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

[dln929]

Correction! Said roasted head(s) of pig mentioned in post #81 did not show up on the evening of our White Night Party but instead at the Officers' BBG the afternoon we departed Palamos. I was scratching my head wondering why I couldn't find the pigs in the photo file. No wonder. I was looking at the wrong day. :o Here's a piggy preview from the BBQ party.

 

[dln929]

Shall we take a break from sightseeing to talk about the shipboard experience? Some random observations.

 

Dining Unlike many other ships, there are no fixed seatings (early and late) in the main dining room Discoveries. Dining begins at 6 pm and ends at 9 pm. You show up when you please and tell the man behind the stand at the entrance to the dining room when you'd like to eat and what kind of table you prefer. The man-behind-the-stand on the Journey could take some lessons in graciousness from his counterpart on the Quest. This is how it went on the Quest: we were asked for our cabin # the first time we showed up at Discoveries and on subsequent evenings we were always greeted by name. Without fail. And with a smile. On Journey? Each time it was "Cabin # please." I will not say that man-behind-the-stand was gruff or even the slightest bit impolite, but surely he should recognize his diners, greet them properly, and offer a pleasantry or two? Isn't that the Azamara way?

 

Food was delicious and beautifully presented. There were a few evenings that I wanted to eat everything on the menu.

 

Sometimes we ate by ourselves and other times we shared a large table. One evening we dined with a couple and the wife was gluten intolerant. Not because she was following the Diet Fad of the moment but rather that she suffered from Celiac's Disease. She commented to us that the kitchen was not as accommodating as they were on Celebrity in that they didn't seem to fully grasp the nature of her food requests. She gave the example of breakfast in which she was given Kellogg's Special K cereal for breakfast "because it's made from rice, not wheat." True, but it's not a gluten free food manufactured with absolutely no cross-contamination. In any event, she told us that she was working with the kitchen staff and that they were aware of her difficulties and were trying to improve. She was a little exasperated that she was having trouble in the first place but glad that they were doing their best not to make future mistakes. I wish I could give more details as she explained but I confess that I tuned her out when she got to that part of the conversation. As someone who can eat everything but the kitchen sink her food allergies did not hold my interest so well. I make the comment only as a "heads up" to anyone reading this who has severe gluten intolerance so they'll know to talk carefully to the staff.

 

In the buffet up on Deck 9 there was a different theme every night. The announcement was found daily in Pursuits. It was a veritable gastronomic trip around the world. A sampling:

 

German Buffet

Indian

Greek

Asian

Italian

Mediterranean

 

The pool grill was open from noon to 6 pm and this proved to be a lifesaver! We rarely bother to eat while in port (takes time away from sightseeing) so if we got back on ship at say 4 pm or so, we were a little bit hungry. We wanted to eat but not to the point of ruining our dinner appetite and the grill fit the bill perfectly. Rob and I could split a burger or have a fresh garden salad and that combined with a cool beer from the pool bar was more than adequate. BTW, bar service at the pool was excellent. The waiters were always circulating and it was no trouble at all getting whatever you pleased.

 

Specialty dining we never did. I suppose we'll get around to it eventually but at the moment we're happy with Discoveries and Windows. We did have several people tell us, however, that we MUST dine at either Aqualina or Prime C because it was an amazing dining experience. Some people were positively aghast that we'd made no reservations so I take that as a strong endorsement that it must be good. :p

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dln929]

One afternoon we left port early (2 pm sail-away) and what should we find at the pool grill but the Officers' BBQ. How we overlooked this while reading Pursuits I do not know. Gross oversight! It was an incredible buffet featuring...you know....no further headshot required....

 

 

Ryszard and his hardworking and cheerful crew serving ribs and pulled pork. Yummmm

 

 

[ellbon]

I have been told it is easier to get glutin free or salt free on Deck 10.. i have seen peopel pre order the night before and they had no problem at all. Plus i would think Windows would be better for breakfast as you can pick out your own food. Thomas would be a hugehelp in this area too.

[dln929]

I have been told it is easier to get glutin free or salt free on Deck 10.. i have seen peopel pre order the night before and they had no problem at all. Plus i would think Windows would be better for breakfast as you can pick out your own food. Thomas would be a hugehelp in this area too.

Robin, that's what this lady did too and it's how we got on the conversation about her being gluten-intolerant. At the end of the meal the head waiter came over to her table to discuss with her the following evening's menu options.

 

On another note, on a different night we were eating dinner with newly made friends and the wife remarked that she didn't see French onion soup, her favorite, on the menu. The waiter told her if she wanted it the next night they could have it prepared for her and voila! her soup was ready and waiting at the following meal.

 

Back at Windows buffet, some vegetarian options.

 

[dln929]

Three guesses what I'm eating and the first two don't count. :p I thought the senior members of the Windows Cafe staff were very visible and approachable. If ever I had a question about the menu (as in, what's tomorrow's soup going to be?) I had the answer in short order. It was an absolute pleasure to eat out on the Sunset Bar.

 

[dln929]

Onboard we sleep with the curtains open. At home we're city dwellers with a sidewalk that runs in front of the bedroom windows so that's not an option. It's a little bit of pain because the windows are due east and thus perfect for watching the moon and sun rises. On the ship no such privacy issues and the curtains are flung wide. One night Rob awoke about 3 am and gasped "Look at that moon!!!" Holy cow you should have seen it. It was like a prize Halloween pumpkin hanging low in the sky. I went out to the balcony with my camera and to my dismay it sunk into the clouds never to be seen again. I was sizzling mad at the missed opportunity and vowed to catch a view of it the next morning.

 

5:45 am. That's the time I was up on the pool deck hoping to catch myself a good moonset. It was still pitch black outside and there was no one in the hallways. There were however, two people already up on the deck. One was a crew member swabbing the deck. Wow. I knew they worked hard but that's one heck of an early start on a day. The other person was a jogger. Seriously. Who gets up so early that TO JOG. On their vacation. Okay, it takes all types and who am I to judge. He was probably thinking what kind of lunatic gets up to watch a moon. To each his own. :D

 

Not orange as the night before but it still presented a spectacular sight shining upon the water.

 

 

I can never be accused of not maximizing a situation to my own advantage. I figured that even though the moon wasn't exactly putting on the same celestial show it did the night before, if I waited around just a little bit longer I could catch a sunrise. What could I do but follow the jogger's lead and join him. 13 times around and you've done a mile. Do a few of them and you will see a....

 

[dln929]

Having gotten up and out at 5:30 am to watch a moon go down and a sun go up, I did what any sensible person should do. Go to breakfast maybe? Mosaic Cafe will look after you with a nice steamy latte from 6:30 am onwards. No. I went back to bed for another couple of hours. Rob took this photo of the tender boat being lower after we'd anchored in the beautiful Port-Vendres. I slept through the whole thing. ;)

 

 

And later that morning, a shot of the ship as we left on the tender. We were very lucky on this cruise because the seas were calm. It's quite an experience when they're not (try a West Indies itinerary for that).

 

[dln929]

Coming into Port-Vendres harbor

on our way to

on our way to

on our way to

CARCASSONNE!!!!

Can you tell I am excited to see my fabled Carcassonne.

 

Edited September 23, 2014 by dln929

[Fredric22]

Having gotten up and out at 5:30 am to watch a moon go down and a sun go up, I did what any sensible person should do. Go to breakfast maybe? Mosaic Cafe will look after you with a nice steamy latte from 6:30 am onwards. No. I went back to bed for another couple of hours. Rob took this photo of the tender boat being lower after we'd anchored in the beautiful Port-Vendres. I slept through the whole thing. ;)

 

 

And later that morning, a shot of the ship as we left on the tender. We were very lucky on this cruise because the seas were calm. It's quite an experience when they're not (try a West Indies itinerary for that).

 

 

You make mention that the West Indies itinerary has rough seas. It has been my experience that the seas in the Caribbean are rather smooth. I am considering going on the Journey in 2016 in the Caribbean, and I am a bit worried about the ship's movement as I have never been on a ship that small.

[dln929]

Fredric22, we tendered in Gustavia and Virgin Gorda and one of those ports--forget which now--was choppy seas and the tender bobbed up and down making it tricky to board from the ship. That's not to say that it's like that every time a ship tenders in these ports. I think we were hitting the tail end of a weather pattern. In any event, if you take precautions against seasickness you should be alright. I get seasick on any any size ship if I don't take Bonine. The Quest and Journey are both smooth sail-ers and I haven't given movement a second thought except when the seas are rough, same as I would any size ship. It's easy to sail on the Quest and Journey even if you're accustomed to ships with five times or more the passengers. The Captains are all very skilled and adept at keeping the ships as calm as possible.

[dln929]

We opted for the ship's tour as the length of the excursion was very long. It's a good two hour drive to Carcassonne. Our guide was very amusing and very talkative! We certainly got our money's worth out of him.

 

Green hills in the south of France. Quite a contrast to the arid landscape we'd seen around Valencia.

 

 

And here, the moment I was waiting for. A view of Carcassonne.

 

[dln929]

Ancient coexisting with the modern at Carcassonne.

 

 

So here's the lowdown on Carcassonne. I liked it. I didn't love it. If I hadn't gone I'd have busted a gut so I am eternally grateful that I saw it because I can check it off my list of "gotta see gotta see gotta sees." We had an excellent guide who greatly enhanced the day but honestly, I think it's old ruins that enthrall me far more than renovations like Carcassonne. YMMV

Edited September 23, 2014 by dln929

[dln929]

The tour arrived back at the ship early enough that Rob and I could walk to the neighboring town of Collioure. This town was the darling of the Impressionist painters because of the beautiful quality of light. It's touristy but there's a certain charm to it that makes you like it right from the start. If I was left with a blase feeling about Carcassonne, Collioure took it right out of my head and made me smile and think "My day is A-OK."

 

This is the view you'll see of Collioure in tourist information.

 

 

Another view to the water. People were swimming and I was so sorry we hadn't brought our bathing suits with us. The water was perfect.

 

[dln929]

I would like to say that Rob's bag was filled with souvenirs (the pottery was especially pretty) but alas, only water bottles.

 

 

And what's not to love about some stairs to climb?

 

[dln929]

On the walk back to Port-Vendres from Collioure. What landscape!

 

 

We spied a stately ship...

 

 

 

[dln929]

Next day, Palamos in Spain. The port is not exactly very exciting but nearby Girona is. Once more we took the easy route with the ship's tour (remember that long-since-departed 25% discount :o). Girona was memorable. The tour we took was memorable too, and for all the wrong reasons. We've taken well over a dozen Azamara shore excursions and have been happy with all of them. All were good, some very good, and others outstanding. This one? The pits. I was livid to the point that as soon as the tour was over I marched downstairs to Land Discoveries to say my piece. No one was there. The desk wasn't scheduled to open until 6 pm. I left a message at Guest Relations for them to call me to discuss and indeed the manager did call but we were at dinner and she left no return number. After dinner I trouped back downstairs only to have missed opening times (their fault not mine as I was given incorrect hours). What to do but go back again the next morning. Which I did. I laid everything out to the ladies at the desk only to be told that they were in no position to resolve anything; only the manager could do that. It took another try to get hold of the manager who listened and offered us a half refund for the tour, which I thought was entirely fair and satisfactory. It takes a lot of time and effort to complain and I can understand why most people do not bother. To me it was more the principle of the matter and I wasn't willing to let it go until it was resolved.

 

Of course now you're probably wondering what got me in a tizz. It would take too much time to tell but suffice it to say that I was not the only one on the tour bus displeased with the way the tour was conducted (meaning of course that the disaster was not my imagination). We had, in effect, a tour guide who could not manage the crowd she had with her in addition to including things on the tour that were not part of the description and consequently of no interest whatsoever to a good portion of the tour group. And then some. No matter. It was not the kind of tour I ever thought Azamara would offer and given our complete satisfaction with every other Azamara tour we've been on I felt obligated to complain, if only to prevent them from using this rogue tour guide again.

 

That said, Girona was wonderful! Even our tour guide could not damper our enthusiasm for it. What a city. It was a very special holiday the day we were there and we were treated to many festivities such as the traditional Catalan dancing. As I said before, the benchmark is "Do we want to come back here again?" and to Girona I say yes yes yes.

 

 

The Arab baths.

 

[dln929]

The Catalan flag was much in evidence on September 11th, which marked the 300th anniversary of The National Day of Catalonia. Captain Jason wrote us a very informative letter explaining the significance of this holiday. In the letter he told us crowds would be higher and that most shops would be closed. And that as in any big crowd situation, to be aware of our surroundings and to take care. It was an excellent letter and most thoughtful of him to write it to us.

 

 

The dance.

 

Edited September 23, 2014 by dln929

[dln929]

Next up, Barcelona and the conclusion of our wonderful 10 day cruise on the Journey. I won't bother with any photos of Barcelona. It's hardly a hidden gem and we didn't go anywhere in the city that hasn't been photographed hundreds upon hundreds of times. I will say though that docking at the World Trade Center was Amazing!!!!! We were right at the foot of Las Ramblas. You absolutely cannot get closer than this. The price of the cruise was paid in full right there and then with the convenience of this docking. We were so happy that we could walk straight off the ship and into the city in the wink of an eye. We love the Journey and vibrant, exciting Barcelona!

 

One last thing, however. We walked back onto the ship the evening of the last day to a big surprise. What, might you say? New furniture on Decks 9 and 10 and new coffee tables for the cabins. What do you think?

 

[dln929]

 

[dln929]

 

[dln929]

 

[dln929]

[dln929]

So there you go. I said it in post #1 and I'll say it again. It was a good cruise. A very, very, good cruise: the kind that brings one of the those goofy smiles to your face when you think about it after, the kind upon which you measure all others against. Would we book another? Yes of course. I'm not any happier than most with the new and dubious LCV benefits--though the optimist in me says I will be mollified with the announcement of tweaks to the program. And even if I'm not (and I feel like a complete turncoat for saying this!) not to book a stellar cruise experience as only Azamara can offer, and that Rob and I thoroughly enjoy, just because I'm miffed at the loyalty benefits, is dumb. Like cutting off my nose to spite my face. And that we won't do. See you soon, wonderful Journey! Til we meet again.

Edited September 23, 2014 by dln929

[Sleep7]

BRAVO!! BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!

What a spectacular trip report! I loved it all.. every word.. every pic.. every sentiment. You truly captured the essence of what makes Azamara so special. Thank you Deirdre for including all of us on your fantastic voyage.

We will be on the Journey in 2.5 weeks and I can't wait.:):):):)

Thanks again.. welcome home!