federalexpress

I'd agree with the comments on the Patio for dinner. Perfect for when you want something a little simpler and nice to be outdoors but still protected from wind. It doesn't even need to be all that warm, they have electric heaters if there is a bit of chill in the air. A much under appreciated venue, very lightly used by others on our cruise. Use it or lose it!!!

Ship - Pursuit

Cabin Number - 8062

Month/Year sailed - January 2023

Would you choose this room again? - No

Is noise an issue - Opposite a crew access door.Very occasional low rumble of a trolley overhead. 

Room type - Club Continent

Now knowing the layout of the ship, I'd choose 8060 or 8058, both I think still in the cheaper N2 category but clear of access points and these locations have the preferable shower rather than bath arrangement. But in fairness, noise was not excessive from the access door and it certainly didn't spoil our cruise in what was otherwise a very pleasant cabin. 

6 hours ago, uktog said:

I also have done so with both visa and MasterCard though I usually use a credit card.  

Then this is quite a riddle. Did you use a debit card to cover onboard costs recently? It is possible the banks have more recently routinely forced chip and pin authorisation, especially on larger amounts. So as of now, I'd still say, be wary of relying on debit cards on board give the absence of chip and pin machines onboard.

I noted in your later post that you have used a mobile banking app to authorise. That option wasn't suggested to me but it might work, however I don't carry a banking app on my mobile. I know there are multiple checks on its use but I instinctively have avoided sticking bank access on my mobile, since I have greater capacity to lose my mobile than my laptop, which generally stays in one place!

4 hours ago, Sallyandtex said:

I still don't understand the problem, I always use my Visa debits card details for cruises and chalk up purchases to my in board account, then it is automatically charged to the card.

Are you meaning if you want to withdraw USD for use ashore?

We are going to Norway so that won't be a problem.

For it to be automatically charged to the card, that transaction has to be authorised. In my case, that would have required me either to call my bank to say the charge is genuine or use chip and pin. The latter was not possible, at least not on Pursuit, they don't have a chip and pin machine.

Have you successfully used a debit card on Pursuit before? I suppose it is possible that a bank may not block every transaction subject to further verification, so it might work on occasion without chip and pin verification. It just didn't in my case and presumably might not in yours on some future occasion.

If this is your first time on Azamara, my advice would be to not assume your debit card will be accepted and have a credit card as back up. I'd be surprised if other cruise lines are not using rather more up to date IT than here on Pursuit so maybe no problems on those. Here, it's swipe the mag stripe then sign the tablet. Given banks don't even check signatures on debit card these days, that seemed rather old fashioned!

I believe credit cards are easier to have approved transactions without chip and pin because the money transfer is not immediate as with a debit card. My wife's credit card was accepted, no problem.

29 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

Well, that’s frustrating. I understand we cannot access our account from the television. So, does this also mean no menus on the T.V.? I read there is no app either.

No account on TV on Pursuit as far as I am aware. I got my update from guest relations. Generally AZ are very weak at present on IT, albeit they have other compensatory strengths.

I'd agree with blag, the Indulgence package makes most sense if you are on a long cruise. I'm currently on a 17 night cruise in a CC suite and it has worked for me. Buying internet for 2 devices each and an Ultimate drinks package for 17 nights for 2 would have come to not far short of the package price. Plus I got some excursion and spa credit worth $950 between the two (but bear in mind the prices for both are eye watering so you don't get much for your 'money".

If you're on a shorter cruise, can manage with a single device for internet and are doing your own thing with excursions, it's probably not worth it.

To answer your other questions, I don't believe the Ultimate package affects what spirits you get in your room. I don't drink spirits so I gave them back. The replacement wine I asked for never materialised. On wine with dinner served in your suite, yes they bring you whatever wine you want, but not by the bottle, just by the glass. But that does come pretty fast, the butler is good and I guess would be especially responsive for the big suites. If wine is your interest, there is a separate thread on current wines on the Ultimate package (but they do change a lot).

At the risk of confusing you further, there is at least one poster on here who would suggest you either buy a 'by the bottle' package (I think there are two levels for this) and then the whole bottles are all yours to use how you wish. Or, if you are willing, to just buy your own wine beforehand and bring it onboard and forget about a package. You pay a $10 corkage if you take it into public areas but nothing if drunk in your suite. You are going to wine producing countries so you can pick up a bottle or two in each port. Of course you can also have any of the included wines if you happen to be in a bar but as this poster says, bring your own guarantees you get what you like.

Hope this helps.

2 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Is the issue instead about not having chip and pin capability on Azamara, rather than debit cards themselves?  e.g. UK debit cards have both (or at least mine does).

On the other hand, is it instead a user training issue?  Even a mag-stripe machine should be able to have the long card number + CVV code keyed in (just as you would if it were a telephone order).

Having experienced this I'd say very much the former, you have no means to enter a pin but that renders them basically useless on board. The mag stripe, which is what they used on my debit card, is more than likely going to get blocked without further verification.

I wasn't asked for the 3 digit code so either that isn't available or your point about training is correct. My hunch is the former because I did try and push this and queried why they were using so last decade tech (or even decade before that). But the only options offered were a) credit card b) cash from an ATM or c) call your bank. I even asked if I could do a bank transfer but they don't have the ability for this onboard either. You would have thought they'd allow me an online option to pay which of course should have worked- but not available.

Here's what I think is a worthwhile tip if, like me, you tend to use debit cards, not credit cards. I supplied my debit card at check in to cover onboard expenses. Some time later I had a note saying payment (or at least the reserving of an allocated amount) had not gone through. This is normal, generally you then need to put your card in a chip and pin machine to verify. I had already done this a couple of times at shops onshore.

Problem is, AZ do not have chip and pin machines. In fact they basically swipe the mag strip, which is decade or more old technology. The only options are to get the money from an ATM- and if your bill is large, that might not be so easy- or call your bank. They do allow you to make that call at your expense but you don't really want to be doing that at guest relations.

So you must bring a credit card or have cash. Debit cards won't work on the ship (or at least not on Pursuit). Hopefully they will upgrade this soon. Luckily my wife carries a credit card so we were ok.

8 hours ago, travelberlin said:

At this cruise on Pursuit I have been enjoying good wines in the included wines. The reds I like are Argentinian wines from Mendoza. San Felipe (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz). There is also a good Pinotage from South Africa. The whites I have liked are a German Riesling, a Sauvignon blanc from Uruguay and a Chilean Chardonnay.

Ivi

Yep, those were the two wines I mentioned above, San Felipe, I went back later to check the producer. As you say, very drinkable. I also heard they had a Uruguayan Sauvignon Blanc, not tried it yet myself, but my impression of that country's wines is very positive.

Your feedback adds substance to my suggestion above- ask to try S American wines in the included package. I think they will, for the most part, be better than what was previously offered.

54 minutes ago, piper said:

We are on the Pursuit, Buenos Aires to Rio and then back to back Rio to Lisbon

If you are stopping at Montevideo, your Azamazing evening might be there, at the Teatro Solis. If so, I recommend it, far exceeded my expectations, a really good evening out, based around Carnival, lots of singing, drums, dancing etc- Uruguay, it seems, celebrate Carnival every bit as much as Brazil.

I tried a couple of the included wines last night that were brought on board at one of the ports, a Cab Sauv and a Syrah. These are not AZ branded wines, they were Argentinian but I've forgotten the name of the winery/producer.

They were decent drinkable wines, maybe a bit youthful, but nothing wrong with that, at least they have some fruit. I was tasting them alongside the Ultimate's Rutini Merlot and while they were demonstrably not of that quality, I would not be unhappy getting these as my 'free' wine. Miles, miles better than the thin, weedy AZ branded Italian Merlot I mentioned previously.

The problem is, I very much doubt these same wines will be available on the next cruise, there were only a few dozen cases brought on and it's in the lap of the gods what arrives in future. My best advice would be to at least ask if there are S American wines on board if you are cruising soon on Pursuit while it sails in this continent and don't want to get the Ultimate package. I suspect the probability is, they will be better than the AZ branded options.

I can confirm the last post. We've done it once and you get it course by course if you're in any kind of suite, brought by your butler. Speciality restaurant menus not offered in a CC suite- maybe in the big ones. Last orders for food is strictly 8.45pm. That matters if you go course by course and maybe try ordering desserts at that point. After 8.45pm you're on room service menu which is a lot more basic.

We also have our wine delivered by the butler, whether with the meal or pre or post dinner drinks if we want these in the room. However we are on the Ultimate package so maybe they don't do that with included wines- not sure.

I'm assuming the above is standard across all ships. We are on Pursuit and have an especially good butler who has been really helpful as well as being a thoroughly nice guy. I recall a thread questioning the role/purpose of butlers but in our case, I'm very happy we have one.

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

No, except there is a special entree each day that does vary.  [I read about people who ate every dinner in these two restaurants throughout their cruise, and I think: you must eat the same thing over and over.]

I know what you mean but so far I haven't repeated a dish. Having said that, I'm open to trying whatever is on the menu and put the two together plus the daily specials and there's enough choice. It would be nice for it to rotate a bit more but that would be to satisfy suite guests like me rather than the majority of the ship who are unlikely to notice.

We're not huge fans of Discoveries, it's just so busy, but we have eaten there and will do again, as well as Windows one evening. We also really enjoyed Patio which I think is much underrated for simple but tasty barbecue style food and definitely plan to try that again when we want something less fancy and the weather allows.

Incidentally they do a daily specials starter and dessert as well as an entree. I think, but not sure, that there have been days when there has been more than one.

7 hours ago, piper said:

So there was a Tango show on the cruise? One of the evening shows?

Yes one of the evening shows. It seems they bring on local performers at various points. We are currently in Argentina which is apparently home (or one of the homes) of the tango. It was a good performance, they seemed to be quite professional, though I'm no tango expert. It was announced that they were doing a workshop the following day.

I have seen the odd dance class/workshop on other days but because it's not my thing, I couldn't tell you if this is a regular event, like the very many trivia quizes.

2 hours ago, piper said:

Roberts2005, we are on the same cruise in a few weeks. Hubby is hoping there are tango lessons as one of the activities. Have they had any kind of dance “lessons”? Thanks!

I don't know about your cruise but I'm just back from the Tango show on Pursuit- really quite good- and they are running a dance workshop tomorrow. I've no idea how you check on this for your cruise.

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

Do the menus of Prime C and Aqualina vary?

Yes, totally different, albeit you can still get a steak of sorts in Aqualina (but not pasta in Prime C).

I like them both and with the luxury of free speciality dining is in a CC suite and above, I mostly hang out in one or the other, not least for the very nice service you get.

18 minutes ago, blag said:

Chef's table can be great fun, but, as with any group, occasionally one or two of the fellow diners can be a bit - how shall I put this... - tiresome.

Furthermore, the menus can be a bit 'samey', even from ship-to-ship.

The best ones were when the table was combined with an excursion where you participated in selection (and sampling) of the food and wines for your meal that evening. I haven't seen those on offer for several years.

 

So that no-one misunderstands, in a CC suite, a chef's table is

included in the price of the suite. It may be included in the larger suites (Owner s etc.) but I cannot confirm this.

You're right, no chef's table is included with a CC suite, at least not for first timers like me. Maybe they offer it to the small suite guests if they are frequent cruisers. I got mine through the Indulgence package.

The shop and eat concept sounds great, but not offered on my cruise.

I guess if there are some tiresome co diners, there is always the wine to take solace in....

8 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Quite agree that this package is excellent value for longer cruises, provided you are sure you will use what it offers (Wifi, laundry, spa, speciality restaurants, drinks package, excursion OBC etc).

I'm in a suite so I get the Prime C and Aqualina included but it does also include a chef's table with some fairly fancy wines as an alternative. Not had it yet but looking forward to it in a few days. I guess it also depends on the mood of your fellow diners.

I don't know whether it counts as a tip or not, but one thing I'd say for a newbie, who is not going to get any other discounts, is that the Indulgence package is worth a look if you are on a long cruise, even more so if you have OBC to spend.

I'm an a 17 night cruise and if I understand things correctly, I pay the same $1499 that someone on a 10 night cruise pays (correct me if I'm wrong). In my case I also got $1000 of OBC so the on cost to me was little more than £400 in my own currency. You get an awful lot for that, especially given it is 17 whole days, even factoring in the daft mark ups on the excursions and spa treatments.

27 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

I understand changing inventory, but I think an updated list could be posted at bars and dining rooms. 

Honestly, I think this is mandatory however much it changes, I totally agree. Just print it onboard, it can be as cheap as they want to, it's the information that matters, not the 'look' of it.

Right now, I find myself sending waiters off to show me bottles so I can see what's on offer and available. Not good use of their time or mine. Of course the sommelier knows what's available because he checks it all on, but there's only one of him and while he is a really nice guy, he has too much else on his plate to always come and talk to me (though he usually tries to, bless him)

1 hour ago, lisiamc said:

@federalexpress, I’ve been enjoying your wine posts very much. They are informative and thoughtful. My fear is that if Azamara get a graven-in-stone wine list, it will all be from big producers who have a reliable but boring product and can ship large quantities all year round. I’d love to see Azamara have a small core group of (possibly boring but dependable) wines, sort of like the Always Available food menu, and then some “guest wines” picked up locally from smaller producers, or as a remainder like the Tattinger. Some of them might be less than wonderful, but there might be some real stars, too.

I'm not at all an expert in cruise ship logistics, I imagine they would be challenging at the best of times, but when things settle down, I think there is much merit in your suggestion, indeed nothing I've written would preclude that. Having a core of wines mixed in with a portion of locally bought wine makes a lot of sense, is very much 'on brand' and would appeal to me too. It's clearly possible because as I said, they are doing this right now on Pursuit, albeit it feels in a haphazard way.

I actually feel that the Ste Michelle portfolio would be a decent option for some of these core wines. Looking at their website, they cover much more than the main Ste Michelle estate (which are themselves fairly decent wines), especially adding in the Italian producer connections. Some good stuff there. 

Large producers can and do make good wine. That said, AZ is a small cruise line and its demands are relatively modest. Assuming 12 different wines, the demand for Ultimate wines would be around 1500 cases per year per wine. But that assumes a 25% or so take up of the package and an average of 1 bottle of wine consumed per day. Having been on board Pursuit, I don't think the demand is close to that. The vast majority just drink the included drinks and the rest seem to use the package more for spirits and cocktails. My impression is that wine lovers are more of a rarity on AZ than I had imagined. I suspect we are actually talking at most several hundred cases per year for each wine, which allows for smaller scale producers, especially if there are 2 rotations a year.

So I think whether large or small producer, it will come down to cost versus quality. Maybe good large producers have an edge there but I agree there is plenty of scope for smaller producers and local wines to feature as 'specials'.

But whatever they do, the one thing that urgently needs fixing is their capability to actually list what they have. At the moment, the wine list itself is basically redundant, so much on it is not available, and I've stopped asking for it. Maybe they need to forget about expensively produced lists, at least for the Ultimate selection, and find a cheap onboard printing option that is easy to update, as they take new wines onboard and change the offering. I would have thought it pretty basic for consumers to choose a wine from an accurate list, however so produced.

A further update. It seems we did indeed take on some additional 'local' wines at our recent port stop. Some of them appear to be for the included package. I haven't tried these but I imagine they would be an improvement on current offerings. The only included wine I have tried so far was an Italian Merlot(I think produced by Zonin) which I tried against the Coppola Diamond Selection Merlot on the Ultimate list. No contest and I'd suggest steering clear of the Italian Merlot, it wasn't good.

For the Ultimate package, I believe they have added a Malbec, which I haven't yet tried and also a new Merlot from Rutini. They are a good Argentinian producer and this was a very pleasant wine, maybe better than the Coppola (which remains available). It will likely be my new 'go to' red.

Although I don't drink it much, I did ask for a glass of champagne for 'research purposes'. This is indeed the Taittinger FIFA edition I mentioned earlier, so that wasn't a mirage. It was clearly a World Cup wine, which I suspect they had stocks remaining after the event and maybe AZ got it cheap. Nothing wrong with the wine, it's pretty good, as you'd expect from Taittinger. That said, it may not be more than a temporary fixture, there can't have been that much stock of it. Given it would likely cost $50 upwards, it does seem to be an anomaly on the Ultimate list.

I had hoped that I'd be able to provide a definitive Ultimate list here but I think the reality is, it is fluid and I'd expect there to be changes throughout the year. My hunch is that 2023 will be a year of 'tactical buying' while in 2024, I suspect there will be a more stable list based around some of the Sycamore wines, and probably proper longer term supply agreements. 

3 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

I agree about the sweet spot, especially when it comes to value compared to declining conditions the next level down.  I'm even seeing occasional deals on Luxury Lines.  Seabourn going from Iceland to Denmark, $2,700.  Nearly the same itinerary, same number of days, same size cabin (entry level suite), HAL is charging $2,100.  Seabourn's price includes drinks, specialty dining, gratuities, and port charges.

 

I truly believe that the mass market overbuilt, as if we'd never see another recession, poop cruise, or any kind of global crisis ever again.  Just within the time we've sailed from 2011 - 2019, there we very steady and noticeable cuts.  The super premium lines were in better health to survive the shutdowns.

 

 

 But Seabourn is Carnival, no? So the debt is around them too.

57 minutes ago, vtgumby said:

Or better luck. I hope this was a one off situation, we are low key people who roll with stuff but there was a LOT of complaints swirling and we finally agreed, it wasn’t what it was in the past. Maybe nothing is post Covid but I can say Windstar the month before jumped far ahead of Azamara in terms of both quality and service. Way ahead. 
Hoping Azamara fixes the issues abound on this last Pursuit cruise.

 

I'm on Pursuit right now. I guess on the one straight after you if yours was Antartica. I have no reference point since I'm a first timer but I don't recognise your points about service. Far from seeking my own wine, I have to stop them pouring and beyond that, the service has been very good. I haven't been on Oceania, so again I have no reference point but I've found the food to be fine (and I'm quite fussy), albeit I've only eaten in the speciality restaurants so far, not the MDR (that comes tomorrow). Not had any OOS on the food I've ordered though there have been stocking issues on the wine, which I've commented on elsewhere. On the latter, which I have some expertise, I think there is cost cutting. But then I doubt any cruise line can escape that unless they ramp up prices. 

Without a reference point, I'm happy so far, even despite the wine failings which do matter to me. They do seem to be trying to fix those as best they can. The sommelier has certainly been v attentive- and like so many of the crew, a lovely guy. What might be different is that a) we are some way short of full whereas yours, if Antartica, was near to sold out and b) there has I think been a fair turnaround of crew in Montevideo so maybe some were on their last legs.

Some minor updates on the Ultimate wine list.

To my surprise, it turned out there was some of the Errazuriz dessert wine in the supplies they picked up in Montevideo. 18 half bottles apparently. Not sure how long that will last for. I imagine I might personally  account for a quarter or more of that during the remainder of the cruise.

The Chianti given on the list of a day or so ago has already changed to Frescobaldi Castiglione. They are a decent producer but this is their entry level wine and again it seems to be if anything a step down on the current offering.It also makes me less confident in the veracity of the wines I listed previously, even though it was apparently provided by the sommelier. I think one needs to think 'indicative' not ;definitive'. That said, the Tommasi Cab Sauv, the replacement for the Penley Phoenix, was served last night in Aqualina and that was perfectly palatable, though I would have much preferred all 3 of the previous reds to the new options.

Apparently we have also taken onboard a selection of extra wines from the local areas, Argentina and Chile. Not sure if these are for the included package (which would be nice) or further replacements on Ultimate. We'll see over the coming days.