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excitedofharpenden

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Everything posted by excitedofharpenden

  1. Go and see one of the bar tenders. They do have a desk set up in various spots too, but I just head to my favourite spot (either Pool Bar or the bar at the back of Windows if I'm on Quest or Journey). Phil
  2. There is no advantage in trying to book a drinks package before you get onboard. Do it on the ship. It's so easy. Besides, by the time you cruise your circumstances might change and you don't want one. For me it's also better because the bar staff on the ship get credit for selling drinks packages and I've made a friend right at the start! Phil
  3. Fortunately the ta I am using for next March on which the FCC will be applied has said she'll deal with it on my behalf if I don't get anywhere, but we'll see! I don't really want to bother her for a cruise she has nothing to do with, but of course it's being applied to one she is looking after. Phil
  4. Likewise. It's become a bit of a shambles to be honest and I have little confidence in who I speak to in the UK. I decided that my July Azamara cruise would be the last I booked on my own. Next is through a travel agent and I'll let them deal with any questions. Last cruise I was holed up in my cabin for three days and the HD onboard issued me with a certificate with follow up to be from Azamara Customer Services for an FCC. Unsurprisingly I've not heard a thing and have chased them with the auto reply we'll come back to you 7-10 working days. It's such a shame. Azamara used to be a wonderful company to deal with and now they are awful. However, on the ships they are as good as ever. Phil
  5. @ECCruise, like you I've done quite a lot of Celebrity before discovering Azamara. They are such different products really. Considering the two Azamara ships when they first sailed for them were going to be known as Celebrity Quest and Celebrity Journey. Thank goodness that never happened. Thank you Larry Pimentel for that idea. I became somewhat tired of the larger ships and as far as atmosphere and service for me Azamara are indeed streets ahead of Celebrity. As time went on and cruising both lines I just found the Azamara product more honest and the service more consistent. Coupled with the more appealing itineraries and a more active and we'll travelled fellow guest and for me I ended up doing fewer and fewer Celebrity and more and more Azamara. Azamara aren't for everyone, but if you fancy trying a smaller ship with less venues, but a bigger heart then give them a go. Phil
  6. You are assuming and I don't think being fair. There will be lots to sort out with the break from Royal. Supply lines for a start. If Azamara nickel and dime then a lot of their faithful will most probably walk. I know I would. But I'm confident. Phil
  7. I like the little card I spoke of because you can make notes on it yourself and carry it around with you. Reminders of dinner etc. It's very handy. Phil
  8. Also, if you go to Guest Relations and and ask for the little itinerary card they'll give you a small card that gives the itinerary, docking/tendering, planned White Night and Azamazing Evening. It's very useful. Phil
  9. I totally agree. Having had the experience of Guest Relations on Quest in July, this YouTube video is out of date and to be honest not helpful. For one thing the Guest Relations Manager (who I had experience with on Quest last October) has left Azamara. That's a good start! The internet is a great place to gather facts, but it can give you information overload which can be unhelpful. Phil
  10. And I just don't think you can be sure that the Internet is going to be robust. It was not good on Quest in the Med last month. Phil
  11. You are talking about the free nights promotion rather than the Azamara Circle loyalty free nights earned for moving a loyalty category that this thread is about? They do seem to be different animals and I'm not sure how they are worked out and how one can attach a monetary value to them. It's all very confusing. The way I work with the plethora of deals (some of which are and some of which aren't) is to look at the bottom line price and from previous experience work out if it's a good deal for the itinerary and cruise length. Having due regard of course that prices go up over time. Phil
  12. See my post #30 above. That's what I did for the Loyalty Manager on Quest last month. Phil
  13. We had one night in the Specialty Restaurant at the aft of the ship too. It was lovely. I just missed a more casual dinner venue and there was no room service unless you were staying in a suite. One night I didn't feel so great and they very kindly offered me room service and served by one of the suite butlers, but I didn't want to put them to any trouble. Phil
  14. Might take a while I guess I was prompted to check by Belfastman's report from Onward. It's not an issue for me, but I know it was for João on Quest who had no way of checking nights sailed for an individual. Could have been tricky for awarding top cruiser. Some are very sensitive about their status! Lol Phil
  15. On the subject of river cruises, I went on AMA and enjoyed the experience. Romania to Budapest. But it wasn't an ocean cruise that personally I prefer. I found the lack of venues an issue too. No buffet, sit down meal in dining room for dinner. I like to mix things up, but couldn't on AmaVerde. Phil
  16. That's great to hear. The Loyalty Manager on Quest last was tearing his hair out in July. I've just checked on the Azamara site to see if my past cruises are listed and they aren't there, although my level and total points are correct. Maybe that will folliw soon. The only way I can see my past Azamara cruises is by logging into Celebrity and sifting through both cruiselines. Phil
  17. My own view? If you are getting "special" treatment not available to the general populous it's probably better not to say anything at all about it here. Phil
  18. I got one too. I did do a South America cruise a few years ago though, but not during Carnival and I have no other booked to there. Perhaps the Carnival is touring to Japan 😄. Really though it's so unprofessional. Phil
  19. It's really bad and extremely embarrassing for the Loyalty Managers on the ship who whilst knowing what level individual cruisers are, have no idea how many days they've accrued. This is how they assess the top cruiser who is asked to attend the PR event for Azamara Circle toward the end of the cruise. The Loyalty Managers should be getting involved in helping people with their "free" days on the ship and booking cruises for them in this regard, but can't. I was prepared to cut Azamara some slack in sorting the IT issues out, but increasingly feel the delays are unacceptable and getting to be beyond a joke. Phil
  20. You won't get them as you need at least 50% of your sailings to have been on Azamara. Phil
  21. That's right. They are the only booking benefits that can be applied. Phil
  22. Just to manage your expectations the nights aren't free. You'd think you'd book a cruise and they would pro-rata it down by two nights, but in reality all the special offers are stripped out leaving a higher price. Then the free nights are applied. No single supplement deals either. Just the normal 200% So in most cases unless you have a few free nights and are considering a cruise without offers attached it's cheaper to book without using the free nights. Have a read of the terms and conditions carefully. I had 10 free nights and I could make that work well. I've used 6 on a 7 day cruise and that was pretty good, but the taxes and port fees are still applied and I ended up paying near £1000 (I was able to stay in a CW suite though). I'm sitting with 3 at the moment and doubt I'll use them. The free nights are an over complicated Azamara Circle benefit in my opinion and are anything but free. Phil
  23. Yes, me too. Totally. As I have said previously, it's a bad decision and hopefully has been sorted. Anyone who has been on Onward recently able to comment? If it's still restricted as uktog reported I'm prepared to message someone up the line on the ship. I have no desire to live with this restriction if I book Onward. Phil
  24. I'm probably a bit of a heathen, but will drink my white wine with ice to keep it a bit more chilled. Not too much. Just a cube or two. Phil
  25. I was on the Ultimate on Quest recently and the Nicolas Feuillatte was the one that was I served all the time and I really liked it. A nice biscuity champagne taste. Phil
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