excitedofharpenden

That's an American brand. For me in the UK nothing holds a candle to a Mr Whippy 99 with a Flake😋 Phil

Trish, you know I have spent a lot of time on Azamara and can say I've never seen that happen. I've always found the smokers to be a respectful lot who observe the rules. You were unlucky. I would have swiftly spoken to the bar tender. To sort it out. I agree with RW75. Very disrespectful. The bar staff are excellent at coming round and taking orders. No need to go to the bar at all. Phil

I totally agree. I've made some amazing friends from all over the world that i never would have met otherwise. Phil

You'll need a full visa I'm sure. Phil

Yes, I've arrived by cruise ship into Egypt by cruise ships a few times and have never needed to get one myself. It was handled by Azamara. My understanding is that if you arrive by air directly into Eqypt then you'll need one. Otherwise if it's just a cruise stop and providing you leave within 3 days then you don't. But with all things like this I'd take my steer from Azamara directly. Phil

Totally the right thing to do Betsey👍 Phil

I think the moral of the story is it's your responsibility to ensure that you don't leave anything behind. If you do then best endeavours, but it may end up costing you. Might be simpler to claim on your insurance if its covered. Phil

Makes total sense. I'm pleased to hear this. Phil

My own view? The Atlas Bar will be hugely expensive to retrofit so I don't see them happening on the Azamara ships that don't have them. Unless the extra revenue generated on Onward is huge. I do like the idea of offering Atlas items in the Den, but I really hope that the faffing around to prepare them doesn't impact the service there. It will be interesting to see. . Phil

You'll enjoy the caves. They have used them as the venue of an Azamazing evening too. Phil

I can see why they did it. Not that I necessarily agree with it, but they made The Den much larger as a seating area when they removed the casinos and the piano stuck down the far end would be odd. I'll add to that by saying I'm not a fan at all of piped music and generally don't like loud. Having said this, there are venues on the ship where loud is prevalent. This is fine as long as there is somewhere you can escape to. Something that Celebrity doesn't understand and it's stopped me going on them. I hope to goodness that Azamara keep the noise levels down. They are not party ships, but I enjoy evenings in the Living Room. Phil

I decided a long time ago that this one category upgrade on Celebrity was hardly of any value. In reality the difference in the price between sub-categories was negligible and sometimes nothing at all. Azamara now play the bid for upgrade game like Celebrity and I have to say I never bother with it because I'm not willing to take a gamble with location. I used to be able to specifically book a cabin number when offered. No longer unfortunately. Phil

I think you may be disappointed, but you never know. You might see something you like. There are two shops on Azamara. Indulgencies sells watches, jewellery, sunglasses etc. A lot of the watches are what I'd call mid to high end. Tissot, Tag Heuer, with a little cheaper Citizen too. The other shop is the Onward Shop that stocks more everyday items like tee shirts, limited other clothes, caps, Azamara gifts etc. There is also suntan lotion, limited OTC medication etc. There is no alcohol or other duty free sold. The shopping as I said is limited, but you might see something you like. You can spend OBC in the spa too. They'll love to help you spend it! You can buy products there as well as treatments. Phil

I've learned over time that you cannot rely on a standard Azamara because they seem to change. Often because of where the ships are. At the moment they are all in the same continent. Just when you like some they change it for something else. Can be a good and bad thing! Look at the continuing saga of the Royal Club soda mixer that keeps rearing its ugly head! Phil

You are correct. They used to be in the corner on Journey and Quest and they moved them when they were Denified. Phil

There's no Azamazing listed at all for the Quest 7th October cruise. All four ships are in Koper from 8am-11pm on the 8th. I'm hoping something special, but a joint Azamazing isn't going to be it by the looks of it. I'm sure it will be a special day though. Phil

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/captains-club/exclusive-offers/loyalty-reciprocity-program Phil

They might do better on the other ships with having them available in another bar. "That looks interesting. I think I'll order one". See how it goes and what the revenue in Atlas is. That will be the test. If they get rid of the Drawing Room on the other ships I guess we have the answer! Phil

You'll enjoy it. I did that one a couple of times on a b2b. A good fun evening with a variety of entertainment. Phil

I received the Azamara email re Atlas drinks. Am I right in saying that on Onward the Atlas Bar is in effect an Ultimate Drinks Package venue only? Phil

Well done indeed Captain. This kind of thing really gets under my skin. It's hard to fathom what makes some people tick. All of us able to do so are incredibly lucky to be on a ship being looked after by a wonderful crew. One wonders what real adversity looks like in the world of those acting in this way. I'd make 'em walk the plank! Glad you enjoyed Skye. Apart from having to give up some very delicious black pudding I'd be very pleased with the change. Perhaps that's what the idiot(s) had? Black pudding deprivation fury. 😁 Phil

The reciprocal status with Celebrity contunues. They need to make sure they register their Captain's Club number against the booking. They will then be Discover Plus on Azamara and should get the benefits of that, although the website indicates they have to have at least sailed once on Azamara. I don't think that is the case and they will still get their Discoverer Plus perks when they step onboard. Perhaps someone can correct me on this if I'm wrong. Phil

The other general point I wanted to make about the Best of the Best evening. Unless you were invited you would have no idea it was happening. Azamara rightly are subtle about such events. There's no note in the daily and it's not shown anywhere else. The only clue is "Private Function" at the door to the Drawing Room on the evening. The only reason it's known about here is from posts on the board. Phil

Just to say that the Azamara Chef Experience for the Executive Chef is nothing like them preparing a Best of the Best event. I've been and also attended Best of the Best and they aren't the same at all. No comparison. Phil

The cruise up to Nordkapp is pretty special though, not least because you cross the Arctic Circle and experience the sun that never sets (if you go at the right time of year). There was one cruise that was to go to Svalbard. I can't remember what with covid if it happened, but that far north would be very special. In my view Norway is one of the prettiest places on earth. It knocks the Alaskan Fjords into a cocked hat. Phil