oddjob16

When Onwards first itineraries came up with the full winter season 22/23 in Mediterranean Europe I figured there would have to be a change. After a while the season was moved to the Caribbean and that was maybe the safest move, but it was not a bold one. Living in Ålesund we see how cruise traffic along the Norwegian coast has increased significantly the last winter and the Northern Lights cruises are more popular than ever. Viking, Cunard, Hurtigruten Expeditions, AIDA, HAL, TUI (Mein Schiff) are all wedging in on this market. Just a suggestion for Azamara. Staying in the Caribbean for the winter is not very profitable and the Azmara demographic is maybe looking for something else....

What are the possibilities for disembarking passengers in Ravenna? We are not eligible for Complimentary Azamara transport to Venice or Marco Polo, but are planning on getting from the ship to Ravenna railway station. Are there any transport by Azamara for disembarking passengers into the station or do we rely on taxis?

Thanks, again, Ivi, for the «live»-thread from Pursuit. We love these ports and are repeating them on Journey in august. It is nice to be reminded of things,- like the lift in Sorrento. Have a lovely day in Civittavecchia. We probably will stay on board when we get there next time. Another nice thing to do there is to take the train or a taxi to Santa Marinella just 10 km down the shoreline. There are some nice beaches and restaurants there. Maybe Azamara should make this a beach excursion from Civi…😎😎

Try calling your local Royal Caribbean office. They still have direct access to Azamaras booking system. At least they will be able to see your booking and make any amendments in the system that may have gone wrong.

Do they also sell packages for the full cruise or only day passes? Asking for a friend. :-)

I think I read in another thread that passes to the Thallasso Spa pool area was sold for 20$ pr day. We sailed with Ngawhira just before Covid. We found her very helpful and able Hotel Director.

That's good to hear. We are also mostly wine drinkers and if the complimentary are satisfactory the Ultimate package is not necessary for us. On our last cruise on Journey in january we tested the Ultimate for three days and yes the wines were better, but it touch and go wether it is worth it or not. We are glad you find the time to report here.

Costa, MSC and Viking are all in Marghera today.

Ship is not full. Demand a new stateroom.

Maybe it can be done. Is it OK to suggest maybe some different types of venues on the other ships. Maybe a good wine bar, a sports bar or an artisan pub. Personally we never drink cocktails so wo would like to see some alternatives.

Hold the Press

I have mentioned this before and just repeating one minor tip for all of you who are having trouble getting in contact with Azamara. If urgent you may get help from Royal Caribbean. They still are operating as agents for Azamara and has direct access to their booking system.

Not trying to bring back the "TonicGate", but Azamara manages that by themselves.(Hendricks and Royal Club Tonic is not an exclusive combination) Recent photo of the bar shows they are still stocking it up.

I apreciate the lack of staff or at least the lack of experienced staff can be noticeable on board at times. Our Journey cruise in January we had no such mishaps as described by some, but I will say it happens everywhere on land as well. Restaurants and hotels in my own country are struggling. 90 % of serving staff on initial training and service getting slower than you thought was possible. This is also evident at sea and maybe we have to be more patient. (Never with tonic-gate😂) Getting Azamara to answer important calls is a terrible excercise these days and I can only give my advice that in Sacaninavia and UK the Royal Caribbean staff is probably able to answer many of your queries because they still do operate as an agent for Azamara.

Cruise companies are making the rules for who can come on board and that is not necessarily on the same level that the national authorities sets for travel. In Norway we do not have any restrictions with regards to Covid whatsoeverl. The guidelines set are: Stay at home if you are sick. You may leave home if symptom free. No quarantine and no requirement to test negative. The cruise companies operating in Norwegian ports must make their own guidlines. Pre-cruise tests will probably be here for the unforeseeable future. Hopefully it will get easier and cheaper.

...and Beyond possibly a stranger name than Onwards😁