margo2011

Hi can I just say we had shuttle buses were required ,not Malaga Cadiz or Lisbon were they weren’t warranted . Also can I say the wine offer on the basic package was 4  reds better than the 2 previously offered .

I thought the choices at breakfast in the MDR was excellent they had more Asian options and several cooked to order omelettes ,the fruit plates were more  varied  including 3 types of melon strawberries blackberries and raspberries.They also had for the hearty eater steak and eggs every morning .We don’t have lunch onboard we like to try the local restaurants .

some evenings we struggled to choose as so many options including all the favourites ,French onion soup escargot and a choice of steaks .

I had a fabulous lamb tagine and fruity couscous  my husband said his goats cheese ravioli was some of the best he has had.

I can only speak of my experience .Sorry you are disappointed .

Just back from a 7 day med cruise on the quest .The embarkation was the best yet ,boarding from 2pm we arrived about 1-50pm and I timed it we where on the ship in 8 minutes .

The itinerary was really good and transport plentiful and regular .We were most impressed by the food options in the main dining room .It seemed to have more choices and daily menus from the countries we were visiting .Can’t really comment from the buffet as we don’t use it but it changed daily and didn’t her any negatives from other passengers .

The staff as usual were very polite and attentive .My only negative is the entertainment both in the Den and the Cabernet lounge really poor.I don’t expect big shows but the amazing night was a flamenco group who came onboard and I saw them 2 years ago when they came on in Bordeaux same show lasting about 25 minutes .People we’re just sitting waiting for the next entertainer but that was it .The white night was great good food nice vibe and the officers buffet was also good they had a bbq on deck .

One of the shows with the ships singers was quite cringeworthy ,people not knowing where to look .You could say music is subjective but there is good music and we can  all recognise it .

The entertainment won’t stop me cruising with Azamara because everything else makes up for it but the management mustn’t be listening to the feedback .I realise a small ship may not be able to attract the more experienced entertainers but surely they can do better.

Family member just home today from a 14 day cruise from Barbados no steak on the MDR menu at all .The specialty restaurant fully booked is the lack of a staple item across all marella ships ?

11 hours ago, elmac40 said:

So sorry to hear this - US immigration not well known for it's efficiency for us overseas travellers 😞

Don’t have all the details but rumour has it on the ship a lady had visited Cuba one day last year on her cruise and her Esta was not accepted by immigration and she was sent home poor lady .

On 2/3/2024 at 6:12 PM, margo2011 said:

Hi I’m asking this on behalf of family who are travelling on the 15th February from the Uk and have been told they now need a Visa for visiting Barbados along with an ESTA for  for St Croix and San Juan .Can anyone confirm this please .They have tried contacting their travel agent and Marella but no luck .

 

thank you .

My family member just called us from St Croix said yesterday they did not get off the ship in St Thomas till 4-30 pm due to being ticket number 700 + to have documents checked by US immigration .They ended up short walk as had to be back onboard for sail away at 7pm really disappointed missing this lovely port and having to be up at 6am .

k 

We usually cruise with celebrity but our last one in September 2023 was very lacklustre ,food ok entertainment poor .we are back with Azamara the entertainment is poor unless Eric is on board but the feel on board is just different .The passengers are different I don’t know how to describe them but there’s no look at me I’m whatever level .

Also the small ship enables you to embark without all waiting hours to be called .Maybe we have just been lucky to meet  such lovely people from around the world .The staff our faultless .

Thank you I have passed your kind information on .

Hi I’m asking this on behalf of family who are travelling on the 15th February from the Uk and have been told they now need a Visa for visiting Barbados along with an ESTA for  for St Croix and San Juan .Can anyone confirm this please .They have tried contacting their travel agent and Marella but no luck .

thank you .

Thank you will check .

Hi all we are on the quest 8th April ,does anyone know what  and when the AzAmazing night is .
Currently sitting in Dublin airport 6 hr delay due to storms .Same day two weeks ago hr 6 hr delay sitting in Singapore .

feeling sorry for myself ,Fed up with airports looking forward to cruising again .

thanks in anticipation of any replies .

Am I missing something a good portion of those posting are not saying they don’t want to tip for services .They would like the tips to be included in the cruise price and could then tip those giving above and beyond .

When I travel and stay in hotels I don’t have to worry if the hotel staff are being payed enough .
 

Im glad our next cruises are with Azamara and tips are included in the price .

3 minutes ago, yogimax said:

I'm sure some who remove tips ultimately tip generously.

 

My point was that a good number do not... thinking $20 is a good tip for a week of service.

Sorry again but is this just conjecture on your behalf .Our first cruise was on the SS Norway in 2000 and we were sat with 4 Americans ,lovely company but  we were surprised when we asked what should we tip bearing in mind our waiter often flambé crepes and steaks ,served speciality coffees and liqueurs .They said the tips were included but we brought our envelopes on the last night and were pleased to see they did to .

3 hours ago, yogimax said:

I'm sure it's not an either-or for those who remove tips.  My guess is that many who remove tips will give their room steward, waiter, etc. $20 bucks or so for the week and pat themselves on the back for their "generosity."

Sorry but I disagree with you I have friends and family who have cruised since 2000 and tip more than the required amount .We like to tip for the service once we have received it .

Excuse me but I feel some passenger’s criticise others not from their tipping culture .I have  cruised 20 plus cruises and the last three I have taken the tips off .In your opinion  am I tipping enough ?

For a 7 day cruise we will tip the cabin steward £50 the  MDR waiter £50 the sommelier £30 the water waiter £30 and then odds and sods to any bar staff who have given great service .

I appreciate we are not tipping the back room staff but other than.being told what I should tip  I see no way around this in the UK we like to give our tips once we  have received the service .

I have been known to tip for poor service being embarrassed to complain .

I  think  these companies should pay their excellent staff a living wage and leave the tips to the customers and staff should be keep them 100%.

Please feel free to ridicule my comments .

Thank you for your thoughts ,you never know with the new destinations next year from Liverpool airport this could help .We are destination in itself as shown by the increase in hotels ,which show room occupancy has never been higher .

thanks again 

Thank  you for your thoughtful insight.We have heard an announcement is due shortly .Possibly could be MSC haven't tried them so can’t comment .

I personally would love Cunard to return to our city .Many people would love to cruise from Liverpool and I know people we have been fortunate to meet on cruises from around the world agree.

fingers crossed for an international cruise line sooner rather than later ,we are holding out on booking for 2024 in hope to hear something soon .

Thank you all .

Hello, is anyone aware who is taking over the terminal from the council ? Rumour has it the cost has now increased to an unsustainable level and they are looking for a cruise line to take over the build and running of the terminal.

Fred is an obvious choice with its history of cruising from Liverpool but it currently only has the one ship visiting on a regular basis.

I was looking at the cruise schedule for 2024 and Viking seem to have three ships visiting on a regular basis or am I just hoping for a prestige line to take over ,no disrespect to Fred.

My family are all cruisers with many many under our belts but would love to cruise from our home port .People say it takes a day to get into the sun ,well I know that I would rather spend it on the ship than at the airport for hours or  hours spent travelling to Southampton.

Any ideas please answers on a post card.

regards

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Seems many are not taking the time to understand the situation. A lot of info posted here is questionable at best. (I sailed out of Ravenna last October on Connie, fyi....)

 

No ships are allowed to use the Marittima facility IN Venice currently unless they are extremely small. Not even Azamara or O small ships qualify. Azamara is currently using Fusina and Marghera, two ports that are closer than Ravenna, yes, but it's still not Venice....

 

Celebrity is only charging somewhere between 60-70 euros for a transfer between Venice and Ravenna. I took it last year and thought it was reasonable and easy solution for a longish transfer. Of course I'd rather not have a 3-hour drive, but the ships have little choice and certainly cheaper than paying 500 euro for a private transfer. I don't understand how the OP was saying there was a 600 euro charge for a bus transfer by X?

 

Another point: Transfers to Marco Polo from Ravenna ARE available, they are just not announced in advance. You have to purchase them onboard the ship. The actual daily with the info in it has been posted on this forum in the past.

 

And finally, shame on those saying there is "nothing" in Ravenna. The city boasts EIGHT UNESCO World heritage sites, most of them related to the wonderfully well-preserved and early mosaics that can be viewed in several different churches and monuments. Ravenna actually served as the capital of the Western Roman empire in the 300s and 400s AD. I did an overnight trip on the train especially from Rome one just to see the city. Oh -- and it also boasts wonderful food (along with Bologna).

 

If planning to see Venice, it still makes sense to fly into Venice. If not, Bologna is probably a better alternative.

 

 

 

 

Thank for that, but my comment about a $600 charge from celebrity is correct I called my relative last night  in Canada to ensure I wasn’t miss quoting her .Apparently this must be a private transfer as they are flying at 11-45am and celebrity said they have no buses leaving for flights prior to 12-05 but we were on our bus at 6-30 and there wasn’t any toilet stops and we were at the airport by 9-25 giving plenty of time for the 2hr window to arrive prior to a 12-15 flight .They aren’t flying direct home .

I continue to be amused by the tone of some comments on CC .

4 hours ago, mom says said:

I've never heard of Celebrity chartering aircraft. When did they start that? I thought they bought up seat blocks on various airlines.

They must have booked many many seats as everyone on our flight was in the queue for the ships transfer.

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

 

 

If you decide to book flights through Celebrity do some homework first then contact Celebrity to see if they have flights/transfers that you want. Bologna would definitely have been a better option. It possibly was available but if you didn’t request they may not have offered…

 

Thank you we have previously requested nearer to home flights to be told celebrity don’t use low cost carriers .But they put us on a jet 2 flight ??? I still think celebrity didn’t do their homework regarding the local resources . On this cruise we didn’t want any extra days before or after it was due to other commitments to be a cheap and cheerful cruise with no travel stresses.

24 minutes ago, dcbiker97 said:

Out of curiosity, where would you have Celebrity port near Venice since Venice isn’t an option for them as their ships are too large for the new requirements (at least that’s how I understand it). 

I think this was sold to many as sailing out of Venice ok you could say ignorance is no excuse ,I think celebrity should charter more flights from Bologna .Also they should have transport links in place prior to the sailing date .

28 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

We flew from Edinburgh last September to Marco Polo, unfortunately the flights to Bologna were very expensive, but would certainly be a better option!

Thankfully we have previously sailed in and out of Venice and it was stunning.

Our transfer to Ravenna was too long and we most certainly would not do again.

 

Hopefully celebrity will take note as the passengers on the ship were quite vocal upon arrival to customer services .

34 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

My plan is to book a smaller cruise ship that docks in Venice.  I would also like to port in the Amalfi coast vs taking a long long bus ride.

We have cruised from Venice before and it was great ,the scenery wonderful .But I think this port was poorly chosen by celebrity not taking into consideration their passengers needs .

43 minutes ago, chemmo said:

If you weren’t spending time in Venice did you not consider flights in/out of Bologna? 

Yes we did but we booked with celebrity and they chose the flights .