Azamara in the Antarctic - a live perspective

[Mackdogmolly]

1 minute ago, nordski said:

Have you finished the book: “The Wager”?

 

Is it a bad time to ask that question?

Yes I have! And according to the Captain we are in for a bad time tomorrow too!

Edited March 4 by Mackdogmolly

[Mackdogmolly]

Had a comedian performing in the Cabaret Lounge tonight - Mike Siegel. Very entertaining. He was supposed to join us in Ushuaia, but got held up, so will only be performing tonight and on our last night. Nice change of pace.

[uktog]

4 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Had a comedian performing in the Cabaret Lounge tonight - Mike Siegel. Very entertaining. He was supposed to join us in Ushuaia, but got held up, so will only be performing tonight and on our last night. Nice change of pace.

Unfortunately all this means White Night is going to be at sea during the waves which is disappointing. Whilst not ideal they should have stuck to White Night tonight when we could have delayed leaving Madryn and accepted two nights of comedy in succession 

 

Lets hope White Night is even feasible in the swells 

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I was on the private excursion too and found it quite enjoyable, but hadn’t been warned about the (according to my pedometer) mile and a half walk to the penguin colony, so was quite tired by the time we got back to the van. Thanks for lovely photos, @uktog!

Thanks @tmacktravels was trying to track who first made the absolutely excellent recommendation. The site we reviewed and the confirmation we had certainly mentioned the walk distance. For me the last half mile back was a grit your teeth time but I am so glad we did this one 

[Mackdogmolly]

21 minutes ago, uktog said:

Unfortunately all this means White Night is going to be at sea during the waves which is disappointing. Whilst not ideal they should have stuck to White Night tonight when we could have delayed leaving Madryn and accepted two nights of comedy in succession 

 

Lets hope White Night is even feasible in the swells 

Agree. White Night is most likely going to be an indoor event, given the weather forecast 

[Bloodaxe]

8 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I was on the private excursion too and found it quite enjoyable, but hadn’t been warned about the (according to my pedometer) mile and a half walk to the penguin colony, so was quite tired by the time we got back to the van. Thanks for lovely photos, @uktog!

 

We did a similar excursion in 2008 not sure if it was to the same beach.

Our bus was left near a farm and we went most of the way to the beach on the back of a truck, we also had a meal in a barn.

At the beach were treated to the sight of Orcas cruising up and down hunting seals, unforgettable experience.

 

 

 

 

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

We did a similar excursion in 2008 not sure if it was to the same beach.

Our bus was left near a farm and we went most of the way to the beach on the back of a truck, we also had a meal in a barn.

At the beach were treated to the sight of Orcas cruising up and down hunting seals, unforgettable experience.

 

 

 

 

May well be the same place but it’s developed as the barn is a solid structure now and the buses go all the way down until you start the c2km walk 

This is the main house 

 

[uktog]

8 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Agree. White Night is most likely going to be an indoor event, given the weather forecast 

Wherever it is it’s not going to be ideal staggering around at a buffet. 
I think the Cruise Director really hasn’t thought this one through when reacting to a guest entertainer missing a flight. However I’m sure everyone will try to enjoy it

[KFinTx]

I really enjoyed Puerto Madryn. I found a private tour to Punta Tombo that was wheelchair accessible! There were 7 of us, plus a guide & driver. Saw loads of penguins, guanacos, even a rabbit! It was 2 1/2 hours to get there, but IMO worth it. They even had time to take folks on a tour of Puerto Madryn, but I was exhausted by that point, so they dropped me off first at the ship.  At Punta Tombo there is a boardwalk that you can access via a gravel road, so it’s best to have heavy duty wheels on your chair & not the lightweight plastic ones. My chair is made for handling any terrain, so it was fine. 

[uktog]

White Night was moved indoors the announcement came at 1600. The food was laid out on the patio with the tables indoors in windows. The Crepe Suzettes were offered in the Cabaret. We were eating with others and like many we opted to eat in the Main Dining Room. Unlike in previous years the menu (which was published days ahead) was not quite as “special” and unfortunately the execution wasn’t great. The halibut had potential to be memorable and it was but for all the wrong reasons. It was so badly cooked it was like a tough steak. Didn’t send it back, staff were rushed off their feet. 
Service was slow (inevitably) so we missed the crew wave and decided like many not to go to the Cabaret which was very crowded (to be expected) but relaxed in the Den and had an early night. 
I am not sure whether it was because of the change of plans or what but I would say wearing of white was only about 75% (I’m counting anything with white or cream in any part in that %). 

Now for today’s challenge - we are flying home on Lufthansa who go on strike tomorrow. The second leg of our flights is already cancelled but no rebooking offered. This could become interesting! 

[mumcat]

I am very grateful to UKTOG for their posts about their experience on this cruise. Because it sounds so wonderful I have booked my OH and I on the February 2025 itinerary on the Journey. I will be looking over all of the posted comments for suggestions about on shore tours etc plus joining the Roll Call. Thank you to everyone on this cruise for sharing your experiences. 

[Mackdogmolly]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

Now for today’s challenge - we are flying home on Lufthansa who go on strike tomorrow. The second leg of our flights is already cancelled but no rebooking offered. This could become interesting! 

Oh no! Sounds like a potential nightmare!  Best of luck to you!

[Mackdogmolly]

Fairly calm seas today and packing mostly done, so may actually be able to spend some time on deck this afternoon and have lunch on the Patio! The cloudy skies even seem to be clearing. Hallelujah!! 😀

 

Like many with a late flight tomorrow, we have a long excursion booked - a tour of Buenos Aires with a trip to a ranch with bbq lunch, a gaucho demonstration and airport drop off. Should be a nice end to the cruise.

[Bloodaxe]

2 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Fairly calm seas today and packing mostly done, so may actually be able to spend some time on deck this afternoon and have lunch on the Patio! The cloudy skies even seem to be clearing. Hallelujah!! 😀

 

Like many with a late flight tomorrow, we have a long excursion booked - a tour of Buenos Aires with a trip to a ranch with bbq lunch, a gaucho demonstration and airport drop off. Should be a nice end to the cruise.

 

That sounds like a trip we did on our last day many years ago, it was excellent.

[Kitekat]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

Now for today’s challenge - we are flying home on Lufthansa who go on strike tomorrow. The second leg of our flights is already cancelled but no rebooking offered. This could become interesting! 

Not what you need at the end of a holiday! I do hope it gets sorted for you!

I know that the internet access is not always good on board ... Lufthansa say you can rebook your flights yourself if they have cancelled and not offered a change. And you will be entitled to overnight accommodation! I do hope you don't need it. 

Wishing you the very best of luck!

[KFinTx]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Fairly calm seas today and packing mostly done, so may actually be able to spend some time on deck this afternoon and have lunch on the Patio! The cloudy skies even seem to be clearing. Hallelujah!! 😀

 

Like many with a late flight tomorrow, we have a long excursion booked - a tour of Buenos Aires with a trip to a ranch with bbq lunch, a gaucho demonstration and airport drop off. Should be a nice end to the cruise.

I did that excursion last year & it was good. Enjoy!

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Kitekat said:

Not what you need at the end of a holiday! I do hope it gets sorted for you!

I know that the internet access is not always good on board ... Lufthansa say you can rebook your flights yourself if they have cancelled and not offered a change. And you will be entitled to overnight accommodation! I do hope you don't need it. 

Wishing you the very best of luck!

Our problem is we are still just under risk on leg 1 and cancelled in leg 2. We can’t move without Lufthansa help 

[Kari and David]

On 2/24/2024 at 7:23 AM, uktog said:

Justin the Assistant CD did his show tonight. He really has an excellent voice though we felt the structure of his show was weak and did him no favours. Hopefully he can get mentored by someone else as he’s got tremendous potential and is a genuinely nice guy. 
We find the show time on the ship of 9pm a total pain. It means only early speciality dining works, if you dine at 1830 you’re kicking your heals for c an hour and if you go to the MDR at say 7.15 to work around this only the poorer middle tables are available. We will continue to work around this but it’s a bad time in our view given it’s only one show. 
We’ve bounced around a bit in the night. Doesn’t affect us but I think some are feeling less good. We did have fun our curtains kept sliding open but otherwise as we’d done our usual rocking boat precautions eg remove ice tongs from top of bucket to stop rattling , separate the glasses on the tray to stop chinking we had nothing other than the typical creaks in weather like this. 
As has been highlighted before no mid cruise feedback forms only a tiny QR code in the bottom of the Insider and no mention by the Cruise Director to highlight the code (others do that). It’s a shame because crew miss out on positive recognition mid cruise and little issues don’t get highlighted 

Lets see what today’s rolling sea day brings 

While the QR code was from the hotel director I took the time to share feedback on so singer Katlyn as she is just not at the caliber you expect from Azamara. Within one hour of completed feedback I received a call in my cabin from Tonya the CD. The call was unexpected as I noted on the survey no need to speak further. Bottom line we they ask for feedback, regardless of method/crew, do not miss the opportunity

[Kari and David]

Arrived at EZE at 7:08am for our 11am flight thanks to Azamara state side booking us airport transfers earlier than expected so private escort off ship, through customs and driver all staring at 6:20am

[Kari and David]

Outside of daily trivia, bingo 3x, and 2-4 guest lectures the sea days were very boring. Sure you could watercolor or draw or attend a lecture as they always over lapped. Having done this cruise I would h recommend  one with either fewer sea days or a ship with more activities on sea days. While some other cruisers could have stayed on for more weeks there was a larger amount that were as ready as us to get off. Again IMHO and yours may vary. That last night of the cruise @uktog was sitting in the chairs right next to Jose so pretty much as close as one could get. Granted there was so conversing but lots of foot tapping and sing along so hoping her feedback was heard and addressed. My DH and I always sat at the bar and were able to converse with each other and immediate neighbors on all nights. Once in a lifetime, glad we did it, glad it is done. 

[oddjob16]

18 hours ago, uktog said:

Our problem is we are still just under risk on leg 1 and cancelled in leg 2. We can’t move without Lufthansa help 

See your flight landed EZE this morning and will go as scheduled to FRA. That's probably as far as you get on LH. Good luck.

[uktog]

5 hours ago, oddjob16 said:

See your flight landed EZE this morning and will go as scheduled to FRA. That's probably as far as you get on LH. Good luck.

No go refused to let transits board. We are stuck in BA until Saturday 

[oddjob16]

30 minutes ago, uktog said:

No go refused to let transits board. We are stuck in BA until Saturday 

That was a new one. Unbelievable.

Are they covering your expences?

 

Edited March 6 by oddjob16

[uktog]

8 hours ago, Kari and David said:

While the QR code was from the hotel director I took the time to share feedback on so singer Katlyn as she is just not at the caliber you expect from Azamara. Within one hour of completed feedback I received a call in my cabin from Tonya the CD. The call was unexpected as I noted on the survey no need to speak further. Bottom line we they ask for feedback, regardless of method/crew, do not miss the opportunity

I have to agree, off key and shouty.  She’s very young and inexperienced and I was surprised she was one of an Azamara cast. 
I’m not sure if our QR code feedback got lost as we had no follow up and whilst we enjoyed the music in the Den it was way too loud and conversation was impossible. I know those at the bar were more able to talk but even they were with loud voices to compensate- sitting on bar stools is never an option for me unfortunately.  
 

I agree about the overall entertainment and activities programme- generally it was weak and it’s was extremely badly organised/ scheduled. I was very disappointed the Cruise Director was so hands off that work and checking on detail during the day as others do.
Examples included

 

Overlap of speakers - effectively four talking on nature items and too much duplication though I understand the non Antarctic tour group speaker was only aware of the content of the other three well after boarding and was limited on the adjustments he could do.  Les Evans content on Concorde etc was great but that doesn’t appeal to everyone. It needed another non nature speaker. 

 

White Night moved from what would have been a perfect night to a shocker such that it had to be indoors because the comedian joined late and they couldn’t ask him to do shows two nights running so his “demands” overtook the overall guest experience 

 

The watercolour teacher Jane was fabulous but the ship made impossible demands on her re numbers she had to cope with and venue restrictions- she and especially her glamorous assistant Tom were stars. 

For a cruise with so many sea days it felt like it had caught them out and they were just churning out cookie cutter day x who cares where we are activities (especially scheduling a 3 hour movie to clash with the peak Antarctic sailing viewing) 

 

We still loved the cruise even though we are now stuck in Argentina for another three days but there were some misses and the entertainment and it’s organisation certainly topped the list 

[uktog]

1 hour ago, oddjob16 said:

That was a new one. Unbelievable.

Are they covering your expences?

 

They’ve put us up in a hotel but there’s ambiguity between what we were told at the airport and here at the hotel re other expenses. It was carnage at the airport. They would have flown you to Frankfurt but you had to sort out your own onward journey and hotel. There was no guarantee of anything before Sunday so this option although an absolute pain (no grandson’s birthday party or Mothers Day lunch) was the best of a bad job. Just about to go out and find another currency exchange!