Full Transcript for Zuiderdam Kitchen Tour & A Review of Azamara Cruises

all um. 00:05:39.497 --> 00:05:43.567 We're looking forward to starting our adventure in africa now that've left Asia. 00:05:44.389 --> 00:05:45.932 So now, what are your adventures ahead? 00:05:45.932 --> 00:05:47.665 You mentioned you're going to was it Durban? 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:50.906 Yeah, Durban tomorrow. 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.084 And then Cape Town Two days at sea. 00:05:55.666 --> 00:06:11.050 Yeah, so two days at sea before Cape Town, and we got a lovely invitation to have lunch the day before we disembark, with the hotel general manager and the captain, so looking forward to that, and then a nice cocktail party afterwards. 00:06:11.632 --> 00:06:18.961 But, um, as you know, we've mentioned in the past like they keep you busy if you wish to be busy when you're at days at sea. 00:06:18.961 --> 00:06:34.862 So one of the things I did a couple of days ago was I went on a like a kitchen tour, a galley tour, of the uh, of the ship Um, and it was quite interesting, like I posted some pictures and you'll see how clean and efficient it looks. 00:06:34.862 --> 00:06:47.514 And they, um, you know, the kitchen operations prepare 90% of the food for um at full capacity, a thousand 2,000 guests and almost 800 crew members. 00:06:47.514 --> 00:06:59.055 And so, you know, we were able to see when we entered off the dining room where they, you know, wash their dishes and they have a dishwashing area where they work hard. 00:06:59.055 --> 00:07:22.209 The foreman and the crew like to clean the items right after they return to the galley, and then part of it is for glassware, the second part is for chinaware, and then in the evening there are crew members that are assigned to a designated dishwashing area and nobody likes to wash dishes, but they wash dishes very well. 00:07:22.942 --> 00:07:29.468 It's a very clean atmosphere here Very, very, and this is also for, like, the Lido market and room service areas. 00:07:29.468 --> 00:07:44.247 So you know, just to give you an idea, they can wash approximately like 3000 dinner plates, 7000 dessert plates and 5000 glasses, not to mention ramekins and plate covers, so on. 00:07:44.247 --> 00:07:48.355 So it's a pretty efficient operation. 00:07:48.355 --> 00:08:01.932 And then you go through where they have, like the cold kitchen, where all the room service orders are being prepared as well as they're dispatched to various outlets as well. 00:08:01.932 --> 00:08:15.151 The cold kitchen also creates all the coal appetizers and sandwiches, like cheese platters and so on, and they say it's probably the healthiest part of their galley. 00:08:15.151 --> 00:08:19.079 And yeah, so they just kind of have these refrigerators. 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:23.545 The steward just reaches in, opens the door, reaches in and gets the right dish. 00:08:23.545 --> 00:08:27.048 So it is a well oiled machine. 00:08:27.048 --> 00:08:42.630 Like I know you've worked on a ship so you probably can testify to this because not only are they doing this for the guests, but they're also doing this for the culturally diverse staff members. 00:08:42.630 --> 00:08:50.510 So there's a lot of people from Thailand and Bali, philippines, as well as other nationalities. 00:08:50.510 --> 00:08:59.984 So Holland America has has chefs for each of these nationalities and cuisines, and I think that's quite. 00:08:59.984 --> 00:09:12.181 I think that's it shows a nice respect for the, for your, your team members, by Hull of America, because not everybody likes to eat the same food, right so? 00:09:12.221 --> 00:09:17.893 it's nice to have something from home, especially if you're working away from home. 00:09:17.893 --> 00:09:28.884 One of my favorite areas was the bakery area, because they daily prepare like 20 different kinds of bread, so I like bread. 00:09:28.884 --> 00:09:37.163 So it's like 120 loaves of bread, 100 loaves of French bread, 4000 dinner rolls, 800 croissants. 00:09:37.163 --> 00:09:40.652 Can you imagine trying to pull this off every day, right? 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:41.602 Every day. 00:09:41.602 --> 00:09:43.691 The numbers are staggering when you think about it. 00:09:43.691 --> 00:09:47.744 So how many meals they prepare and uh, it's. 00:09:47.744 --> 00:09:54.235 It's just mind-boggling how they do it every day right, yeah, and you know they were. 00:09:54.379 --> 00:10:09.634 they also gave us, um like a, a listing of their average consumption per cruise and, granted, this has been a little bit longer cruise than most cruises, but, like for meat and meat products, it's like 11,830 pounds. 00:10:09.634 --> 00:10:13.951 For poultry, it's over 3,800 pounds. 00:10:13.951 --> 00:10:19.231 For eggs, over 23,000 individual eggs. 00:10:19.231 --> 00:10:23.082 So you know there's a lot of food. 00:10:23.082 --> 00:10:34.895 I have to make fun of this because I am not a fan of green beans, but Holland America must have gotten a big sale on green beans because you can get it with every meal if you want it. 00:10:34.895 --> 00:10:37.928 It's just like oh my God, green beans, I'm not having that. 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:46.850 Well, it's just amazing the storage space that they find for all of that stuff too, the storage space that they find for all of that stuff too. 00:10:46.850 --> 00:10:48.350 And it's funny you mention a kitchen tour. 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:52.456 All the time I was on a cruise ship I never really went through the kitchen at all. 00:10:52.456 --> 00:10:58.892 It was kind of an area that you just left alone to the experts and they didn't really want other crew members through there anyways. 00:10:58.892 --> 00:11:05.340 And you talk about preparing meals for different cultures. 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:21.009 I know that the Filipino crew and the Indonesian crew always used to tease the North Americans about fish heads, because the delicacy in their culture and it's something that I personally find really disgusting and they knew that and they just love to

tease us about it. 00:11:23.041 --> 00:11:28.325 It always comes back to me when you talk about the different meals that they prepare. 00:11:29.745 --> 00:11:56.423 Right, and some people, like you know, they have these coffee chats and they actually had some of the dining room staff talking about this and they were saying you know how some people like spicy foods and they have like a tray of different kinds of like sambal, which is like a spicy, like a sauce that you could I'm not saying sauce is not a right word, but it's like that you can use, you know, to spice up your meal. 00:11:56.423 --> 00:12:02.638 Or you can tell the chef, you know, I wouldn't mind it a little bit more spicier. 00:12:02.638 --> 00:12:07.297 In the Lido market for lunch and for dinner they have like a wok station. 00:12:07.297 --> 00:12:20.663 You could add chilies to it, but it's almost like and when I say this I mean this like it's more, it's a lot more classier than Edo of Japan, but it's kind of like Edo of Japan. 00:12:20.884 --> 00:12:29.816 You kind of walk, you know create your meat and your noodles or your rice, and then you could add whatever kind of sauce you want or vegetables. 00:12:29.816 --> 00:12:30.707 Some people are not. 00:12:30.707 --> 00:12:39.873 They don't eat meat, so they just have rice or noodles and vegetables in the sauce, and they also have sushi as well. 00:12:39.873 --> 00:12:44.509 So, you know, it's not just what we consider North American fare. 00:12:44.509 --> 00:12:49.385 There's other kinds of food that you could enjoy while you're on this cruise. 00:12:49.385 --> 00:13:09.908 And again, the importance of all the crew members that are part of the kitchen team that make this run perfectly well and they're very lovely people that help you, you know, create your meal for you. 00:13:11.650 --> 00:13:16.119 Yeah, I would think it doesn't matter what kind of food that you want to eat. 00:13:16.119 --> 00:13:20.135 There's a pretty good chance you can find it there, and if they can't, they'll get it for you. 00:13:22.066 --> 00:13:30.587 That is so true, like they're very conscious and very aware of people's dining preferences so they try really hard. 00:13:30.587 --> 00:13:36.139 Like I remember early in the cruise I was in the Lido market and I just, oh, can I just get a milk? 00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:39.514 And every time that person saw me goes do you want me to get you a milk? 00:13:39.514 --> 00:13:44.054 And it was like you know it was like they remember what you like. 00:13:44.716 --> 00:13:49.511 Exactly, it's all part of the service, it's all part of the experience and it's an amazing experience. 00:13:49.511 --> 00:13:57.270 So always great to chat and get an update of where you've been and what you've been doing. 00:13:57.270 --> 00:14:04.873 So we look forward to hearing about your adventures in the rest of South Africa and your sea days and so on when we chat next time. 00:14:04.873 --> 00:14:13.336 You can always follow Onanta's adventures on Facebook at Onanta Forbes, on Instagram at Onanta Forbes and on X at Onanta Forbes and on X at Onanta Forbes. 00:14:13.336 --> 00:14:14.778 Lots of images and photos. 00:14:14.778 --> 00:14:16.631 I enjoy looking at your images too. 00:14:16.631 --> 00:14:18.690 So appreciate your time, Onanta. 00:14:18.690 --> 00:14:19.150 Thank you. 00:14:19.471 --> 00:14:20.836 Thank you, have a good week. 00:14:28.605 --> 00:14:38.392 Well, when it comes to taking a cruise, one of our go-to experts is David Yesco, otherwise known as the cruise guru, and he recently sailed on Azamara Cruises. 00:14:38.392 --> 00:14:40.957 So David joins us now to share his experience. 00:14:40.957 --> 00:14:47.476 You can follow him on X at Cruise Guru and his website is OceanCruise Guru. 00:14:47.476 --> 00:14:48.119 Hi, david. 00:14:48.625 --> 00:14:50.251 Hello, randy, good to be with you again. 00:14:51.105 --> 00:14:54.316 We are going to talk about Azamara Cruises. 00:14:54.316 --> 00:15:00.711 The way I understand it, this is the first time that you've cruised on Azamara, so what were your first impressions? 00:15:00.711 --> 00:15:01.453 Let's start there. 00:15:02.004 --> 00:15:06.650 Yeah, this is the first time I was on board Azamara, so I can tell you I've cruised. 00:15:06.650 --> 00:15:15.232 As you know, I've cruised on most major vines, almost every cruise line, ocean-going cruise line, and I'd heard about them. 00:15:15.232 --> 00:15:28.110 Of course they sail four ships that are nearly identical, top out at just about 700 passengers just a little under 700. 00:15:28.110 --> 00:15:29.914 But the ships are 25 years old. 00:15:29.914 --> 00:15:35.480 So I'll say that they are in very good condition. 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:35.943 They're well-maintained. 00:15:35.943 --> 00:15:46.735 So these were ships that were originally built for the defunct Renaissance cruises, if you remember them, Right around 1999 to 2001,. 00:15:46.775 --> 00:15:47.958 These four ships were built. 00:15:47.958 --> 00:15:51.008 They're well-maintained, They've been updated. 00:15:51.008 --> 00:15:53.311 You know they look fresh. 00:15:53.311 --> 00:16:00.600 A lot of the original dark woodwork still remains aboard and that's very well-maintained and it's kind of cool and it's very nice. 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:05.149 So you really feel they feel nautical. 00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:11.399 The downside of these old ships is their super-tight bathroom configuration in the cabins. 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:16.986 So this is no fault of Azumara's, of course. 00:16:16.986 --> 00:16:28.611 This was an unfortunate legacy left from the original designers and the bathroom is just super tight, the shower's tiny, there's not much storage, so that's the major knock. 00:16:28.611 --> 00:16:33.720 But I can tell you nobody's aboard these ships for the hardware. 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:39.480 They're not going for the hardware. 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:51.019 It's really what makes Azamara

and what really grew on me during the time I was on board are what I consider really their two brand pillars. 00:16:51.038 --> 00:17:02.886 They are warm very warm, personalized service and a destination focus and a destination focus and so but the service, randy, I could tell you I don't think I've ever had warmer, more personalized service on board any ship I've been on, and that's even on top end luxury. 00:17:03.327 --> 00:17:04.029 Wow. 00:17:04.310 --> 00:17:06.056 Yeah, really it was a while. 00:17:06.056 --> 00:17:12.934 I mean the crew learns guest names within a couple of days and it wasn't just me, you know mean they knew who I was. 00:17:12.934 --> 00:17:18.114 I knew I was writing a couple of stories, uh, but I I noticed everybody else too. 00:17:18.114 --> 00:17:36.656 I mean they learn names, they have these tips and tricks or they learn names and memory techniques and just so warm and they address you by name and remember you and your likes and what you like to drink, and it's just super, super impressive and and that's why the people keep coming back to Azamora. 00:17:36.656 --> 00:17:38.330 I talked to a lot of repeaters. 00:17:38.330 --> 00:17:46.217 There were a large number of repeaters on board and they really said we come back for the service and the destinations. 00:17:46.217 --> 00:17:50.296 Really interesting, you know, off the beaten path itineraries. 00:17:51.285 --> 00:17:53.497 Which, if you're a smaller ship, helps. 00:17:53.497 --> 00:17:57.328 Right, you can get into the smaller ports that the big mega ships can't do. 00:17:57.328 --> 00:18:00.314 Absolutely yeah, um. 00:18:00.314 --> 00:18:05.788 So I know that, like using princess, for example, they're pretty high tech, right. 00:18:05.788 --> 00:18:17.432 They have their um medallions or whatever how high tech is asmera like, or are they at the other end and that's what gives them their charm, kind of, because I think sometimes you can get too high tech right? 00:18:17.511 --> 00:18:18.535 Yeah, I agree. 00:18:18.535 --> 00:18:21.032 I agree, princess's technology is the best in the industry. 00:18:21.032 --> 00:18:22.770 We've talked about the medallion before. 00:18:22.770 --> 00:18:23.333 It's awesome. 00:18:23.333 --> 00:18:31.250 And for large ships to deliver personalized service at scale, that's what Princess can do with the medallion. 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:38.538 On the other end of the coin, the flip side of the coin, azumara doesn't need the technology. 00:18:38.538 --> 00:18:46.351 Their ships are small enough to deliver that same personalized service without technology, so there is no app. 00:18:46.351 --> 00:18:51.335 Their onboard Wi-Fi is super slow. 00:18:52.026 --> 00:18:53.203 It was driving me a little crazy. 00:18:53.645 --> 00:18:57.036 I was on the high-speed Wi-Fi and it was still like super slow. 00:18:57.036 --> 00:19:14.480 So yeah, it's not about technology and you can't expect that, but, like I say, they make up for it on the soft side, on the service side and destination focus and food and beverage too. 00:19:17.128 --> 00:19:18.513 So let's talk about where you went. 00:19:18.513 --> 00:19:19.969 What was your itinerary? 00:19:19.969 --> 00:19:21.134 How did you enjoy that? 00:19:21.744 --> 00:19:25.296 This was a fascinating itinerary 14-night open jaw voyage. 00:19:25.296 --> 00:19:27.830 So we left from. 00:19:27.830 --> 00:19:30.904 We flew to my wife and I flew to Papeete, tahiti. 00:19:30.904 --> 00:19:31.228 That's where we joined the ship. 00:19:31.228 --> 00:19:31.383 My wife and I flew to Papeete, tahiti. 00:19:32.444 --> 00:19:41.400 That's where we joined the ship, and then it was a 14-night sailing to Bora Bora, america and Samoa, which doesn't see many cruise ships. 00:19:41.400 --> 00:20:04.892 Then Samoa, tonga, fiji, a exclusively fit and well-traveled baby boomers. 00:20:04.892 --> 00:20:07.759 So people in their 60s and 70s I would say most were repeaters. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:23.897 The ones I talked to were on for the very reasons for the personalized service, the warm service and the destination focus, and a lot of them were on for a full 87-night grand voyage. 00:20:23.998 --> 00:20:26.277 Wow that would be something. 00:20:27.306 --> 00:20:28.289 That would be something. 00:20:28.431 --> 00:20:36.648 Very long and a lot of them were on for that, and we're in the middle of it when we got on board and we're raving about it. 00:20:36.648 --> 00:20:45.295 So, yeah, we left from Papeete, tahiti, which was very interesting in the sense that the city of Papeete it's a small, relatively small city. 00:20:45.295 --> 00:20:46.715 It's really just a transit point. 00:20:46.715 --> 00:20:55.022 That's where the airport is for, you know, french Polynesia, the major airport, that's where cruises come and leave from. 00:20:55.022 --> 00:21:06.392 There's nothing about Papeete, tahiti, that's redeeming in terms of a tourist destination, the Tahiti that we think of and know of. 00:21:06.392 --> 00:21:08.978 The beautiful beaches are on other parts of the island. 00:21:09.397 --> 00:21:09.618 I see. 00:21:10.066 --> 00:21:28.357 And on other islands, of course, but Papeete itself is nothing to speak of, it's just a transit point. 00:21:28.357 --> 00:21:32.981 I see waters that Tahiti and her islands are known for, and that was just gorgeous. 00:21:33.382 --> 00:21:35.824 Like you see in all the photos, right you see, this can't be true. 00:21:35.864 --> 00:21:41.973 Like you see in all the photos, right, right With the overwater bungalows, yeah, which cost a fortune, by the way, to stay in. 00:21:41.973 --> 00:21:50.977 And that's another reason why a South Pacific cruise is a good value, because French Polynesia, in particular, is super expensive. 00:21:50.977 --> 00:21:57.108 I mean, everything's expensive there the hotels, the food. 00:21:57.108 --> 00:22:14.559 Somebody went to a the one of the people we were talking to in bora bora that got off the ship and

went to a snack bar to get a snack, ordered a coke and it was 15 euro, to give you an idea so better enjoy that coke better enjoy the coke and come back aboard the ship and have it for free. 00:22:16.347 --> 00:22:17.511 So yeah, that's what French. 00:22:17.531 --> 00:22:19.711 Polynesia is Beautiful but super expensive. 00:22:19.711 --> 00:22:28.140 But the other ports along the way I mean American Samoa, samoa, tonga, fiji, you know not as highly visited. 00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:36.713 Certainly American Samoa and Tonga are quieter, don't see a lot of ships, and for that reason they were fascinating places to visit. 00:22:37.715 --> 00:22:38.057 Nice. 00:22:38.057 --> 00:22:41.695 Well, anytime we talk about a cruise, we've got to talk about the food. 00:22:41.695 --> 00:22:43.873 So how did the food rate on Azamara? 00:22:44.085 --> 00:22:46.594 Yeah, the food was very good, very good aboard. 00:22:46.594 --> 00:22:56.339 So you know, the ship's small size, I'd say, was inversely proportional to the quality and quantity of the food aboard. 00:22:56.339 --> 00:23:08.813 So not only were there great menus in the Windows Cafe, the Casual Buffet, the Discovery's main restaurant, an area called the Patio, that was more than a burger grill, it was like a full restaurant menu for lunch and dinner. 00:23:08.813 --> 00:23:13.789 There were snacks, there was late afternoon tapas, there were late night snacks, there were snacks, there was late afternoon tapas, there were late night snacks. 00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:20.358 But actually what impressed me most were the nightly ethnic themed buffets in the Windows Cafe. 00:23:20.378 --> 00:23:25.548 That's the buffet restaurant, and I've never done this before in a cruise ship. 00:23:25.548 --> 00:23:28.596 I ate dinner more nights in the buffet than I did in the dining room. 00:23:28.596 --> 00:23:29.257 Oh, wow. 00:23:29.257 --> 00:23:40.651 And that's not knocking the food in the dining room, which was very good, it's just that every night they turned the buffet into an ethnic-themed feast and they went full out. 00:23:40.785 --> 00:23:50.496 I mean, every dish on every station of the buffet was themed for that ethnic theme and it was French, italian and Indian were really popular. 00:23:50.496 --> 00:24:03.032 There was a Chinese New Year buffet, there was a Mediterranean buffet, there was American-Brit buffet, there was a Mediterranean buffet, there was American, british, and it was good and there was appropriate music and decorations appropriate to the theme. 00:24:03.032 --> 00:24:09.191 They did a great job on those and I asked, since we were only on for 14 nights, how many different variations do you have? 00:24:09.191 --> 00:24:17.066 And they say, oh, it's 26-day rotation you have. 00:24:17.066 --> 00:24:22.565 And they say, oh, yeah, it's 26 day rotation and they have 26 different ethnic buffets they can, they put on and and I'm telling you, the guests loved it and I thought it was great that's amazing. 00:24:22.644 --> 00:24:39.286 Well, if you're on for over 100 days, I guess you better have a high rotation of food and on the beverage side, I can tell you they do something different than any other line I've been on and any other line in their category, excuse me. 00:24:39.286 --> 00:24:42.953 So their niche in cruising is in the industry. 00:24:42.953 --> 00:24:44.377 It's considered upper premium. 00:24:44.377 --> 00:24:49.029 So other lines in that niche are Oceana and Viking Ocean. 00:24:49.029 --> 00:24:51.133 They compete against those lines. 00:24:51.133 --> 00:24:52.275 They compete against those lines. 00:24:52.275 --> 00:24:56.901 And Oceana, by the way, sails four of these R-class ships too, these older ships. 00:24:56.901 --> 00:25:28.214 They have four of those same ships and so what Azamara does that's different is they include not only beer and wine is typically included at meals on those other upper premium lines but, Azamara includes a whole alcoholic beverage package basic cocktails and vodka, gin, rum, tequila-based highballs, as well as some dessert drinks and beer and wine that are 00:25:28.234 --> 00:25:29.861 included in the base fare and that's a big savings. 00:25:29.861 --> 00:25:30.984 That's a really big savings. 00:25:30.984 --> 00:25:35.230 I can tell you that I was observing most people, like before dinner, in the bars. 00:25:35.230 --> 00:25:44.371 They were ordering those because there were enough drinks made with those basic cocktails that they could be satisfied with and that was a big savings. 00:25:44.371 --> 00:25:48.413 Those included cocktails and the other lines in their niche don't do it. 00:25:48.413 --> 00:25:52.464 The lines on the luxury end, of course, include everything, but they're much more expensive. 00:25:52.464 --> 00:25:56.505 On the luxury end, of course, include everything, but they're much more expensive. 00:25:56.505 --> 00:26:01.498 So that impressed me that those alcoholic beverages and a selection of mocktails to go with it were also included. 00:26:02.345 --> 00:26:05.055 So it is almost like an all-inclusive experience. 00:26:05.586 --> 00:26:20.726 It's almost like they don't include short excursions, so you have to do those, buy those or do them on your own, and we did some of our own thing which were easy those or do them on your own and we did some of our own thing, which were, you know, easy and use. 00:26:20.726 --> 00:26:22.413 By the way, I've used Get your Guide, which is a, you know, a tour aggregator. 00:26:22.413 --> 00:26:24.260 I've used them in Europe on cruises a lot and you know the third party. 00:26:24.260 --> 00:26:35.140 They basically aggregate all these third party smaller tour companies and you can pick out tours and we found a Get your Guide tour in Tonga that we took for $47 US a person. 00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:40.891 That was a half day tour with a Tongan guide and it was great and we just met them off the ship. 00:26:40.891 --> 00:26:46.136 So you

can't do your own thing in these ports as you can in other ports around the world. 00:26:46.136 --> 00:26:47.731 You just have to do a little research up front. 00:26:49.846 --> 00:26:54.056 I was going to ask I'm glad you mentioned that they're sort of upper premium niche. 00:26:54.056 --> 00:27:00.357 I was going to say, if Carnival's at one end and Silver Sea is at the other, where would Azamara fall in? 00:27:00.357 --> 00:27:03.664 But they lean towards the Silver Sea side, it sounds like. 00:27:03.684 --> 00:27:08.497 They lean towards right, a little closer to luxury, just because of the size of the ship. 00:27:08.497 --> 00:27:12.471 So, just under 700 passenger is a little. 00:27:12.471 --> 00:27:15.499 You know about where some of the luxury, newer ships are now. 00:27:15.499 --> 00:27:20.455 The ship isn't as big as those luxury ships that carry 700 passengers. 00:27:20.455 --> 00:27:26.414 It's smaller but you know it's the high-touch service you get. 00:27:26.414 --> 00:27:28.018 That's roughly the same. 00:27:29.490 --> 00:27:30.614 Now, what about the entertainment? 00:27:30.614 --> 00:27:31.790 You talked about the cultural aspect of the food. 00:27:31.790 --> 00:27:32.413 What about the entertainment? 00:27:32.413 --> 00:27:33.641 Yeah, so the nighttime aspect of the food. 00:27:33.641 --> 00:27:34.484 What about the entertainment? 00:27:35.384 --> 00:27:35.545 Yeah. 00:27:35.545 --> 00:27:37.931 So the nighttime entertainment, the standard entertainment. 00:27:37.931 --> 00:27:42.507 In the showroom there's a small production cast, I'd say moderate quality. 00:27:42.507 --> 00:27:47.394 You know, small lounge, a couple of lounge acts around the ship. 00:27:47.394 --> 00:27:50.182 Moderate quality is what I would say. 00:27:50.182 --> 00:27:58.146 Nothing that you're going to be wowed by, but what they do a great job at is bringing the destination aboard. 00:27:58.146 --> 00:28:15.642 So a few days before we got to New Zealand they brought aboard in Fiji, as a matter of fact, a couple of Maori ambassadors got aboard from New Zealand and they spent the next couple of days through lectures and workshops, kind of steeping us in the Maori culture. 00:28:15.642 --> 00:28:26.074 So it was really nice with workshops and lectures and they were demonstrating, you know, the haka dance, the war dance that's so fearsome, you know that was cool. 00:28:26.094 --> 00:28:26.295 Yeah. 00:28:27.336 --> 00:28:28.178 And so we were. 00:28:28.178 --> 00:28:30.583 By the time we got to New Zealand we were. 00:28:30.583 --> 00:28:33.615 We kind of had a lot of background in the Maori culture and could appreciate it much more. 00:28:33.615 --> 00:28:36.923 When we got to New Zealand we were, we kind of had a lot of background in Maori culture and and could appreciate it much more when we got there. 00:28:36.923 --> 00:28:38.207 So that's the type of thing they do. 00:28:38.207 --> 00:28:49.386 They also had a couple of deck buffets that were, you know,

australian and New Zealand deck buffets, just before we got there, with some foods, you know, native to those areas and drinks. 00:28:49.407 --> 00:29:13.991 So the bar manager board crafted this Kiwi mojito because it was, of course, for the kiwis that are grown in new zealand yeah, excuse me, and and so, um, they did a great job of kind of bringing the destination aboard and getting us, uh, in the feel of these destinations that we were going to visit so can you do the haka war dance, like if you go out in the front lawn of your house in your neighborhood and scare? 00:29:13.991 --> 00:29:14.414 All your neighbors. 00:29:14.414 --> 00:29:18.500 I would scare myself if I tried the Hakka war dance. 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:22.125 I would scare myself if I tried that. 00:29:22.125 --> 00:29:25.530 But yeah, it was cool to see the pros do it. 00:29:26.095 --> 00:29:30.987 Uh-huh, no kidding, it doesn't look like it's easy to do and I don't know if we all do all that yelling and shouting. 00:29:30.987 --> 00:29:43.188 Anyway, it's a lot of yelling, but if it scares off the enemy, which was the idea, that's the goal, I suppose anything else we might have missed yeah, so so I can just say it's a it's. 00:29:43.508 --> 00:29:47.201 It's a very unique product, azamara um. 00:29:47.201 --> 00:30:10.362 But for people interested in exploring destinations and they do these open jaw cruises, you know, start in one end in another because they can cover more area and so, like this South Pacific in depth, they do other areas of the world like that and that's why people love it and you can get on at a really reasonable fare fare, I'd say. 00:30:10.362 --> 00:30:25.692 Their balcony cabins, which are the majority of cabins, typically start out at about from what I saw, about $300 per night per person, which is in line with the other lines in their niche, and it's a very good value considering everything you get, including the alcohol. 00:30:25.692 --> 00:30:28.058 But it's really. 00:30:28.058 --> 00:30:41.443 I'll just come back for the service and I could tell you that on the last day of the cruise, the captain's farewell message was you come aboard as guests and leave as family, and that's not hype, I'm telling you. 00:30:41.443 --> 00:30:49.352 We experienced it, it's true, and everybody did feel like family by the end of the cruise and certainly even halfway through. 00:30:49.352 --> 00:30:50.413 I felt that way Nice. 00:30:51.316 --> 00:30:53.403 Well, it sounds like you had a great experience. 00:30:53.403 --> 00:30:58.948 You can follow David Yeskel's experiences on X at Cruise Guru. 00:30:58.948 --> 00:31:01.303 You can check out his website, oceancruiseguru. 00:31:01.303 --> 00:31:05.243 I think your website says a travel guru now. 00:31:07.278 --> 00:31:08.702 So you've bumped yourself up. 00:31:08.702 --> 00:31:09.786 Now I bumped myself up. 00:31:09.786 --> 00:31:13.435 I need to be a little more generic, because I talk about more things. 00:31:15.519

--> 00:31:19.147 Well, it's always great to talk about cruising with you again, David Yusko. 00:31:19.147 --> 00:31:20.577 He is the cruise guru. 00:31:20.577 --> 00:31:22.082 Great chatting, David. 00:31:22.082 --> 00:31:22.482 Thank you. 00:31:23.064 --> 00:31:23.987 Thanks, randy, same here. 00:31:31.776 --> 00:31:33.622 This is the Informed Traveller Podcast. 00:31:33.622 --> 00:31:34.464 I'm Randy Sharman. 00:31:34.464 --> 00:31:37.624 Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedtravellerorg. 00:31:37.624 --> 00:31:41.404 That's where you can find our contact page. 00:31:41.404 --> 00:31:49.008 If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, you can also email me too with any questions you might have or any segment ideas. 00:31:49.008 --> 00:31:54.236 My email address is randy at theinformedtravellerorg ideas. 00:31:54.236 --> 00:31:55.441 My email address is randy at theinformedtravellerorg. 00:31:55.461 --> 00:32:09.106 And if you want to get up-to-date travel info through the week or just see a few amusing travel stories and links, you can like us on Facebook, at facebookcom slash informedtraveller, on Instagram at informedtraveller, or on X at informedtraveller Plus. 00:32:09.106 --> 00:32:11.212 You can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. 00:32:11.212 --> 00:32:13.181 It's released at the beginning of every month. 00:32:13.181 --> 00:32:22.325 Our March issue is available now, so just go to our website, theinformedtravellerorg, click on the newsletter button and it'll take you right there. 00:32:22.325 --> 00:32:26.747 Or, better yet, just subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. 00:32:26.747 --> 00:32:34.682 So now, as always, we'd like to end the show with our weekly roundup, and joining us to do that, like he he does each week, is Ken Stewart from Crobat Travel Solutions. 00:32:34.682 --> 00:32:37.405 Good day, sir, hey Randy, hello everybody. 00:32:37.405 --> 00:32:38.748 Spring is here. 00:32:38.748 --> 00:32:39.588 It is. 00:32:39.588 --> 00:32:40.730 I'm always glad. 00:32:40.730 --> 00:32:44.875 When spring is here, it's like a turning point. 00:32:44.875 --> 00:32:54.382 You turn the page and I know we can get some wonky weather in the months of April and stuff, but still spring is here. 00:32:54.382 --> 00:32:56.262 It's a psychological thing and it's good. 00:32:56.262 --> 00:32:58.785 So other than that, how was your week? 00:32:59.465 --> 00:33:03.448 Well, again we got that spring break, travel season, one of the main travel times of the year. 00:33:03.448 --> 00:33:09.573 This week, and with Easter being a little bit late, the middle of April again a few weeks away, or whatever, it is going to be extremely busy too. 00:33:09.573 --> 00:33:20.286 So again, whether you're traveling now or not, check those passports and your other important items or documents, your PR card if you have one, nexus, anything you might need to use to travel. 00:33:20.286 --> 00:33:21.307 Make sure that they're valid. 00:33:21.307 --> 00:33:22.460 Don't wait until it's too late. 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:25.020 Visas in particular. 00:33:25.194 --> 00:33:32.280 I had a client who actually lost a day on his trip because he was a little bit late getting his visa. 00:33:32.280 --> 00:33:36.346 He left it too long and applied and it took too long for him to get, so he lost a date. 00:33:36.346 --> 00:33:44.113 Uh-oh, you don't want to have to do that on your holidays because again, we're rebooking airfares and doing all kinds of fun stuff for you that we don't really want to do, and neither do you. 00:33:44.113 --> 00:33:48.116 And again, I have one on my calendar and I know a lot of people do. 00:33:48.116 --> 00:33:52.679 But put a reminder on your calendar six months out and then even a year out. 00:33:52.679 --> 00:33:54.140 You know twice on your calendar. 00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:56.280 Just hey, go have a look at your documents. 00:33:56.520 --> 00:33:59.942 See what those entire dates are Save you a lot of grief down the road. 00:34:00.722 --> 00:34:01.903 It sure will. 00:34:01.903 --> 00:34:07.445 The worst thing you want to do is be panicking to update your documents the day before you leave. 00:34:08.387 --> 00:34:09.106 Yep, yep. 00:34:09.106 --> 00:34:14.849 Well, and he had gotten it just hours before he was when he was actually at the airport is when it came in. 00:34:14.849 --> 00:34:19.251 But because it was so late in coming in to him, they still would not. 00:34:19.251 --> 00:34:21.233 The airline would not accept him on the night of boarding. 00:34:21.233 --> 00:34:22.938 Really, they didn't have a copy of it. 00:34:22.938 --> 00:34:24.744 Yep, yeah. 00:34:24.844 --> 00:34:30.041 Okay, so again the last minute can still work, but I mean you want to give yourself that little bit of time, you do, you do Okay. 00:34:30.041 --> 00:34:32.436 Bit of time you do Okay. 00:34:32.436 --> 00:34:33.760 We had a breakfast seminar this week. 00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:37.862 A couple of sister companies were plonant expeditions. 00:34:38.215 --> 00:34:43.621 They're a cruise company from France, maybe not really well known, but definitely known by cruisers. 00:34:43.621 --> 00:34:45.206 They're only about 30 years old. 00:34:45.206 --> 00:34:53.097 They started with a boutique luxury sailing ship and doing sailings in the Mediterranean. 00:34:53.097 --> 00:35:07.661 They've added boutique style yachts over the years now now doing itineraries around the world and you can have anywhere from the 32 guests on the sailing yacht to their largest ship, which is still only 264 guests, which is not a lot when you're on a cruise ship. 00:35:07.661 --> 00:35:10.023 That's a really nice number to deal with. 00:35:11.835 --> 00:35:13.903 They like to say it's laid-back luxury cruising. 00:35:13.903 --> 00:35:21.581 Everything you need is included on board, so you've got fabulous food, your beverages of choice, you've got 24-hour room service. 00:35:21.581 -->

00:35:26.746 Importantly, you have free Wi-Fi and at least one excursion in every port. 00:35:26.746 --> 00:35:34.664 Your transfers and then are all included, and they even have an air program so we can add your air in that and tie it on to make one simple package Nice. 00:35:34.664 --> 00:35:40.563 Some of the things I thought were really cool is, if you're doing one of the colder sailings, like Arctic or the Antarctica. 00:35:40.563 --> 00:35:43.163 They're going to provide you with the parkas and boots. 00:35:43.163 --> 00:35:44.920 That way, you don't have to pack them. 00:35:45.382 --> 00:35:47.916 Good idea, so you don't have to worry about that. 00:35:48.335 --> 00:35:49.597 Yeah, and one of the cool ones. 00:35:49.597 --> 00:35:51.496 They're explorers class ships. 00:35:51.496 --> 00:35:56.980 You're going to make sure that you're going to spend some time in the Blue Eye Lounge and what it is. 00:35:56.980 --> 00:36:05.903 It's a lounge and it's got two big kind of like glass eyes, but it's actually below the waterline so you can actually see into the water. 00:36:05.903 --> 00:36:18.688 So if you're cruising, you know, in the South Pacific or Caribbean pretty much anywhere you can see what's going on around you out in the water and what's really cool is they have the sound from around you. 00:36:18.688 --> 00:36:23.110 So imagine you're cruising by a whale and hearing that whale talk to you. 00:36:23.110 --> 00:36:25.811 I think that'd be very cool. 00:36:26.672 --> 00:36:28.293 I think it'd be very cool too. 00:36:28.293 --> 00:36:33.338 I was as a former crew member on a cruise ship. 00:36:33.338 --> 00:36:36.288 I was always leery about being below the waterline, though it was a thing. 00:36:38.755 --> 00:36:40.603 Well, they've had this for over eight years now. 00:36:40.603 --> 00:36:43.443 They started the first ship with it, so I think it's working. 00:36:45.096 --> 00:36:48.706 Yeah, not to discourage anybody, but it was always a thing with me personally. 00:36:48.726 --> 00:36:51.340 It's like hmm, yeah, but I think it'll be cool. 00:36:51.340 --> 00:36:55.119 You're sitting there having a beverage or whatever and watching watching life go by. 00:36:55.340 --> 00:36:58.822 Yeah, yeah, that's part of the experience, though, right. 00:36:59.614 --> 00:37:04.846 And if you want a little bit more than considering doing one of their itineraries, they partner with the Smithsonian on theme cruises. 00:37:04.846 --> 00:37:15.949 So again, on these ones you're going to have participate or just listen to what they're talking about and learn a little bit more. 00:37:15.949 --> 00:37:19.204 Again, they're all learned in the areas that you're going to be sailing in. 00:37:19.204 --> 00:37:28.117 Another cool thing with them no solo supplement for those of you who are traveling alone, or maybe like myself and my one friend or whatever. 00:37:28.117 --> 00:37:33.342 I love them dearly, but I don't want him in my cabin, so we can get our own

cabins and not have to worry about it. 00:37:33.342 --> 00:37:35.780 That's a good idea, yeah no, I like that too. 00:37:36.735 --> 00:37:46.003 And also teens and children, 15-year-olds and under sail free in the cabins if you're traveling with the parents, or even the grandparents, and that's all new bookings by April 25th. 00:37:46.003 --> 00:37:51.342 So again, give us a call and we'll have a chat about that, if that's one that might fit for you, about that, if it's one that might fit for you. 00:37:51.342 --> 00:37:56.809 And their sister company is Paul Gauguin Cruises and that's a little more familiar name, the authentic Tahiti and South Pacific ship. 00:37:56.809 --> 00:38:00.773 They're one of the few who can still sail around all the islands. 00:38:00.773 --> 00:38:13.041 A couple of years ago, south Polynesia started restricting ships with over 1,200 passengers from sailing in and around the island, so that took a lot of the big cruise lines like Holland and Princess and these guys out of the equation. 00:38:13.041 --> 00:38:15.784 So their packages, again very cool. 00:38:15.784 --> 00:38:23.914 They include round-trip airfare from Los Angeles and we can add easy connections from anywhere in Canada to get you on to those flights. 00:38:24.195 --> 00:38:25.179 Ask for your pricing. 00:38:25.179 --> 00:38:30.036 If you're talking to your travel agent in Canadian dollars, the exchange rate is really really good. 00:38:30.036 --> 00:38:35.360 Right now they're at 1.32, and if you're to go to the bank or whatever, you're looking at about $1.45. 00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:36.742 So that's a huge saving. 00:38:36.742 --> 00:38:40.186 When you're talking pricing for a cruise, that is a huge saving. 00:38:40.186 --> 00:38:42.068 Nice, exactly, exactly. 00:38:42.068 --> 00:38:43.449 But you have to ask for it. 00:38:43.449 --> 00:38:46.931 They don't advertise it or whatever, but it's there, it's available for us Canadians. 00:38:47.655 --> 00:38:47.976 Good. 00:38:48.016 --> 00:38:50.619 And, like I said, laid-back luxury cruising. 00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:59.824 Everything's included on board for you Fantastic food, your choice of beverages, 24-hour room service, importantly again, as we mentioned, wi-fi, which everybody wants nowadays. 00:38:59.824 --> 00:39:04.847 And what's really cool is the water sports are off the back of the boat in some of the destinations when you're stopping. 00:39:04.847 --> 00:39:07.704 So imagine yourself walking down to the back of the boat. 00:39:07.704 --> 00:39:16.525 You jump on your paddleboard or grab the snorkel gear and jump off into the water close to clear water in the South Pacific so you can see everything below you. 00:39:16.525 --> 00:39:19.768 The colors and the wildlife are phenomenal. 00:39:19.768 --> 00:39:21.731 And again, no solo supplements. 00:39:22.010 --> 00:39:22.210 Nice. 00:39:22.411 --> 00:39:26.282 And right now, teens and children 15 years and under are self-reinforced in the cabin with the parents and grandparents. 00:39:26.282 --> 00:39:27.945 For new bookings by April 25th? 00:39:27.945 --> 00:39:29.215 I like it. 00:39:29.215 --> 00:39:34.903 I know you're going to spend an extra couple of days uh, pre or post on the actual island of Bora Bora. 00:39:34.903 --> 00:39:38.889 Yes, yes. 00:39:42.498 --> 00:39:49.179 Uh, hello, waterways I was also coming along and visiting with them Again another preferred partner for River Cruises sailings worldwide. 00:39:49.179 --> 00:39:56.442 Uh, they've got exotic sailings in and they'll actually assist you with the visa that you need to get to Egypt. 00:39:56.442 --> 00:40:00.181 You just give them all the information and they do it and it's included when you do your package. 00:40:00.181 --> 00:40:02.579 So, again, one of those things you don't have to worry about. 00:40:02.579 --> 00:40:05.023 When you show up at the airport or show up in Egypt. 00:40:05.023 --> 00:40:05.724 You're looked after. 00:40:05.724 --> 00:40:09.704 You're sailing on the Nile, seeing the Sphinx and the Pyramids. 00:40:09.704 --> 00:40:15.530 You're going to be riding a camel, maybe you're doing one in Africa, so we're checking out the culture and, of course, all the animals. 00:40:15.530 --> 00:40:25.257 And you have an extra stay with the overnight impressive Victoria Falls, which is always a must if you're going to Africa and that area. 00:40:25.257 --> 00:40:26.400 You really wouldn't want to say that. 00:40:28.126 --> 00:40:28.306 Asia. 00:40:28.306 --> 00:40:31.498 They're on the Mekong River and they're actually adding another ship here shortly. 00:40:31.498 --> 00:40:34.967 So another one of those destinations becoming more and more popular every year. 00:40:34.967 --> 00:40:50.204 We've got Columbia in South America, still fairly new and, of course, always a popular European rivers Again one of the things they pointed out and I hadn't really thought about it too much but Portugal, if you're wanting to go there and kind of stay away from the crowds or whatever. 00:40:50.204 --> 00:40:53.608 They've got really great weather all year long because we talk about them for our long stays. 00:40:53.608 --> 00:40:56.130 So consider them for river cruises. 00:40:56.130 --> 00:41:05.143 Yeah, this is the season when everything's not as busy and the weather is still really really great, not like the heats of the summertime, so again, a great temperature compared to ours over here at that time. 00:41:06.034 --> 00:41:14.226 And Christmas markets and those river sailings again, this is with all the cruise lines, not just AMA, but they've really taken off over the last couple of years. 00:41:14.226 --> 00:41:17.737 They're almost being sold out For this year. 00:41:17.737 --> 00:41:21.425 You might find the odd cabin here and there, which is not surprising. 00:41:21.425 --> 00:41:26.967 Though, with the offers and the itineraries, again, we can always book into 2026, and they're still selling really well already.

00:41:26.967 --> 00:41:32.541 We're into early 2027, so we can't do the Christmas ones for 2027, but we will shortly in a few months. 00:41:32.643 --> 00:41:37.789 So again, the great things that you get to experience in the ports with the locals. 00:41:37.789 --> 00:41:42.847 A lot of them will have markets, kind of like our outdoor markets here, where everything's all set up. 00:41:42.847 --> 00:42:07.356 You can go around and check out their wares, get some great souvenirs, have some hot glue wine, all those kind of things, and a lot of the itineraries that Ammo Waterways offer actually have pre and post options, and right now they've got some specials on where you've got an extra two or three night stay pre or post you can choose from either one of those and those have got a value of about $2,500 a person. 00:42:07.356 --> 00:42:08.960 So some great savings there. 00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:16.246 If you want to extend your stay a little bit and again you can use your points or we can book the airfare with the cruise and make it all a single package. 00:42:16.956 --> 00:42:18.382 Why not extend your stay? 00:42:18.382 --> 00:42:20.782 Right, you're going all that way, why not? 00:42:20.782 --> 00:42:22.922 And back to about the Christmas markets. 00:42:22.922 --> 00:42:30.085 Yeah, if you want to do a Christmas market sailing, best to start planning now for probably next year. 00:42:30.085 --> 00:42:31.606 Yes. 00:42:33.230 --> 00:42:34.637 Unless you could go anytime. 00:42:34.637 --> 00:42:36.396 Like I say, there is the odd cabin. 00:42:36.577 --> 00:42:38.704 Yeah, you've got to be very flexible. 00:42:38.704 --> 00:42:47.018 Or a balcony or anything like that yeah, very flexible on the time and the cabin that you're looking for, Exactly exactly. 00:42:47.541 --> 00:42:54.175 And just again, we like to remind you all the time again, online pricing is almost identical to what any agent can find for you. 00:42:54.175 --> 00:42:57.675 A lot of the sites we're using the same one and it's the same price when you book through us. 00:42:57.675 --> 00:43:07.836 But not only can we assist you before, make some help with some suggestions and, again, heaven forbid, if you needed assistance during, if necessary after the trip because there was an issue, we're here for you. 00:43:07.836 --> 00:43:13.184 And booking online, you're still essentially dealing with a travel agent in that sense, but you've got no personal service. 00:43:13.184 --> 00:43:14.927 You can't have conversations. 00:43:14.927 --> 00:43:23.440 You have to look after everything by yourself Hope they're notifying you of schedule changes or if you have problems with your airfares and everything like that, you've got to deal with them directly. 00:43:23.440 --> 00:43:26.543 And if you've never used a real-life travel agent, try one out. 00:43:26.543 --> 00:43:32.626 In most cases, we find that once you've tried us, you keep coming back and we do appreciate that, very true. 00:43:32.726 --> 00:43:33.708 How do people get a hold of you? 00:43:34.396 --> 00:43:36.994 In Calgary, 403-241-7140. 00:43:36.994 --> 00:43:41.534 And outside Calgary you can call us toll-free, 877-511-5511. 00:43:41.534 --> 00:43:43.217 Then you too can relax. 00:43:43.217 --> 00:43:45.744 It's all taken care of, indeed, sir. 00:43:45.744 --> 00:43:46.827 Enjoy your week everyone. 00:43:51.795 --> 00:43:53.443 And that is our show for this week. 00:43:53.443 --> 00:43:56.744 If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. 00:43:56.744 --> 00:43:59.764 If you have a show idea, send that along as well. 00:43:59.764 --> 00:44:06.483 My email is randy at theinformedtravellerorg, and if you like what you heard, tell a friend. 00:44:06.483 --> 00:44:09.764 You can check out our website too, at theinformedtravellerorg. 00:44:09.764 --> 00:44:13.528 In the meantime, thanks for listening. 00:44:13.528 --> 00:44:16.923 Travel safe and be an informed traveler.