Melissaghoti

I’ve been on several cruises with Capt.G and liked him. English is not his first language, so perhaps that is an issue, but chatted with him quite often and had several dances with him on White Nights. His English proficiency may be slightly greater than his dancing skills, but still enjoyed getting to know him and his delightful wife. Melissa

For both Chioggia and Ravenna, Azamara had offered transportation from both the city and airport the day of embarkation, so I imagine they will for Fusina too. You should be able to see it in Manage My Reservation on the online site. I’ve used it several times. It may fill, so I’d suggest booking early. Melissa

Why should single guests miss out? I’ve eaten in the specialty restaurants alone many times. Tables are close enough to chat with others if you or they would like. I’ve also brought someone else and paid for their dinner a couple of times. Melissa

I’ll be checking to see when/where it’s held on my upcoming Onward sailing. I like to be on deck for sail-away, so I’m hoping it will be later that day or the next day. It was very well attended 10 years ago on my first Azamara cruises, and has gotten less so since Covid. Melissa

I think you’ll find spots to spend your OBC. There are two shops, one has mid-range jewelry, some clothing, bags and toiletries. The other, Indulgences, has higher end jewelry and watches. I don’t find the prices outrageous, but I’m not spending ‘my’ money. The full ship tour is wonderful. They take you everywhere they possibly can, including the bridge, and explain so much! I certainly recommend it. There is certainly good food available at no additional cost, but the Chef’s Tables are a special dining experience. It’s a small group, a fine meal and paired wines. I’m by no means a sophisticated wine drinker, but I do it for the great food and the delightful company. Enjoy your cruise! Melissa

Will Hotel Director Elisabeth stay until Southampton or leave in Barcelona? She’s been on from the start of the world voyage! Melissa

….and I’m going straight to ‘Grece’ from Chicago. One must wonder how the PR/Ad people are vetted. And a couple of months ago,there was a promo describing visiting the vast Powell’s Books when visiting Portland from a New England port stop. That would require a long day since Powell’s is in Portland, Oregon, not Maine. I’m sort of laughing. Melissa

Right. Good that your husband suggested the test. As I remember, it was negative. The other ‘tummy bug’ that there is a test for is rotavirus. Was that tested for? Unfortunately, there is no test for the most common GI viruses. Whatever it is, ships are required to report GI issues when 3% or more of the guests and crew have gotten ill. I don’t know if that many have become ill. Enough about upset tummy’s! It’s making me feel ill! Hope all are recovering well. Melissa

I’d suggest that you do some online research about norovirus. It’s unpleasant and can ruin a couple of vacation days, but it is in no way like Covid! Yes, if there’s an outbreak of guests and crew that is above a certain percentage of those onboard, it will be reported, but do we know that cases have exceeded that number from the reports here? By no means. No one seems to know for sure that it’s definitely norovirus. There are plenty of other tummy bugs that appear this time of year. This could be any one or several of them. Melissa

Indeed there is something in the air and it could be norovirus. It seems to be ‘spiking’ in the U.S., especially in the northeast. It’s very contagious, airborne as well as on surfaces, so easy to pass around and hard to avoid. Drink plenty of fluids and feel better soon.

At what point will the itinerary change from the current one? Thanks, Melissa

I have an off-ship Azamazing evening scheduled for İstanbul in May. I don’t know yet what’s scheduled for November in the Caribbean. In a dozen cruises, the only onboard one was during Covid. Melissa

It was Phil - Excited of Harpenden- who gave me the same encouragement to try Azamara solo a dozen Journey and Onward cruises ago. I’ve never been lonely. You’ll only be alone when you choose to be. Thanks, Phil. I think Azamara owes you a commission. Melissa

Would disembarking and reembarking in Montreal satisfy PVSA regulations?

In the U.S. at least, after you book with a travel agent/advisor, Azamara will not deal directly with you regarding most anything. That’s out of respect for the TA, who has done the work. If your TA is familiar with Azamara he or she will send all relevant documents to you. If you think something is missing, that’s who you should call, Melissa

This may be as much Canaries as you’ll find. It’s aboard Quest. I’m thinking about it. Tell me why I should visit the Canaries. I’ve never been. Sorry it isn’t as easy to read as it could be. I cut and pasted. Sat 9-Nov 2024Barcelona, SpainEmbark-6:00PM Sun 10-Nov 2024Valencia, SpainDocked8:00AM10:00PM Mon 11-Nov 2024Cartagena, SpainDocked11:00AM6:00PM Tue 12-Nov 2024Melilla, SpainDocked8:00AM6:00PM Wed 13-Nov 2024Malaga, SpainDocked8:00AM10:00PM Thu 14-Nov 2024Gibraltar, United KingdomDocked8:00AM8:00PM Fri 15-Nov 2024Cadiz, SpainDocked7:00AM10:00PM Sat 16-Nov 2024At SeaCruising-- Sun 17-Nov 2024Lanzarote, Canary IslandsDocked1:00PM8:00PM Mon 18-Nov 2024Tenerife, Canary IslandsDocked8:00AM10:00PM Tue 19-Nov TO Wed 20-Nov 2024Las Palmas, SpainDebark8:00AM (Nov 19)

Happily, the OBC amount corrected itself after the website went offline for some ‘updates’ just now! I’m hoping that’s a sign of coming resolution to all of the current issues 🤞🏼. Melissa

I guess this is a cautionary tale. My TA is onboard the Onward currently, so I called Azamara yesterday to book shore excursions for a May cruise. Besides the 72 hour cancellation threat, one has a limited number of participants, and I wanted to make sure I got it booked.The Azamara rep was very nice and accommodating, but acknowledged that I wouldn’t get any sort of receipt or confirmation of what I’d booked. I’d had to log out of my account while she did the booking and unfortunately, she didn’t have me log back in while we were still on the phone. When I did, I saw that my remaining OBC balance was off by nearly 50% although I’d made certain the amount deducted was correct when I was talking to the rep. I’d had both onboard booking OBC and additional OBC that was included with the cruise. They’re both still showing in my account, but the smaller one is no longer reflected in the remaining balance. Very strange, and I’m very glad I have until May to have my poor beleaguered TA sort it out. Melissa

No watching, Phil! I’d make you get up and dance!

On my September b2b cruises, both Azamazing Evenings were on shore. One was in Dubrovnik and the other in LaValleta, Malta. Both venues were fabulous and logistics smooth. More than six hundred guests were transported by tender in Dubrovnik and coach in Malta. These were my 11th and 12th Azamara cruises and only a couple of Azamazing evenings have been held on board, and they were good as well. My 13th Azamazing Evening will be in May, 2024 in İstanbul at Basilica Cisterns; another spectacular venue. The only change I’ve seen is that we no longer find a little, commemorative treat in our cabin when we return. Melissa

If you do a search of the Azamara website, you’ll find a list of Azamazing evenings for each ship through the end of this year. Some may be onboard, but some clearly show the off-ship venue. I did events at the fort in Dubrovnik and Goldoni in Livorno. Both were great, and transportation ran smoothly, but had to be an expensive, logistical nightmare. Both would have been impossible for someone with mobility challenges. Plenty for Azamara to consider going forward. Melissa

Meet & Mingle hasn’t really recovered from pandemic hesitance to, well, meet or mingle. It also gets low billing in the Insider. On the cruise I’ve just returned from, I was the only person to show up at the ACD’s single/solo meet-up. A week later he’d found half a dozen others, had a dinner for them and they hung out together for the rest of the cruise. It was very nice, although I was spending my time with others who hadn’t been invited. They hadn't seen the info in The Insider, so weren’t aware that the meet-up happened. I’ve also wondered if ‘singles’ suggests to some people that it’s a sort of speed-dating get together!!

Eric is back. Roy Ryan is Assistant Cruise Director, Iwan is onboard currently, but I don’t know when he leaves, Captain is Gianmario Sanguineti, Elisabeth Vogel is Hotel Director. They’re fabulous. Just got home from Croatia Intensive and Islands of the Med. It was a wonderful cruise and I miss them all, and the beautiful Onward.

The plastic bottles are recyclable if disposed of correctly. You can have your own bottle filled at any venue that has water. The water in your sink is fine too.