oddjob16

As for your other post about few replies: Don't f****** bother about it. This thread will help people to plan their adriatic voyage anyway. :) Great effort and huge Thanks

Thank you Tim for your pictures and videos of this trip. We have now decided to take 5.july 2014 trip with the Quest in the Adriatic. Just put the reservation today. It's a Venice -Venice trip but I think we will have a great week according to your review. We will have a week or two in Italy before boarding so the cruise will be the last week of our holidays. Haven't decided yet whether we will fly into Rome or Milan, but return trip will be from Venice. Great post. :)

Thank you, Tim. Looking forward to the rest of the review. We are considering making a B2B with Azamara Quest in june 2014 and as we only have sailed with the Journey it could be interesting to know which ship you preferred.:)

Booking a hotel based on generic info and not specific info is a risk. Take it if you want. Berths can always change, but if you like a gamble there's always the casino onboard! :rolleyes:

OMG. Generic information:eek: A port guide is not generic information. We are just pointing out an error in the port guide for Istanbul. Casino??? Please.....:confused:

Bill

I see you were chasing this in April.

Surely even you must have a quiet sigh at the failure in the AZAMAZING marketing dept to change the most basic details on a website i.e. boarding point for any independent travellers.

 

CAN you find out if anybody will take RESPONSIBILITY for this.

 

 

Good luck and keep trying.

I started this thread and find it weird that this hasn't been fixed yet. It is annoying to get wrong directions to the port,-EVEN if you might get correct port directions in the ticket itself. What if you decide to take hotel close to the port? In this case you will find yourself in the very nice city called Pendik outside of Istanbul, but still 30 km out of town. There is NOT a cruise port here. It is an exclusive marina. Many nice hotels and,-obviously, somebody is bound to make a reservation to stay here pre-cruise. :(

There were a bunch of journalists on board this week. We talked to some of them. There seem to be a few articles out already.

http://www.jaunted.com/story/2013/7/3/11177/73790/travel/Five+Reasons+You+Should+Suck+It+Up+and+Go+On+a+Greek+Islands+Cruise

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaloverro/2013/07/08/cruising-the-agean-sea-aboard-the-azamara-journey-cruise-ship/

These were linked via Azamara's FB so some of you have already seen them.:)

Cabin Number: 7055

Ship: Azamara Journey

Month/Year sailed: June 2013

Would you choose this room again: Yes

Is noise an issue: No. This cabin is midship. No Noise whatsoever.

Balcony size: N/A This an inside cabin

Any other comments: We did the 7043 in 2011 and had some noise issues there. This one was perfect.

Thank you Oddjob for your words of reassurance, as this is our 1st Azamara cruise we are really looking forward to the experience. We haven't had a bad cruise yet and our glass is always half full :) and will certainly be so on this cruise - cheers!

Marylyne

I will take it to the HD when we get on board next week. It might be enough to put some rubber tape in the lock. If there where no other cabins available I would gladly take 7043 before moving down to deck 4 or 3. :)

We are in 7043 on Journey in July and are naturally concerned about this cabin. It was allocated as an Cat 11 GTY has anyone any advice regarding changing cabins - we are in the UK and I know on RCCL and Celebrity they don't allow a free cabin exchange, even within the same category. Who should we speak to to about our concerns?

Thank you in advance,

Marylyne

Let me emphazise that apart from the door slamming in the morning the cabin was perfect. I don't know what they use this room for, but I guess it is some kind of storage. You can clearly hear the door shut with a mechanical noise every time they enter or leave the room. If there are available inside cabins on deck seven I would try to get 7055. Other cabins might have similar problems, i.e close to the laundry. Can't see any reason for Azamara refusing to move you if you forward a request. If not, -don't worry. You will have a perfect cruise anyway. The noise is not THAT heavy, just irritating.:)

7040 on Quest. Inside cabin. Never again!

Very noisy, especially early morning. Directly opposite a crew door, which was on a spring mechanism and it slammed shut constantly. Azamara were aware of the noise issue in this cabin and changed it for me with no problem.

 

Changed to 7055, also an inside cabin, which was very peaceful and quiet.

 

This was my first time in an Inside cabin on any ship and I found them quite acceptable. Prefer a Balcony naturally, but I think I would book an Inside again.

Totally agree. We had the neighbouring 7043 on Journey and the crew started using the pantry door across the corridor at 6.am. Slamming is the right word. We also informed the HD. We are having 7055 for our next cruise and so glad to hear that it was peaceful.

:)Rather do a B2B inside than just one cruise on a balcony:)

We'll be in Alesund on Sunday 26 May. Could you suggest a walking tour for an hour or so for us please, bearing in mind that we hope to do the town train in the morning at some time. Is there anything special we shouldn't miss that we may not have enough time to see from the train?

Sunday is the worst day. All shops will be closed apart from some souvenir-shops. What you need to do is to get to the viewpoint Mount Aksla and maybe see some of the museums. The Atlanterhavspark aquarium is also an option.

Good news is that there is a new hop-on hop off bus starting in may, and you should be able to get around most of the sights with that. The town train might be running, but probably not since the season starts in june. The train costs 140 NOK for the roundtrip and it is a better option to take the ho-ho bus for 200 NOK. The ho-ho takes you to sunnmøre museum , Mount aksla, the aquarium, the Alesund church etc

There are plenty of suggestions in this thread as to what other daytrips can offer.

I haven't found details on the web about the ho-ho bus but it starts at the bus terminal which is next to the cruise port.

There is a guided walking tour in the streets of Alesund every day at noon. (100 NOK)

Cafe for lunch? Invit by the water, or Lyst (fish soup to die for).

some web:

http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/en/

http://www.lystmeny.no/

http://www.invit.no/default.aspx?menu=626

Now that we have straightend out the port of Istanbul for our group departing june 3.rd I hope that the web site directions will be modified. As you said, Bill, -You are usually at Karakoy , but Salipazari is the dock next to it. Directions to the port of Istanbul should be to this general area of the port and anyone can find their ship here, whether it is Karakoy or Salipazari.

I did check out the area where the present directons are leading to,-and yes this port is called Marinturk Istanbul City Port. Maybe some computer clerc made this connection and put this up on the web site. This is a nice marina in the little town of Pendik. There are some nice hotels here and a very beautiful area to stay for a couple of nights. So to avoid future misunderstandings about "port of Istanbul" I strongly suggest that the web directions to the port is altered ASAP. :)

We are looking forward to our first visit to Istanbul, and are pleased to have this sorted out.

BUT, -this is important and what made me a bit dissapointed: The main reason for spending the extra money and pre-ordering an Azamara transfer from the hotel to the port was that I could see on the map how far it was from the city. Now it is obvious that we are actually within walking distance from the port. :(

Hello Azamara Journey June 3, 2014 Travelers -

 

Tickets have been printed for the June 3rd voyage and here is the information that is included in the documents:

§ Port - Istanbul, Turkey

§ Pier Terminal - Salipazari Yolcu Salonu

§ Airport - Ataturk Havalimani International Airport; Travel time to pier terminal - approximately 45 minutes

§ Driving - Driving is not recommended. Please present the taxi driver with the address below:

 

 

Salipazari Yolcu Salonu

Meclisi Mebusan Caddesi

Salipazari, Istanbul

 

Best Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Thank you, Bill. Great job. I apreciate your effort.

Nice pictures here:

http://www.jcmedia.no/openZoom/

:D

Oddjob16, what would be your suggestions for someone arriving by ship with one day to spend in Alesund? It is always great to hear from someone who lives in the area.

Hi Beth, do you have a date for arriving in Alesund. If it's a sunday I would suggest to take a tour anyway,- lots of good suggestions here in this thread. If on a weekday I could suggest a walkingtour as DIY, also depending on the dates, - there are some festivals going on during summer and if you are lucky that should be part of your experience.:)

Oddjob16, what would be your suggestions for someone arriving by ship with one day to spend in Alesund? It is always great to hear from someone who lives in the area.

Just give me a day or two to check some things. Got some ideas for DIY walking the city and maybe a visit to the factory outlets across the fjord that also could be don on your own. http://www.devoldfabrikken.no/?lang=2

Be back:)

Simply put; there are more interesting and rewarding things to spend you money and time on.

 

So "totally wrong" - well, compared to whose opinion....??

I think most of your recomendations are fantastic, and that they are very helpful for cruisers arriving in Alesund. Just pointed out that while taking a trip to the lighthouse at Alnes or to the Atlanterhavsparken is not the best options in your opinion, the language should not be "like it is a waste of money". People have different interests and there should always be a sober way of explaining to people what they can expect.

Apart from that: Keep up the good work. You make many people happy:)

The tours description for Giske sure makes it more interesting than it really is..Its nothing special at all.

Its a nice thing to have done but its not a must.

There are nothing else to see on those two islands than what is described.

Alnes contains a row of wooden houses and a lighthouse. Thats it.:) One thing I know is that it will be very windy and cold out there.

I have seen cruise lines offering these tours and I have always thought they are really milking it.

I believe you will have just a wonderful day just walking around the town.

Visit a few museums and maybe walk to Aksla.

You could do both but the Atlantic sea park is really not worth it.

Unless, you would like to see cod etc in an aquarium.

Believe me, I live in Alesund .

I-Cruiser: so far I have just scanned quickly thru this post and have at least found two recomendations that are totally wrong. If you don't think it is interesting for you, then just explain why. To say that Atlanterhavsparken is like seeing cod in an aquarium is stupid. Let people judge for themselves. http://www.atlanterhavsparken.no/english

Uy... that is sad ... no sparkling wine, no port. I wonder why as in Europe wines are cheaper than water sometimes.

 

In any case I look forward to my first Azamara sailing!!! and I have no choice so I will have to pay for my champagne and porto every day, with the wines I'm planning in ventury with the included ones that rotate as you have mentioned in this board, Im trusting the good taste and choice of their sommeliers.

 

Elena

Think it's basically a selection based on what they know are the bestselling items. Bring some port or champagne on board and keep it in your cabin. You are allowed to do that. No questions asked. For consumption in the cabin only, but then at least you will have some.

I will off course bring a vsop cognac and a good port. :D

How "off-dry" is it? Given that there's no port or cream sherry on the included list, I'm wondering if it's sweet enough to do for an after dinner wine.

It's a dry Riesling with some sweetness in the end. Fantastic as a starter. There are no wines here to replace a good port or a sherry. No sparkling wines either. I have decided to just buy what I want in addition to the included wines. Don't care if it costs me a couple of dollars extra. The budget won't be affected by paying for a few wines or brandys. I am just looking forward to meet the fantastic Azamara crew again.:)

Well if that was written somewhere , we missed it. And the waiter didn't mention it. We saw the Bonny Doon on the for-a-fee list and got that.

They just started the "new inclusive amenities" program so you might have missed it. Started on Quest march 27. and will start on Journey may 15.th:o

Oddjob16,

 

I was browsing through posts this morning and noticed that you are from Alesund, Norway. Any chance you were on the 4 day Malaga-Malaga cruise last November and shared a table in the MDR with a couple from Toronto?

Sorry, must have been someone else:)

Have been to many "All Inclusive" hotels, some of them among the best in Europe. They also charge extra for speciality dining. Sometimes it's not about nickle and diming, but merely to make a difference between the MDR where everybody will be seated without much delay and the smaller venues that need to be restricted in some way or another because they often only have 20-30 tables. Azamara does a great job. The ships and the people on board are the best. Probably one of the things that make Azamara stand out is that all staff actually love their jobs. That reflects back on the customer.

On Azamara web site there are descriptions to the cruise ports for embarking passengers. The description for the Istanbul port must be wrong. fatally wrong if anyone tries to make it there on their own. http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/directions-embarkation-ports/port-istanbul-turkey

All information of the ports in Istanbul indicates that ships depart from either Salipazari docks or the Karakoy dock, both fairly close to the city centre. Azamara's directions leads to a port 30 kilometers outside the city. Can we have a confirmation that this is correct. I would not like to be on the wrong dock on the day of departure.:(

Drinks and wines seems to be quite well spread to all tastes. Some complaints and some well funded advice to be found here. AZ should take notice of this and see if they can improve on some of the items on the list.

i.e there are no brandys in the package. I know cognac is expensive, but there could easily be a napoleon or a spanish brandy included.:(

non-alcoholic beer would be nice, - not too important.

As for the winelist there seem to be plenty of choice for most tastes. Good list.:D