Anyone who has been following this blog is aware that Linda and I recently returned from a great cruise on the Azamara Journey. We spent 12 days cruising to St. John, St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Guadalupe, St. Barth’s and Virgin Gorda.
Whenever someone returns from a great vacation, they enjoy sharing their experiences with friends and co-workers. It’s a lot of fun to reminisce about experiences that others might enjoy. Things like the humpback whale we saw while walking the deck while the ship was cruising off Puerto Rico; and the sea turtle that Linda saw from our balcony while reading a book at St. Martin.
People are curious to hear about the boulders at the Baths in Virgin Gorda and our intrepid conquering of the Devil’s Path to reach the most spectacular part of this attraction which is a highlight of the Caribbean. They also like to hear about the mega-yachts docking in the picturesque harbor in St. Barth’s—including one owned by Jimmy Buffett. These are some of the dividends of travel that add to the inventory of life’s great experiences.
Because we have enjoyed many cruises, we have become a little jaded in our expectations. Our cruise onboard the Azamara Journey was a wonderful delight that ranked near or at the top of all of the cruises we’ve enjoyed together. The ship’s crew was efficient, friendly and proud to be part of a “happy ship.” The food onboard was uniformly good and the choices were often unbelievable. I have never seen a 25 pound Mahi Mahi displayed as part of a fresh fish display for a deck barbecue before.
Often people ask me which cruise has been my favorite. I think the statement, “my next one,” is an appropriate response. Every time we venture out on the high seas we build new memories that are a joy to resurrect. I highly recommend the re-charging which a cruise can deliver as a great plus in life. Oh, Linda and I are looking forward to the “next one,” we just don’t know what, when or where it will be yet.
Showing posts with label Azamara Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Azamara Journey. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Azamara Cruise - Day 12- At Sea
The farther north the Journey travelled it became obvious the temperature was becoming slightly cooler and less humid. But there was enough sun for the sun worshippers to get their final fix on tanning. The last day of a cruise is always a little happy/sad. Another cruise is coming to an end and luggage is dragged out from underneath the bed where it had remained for nearly two weeks. It was also the time for those last-minute purchases from the ship’s boutique.
A nice touch was the Journey’s rock combo, Mirage and the guitarist soloist performed on the pool deck from noon to nearly 4:00 PM. Kind of a going away concert.
Linda and I went to the final enrichment lecture, which was conducted by Doctor Denny Whitford, a professor from the University of Maryland and a retired navy sea captain. He talked about legends and lore of the sea. In his 50 minute lecture he covered a wide range of historical and current sea stories—everything from sea monsters of mythology to historical terms that have survived until modern times. He even included the audience at times and had a lot of fun with his subject material.
At dinner time we had our final meal in the main dining room with the Reinagals, Bill and Teresa who own the Williamsburg, Virginia Cruise Holidays store. We had one of those great dinner conversations covering everything from burglars to marketing—maybe a little closer in content than one might expect.
Linda finally used up the last few internet minutes to find that Becca and Ben had been accepted at Princeton’s theological graduate school—way to go guys! Linda had written one of the recommendation letters so she felt she had a little impact on their success.
Back to the cruise, we had a little laugh when in the morning as we went to breakfast we noticed that a couple of staterooms already had their luggage in the hallway waiting for pick up. We figured they read 11:00 PM to be 11:00 AM and we ahead of everybody else in getting their bags ready for departure. The rest of us waited until after dinner to pack our bags.
We have to give Azamara Club Cruises high marks for their cruise product. While not perfect, nobody is, the crew, the content, and their management of the cruise was outstanding. And the new touches they will be adding will put them in the premium plus category—only the ten year old ship architecture will limit them as the aim at the top end luxury category. Linda and I were highly impressed with this cruise, and that’s hard to do for veteran cruisers like us.
Tomorrow is disembarkation the final farewell to the Azamara Journey. And then, it’s back to the real world—so sad!
A nice touch was the Journey’s rock combo, Mirage and the guitarist soloist performed on the pool deck from noon to nearly 4:00 PM. Kind of a going away concert.
Linda and I went to the final enrichment lecture, which was conducted by Doctor Denny Whitford, a professor from the University of Maryland and a retired navy sea captain. He talked about legends and lore of the sea. In his 50 minute lecture he covered a wide range of historical and current sea stories—everything from sea monsters of mythology to historical terms that have survived until modern times. He even included the audience at times and had a lot of fun with his subject material.
At dinner time we had our final meal in the main dining room with the Reinagals, Bill and Teresa who own the Williamsburg, Virginia Cruise Holidays store. We had one of those great dinner conversations covering everything from burglars to marketing—maybe a little closer in content than one might expect.
Linda finally used up the last few internet minutes to find that Becca and Ben had been accepted at Princeton’s theological graduate school—way to go guys! Linda had written one of the recommendation letters so she felt she had a little impact on their success.
Back to the cruise, we had a little laugh when in the morning as we went to breakfast we noticed that a couple of staterooms already had their luggage in the hallway waiting for pick up. We figured they read 11:00 PM to be 11:00 AM and we ahead of everybody else in getting their bags ready for departure. The rest of us waited until after dinner to pack our bags.
We have to give Azamara Club Cruises high marks for their cruise product. While not perfect, nobody is, the crew, the content, and their management of the cruise was outstanding. And the new touches they will be adding will put them in the premium plus category—only the ten year old ship architecture will limit them as the aim at the top end luxury category. Linda and I were highly impressed with this cruise, and that’s hard to do for veteran cruisers like us.
Tomorrow is disembarkation the final farewell to the Azamara Journey. And then, it’s back to the real world—so sad!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
