mare s.

I'm with Lottie 100%. We generally organize our own private tours with fewer people and at less cost than the ship's offerings. However, we might use the ship excursions occasionally when we have a limited time in port or where it may be more convenient. Nice to have choices. Including all excursions will undoubtedly raise the cruise price significantly and, for us, that would mean our looking very carefully at other options.

The Hermitage, The New Acropolis Museum (and the old National Archeological Museum) in Athens, The British Museum, and, close to home, The Getty Center and the Getty Villa (I volunteer there and it is close to my heart.) All the museums in Washington D.C......I could go on and on. Too many museums...not enough time!

Truly good news (although I think it would be great if the Asian themed restaurant could be incorporated into Aqualina's roatating menu) Thanks for listening, Azamara. p.s. just a few days until we're back on board our Quest! Renovated or not, still our favorite.

Is that looking glass in the photos from the article? I see the piano there. I thought looking glass was supposed to be tapas bar? But moving the piano there might be very nice (and away from the noise of the casino)

Thanks for your reply to my vent :).

I have a Spam folder and a "Quarantine" folder. I've been tracking both of them. I even checked my work email over the weekend so that I could see this confirmation email that I needed to respond to.

I'm wondering if it's a translation problem-maybe she really didn't want me to pay this far in advance? If that's the case, I would have been fine with it.

 

I've had the complete opposite experience. We booked several months ago planning to pay in cash but then decided that prepaying would be much easier. I sent an email to Jany two days ago to that effect (and to ask if she could split the final cost between two credit cards, ours and our traveling companions), she responded within 24 hours and almost simultaneously another email arrived with the invoice and payment instructions. Easy-peasy. I would contact Jany again and explain the situation. As I understand, you have up until a week before the tour to pre-pay, so I'm sure it can be arranged.

Can anyone tell me what the current admission charges are for Pompeii and Herculaneum? Is it possible to buy a combined ticket or will we have to line up in both places?

Is the cafe in the monument area or can it be accessed from the "free" zone? We have timed tickets for the monument area but wanted to get a snack first.

Thx.

"I see on Twitter that you gave a talk Larry to TAs selling to "affluent" folks??????"

 

 

Wow! If those of us who can cruise Azamara in the first place, and can afford a CC suite (or better), aren't "affluent" then I guess I'm really misinformed. (or maybe I'm misinterpreting here) But that comment bothers me a bit...sounds a bit snobby.

 

I'm just very glad I'm on the Quest before all the new furniture is installed. The thing that makes the, relatively small, cabins work is the well thought out storage space. Lots of dresser and side table drawers, good storage in the bathroom, and also in the closet. I hate clutter and if I'm on board for two weeks (or more) I don't want stuff piled on chairs or have to pull out suitcases every time. I also do not want to store toiletries on open shelves above the commode! The modern design is nice enough but, as they say, the devil is in the details and I think the designers forgot about practicality. JMO

I love the style :-). Azamara.... If you are taking inputs...,

- it would be great if the sink cabinet was placed against the wall so items will not fall off. Is there any bath storage?

- we like to sit size by side.... Prefer a love seat.

- sharp looking corners on the glass tops and drawers may cause cuts and bruises.

 

I'm afraid all I can say is "meh" Don't like the metal chairs and really don't like the sharp corners on the dresser. All that is needed is a little rough weather or low light and some nasty injuries are in store! And I do hope that is dirt on the carpet!

[quote name='texancruzer']I buy euros from my bank before I go. Used to use ATMs but the convenience of having my $$ ahead of time just works for me…… and I know what you mean about needing more than what you can get from 1 ATM. Add to that having to do it in multiple ports and well - it can be a hassle and I don't like hassle on vacation.

I take small white envelopes and put the date and port on the front. Then I put the euros in for the tour and appropriate tips along with any entry fees or ferry costs etc ……. they go in the cabin safe and every morning I just pull out the envelope that goes with that day…….. easy peasy…….

As for traveling with that cash….. its really no different than keeping on eye on your passport (another major item that you don't want to have go missing!) I am just very careful. I don't wear flashy jewelry off the ship etc…..[/QUOTE]

We've got "cash only" tours too on our forthcoming cruise and little port time to hit ATM's. So this is exactly what we're doing. I figured out what we'd need for each excursion and what denominations (and using large denomination bills when possible to cut down on the bulk) and will arrange in small envelopes as you do. For purchases and lunches, we'll use credit cards but will take a few extra Euros for small stuff. For travel pre cruise we'll be wearing money belts inside our clothes (and pinned) I always wear a cross body small purse for hand sanitizer, tissues, lipstick, etc. and for my little bit of cash and my camera. I'm not paranoid but I certainly pay attention to my surroundings, just as I would if I were carrying a lot of cash at home.

Re. Jackets for men in the dining venues, I hear feedback that they are not at all necessary, but when I received my tour book from Azamara, there were 6 pictures of couples dining, and 5 of them showed the men in jackets. I think one of them might have been onshore, but wondered if the majority do wear jackets, especially in the MDR & specialty restaurants. My husband is overjoyed not to have to take one, but is a little concerned that he might be in the minority onboard. We will be on a warm-weather itinerary.

 

My husband never wears a jacket but he does wear a nice collared shirt and nice slacks. Most men are "jacket-less" although you will see some in the specialty restaurants and occasionally in the MDR. He has never felt uncomfortable. (and it's lovely not to have to pack a jacket, especially in a warm weather itinerary)

Hi mare s,

Have you added your idea of Pompeii, Santorini and Rhodes to the Azamara Asks thread for 2018?

Here's a link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2161186

 

Actually, I was quoting Shedrit's post about Pompeii, Santorini, and Rhodes. We did the Azamara cruise of Greece and Eastern Med on our very first cruise with Azamara. And we're doing Western Med (which includes Pompeii) this Fall. But Bonnie, I'm giving a big hint about Iceland for upcoming years...preferably with lots of overnights! ;-)

mare

"What to do next!!! I am thinking I'd SO like to combine a cruise with a land tour - & I SO want to see Pompeii & Santorini & Rhodes - but combining all of that with a road trip seems unlikely. I have found, however, that I am involved in a unexpected love affair with France & as I've told friends - I could vacation there every year for the rest of my life. Rosetta Stone has a perpetual customer in me!"

 

Thanks to Azamara I got to check off on my bucket list Greece and (this Fall) Pompeii and Herculaneum. I don't think we would have seen either on a totally land based trip. But you feel about France the way I do about Italy. We've been there on land based as well as cruise based vacations and I think I will never tire of it. But there are only a few new places I still would love to visit....Iceland being #1 on my list. And there is still so much of the U.S. I haven't seen. So in years to come, I think there will be more land based vacations and perhaps just a few cruises (because I don't mind "cruising aimlessly", at least for a few days!)

 

We are all so fortunate to be able to do any of this!

So basically no loss of deposits for US guests.

I'm sure UK guests would welcome paying a higher deposit and when 'life happens' paying a nominal cancellation fee.

Why can't Azamara give UK guests the same preferenial cancellation terms as those for US guests?

 

I'm still having a problem reconciling your summary above with the following

Non refundable Deposits? The US also does not offer refundable deposits for sailings commencing 1 Jan 2015. :confused:

 

Before January 1, 2015 there was complete refund of deposit if cancellation came before final payment, which at that time was 90 days before departure. Now final payment is 120 days ahead and there is a nominal $25 per person cancellation fee (but the deposit is returned minus this fee) if the cancellation is prior to final payment. Of course if cancellations are within the final 120 days penalties increase substantially. We also tend to book at least a year ahead realizing that we are paying a hefty deposit but at least we get all but $25 pp back if we have to cancel (haven't had to yet, fortunately) prior to final payment. And we definitely get trip insurance.

 

Hope I've explained this correctly.

Aqualina's menu's changed in October 2014 I think. We were onboard Quest for the first week. If I remember correctly the Lobster has been substituted with a Lobster Pasta and a delicious Limoncello Souffle for the Chocolate Souffle. However, this is Azamara we are talking about and you know they will do all they can to make you happy. I love the old menu Goat's Cheese Souffle and The Grand Marnier Souffle and I just mentioned I missed them from the menu. They immediately offered to make them for me on my next visit three days later....and they were just as good as I remembered. :)

 

Oh no! No more goat cheese soufflé??? It's my birthday the day we embark and I've been dreaming of that soufflé as a perfect way to start the cruise. Do you think that they will accommodate my request if I make it as soon as we board?

We love to cruise for the convenience of having to unpack only once and for the opportunity to see new parts of the world. But certainly there are times when we prefer a land trip (and the best is when we can combine a cruise with time on land at each end, as we are doing this Fall) We love the food on Azamara; it's predictability is reassuring. Yet we've found the best restaurants on land by accident, merely by walking around and seeing what looks interesting. I always take a pre-researched list of restaurants with me but we always seem to end up at new places. It's part of the joy of travel.

I tried the link too and it worked beautifully (I was getting paranoid about having a cabin change! Even though I've told my T.A. that I pick my cabin specifically for location)

 

But, come on Azamara! This is a ridiculous situation and should have been corrected long ago. If you can produce "3-D" videos, how about a simple website fix?!

hmmmm. I do like the updated look but there are a couple of things that bother me. In the standard veranda cabin (our usual booking) the new sofa looks terribly uncomfortable. No way to stretch out on it with those high straight sides. I'm also disappointed that the Sunset Bar area will be transformed into a specialty restaurant (although perhaps during the day it will be open for breakfast and lunch seating.)

 

It seems to me that much of the updating is in the revenue producing areas. A new specialty restaurant and an expansion of the spa. Oh well. With the massive increase in prices on Azamara, I suspect we'll be doing a lot more comparison shopping with other lines.

For what it's worth, we are taking a private tour in Tuscany in September through Romeinlimo and will be visiting both places. If you can get others on your cruise to join you it can be a lot less expensive than the ship tour and you can structure your time and activities the way you want.

Thank you both. Just the info I needed.

mare

Thanks, Phil

Does anyone know if it is possible to get back off the ship after you've checked in in Barcelona? We don't sail until 6 pm but have to be out of our hotel by noon. We'd like to check in, have lunch, and then explore the port area for a couple of hours. I know that you can do it in some ports but not others.

Thanks.

Is it easy to find a taxi for the trip from La Sagrada to Park Guell? We are going to be taking a Runnerbean walking tour which ends at La Sagrada and then spend a couple of hours there. It appears that taking a metro from LS to Park Guell will involve a lot of walking uphill to the Park and I think we'll all be pretty tired by that point in the day. So are taxis plentiful around La Sagrada? (and around Park Guell for the trip back to Placa Catalunya)

Thanks!

Our first cruise ever was on HAL...New England and Canada and it was wonderful. Hooked us forever on cruising. We enjoyed the elegance and even the formal nights. We thought we'd found a perfect cruise line until we took a HAL cruise to Alaska a few years later. The cruise and land tour were good but we noticed, even then, the cutbacks, particularly in staff. The wait staff in the MDR complained to us about how short handed they were and it was apparent. We moved on to other cruise lines and then found Azamara in 2010. We loved the resort casual (no more lugging tuxes and cocktail dresses), the ratio of staff to passengers, the friendliness of both crew and passengers, and the interesting (and much more accessible) ports. Prices have risen and there are more negatives (the intrusive presence of the art auctions, the cutback in entertainment, particularly the disappearance of the harpist) but Azamara is still a relatively good value and the wonderful on board feeling will keep us coming back (at least for now.)

Something to think about: One of the best ways to reset you body clock is to expose yourself to daylight. I know you're thinking of the driver as a way to conserve your energy and I can't disagree. But that will cut down on your exposure to sunlight and, frankly, I'd fall asleep as the car drove from place to place. That would defeat the goal of trying to get my body on the schedule at my destination.

 

If this is a strategy that has worked for you in the past, then stick with your plan. If this is a first trip to Europe, consider spending more time strolling and, if you really believe you'll need time off your feet, consider riding on the open air upper level of a HOHO bus.

 

Thanks....our tour is not all driving...we're going to Montserrat. I completely agree with you on daylight exposure. And getting out in the fresh air. I just know that if we tried to simply walk around (or even go on the HOHO...I'd fall asleep for sure!) we'd be zombies very quickly. A few years ago we had an early arrival in Madrid (after transatlantic flight) and we decided to go directly to hotel and then walk to the Prado. There was no way we could do the museum justice in our half-asleep state! And we were a lot younger then.