ONWARD and Upward.. our Azamazing "Italy Intensive" Week - April 22 to April 29, 2023. Full Trip Report With Tons of Pix.

[Sleep7]

Spotted the usual Azamara cabin "suspects."

 

 

 

 

😆The famous laundry bag that get stuffed like a sausage bursting at the seams towards the end of the week when give it in for our free bag of laundry compliments of being a "Discoverer."

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Rayner was kind enough to bring me about 20 additional hangers as I like to hang everything.

Fits nicely. Note to self.. didn't wear at least 25% of what I brought.. pack less next time!!🤦‍♀️

 

 

🤫Even though it's probably not environmentally friendly I do like that Azamara still uses bars of soap instead of liquid in a large container.  I rather like the printed daily schedules too.

 

[Sleep7]

Checked out the dinner menu for tonight in the Discoveries Restaurant.

 

 

[Sleep7]

Had a marvelous late lunch at the Windows Cafe back terrace with these marvelous views of the harbor.

 

 

[Sleep7]

Then just before dinner a wonderful lecture on tomorrow's port which was Genoa.

 

[Sleep7]

Back to the Windows Buffet for an AMAZING seafood buffet dinner al fresco!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Shrimp.. shrimp and more shrimp.😋

 

 

It reminded us of this funny scene from Seinfeld.. the ocean called.. they're running out of shrimp!

 

[Sleep7]

And so ends day one of our seven Italy Intensive cruise and it was TERRIFIC!😍

More tomorrow.. jet lag is getting the best of me.  Night all!😴

 

[voyager1964]

@Sleep7 Thank you so much for the detailed review!

I noticed that the gangway was all stairs - did you get a chance to see wheelchair-assisted people on it? 

Thanks in advance

[takemewithyou]

Such a nice comprehensive review.  Just want to say Thank You!  Can’t wait to see the rest.

[wjfan417]

4 hours ago, Sleep7 said:

Check in was done in the Cabaret Lounge.  Quick and easy..

 

 

 

 

The sparkling wine and the lifeboat drill were flowing smoothly.

 

 

 

Glad to see there is still a Meet and Mingle on the schedule since there doesn’t seem to be a way to register for it at this point.

[Sleep7]

7 hours ago, voyager1964 said:

@Sleep7 Thank you so much for the detailed review!

I noticed that the gangway was all stairs - did you get a chance to see wheelchair-assisted people on it? 

Thanks in advance

👋Hello voyager1964! You're so welcome.. it's a pleasure to write.

No.. I'm so sorry.. I didn't get a chance to see how wheelchair assisted guests board the ship.

Every time we got on and off I did see a lot of equipment to do just that so I'm sure they are well prepared to make it as easy and pleasant as possible.👍

[Sleep7]

7 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Such a nice comprehensive review.  Just want to say Thank You!  Can’t wait to see the rest.

👋Hello takemewithyou! I'm so glad you are following along.. thanks so much for your kind words.  Much more coming today!😊

[Sleep7]

5 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

Glad to see there is still a Meet and Mingle on the schedule since there doesn’t seem to be a way to register for it at this point.

👋Hello wjfan417!

Yes.. I was happy to see a meet and mingle too.  As it said on the schedule it was up in the card room and unhosted. No worries about not being signed up.. we weren't either.  Just showed up for it.

It was as always so nice to meet everyone and to firm up our plans for the next day.  A lovely lady from the roll call had organized a walking tour of Genoa for a group and we needed to firm up what time and where we were meeting. 😊

[Sleep7]

👋Good morning! Happy May!🌻

Asleep by 8pm and up at 2am.. I guess that is par for the course right now.🤷‍♀️

 

SUNDAY - APRIL 23.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sleep7

[Sleep7]

🌞Good morning Genoa!

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Also good morning to Eric and Roy and their daily and delightful "Who Cares?" segment on the cabin TV.😊

[Sleep7]

Thank you @koconnor214 for organizing a terrific 3 hour walking tour of Genoa.  We all met at 9:30  in front of the Genoa cruise terminal where there is a huge propeller.  Can't miss the spot.  The guide was just wonderful.  We also met our "pals" of the cruise that morning.  👋Helloooo B &G!!

 

Despite cruising this "neck of the woods" many times we have never been to Genoa.  What a great cruise port and what a great city!

 

 

 

 

A public washing station for the residents of the city.

 

 

 

A specialty of Genoa.. these cookies have a hole in them because the vendors used to sell them on strings.

 

 

 

La Chiesa Di San Siro.. might be the most ornate and glorious church I have ever seen.

 

 

There is a long block of all gorgeous 17th century palazzos.. Genoa was a city with a lot of money coming in and going out and it showed in these homes.  A few are still private residences these days but most have been turned into public buildings.

 

 

 

It's interesting that the buildings were taxed on the number of windows so some crafty homeowners just painted some of the windows on.. no glass.. no tax. Clever!

 

 

 

[combine]

Hi @Sleep7

A very fair and balanced review of early days on board. We were also onboard and like yourself despite the anguish before arrival , everything was where it should be, billed and listed as we hoped. We had no issues with obc, tours or loyalty levels.  Look forward to reliving the ports with you ! 

[Sleep7]

Genoa is known for it's pesto and it's focaccia.😋

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

2 minutes ago, combine said:

Hi @Sleep7

A very fair and balanced review of early days on board. We were also onboard and like yourself despite the anguish before arrival , everything was where it should be, billed and listed as we hoped. We had no issues with obc, tours or loyalty levels.  Look forward to reliving the ports with you ! 

👋Good morning Combine!

It was such a lovely cruise.. wasn't it?  The ports.. the weather.. the food.. the service.  All just perfect.

Hope you had an easy trip home.. I'm so glad you are reliving the smiles from last week with me.😊

[Sleep7]

Back on board for lunch.. enjoyed the daily destination specific dish from the buffet.😋

 

 

Since there were no seats outside the Windows Cafe we sat at a table in the "patio" area.  It's always so nice to eat outside.. the true meaning of vacation for me.☀️

 

[Sleep7]

Back out again after lunch we retraced our steps from the tour this morning.

More from Genoa..

 

A cactus that looks like it should be in Disney!   A recreated galleon that might have belonged

there too.😁

 

 

 

 

A vintage Fiat car show.

 

 

A beautiful archways leading up to what had been a convent.

 

 

The sad lions at the entrance of the San Lorenzo Cathedral.

 

 

An outdoor salumeria.

 

[Sleep7]

And last but not least.. the cheapest wine I think I have ever seen!  To me the cheaper the better.. I can't smell so all wine tastes great.🍷

 

[Sleep7]

Back on board we attended another fascinating and incredibly well presented lecture by guest speaker Norm Hill.📚