Introduction

This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux Costa Rica cruise on Azamara Quest from January 15–25, 2018. We flew from Miami to San Jose, transferred to Puntarenas, CR [instead of Caldera as originally scheduled] to board Azamara Quest, sailed for 10 days down to Panama City, Panama; up to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua; stopping at four other ports along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast along the way. Afterward we spent two nights at the Arenal Volcano and two nights in Costa Rica’s capital San Jose, before flying back to Miami.

During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’].

In planning for this trip I used Frommer’s Costa Rica [2017], Tom’s Port Guides [tomsportguides.com], Trip Advisor [tripadvisor.com] and, of course, Cruise Critic [cruisecritic.com].

Saturday January 13, 2018 – Miami

After 3 days on the road we arrived in Miami at the Hilton Miami Airport Hotel. After checking in with the help of a young Cuban bellman named Teddy [who spoke excellent English which he taught himself – fun fact: he cured his English of the rolling R sound by clamping a pencil between his teeth as he learned to pronounce ‘our way.’ Sadly, I can’t reverse that process to learn how to roll my Rs in Spanish!]. We drove to Amor Di Pasta for a yummy Italian dinner. DW had Chicken Marsala and I had Seafood Ziti.

Sunday January 14, 2018 – Flight to San Jose, Costa Rica

Up and out early as we had to re-park and re-pack our van, have breakfast and catch the 8:00 am hotel shuttle to the airport. After checking our luggage, we easily went through security and headed for the Amex Centurion Lounge to wait for our flight. We indulged ourselves on lemon ricotta pancakes and frittata as there would be nothing but cookies on the plane. [American Airlines does not treat their Main Cabin Extra passengers anywhere near as well as Delta does for Comfort Plus.] The 3 hour flight was smooth but the landing was somewhat disconcerting. After being cut off by another plane, the pilot re-ascended and circled the mountains, where it was turbulent. When he finally landed, he seemed to come in much too fast but we were safe.

We were met by Odyssey Tours and taken to the Doubletree Cariari San Jose, a lovely resort hotel contained within a sprawling layout. We rested a while and then walked to 4:00 pm Mass [in English] at St. Mary’s International Chapel, the spiritual home of American expats and English-speakers in San Jose. We then explored the stores and restaurants near the hotel and returned for Happy Hour with free drinks, salads, sandwiches and dessert. The free food was so good that we decided to have dinner at the hotel, which started well with delicious Creamy Seafood Soup––but we were not favorably impressed with the Curried Shrimp or the Pulpo and sent them back.

Monday January 15, 2018 – Boarding Azamara Quest

Despite roaring winds, we slept well and enjoyed complimentary breakfast before packing up for our drive to the ship. Alvaro of Odyssey Tours sent his father, Alvaro Sr., to pick us up and bring us to Puntarenas. On the way to the port we passed another Odyssey van with a flat tire, so we were happy to give those folks a lift to the ship.

It seems that the winds we had experienced in San Jose were blowing just as strongly on the Pacific coast. Azamara Quest had a difficult time docking in Puntarenas on Sunday, and was forced to remain there instead of sailing across the bay [only 6 nautical miles] to the scheduled turnaround port of Caldera. It seems that no other ship had even made it into port in this area of Costa Rica because of the winds, so kudos to Azamara Captain Carl for getting docked in Puntarenas!

Shuttle buses helped with the transition for those who didn’t get the word, but the Cruise Critic roll call had alerted us and Odyssey also knew about it as this family firm is based in Caldera. Azamara also had to take over the Puntarenas tourist information building for check-in, hire more buses to get us along the wharf to the ship, reroute all the re-provisioning trucks to Puntarenas, and work with the Costa Rica immigration authorities to process us onboard Quest.

It must have added up to a lot of extra expense for Azamara, but it was handled so well that it all went very smoothly – except that the immigration folks didn’t finish their work until several hours past our 5 pm sailing. Luckily we were having a sea day so no heroics were needed to keep on schedule. Captain Carl was very professional in his announcements – and very open about the details of the weather and logistics involved. All in all, it was a very impressive performance by Captain Carl and the entire Azamara team!

Once checked in we went directly to our accommodations. We had originally booked a Club Continent suite [‘CC,’ similar to a Princess mini-suite] because the Veranda cabins on the Azamara ships are just too small – but as the sailing approached I heard that many people were getting upgrade offers so I called the Azamara loyalty program [Le Club Voyage] to enquire if we could too – and lo and behold they offered us an upgrade to a Club World Owner’s Suite [‘CW’] for $1,500 and then threw in $600 of OBC, for an apparent net cost of only $900 [but see below for the wrinkle].

The Club World Owner’s Suite is the most luxurious accommodation on the R-ships, with a large living room, separate bedroom, dressing room, huge aft-facing wraparound balcony, and split bathroom [a separate cubicle for toilet and sink, plus a larger area with another sink and vanity, a bathtub and a large shower]. There are so many closets and shelves that we were easily able to sort clothes etc. by function – and we still never used some of the spaces. There is a dining table in the living room, and another on the balcony. Pocket doors allow you to screen off the bedroom and master bathroom, or by opening them to have a complete circle throughout the suite. As one of our guests remarked, it is really designed for entertaining – but it is also a wonderful retreat for living. Sweet!

We also found 4 bottles of liquor: decent brands of rum, scotch, vodka, and gin [375ml each, not little airline bottles!] plus a bottle of good French champagne and 2 of decent Cabernet Sauvignon [from a combination of suite amenities, Amex Platinum, and our Travel Agent]. We also got free soda and bottled water. We never drank the soda, but the bottled water kept coming faster than we could drink it – at one point we had 20 bottles on hand! And we had a vase of Gerbera Daisies on our dining table that lasted nicely throughout the cruise. [I do have to note, sadly, that our suite refrigerator contained the dreaded Royal Club Tonic.]

We had a little soot on the balcony some mornings, but the cabin attendants cleaned it without being asked. The space, and quiet, and the view were unmatched. Also the location on deck six was very convenient to most activities. We were directly above the MDR [Discoveries], but we never heard any noise.

For us, the most important thing in a suite [besides just space and more space] is a proper dining table. That lets us order room service breakfast for efficient use of time [with early shore excursions] or a leisurely morning [on sea days]. Having the Butler set the table and serve breakfast is icing on the cake!

Windows Café was open for late lunch so we ate there. We unpacked and met our butler Eyup [from Turkey], who said we also have 2 cabin attendants, and went to the muster drill.

At 5:45 we went to the Cruise Critic Social, then on to an invitation-only cocktail hour for the top suite guests where we sat with a lovely couple from Houston. Then dinner called and we went to Discoveries. We had a table for two which was placed close but not too-close to the next table, and had a conversation with two gals from AZ. I had Vol-au-vent [with mushrooms and asparagus] and Wiener Schnitzel. DW had Spinach Caprese Salad, Filet Mignon, and Profiteroles. All excellent.

We went to the 9:45 show Danzare in the Cabaret Lounge, which was preceded by the Captain’s introduction of officers and his explanation of the change of port for embarkation. This was Captain Carl’s last cruise on Quest [for the next six months he will be supervising the refitting of the new Azamara Pursuit] – it was our first encounter with Captain Carl, but if the Captain thing doesn’t work out he could double as a standup comic.

Captain Carl had us turn the clocks ahead early for Panama, so that we had a sea day to acclimate to the time change.

Tuesday January 16, 2018 – Sea Day

All was calm as we sailed south toward Panama. DW had breakfast served in the cabin. I went out to make sure we had internet before getting Eggs Benedict at Windows [not great] Later DW had elevenses [cheese and fruit brought by Eyup yesterday], then to the Gelateria event for a scoop of chocolate gelato that tasted of peanuts!

We are Elite/Discoverer in the Celebrity/Azamara loyalty program, so were would have been entitled to 90 free internet minutes each. But as CW guests we were instead entitled to either 235 minutes each or a $150 pp discount on the unlimited internet package – we chose the upgrades [so mentally knocked some more off the upgrade cost]. Internet service was acceptably fast throughout the cruise – not as good as our FiOS service at home [what could be?] but way better than the internet in the Hiltons on the drive down to Miami.

We both went to Chuck Richardson’s lecture on the Panama Canal which was very good. The next day he did a talk on “Golfito and Quepos: Gateways to Costa Rica’s Natural Beauty.” One of the things I really like about Azamara’s lecturers is that they have no idea whether the sights they describe are available on shore excursions – these are NOT adverts for the Azamara shorex office.

Then DW went to a Spanish lesson [which was so easy it was sort of a joke!] and I visited the Living Room for cream tea – tasty small sandwiches and a fresh scone with clotted cream and jam [heavenly].

Two more cocktail parties—the first was hosted by Distinctive Voyages, a travel agency consortium where we chatted with a couple from northern California who do a lot of back-to-back cruising, and the second was the Le Club Voyage event for all returning Azamara passengers.

Dinner in Discoveries: DW started with Red Pepper/Corn Chowder [which was light on the corn] and I had the featured Ravioli entrée as an appetizer, then we both had Tandoori Lamb with spicy lentils, and Crème Brûlée for dessert.

I suppose I’m a wine snob, and I found the included wines quite acceptable. There are two reds and two whites [which change each day] and one rose [which seemed quite acceptable to the French group onboard] – and when I asked for the previous day’s red at dinner they got me a bottle, no problem.

We went to the Cabaret Lounge for an entertaining session with violinist Doug Cameron.

D walked almost 10 laps of deck 6. [She has found that this is much more convenient than even the best-designed Promenade Deck – especially at night – so we don’t miss that feature on Azamara.]

We felt terrible vibrations all night as the Captain moved us along, but it didn’t bother our sleep!

Wednesday January 17, 2018 – Panama City

Up early. Both of us got room service breakfast and Eyup was distressed that DW only wanted him to leave it and not set it up for us. [She let him do his thing after that.]

At 8:00 we met up with 3 other couples [Debra & Fred, Marilyn & Jack, and Sylvia & John] and tendered in for a Panama Roadrunner tour of Panama City. We started out at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center where we saw a large commercial ship go through the final set of locks on the Pacific side. We then watched a short film on the development of the Panama Canal and proceeded to explore the museum. It was now raining steadily so we went to early lunch at El Trapiche for authentic Panamanian food. DW had Ropa Viejo [shredded beef] and I had Corvina [sea bass]. The rain let up and we walked around Casco Viejo [the old quarter, but not the oldest quarter—Panama Viejo—which is now ruins] and saw several churches [St. Francis of Assisi, St. Philip Neri, and the Metropolitan Cathedral—which is closed for major reconstruction]. In the first two churches were sprawling precepio scenes [like miniature train sets without the trains—showing many events from the Bible centering on the birth of Jesus]. Rafael then drove us up to see Mi Pueblita [a preserved Panamanian village with exhibits of period clothing and folklore]. Our last stop was the Artisan Marketplace, a waste of time and space where vendor after vendor seemed to offer the same cheesy clothes, hats, dolls, souvenirs [at different prices]. We were back on board the Quest by 4:00 pm and were delighted to see that Eyup had left us cheese & crackers, fruit and hors d’oeuvres. [Azamara’s treats are of much better quality than those we had received on Celebrity, so these really were welcome.]

I showered and DW took a short nap only to be interrupted by Captain Carl’s announcement that because of the iffy weather he was moving our AzAmazing Evening onboard the ship. [Announcements – especially in-cabin – are kept to a minimum on Azamara and the Captain apologized for interrupting our day this way but the early notice was welcome!] DW went back to sleep, then we enjoyed some more of the goodies left by Eyup.

The AzAmazing Evening was scheduled to be an outdoor folkloric performance in the oldest part of Panama City, at the Panama Viejo Cathedral Tower. The tenders had already operated all day for shore visits, and were scheduled to do so again the next day – and they would have to do a third shift in a very short window to get 600+ guests to the port and back again at the end. They had also arranged a fleet of shuttle buses from the tender dock to the performance site, set up the catering operation for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and engaged the folkloric performers. But we had thunderstorms off and on all day, and they realized that it wasn’t likely to clear as forecast – which would be at best uncomfortable and at worst dangerous.

So at 1 pm they decided to bring the event onboard. The kitchen crew had to adjust their dinner preparations from the few non-participants to the entire ship roster, the Panamanian performers had to be squeezed into the tiny backstage area [they had huge costumes!] and rehearsed in a completely new venue [where they would have to do their show twice, since the Cabaret Lounge only holds half the passengers], the buses and catering cancelled, and the entire crew had to reset their expectations for timing and duties. Captain Carl and CD Russ gave kudos to all the crew, but they never mentioned what must have been major additional expenses for Azamara. It was obvious that their only concern was to give their guests the delightful experience promised, with no thought to the bottom line.

In the event, dinner went off as if they had expected all of us from the get-go, the performance was wonderful [maybe even better because at least some of us got to sit much closer than we would have done outside, and after a hard day of sightseeing the convenience of a short walk to the Cabaret Lounge and a comfy seat was so much easier than the tender-bus-stand-repeat that it would have been].

To me, the measure of a cruise line is less about how they do when everything goes smoothly and much more about how they do when things go wrong. Azamara has proved twice already on this cruise that they do really well in both cases.

We had dinner in Discoveries. I had Seared Tuna to start, then Pappardelle with vegetables [like a carbonara]; DW had Pumpkin Soup with caramelized apples, Mixed Greens, and Salmon. For dessert, I had After Eight Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato [with ice crystals – Azamara is not known for flavorful, creamy gelato] and DW had Chocolate Crown with caramel sauce [yummy and just enough].

Then we took in the AzAmazing Evening Panamanian folklore show with colorful costumes, dancing, lots of energy and attractive young people – conveniently located down the hall in the Cabaret Lounge. Delightful!

[Someone asked on Cruise Critic why Azamara scheduled the AzAmazing Evening at a tender port. On this itinerary there were only two non-tender ports and neither has any infrastructure for an interesting evening ashore. We loved this Costa Rica-intensive itinerary and wouldn’t want the planners to have to dumb down the itineraries to assure a dock for the AzAmazing Evening. The way they handled it was just fine, IMHO.]

D walked 10 laps in the hallways.

Thursday January 18, 2018 – Panama City [day 2]

Eyup got the times on our breakfast order confused, and brought DW coffee instead of hot water…He apologized profusely [and this was his only slip-up].

We made our rendezvous with Barry & Corrine and Marilyn & Jack for another day with Rafael and Panama Roadrunner tours. First stop was the Biomuseo, designed in 2014 by architect Frank Gehry. Arriving before the official opening time was not a problem as there is a covered courtyard filled with information kiosks, a water fountain, and bathrooms. Rafael explained Panama’s geography, history, and indigenous peoples, and then we proceeded through the museum which has great signage, video screens, audio devices, and live guides who speak English and Spanish.

Our next stop was an early lunch at a food court at the former American military base [which is now a school complex]. Our timing was perfect as we had a torrential rain storm while we ate.

We then headed to Soberania National Park and Zoo where we walked into the rain forest on an unpaved path consisting of wet leaves, deep ruts, mud, roots…treacherous footing [Marilyn, who had broken her ankle shortly before the cruise, wisely stayed in the van with Jack]. We saw a parade of leaf cutting red ants, a red tailed squirrel and a few butterflies, but no jaguars, exotic birds, etc. As we were approaching the van, the skies opened up again [“why do you think they call it a rain forest?”]. All of us then went to the zoo area for a talk/movie on the largest eagle in the rainforest—the Harpy Eagle. It is huge and could easily pick DW up!

We had just enough time for Rafael to drive us to our next adventure, a boat ride on the canal and Gatun Lake to see wildlife. We all went except for Marilyn, whose busted ankle made getting into and out of the boat dangerous. Even with another party there were only 8 passengers in the boat [the ship excursion boats were packed]. Our driver was a cowboy, hitting every boat wake he could find. But we did see a lot of wildlife—Howler Monkeys [who sound like roaring lions] with their prehensile tails, Capuchins [smartest of the monkeys] who are omnivores, and the tiny Tamarinds who came onto the boat and ate banana out of your hand. We also saw a juvenile Snail Kite [bird] and lots of common Moor Hens with their red foreheads, and even a baby Crocodile lying on a log.

We got back to Quest around 5:30 and dined in Prime C at 8:00. We had a window table and could see multiple lightning strikes over Panama City. We both started with a Beet/Arugula Salad. I had a fabulous Rack of Lamb with cheese spaetzle and sautéed spinach, and DW had yummy Pancetta-wrapped Breast of Pheasant with zucchini pancakes. I finished up with a delicious Rum Raisin Soufflé and DW with a disappointing Fondant au chocolate [molten lava cake which was over-baked and dry].

We did not enjoy the show which featured a piano-playing illusionist, Garin Bader, who was not prime in either genre.

D was too tired to walk. But we turned the clocks back for our return to Central time in Costa Rica, so we had a good night’s rest.

 

Friday January 19, 2018 – Sea Day

DW did a load of white wash and entered the Sudoku challenge. She completed the first puzzle but messed up the second so took a new copy with her to do on her own [which she successfully completed].

I want to mention that on our previous cruise on Quest she had suggested that a ‘Sudoku challenge’ should involve an actual contest, and we were pleased to see that they have incorporated her suggestions – this is an example of what we like so much about Azamara!

We went to the special Quest Brunch in Discoveries. Ate ourselves silly. Delightful! A quartet from the Cabaret Lounge band was playing really good Jazz [Sonny Rollins, not Kenny G].

DW went window shopping for ideas on spending our OBC [we had a total of $900, which is pretty difficult to spend on a mostly-inclusive cruise!]. I went to a Champagne tasting but it was cancelled as only one other fellow showed up.

DW watched Chuck Richardson’s presentation on CR wildlife when it was re-broadcast on our TV, then caught up on some reading. I and a British couple took the galley tour.

We both went to another Le Club Voyage Special Event in the Cabaret Lounge. Liquor flowed. Canapés were abundant. We had entertainment provided by singer Kevin Rose. Strong voice!

We dined in Discoveries. DW started with an appetizer portion of the entrée Salad of red cabbage/bacon, and I had Frisée salad with bleu cheese dressing. Then both of us had the Duck Breast. For dessert DW poorly chose the Apple Charlotte [blah froth] and I didn’t like the Vanilla/Ricotta Crepes [also bland].

DW went to the Voices show, and then walked.

Azamara is revamping all their entertainment. It was known onboard that it was happening, but not what the changes would be. We will miss the dancers and the show Danzare, but not this Voices show.

Saturday January 20, 2018 – Golfito, Costa Rica

We met 3 other couples on deck 4 for our 6 hour excursion with Changing Tide Tours on the waters of Golfo Dulce [Sylvia & John, Debra & Fred, and Pam & Pierre]. We proceeded to the dock where Captain Tino met us with his boat Negrito. On first sight we were dubious about all of us fitting on it and the availability of life jackets, etc. but it turned out well. He initially led us out of the gulf to the midst of hundreds of Spotted Dolphin. What a treat, especially to see some of the young ones leap into the air. We spent quite awhile there along with a few other tour boats enjoying this gift from God! He then took us closer to shore to see Pelicans roosting in trees, Osprey and a couple of Scarlet Macaws flying overhead.

Next stop was Casa Orquideas botanical garden, a private 3 acres developed by an expat couple over the past 30 years. [No one warned us that it would be a wet landing. Brought back memories of the Galapagos.] There are fruit trees, a large Banyan tree, Orchids, herbs… But the biggest treat was to see Scarlet Tanagers and all the bright yellow-billed Toucans in the trees. Butterflies flitted about in the gardens.

Once we got back on the Negrito, Tino cut up bananas and pineapple for us to eat. So fresh and luscious! He then took us to a spot with the clearest water and some of us went snorkeling. The others stayed onboard but could see some of the fish swimming about. On the way back to port, we saw Skipjack fish jumping out of the water.

Onboard, we snacked on cheese, crackers and fruit, then DW did a couple of loads of laundry. [We got a coupon for a free bag, but we were saving it since the Laundromat onboard is also free.]

We had dinner at the buffet in Windows Café – a first for us, but it was Indian food night. They had vindaloo, tamarind, curry, and other spicy, tasty dishes and we tried most.  Everything was good, but the vindaloo should have been spicier.

We then had time to take in two shows—a tribute to Glenn Miller, and cruise director Russ Grieve’s one-man performance of songs that were special in his life. Very enjoyable!

Then we hit the gift shop to use up some OBC, and finally DW walked.

Sunday January 21, 2018 – Quepos

We tendered in to Quepos and were met by Carlos from Iguana Tours who drove us to the 9:00 am Mass [en español] at Immaculada Concepcion. A fairly new building, it was naturally air conditioned: large window holes high up but no glass, and there must have been 3 dozen ceiling fans. The liturgy was well attended by all ages and they participated and sang. Afterwards some came up to us, blessed us with holy water, shook our hands, wished us well… They certainly made these two strangers feel welcome!

Interesting note: their large crèche was still in place with lights on in the sanctuary. In Latin America, they are in no hurry to pack away Christmas in the closet. Would love to know when they start celebrating. Maybe they really observe Advent?

We met up with Carlos again and drove to the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio where our tour guide, 23 year old Fabian, introduced himself. We threw a monkey wrench into his plans of a two hour nature stroll through the rainforest when we told him that we had booked an adventurous hike around the Cathedral Point trail. We did see Sloths, Raccoons, Agouti, Frogs, birds, lizards, but we had set a goal of climbing Cathedral Point for the vistas. He finally agreed but it was a tough hike for the three of us and he kept congratulating us for our accomplishment. [I had kept this tour private because I wasn’t sure how the humidity would affect us. It was reassuring that we could still do it!]

We returned to the bus and Carlos [since it was a private tour, we had a 16 passenger bus just for us all day] and went to the Marlin Restaurant for a snack of fresh fruit and a Sour Sap smoothie. Then after doing battle with awful traffic, Carlos got us back to the port for our tender ride back to the Quest.

DW went up to Windows for lunch—some vegetarian Rajda Masala, Apple Slaw and Chocolate Pudding.

Since we were in one of the top suites, we were among 18 guests of Captain Carl and his senior officers for a special tastings menu in the Drawing Room called Best of the Best. We had Crab and Lobster Salad, Cappelletti with Porcini mushrooms in a cream sauce, Blood Orange and Mint Granita, a choice of Seafood Mélange or Wagyu Beef and Lamb Rack, and Mango Parfait with beetroot sorbet. And each course brought a different wine.  There was also sparkling conversation, and a chance to really get to know Captain Carl in an intimate setting.  We both really enjoyed the evening, but DW finds that tastings menus are always too much food for her.

We then watched Dunkirk on our stateroom TV.