excitedofharpenden

I'm with you and yes, it's cost cutting and more importantly putting less effort in. Phil

@Carolexas Cruiser, I'm sorry this had happened to you and for the stress it is causing you. This is a result of the very poor IT that was in place at Azamara following the acquisition by another company. This board is littered with differing stories. I'd be really interested to know exactly how much the price was when you originally booked it (to include cruise date and cabin category) and how much they are now asking you for. If you are prepared to post that information here. Maybe knowing the scale someone can give you a suggestion of where to go. I hope you can get it sorted out. Phil

Just to say this is not an Azamazing Evening. It's a Destination Celebration on the ship. Phil

From my point of view I think it would be a poor/risky decision to go through the Suez (as demonstrated by what happened to Crystal Symphony). Much better to keep the ship and crew safe and go round the Cape of Good Hope, even if it will mess up the schedule. Phil

I don't want to make you nervous. It was just my experience and you will probably have a fab time. Phil

If your room is not clean then there may simply be a training issue and by mentioning it then that can be dealt with. Helps you, them and potentially other guests. I wouldn't be afraid to speak to the Chief Housekeeper or their assistant. That's their remit and as far up the line as I'd personally take it. Phil

Will see how it pans out. I heard from a reliable source up the chain of command that they will go. All indications at the moment are that there are more and more "destination celebrations". We had one on our recent Japan cruise. The Azamazing Evenings are expensive I'm sure and perhaps it's one of the budget cuts. I hope it doesn't happen because I really like them. Phil

Totally agree with all of this. Couldn't have said it better. Phil

Strangely enough I did a back to back on Journey and then Quest back in 2022 and the experience was chalk and cheese. Much better on Journey than Quest (it was when the four ships met in Koper). These inconsistencies shouldn't happen. There should be a standard across the fleet. I miss Heike and Johannes on Journey. They ran a tight ship. No doubt that there are maintenence issues on these older ships. Our cabin patio door howled when it was windy as the seals were shot. I believe they are falling behind now with newer ships coming onstream. There are a number of ports that Azamara can no longer go to because they don't meet the emissions requirements. If Azamara announced new ships that would get me interested. Big news coming on the 10th April. Wonder if that will excite? Or another special offer? Phil

I have always done the Specialty booking myself. Prefer to have more control. You should go to see one of the bar tenders to upgrade your package. The butler won't be able to do it and the person you upgrade with will get credit for doing it. Phil

I'm not long back from Hong Kong to Tokyo on Journey and spent 11 days in Japan afterwards. I'm not going get into the intricacies, but my overall experience on the ship was most definitely not as good as I've previously enjoyed. I've always felt that it was a special experience on Azamara with great service and good food. Lots of nice little touches around that made it seem as though you were genuinely being cared for. This time not so much. Nothing special in the cabin. Not even flowers to brighten the room. For a premium experience I also feel the ships are getting a little old. Most disappointing though was the general so so service. Admittedly there are the stars I've sailed with before, but there were also a large number of new faces and I didn't feel they exhibited the Azamara way of going the extra mile. Poor training. The food in the buffet I felt was generally overcooked. The chicken I had at the deck barbecue was tough and stringy like a lot of the chicken dishes. We had a lovely meal in Prime C, but our server was poor. There were too many inconsistencies on a ship that used to be my favourite. The old adage of having too much of a good thing maybe true in my case. Perhaps I've just done too many Azamara cruises and need a change, but overall I feel they are resting on their laurels too much. Not offering anything different. I've booked Onward for September with good friends, one of who has been going through cancer so it will be a special trip for us all, but I will reassess after that one which I think will be my 50th on Azamara. As I said perhaps I need a change, but the feel and service just weren't the same. Not "special" enough. Phil

Yes, I understand what you mean, but one of my issues of holding them in the cabaret is that the sight lines aren't very good so unless you can get seated nearer the front it's difficult to see unhindered. Also the ceiling height in the cabaret restricts the performance. I will miss doing them on land. Nice to get off the ship, but it's another of those drip, drip, drip cost cuts that I saw many more of on my recent cruise. Phil

Azamazing Evenings are going the way of the dinosaur unfortunately to be replaced by these Destination Celebrations. Not the same at all. Phil

This is good advice, ie don't assume. Phil

They will try to make you anything they can if you ask for the included drinks. Some cocktails aren't quite as good as if they were made with the top shelf ingredients, but they do a pretty good job. Phil

I agree. It's not wotth the worry. One person might like the set up over the others, but it makes little difference. Phil

This says it all. I have been so impressed with Japan and the organisation this country is able to achieve. And the people are so incredibly polite. Before even coming here in early March and getting on Journey we'd booked to come back on a land trip next year. You have to be quick off the mark if you want to use BA flight points. I'm very glad we did. We can then immerse ourselves more fully here. We saw Fuji from the ship on our way back to Tokyo, and have just spent three days at Lake Kawaguchi. Spectacular and Fuji was stunning in the moonlight. Phil

It's a slow old process (if you'll pardon the pun). At the moment I'm comfortable paying the extra for faster internet that at least enabled me to stream, knowing that not everyone chooses to do so and thus overload the system. Phil

I know this is a little thing, but it makes me sad to read the lack of interest in investing in new balcony chairs. They were promised ages ago and still nothing. Why the heck don't they listen to their guests and sort it out? It's very poor. I'm not long back from finishing a cruise on Journey. I'm going to sit and gather my thoughts fully, but this Azamara trip was not the best. Too many signs of cutting back and they seem to be resting on their laurels, offering the same old. No signs of forward investment. This Onward balcony chairs situation is a very good example of my fears for the future. Phil

100%. I don't need reminding of crew welfare either. I will do as I feel necessary and be discreet about it. Phil

Enjoy the adventure! Phil

I agree. I'll leave it to Azamara to sort things out for the best. Ship life can be pretty challenging at times, but Azamara have good protocols.in place. None of my business. I'll also say that posting such things here I feel is more about making the poster feel good than helping crew. If I was going to do it then I'd be more discreet. Phil

On Journey now Hong Kong to Tokyo and have purchased the upgraded wifi package at $107.40 for 12 night cruise. I'm finding it much better than the standard I've used in the past. Streamed Netflix/Prime Video etc no problem and am glad I bought it. No frustrating buffering. Phil

You'll dock in the same area as Silversea, ie right in town. Phil

There were indeed guest cabins on deck 3. They have portholes, but as Benthayer says they are now crew cabins/guest entertainers accommodations etc. Phil