Tips for Azamara Newbies

[ExArkie]

We have never been on Azamara, but booked a transatlantic (October 3, 2024, Lisbon to Boston on Azamara Journey...we prefer crossing oceans to sailing between ports) under the Flash Sale a week or so ago. This thread - and the board in general - has been fantastic in terms of learning what to expect, especially as regards the upkeep on the "Tips" spreadsheet. Incredible work.

 

Question #1: Since this is a transatlantic sailing, I understand that the Azamazing Evening will not be held (there's only one port we're scheduled to leave at 4 PM, so no opportunity to do so regardless). Is that also true of the White Nights event, i.e., that it is not held on transatlantic trips? I understood it is normally held in port, so it'd have to be an afternoon event on this trip.

 

Question #2: A few posts upstream, it was asked whether Chef's Table should be booked prior to boarding, which was answered that it was not necessary. Is it even possible to do so? I saw nothing on the Booked Guest pages where it could be done, but then I only found where we enter our passport numbers this morning, so it is quite possible that I missed it. No problem with waiting until we're on board to book it (with the OBC from our TA combined with that on the Flash Sale, we have "money to burn" as it were), if that's the way it is done.

 

Question #3: We booked a Club Continent Suite, which includes specialty dining evidently for as many nights as we care to do so. If we are on board and decide that we would like to avail ourselves of a specialty restaurant, how likely is it to be able to get a reservation on the same day? on the next day? on any day? I will probably book a couple of nights in advance, just to be sure we get our preferred dining times, but would like the flexibility to repeat the experience if we really enjoy it.

 

Thanks (in advance) for whatever explanations you can offer. Meanwhile, I'll go read more of the spreadsheet.

 

 

 

[Grandma Cruising]

You're right that there will be no Azamazing evening (or Destination Celebration - same thing but onboard), however you will have a White Night. Although it's often held on a late night in a port, it can and is sometimes held at sea. You won't know when it's planned until you get onboard and even then it can change depending on the weather.

 

You can't book a Chefs Table until you get onboard.

Its certainly a good idea to book at least a few nights in the speciality restaurants as soon as you get on board - guest relations will tell you where the reservations table is on embarkation day, or you can ask your butler to book for you. We always book our choices on the first day as we usually only eat there a few times, so I don't know how easy it is to get your choice of time etc on an on-going basis.

[blag]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

If we are on board and decide that we would like to avail ourselves of a specialty restaurant, how likely is it to be able to get a reservation on the same day? on the next day? on any day

We always take a suite.

We have never been denied a table in Specialty Dining, but we prefer to eat early (6:30 pm). Once or twice in nearly 100 nights we have had to accept a later booking.

If you are keen on attending the shows, timing of your reservations needs to be carefully judged.

Experience shows that relying on your butler may not be the best policy. We have found that getting to the reservations desk in person as early as possible can usually guarantee a table at your preferred time. But, be sure to factor in the White Night... 

[KiwiAndy]

Hi all.  We are travelling on our first cruise, for 7-days up the Italian coast from Rome, ending in Monte Carlo.   Visiting ports including Porto Santo Stefano, Livorno, Portovenere, Genoa..etc.   Does anyone have experiences and recommendations of good private tours we could look to book ourselves from any of these ports?  Particularly thinking from Livorno to Florence and/or Pisa for example.

[Nunfa1]

12 hours ago, KiwiAndy said:

Hi all.  We are travelling on our first cruise, for 7-days up the Italian coast from Rome, ending in Monte Carlo.   Visiting ports including Porto Santo Stefano, Livorno, Portovenere, Genoa..etc.   Does anyone have experiences and recommendations of good private tours we could look to book ourselves from any of these ports?  Particularly thinking from Livorno to Florence and/or Pisa for example.

Pisa from Livorno is very easy to do yourself, it's just a short bus ride from the City centre, tickets available from the tourist office. All busses and coaches go to the same car park anyway. 

Genoa, you can go to Portofino or just walk to the City centre. Genoa centre is amazing, head to the Fountain de Ferrari then up the Via de Garibaldi, the whole street is world heritage site due to the amazing Villas. Then stop for ice cream at the harbour on the walk back, best ice cream ever according to my kids. 🙂 

[Homerody]

12 hours ago, KiwiAndy said:

Hi all.  We are travelling on our first cruise, for 7-days up the Italian coast from Rome, ending in Monte Carlo.   Visiting ports including Porto Santo Stefano, Livorno, Portovenere, Genoa..etc.   Does anyone have experiences and recommendations of good private tours we could look to book ourselves from any of these ports?  Particularly thinking from Livorno to Florence and/or Pisa for example.

You may also want to try checking the roll call (on cc) for your particular sailing. 

[Turangi!]

Kiwi Andy,

 

Also check the Ports section on CC… Ravenna, if it is on your itinerary, you want  Cinzia… can’t say more specifically on this thread but she was written up in the NYT when we went in the mid 20teens!

 

First cruise on AZ, you will be spoiled! Enjoy!  Don’t miss the escargot at the French Night Buffet and the mussells at lunch whatever day it shows up in the Windows Cafe… I think I went for thirds…

 

 

Nunfa,

 

I thought the gelato on the ship was fabulous! But I have had some wonderful gelato in Italy!  Will note for future travels!

[Grandma Cruising]

7 hours ago, Turangi! said:

Kiwi Andy,

 

Also check the Ports section on CC… Ravenna, if it is on your itinerary, you want  Cinzia… can’t say more specifically on this thread but she was written up in the NYT when we went in the mid 20teens!

 

First cruise on AZ, you will be spoiled! Enjoy!  Don’t miss the escargot at the French Night Buffet and the mussells at lunch whatever day it shows up in the Windows Cafe… I think I went for thirds…

 

 

Nunfa,

 

I thought the gelato on the ship was fabulous! But I have had some wonderful gelato in Italy!  Will note for future travels!

And the escargots is on Discoveries (MDR) menu every evening.

[debcip]

Yesterday I purchased a Chef’s Table Plus Two package for my upcoming trip on the Journey. The price was $170, up from I believe $145 previously. The representative said the pice increases went into effect on 12 March. (I purchased one day too late! 🫤)

[Grandma Cruising]

3 hours ago, debcip said:

Yesterday I purchased a Chef’s Table Plus Two package for my upcoming trip on the Journey. The price was $170, up from I believe $145 previously. The representative said the pice increases went into effect on 12 March. (I purchased one day too late! 🫤)

Thanks for posting. I just checked and 3 table tour is now $120. I’ve added the  price increases to the Tips spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

Edited March 14 by Grandma Cruising

[Mimiya11]

On 3/14/2024 at 12:49 PM, Grandma Cruising said:

Thanks for posting. I just checked and 3 table tour is now $120. I’ve added the  price increases to the Tips spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

 

Wow.  I just noticed this spreadsheet.  You are a rock star for doing this.  

Going on our first Azamara cruise June 2025.   Thank you!!!   

[Morrey]

On 3/21/2024 at 9:36 AM, Mimiya11 said:

  On 3/14/2024 at 9:49 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

Thanks for posting. I just checked and 3 table tour is now $120. I’ve added the  price increases to the Tips spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

I just spoke to a res agent that confirmed this and said the single meal specialty restaurant price is now $49.95 which works out for the right discount for the packages per the webpage.  So the spreadsheet needs to be updated to reflect the new $49.95 price.  Thank you for putting the spreadsheet together it's very helpful.

[Grandma Cruising]

7 hours ago, Morrey said:

I just spoke to a res agent that confirmed this and said the single meal specialty restaurant price is now $49.95 which works out for the right discount for the packages per the webpage.  So the spreadsheet needs to be updated to reflect the new $49.95 price.  Thank you for putting the spreadsheet together it's very helpful.

Thanks, now updated.

[Grandma Cruising]

In the topic about Azamara new offers, it’s been noted that B2B cruises are now booked under a single reservation number and any unused OBC on the first cruise is transferred across to the second/subsequent cruise.

I’ve added this to the spreadsheet 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

Edited April 3 by Grandma Cruising

[Grandma Cruising]

7 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

In the topic about Azamara new offers, it’s been noted that B2B cruises are now booked under a single reservation number and any unused OBC on the first cruise is transferred across to the second/subsequent cruise.

I’ve added this to the spreadsheet 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit

However it also appears that if the B2Bs are booked as 2 separate bookings, remaining OBC doesn’t carry across.

[Rabo]

We had two separate booking numbers for our February/March B2B on the Journey. We had a non-refundable OBC balance from the first leg that did carry over to the second leg.

[Grandma Cruising]

31 minutes ago, Rabo said:

We had two separate booking numbers for our February/March B2B on the Journey. We had a non-refundable OBC balance from the first leg that did carry over to the second leg.

So it sounds as if it’s pretty inconsistent - for some it carries across even if a B2B is booked separately, whilst for others this isn’t the case!

[tgg]

18 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

However it also appears that if the B2Bs are booked as 2 separate bookings, remaining OBC doesn’t carry across.

We had two booking numbers and the OBC DID carry over.

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, tgg said:

We had two booking numbers and the OBC DID carry over.

Thanks for posting, it seems as more people have had OBC carry over than haven’t.

[TinyDavid]

Hi all, we had our first Azamara cruise last year, and really enjoyed it so have been looking to book another, the prices however seem to be a lot more than our last one. One option I have noticed is a veranda guarantee on a Quest itinerary, and I would appreciate some advice regarding any potential downsides we may encounter with a guarantee booking.  We have cruised quite a bit on other lines and been in cabins front, back and middle and not been troubled by the ships movement so location is not a big deal.

Are there any obstructed balconies that may be allocated as that would be a problem ?

[Grandma Cruising]

No obstructed balconies, the only obstructed view cabins are the obstructed view Oceanview cabins on Deck 6 (6046-6033 on Quest) which are behind the lifeboats.

If you don’t mind where you are on the ship then I would say that a guarantee veranda could be a good bet for you.

[combine]

9 hours ago, TinyDavid said:

Hi all, we had our first Azamara cruise last year, and really enjoyed it so have been looking to book another, the prices however seem to be a lot more than our last one. One option I have noticed is a veranda guarantee on a Quest itinerary, and I would appreciate some advice regarding any potential downsides we may encounter with a guarantee booking.  We have cruised quite a bit on other lines and been in cabins front, back and middle and not been troubled by the ships movement so location is not a big deal.

Are there any obstructed balconies that may be allocated as that would be a problem ?

There is some obstruction in these balconies with the angled ironwork. But otherwise all balconies are equal, its just location, if you’re fine with that. 

Edited April 9 by combine

[TinyDavid]

Thanks Grandma cruising and Combine based on your feedback I thought why not take a chance so asked TA for price but they sat on it for 2 days 🤬 and the price has now increased by a further 20% so now looking not only for a different cruise but also new TA 

[fruitmachine]

32 minutes ago, TinyDavid said:

Thanks Grandma cruising and Combine based on your feedback I thought why not take a chance so asked TA for price but they sat on it for 2 days 🤬 and the price has now increased by a further 20% so now looking not only for a different cruise but also new TA 

It won't help now, but remember that you can always book online immediately, and this holds the cabin at no cost for a few days.  If the TA can't beat the online price then they can still take it on (at which point Azamara will either swap the selected cabin onto the new TA booking, or add the TA details to your online one).

[dccruisin]

Just FYI.   We just took advantage of paying in full early for our Carnival Rio cruise in Feb 2025.  We paid yesterday and the 10% of the cruise price OBC shows up in our online reservation today.  I found it amusing that the additional OBC was 10% down to the penny.  No rounding to whole dollars.  Linda