DS

On 10/14/2022 at 3:39 AM, Kimbasmum said:

You went through a lot to get that meal, and the food looks splendid.  What a pity the ambience conspired against you too!  Sounds like one of those occasions/meals you will remember forever for all the wrong reasons - I think most of us can relate to that at some time!  Enjoy your downtime with Downton and the duvet.

UKTOG.... we are INSANELY JEALOUS of you!   We are on ONWARD and had Kotor chef tour booked for months.   when we boarded Monday in Ravenna we were told it was cancelled for "operational reasons"!   Yet you got it the day before!   Did you eat all the food in town!  Glad you enjoyed it... We have been on a couple of these and they are always great. 

       Famishedly yours, DS

AMEN!  Its been more than 3 years since we saw his show and it was great to hear him again.   We've had 101 nights on ships since then, so maybe 80 shows?  and 40-50 single performers?   None come close to  Eric--- a league of his own!

and the USB in the bedside light

Onboard the ONWARD ( 10 Oct Ravenna to 21 October Rome)

Senior Officers:   Captain CARL Smith;

HD Elisabeth Vogel;

Cruise Director ERIC DeGray;

F&B IWAN Pennings (former exec chef);

Assist CD Roy Ryan

Passengers on Board:  442

Onboard the ONWARD ( 10 Oct Ravenna to 21 October Rome)

Senior Officers:   Captain CARL Smith; HD Elisabeth Vogel; Cruice Director ERIC DeGray; F&B IWAN Pennings (former exec chef); Assist CD Roy Ryan

Passengers on Board:  442

FOOD:   So far the food has been excellent—we’ve been in MDR, Aqualina, and Prime C—all good

SERVICE:   Mostly up to usual Azamara standards (a bit of hiccups in Prime C last night), excellent in Aqualina.    Comp wines have been a mix of Azamara Label and other non-Az labels.   Usually just 2 reds and 2 whites a night   ( June cruise, with all Az labels, at least had all 4 varietals of both red and white each night).   BUT, as always, you waiter can usually find what you want…   

Room steward have been excellent, although as some others noted, there are now no assistant room stewards

COMMENTS and NITS:   still some supply chain problems:  no bagels the first two mornings, and today we knew from Iwan that they had been loaded yesterday – but the restaurant staff did not!   BUT, in usual Azamara style, they went and found them.   There were none of the usual “Make up my room / Do not disturb” door magnets when we boarded--- steward said they were still waiting for them.   They showed up a day or so later.  When we boarded there were still lots of things on the pier to be loaded – including many mechanical parts ( big engines/ generators, huge propane ( or something) tanks)   Obviously still trying to get things up to snuff.

Ship is very cold; our room the first day/night was frigid, even with thermostat turned fully up.   A mention to the room steward the next morning, and it was corrected by engineering—nice and toasty now!

CHAIRS:   I think every single chair on the ONWARD is physically lighter than is counterpart on the other ships.   From the veranda (molded plastic with thin cushion), to all the restaurants ( some times on other ships it was hard to move the chairs out from the table—not here… I’ve seen several tip over when someone tried to move them.)    Same thing in the lounges and Cabaret.   They also tend to be very narrow, especially those with arms.    I’m a skinny guy but still touch both sides of these chairs when sitting down—they must be uncomfortable for larger folk.

SHIPS APPEARANCE:   There is still a lot of work to be done.   For example, there is a large crack all the way through our desk top.   The hand rails in the elevators are all beaten up, some with chunks out.   A simple coat of paint would go a long way!   (but please, not the same icky brown as in in there now… it’s not a natural wood color, just some other brown stuff).    Brass on stair treads in need of heavy polishing.  (Last cruise on different ship we saw one staff member polishing this brass every single day of our cruise… he started on deck 10 and got to 4 or 5 by the end of the cruise!)

TRANSFER FROM VENICE TO RAVENNA:  We were on the Azamara provided bus from Venice airport to Ravenna port.  Unfortunately, the PURSUIT was also sailing from Ravenna the same day, so we had two ship loads of people.  They mixed us up on the busses.  Others have posted here or elsewhere about the trials and tribulations of moving our own luggage from airport arrival hall to busses ( half a klick or more way through the parking lot, then getting off the bus and standing in line ( again with two ships worth of people) before giving the baggage to the porters.   Inside the building, at least there were two separate areas for check-in.     And all this on top of the 2 ½ hr bus ride, without the promised “comfort stop.”   I’m so glad that it looks like Venice will be back in a year or so…

BOTTOM LINE:   We are coming from Fort Myers Florida, where the past 2 weeks have been --- just awful!  We are so glad to be back on board and have the Azamara staff take care of us, feed us, entertain us.   We can forgive crappy elevator handrails!

So, today are all four ships in KOPER?   Would someone tell us what, if anything, is going on?

         As far as tipping on board, I’ll repeat what I said before on other boards.

        Although, in theory, “gratuities are included,” the past two years have been HORRENDOUS for the staff and crew—and their families at home – of the AZAMARA Ships.  Most of us have fared better.  They are not, for us, like random folks at a local pub or restaurant:   they are almost like family members—some we’ve known for years, who routinely take excellent care of us.  Since the re-start, I’ve had NO problem dropping a few dollars/Euros at the bars, or leaving something extra for the waiters or stewards who take SUCH GOOD care of us.  We almost always do this in dollars, as that is the onboard currency.

On 9/28/2022 at 5:52 PM, kent4489 said:

We’re in Bonita Springs, Fl, just north of Naples. We are one mile to the beach. The very worst is past, but the wind is still howling and strong.  Earlier, we had a gutter come off and it went flying somewhere. The street is filled with horticulture debris. Our electricity has been off for 7 hours now and most likely will be out for several days, hopefully not longer. However, there is still a concern for rising water. Only a half mile away, cars are floating down the street. Still very worried here.

We are in Ft Myers and have emerged only minorly wounded.   We leave next week for the ONWARD from Ravenna to Rome.... NEVER LOOKED FORWARD so much being onboard!  The damage across the Ft Myers area ( a large area, that goes from the coast to almost 30 miles inland) was varied, but in areas was horrendous and will take a year or more to repair.   We, living well inland, were lucky.   CAn't wait to be taken care of by the Azamara staff!

5 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I agree.  But the real 'paradise' is renting a place on the Gulf Coast for the winter (so someone else has to worry about hurricanes) and spending the rest of the year somewhere with moderate temps – and traveling as much as possible!

Ah so.... but the question is two homes or more  cruises.... we've made our choice

1 hour ago, Tom47 said:

I think that we have a different definition of paradise.  Mine does not include hurricanes.  Snow and cold winters are tolerated in return for no hurricanes.  I hope that Florida escapes the worst.

In my view, a chance of a liittle rain and wind every 15 years or so, sure beats sub zero weather and snow every single year...   from N West PA, ( where we expected snow from Halloween to Easter...) to Fla...

We once got an acceptance as we sat in the airport on the way to the cruise....  last minute is not at all unexpected... unfortunately...

12 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

When I started drinking wine, in the 1960s, cheap wine was really, really bad.  When I was studying in France in 1967 the supermarket wine was from Algeria and the labels only showed the alcohol content, which was in direct proportion to the price – "quality"? hah!!!  And cheap California/NY wine was always terribly flawed.  Now, winemaking technology has improved to the point that the worst wine in the US is merely innocuous.

ahh, pink catawba....

We are on ONWARD back to back starting 10 October 2022.  The first cruise has a Destinination celebration listed in the shore excursion listing.   The second has an AzAmazing Evening listed:

FLAMENCO FUSION IN PUEBLO ESPAÑOL

Enjoy an enchanting performance of a flamenco fusion at Palma's historic Pueblo Español, in the Sala Magna.

Thank, UKTOG.... I'm just emerging from a rabbit hole that made me go down!   Appears to start in summer 2023 with one ship, adds a ship a year for several years there-after.  One nit-pick about their web site ( similar complaints to Oceania).   They  list their cruises, sort of backwards-  starting with a very long journey that is really 4 or 5 or more smaller trips, and then give all kinds of combinations, but not the individaul pieces.   I'd rather build my own B2B to meet my time standards, etc.    Its hard to do the way they arrange it.   Azamara gives you the building blocks to build as long a trip as you want  (   I admit, I have not compared the prices of the "whole" versus the "parts"... that will be a task for another day...)    Again, Thanks for the update on Heike

9 hours ago, SummmerInKefalonia said:

2024 is definately not Greece intensive for Azamara.

They have only one ship based in Greece (Azamara Journey).

The second ship spends more time on the west med than eastern med (Azamara Pursuit).

The other two ships are based on Northern & Western Europe (Azamara Onward & Azamara Quest).

     It clear that the Journey is Athens centric

      But the ONWARD spends Sept to Nov in the Med.  And the Quest is in the Med from April to June and from Sept to Nov.   Admit that neither goes to Athens, but…The Pursuit spend the whole summer in the Med, with 6 cruises to/from Athens

        As to Northern Europe, the ONWARD is there from end of June to beginning of Sept.  The Quest is there from mid June to Sept. Northern Europe/Scandinavia  is given short shrift… perhaps two to Norway, one to the Baltics  (lots of very interesting place even if you don’t go to St Petersburg…), a couple to Iceland.   No Greenland, no Canadian provinces

      If Azamara’s summer 2024  is not Athens-centric, although it the most common port line-wide, than at least it is Med centric.

         I’d prefer to see each ship make the whole circuit from Istanbul to Spain to northern Europe and Scandinavia and back, not in sync with the other ships, so that one can go where one wants at several times of the year.

23 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Haven't you read all the posts complaining about every cancelled/modified itinerary?  "Once burned, twice shy"

We have had 12 cruises cancelled on various lines between April 2020 and June 2022 and 3 modified itineraries... so I AM aware of the difficulties.    I'm more intereseted in trying a new cruise, than worrying about another "modification."     If you want to be more secure in your planning, only include Rome, Barcelona, Lisbon, England and Copenhagen in your planning.... BUT there is a whole rest of the world beside the Med and Europe...  half of it is still "summer"

14 hours ago, Norn Iron Man said:

Perhaps people should not be too harsh on Azamara or indeed any of the cruise lines re their 2024 Itineraries.  The way things are in the world none of us know what will be happening in a few month's time let alone a year to 18 month's time. I know that cruise lines have to plan years in advance but can probably only do that based on the presently available information.

              I understand the situation with the world today.  But I think you have to plan optimistically, not pessimistically, especially 18 months / two years in the future, if you want to be competitive.  A rival cruise line just announced its 2025 World cruise; other lines have much more varied 2024 itineraries – I know because I get mailings and emails from them daily and weekly---- but not much heard from AZ.   

       Seventeen cruises into/out of Athens in a row is overly conservative, even vis-à-vis the world situation, in my view, and not conducive for frequent/ experienced cruisers.

     Don’t get me wrong, Azamara is our favorite line—mostly because of the onboard service and staff.    If shore-side would raise their game to ship-board level, they would be unbeatable!

Bright NIghts was a pandemic substitue for White Nights.   In think White Nights has returned on all ships.    The difference was trying to cut the audience size by having two performances, and no on-deck dinner for all

       We have looked at the whole 2024 offerings (see attachment... hope its useful to you).   Thanks for the info on why so few Norwegian intensives. 

        As with others who have been to many places, I am underwhelmed with the schedules: for example, from May thru October every JOURNEY voyage begins or ends ( sometimes both) in Athens.  We often look for the ability to stack multiple cruises together ( B2B2B...) as it cuts down on air travel.   We've identified very few options for summer 2024 ( probably exacerbated by few northern Europen trips... only the Quest and the Onward leave the MED... and the Quest essentually repeats the Iceland itineraries on consecutive cruises, making B2B unattractive)

       I also note that the itineraires appeared on the Azamra site last night, as noted by many of you. 

      Normally, Azamara provides advance notice to Azamara Circle members, usually even a day or so so to book before making the itineraries availabl2024 Apr Nov cruises.pdfe to the general public.   

         THAT DID NOT happen this time... we received an email at 3 PM EDT today from Azamara announcing the itineraries were available.... many of you had already booked, accourding to you posting above!   I hope this is just another (UNEXCUSABLE) error on the part of "Miami," and not a deliberate disregard of their most loyal customers...

on the Azamara site... thru Nov 24.... at first glance not impressed with new itineraries, although have not looked at ports along the way... next task to try to follow each ship and see if a good multi cruise itinerary is available...

4 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

We're also on this trip. Just assuming that transfer is included. 

It would be prudent to check.... it also depends on whether you booked before or after they announced the change to Ravenna

46 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Let's look at this another way:  you got a good reply from an apparently knowledgeable staff member.  And you are asking them to bring on new, untrained staff to give out uninformed replies instead???

I'd like informed replys that don't take two weeks to get here.   The first response did not indicate that the staff member was knowledgable... they did not answer the question, but asked for information that was already included in my original email.   This together with many other posts about hours long waits on the phone tell me that the "customer support" arm of the enterprise needs some help.

10 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It will be interesting to visit a country where you don't say "I wish I had had a week to explore every corner of this place" – it seems that 'wham blam thank you ma'am' is the name of this game...

JazzBlue.... hope to meet you on this excursion.... I would note that your "quote" might be considered more offensive than a two letter English phrase I was blocked for...

4 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I had hoped when Sycamore bought Azamara that they would use their winery connections to upgrade the onboard wines.  But it isn't just a case of "I own a cruise line and I own a winery, so let's bring our wines onboard."  There are so many government regulations about exporting/importing wine that they can't just ship a container from Château St Michelle to each Azamara ship wherever it happens to be.  [Notice the recent post about how hard it has been for Sycamore to convince their suppliers that Royal Club Tonic is not acceptable.  Sadly we don't always have as much control in life as we think we do...]

That's my experience.   A Post on "Anyone currently onboard"  board from 4 April lists the source of the Azamara branded wines.... most are from Le Union de Vignerons...not exactly a high end entity    It would be much nicer to have the Chateau St Michelele!   OR BETTER yet, wines from the country that is the subject of a Country Intensive voyage!