Journey is Getting Shabby

[schmidlapp]

Having just been on the Journey 31 January, I can say the ship is really not in bad shape, there are a few areas that need attention. Knowing this and the fact that prices are going up quite a bit, expectations in all areas will rise with the prices. This puts Azamara in a situation where they will need to pay attention some things they let go a bit or they will not get the repeat bookings they are looking for. They do have it pretty much figured out in the service area (except for being a bit short staffed at times). We will see come September when we are back onboard....

[crzrr]

Blackfoot - we are on the March 8th cruise with you and I would never consider cancelling. We were on the Journey in September and the Quest before that. Some of the public areas looked a little tired and, in my opinion, that is to be expected when you are dealing with that many people. Also, I am much more concerned with cleanliness and service than appearance. In addition, I have never had a complaint about the food on either ship. It has always been topnotch on our cruises. We ate in the specialty restaurants many times as well as the main dining room. Service was impeccable and the food was fabulous everywhere. We have been cruising for years and have to say that our last Journey cruise was the best one ever. I'm hoping (and I really have no doubts) that our upcoming (yea 5 days!) cruise will be equally as enjoyable and I hope that you have the same experience.

 

Sue

[Karynanne]

After reading all of the comments above, I wish I could cancel the cruise I booked for 3/8(at the lower price).The comments are painting a picture that sounds like I could be in for a major disappointment.For me price really isn't really relavent, it's getting a quality experiance and from the descriptions given by fellow passengers, it sounds like Journey is a tub- ready for major yard work.A nice crew is not going to make up for crappy food and a tired ship!A well run ship shows!!

 

I spent years at sea and been through a major overhaul in a shipyard(1year)- when the ship looks tired it is!

 

As I communicated on this board to Mr. P- Azarama has one chance w/ me;if my cruise does meet the expectation they have set for me in their product positioning,I will take my precious travel $ somewhere else!I do not want to be part of a work in process!

 

Just one traveler's opinion.

 

By all means, don't cancel your cruise. Azamara is a lovely ship...not a tub. It has a very relaxed ambiance, and a gracious atmosphere. And the food is very, very good.

[hapzfl]

It is hard to please everybody as expectations are vastly different. After a cruise with NCL we abandoned the idea of cruising for years :rolleyes:

And than we found a cruise itinerary on Azamara that covered the ports we wanted to see. And we were positively surprised: we arrived very early and were able to check-in very early at around 11am. The treatment by Azamara personnel was extremely polite throughout the cruise. And contrarty to some people here on the board, we were very satisfied with the food and the service. Actually, most of the food we had was excellent. I personally was extremely happy about the excellent breads and pastries :D

 

And although the ambience of the special restaurants naturally is providing a superior dining experience, the quality of the food in the main restaurants in general was on par. Does that mean everything was excellent? Probably not; one can only sample a tiny fraction of what is being offered, even on a longer cruise.

 

With respect to the furnishing: an R-class ship is an R-class ship; there is no way around. Cabins are small and showers are even smaller. And that is the case no matter which cruise line operates this ship type. And these ships are basically old, refurbished or not; certain things cannot be changed without taking the ship apart.

 

Like everything in life, there is a trade-offf to be made. Large modern ships with a lot of entertainment possibilities and 5000+ fellow passengers, standing in line at almost everything, and cafeteria style atmosphere. Or a small but older ship with all its restrictions but no lines, you know many of your fellow passengers, and excellent food and service at a still reasonable price. Of course, you can pay double for "real" luxury, whether that's worth the price or not. But than one might deal with a different set of issues.

 

We definitely would not hesitate do cruise with Azamara again if the itinerary is to our liking, and we can recommend Azamara without hesitation.

 

Whether the future Azamara prices are still reasonable remains to be seen. The marketplace, that is we all, will decide on that. You can't blame management for trying ;)

[Karynanne]

It is hard to please everybody as expectations are vastly different. After a cruise with NCL we abandoned the idea of cruising for years :rolleyes:

And than we found a cruise itinerary on Azamara that covered the ports we wanted to see. And we were positively surprised: we arrived very early and were able to check-in very early at around 11am. The treatment by Azamara personnel was extremely polite throughout the cruise. And contrarty to some people here on the board, we were very satisfied with the food and the service. Actually, most of the food we had was excellent. I personally was extremely happy about the excellent breads and pastries :D

 

And although the ambience of the special restaurants naturally is providing a superior dining experience, the quality of the food in the main restaurants in general was on par. Does that mean everything was excellent? Probably not; one can only sample a tiny fraction of what is being offered, even on a longer cruise.

 

With respect to the furnishing: an R-class ship is an R-class ship; there is no way around. Cabins are small and showers are even smaller. And that is the case no matter which cruise line operates this ship type. And these ships are basically old, refurbished or not; certain things cannot be changed without taking the ship apart.

 

Like everything in life, there is a trade-offf to be made. Large modern ships with a lot of entertainment possibilities and 5000+ fellow passengers, standing in line at almost everything, and cafeteria style atmosphere. Or a small but older ship with all its restrictions but no lines, you know many of your fellow passengers, and excellent food and service at a still reasonable price. Of course, you can pay double for "real" luxury, whether that's worth the price or not. But than one might deal with a different set of issues.

 

We definitely would not hesitate do cruise with Azamara again if the itinerary is to our liking, and we can recommend Azamara without hesitation.

 

Whether the future Azamara prices are still reasonable remains to be seen. The marketplace, that is we all, will decide on that. You can't blame management for trying ;)

 

Thank you for your very balanced opinion. Well said.

[SFL]

I am a past Azamara cruiser (and not an RCCL employee). Specifically, the Quest last September. It was our first small ocean ship cruise and we loved the experience. I will admit it was a bargain, but neither price nor threads falling from couches should determine the total cruise experience. The 2 areas that were deficient were the crappy coffee machines and the non responsive/irresponsible onboard excursions desk manager. We complained about both and our complaints except for the coffee machines were amicably resolved. They could not change machines mid cruise. In the process we met some really nice and caring officers/personnel and cruise directors. The cruise is about the experience(which includes food, entertainment,responsive crew etc).

In July, we are going on the Journey and although last years "bargain" prices are no more, we are trying to keep an open mind about the "new" Azamara. Whether or not the new prices are justified is going to depend on the cruise experience of the "new" Azamara traveller compared to the offerrings from more established competitors in the small ship luxury "niche" for subsequent cruises.

I am trying to keep an open mind about the upcoming cruise although from this board it appears that cruising on the Journey is equivelant to the SS Minnow(sorry Gilligan). Whether it is or is not remains to be seen. The fact is that if the "new" Azamara strategy does not work(within the time frames established by RCCL) neither will Mr. Pimental. Thus, he has every reason to want his product to succeed and will price it accordingly(dependent upon demand,competition and internal profit targets). After April 1, 2010 if you or I are hot happy with our "new" Azamara experience we can vote with our wallets and go elsewhere.

Until then, can't we save the vitriol until the "new" Le Club Azamara product rolls out and not poison the "impression" well for the post April 1, 2010 cruisers . Of course, I admit I will be very upset if the post April 1, 2010 , free house wines are Ripple, Thunderbird and Boones Farm, unless the houseband is the Grateful Dead.:cool::D

[blackfoot]

Thank you for your encouragement!

 

We cruised several times on Oceania R ships and prefer them because of their size ,lack of tacky broadway productions and rock climbing walls!I am hoping that Azarama comes close to Oceania in quality.

 

Our last cruise was a BTB on Windstar- just an outstanding ship but a under staffed cruise line w/ lousy food.I just don't want to get burned twice.

 

Here's hoping- it is what it is!

[Host Karen]

I also sailed the 2/12 cruise and found similar issues on Journey. The maintenance budget and crew has obviously been severely cut, as there is rust visible in many areas of the ship, wood that is crying out for a coat of varnish, broken and peeling chairs (our balcony chairs were two examples of that), wobbly tables, broken cabin drawers, missing bathroom grout, and stained carpets. Service was inconsistent in the buffet area, with some servers trying to whisk away the plate before we finished and others passing the table by for 20 minutes without clearing it.

 

Did this ruin our cruise? Definitely not. We truly enjoy the smaller ship experience and the officers, staff and majority of the crew on these two ships (we've sailed both) are outstanding. We find the ports interesting and food generally good.

 

With the new pricing and target audience, however, Azamara will have a hard sell. I'll overlook a lot when I'm paying under $150 a night per person for a veranda, but I won't if I'm paying over $400. As I wrote on our comment card, the ship should be in top shape if the company plans to charge top dollar. The new president should have planned to put both ships in dry dock before April 1, in my opinion. Not doing so may cause those $300,000+ passengers to take one cruise and never return -- especially when there are other choices at nearly the same price point.

 

We would have liked to sail Azamara again, but you won't find us onboard at the new prices -- regardless of what extras are being offered. Perhaps when the company sees the error of its ways (before it goes bankrupt) and settles on a more reasonable price increase, we'll be back.

[Redtravel]

I rarely drink wine. I might have one drink at a wedding. I did have some wine at a few of the parties in my last cruise on the Journey. Although I am not a authority on good wines, I can recognize bad wines when I drink. With the new inflated prices, I would bet that cruisers will expect better quality wine. I hope that I don't have to listen to people complaining about the bad wine. For me, I certainly hope that by now the quality of the coffee has improved. In following these boards, the bad coffee is a ongoing problem. People have stated bad machines that cannot be changed mid cruise. That's nonsense...dirty machines can make coffee bad or the blend of coffee used can produce weak bad tasting coffee. As a former restaurant worker, the coffee companies will package custom blends for large users. If you ask for a weak blend, you will save $$$. Good coffee is vital in making a meal good. It's usually the last thing you have at a meal. Bad coffee can erase good food. Buying cheaper coffee is not the best place to skimp. With higher fares, Azamara should be able to afford better coffee. The included water (one bottle ) was always Evian. I hope that it still is Evian when bottled water is included in April. Water quality does make a difference. I'll be very disappointed if the water is Eau d'Azamara instead of Evian.

[Karynanne]

I rarely drink wine. I might have one drink at a wedding. I did have some wine at a few of the parties in my last cruise on the Journey. Although I am not a authority on good wines, I can recognize bad wines when I drink. With the new inflated prices, I would bet that cruisers will expect better quality wine. I hope that I don't have to listen to people complaining about the bad wine. For me, I certainly hope that by now the quality of the coffee has improved. In following these boards, the bad coffee is a ongoing problem. People have stated bad machines that cannot be changed mid cruise. That's nonsense...dirty machines can make coffee bad or the blend of coffee used can produce weak bad tasting coffee. As a former restaurant worker, the coffee companies will package custom blends for large users. If you ask for a weak blend, you will save $$$. Good coffee is vital in making a meal good. It's usually the last thing you have at a meal. Bad coffee can erase good food. Buying cheaper coffee is not the best place to skimp. With higher fares, Azamara should be able to afford better coffee. The included water (one bottle ) was always Evian. I hope that it still is Evian when bottled water is included in April. Water quality does make a difference. I'll be very disappointed if the water is Eau d'Azamara instead of Evian.

 

You make a very good point regarding the coffee issue. Clean machines are essential. Residual oils from the previous pots can taint the coffee taste.

 

We found that the espresso machines in the buffet were inconsistant also. Those located outside on the Aft deck did have a fuller, richer taste. The coffee in the MDR however, was not good.

[Paulchili]

I also sailed the 2/12 cruise and found similar issues on Journey. The maintenance budget and crew has obviously been severely cut, as there is rust visible in many areas of the ship, wood that is crying out for a coat of varnish, broken and peeling chairs (our balcony chairs were two examples of that), wobbly tables, broken cabin drawers, missing bathroom grout, and stained carpets. Service was inconsistent in the buffet area, with some servers trying to whisk away the plate before we finished and others passing the table by for 20 minutes without clearing it.

 

Did this ruin our cruise? Definitely not. We truly enjoy the smaller ship experience and the officers, staff and majority of the crew on these two ships (we've sailed both) are outstanding. We find the ports interesting and food generally good.

 

With the new pricing and target audience, however, Azamara will have a hard sell. I'll overlook a lot when I'm paying under $150 a night per person for a veranda, but I won't if I'm paying over $400. As I wrote on our comment card, the ship should be in top shape if the company plans to charge top dollar. The new president should have planned to put both ships in dry dock before April 1, in my opinion. Not doing so may cause those $300,000+ passengers to take one cruise and never return -- especially when there are other choices at nearly the same price point.

 

We would have liked to sail Azamara again, but you won't find us onboard at the new prices -- regardless of what extras are being offered. Perhaps when the company sees the error of its ways (before it goes bankrupt) and settles on a more reasonable price increase, we'll be back.

 

 

As I had mentioned previously on this thread, I am saddened by the comments I read here.

Your evaluation carries more weight in my eyes (maybe unfairly so) then that of some "disgruntled" single poster does. I expect you to be more impartial and fair in your judgment than the average poster here.

I am not going to cancel my A cruise in September, because I love the itinerary (and the price), but some of the enthusiasm is gone. I will try to be impartial as much as I can be in my judgment and I know I will love the cruise b/o the itinerary. It will be more a question of whether they are good enough for my repeat business or not, especially in view of their new prices (vs Oceania).

[greeneg]

I also sailed the 2/12 cruise and found similar issues on Journey. The maintenance budget and crew has obviously been severely cut, as there is rust visible in many areas of the ship, wood that is crying out for a coat of varnish, broken and peeling chairs (our balcony chairs were two examples of that), wobbly tables, broken cabin drawers, missing bathroom grout, and stained carpets. Service was inconsistent in the buffet area, with some servers trying to whisk away the plate before we finished and others passing the table by for 20 minutes without clearing it.

 

Did this ruin our cruise? Definitely not. We truly enjoy the smaller ship experience and the officers, staff and majority of the crew on these two ships (we've sailed both) are outstanding. We find the ports interesting and food generally good.

 

With the new pricing and target audience, however, Azamara will have a hard sell. I'll overlook a lot when I'm paying under $150 a night per person for a veranda, but I won't if I'm paying over $400. As I wrote on our comment card, the ship should be in top shape if the company plans to charge top dollar. The new president should have planned to put both ships in dry dock before April 1, in my opinion. Not doing so may cause those $300,000+ passengers to take one cruise and never return -- especially when there are other choices at nearly the same price point.

 

We would have liked to sail Azamara again, but you won't find us onboard at the new prices -- regardless of what extras are being offered. Perhaps when the company sees the error of its ways (before it goes bankrupt) and settles on a more reasonable price increase, we'll be back.

 

We saw none of these issues on any of our previous Azamara cruises, but the last was in May of 2009 and ships do have a hard life, particularly if maintenance is not performed. I find the recent spate of negative observations disturbing, these don't seem to be coming from the typical grousers who frequent Cruise Critic, but from experienced cruisers who usually know what they are reporting.

 

I am also upset by the recent marketing ploy: in yesterdays mail, we received a promotion from Azamara offering two for one pricing. A cruise that we had booked for May of this year was on the list with a verandah stateroom for $6598pp. We had booked this same stateroom on board the Quest last May for $3299pp. Guess that half of $6598 is....

To me this comes very close to unethical marketing ( and I don't care if other cruise lines are or are not doing it) and I am a bit insulted to think that Azamara thinks that I am naive enough not to recognize the ploy.

 

I will argue that Honesty is better than "Sharp" practice if you want to maintain and expand your client base. I am hoping that we will soon see a change for the better at Azamara.

[Host Karen]

Your evaluation carries more weight in my eyes (maybe unfairly so) then that of some "disgruntled" single poster does. I expect you to be more impartial and fair in your judgment than the average poster here.

 

I must recommend against giving my evaluation more weight than others. While I always attempt to be fair, my opinion is just that and simply relates my personal experience. For example, I thought our "butler" was quite competent, but another passenger on the same ship may have had a completely different experience. Does that negate either of our experiences? Certainly not. My husband was quite annoyed with the salt shakers on the tables outside at the buffet. Every day they were clogged due to the humidity and the tops were corroded. Since I don't use salt, that didn't bother me in the least -- although I will admit that they looked gross. (Note to restaurant manager: Replace the shakers with salt grinders or single serving paper packs.)

 

I have found over time that every member here has an agenda: some have legitmate axes to grind, some don't, some just want to tell it as they saw it, others think their favorite cruiseline can do no wrong, etc. Every review should be respected, but should also be taken in context. It's often helpful to review a member's prior posts. They can be telling in helping you decide how much weight to give to that member's opinion. I try to read them all to get an overview, but nothing can replace your own experience.

 

I think you will enjoy your cruise on Azamara overall, especially if you booked at the pre-April 1 pricing but are able to enjoy the post-April 1 benefits. Please write a review when you return. I'll be interested to read it.

 

Karen

[Whippets]

I too sailed with Host Karen and Karynanne on February 12th. I found the coffee almost undrinkable. It was very, very strong and bitter. I brought my own flavored creamers along as I had read previously about the coffee situation. The latte in Windows was sort of drinkable if you added some hot water to it.

 

As for the condition of the ship. Yes, there were areas that needed a bit of updating. We had our shower curtain replaced while on board. I did see some painting going on while walking on deck 10.

 

On a positive note, the crew was friendly and trying to please. The captain and officers were very visible. I thought Tony Markey, the Cruise Director, did a good job. We had two CC meetings while on board our 12 day cruise.

 

Doubling the cruise fares will either help Azamara with their bottom line or keep many people away......time will tell.

 

And to Ed......I'm your neighbor down in Waxhaw.

 

Diane

[critterchick]

Agree entirely. I made the same comment to my wife on our recent Journey sailing about the ship not having a "wow" factor.

 

As other posters have noted, the Journey is showing its age and in need of attention in certain areas. We sailed on a similar R class ship, the Oceania Regatta in 2008, and found this ship to be in top shape.

 

We still had a fantastic cruise, and were much more impressed with the "software" instead of the "hardware".

 

Regatta had a complete makeover in 2007 or 2008 - I was lucky enough to tour her shortly after and I have to tell you that I heard the angels sing when I stepped onboard. That was a large reason why we booked Journey for a Panama Canal transit. I found that Oceania had an exclusive contract with the singing angels - not that Journey wasn't pretty, but she didn't exude the same elegance that Regatta did. There was something a little brighter about the Regatta decor that really wowed me.

 

As for the coffee, that was my pet peeve on an otherwise amazing cruise on Quest last year with Ed. The stuff in Windows was horrid - the espresso was the conistency of weak Maxwell house and getting half & half was a daily battle. Even at the Captain's table the waiter tried to tell me that they didn't have any cream onboard. The Captain's head whipped around and he just glared at the guy, who slunk off and brought me a pitcher. And you will never convince me that a ship with a French executive chef (who was a marvel, BTW) doesn't have cream onboard.

 

But I digress. My point (yay, I'm finally getting to a point!) is that Azamara cannot continue being an "almost" five star line while raising their prices. Letting maintenance slide, if they are doing so, is a mortal sin at the prices they propose to charge IMHO.

 

Thank you, Sue, this is just what I have been trying to say, I heartily agree. Despite all of the business arguments about profits and margins, etc., it isn't usually a good idea to essentially disparage your client base, raise prices, and generally not dance with those who brought you. Preserving what you do best while making changes progressively might have been a better route. Only time will tell, but higher prices do generate higher expectations and those expectations have to be met in this sort of business or you don't make it.

 

Yep.

[Paulchili]

I must recommend against giving my evaluation more weight than others. While I always attempt to be fair, my opinion is just that and simply relates my personal experience.

 

I think you will enjoy your cruise on Azamara overall, especially if you booked at the pre-April 1 pricing but are able to enjoy the post-April 1 benefits. Please write a review when you return. I'll be interested to read it.

 

Karen

 

I understand your point - I do respect other peoples' opinion and they are entitled to it. I just meant that you are not a "troller" with an axe to grind, as we sometimes see on these boards.

I will report back after the cruise about my experiences.

Paul

[Paulchili]

 

I am also upset by the recent marketing ploy: in yesterdays mail, we received a promotion from Azamara offering two for one pricing. A cruise that we had booked for May of this year was on the list with a verandah stateroom for $6598pp. We had booked this same stateroom on board the Quest last May for $3299pp. Guess that half of $6598 is....

To me this comes very close to unethical marketing ( and I don't care if other cruise lines are or are not doing it) and I am a bit insulted to think that Azamara thinks that I am naive enough not to recognize the ploy.

 

.

 

Ed,

I couldn't agree with you more on this point.

I started a thread on Oceania board about this very issue some time ago. It was not very well received by the O loyalists but I stand firm on this with you. It is a shamless ploy at best and unethical, misleading information at worst. It is simply not needed - we are all smarter than that.

Paul

[gillianrose]

...others think their favorite cruiseline can do no wrong...

 

I take it you have been visiting the Crystal board...:D

[greeneg]

To Diane: We're closer than you think, we're in Raintree....

 

 

To Gillianrose: Actually we're done one trip on Crystal and there is no question that you are pampered, but it's almost over-kill, and you certainly do pay for it. I question how many Crystals the market has room for. I guess that's some of my frustration; I thought that Azamara had picked a very good niche, maybe a slight step up from Celebrity in food and service, and the smaller ship atmosphere that many cruisers had missed since Zenith transferred to Pullmatour. Retrospectively ( always the best way to look at things) I have to ask myself if Journey and Quest might not have been better utilized by continuing as part of the Celebrity Fleet. That way, the would have given Celebrity Customers an alternative to the mega-ship experience. (Can you tell, I do have some reservations about next Monday's sailing on the Equinox, but am keeping an open mind).

 

To Paul: Thanks for the kind words. I also don't understand why it is necessary to mislead or mis-inform. I think that the overall experience of Azamara's customer base to date has been very positive about their overall experience and value, and I would have thought that that would have been a very good foundation on which to build. I have always been suspicious of the real value of focus group in planning strategy and setting goals; it seems to me that that's how GM and Chrysler got in so much trouble-- by listening too much to consultants and focus groups. Management is much more effective when theory is tempered by common sense, IMHO.

 

To Jean: Hi again and Cheers. Gail and I miss the whole group, there was none like us!!

[nikless]

And we were on the same cruise. To Karen's point about different experiences, I had no problem with the coffee...but having suffered thru "field coffee" in my military days, I tend to be more accepting with coffee unless it is cold. My wife thought this coffee was better than the Solstice last Feb where she didnt drink it after day one. (Sorry, Diane)

 

We had a sky suite (or whatever the new term is) on deck 8, and it was impeccable...except for the first nite when during a rain storm we had water pouring in thru the sliding door to the verandah. Apparently the whole side of our ship on our deck was affected. By the time we came back from dinner, the problem was resolved, they had wet-vac the carpet and everything was dry. Very good immediate reaction...

 

I did observe maintenance being performed at times; everyday we saw someone in the stairways polishing, and removing stains. But I also did observe some of the same "defects" that Karen related. Including the salt shakers. The pool does need major work.

 

I also wonder whether they knew in advance that the ports pretty much closed down at noon on Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday for Carnevale. Didnt bother us, but I overheard a bit of disappointment.

 

I dont want to be deleted, but I thought it was odd that the Cruise Director conducted the interdenominational service on Sundays....he did seem to be a Jack of All Trades. I would have appreciated a Catholic priest be brought on board on the Sunday we were docked...or on Ash Wednesday.

 

Once they raise prices, they will raise expectations, and pax will become more critical of the smaller things...I realize they need to become more profitable, but sending butlers to school, complimentary wine, and overnites at ports does not justify the increases.

 

All that said, with the size, lack of crowds/lines/delays, getting to know more fellow passengers, excellent (and healthy) food choices, service....overall it was probably our best cruise experience. Go figure.

 

Nick

[nevernever]

Interesting to read the comments of others in relation to the 2 for 1 marketing strategy now adopted by Azamara. I raised this matter in a question addressed to Mr Pimentel, but cannot say that the response was terribly convincing. The fact that other cruise lines have adopted a similar strategy is hardly justification for Azamara doing the same thing. As I have pointed out before, most people should be capable of seeing through this sort of strategy. I suspect that some might even be put off by it. By all means increase fares in an effort to make the cruise line profitable, but please do not pretend that fares are set at a very high level, never offer them as such, instead halving the cost and marketing the reduced fares as some sort of spurious 2 for 1 deal. Why not be completely transparent, offer the fares at a realistic level, and stop trying to insult our intelligence.

 

Nevernever

[hapzfl]

Coffee has been an issue on our cruise as well and is something that cannot be resolved as easily. Europeans like their coffee strong (rated undrinkable by Americans), and American coffee is rated as colored water by most Europeans.

 

The only solution I can see: have separate coffee machines dispensing both varieties and label them accordingly.

[Whippets]

Ed, hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Equinox next week. Do come back and tell us about it. (It's a small world, I lived in Raintree for 11 years before we built out here in the country-traffic from Latin School got to be too much for me.)

 

Harald-what a novel idea, make coffee to suit all of your crusiers. I was told when I asked at the CC meet and greet that "they were working on the coffee" by the food and beverage mgr. He was aware of complaints. Like Nick said, others liked it.

 

We also had water in our room the first night after the storm. Were you on the starboard side of the ship? We were on the seventh floor.

 

I am working on a cruise in April and a European cruise in October right now. Cruising is the only way I can get my husband off where work cannot reach him and he can totally relax.

 

Diane

[critterchick]

Coffee has been an issue on our cruise as well and is something that cannot be resolved as easily. Europeans like their coffee strong (rated undrinkable by Americans), and American coffee is rated as colored water by most Europeans.

 

The only solution I can see: have separate coffee machines dispensing both varieties and label them accordingly.

 

We spent a few days in Rome pre-cruise and I became a devotee of European-strength coffee. But even by American standards the espresso in Windows was dirty dishwater. I went after the F&B manager one day waving a cup of what came out of the machine, and he agreed that it didn't look like espresso to him. But it never got any stronger.

[nikless]

Diane

Yes, starboard side.

Cruise in April? I am extremely jealous...

Nick