Semi live from Azamara Pursuit May 17th Athens to Barcelona

[ShopperfiendTO]

On 5/20/2022 at 10:05 AM, travelberlin said:

Those are the included red wines being served on the Pursuit during this cruise. The Pinotage from South Africa, the Shiraz and the Cabernet from France and the Merlot from Italy.

 

Ivi

 

 

 

It's been a while since our last Azamara cruise, but on that one the included wines were from actual wineries with the wineries' respective labels on it.

 

Could you confirm if there are other included wines that are not the "house" brand?  Red, white, rose and sparkling if possible.

 

Thanks very much.

[luv2travel90266]

Just kudo's deserved for the effort doing the postings. It gives us something to look forward to when we board next. 

 

I will be on the Pursuit in 2 months and wish I was there already. I still have working vacations so the poor internet does give me concern. I have a hotspot I own but need to be close enough to land for reception. So ultimately buy it and try to wake up early when I might grab more band width. 

 

While it might be interesting to have a fiber optic cable attached to the cruise ship the reason we cruise is that will never happen.

 

FYI Mussels and Frites are my favorite dinner so just decided we are going out tonight for them while we impatiently wait for our time to board in less than 90 days. . 

[laurieb]

7 hours ago, joyride said:

HA HA, lvi, there is always a bird!!! So enjoying your post, we will be on Pursuit May 31st in Barcelona. Will you be on that cruise, are you B2B? I might consider doing a "live from" post also as a first time Azamara cruiser. 

Please do!  I think most of us here very much enjoy reading about others’ cruise experiences!!

[joyride]

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

Please do!  I think most of us here very much enjoy reading about others’ cruise experiences!!

Hey Laurie, I will try as long as the internet is working for us. My hubby has to do some work everyday, so I'm hoping we will be OK. I noticed you were on Tahitian Princess 3 times!! We did that for our 25th wedding anniversary 15 years ago...What an incredible trip that was. I guess the Pursuit is comparable to that ship...

[Host Jazzbeau]

One trick to maximize internet success is to compose your posts offline and then copy/paste into the CC box when you have a good connection.

[travelberlin]

Good Morning 🌞 

What a fantastic “Night at the Opera” we had last night! The small theater onboard the Pursuit was full. Unfortunately only about 10 people wearing masks. I wish they had kept the enforcement of mask wearing in the theater. So many people in an inside room with poor ventilation….
 

Two Opera singers came on board. David Righeschi and Maria Salvini. Wow! Standing ovation last night for them.

 

They have sang the most known arias from several operas. From Carmen, La Traviata, Tosca, Turandot… they were just amazing. They have also done an homage to Ennio Morricone and presented a beautiful interpretation of the last scene of Cinema Paradiso. Remember that movie? 
 

It was lovely.

 

Ivi
 

 

[travelberlin]

9 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 

It's been a while since our last Azamara cruise, but on that one the included wines were from actual wineries with the wineries' respective labels on it.

 

Could you confirm if there are other included wines that are not the "house" brand?  Red, white, rose and sparkling if possible.

 

Thanks very much.

I could see that there is a Rose from Spain called Villa Esmeralda. I have tasted it but it was not cold enough, so I did not like it. 
Ivi

[travelberlin]

10 hours ago, joyride said:

HA HA, lvi, there is always a bird!!! So enjoying your post, we will be on Pursuit May 31st in Barcelona. Will you be on that cruise, are you B2B? I might consider doing a "live from" post also as a first time Azamara cruiser. 

Joyride, I will not be on that cruise. I am here only until Barcelona. Please do a life thread of your experience. It will be lovely to follow your trip and to see how you experience Azamara.

Ivi

[LDaQuirm]

Good following your experience as we're onboard Pursuit as well, sadly missed the opera last night as we did the French Chefs Table which was great fun with a lively group! 

[Mora_2022]

Thank you very much for your trip report! I will be boarding the Pursuit in Barcelona on Thursday and am really looking forward to it.

[travelberlin]

4 hours ago, LDaQuirm said:

Good following your experience as we're onboard Pursuit as well, sadly missed the opera last night as we did the French Chefs Table which was great fun with a lively group! 

I am sure your experience was also good 😊  

Ivi

Edited May 22, 2022 by travelberlin

[uktog]

So glad to see David is still coming onboard and performing for Azamara. He has a wonderful voice and is a lovely person. 

[travelberlin]

Today we are in Livorno. Since I have been in all the places you can reach from Livorno like Lucca, Pisa, and even Florence once, which is really not a good idea because it is so far away from here, I decided to explore Livorno.

 

I have an application for finding my way around the world and I have decided to use that application. It tells me directly from my phone how I shall proceed. I do not need a map in my hand and I do not look too much as a tourist, which is good when traveling alone. The app gives me recommendations to take the most interesting route, not the shortest.

 

By the way for those new to Azamara, on the 4th floor at guests relations there are always maps and infos about the port of calls. Before COVID representatives from the tourist information services used to board the ship. Now it is just printed information, which the friendly people at guest relation will hand to you. There is also print outs with the main news of the several countries.

 

With the help of that app I started my walk in Livorno in the direction of the New Fortress, which is like a park. Today Sunday so not many shops were open. However on via grande on the left side of the road going to the Cathedral, a small shop was open. Out of curiosity I went in there and an old Italian Gentleman, the owner. He told me he was closing and had reduced his prices because of that reason. The reason for closing the shop was because people have intended/broken in three times in his shop. He has shown me pictures of the way the windows looked after those break ins. I felt sorry for him and I have bought a purse, which he said it is made in Florence (Giulia Peralli). Maybe those going to Livorno will see his shop…

 

My further walk took me through empty streets on this Sunday. Funny looking people walking around. I felt uneasy but I have continued my walk up to the New Fortress. Once there, I was almost alone and it is a public free place. A couple of men which did not look like they were going for a walk in the park arrived and fortunately also a couple of tourists. I did no continue my walk there and left with the couple of tourists in close proximity.

 

I have continued my walk in direction to the ship this time. Many interesting places to see on the way. The channels that are like a caricature from Venice, Churches, which in Italy as usual are just a pleasure to visit. There is always something new.

 

One thing that called my attention were the many graffitis from apparently love driven people who were asking for forgiveness from their beloved: “who loves forgive…” said their public declarations on the walls 🤨 there was even one who had painted a figure of Pinocchio with a very long nose 🤥 and who said “I love you”. We all know why Pinocchio has such a long nose…

 

Also on my way back, I was able to explore the old fortress which is near the port. Nice place. I think there the previous cruise had the Azamazing evening.

 

Back on the ship, I had a very good lunch. The special today was a seafood stew Tuscany  style. I also had a good Rose from Italy: Santa Cristina.

 

Thanks a lot for following my cruise and my experiences!

 

Ivi

 

[BohJang]

That seafood stew is making my mouth water. It looks heavenly.

[laurieb]

10 hours ago, joyride said:

Hey Laurie, I will try as long as the internet is working for us. My hubby has to do some work everyday, so I'm hoping we will be OK. I noticed you were on Tahitian Princess 3 times!! We did that for our 25th wedding anniversary 15 years ago...What an incredible trip that was. I guess the Pursuit is comparable to that ship...

The pursuit is also an R Class ship as was Tahitian Princess.  I think you’ll find it nicer, though.  We loved that itinerary!  I’d love to see Azamara in French Polynesia more.  We did the cruise from Los Angeles to Tahiti with Azamara in 2020, it was a wonderful cruise!

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

The pursuit is also an R Class ship as was Tahitian Princess.  I think you’ll find it nicer, though.  We loved that itinerary!  I’d love to see Azamara in French Polynesia more.  We did the cruise from Los Angeles to Tahiti with Azamara in 2020, it was a wonderful cruise!

I am really hoping there will such itineraries offered whenever the next release comes.  Oceania has these cruises on an R Class ship, but I don’t want to go with them!  I want to go on Azamara!

[Mackdogmolly]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

So glad to see David is still coming onboard and performing for Azamara. He has a wonderful voice and is a lovely person. 

Yes, we saw him onboard Quest a few years ago and thought he was wonderful.

[Beamafar]

Hi Ivi

 

I know you from the MSC forum.  Thank you for taking precious time out of your cruise to share your experiences.  I know from doing ‘Live’ reports how much work goes into them.  
 
We, too, will be trying Azamara for the first time and this report is a fantastic insight  of what we can look forward to.  (The MSC YC experience is not what it used to be, so we are looking elsewhere these days).   We will visit some of the ports you’ve reported on and your information is very helpful, indeed.  (I’ve screenshot a couple of your posts so I’ll have the info to hand when in each of the ports). 

 

A tip:  I tend to type up my posts in ‘Notes’ on my phone, then copy and paste them onto the forum so I don’t have to re-write them if they don’t post.

[Baynanno1]

12 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Today we are in Livorno. Since I have been in all the places you can reach from Livorno like Lucca, Pisa, and even Florence once, which is really not a good idea because it is so far away from here, I decided to explore Livorno.

 

I have an application for finding my way around the world and I have decided to use that application. It tells me directly from my phone how I shall proceed. I do not need a map in my hand and I do not look too much as a tourist, which is good when traveling alone. The app gives me recommendations to take the most interesting route, not the shortest.

 

By the way for those new to Azamara, on the 4th floor at guests relations there are always maps and infos about the port of calls. Before COVID representatives from the tourist information services used to board the ship. Now it is just printed information, which the friendly people at guest relation will hand to you. There is also print outs with the main news of the several countries.

 

With the help of that app I started my walk in Livorno in the direction of the New Fortress, which is like a park. Today Sunday so not many shops were open. However on via grande on the left side of the road going to the Cathedral, a small shop was open. Out of curiosity I went in there and an old Italian Gentleman, the owner. He told me he was closing and had reduced his prices because of that reason. The reason for closing the shop was because people have intended/broken in three times in his shop. He has shown me pictures of the way the windows looked after those break ins. I felt sorry for him and I have bought a purse, which he said it is made in Florence (Giulia Peralli). Maybe those going to Livorno will see his shop…

 

My further walk took me through empty streets on this Sunday. Funny looking people walking around. I felt uneasy but I have continued my walk up to the New Fortress. Once there, I was almost alone and it is a public free place. A couple of men which did not look like they were going for a walk in the park arrived and fortunately also a couple of tourists. I did no continue my walk there and left with the couple of tourists in close proximity.

 

I have continued my walk in direction to the ship this time. Many interesting places to see on the way. The channels that are like a caricature from Venice, Churches, which in Italy as usual are just a pleasure to visit. There is always something new.

 

One thing that called my attention were the many graffitis from apparently love driven people who were asking for forgiveness from their beloved: “who loves forgive…” said their public declarations on the walls 🤨 there was even one who had painted a figure of Pinocchio with a very long nose 🤥 and who said “I love you”. We all know why Pinocchio has such a long nose…

 

Also on my way back, I was able to explore the old fortress which is near the port. Nice place. I think there the previous cruise had the Azamazing evening.

 

Back on the ship, I had a very good lunch. The special today was a seafood stew Tuscany  style. I also had a good Rose from Italy: Santa Cristina.

 

Thanks a lot for following my cruise and my experiences!

 

Ivi

 

 

I am enjoying your reports and the memories evoked by them. Thank you!

 

Last time in Livorno, I spent a couple of hours exploring every nook & cranny of the old fortress.

My DH does not accompany me, as he prefers to walk speedily, not stopping to take photos or retrace steps for a different angle for a photo.

As a lone walker, I would be very interested in your app. I enjoy exploring areas away from densely populated parts of the towns we visit.

 

We have seen David Righeschi and enjoyed the lovely voice on several occasions, one time staying overnight between ports, accompanied by soprano Alessandra Tanzi.

[travelberlin]

9 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Hi Ivi

 

I know you from the MSC forum.  Thank you for taking precious time out of your cruise to share your experiences.  I know from doing ‘Live’ reports how much work goes into them.  
 
We, too, will be trying Azamara for the first time and this report is a fantastic insight  of what we can look forward to.  (The MSC YC experience is not what it used to be, so we are looking elsewhere these days).   We will visit some of the ports you’ve reported on and your information is very helpful, indeed.  (I’ve screenshot a couple of your posts so I’ll have the info to hand when in each of the ports). 

 

A tip:  I tend to type up my posts in ‘Notes’ on my phone, then copy and paste them onto the forum so I don’t have to re-write them if they don’t post.

Hi Beamafar thanks for your post. I have learned a lot from your posts on the MSC forum. My husband and I are cruising to the Norway Fjords in Juni with MSC. Welcome to Azamara. It is such a different experience than MSC…

Ivi

[travelberlin]

5 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

I am enjoying your reports and the memories evoked by them. Thank you!

 

Last time in Livorno, I spent a couple of hours exploring every nook & cranny of the old fortress.

My DH does not accompany me, as he prefers to walk speedily, not stopping to take photos or retrace steps for a different angle for a photo.

As a lone walker, I would be very interested in your app. I enjoy exploring areas away from densely populated parts of the towns we visit.

 

We have seen David Righeschi and enjoyed the lovely voice on several occasions, one time staying overnight between ports, accompanied by soprano Alessandra Tanzi.

Thank you for following!

The application is called Komoot. It is very good. I have bought many years a package which covers the whole world. I have used it every where even for hiking in Switzerland and Austria. 
Ivi

[travelberlin]

Last evening we had a very nice show. Four ladies, beautiful, young and with marvelous soprano voices, performed open air on the pool deck of the Azamara Pursuit.

 

The style was Pop Opera, which included well known arias from Bizet and Verdi and also songs from ABBA. The end song was Com te partiro, which is one of my favorite songs.

 

Overall was a nice evening and I have enjoyed it. However this type of entertainment on board is offered at the moment instead of the Azamazing Evenings. And there is where my problem lies.

 

It is not at the level of the Azamazing Evenings because those evenings were more than the talented performers. Those evenings were set on beautiful and/or meaningful places. I recall one for example in the Wadi dessert in Jordania where I have asked a lady completely covered in Burka if I could take a picture of her and she agreed and looked straight into my camera, of course without removing the Burka.

Or I remember another in Sankt Petersburg where the symphonic orchestra performed just for us and the director of the orchestra kept talking and talking and the Cruise Director and the Captain tried to end the evening to come back to the ship but it was kind of difficult to stop him 😃

 

Or another Azamazing evening in Cyprus in a wonderful setting in which it rained, and rained. On that evening the orchestra performed a composition by a lady from Cyprus who was there and with whom I had the chance to talk afterwards. The cruise director Russ was kind of knighted on the evening in the order of Saint John. It was memorable and some years later Russ remembered that evening during a meet and mingle meeting as one of the worst Azamazing evenings 😊 I am sure the reason were the logistics because of the rain.

 

And I could go on… IMO the evening last night could not match those experiences. I understand that it has been done like this because of COVID, but since Azamara has dropped precautions in relation to COVID, I guess they might also be in the position to start conducting again the Azamazing evenings as before.

 

Ivi

[LDaQuirm]

56 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Last evening we had a very nice show. Four ladies, beautiful, young and with marvelous soprano voices, performed open air on the pool deck of the Azamara Pursuit.

 

The style was Pop Opera, which included well known arias from Bizet and Verdi and also songs from ABBA. The end song was Com te partiro, which is one of my favorite songs.

 

Overall was a nice evening and I have enjoyed it. However this type of entertainment on board is offered at the moment instead of the Azamazing Evenings. And there is where my problem lies.

 

It is not at the level of the Azamazing Evenings because those evenings were more than the talented performers. Those evenings were set on beautiful and/or meaningful places. I recall one for example in the Wadi dessert in Jordania where I have asked a lady completely covered in Burka if I could take a picture of her and she agreed and looked straight into my camera, of course without removing the Burka.

Or I remember another in Sankt Petersburg where the symphonic orchestra performed just for us and the director of the orchestra kept talking and talking and the Cruise Director and the Captain tried to end the evening to come back to the ship but it was kind of difficult to stop him 😃

 

Or another Azamazing evening in Cyprus in a wonderful setting in which it rained, and rained. On that evening the orchestra performed a composition by a lady from Cyprus who was there and with whom I had the chance to talk afterwards. The cruise director Russ was kind of knighted on the evening in the order of Saint John. It was memorable and some years later Russ remembered that evening during a meet and mingle meeting as one of the worst Azamazing evenings 😊 I am sure the reason were the logistics because of the rain.

 

And I could go on… IMO the evening last night could not match those experiences. I understand that it has been done like this because of COVID, but since Azamara has dropped precautions in relation to COVID, I guess they might also be in the position to start conducting again the Azamazing evenings as before.

 

Ivi

I really enjoyed last night but I understand how you feel as they sound wonderful, however the Captain did say they will be back soon! Your description of your experiences definitely are helping us to book more cruises with Azamara!

[travelberlin]

I know many of us have been very disappointed about the pre cruise experience with Azamara. I know many first time cruisers with Azamara are wondering based on the pre cruise communication if it was a good idea to book with Azamara.

 

Here I would like to post my impression on the people working on the Azamara Pursuit right now and who are one of the main reasons why we return.

 

After I arrived at the terminal and was waiting to board, I was approached by a friendly lady who offered me some water. She is Ngawhira from New Zealand, the hotel director in this cruise. I did not know at that moment that she was the hotel director but I have remembered her from previous cruises. I have always liked Heike, the previous cruise director on this ship who just left for vacation and I was not sure how things were going to work with the new hotel director. In my opinion, Ngawhira is doing a very good job. She is friendly and attentive. Everything seems to be running smooth and the crew seems to be happy.

 

There is also Juan from Honduras who is my cabin attendant and keeps my cabin clean and tidy.

 

My interaction with the guest relation personnel has been positive. I have met German from Costa Rica, the guest relations manager, in previous cruises. He is approachable and able to quickly find solutions to problems we might present to him.

 

Nathan, the executive chef, together with the people working with him is spoiling us with good food and is responsible that I will leave this ship with a couple of kilos more.

 

The waiters are friendly, efficient and pay attention to details. I have met some of them also in previous cruises. For example Irina. I am glad there are back.

 

The officers make a very  good impression. Captain Mikael gives the impression we are in good hands. I like also how the Cruise Director Ernest approaches his job.

 

And finally there is Elisa, the cruise sales manager who has helped me book my next cruise 😃

 

As you see, I am a happy cruiser until now 😎.

 

Ivi

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for continuing this great 'live from' thread, it is really appreciated!

 

I'm assuming that you took my earlier advice about composing off-line and pasting into Cruise Critic.  The unanticipated side effect is that your last few posts have been set to 11-point type, which comes across as very small even when I increase my screen zoom.  So I edited them and set the type size to 'default' – that allows each reader to adjust the type to fit their eyes [including my increasingly aged ones...]