Norway on Explorer or Azamara Journey--trying to compare

[Travelcat2]

Well perhaps that's not obvious to me. We did have generous OBC's on our recent Mariner trip, but that has not been the norm for us on Regent in the past. Do people now routinely expect large OBCs?

 

Good question! I'm not sure that they are necessarily "expected" but many itineraries do have them. Unfortunately, Amex Platinum (that gives a $300 OBC) is no longer combinable with OBC's given by your TA. So, if your/our TA has a $500 OBC, it is $500 - not $800 as it was in the past when you paid with Amex.

 

We do have an $800 OBC's on our next cruise but subsequent ones are $300-$500. Still, it can go towards at least one person's pricey excursion. I think that you'll notice a lot of "new" food related excursions (especially on the Explorer). They are wonderful excursions but not inexpensive. It is the type of excursion where you assist in the preparation of food at restaurant (perhaps they should be paying us for helping them).

 

We have done one excursion on Oceania that was repeated on the Explorer. It is interesting to note that the excursion was three times more expensive on Oceania than it was on Regent. The excursion is to a Greek restaurant where you spend time preparing each dish (very hands on but you can sit back and drink ouzo and/or wine if you prefer). Then lunch is served with more ouzo and wine. It is really a lot of fun for those people that enjoy participating.

 

There are some hands-on food excursions on our November Mariner cruise (to the Amazon). I'm not sure how they handle it since the Mariner does not have a Culinary Kitchen Chef to accompany the guests.

 

Think that I gave you way more information that you asked for. Looking forward to learning which cruise you decide upon. IMO, just going to that part of the world is very special.

[poss]

The June 24 Explorer itinerary has a $200 TA OBC. No Society savings or anything else that I can see. Tant pis.

[Mr Rumor]

I shared the Explorer Copenhagen-Oslo itinerary with my old Royal Viking Line-era friend Jess, who lives outside Oslo. He pronounced it "very good," but was disappointed not to see Tromso on the itinerary. "Tromso is 50 times more interesting than Gothenburg," he declared.

 

Yet we went ahead and booked Copengagen-Oslo while we were onboard the Voyager. Why? Simply because we were already planning to visit Jess next year, and the cruise ends in Oslo at the ideal time of the year for a visit (Jess is already set to pick us up). As we'll be platinum on our next cruise, we'll have a free deviation on our return after our week and a half with Jess.

 

Rich

 

 

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[WesW]

Yes, with our TA and his Travel consortium we expect at least $1000 SBC on any cruise over 15 days. Wendy with our Voyager Auckland to Singapore Jan-Feb we had $1750 SBC (NCL $250 and our TA), then the b2b Singapore to Hong Kong we had $1250 (again NCL shareholder $250 plus our TA). Plus we rcvd 10%+ rebate back from our TA on the cruise fare. Ida spent too much $$ in the boutique, and I too much on fine wine over $1000.

 

And we no longer use AMX-Platinum instead use chase sapphire reserve (e.g., on our Auckland to Singapore AMX would have given us a $300 abc, our CSR gave us $900 cash back.

 

 

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[Emdee]

Yes, with our TA and his Travel consortium we expect at least $1000 SBC on any cruise over 15 days. Wendy with our Voyager Auckland to Singapore Jan-Feb we had $1750 SBC (NCL $250 and our TA), then the b2b Singapore to Hong Kong we had $1250 (again NCL shareholder $250 plus our TA). Plus we rcvd 10%+ rebate back from our TA on the cruise fare. Ida spent too much $$ in the boutique, and I too much on fine wine over $1000.

 

And we no longer use AMX-Platinum instead use chase sapphire reserve (e.g., on our Auckland to Singapore AMX would have given us a $300 abc, our CSR gave us $900 cash back.

 

 

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Unfortunately we Canadians cannot use the Chase Sapphire so AMEX Plat it has to be.

[golfgirls]

WesW, we have been following your escapades faithfully, but your latest post is where you really have my attention to ask a question or two. Do you really mean cash back from Chase Sapphire Reserved, or travel points? If really cash back, please educate me. Wow, the SBC you get seem great, how do I find my way to your travel consortium without breaking any Cruise Critic rules?

 

And Emdee, we are also Canadian but do now have the CSR card, perhaps because we have a vacation property in Florida? At any rate, just received it and are looking to enjoying its benefits.

 

And off topic I know...but I am sure helpful for all.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

WesW, we have been following your escapades faithfully, but your latest post is where you really have my attention to ask a question or two. Do you really mean cash back from Chase Sapphire Reserved, or travel points? If really cash back, please educate me. Wow, the SBC you get seem great, how do I find my way to your travel consortium without breaking any Cruise Critic rules?

 

And Emdee, we are also Canadian but do now have the CSR card, perhaps because we have a vacation property in Florida? At any rate, just received it and are looking to enjoying its benefits.

 

And off topic I know...but I am sure helpful for all.

 

 

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Unfortunately, Cruise Critic guidelines prevent giving out much information regarding our TA's. Regent approves TA's to give 5% back (in cash) but some TA's do otherwise. If Wes or anyone else were to give detailed information, this would lead to all of us doing the same thing. And, since CC is paid for and run by TA's, this would not be fair to them.

 

My best suggestion is to do a search for TA's that book luxury cruises (specifically Regent). Alternatively, talk to passengers onboard and ask questions. BTW, Canadians are able to use U.S. TA's but that does not necessarily hold true with people in other parts of the world.

 

Hope that you understand.

 

P.S. I can say that no credit card company gives cash back if you book a cruise with them but they do give OBC's and points.

[WesW]

Good Morning Golfgirls,

 

TC is right the best we can do to recommend a TA on cruise critic is let Google be your best friend.

 

Yes, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve you can get cash back (one point equals one dollar), tho the best option is to use the utimate reward points for airline flights or hotels (BA, Singapore Air, Korean Air, Southwest; Hyatt, Marriott, IHG). If you elect cash back, Chase will deposit cash (using a minimum of 20K UR points directly into your checking or savings account).

 

For example early next year we will use some our stash of Ultimate reward points to fly FC to Shanghai/back from Tokyo on Singapore or Korean Air to catch the Mariner Shanghai to Tokyo cruise.

 

Also, if you consider that you get a $300 travel credit with this card, consider this another $300SBC for your cruise.

So, if your cruise cost $25K, you earn 75 (3 ultimate reward points for travel expense) 75K UR points good for $750 cash back, and this is your first travel expense for the year on this card you get a $300 Travel credit. You also have to consider you're paying $450 annual fee for this card.

 

If we paid for this $25K cruise with AMX-P, all we get on Regent is a $300 SBC vs $750 cash back for using Chase and a travel credit too if first travel expense on this card.

 

Please see this link (Cash back para below):

 

You can also redeem points for cash starting at 2,000 points ($20) with a statement credit or electronic deposit into a checking or savings account. That’s not terrible, but not as lucrative as redeeming for travel. Gift cards are available but aren’t a deal unless they’re offered at a discount, making your points worth more than a penny each. Using points for Amazon shopping is an even worse deal; points there are worth 0.8 cent each.

 

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/making-most-chase-sapphire-reserve/

[rallydave]

Let me correct a couple of Wes's typos. It is $.01/point not the one point equals one dollar Wes stated and the cash redemptions begin at 2,000 points which would start at a $20 deposit.

 

So it takes 10,000 to get a $100 cash deposit. And yes transfers to airline partners is the best use of the UR points as you can get more than $0.10 per point vs cash at $.01 per point depending on the real cost of the air you book.

 

 

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[Emdee]

Unfortunately we have only two Chase cards available in Canada, the Marriott and Amazon.

[rallydave]

Unfortunately we have only two Chase cards available in Canada, the Marriott and Amazon.

 

 

As another poster stated get a us address or use a friends us address and apply from there. Worst that can happen is chase says no. Really a great card with great benefits especially triple points for travel including expensive cruises and all restaurants. No foreign transaction fees and like Wes said. $30k cruise and you get 90,000 points good for $900 cash or close to round trip business class to Europe among other places.

 

 

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[Wendy The Wanderer]

Unfortunately we Canadians cannot use the Chase Sapphire so AMEX Plat it has to be.

 

...

And Emdee, we are also Canadian but do now have the CSR card, perhaps because we have a vacation property in Florida? At any rate, just received it and are looking to enjoying its benefits.

...

 

At the risk of encouraging my own thread to go off topic, I'll just say I gave up on Amex Plat years ago. And we do have a vacation property in Florida, but I was given to understand I couldn't get a US card down here (beyond our US RBC card.) What are the huge benefits of the Sapphire? Is this a card I'd have to use all the time to get benefits? (I rarely use a credit card, except for travel, and then I collect miles with my Amex Gold which I later turn into aeroplan miles.)

 

And choosing a cruise because we have a friend in Oslo doesn't work for us ;p.

[WesW]

Wendy, main CSR (Chase Sapphire Reserve) bennies:

 

 

 

• 3X Points on Travel and Dining Worldwide. ...
  
• $300 Annual Travel Credit. ...
  
• Complimentary Airport Lounge Access. ...
  
• Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® Fee Credit. ...
  
• Special Car Rental Privileges. ...
  
• 50% More Value in Travel Rewards. ...
  
• Exclusive Events & Experiences. ...
  
• 1:1 Point Transfer.
  

This link has good CSR information to:

 

https://www.valuepenguin.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-credit-card

 

Our go to card when we travel (use for all ship board expenses as we get triple points), no foreign transact fee, plus this comes with travel insurance (rally dave can explain)

 

Am guessing if u use your florida address to apply you may qualify.

[Emdee]

No US address and wouldn't use a friend's address. So no CSR for us. But, life is still good and we accumulate a ton of mileage points with our travel.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

$450 fee is too rich for my blood. Remember I'm only in the States for 6 months a year at most, and usually use a Canadian CC for large travel purchases.

[golfgirls]

Thanks Wes regarding the Sapphire card, we will definitely enjoy our benefits and I appreciate your detailed response.

 

Travelcat, you will note that I inquired about a consortium, not TA as I know that is off limits for CC. Appreciate the responses in that regard so will do some more research. Thanks.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Thanks Wes regarding the Sapphire card, we will definitely enjoy our benefits and I appreciate your detailed response.

 

Travelcat, you will note that I inquired about a consortium, not TA as I know that is off limits for CC. Appreciate the responses in that regard so will do some more research. Thanks.

 

 

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Sorry - I misunderstood. Not sure if we can state exactly which consortium that our TA is a member of but the most popular ones are Virtuoso, Signatures and Ensemble.

[pingpong1]

Wes and Rally Dave - Because of the previous wise and sage advice from both of you (a few months ago), I got my own CSR card/s several weeks ago. Can't thank you guys enough! DW, myself, and another couple are heading on a land trip throughout Italy and GB for a whole month (not all my travel includes "floating around") in May. The card has already "paid for itself". Thanks to both you :D Best Regards

[rallydave]

Wes and Rally Dave - Because of the previous wise and sage advice from both of you (a few months ago), I got my own CSR card/s several weeks ago. Can't thank you guys enough! DW, myself, and another couple are heading on a land trip throughout Italy and GB for a whole month (not all my travel includes "floating around") in May. The card has already "paid for itself". Thanks to both you :D Best Regards

 

 

You are very welcome pingpong1. Lots to learn in trying to maximize benefits. American Express Platinum has very recently announced some benefit increases effective March 31 however is an increase in annual fee to $550/year. Still pondering whether the additional benefits will offset the annual increase and the benefits are still IMHO much less than the Reserve Card. Others may disagree but, it is all in the eyes of the beholder.

 

One often missed benefit of the Reserve Card is that one only needs to make any payment for their cruise to get the full list of benefits while Amercan Express still requires full payment with their card. We are using for the most part our Reserve card however, several extremely beneficial promotions that will benefit us with discounts for the cruise fare have shown up with Platinum as well as other cards so we are able to take advantage of these discounts while still earning the triple Chase points for the vast majority of our cruise thus making the $300 Amex Platinum OBC pale in complarison.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

I'm looking at two Norway trips in summer 2018. One on Explorer, the other on Az Journey.

 

I realize that the cabins on Journey are smaller, although we did a CC suite that was quite large. Then there's the included Biz air on Regent, which is very attractive. And the timing, Regent starts in late June, Azamara in late July: the former would be preferable for me I think, although husband may beg to differ. We'd have to look at stateroom options on Explorer and compare apples to apples on the two ships. We did really enjoy Journey and the ambience of the ship and passengers.

 

But I'm mainly looking at the two itineraries, which are quite different. For those who have done a Norwegian fjords trip, which looks better. I've indicated a few obvious differences:

 

JUN 24 SUN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

JUN 25 MON KRISTIANSAND, NORWAY

JUN 26 TUE BERGEN, NORWAY

JUN 27 WED CRUISING THE NORTH SEA

JUN 28 THU HARSTAD, NORWAY

JUN 29 FRI BODO, NORWAY

JUN 30 SAT CRUISING THE NORWEGIAN SEA

JUL 1 SUN ÅLESUND, NORWAY

JUL 2 MON GEIRANGER, NORWAY

JUL 2 MON HELLESYLT, NORWAY

JUL 3 TUE FLÅM, NORWAY

JUL 4 WED HAUGESUND, NORWAY

JUL 5 THU GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

JUL 6 FRI OSLO, NORWAY

 

(Goes from Bergen all the way up to Harstad, but not all the way to Tromso or North Cape. Then works its way down. Includes Alesund which the other doesn't, lovely town.)

 

 

24-JUL Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland

25-JUL Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland

26-JUL At Sea Cruising

27-JUL Bergen, Norway

28-JUL Flam, Norway

28-JUL Gudvangen, Norway

29-JUL Geiranger, Norway

30-JUL At Sea Cruising

31-JUL Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway

31-JUL Trollfjord - Norway

1-AUG Tromso, Norway

2-AUG Honningsvag, Norway

3-AUG At Sea Cruising

4-AUG At Sea Cruising

5-AUG Olden, Norway

6-AUG Haugesund, Norway

7-AUG Skagen, Denmark

WED 8-AUG Copenhagen, Denmark

 

(Starts in Edinburgh which is a bonus, goes all the way to Tromso, Honnigsvag (i.e., North Cape and to the Lofoten Islands, although R goes to Harstad. May includes more fjords? No Alesund.)

 

Any opinions? (Oh, and the Regent cruise is shorter by a couple of days I think.)

Check out RSSC. 8/1/2018 - wonderful itinerary. All the way to northernmost east coast of Russia. 7 ports in Norway plus---it's on the Navigator. I love the Explorer also however, when picking an itinerary, ship is not as important. As long as it's RSSC. Check it out!!

Sheila

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

I'm looking at two Norway trips in summer 2018. One on Explorer, the other on Az Journey.

 

I realize that the cabins on Journey are smaller, although we did a CC suite that was quite large. Then there's the included Biz air on Regent, which is very attractive. And the timing, Regent starts in late June, Azamara in late July: the former would be preferable for me I think, although husband may beg to differ. We'd have to look at stateroom options on Explorer and compare apples to apples on the two ships. We did really enjoy Journey and the ambience of the ship and passengers.

 

But I'm mainly looking at the two itineraries, which are quite different. For those who have done a Norwegian fjords trip, which looks better. I've indicated a few obvious differences:

 

JUN 24 SUN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

JUN 25 MON KRISTIANSAND, NORWAY

JUN 26 TUE BERGEN, NORWAY

JUN 27 WED CRUISING THE NORTH SEA

JUN 28 THU HARSTAD, NORWAY

JUN 29 FRI BODO, NORWAY

JUN 30 SAT CRUISING THE NORWEGIAN SEA

JUL 1 SUN ÅLESUND, NORWAY

JUL 2 MON GEIRANGER, NORWAY

JUL 2 MON HELLESYLT, NORWAY

JUL 3 TUE FLÅM, NORWAY

JUL 4 WED HAUGESUND, NORWAY

JUL 5 THU GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

JUL 6 FRI OSLO, NORWAY

 

(Goes from Bergen all the way up to Harstad, but not all the way to Tromso or North Cape. Then works its way down. Includes Alesund which the other doesn't, lovely town.)

 

 

24-JUL Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland

25-JUL Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland

26-JUL At Sea Cruising

27-JUL Bergen, Norway

28-JUL Flam, Norway

28-JUL Gudvangen, Norway

29-JUL Geiranger, Norway

30-JUL At Sea Cruising

31-JUL Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway

31-JUL Trollfjord - Norway

1-AUG Tromso, Norway

2-AUG Honningsvag, Norway

3-AUG At Sea Cruising

4-AUG At Sea Cruising

5-AUG Olden, Norway

6-AUG Haugesund, Norway

7-AUG Skagen, Denmark

WED 8-AUG Copenhagen, Denmark

 

(Starts in Edinburgh which is a bonus, goes all the way to Tromso, Honnigsvag (i.e., North Cape and to the Lofoten Islands, although R goes to Harstad. May includes more fjords? No Alesund.)

 

Any opinions? (Oh, and the Regent cruise is shorter by a couple of days I think.)

 

Check out RSSC on Navigator - 8/1/2018-- great northern itinerary, all the way to northeastern Russia. Including North Cape. 20 days. I love Explorer. However, sometimes I choose itinerary over ship. Except it always remains RSSC, where possible.

Sheila

[poss]

Wendy had already commented on that August 1 cruise: post #24

 

(interesting that there's already a roll call for that one, not so for the Explorer cruise. At least not last time I looked.)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

BTW, I've added Hurtigruten back into the mix. No prices for summer 2018 yet, but have ballpark pricing for 2017.

 

Apparently some of their ships now have an enhanced program designed to educate and highlight local sights, like wildlife. These are Expedition ships. Cabins are small of course, unless you get a suite (and then they probably still are), but the experience more authentically Norwegian.

 

Anyway, I'm not ruling them out. One advantage is that we can pick a sailing date that suits us.

 

Otherwise, right now Azamara is winning the battle.

[Travelcat2]

BTW, I've added Hurtigruten back into the mix. No prices for summer 2018 yet, but have ballpark pricing for 2017.

 

Apparently some of their ships now have an enhanced program designed to educate and highlight local sights, like wildlife. These are Expedition ships. Cabins are small of course, unless you get a suite (and then they probably still are), but the experience more authentically Norwegian.

 

Anyway, I'm not ruling them out. One advantage is that we can pick a sailing date that suits us.

 

Otherwise, right now Azamara is winning the battle.

 

Which ship? Some of their ships are ancient. I would pick Azamara over Hurtigruten if only because of the language concerns, set seating at dinner, etc. My comments are based on reading Cruise Critic's review of the ships http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/cruiseline.cfm?CruiseLineID=73 .

[Wendy The Wanderer]

TC, I was in Norway 35 years ago and almost everyone spoke English even then. Not a concern.

 

The Expedition ships King Harald, Polarlys, Nordnorge and Nordkapp have all been, or are being, refurbished with this new market in mind. I still am not sure about these over the so-called Millennium ships, the newest ones, but the enrichment programs would probably trump facilities.