PSULion

On 8/12/2019 at 9:49 AM, stag said:

At 5:07 a guy picked up a piece of bread with bare hand and put it back on the tray. 

I noticed that also, rather gross. I HATE when people do that. I usually try to get the manager's or server's attention to remove the item (or even toss the entire tray if they lick their fingers first, I have seen it, and that is NOT limited to kids!). 

Yuck!

John R.

I was wondering if anyone recently used the hot tub/Jacuzzi on any of the Azamara ships. On a (not so) recent O cruise, I could not get the management to make the Jacuzzi "hot" it was tepid at best (probably around 95 degrees). I never got a straight explanation as to why.

John R.

Getting this error message:

We've got your info. However, we're unable to bring up your account right now, so please try again later.

I think Azamara should just outsource the website to Amazon, and you buy your cruise, with Prime free shipping. This is ridiculous, nearly every time I try to do something on the site over the past few months, I either can't log in correctly, hit dead links, the page hangs, or some other error. Yes, I have tried Chrome, Edge, Explorer,  and Firefox on my PC, tablet (both Apple and Android) and my phone (Android) and consistently get errors and other issues.

It is all rather frustrating.

You can drive yourself batty trying to find the "best" offer because multiple offers are often like apples and oranges in that one includes some credit, some include a drink package, or some other combination of benefits (including big box gift cards). You have to figure out what is important to you, and decide what perks you like, and yes, keep an eye on taxes and other add-on costs too!

Good luck, John R.

Mine was a previous Crystal cruise, the Miami to Lisbon inaugural all-inclusive transatlantic on Symphony. Close second was an Azamara Quest transatlantic, Miami to Nice a few years back.

Both were relaxing, good mix of people, just an overall good time.

John R.

My large internet based TA was able to get me the AMEX Platinum benefit, but it took some effort to get them to follow through. They are not an AMEX agency, so yes, you need the tracking number, etc. prior to final payment.

I never did get clarification if final payment can be made on any AMEX card like I have read elsewhere, so I made final payment with the AMEX Platinum rather than a hotel branded AMEX that I would have preferred to use. I didn't want to risk losing the benefit.

John R.

I got Azamara OBC, TA OBC, stock ownership benefit, and the AMEX Platinum benefits, so you may as well try, but YMMV. John R.

I see one of the AMEX Platinum benefits is a ship tour. Does anyone know how this is scheduled? Do you get notice of the tour and just show up? Thanks, John R.

Does anyone know if Azamara will cash out your refundable credit at anytime during the cruise (i.e. give you US Dollars in hard currency) or do you have to wait to the end of the cruise to get a credit to the credit card? If so, how do they tap refundable  versus non-refundable for expenditures?

Thanks, John R.

If anyone has access to a list of the current wines by the glass, can you please post a picture?

Thanks, John R.

7 minutes ago, mnocket said:

 

Ah, I love a good phrase.  How about this one.....  the tyranny of the majority?

 So long as I am in the majority, I like it 🙂

Living in Las Vegas for 25 years, I look forward to going on Journey with NO casino and those chiming gaming machines!

John R.

$21.95 a day for nicer wines and spirits is a relative bargain compared to 1) the overall cruise fare and 2) land prices for a single drink (especially in any major City in the world). The "indulgence" package is a good deal for a longer cruise, at least the one that includes the top tier beverage package and all the other goodies. 

John R.

No, but my TA converted package to OBC....I was going to otherwise cancel not sure if that helped. 

I thought FCC was Full Cruise Credit! That would have been nice. John R.

A half bottle is usually a 375 ml bottle rather than the standard 750 ml bottle. John R.

I would be satisfied with Ivory bar soap and Johnson's Baby Shampoo and save the money for tonic and included wine/liquor upgrades. 😂 

What is wrong with the on-board shops? I never buy anything but have a lot of OBC on an upcoming cruise...

I would definitely be interested in a package deal from Azamara if the price is right, especially with competitive air pricing on ChoiceAir for one-way international flights if I can't use FF miles. Based on their shore excursion costs, I would assume most travelers would be better off booking their own pre or post land tours, but there are 1) price insensitive travelers and 2) travelers who don't know or care to know how to navigate making travel arrangements (although you would still likely be better off financially using a local travel agent).

John R.

This trip is a transatlantic, so likely no VAT added I assume, thanks for the info.

John R.

Does anyone know the current policy on passengers departing late from the ship on the last day of the cruise specifically:

1. General availability and time you must leave ship?

2. Can you use OBC to pay for it?

3. Pricing?

Thanks, John R.

On the November 2019 TA, we board/depart Barcelona. Does anyone know if the Experience More packages are subject to the Spanish VAT? If so, is there a way to avoid that if the next port is Malaga?

TIA, John R.

That must be a George Costanza wallet (purse?). 🙂 

I think I am worse, as I have seem to have a card for each store/category! 

It is up to THREE add-on cards for $175 TOTAL. I was extremely surprised as well. John R.

And there’s an overlooked aspect of adding authorized users to your Amex Platinum card. You can add 1-3 total users for the same, $175 annual fee. So if you have several family members who could benefit, it won’t cost you any more to add up to two additional users.

For AMEX Platinum, if you can get a trusted friend or family member to add you on as an add-on card, you can get THREE add on cards for $175 with nearly all the same benefits, minus the credits. The cruise benefits still apply, as does lounge access and hotel upgrades.