Azamara Alaska - Success or Failure

[hrhdhd]

I live in Florida, and I got a letter today from Larry P. telling me that because it's hot in Florida in the summer, I should think about an Alaskan cruise. More marketing!😉

[Bloodaxe]

3 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

I live in Florida, and I got a letter today from Larry P. telling me that because it's hot in Florida in the summer, I should think about an Alaskan cruise. More marketing!😉

 

I am surprised you didn't think of that yourself, talk about stating the obvious.

The marketing people must be getting desperate.

 

[nordski]

6 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

I live in Florida, and I got a letter today from Larry P. telling me that because it's hot in Florida in the summer, I should think about an Alaskan cruise. More marketing!😉

 

Now if it had mentioned shopping and fishing....😄

[Mackdogmolly]

7 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

I live in Florida, and I got a letter today from Larry P. telling me that because it's hot in Florida in the summer, I should think about an Alaskan cruise. More marketing!😉

Given the brutal winter and miserable spring we have had here in Vermont, I guess he knows better than to try to market here! I booked my Alaska cruise on the heels of a very hot Mediterranean one, and now feel a bit loco 😜 

[hrhdhd]

11 hours ago, nordski said:

Now if it had mentioned shopping and fishing....

 

The Mr. is still mad that he didn't catch a fish on our first (and currently our last!) Alaskan cruise. 🐟

[benjoon]

Our 2nd part of our B2B isn’t as good as the first. There are certainly ironing out to be done. Haines was a late arrival and when we went on tours most things were closed. It was white night and our tour didn’t get back until it was over. Due to strong winds we couldn’t tie up at the dock and had a surprise tender. We arrive at Ketchikan at 1pm. Our tour doesn’t finish until 8pm.

 

Now we have lost the satellite tv stations. We don’t spend must time watching but it would be nice to catch up on the news. They are planning to change the antenna in the next couple of days. The movies are just the same as the previous cruise.

[benjoon]

Latest is we have just tried to get into Victoria but the winds are too strong so we can’t go in. No Amazing Evening for us now. We were looking forward to it.

[Cruise Junky]

32 minutes ago, benjoon said:

Latest is we have just tried to get into Victoria but the winds are too strong so we can’t go in. No Amazing Evening for us now. We were looking forward to it.

weird, it's not exactly gusting.  Our ferries are the first to get delayed or cancelled with any kind of wind.  Sorry to hear they're having issues but better to be safe I guess.

 

 

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

3 hours ago, benjoon said:

Latest is we have just tried to get into Victoria but the winds are too strong so we can’t go in. No Amazing Evening for us now. We were looking forward to it.

So sorry you’re missing your Azamazing Evening! And sounds like this cruise has had its share of rough patches. Any highlights?

[Redtravel]

That is so sad. Unfortunately, it happens. Just did a cruise on Another line that had to skip 2 ports due to a storm.  We were docked in Oporto for 3 days waiting out the bomb cyclone storm. When we finally got under way, the seas were very rough. You had a real struggle to stand up.  Got some compensation which was nice.  I have been on other cruise lines that changed ports or skipped them that never gave us anything.  It is a gamble on any cruise. I hope that my next cruise is in calmer seas.

[donaldsc]

On 5/16/2019 at 3:25 PM, BBMacLaird said:

 

I wouldn't say 'one and done'.  Alaska is a beautiful destination and for many it's a must-do, especially for fans of our North American gold rush history, and lovers of nature and wildlife. 

 

I think the "one and done" comment was with regard to Azamara being "one and done", not visiting AK as a "one and done".

 

DON

[benjoon]

Hubbard Glacier was an absolute highlight. We got in really close. Even Captain Magnus was thrilled. The real highlight was the crew. Through all the changes they kept a smile on their faces. Even the passengers took it in their strides and enjoyed what we had. Full credit the the crew which I’m sure keeps everyone coming back. We have booked a future cruise with Azamara.

[lovecruzin]

19 minutes ago, benjoon said:

Hubbard Glacier was an absolute highlight. We got in really close. Even Captain Magnus was thrilled. The real highlight was the crew. Through all the changes they kept a smile on their faces. Even the passengers took it in their strides and enjoyed what we had. Full credit the the crew which I’m sure keeps everyone coming back. We have booked a future cruise with Azamara.

Great that you could get in close, it is spectacular to see the calving.

Dissapointed that we don't go to a glacier on the July 2 cruise, I knew when I booked and have second guessed my decision but I know we will have a great time anyway. And yes, part of the reason for going back is the crew.

[goldiemom]

So sorry you did not get into Victoria on Monday.  Beautiful day in Victoria.  Hubby and I were on Grand Princess docked at Victoria that day.  We saw the Quest as we reboarded and left.  A tug was holding the Quest in position.  That evening our Captain made a remark about how the Quest was having issues.  We will be on her next year.

[lovecruzin]

12 minutes ago, goldiemom said:

So sorry you did not get into Victoria on Monday.  Beautiful day in Victoria.  Hubby and I were on Grand Princess docked at Victoria that day.  We saw the Quest as we reboarded and left.  A tug was holding the Quest in position.  That evening our Captain made a remark about how the Quest was having issues.  We will be on her next year.

 

Just had to comment on your post, we live in EDH also! Small world!

We have a golden, if that is what your screen name refers to!

[goldiemom]

Hi lovecruzin!  We have lived in EDH for over 25 years.  Used to live in Fairchild Village.  Now live in new Heritage community near Four Season's south of 50.  Yes, we have a golden.  I have volunteered at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue for over 18 years.  Our current golden is a rescue.

[lovecruzin]

On 6/5/2019 at 10:47 PM, goldiemom said:

Hi lovecruzin!  We have lived in EDH for over 25 years.  Used to live in Fairchild Village.  Now live in new Heritage community near Four Season's south of 50.  Yes, we have a golden.  I have volunteered at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue for over 18 years.  Our current golden is a rescue.

 

We have looked (driven by) Heritage. After 20 years we are looking at moving but not sure if we’ll stay in the area. I am tired of the summer heat, i guess we could just cruise July and Aug!

[Sujormik]

On 6/4/2019 at 12:18 AM, benjoon said:

Hubbard Glacier was an absolute highlight. We got in really close. Even Captain Magnus was thrilled. The real highlight was the crew. Through all the changes they kept a smile on their faces. Even the passengers took it in their strides and enjoyed what we had. Full credit the the crew which I’m sure keeps everyone coming back. We have booked a future cruise with Azamara.

So how WAS the cruise? I’m kind of annoyed about the prices dropping and the many rescheduling on my July 20 sailing. We were talked into azamara and don’t feel so great that they’re in one and done mode.  And then there’s the boarding pass snafu. They won’t let my TA print our boarding passes and said we need to use their app.  But the app doesn’t work on Quest.  Having serious concerns about it.

[lovecruzin]

1 hour ago, Sujormik said:

So how WAS the cruise? I’m kind of annoyed about the prices dropping and the many rescheduling on my July 20 sailing. We were talked into azamara and don’t feel so great that they’re in one and done mode.  And then there’s the boarding pass snafu. They won’t let my TA print our boarding passes and said we need to use their app.  But the app doesn’t work on Quest.  Having serious concerns about it.

 

Sailing on 7/2 ...We did online check in on our home computer. We did not do the pictures however, we were able to print our Boarding Pass.

[Grandma Cruising]

3 hours ago, Sujormik said:

So how WAS the cruise? I’m kind of annoyed about the prices dropping and the many rescheduling on my July 20 sailing. We were talked into azamara and don’t feel so great that they’re in one and done mode.  And then there’s the boarding pass snafu. They won’t let my TA print our boarding passes and said we need to use their app.  But the app doesn’t work on Quest.  Having serious concerns about it.

You should be able to print them yourselves. Go to the very bottom of the Azamara website and look for ‘Online Check In’ in the ‘Booked’ column, click on that then sign in or set up an account and you should be able to print the passes.

[Redtravel]

Looking forward to Alaska on Quest.  With all the choices of ways to sail in Alaska, Azamara fit our needs better than the hoard of other ships sailing there. We like the small ship and longer than a week.  We sailed to Alaska 20 years ago on RCCL.  Had a good time and decided to revisit. The fares were attractive. The dates were perfect to celebrate our 50th anniversary. The ports were good. Other close contenders were Crystal and Seabourn. HAL has the best of most things in Alaska.  Their ships are too big.  Many cruise lines opted for Alaska this summer after a disappointing summer last year when European travel was down.  We went to Europe last year and found it nicely empty.  Just hope that the ports are not too crowded.  We booked excursions in some ports.

[NewPennCruiser]

We just got back from the inaugural Alaska cruise like a few on here have stated and we had a great time.  We had done Alaska twice before on Princess and to be honest, they along with HAL really own Alaska, but we wanted to try a small ship experience and always enjoy the top notch Azamara hospitality.   From our perspective the cruise was fantastic and we enjoyed stopping at some new ports like Icy Strait Point, Haines, Hoonah and Sitka.  The weather wasn't all that great and as stated previously, we missed Victoria and the AzAmazing evening, but I felt more sorry for Azamara out of the mess than anyone as I'm sure they had spent a lot of money to plan for that event at the Royal BC Museum.

 

There was a previous post about boarding passes and using the app.   I didn't even know they had an app.   We just checked in online before the cruise and printed our own passes.  It will ask you to attach a picture but you don't need to.  They will do it for you at embarkation.   Embarkation with Azamara is so easy anyway, I'm not sure how much time it really saves by doing your own picture.

 

That said, I'm sure all of you looking forward to your cruise in Alaska this season will have a great time and from our perspective, the usual hospitality and great service by the crew will be there for you and we really enjoyed smaller tours and just the general vibe of a small ship.   Enjoy and Happy Cruising!   If you have any questions, let me know.  I miss my numerous stops at Mosaic Cafe everyday and I'm still going through withdrawal.    Dave

[maggie.1008]

We are on the July 20th cruise after being away from Azamara for 6 years. We have been on 6 Alaska cruises. We live in the desert where it is over 100 degrees in the summer. We look forward to the cool Alaska weather. 

 

Glad to hear Azamara still has the best crew at sea. 

Did you have a white night party ? 

[NewPennCruiser]

7 minutes ago, maggie.1008 said:

We are on the July 20th cruise after being away from Azamara for 6 years. We have been on 6 Alaska cruises. We live in the desert where it is over 100 degrees in the summer. We look forward to the cool Alaska weather. 

 

Glad to hear Azamara still has the best crew at sea. 

Did you have a white night party ? 

We did but it wasn't planned out very well.   Of the late night stays we had, they said that the only port we could do it in was Haines.   However, our time in Haines was 5pm to Late.   Since we didn't get there until 5, if you wanted to do an excursion, you would leave the ship and miss the White Night dinner.   To add to the issue, once we got to Haines, there were gale force winds and we couldn't dock so at the last minute we needed to tender which delayed people getting to excursions and it seemed like at least half the ship got off.  Once the White Night started, there were not many people there which is unlike most times yet they still set up it up for a large crowd and had the full buffet.   We stayed on the ship and enjoyed it and as the night went on and people returned to the ship, it did get more crowded.  They still had a local Native group come on for entertainment and had the full dance band, etc.   It was still fun but not your normal White Night Party and I know a lot of folks who got off the ship were upset that it conflicted with tours.   Also, since we got to Haines after 5, the town was pretty much shut down.  I assume they will try to avoid this situation again in the future.

[PAtravelbug]

We did have a white night party and it was outdoors!   They had trouble scheduling it as two of the ports that we had scheduled did not allow music on decks or even announcements.    We arrived in Haines at 5pm and the White Night Party was that same night.    People who had booked tours missed the evening.   I went ashore and to explore the town and was back on board in time for the performers to sing and the buffet was kept open longer than usual.   I enjoyed the "Colder weather" cruise.      I was a wonderful cruise and I would go back on the same ship in a heartbeat.   Since it was an LCV cruise, Azamara made it extra special and, of course, the crew is amazing.  I would much rather do Alaska on a smaller ship like Azamara than any of the larger ships that we saw along with us.