I am a CRUISE SPECIALIST and terribly critical when I cruise because I am looking for the best for my passengers .... this cruise did not disappoint!
My biggest concern was actually getting to the cruise on time as a huge storm had moved through Arizona on Monday, we actually had blizzard conditions, and then moved into the mid-west causing all kinds of cancelled flights and travel delays that extended over the weekend I was traveling. My original flight from Phoenix was cancelled but I was rescheduled onto an earlier flight which actually worked out better for me and my flight to Sao Paulo, while leaving an hour late actually made it in at our scheduled time of 9:30am on the 22nd. I was amazed to fly over the forests of Brazil and even more amazed at the size of Sao Paulo. My trip through the airport was uneventful and the AZAMARA ambassadors were waiting for us just outside the customs gate with big smiles and within minutes we were on our bus for our 2 hour transfer to the pier. I would love to tell you that I saw a bit of Sao Paulo but I was exhausted and had no trouble falling asleep during the ride.
We arrived a the pier and within minutes I was checking onto the ship and was very pleasantly surprised to find that I had been upgraded from an ocean view to a balcony cabin. AZAMARA kept my passport and visa and provided me a receipt. I find this practice a little disconcerting but then when you realize that some of the immigration authorities board the ship at 4,5, 6 AM, I am happy not to have to participate in the passport checks.