Ten Days of Seafaring Bliss in the Mediterranean - Journey Sept. 3rd cruise review

[dln929]

I was looking for a good day trip to take from Valencia and Xativa, with its ruined castle on the hill, seemed to fit the bill. We took the shuttle downtown and from there walked to the new train station. Wrong station. For as careful a planner as I am, sometimes I goof and this time I did. Local trains depart from the old North station! It's not like they're that far apart, really, but in the extreme heat and humidity we could have done without the extra 20 minutes of walking we did backtracking from one station to the other. The good thing about our walk was that it brought us down the grand boulevards of Valencia where we oo'd and ahh'd before reaching the rather poor part of town where the station is located.

 

Xativa isn't that exciting a town though it does have its charming nooks and crannies. And one spectacular castle on a hill. On our walk up toward the castle ruins we saw this mural of the town:

 

 

And here's the real thing:

 

 

Needless to say that for as close as we got to the castle, we did not make it to the top. Not by a longshot. The trek up Gibraltar in the 90+ degree heat took the stuffing out of us and we weren't prepared to go for a second round.

 

We did, however, take in some nice views before walking back to the town and stopping at a cafe for a cool beer. The main street of Xativa has some interesting tiled buildings under a wide allee of sycamore trees.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

And this is totally random but look who manufactures the Lucite salt and pepper shakers. Who'da thunk it. ;)

 

 

Peugeot makes the best pepper grinders. We have been using them for decades. You can even vary the grind by tightening up the screw on the top (tighter for fine, looser for coarse). Ours are wood -- I hope these lucite ones have the same steel mechanism.

 

PS -- thanks for a great review. It's reassuring about our decision to book the 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise. Loyalty programs aren't worth a dime if the cruises that earn them are second-rate, so it's good to see that Azamara is first-rate all the way!

Edited September 21, 2014 by Host Jazzbeau

[TxnAquarian]

Wow! I continue to love your review! As a newbie to Azamara, I have been very disheartened by the negativity on this board, even second-guessing my decision to book our cruise (which cost us twice as much as we normally pay on Celebrity). The board has been nothing but doom and gloom. But your words and photos have reignited my enthusiasm for our trip. The ship looks fantastic and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us onboard. Looking forward to your next installment. Also, your photos of the Club Ocean Suite have gotten me looking into moving up from the Club Continent Suite....of course, the price will have to come down substantially on that room type in order for it to feasible :D

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Michael

[marinaro44]

Loyalty programs aren't worth a dime if the cruises that earn them are second-rate, so it's good to see that Azamara is first-rate all the way!

Well said, and thanks for writing this. A great on-board experience is worth a lot more than a free bag of laundry.

[Lottie A]

Well said, and thanks for writing this. A great on-board experience is worth a lot more than a free bag of laundry.

 

Couldn't agree more! For those anticipating their first Azamara cruise ....be reassured that you will have a wonderful on board experience. With or without free Laundry! ;)

 

Deirdre, I am in awe of your photographs and blog. I am on a cruise at present....just a little 6 day break and while waiting for my partner I have been drinking a coffee and reading back on this thread. Luckily I have free Internet on this cruise :rolleyes: :D and it has been a complete pleasure to read about what a good time you had. You are a talented writer and photographer.

Hazel and I will be in Valencia on Journey in November. Looking forward to it.

 

I can't wait for more posts please.

[dln929]

Even more than the AzAmazing Evening (and we've been exceedingly fortunate in that we've had three excellent evenings) I loooooooooove the White Night Party. When the weather cooperates, that is, and it's held outdoors on the pool deck where it properly belongs. We've been to lots of cruise pool deck parties but the White Night Party is the granddaddy of them all. The best, the brightest, and the most fun. Bar none.

 

So what makes a White Night Party my fave? We start with the international outdoor buffet which precedes it. There's always a roasted pig's head and pork ribs and roast pork. The carnivore in me notices this first. ;) I don't know about you but the last time I ever saw a roasted pig's head was in a Chinatown restaurant in New York City when I was a little girl. They seem to have gone out of vogue now, but not on the evening of the White Night Party! Then there are the beautiful fruit displays, the endless bowls of entrees, the enchanting desserts...if there's one thing that Azamara does exceedingly well, it's putting on a good spread.

 

Setting up the buffet in the pool deck grill area.

 

 

Carmen Miranda would weep tears of joy.

 

[dln929]

The buffet opens at 6:30 pm and the clock in this photo reads nearly 8:00 pm. You can see lots of happy well-fed people enjoying their dinners! And notice please that we're overwhelmingly in white. White Night Party is like a genteel version of a Halloween party. We all come in costume. :D Other cruise lines have Formal Night--costume of a different sort--but give me Azamara's dress and casual whites any day.

 

The pool deck looks so chic with the little tables set up on the upper jogging track. Look at the dramatic sunset over Valencia! No one can go to a White Night Party without being caught up in the festive buzz that hums through the evening air.

 

 

 

 

 

[dln929]

Throwing caution to the wind, these two do not abandon their customary red wine at dinner despite the whiteness of their clothing...:p

 

 

The moon rises. The band carries on...

 

 

The sky begins to glow a glorious sunset orange...

 

 

 

[dln929]

Amazing, isn't it?

 

[dln929]

What can I say but that Azamara throws one heck of a party. We ate, we drank, we danced. Such a good time that Mother Nature decided that she, too, should participate. She threw us some flashy pyrotechnics. Rumbled her voice a bit. Made her presence known.

 

Thunderstorm!!!! End of party? Surely not. Cruise Director Tony Markey announced over the microphone that we needed to clear the decks--of course--and that the party would carry on upstairs under the direction of DJ Marcio.

 

Put away our dancing shoes? Not quite yet. :D

[dln929]

We woke up the next morning not too worse for the wear and headed upstairs to the Windows Cafe for breakfast. First stop? juice bar for a shot of Energizer, that delectable elixir of ginger and fresh pressed oranges and fruit. Guaranteed to put hair on your chest, or as in our case, wake you up with a gentle jolt. All without the benefit of caffeine, can you imagine?

 

We like the breakfasts at Windows Cafe. We always eat outside at the Sunset Bar and it's a civilized way to begin the day in the calm of the morning. There aren't so many tables outdoors on the deck as there are inside so the noise level is low (thank you thank you). We weren't more than a few days into our cruise when we made friends among other passengers so more often than not we were either joined at a table or asked to join a table. That's one thing we like about cruises very much. There's such a friendly camaraderie and it's okay to eat breakfast with people you'd never set eyes on days before. It's all good.

 

We booked the ship's tour of Valencia and San Jose caves so it was a quickish breakfast before heading down to the Cabaret to meet up with our tour group (with a stop at Mosaics for an excellent to-go cappucino and coconut macaron or two, of course).

 

First stop on our tour bus was the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences. http://www.cac.es/ Our tour guide invited us to get off the bus to take some photos and Rob and I decided that whenever we got back to Valencia we definitely needed to visit this site and spend some time there. It's unique.

 

Sun rising just over the City buildings. I haven't a clue as to what's in the buildings. Next time!

 

 

Back into the bus and on our way to Valencia for a small walking tour before heading off to the Caves. Valencia is beautiful.

 

 

 

[autumn lass]

Deidre, Loving your review. its whetting my appetite and increasing the anticipation for joining the lovely Quest again on Thursday. We will be on Journey in November too and for the first time Erik will be on board the same time as us. :o The only downside for us that Ryszard is not on either cruise.

 

Hilary

[dln929]

Couldn't agree more! For those anticipating their first Azamara cruise ....be reassured that you will have a wonderful on board experience. With or without free Laundry! ;)

 

Deirdre, I am in awe of your photographs and blog. I am on a cruise at present....just a little 6 day break and while waiting for my partner I have been drinking a coffee and reading back on this thread. Luckily I have free Internet on this cruise :rolleyes: :D and it has been a complete pleasure to read about what a good time you had. You are a talented writer and photographer.

Hazel and I will be in Valencia on Journey in November. Looking forward to it.

 

I can't wait for more posts please.

 

Thank you for the compliments. Valencia in November? That's when we were there last year and the weather was really pleasant. We were in polo shirts and shorts and unlike this cruise, we weren't wilting in the heat. It's a great time to go and the crowds have died down a bit too. I wish we could join you and Hazel!!!

 

Deidre, Loving your review. its whetting my appetite and increasing the anticipation for joining the lovely Quest again on Thursday. We will be on Journey in November too and for the first time Erik will be on board the same time as us. :o The only downside for us that Ryszard is not on either cruise.

 

Hilary

 

We ran into Ryszard all the time and he's such a personable young man. A real credit to Azamara.

[dln929]

Our guide took us on a walking tour of Valencia starting at the market. This is one building that is a "not-to-miss" in Valencia and the best thing about it is that it isn't a tourist market. Or should I say more properly, isn't overrun with tourists as is La Boqueria food market in Barcelona. It's a living, breathing local market and it's delightful to the senses. It looks good and smells even better. The fragrances of the fruits and vegetables...yummmm...and meats that bring back memories of butcher shops the likes of which we rarely see anymore in this day of shrink-wrapped foods. See the stall in the right background that says "horchata?" This is a delicious cinnamon flavored drink that you can buy in cafes and food stands all over Valencia. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-sanchez/aaron-sanchezs-horchata-recipe.html

 

Edited September 22, 2014 by dln929
added recipe link

[dln929]

As if the market stalls alone wouldn't capture your attention, the Mercado Centrale has a magnificent domed ceiling decorated with the famed Valencia oranges.

 

[dln929]

After our walking tour in Valencia we boarded our bus again and drove to the outskirts of the city to the San Jose caves. http://www.spain.info/en_US/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/castellon/cueva_riosubterraneo_castellon.html

 

We were so happy to be on the ship's tour! The line of people waiting to tour the cave was ferocious and we bypassed them all. Can we say schadenfreude anyone? :p This is a cave that you don't walk through; rather you get on a boat and are guided through the underground river. Our boat was full of Spaniards but since we were seated next to the guide he very kindly translated snippets of the tour for us. It was dark and serene as we glided down the river. An excellent cave and very different than most we've been to.

 

The Journey was scheduled to push off at 4 pm that afternoon so our tour brought us back to the ship directly. Another hot and sultry day. Rob and I made a beeline up to Deck 9 to grab a beer at the pool bar and what should we see but a mini barbeque going on. And the very welcome sight of our ever-funny Cruise Director Tony Markey who talked me into not one, not two, but three scoops of homemade ice cream. Naughty man! He shouldn't tempt me with such mouth-watering delights. It was impossible to resist!

 

 

 

 

[url=http://www.spain.info/en_US/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/castellon/cueva_riosubterraneo_castellon.html][/url]

Edited September 22, 2014 by dln929

[Host Jazzbeau]

First stop on our tour bus was the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences. http://www.cac.es/ Our tour guide invited us to get off the bus to take some photos and Rob and I decided that whenever we got back to Valencia we definitely needed to visit this site and spend some time there. It's unique.

 

Sun rising just over the City buildings. I haven't a clue as to what's in the buildings. Next time!

 

 

The building in the center of your photo is L'Oceanogràfic, the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe. It was rainy the day we visited Valencia so we ended up spending most of the day there and had a wonderful time.

 

The City of Arts of Sciences is built in the former river bed [the river has been moved to another course] and is definitely worth a daylong visit. It also contains a science museum and lots of park space (linear, following the old course of the river).

[dln929]

Thanks Host Jazzbeaux for the tip about Valencia. I think going to the City of Arts and Sciences would be really interesting. I like that's it's within walking distance to where the ship docks, too.

 

Next up, Mahon, Menorca. Humor me and tell me if you'd ever heard of Mahon before. I hadn't. We had no expectations whatsoever of Menorca. My research went as far as looking up some images of the Xoroi Cave and that was only because we'd booked the ship's excursion there.

 

Lo and behold Menorca proved to be one of the most memorable stops on this cruise. This threw me for a loop because I had expected it to be like its neighbor Mallorca which we'd visited last fall on the Navigator. Yes, we liked the charming city of Palma de Mallorca and I loved the Majorica pearls Rob bought me there (small souvenirs are the best souvenirs :D) but the parts of the island countryside we saw didn't make our hearts stop with any breathtaking beauty. Hence no idea that Menorca would be any different. Wrong! Menorca is gorgeous. What an island! See for yourself.

 

This is the scene from our balcony. Remember how I said this was the cruise of inclines? Lisbon hills, Gibraltar hills...add Mahon to the list.

 

 

Menorca, like Lanzarote, has some very interesting sculpture at the roundabouts. Our tour guide told us that when new roundabouts are constructed, no sculpture is ever installed until at least a month later. Why? To give unaware and unobservant motorists time to run over the center of the roundabout until they get used to the idea that it's there. Apparently too many sculptures met with road accidents when they were put in as the finishing touch to new roundabouts!

 

[dln929]

Our first stop on our tour of Menorca was to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of the ancient Talayotic culture. Essentially it's a pile of ruins but our guide, an English expat who's been living in Menorca for nearly 30 years, made it come alive. Here's Rob climbing down into a burial space. See the wall made of small stones? Menorca is very rocky and the land is dotted with similar walls. They serve the purpose of not only getting the rocks out of the soil so it can be cultivated and to keep animals in their fields, but also to serve as a barrier against the salt wind. The low walls form a break upon which the salt from the wind collects, saving it from seeping into the soil in greater amounts. (See what a good tour guide can tell you?)

 

 

[CintiPam]

Deirdre, just reading your posts restores some of my faith in Azamara and really is a great antidote to most of the other Azamara threads these past couple of months.

Edited September 22, 2014 by CintiPam

[dln929]

Rob and I can't resist a cave any more than we can freshly-made gelato on board the ship. Some things are made not to be refused.

 

Xoroi cave is something else!!! We've been in caves with underground rivers. Caves with huge caverns. Caves with mirages. But never a cave in a cliff. Cooler than cool. And best yet, this cave came with a bar and a coupon for a complimentary cool beer. Can we see a match made in heaven?

 

Climbing down the steps to the cliff-side cafe and cavern.

 

 

 

And down the path just behind Rob the cavern bar!

 

[dln929]

We made a few other stops on our tour. I must give a special mention to our tour guide, Marilyn. We've been uniformly pleased with the guides that Azamara provides in the ports but she was truly outstanding. Her love for the island and in-depth knowledge of it kept us entertained for well over three hours. Azamara visits Menorca three more more times (2014 and '15) and should you visit, sign up for the tour of Mahon, Torralaba & Xoroi Cave and cross your fingers that Marilyn will be the one who guides you around. You will be very pleased.

 

We had some spare time following the conclusion of the tour to wander around the city. It was a national holiday on the day we were there so there was (fortunately for Rob) very little open in the way of shops though there were a few cafes. Ah well. Reason enough for a repeat visit!

 

 

 

Funny story. Rob tuckered out in Mahon sooner than me. It was another hot day. He wanted to get back on the ship and I wanted to climb another set of city stairs. I couldn't persuade him to come with me any more than he could with him so we parted ways. It was a full hour before the cut-off time for boarding the ship. Twenty minutes before that time Rob called me on the cell phone asking with the faintest bit of worry sounding in the back of his voice where I was, did I get lost, how close was I to the ship...turns out Security had called the cabin wondering where I was! You see, one of us never goes anywhere without the other. That's why it's no trouble for me to have Rob carry my sea pass. He's never not within reach. I'd made friends with Bernadette and Christina who man the ping ping sea scanner where you first board the ship and they knew whither goes Rob, goes Deirdre. I think Rob must have spooked them when he came back to the ship that afternoon without his shadow. Let me tell you that when I boarded the ship (and mind you I wasn't even the last one back on board!) I was greeted liked a visiting potentate. Heady stuff indeed.

 

 

[dln929]

Here a bustling coastal town seen from the Sunset Bar as we sailed away from Menorca. Our guide told us that Unesco designated Menorca as a Biosphere Reserve, which accounts for the a beauty in the island that has not been ruined by overdevelopment and high rise resorts clogging the shoreline. Hats off to you, Menorca. I hope it's not long before I see you again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_the_Biosphere_Programme

 

 

 

[dln929]

 

 

 

[Spursgirl]

Deirdre,

 

I agree that Menorca is totally gorgeous. I have been fortunate to visit the island several times.

 

On your next trip try and get to Ciudadela, the ancient capital. It's lovely. And did you have time to sample some of the local gin? The factory is very close to where the ship berths. If not, that's another treat for next time

 

Hazel