Melissaghoti

Azamara always has shared tables in the MDR and I request that if I have no plans to meet anyone for dinner. There may be other solos as well as couples who want to meet people. Lots of solos end up doing that too and it's always a congenial group where I've met friends to share other activities and port stops with.

Melissa

personally i would of dropped by the buffet at 630 then gone had a drink and dinner before the show at 945.i often get starters from there then go to dinner.

Would've, could've, should've! Good idea if I face that quandary again!

They do usually have a Surf and Turf special in the MDR on White Night but as practically the whole ship is up on deck having a great time at the White Night barbecue, it is very quiet in the MDR. I don't think there are other special menu nights but then the food is all good anyway.

 

Phil....Indian night again in September? :D

Yes, it's all great, but having Indian night and Surf & Turf in the MDR the same night on my Athens/Venice Journey cruise in June was like Sophie's Choice for me. I finally decided to do the MDR then swing by Windows for a little hit of tikka or curry before going to the show. I ended up with neither the time nor appetite to do both and given the lack of Indian restaurants where I live, I'm still sad about having to choose. I hope it won't be the same on next summer's trip!

Melissa

I'm a widow in my 70s and have been back from my first-ever cruise for a couple of weeks and I think Azamara is about perfect. I've just booked another Azamara cruise for next year. Everything about it works for me. They don't offer any activities for kids, so it's an older, well-traveled demographic. They emphasize destination immersion, so port stays are long enough to never feel rushed. There's also plenty to do on board and lots of places to simply relax if you want some down time. It's smallish - fewer than 700 passengers with a great staff/passenger ratio. Your cabin steward, the entertainment director and various other people will know your name after the first day. They all seem truly committed to making sure their guests are happy. It creates a sense of community that you can immerse yourself in as much or as little as you'd like. I never felt a moment's discomfort about being by myself. People are friendly and even though I think of myself as shy, it was easy to meet people. I don't think I ever ate a meal alone, but would've been comfortable doing so if I'd wanted. Azamara offers a lot of nice perks too. They do an onshore evening with really quality local entertainment once each cruise and a couple of on deck barbecues that are lots of fun. The lounge entertainment was always good. There's even a coffee bar that had live music in the afternoon to go with your làtte and biscotti. As a novice cruiser, I really appreciated that Azamara is truly all-inclusive. I never had to wonder about who to tip, if I should drink the Coke in the mini-bar or order a banana daiquiri by the pool on a sea day.

Cruise Critic roll calls and the Meet and Mingle are good ways to 'meet' people before you're even on board. I joined several private tours that were organized on the roll call, and those people became friends on board as well as on the tours we took.

I don't know if a three night cruise is long enough to really get a good feel for the experience. One of the best things for me was not having to think about packing for a week and a half and still visiting 7 or 8 different places. I was so relaxed and happy that I practically had to be evicted when we reached our last port!

Just jump in and do it! I'll bet you'll get hooked like I have.

Melissa

Great place to use OBC and start a cruise feeling relaxed and pampered. You could also hold off on a mani/pedi until you're on board. As a new cruiser, that got me off to a great start.

Melissa

only 65 here, but I'm going to ask you for suggestions for meeting fellow solos, besides meet and greet and roll calls. I'm not very outgoing when it comes to just sitting down next to someone who looks to be traveling solo, but I really enjoy meeting new people.

I'm 71 and have traveled alone to Greece, Turkey (3x) and Egypt since my husband died 5 years ago. We'd traveled a lot and I found that when I was ready to go again, I was more comfortable on my own than I would've been adapting to the needs / schedule of a new companion.

I've just gotten home from my first cruise and I wasn't back a week before I'd booked another! Boy, am I hooked! My line of choice is Azamara, but I'm sure others are just as great at making their guests feel welcome. I found plenty to do or not do; it was easy to meet other people to hang with and despite my initial trepidation, I never felt a moment's discomfort about being solo. Although Azamara has open seating in the MDR, there's always a shared table with solos, couples and groups who want to meet people. In other situations, people didn't hesitate to ask if I was alone and were always ready to sit down and share a meal or drink or just chat when they found that I was. I'm fairly shy myself, but people reached out to me everywhere. Besides the M & M, I met women who became friends at the muster drill, the next table in the buffet, on tours and tendering into ports. It just seems to happen if you show up at various venues and are open to it.

Re: RFB. It's a new term to me, but I think I'm afflicted and I learned, on this trip, to be aware of it and made very deliberate efforts to counteract it. From the pictures and peoples' responses, it worked.

In short, don't let being a solo traveler keep you from cruising. It's perfect!

Melissa

Since booking my upcoming clothing required cruise, I've told friends a lot about why I chose Azamara. In essence, it's a classy, boutique experience. I sure haven't amended that to say, Oh, and they do sensual, swingers cruises too. This goes too far beyond clothing optional to have any class at all. Bad move for Azamara unless they plan to make this their identity.

Does it make you think............who was in that bed last, does me!!

 

Appreciate it probably makes good financial sense and possibly prevents action re discrimination etc., but demeans the Azamara brand, and offends many regular passengers personally and out of respect and care for the crew members.

Are naked people a protected class? I agree that it's demeaning. Would/does Seabourn do this? I doubt it. Nothing but bad PR except among the 'sensual' group being served.

I do not want to think about beds at all!

Melissa

Well, I guess that's one way to avoid an unsightly tan line. Yuccch. Poor crew.

Beautiful pictures, Phil. Thanks for posting. I'd love to see a White Night picture if you have a chance. Kuşadasi? Hope the 6/23 Journey group will be as congenial. I'm getting excited.

Melissa

I hear you! Dinning jumped off the screen at me as well. But if you notice, it appeared in the program introduction before the actual interview with Richard Twynam begins. I think the error lies with the Cruise Files and not Azamara. If you click on another YouTube video of the Cruise Files with Cheryl Baker interviewing a different cruise line exec, you'll find the same program introduction with the same spelling mistake.

That's right. Maybe I'll come out of retirement and edit for Cruise Files!

Yes, I noticed too but decided not to post for fear of being " shot down in flames" by certain people on the Az boards...if the cap fits....the part about men's jackets was incorrect too. Richard T really should get his game together if he wants to have this kind of publicity.

I am a very loyal Az customer...

Shoot me down then!

I'll be an Azamara first-timer in about 6 weeks and I like most everything I've seen, but the promotion folks should consider that Azamara might appeal more to old English teachers like me if they used standard spelling. As far as I know, dining still has only one /n/, not two as they had in the opening graphics. Fine 'dinning'? Really!

So shoot me next!

Melissa

Although we understand some folks want to rush through the maximum number of places in the shortest period of time, many others prefer to have time to "stop and smell the roses." Topkapi is certainly worthy of at least a 3 hour visit and even this is cutting things a bit short. The last time we were at Topkapi the queue to get in the Harem can often exceed 30 min...and this is just one attraction inside the grounds. We also enjoy spending some time at their snack bar which offers a nice respite with a great view.

 

Hank

A museum pass or a licensed guide will eliminate the lines; a real time saver. It's not a must-do, but the newly refurbished Turkish-Islamic Art Museum is very nice. And for no-hassle, efficient shopping, Arasta Bazaar is unbeatable. Oh, my. So much to see, so little time!

Melissa

I'd add one of the dervish shows and a walk from Taksim Square down Istikllal to Galata Tower. I've been to Istanbul three times and know I'm not done. It's wonderful. Oh, and Gulhane Park after Topkapi. The flowers are wonderful.

Enjoy!

Melissa

It doesn't say anything about reinventing themselves. I know you've posted before about a bad promo experience you had and that it would take a lot to get you back to Azamara so I guess it's not going to be a concern to you what they come up with. Fortunately I've enjoyed all my Azamara cruises and I haven't seen a reinvention, just some new ideas here and there to keep things fresh. Cruised with them since 2011.

 

Phil

I wish there was a 'like' button, ala Facebook. Phil's responses are always timely and well considered.

As a new cruiser, I've really appreciated CC as an opportunity to get up to speed on what to expect. Sadly, lots of forums (not just CC) that are intended to be helpful devolve into negative rants. Criticism can be appropriate, but sometimes it seems like just unproductive anger that doesn't inform or help anyone.

And that's my rant for tonight!

Melissa