taxjam

My wife and I took our two grandchildren, ages 10 & 12 on a 5 day NJ to Bermuda and return cruise.  We hired Brandi Stone brandistone29@gmail.com to take us around the Island.  She drove carefully and made excellent recommendations.  From our research, we mentioned we were interested in Crystal Caves.  To beat the crowds, she suggested we be among the first off the ship.  We had no wait at Crystal Cave but after our tour a huge line had formed and the arrivals after us had what appeared to be a long wait since the number of visitors accessing the cave at one time was limited.  She also recommended the "dunking" in St. George which the kids loved.  We feel that in 6 hours we saw the entire island.  We recommend Brandi.

Really interesting thread. I simply asked if Oceania still cashes travelers checks dollar for dollar. Jim and Stan and Edgee directly answered my simple question with a yes as did the O rep when I called. Besides that I got information on all sorts of related topics. Of course, I really had no interest in "discovering" travelers checks are out dated, I can use ATMs, etc., but thanks anyway.

Lost or stolen travelers checks can be replaced. Assuming the cruise line will exchange US Dollar travelers checks for US Dollars at a 1 to 1 ratio, which Oceania has done in the past, they are the best way to avoid carrying several thousand dollars in cash. My "snarky" criticism was directed at the fact that my question had a simple yes or no answer and didn't call for extraneous, unsolicited advice.

Admittedly, ATM no fee cards are best for local currency, but you typically can't get US Dollars. Also, there are a lot of bank card scams which means you must use caution especially if you haven't researched the subject.

The better question is: who still carries them?

 

 

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Flatbush Flyer.

Thanks for your snarky reply. Why waste everyone's time showing your lack of financial acumen? If you booked $2,000 of private tours payable in US Dollars and don't want to carry excess cash, travelers checks while obviously retro, but which many banks give you free, might be a good idea.

Jim & Stan,

Thanks.

Does Oceania still cash US Dollar denominated traveller's checks on its ships?

After deciding no more Azamara, we booked back to back on Oceania.

We lost interest in Azamara when it unilaterally terminated the 50% off shore excursions. At the time, we couldn't understand how a company could take away something it used to induce bookings. Looking at the LCV take aways, it shows management has a complete disdain for its customers. How can anyone book an Azamara cruise and have any idea what they will ultimately receive other than outdated staterooms and a declining on board experience?

Do final payments made to Oceania by a US customer using a US credit card ever result in a foreign exchange fee being imposed by a bank because Oceania processed the payment offshore? I understand the issue with respect to settling a cruise account balance, but I am curious about final payments specifically.

Thanks so much for posting this information. I accessed on the US site.

Rest assured they will somehow fill the ship. On our February and March cruises it seems an extraordinary number of passengers have recently joined apparently because of bargains.

Excellent gelato . . . good enough to make me go to the gym at 6AM

LOP,

Thanks. If you could send the photos again to tkletnick@aol.com I'd appreciate it. All of my spam files are empty. Perhaps I inadvertently deleted the photos when I got home as we were gone about 6 weeks and did have a full spam folder.

Cruisemate13, DLN929 & Midwestchick, Thanks

Cruisemuse13 - Olympus EM-5 with 12-35 &35-100 Panasonic f2.8 lenses

Midwestchick - Our cruise was July 24 to August 7, 2013

We were on the same cruise as LOP which was terrific. We had great weather, a Norwegian Captain the sights turned out more diverse than I expected. If you're interested here are some photos:

http://albums.phanfare.com/slideshow.aspx?i=1&db=1&pw=1DeO9ZuY&a_id=6214903

Host Andy,

Thanks and Happy New Year

Ted

We wish Bill a speedy recovery and hope his next year is completely healthy.

If someone has achieved Discoverer status on Azamara, can that status be reduced when the new system is implemented?

Re Hamburg Port,

We did an Azamara cruise that embarked from Hamburg this year. The taxi from the Marriott or Renaissance (they are withing a block of each other) to the cruise terminal was nominal. 10 or 15 Euros and about a 10 minute ride. There are even closer hotels.

You should get a $400 per person booking on board discount. We did the Norway cruise on Quest last August. Great cruise but it was sold out relatively early and there were no great deals obtained by waiting

Also would like to know what, if any, the AzAmazing event will be on the Mar 4 cruise out of Caldera.I find the Azmara site quite confusing. Perhaps I will just have to phone and hope I get to talk with someone who knows anything.:rolleyes:

The Spirit of Panama — 6-March, Fuerte Amador.

Join us for an evening celebration at the National Theater of Panama, one of the country’s most beloved landmarks. Your night begins with sangria and tapas at lovely Plaza Bolívar ringed with restaurants and cafes. From there it’s a short stroll to the theater, which opened to great fanfare in 1908 and has been likened to a miniature version of Russia’s Mariinsky Theater. You’ll understand why as you enter and look up at the dreamy fresco ceiling and elegant gold arches. Tonight’s special entertainment is a medley of songs, music and dance telling the story of Panama from early indigenous people through the end of Colombian rule. This bright, vibrant performance will add to your appreciation of Panama past and present, as the country enters a new era with the opening of a second canal.

Bill,

Once again, thanks for your assistance.

Taxjam

Would you recommend this cruise line to a friend or relative? Azamara (and every other cruise line I've been on) asks a question along these lines on their evaluation/critique form. In the past, on a scale of 1 to 5, for Azamara, I have always selected 4 (5 being some form of absolutely, 1 being never). I am really curious, how Cruise Critic members would do this rating today after all the changes (no 50%, no 25%, more inclusive promoted as all inclusive, website issues and limitations, some Azamazing Evenings that don't live up to the hype, questions that Bill, who is great, has difficulty getting decent, prompt answers from Miami, etc)? While on our July/August Azamara cruises, we booked back to back 2014 Azamara cruises. Maybe I've been away from the great ship board experience for a few months and gotten cranky with the latest Miami machinations? I think I am now somewhere between 2 or 3 but closer to 2 and with a qualification to beware of Miami. How would you answer the "would you recommend this cruise line to a friend or relative" question:

1. Never

2. Maybe but probably not

3. 50/50

4. Probably

5. Absolutely

Bill,

Any progress getting a response from Miami on these questions.

Thanks

We also never had a cancellation of an Azamara excursion and booked over 10 (probably 15 but I don't want to research prior trips) on our Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords and Hamburg to London cruises. We did do a lot of private tours on the Antarctica and on the Hamburg to London cruises.

We also never had a cancellation of an Azamara excursion and booked over 10 (probably 15 but I don't want to research prior trips) on our Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords and Hamburg to London cruises. We did do a lot of private tours on the Antarctica and on the Hamburg to London cruises.