Breakfast in Windows was followed by an immersion session in the Drawing Room, hosted by Edie Bornst

Breakfast in Windows was followed by an immersion session in the Drawing Room, hosted by Edie Bornstein, who joined Azamara as VP of Marketing in September 2009. One of the first policy implementations the line made after its executive restructuring was to eliminate "nickel and diming" by adding the inclusive boutique wines, bottled water, specialty coffees, gratuities, local shuttles, free of charge access for suite guests to the specialty restaurants, two bottles of liquor for suite guests, etc. Azamara Club Cruises positions itself as an "up market" product (which basically lands it between "luxury" and "premium") and considers ohare airport thrifty car rental parking its only true competition to be "boutique hotels" versus other cruise lines. When asked about Oceania, which operates three former "R ships" in a similar market, she compared the hardware to aircraft, where one company's 747 is a completely different entity from another's. Azamara's current passenger make up is 56% American, 11% Canadian and 33 % International (namely U.K., Australian, German and Scandinavian).
Following lunch in Discoveries where we gazed over the AZAMARA JOURNEY's wake, I attended ohare airport thrifty car rental parking a special cooking demonstration hosted by executive chef Frederic Camonin. His assistant Zachary fashioned a special lobster and melon appetizer while Camonin, who oversees three sous chefs (one each for Discoveries, Prime C and Aquilina), five chefs and 58 cooks, sizzled up a caramelized fillet mignon. A few bytes about Azamara's cuisine: All of its beef is aged a minimum of 34 days; no MSG or tenderizers are used; all stocks and soups are made from scratch on board ship; no canned or frozen vegetables; local ingredients are used whenever possible (for instance, fresh Baja shrimp and fish were purchased from local vendors during our cruise).
Captain Johannes Tysse hosted a special bridge tour that afternoon. It was great to meet one of Norway's leading seafarers a confident, kind and much respected master mariner. Young Tysse was smitten with the sea upon hearing his grandfather's tales of crossing to America on Norwegian American Line's STAVANGERFORD. After serving in the Royal Norwegian Navy, he attended the Merchant Marine Academy and began his seagoing career on tankers and other "working" ships. In 1996, he joined his first cruise ship and never looked back, having served as an officer with Windstar, Seabourn and Sea Dream before joining Azamara in 2010. Although a native of the near-Bergen island of Osteroy, ohare airport thrifty car rental parking Captain Tysse now lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his beautiful wife Tonya (whom he met on board the WIND STAR in 1989), their shih tzu Bella and Maine Coon cat Brother.
I had a lovely creme brulée but the hand's-down winner dessert was Rob's banana cheese cake. All in all, one of the best dinners on the seven seas for a mere $15 additional tariff (but at no charge to suite guests).
Although the coffee ohare airport thrifty car rental parking in the main dining venues is better than most shipboard Joe, the specialty coffees from Cafe Mosaic are well worth seeking out. I began most mornings with a double shot cappuccino to go and returned in the early afternoon for an espresso booster, accompanied ohare airport thrifty car rental parking by bite-sized sandwiches on mini boules and croissants in the elegant surrounds overlooking the "TITANIC staircase". All included in the fare and delivered with a smile by a friendly and hard working team of baristas.
The day's first media immersion session was hosted by Claudius Docekal, head of Azamara's Deployment and Destinations. Claudius explained his process of selecting the ports visited by the Azamara fleet, each vetted for the following: sales appeal; air capacity for U.S., Europe and Australia; environmentally-friendly waste disposal; safety and bunkering availability. His itineraries take effect in April of 2011 and will, over the course of a year, take two ships to five continents, 58 countries and 187 ports, 37 of which will be maiden calls. The itineraries will blend familiar but popular "must see" places with new and exciting calls, combining overnight stays. Azamara Club itineraries spend 57% more time in port than most ships and offer special tailor-made ohare airport thrifty car rental parking excursions such as a night tour with a special concert, wine and light meal at Ephesus, a two night stay in Rio during Carnivale, a visit to Monaco during the Grand Prix, golf cruise programs coordinated with Perry Golf for the British Open, Eco Hikes in a number of exotic locales and much more.
Our next immersion was hosted by Lesley Philippot of Triple S Consultancy, an outside firm that specializes in contemporary butler service training and global concierge ohare airport thrifty car rental parking services. Azamara originally provided butler services for all guests but with limited success. With the restructuring of the brand, the line decided to narrow the focus to better butler service for just the suite guests and brought in Triple S, which provided training and staff for some of the world's poshest super yachts, including Paul Allen's jaw-dropping OCTOPUS. Proper etiquette, quickly learning and responding to guest's needs, ohare airport thrifty car rental parking discretion, barista training and wine knowledge are all overseen by Triple S. Our "lesson" was synchronized serving, alas, rendered with varying degrees of success
From the first night's dinner, we were smitten with Romanian somellier Laurentia Tache. ohare airport thrifty car rental parking She is an enthusiastic, ohare airport thrifty car rental parking charming, "no nonsense" lady that adores wine and the art of pairing it with the right courses. ohare airport thrifty car rental parking Our group gathered in Prime C to sample two whites and two reds from the included ohare airport thrifty car rental parking boutique wine selections.
As we swirled, sniffed and palate-cleansed our way through the four vintages, Laurentia ohare airport thrifty car rental parking quizzed us on the aromas and provided just the right amount of historic background as well as suggestions on pairing.
When we stumbled out into the fresh air, AZAMARA JOURNEY was passing the white sand beaches and rocky outcrops of Cabo San Lucas. We were transitioning from the deep blue Pacific into the emerald waters of the Sea of Cortez.
Another very, very special Azamara Club experience are the "Best of the Best" dinners offered to the top 20 suite guests one night during each cruise. Hosted by the captain and key officers and staff, it is a supremely elegant ohare airport thrifty car rental parking affair that transforms the Drawing Room from Edwardian Library to Banquet Hall. We were greeted with a glass of champagne as harpist Jacqueline Dolan plucked away.
Moments after we were seated, the Amuse Bouche, a chicken's egg shell stuffed with caviar and salmon was synchronously served. Its wine pairing was a Michel Redde Pouilly Fumé Sauvignon ohare airport thrifty car rental parking Blanc from La Maynerie, France. The next course was a Marinated Blue Crab with Melon-Orange Dressing and Lobster Medallion and Herb-Phyllo Crisp perfectly ohare airport thrifty car rental parking paired with a J H Selbach Fish Label Riesling from Mosel, Germany. Hmmm, didn't think I'd like that Riesling but was once again proven ohare airport thrifty car rental parking delightfully wrong.
Entrée choices included veal and a succulent Chilean Sea Bass on Aubergine Caviar with Saffron Porcini Risotto and Bell Pepper ohare airport thrifty car rental parking Coulis with Basil Oil paired with a Brancott Reserve Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand. As delectable as the food and wine were, the company was even more delightful. The AZAMARA JOURNEY's lovely "first lady" Tonya Tysse was directly ohare airport thrifty car rental parking to my right. She mentioned having worked on the entertainment staff of various cruise ships and asked if I knew of the "old" SS ROTTERDAM. I had made a new friend .
The Chef's Surprise dessert was a multi-layered and decadent combination of white and dark chocolate-encased tiramisu accompanied by a Chocolate Vodka-Tini. By the time the Petits Fours arrived, I was in need of a stretcher.
The Looking Glass Lounge seats 102 and overlooks the bow from the vantage of Deck 10. The starboard alcove is a card room and the port side offers quiet nooks for reading or just staring out to sea. In its center is a dancefloor and DJ booth, all served by a bar, just aft.
The line up of public rooms on Deck 5 begins with the Cabaret show lounge, accommodating 350. It features a large parquet dance floor, terraced banked seating and a sunken bar. This is the venue for port and enrichment lectures and twice per evening shows, which range from guest pianists and singers to comedians and Broadway-style revues. The AZAMARA JOURNEY has a high-spirited, talented five member ohare airport thrifty car rental parking company led by Toronto-based cruise ohare airport thrifty car rental parking director Eric De Gray.
The Discoveries Lounge is a lovely "ante" space for the adjoining Discoveries Restaurant in the ship's stern. Seating 40, it features a handsome bar, dark wood veneers ohare airport thrifty car rental parking and ornate Edwardian detailing.
With most of the morning spent documenting, we headed off the ship to find some high speed internet access in the Mazatlan terminal. ohare airport thrifty car rental parking A nice touch is the chilled water in the ice-packed coolers at the gangway.
In Mazatlan, the only way to get from the ship to the terminal is via a colorful trolley that sputters its way past dockside warehouses and stacks of containers. Unfortunately, we arrived at siesta time and the internet access was denied, so it was back to the ship!
Beautiful ship and just my size too! She had a short lived stint on the New York Bermuda run but was unsuccessful due to her lack of children s facilities. Bermuda needs ships that can dock in Hamilton and St.George and right now Veendam is enjoying that slot all by Herself. We did the Veen in August and she s been at capacity on that run so far.
Bermuda, which is not a country, but a piece of the UK, sets its own rules a nd regulations as to what cruise line, which ship(s) within that cruise line, what type of crew, ie: country/countries of origin, and profiles the cruise lines as to what type of passenger is generally drawn to a specific cruise line.
For years one of the major players in cruises was not welcomed to Bermuda, while others only on a strictly regimented basis. The shunned line had a European crew, and replaced them with non-European, so, they were OUT. Line. During the 70 s Home Lines with three ships, owned the Bermuda cruise business, and that lasted wel