Trip Wrap-up, Azamara Report Card, and Special Thank-Yous

That’s a Wrap!

For me, travel is about making and renewing friendships, being inspired by nature, marveling at art and architecture, experiencing new places, and reminding myself that there is something to learn from everyone and every place.  If gelato is involved, so much the better!

The past sixteen days have checked all the boxes.  I reconnected with friends I hadn’t seen since a trip two years ago, and I struck up a friendship with a life-embracing Australian couple I hope to see again in December. I also met many other people – shipmates and crew alike – who made my trip that much more interesting, entertaining, and inspiring.  In my experience, people who travel a lot are almost always engaging, smart, and accomplished.  That certainly held true on this trip.

Nature took center stage on two hikes in Croatia.  Breathtaking art and architecture were everywhere, much of it centuries or even millennia old.  I enjoyed all four new countries I visited, with Montenegro standing out as a brilliant gem I never expected. 

The Balkan states brought home to me yet again how resilient people can be.  Thirty years ago the region was in shambles following the brutal break-up of Yugoslavia.  But the residents of these countries – welcoming to a fault – have rebuilt their lives, recovered their humor, and even created bridges among one-time enemies. 

Tensions remain, corruption is common, and religious friction persists, but I got the sense that in the Balkans, as in the rest of the world, people just want to live their lives free from want and hatred.  If governments focused their attention on achieving that goal rather than beating their chests, we’d all be better off.

Azamara Report Card

I feel like Azamara has stepped up its game over the past two years, with the onboard experience now excellent in all respects:

Everything starts with the crew’s attitude, and the crew’s attitude flows straight from the top.  Captain Dario, in addition to his duties as master of the vessel, set a ship-wide tone of approachability, humor, cohesion, and inclusivity.  He made a point of giving credit to senior and junior officers whom he is training for advancement, and I saw that same attitude reflected down the line.  For example, when Windows Restaurant (the buffet venue) was exceptionally busy, the Hotel Manager himself was dishing out pasta.  This kind of enlightened management makes for a happy crew, and a happy crew makes for happy passengers.

The food was terrific,even better than on my last Azamara cruise.  Windows Café has lots of vegetarian options, and Discoveries (the sit-down restaurant) always has at least two.  The fish dishes are uniformly excellent.  I can’t speak for other meat entrees because I’m pescatarian, but I heard many favorable reviews.

Entertainment was stunning.  The ship’s stage band is as good as any I’ve heard in a lifetime of cruising, including a fantastic show featuring the ship’s saxophone/clarinet player.  The dance band is a tight, swinging, rocking collection of virtuosos.  The four singers have gorgeous voices and perform everything from jazz to show tunes to rock with equal excellence.  The two dancers are graceful, expressive, and just plain fun to watch. 

Every tour I booked through the ship was expertly conducted.  Azamara offers an extensive menu of tours in each port – some focus on nature, others on history or culture or food.  As on all cruise ships, they’re pricey.  You can generally find an equivalent private tour at a lower price, but particularly in ports where there’s an early departure, booking through the ship offers an assurance that you won’t be left behind.

Housekeeping was reliable and attentive.  My cabin steward, Edward, was unfailingly friendly and responsive.

Despite all my grousing, even the Internet was better, though it’s still nowhere near as good as terrestrial service.  Satellite upload and download speeds are inherently limited, but the new Skylink hook-up worked tolerably well from my phone.  My laptop was a different story, but at least some of the problem might have computer-relatedt.  Everyone got a basic level of service for free; I paid 15 dollars a day for an upgrade but still found uploading photos agonizingly slow.

I’d love to sail Azamara again, but doing so will depend on finding a reduced single supplement.  On most cruises, the company charges solo travelers an unconscionable 200 percent of the per-person fare, meaning that you’re effectively paying for two people.  Reduced supplements are available on some cruises, but those fares aren’t announced until 4-6 months ahead of the cruise date, making planning difficult.

Some of Azamara’s competitors now offer single-occupancy cabins without a punitive supplement.  I hope Azamara follows suit.

Special thank-yous

Thank you, Lucas (spa) for your skill in acupuncture, your engaging conversation, and your genuine interest in my well-being

Thank you, Denis and Joyce, for being such funny, smart, talented travel companions. You guys are a blast!

Thank you, Peter and Monika, for being wonderful conversationalists and sources of delightfully edgy humor and sartorial inspiration.

Thank you, Lauren Clark, my excellent travel agent, for assuring I had a memorable pre-cruise experience in Monaco and arranging all my flights.  You’re a gem!

And most of all, thank you Sandy, for encouraging me to travel even though you cherish home as much as I cherish the road.

***********

Travel widely, travel well, and travel safely!  Come back in a month when I embark on my next adventure.