Bimmer09

Crystal, I'm still drooling over post 192 just backaways before you eat at the Old Cappadocia- there's a shot of a nearby rooftop restaurant full of people and the lights have come on-such a magical "away from it all" ambiance there. I could imagine a lengthy belly bustin' Turkish meal there with some music and whiling away an hour or two after dining with a bottle of wine, looking up at the stars in the warm night air. Such a unique location! What was the dish served in the flaming clay pot? Norris

Amazing drone shots Crystal! A one of a kind location and I can see why it is a center for hot air ballooning. Such a change from Istanbul-Turkey on a more intimate scale. Norris

Crystal, another amazingly rich day in Istanbul! I love any clips you show which have Turkish music-such a great exotic ambiance there. Food, music, architecture-it has it all in abundance. Norris

Yummy! Thanks for identifying. I am interested in every meal and every drink! Norris, drawn to Istanbul where they take care of the stray cats (see the movie "Kedi")

Just stumbled upon this video of the Onward leaving Cartagena... Looks great with the lights on. Norris, anticipating.

What is the Az plan for the Amazing evening in Thessaloniki? I'm hoping to avoid 8 hour excursions and lots of time on a bus. We don't have excursions available to us at the moment and would probably shy away from 8 hours to Gallipoli etc. Ephesus is a must but otherwise I am happy to sit on a harbor stuffing my face with Greek or Turkish food and soaking up the atmosphere. I don't feel the need to see every fallen Doric column ashore. Norris

Jo, thanks for the comment. I'll be looking for anything you can tell me about these port visits as I plan out our trip. Do you have private tours booked in Thessaloniki and Cannakkale? Norris

I would have to agree based my recent Celebrity Apex cruise to Iceland. We ate in one of the 4 small MDRs each night and supplemented those with two visits to Eden where the food is beyond anything served on Azamara (for a $65 pp cover). The food tasted as good as it looks in these photos and the service was impeccable. baked Brie en croute with walnut and poached pear Coquilles St. Jacques Salad Boeuf en croute/Wellington Mille Feuille Sacher torte Each serving team included a Sommelier who was quick to get us started with glasses of wine (not included in fare) I'll pop back later with some pics from Eden, my best dining experience at sea to date... Norris

Quoting myself as there was an error- I last cruised Celebrity in September 2019! Azamara was November 2021 (review in signature) Norris

Sal, thanks so much for the rich detail on visiting Santorini. There are 6 ships booked there today but on our date May 25 2024 there are 3- Onward, Regent Seven Seas Grandeur with max 750 pax and Voyager of the Seas with max 3,114 for a potential 4534 pax. In most of our ports we are the only ship. In Corfu we are joined by the new Sun Princess 4300 max pax and Viking Sea max 930. Piraeus we'll see Queen Victoria max 2060 px, MSC Sinfonia max 1960 and Celesta Olympia max 1450. In Istanbul there is just us and Regent Seven Seas Voyager max 700 for both days. Chania I am happy to say we are the only ship so I'll be stuffing my face in a harbor-side taverna. Besides those listed above we are alone in the rest of our ports! Cheers! Norris

Thanks for the comment Xcelsior, so it's not just me making the comparison. I last cruised X in September 2021 and wouldn't have compared the two but on the Apex everything changed. X have upped their game in covering the basics of food and service. I've got 10 months to wait to see how Azamara now compares. I'm expecting it to be good. The itinerary is fantastic. Norris

A cruise from Istanbul is a bucket list item so I have spent many hours finding one. We have just come off an amazing Celebrity Apex to Iceland and the UK cruise but X isn't visiting Istanbul in 2024 with an E Class ship. So I looked at Cunard, Oceania, Viking, Silversea and Seabourn and finally settled on Azamara. I found our preferred Aft Verandah Plus on the Onward. I selected it but the website thought it should fill cabin 6001 instead. I held 7121 which I wanted for 24 hours and called Azamara on Monday. I called at 9.a.m Miami time and the recorded voice warned me that call volumes would necessitate a wait even though the lines had opened at that very minute. I had seen this as a complaint on the BBB site-people struggling to get through to Azamara and discuss their many problems under the new ownership/new website. After a wait of just 30 seconds I was through and got the cabin we wanted plus $300 OBC. Winning! Here is the itinerary that no one else could match. If you have visited any of these places and have good or bad things to say I'm all ears! Fri 17-May TO Sat 18-May 2024 Istanbul, Turkey Embark - (May 17) 10:00PM (May 18) Sun 19-May 2024 Canakkale (Kepez), Turkey Docked 8:00AM 4:00PM Mon 20-May 2024 Kavala, Greece Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM Tue 21-May 2024 Thessaloniki, Greece Docked 8:00AM 10:00PM Wed 22-May 2024 At Sea Cruising - - Thu 23-May TO Fri 24-May 2024 Athens (Piraeus), Greece Docked 9:00AM (May 23) 8:00PM (May 24) Sat 25-May 2024 Santorini, Greece Tendered 8:00AM 9:00PM Sun 26-May 2024 Chania, Crete, Greece Tendered 8:00AM 6:00PM Mon 27-May 2024 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece Docked 1:00PM 8:00PM Tue 28-May 2024 Corfu, Greece Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM Wed 29-May 2024 At Sea Cruising - - Thu 30-May 2024 Venice, Italy Debark 7:00AM - We are excited to sail Azamara again as we were impressed by the food and the service on our first 2 sailings. I will say though that the food and the service on Celebrity Apex was on par with Azamara. We will return with raised expectations as a result. Hotels in Istanbul and Venice have already been booked. When excursions open up we'll make our choices. A photo/video report will appear on this board when the time comes. Norris

Von, good to hear from you again. We certainly remember you from our Azamara Quest Med Cities cruise. I did look at Oceania but they only had 10 days (affordable) sailings and there were no sea days which wouldn't suit Carol. They also only gave us 11 hours for Athens. Price was $500pp per day so same as Azamara. I usually don't research Oceania as their pricing with their crack-induced "Brochure Price" is tacky...make up a price that no one on Earth would ever pay then take 50% off. It's like Macy's quoting MSRP then their 50% off.Also their best food at sea registered mark is a self-given boast and not the result of extensive market research by an impartial body of experts. I'm sure their food is very good but I'm never a fan of hyperbole. Their prices are competitive and I would probably test them out in the Caribbean. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm glad to hear your thoughts on Istanbul. We have long had an interest in that unique city and will have 3 days to enjoy it. Any cruises planned? Norris

Allison, we fly home from Venice on Saturday June 1 so will be gone before you reach Istanbul. We fly out to join the Azamara Onward (ex Pacific Princess) May 15. Review will begin June 3 on the Azamara board. I'll link here and at the end of the Ruby review. Norris

I began my research into the ports yesterday evening and first up was a good 4K video featuring Costa Deliciosa in Katakolon. I am not interested in Olympia and once I saw those tavernas and plates of Greek food coming to the tables I said to Carol "I'm so there!" I loved the little fishing boats in the harbor and how quiet and relaxed the scene was. Nice little town too. The first thing I thought of when looking at this cruise and this region of the world was the food rather than antiquities. We arrived in Katakolon at 1 p.m-just in time for lunch! Thanks for the comment! You obviously know me well! Norris

Here is our Itinerary for the Istanbul to Venice cruise- if you have been to any of these places and have good or bad memories of them please let me know. Cut and pasted from the Az site. Fri 17-May TO Sat 18-May 2024 Istanbul, Turkey Embark - (May 17) 10:00PM (May 18) Sun 19-May 2024 Canakkale (Kepez), Turkey Docked 8:00AM 4:00PM Mon 20-May 2024 Kavala, Greece Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM Tue 21-May 2024 Thessaloniki, Greece Docked 8:00AM 10:00PM Wed 22-May 2024 At Sea Cruising - - Thu 23-May TO Fri 24-May 2024 Athens (Piraeus), Greece Docked 9:00AM (May 23) 8:00PM (May 24) Sat 25-May 2024 Santorini, Greece Tendered 8:00AM 9:00PM Sun 26-May 2024 Chania, Crete, Greece Tendered 8:00AM 6:00PM Mon 27-May 2024 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece Docked 1:00PM 8:00PM Tue 28-May 2024 Corfu, Greece Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM Wed 29-May 2024 At Sea Cruising - - Thu 30-May 2024 Venice, Italy Debark 7:00AM -

Stay with Azamara you say. We paid our deposit today and I called them to book our favorite aft cabin this morning as the Website has issues (a known Az problem after they got hacked and had to go back to the drawing board). No one else could give us such an itinerary for $500 pp per day and include some sea days (2) which are Carol's favorites. The $500 includes our trip insurance.I know in at least one port I won't be doing an excursion (no interest in Olympia ) but as often as I can I will be ashore at a harbor side cafe eating fresh fish from the Aegean and drinking the local beer/wine. Neither of us have been to this part of the world before but Singinalot has done some great photo /drone reports from the Greek islands which whet my appetite (literally). We both love Mediterranean food. As for the ornate hotel-we have most often stayed in American style concrete tower and glass hotels where all the walls are the same color so I am looking for Turkey-in-your-face decor and am currently on Amazon shopping for a pair of those slippers that curl up at the toes. Even Mexico can't outshine Turkey when it comes to color! I have been watching 4K walking videos in Sultanahmet where we will be staying and by gum I'll be treading those streets and petting every cat I see! It's likely our Cunard experience will come on a TA on the QM2 as Sea Day Carol wants to do that. I am Mr Port Excursion. We'll see in time if it happens. Thanks for your input, enthusiasm and suggestions! Norris

Indeed but it's made easier by my preference for a relaxing ship without a fairground on the top deck and a lot of waterslide plumbing, so I avoid Carnival, NCL, Royal, Costa, MSC as I would a rabid dog. Not for me. 600-3,000 pax is our speed. Azamara, Princess and X with possible HAL and Cunard some day. No Virgin. No bellyflops, hairy chests, Miami DJs, forced partying, kids running down the corridors after midnight, no loud "bros," no pier runners, fist fights. We need polite service but no butlers, hot tasty food, outdoor buffet seating , wake views, cool people to talk to over a drink, friendly Officers who don't wear Groucho disguises to avoid detection. Re early morning walks -you'll know from my CC videos that I loved those 5 a.m walks in Rome and Venice, despite how creepy they were and so I will wander the streets of Sultanahmet if I know the sun is coming up soon. Norris

Thanks vagporto. If you've seen my later post you'll see we've already taken care of the rooftop bar/eats and proximity to Hagia Sofia by staying 200 yards from it. Very exciting. Is the the QV or QE in your shot? I looked at the QV for our cruise but the Azamara itinerary won out. Ending in Venice also gets us back there for the first time in 10 years (by the time we arrive) Staying at our favorite hotel on the Grand Canal. Norris

Thank you! I did research Silversea and found an 11 day that gave us Istanbul overnight plus Athens. However at $16,000 it was too steep while Azamara (likely to be a major step down in food) gave us overnights in both major cities and an aft cabin for $12,000 for 13 nights. I've watched a lot of Silversea videos and read the few photo reviews there are and it sure looks great but is more than we need or want to pay. We have booked Azamara as their itinerary was the best. I also looked at Seabourn but they were only 7 days but surprisingly affordable given the onboard experience but Carol wanted to stick with the line she knows. Seabourn would have required us to stay in Istanbul for a couple of days before sailing (no overnights) and Athens 2 nights after disembarkation. I also looked at Viking and didn't like their website and lack of info- didn't show cruise dates, just day 1, 2 etc. I dislike Scandinavian furniture and would never shop at Ikea, LOL. I looked at Queen Victoria Princess Grills but really don't like the dressing for dinner aspect. I even (wait for it) looked at MSC Yacht Club but luckily my psychiatrist called just at that moment. YC looks good but the rest of the ship is a crowded mess (Splendida) Our hotel of choice is Hilton's Curio brand-Hagia Sofia Mansions...some pics on this link https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hagia+Sofia+Mansions+Istanbul,+Curio+Collection+by+Hilton/@41.0067094,28.9790159,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPvjvtQfFFMRxMFzoiO-c_ooIqg27Xkuwm8W_jm!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPvjvtQfFFMRxMFzoiO-c_ooIqg27Xkuwm8W_jm%3Dw203-h135-k-no!7i6720!8i4480!4m10!3m9!1s0x14cab995d0da543d:0xcfc5cee3b02786ea!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d41.0066433!4d28.9791323!10e5!16s%2Fm%2F051_l1g?entry=ttu (hotel suggested by Singinalot). Hotel is about 200 yards from Hagia Sofia. Norris

Our previous X cruise was 4 years ago, Silly to the Norwegian Fjords. Between then and now we have sailed Azamara and Princess. All 3 are in the mix when it comes to new bookings. Once we got home on June 20 we started thinking about a future cruise. Istanbul is on our bucket list. We chose to search X first and found a Beyond for October 2024 which fit the bill. Within a couple of days I found that X were yanking the Beyond from the Med to send her to the Caribbean! People who had already booked the Beyond were left high and dry and not considered. That and the Beverage Package price deception on the Memorial Day sale has made me doubt the integrity of X. If you recall I was considering the bev pkg at "50% off" the $109 price. Then they extended that sale and the regular price now became $149 then 50% off -that would have cost us an extra $480 for two if we had bought on the Wednesday vs the Tuesday. So X cannot be trusted to do the right thing in my opinion. So unless I want to sail on the Infinity or Constellation or Eclipse to Istanbul I am out of luck. I don't want to sail any of those. Ascent avoids Istanbul so not an option. Azamara can do us a 13 day Med Icons cruise that starts with 2 days in Istanbul (negating a hotel on those days) and an overnight in Athens plus Santorini, Crete, Chania and so on. Disembarking in Venice (really the closest port to V). We haven't been in Venice since 2014 (Ocean Princess) $12K for a small but cosy aft cabin. Not a spacious Sunset Verandah. (We'll never sail the misleadingly named "Infinite (ha!) Verandah which is "infinite" until you get to the end of your cabin. X and Azamara are enough "luxury" for me. I don't look to Silversea or Regent or Seabourn. None are perfect anyway. Princess would currently be my 3rd choice for the ship experience, following disappointing food and service on our last in December but noting that the Diamond was just getting back to sea after 2 years off and with a pulled-together inexperienced crew, so I can cut them some slack. They go to Istanbul but only for 10 hours and then they are gone. We need at least an overnight We usually cruise for the Itinerary but now that we have sailed Apex want to factor in the ship too. We can be happy sailing Azamara and a medium size ship like Apex or Ruby. Az has no bells or whistles and negligible entertainment but their intensive port stops don't leave a lot of time for the latter. Food and service are good. The Itinerary we are looking at can't be beat! OK, thanks to everyone who has followed and special thanks to those who have commented and kept me on Page 1 for the past 3 plus weeks (even though I lost 5 days in hospital). Not my longest GSJ but with Amsterdam, the Apex and the itinerary one of my most enjoyable. Hope to see you all again on January 1 2024! Best wishes, Norris

My Takeaways/ Thoughts If we ever take another cruise from Rotterdam we'll always stay in Amsterdam for its walkability and canals and relaxed vibe. Then a car over to the ship just like we did this time. The Apex has spoiled us for the S and M class. We were impressed by the MDR food which I can't say for any of our other cruises on the S Class. The 4 smaller restaurants were a great new bonus. On the S only Blu and Luminae impressed but we had to be in a suite to enjoy them. Suite prices now make it less likely that we will enjoy them again. We always enjoyed Murano but now that we've discovered Eden that takes precedence. Rooftop Garden Grill isn't the experience that Lawn Club Grill was. LCG was the main reason we were never interested in the S class other than Silly and Reflection. Glass blowing is of no interest to us. Dining outdoors is. I had my back to the kitchen in the RGG on Apex but Carol has told me that all our food was cooked under a broiler and not on a grill. The French fries also came from a freezer bag. There was no overhead camera to watch the chefs cook nor were there overhead heaters. I would eat there in a warm climate and challenge them if I saw broiler instated of flaming grill. Eden Cafe was a good addition but only on sea days is a bit lame. It only had about 3 staff which was enough and not a drain on resources. Grand Bistro is a great addition and I'd look forward to eating there again. Service staff are much improved over our previous X sailings, I have to say. They were on par with Azamara for me. Friendly, efficient, helpful, relaxed. To me the most impressive designs belonged to Eden and Destination Gateway. To have a great meal while looking out those gigantic windows over the wake was icing on an already rich cake. Tendering and returning via DG was civilized instead of the usual crush through narrow metal corridors. So I guess I have to salute the Magic Carpet! The non-private cabanas for rent near the pool are a fail for us and we won't waste money on them. We always rented one on the S Class. The lack of pool deck shade vs the S Class is also a fail for me. I did think that the Grand Atrium (?) was a smart move to get the Martini Bar, which draws a crowd, out into the open vs the S Class small space on deck 5. Bands and a dance floor helped make this big space a lively magnet. The weather for the first week wasn't conducive to me hanging out at my favorite bar- Sunset- and maybe just as well as they couldn't keep it stocked from day 1. Lost sales from me but I was happy to save about $500 vs the Premium Drinks Pkg. at Sale Pricing. Entertainment in the theater was good and at times (Uptown/Phil Tag) just what the doctor ordered. Visually stunning. The Retreat is basically the only way you'll get to see where you are going with its forward views but you have to pay the price. We managed without it and enjoyed our half of the ship. We did an upgrade bid but at an extra $1300 on top of the minimum asking price of $850 we didn't get an upgrade. No biggie. More....

Glad you enjoyed! Original boarding time was for 10.15 with an 11.05 push away. The passport control was a surprise. Norris

We are taking off soon, after our delays. As usual we are flying United Airlines in a Boeing 787-800. We hit the runway. A flight attendant comes and leans over- "Captain wants to know if it's ok to take off Sir Norris". I nod..."make it so!" She walkie-talkies the skipper and the plane roars forward. The flight attendant goes flying as she wasn't in her jump seat yet. We are up in the air and I am looking longingly and wistfully down on the North Holland countryside. "When will I see you again?" We will be up here for almost 8 hours so I decide to watch a movie I watched and laughed as long as Melissa McCarthy was highlighted and before it went off the rails with a side-story. Then I switched to The Hangover which was funny all the way. Lunch was served at some point Said to be Peri Peri Chicken (stretching somewhat) with rice and green beans. Stomach filler. The mozzarella (?) was a big gummy mass that might have been a melted tennis ball. Carol noticed people nearby let it go back to the galley rather than bind their jaws together. We eventually landed in Chicago and were taken to the M gates, way out in the boonies. Another long trek to Customs where we thank ourselves for being members of Global Entry. We breeze though with the facial recognition. Otherwise there was a snaking line of hundreds of people to join. Then to the scrum that is Baggage Claim where 5 flights were showing on the same carousel. After a while we found that our luggage wasn't coming out on this one as the sign said but on the next which was also taking a few flights that had just landed. Our bags came within the hour and we passed through the Nothing to Declare (except disappointment at the organization) and headed for the outdoors at the International Terminal of O'Hare. Taxi. Good driver. Express lanes open on the Kennedy highway which is a mess as it's being repaired (come back in 2 years) and in less than an hour we have traveled the 18 miles home. Waiting there are these two... Next up (after a nap) FINAL THOUGHTS