NewPennCruiser

Thanks for sharing.  After our ice storm last night, I could really use a pick me up and the video reminded me of why we have come to love Azamara so much.  It's been kind of depressing this week as it was this week last year we were on the Celebrity Silhouette for our last cruise right before things shut down.  I guess we were lucky to get that in right before things got bad in the States,  but wow we miss being at sea.  But I guess there is that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel ahead and I can't wait to get back out there, especially looking forward to what Azamara might turn into, or just continue to be, as they break away from the RC family.  We haven't booked anything yet, probably looking for something in 2022 at this point.  Here's to smooth sailing ahead and I hope you all stay safe.  

The Captain from the Edge on Sunday was showing video of some of their crew disembarking in Port Everglades to head home so as of yesterday crew members were still leaving.   I knew someone on Silhouette and they were sent home when it came into Port Everglades on 4/1.  At first they thought they were going to have to stay on but at the last minute got new orders and flight info and they were on their way home.  I saw the Silhouette was in Miami (I think) over the weekend, so was surprised to see it back in port so quickly but I'm only guessing they may have released some more crew when they could.  (again I'm just guessing)

I thought it was a great idea what RCCL and Celebrity are doing to get crew home from Australia.  Maybe they will have to resort to something similar here near North America because I can't imagine the ships are going to just hang out for months off Florida.  

It's very surreal to watch a Princess ship come into the Port of Miami.  Hoping for a smooth disembarkation for everyone.

After I saw them in port this morning I looked at the port schedule and it looks like various ships are going to be coming in and out of port now for the foreseeable future.  As previously stated they need to get supplies and I've been following a Royal Caribbean crew member who is doing a daily vlog and he is stating that they are starting to send some of the crew home so they will need to dock somewhere to do that.   I think Adventure of the Seas which has been anchored right off Fort Lauderdale Beach is coming in tomorrow.

We got off the Silhouette in February as this was just starting to escalate and we met so many nice crew.  I've been thinking of them ever since.  We also keep in touch with many people we have met on Celebrity, Princess and Azamara through the years and I've been spending a lot of time in the last week reaching out to make sure they are ok.  To everyone, please stay safe and I'm really happy to see the cruise lines finally temporarily shutting down.  They really need to.  I've stopped reading most of the other threads at this point because I'm tired of the petty complaining and yelling going on now.  People really need to take a deep breath, step back and calm down.  The crew needs all our positive vibes right now.  They are truly the reason we keep coming back and I really hope the cruise lines do right by everyone during this work stoppage.

We experienced Craft Social recently on the Silhouette and loved it.   Think of it as a sports pub vibe with a lot of good beer options.   We loved it and it seemed very popular, especially when there were some Premier League football games on the flat screens.  They also showed hockey and basketball.   Most beers were included in the premium package level and quite a few in the classic level, but some were pricier.  The also have some pub bites you can order and pay for.  We tried the fish and chips one day to just try something different and we really didn't think it was worth the price.  But still loved the space.  I don't have any experience in how busy wine cellars would be but I know if the space was still wine cellars on our cruise, we probably would not have gone in.  Based on how busy they seemed, I'm sure it was a good change.

On 2/25/2020 at 7:31 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

Last Sunday we were on the Silhouette that arrived in Port Everglades with 7 other ships.  We were on a B2B so I had the chance to watch the pier operations and the disembarkation process.  We were one of the last ships to arrive at 7:00 am and self assist walk-offs did not start until around 7:30.   They did not start calling bag numbers in the terminal until 9:00.

 

i watched the taxi line for the Edge at terminal 25 and the line stretched across the road because and no taxis were in sight.  It appears that no taxis would drive this far into the port.  Every now and then a block of about 20 taxis would arrive.

 

Our departure was delayed by nearly two hours because they were still loading supplies and bags.  

 

It it seems like there are not enough taxis and pier support staff to handle 8 ships.  I can’t begin to imagine the lines at the airport.  Long taxi lines and long waits for baggage certainly aren’t the way to end a cruise.

 

I'm glad there are only 2 ships in port, when we return.

We disembarked the Silhouette on Sunday too and wow, what a mess.  This was not the first time we were in port with 8 ships but it certainly was the worst.  It started out with what seemed like half the ship doing self walk off and they were lining up in the lobby at 6:30 to get off first.  Waiting in public areas on the ship became uncomfortable because people just weren't going anywhere.  The taxi line was crazy long and I do agree with your point that I don't think taxi drivers want to face the mess of driving all the way over to Terminals 21 and 25 because there were times we would go 10-15 minutes waiting for just 1 taxi to come by.  The last time we were in port with this many ships we were cruising on Princess and disembarked Term 2 and the taxis were lined up constantly ready to take someone.   We were not in a hurry because we were staying an extra day in Ft Lauderdale before flying north, but still it made for a long tiring morning.  

We just disembarked Silhouette on Sunday 2/23 and Edge was in port the same day.   The Edge was at Terminal 25 and we were at Terminal 21.

42 minutes ago, Gmell said:

I did notice latest year they were selling mask and snorkel on a rack at the excursion desk on the silhouette... that may still be the case.



Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Good suggestion regarding the tour desk and I just wandered by the excursion desk and asked.  The guy told me they do sell snorkel gear on the Equinox but not on Silhouette.  Seemed odd to me they would sell on one ship in the Caribbean and not others but the guy next to him agreed and said the same thing.

On 2/20/2020 at 2:22 PM, godawgs227 said:

Any info about the theater shows would be helpful. Boarding on 3/15. Thanks

Production shows were Life, Cosmopolitan and Euphoria.  The American Ballet Theater was also on this cruise.  All shows were great (in my opinion). There were also a few comedians and a group called Uptown who did soul and Motown.  Not being frequent Celebrity cruisers the production shows were all new to us and we were blown away by the aerialists and acrobats.  The ABT was also so unique for a cruise and a must see if you have not seen them before.

On 2/19/2020 at 10:53 PM, Hobie1976 said:

Do you know if snorkel mask are sold on board. 
We set sail on Sunday. 

I asked someone in the shop today and it appears that they do not.

14 hours ago, Hawkstar33 said:

March 15th for us.    Great to hear you are enjoying your trip.   Please if time allows, anything you can tell us would be great  TY

This is our first cruise on one of the S-Class ships so we’ve had as much fun exploring the ship as we have had in port.  We’re heading back from the ABC Islands today toward Grand Cayman so we’re just vegging out in one of the rockers in the Sky Lounge watching the world go by.   I can’t say enough good things about the ship, love that there are so many nice places to hide out in and spread out.   Service has been great and the crew seems very happy to be over with the 40+ day dry dock and delighted to be sailing with customers again.   To me it seems like there is a very happy vibe around the entire ship.  We are in Aqua Class and dining in Blu has been exceptional.

Can’t say much about changes with the dry dock as we were never on the ship but the new Craft Social space is great and very popular.  Lots of new high end beer options.  The ship also just looks new.  Really can’t say enough good things and we’re highly impressed.

11 hours ago, Hobie1976 said:

Do you know if snorkel mask are sold on board. 
We set sail on Sunday. 

I don’t recall seeing anything in the gift shops but I’ll ask.  

On 2/18/2020 at 12:43 AM, lifeisrealygood said:

Additionally, who is the party band and who is the dance band, if they have both?  Thank you.

We’re on Silhouette now and there is a lot of great music.  House/Party band is Nu Image, dance band is Starlighters, the ship orchestra plays most evenings before and between dinners for dancing, there is also a string duo and Lydia Cash duo singing acoustic music.  Oh and Thiago on guitar. Lots of music!  Having a great time and the ship out of dry dock is beautiful.

We were on the inaugural Alaska cruise on the Quest (5/25) and as macmax stated from the Journey, I think we had MSNBC, Fox, BBC and Sky.   I could be wrong because we rarely turned the TV on.  I will state that about half way through our cruise, they started having satellite issues and we didn't have any news channels through the remainder of the cruise.   Didn't bother me but I heard some people complaining.

16 hours ago, PAtravelbug said:

I found Hoonah to be quite charming. The highlight was watching the wood workers work on a totem.     I liked that it was just a town - no Diamonds International stores!  and the walk to town from Icy Strait Point was stunning.  

I had the same feeling when we were there.   I enjoyed all the ports and don't mind the bigger cities and the shopping but if you really want to learn the history of the region and meet locals that are thrilled to talk to you about their past, get off the ship in Haines, Hoonah, Sitka, etc.  The bigger ships don't go to these places often whereas everyone goes to Ketchikan/Juneau/Skagway; that I like to refer to as the triumvirate of cruise ship stops in Alaska.   We were sitting on a bench back in Icy Strait Point getting ready to head back to the ship and we struck up a conversation with a local guide.  She was half Tlingit and lived there her entire life.  We had the best conversation about the history there, how things have changed, how much Icy Strait Point means to the locals, etc and we lost track of time and had to literally run back to the ship.  I mean it wasn't a tour, she wasn't being paid to give us a speech or talk to us.   Really it was one of the nicest parts of the trip and made our day.   Maybe made her day too, don't really know but I just mention it because you really shouldn't avoid some of these small places and explore a little.  You might surprise yourself.

7 minutes ago, maggie.1008 said:

We are on the July 20th cruise after being away from Azamara for 6 years. We have been on 6 Alaska cruises. We live in the desert where it is over 100 degrees in the summer. We look forward to the cool Alaska weather. 

 

Glad to hear Azamara still has the best crew at sea. 

Did you have a white night party ? 

We did but it wasn't planned out very well.   Of the late night stays we had, they said that the only port we could do it in was Haines.   However, our time in Haines was 5pm to Late.   Since we didn't get there until 5, if you wanted to do an excursion, you would leave the ship and miss the White Night dinner.   To add to the issue, once we got to Haines, there were gale force winds and we couldn't dock so at the last minute we needed to tender which delayed people getting to excursions and it seemed like at least half the ship got off.  Once the White Night started, there were not many people there which is unlike most times yet they still set up it up for a large crowd and had the full buffet.   We stayed on the ship and enjoyed it and as the night went on and people returned to the ship, it did get more crowded.  They still had a local Native group come on for entertainment and had the full dance band, etc.   It was still fun but not your normal White Night Party and I know a lot of folks who got off the ship were upset that it conflicted with tours.   Also, since we got to Haines after 5, the town was pretty much shut down.  I assume they will try to avoid this situation again in the future.

We just got back from the inaugural Alaska cruise like a few on here have stated and we had a great time.  We had done Alaska twice before on Princess and to be honest, they along with HAL really own Alaska, but we wanted to try a small ship experience and always enjoy the top notch Azamara hospitality.   From our perspective the cruise was fantastic and we enjoyed stopping at some new ports like Icy Strait Point, Haines, Hoonah and Sitka.  The weather wasn't all that great and as stated previously, we missed Victoria and the AzAmazing evening, but I felt more sorry for Azamara out of the mess than anyone as I'm sure they had spent a lot of money to plan for that event at the Royal BC Museum.

There was a previous post about boarding passes and using the app.   I didn't even know they had an app.   We just checked in online before the cruise and printed our own passes.  It will ask you to attach a picture but you don't need to.  They will do it for you at embarkation.   Embarkation with Azamara is so easy anyway, I'm not sure how much time it really saves by doing your own picture.

That said, I'm sure all of you looking forward to your cruise in Alaska this season will have a great time and from our perspective, the usual hospitality and great service by the crew will be there for you and we really enjoyed smaller tours and just the general vibe of a small ship.   Enjoy and Happy Cruising!   If you have any questions, let me know.  I miss my numerous stops at Mosaic Cafe everyday and I'm still going through withdrawal.    Dave

I have a funny story to share.  We were on the first cruise to Alaska last week and had the opportunity to eat in Aqualina a few times.  We tried something different each night and loved everything we ate.  At least to us, we were very happy with the new menu.  Except we did miss the Limoncello Soufflé.  The new Hazelnut Soufflé is good but the Limoncello Mousse is a poor substitute.   Fast forward to another evening in Prime C and after we placed our order we were told they had a special dessert that night and low and behold it was the Limoncello Soufflé.   To our excitement we chose that and the waiter laughed and said so was everyone else.  Maybe that will be a sign that it was a mistake to remove from the new menu.   In any case it was as good as it always was in Aqualina!    Dave

We will be on the May 25th Southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver and are looking forward to the trip.  We have done Alaska twice before both on Princess but are now disappointed to see Princess and other cruise lines sending their mega ships and have no wish to really do Alaska again on one of those ships.  We saw this as a great opportunity to do Alaska with Azamara's product and we will be stopping at 4 ports that we have never been to with Princess.  I don't know if I would call it a fail or not but it has become obvious that interest was not as high as they maybe thought it might be.   

I've been to Glacier Bay and I highly recommend it but even Princess does not cruise there on ALL cruises, so it's nice to have options.  I like that Azamara tried to mix it up some even though it always doesn't work out as they hope.   The good thing is that Azmara seems to be flexible and they move ships around quicker than some of the other cruise lines.   I have no desire to cruise in Asia but if the money is there I won't criticize them for shifting things around if that is where most people want to cruise.

Happy Cruising everyone!

Dave

The menu changes look pretty good but we were looking forward to the Limoncello Soufflé' on our May cruise and it looks like it's gone.  But we will survive......

10 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Thanks for the information, NewPennCruiser. Can I ask a couple of questions about your upgrade please, so I can add the information to the spreadsheet.

Can you please tell me date of your cruise, when you made your bid, was the bid classified as weak/strong etc and your LCV level. Thanks

We are on the May 25th Quest itinerary in Alaska.  Bid was made on March 13th and it was classified as weak.  (Would love to know how they determine that unless they all say that trying to get us to bid more) and we are Explorer tier in LCV.

We just received confirmation of our upgrade request today.   We are 32 days out and the upgrade request was for Veranda to Club Continent Suite.   I think min bid was $400 up to a max of $1,500.   I should have written that down but didn't and I'm really guessing on the max.   We bid $1,000 and it is a 10 day cruise.  To us $100 per day to upgrade to a suite was worth it, especially compared to the actual cost of the suite if it was directly booked that way.

Related to an earlier conversation about Travel Agent involvement, even though we use a TA to book our cruises, I registered for the upgrade on my own and received the confirmation directly to me.  The TA was not involved at all.

We were browsing the '20 schedule and noticed that all three sister ships will be in Venice October 9 - 10, 2020. Does anyone know if all three are meeting up sooner than that in 2018 or 2019? I haven't paid close attention to the 2019 schedule even though we do have an Alaskan trip scheduled. I found it interesting that all 3 ships are in Europe together in 2020 so I guess it makes sense that they can easily meet up somewhere. All three ships are scheduled to arrive at 9am in Venice on the 9th.

It sounds like this varies from ship to ship as someone mentioned. We were on the Summit a week ago and the hours were 7:30 to 9:00 everyday but disembarkation day and that day was one hour earlier.