no unlimited drinks. Daily specials on cocktails (drink of the day).

We usually get the beverage package on other lines. While Disney does not offer the packages, the prices are very reasonable. And don’t forget to sign up for the tastings! They are an incredible bargain and a lot of fun. 

On 7/20/2022 at 6:49 PM, alohayall said:

Tired?  Maybe yes. Maybe no.  I find the typical 3- or 4-night cruises to be relaxing.  Especially if you are not visiting ports.  (A day at Castaway Cay just seems like a day at the beach - literally and figuratively.)

 

It will really depend on how go-go-go you are with the parks. With a long visit, perhaps do some partial days at the parks.  It will be the overall feel of the vacation, not doing everything available, that will be the long-term memory. 
 

Wilderness Lodge does have that lovely large pool, a nice break from the heat of the parks.  And the boat ride from the MK is a fun transport.

 

Inside v balcony?  On the Wish cruise dates I have checked, the price difference is not as wide as on many of the specialty cruises. I sailed a balcony on the Dream last fall - and I routinely book inside for the price.  If you are used to a balcony, look at videos of both categories and make sure you are okay with the size, layout, bathrooms. All interior cabins have the single bathroom. Will you need storage space?  Reports are that all cabins have reduced storage, especially so in interiors.

 

Best Wishes on your decisions. 
 

 

You might want to consider an oceanview room. They have a large round window. We love them!

14 hours ago, iflyjets said:

So, if you reserved and prepaid fully for your specialty dining before the “new” policy of adding in 18% gratuities to prepaid reservations, will you expect to receive a bill for the 18% at the end of your dining experience?
 

To rephrase, I realize that they now add 18% to all online/prepaid/pre-cruise dining charges, but will they “retroactively” surprise those who paid months ago with a bill at the end of the meal for the additional 18%?

 

And I assume that they can track those who now book and pay pre-cruise with the 18% included so those reservations are not charged an additional 18% at the end of the meal…now that would be double tipping🤨.

We reserved/prepaid the dining package before the Apex April 30 TA and before they started adding the 18% gratuity. We were not charged extra. The upcharge came into effect right before our cruise. Anyone who booked a specialty restaurant on board was charged the upcharge. 

In my experience, a strap works well on an upright, four-wheeled bag. It can dislodge if you have the bag tipped (two wheels), especially if you are hurrying through an airport. 

13 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

If you haven’t already, seek out and try some South African Sauvignon Blancs, especially Mulderbosch. Excellent quality in the style of NZ without the price creep. 

Many thanks! I will look for them. The Kirkland SB was great. 

55 minutes ago, jeno said:

We prefer New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  I see very little of that wine offered by the glass.  We have the Plus package for the 2023 World Cruise.   Sure hope we’ll be coming up with some Plus wines we like for 111 days. We bought the package 16 months ago when many wines by the glass were shown as covered. 

Agreed. I can confirm that the NZ SB was included in the Plus package availability before Covid. If the reports are correct, it will now be $19 per glass. Thus, it will cost an incremental $7 plus gratuity for anyone on the Plus package per pour.