Eileen G
October 16th, 2009, 10:31 AM
We just went on a cruise on the Azamara Journey and I must say it was a fantastic cruise. We have sailed on RCCL 15X, HAL 6X and Princess 5X and this was by far the best ship we have been on. I am often asked which is my favorite cruise line and I usually reply that they are all very similar.. each has it’s plusses and minuses. Now I can easily say Azamara is my favorite. The itinerary was great: Barcelona, Monte Carlo, La Spezia, Livorno, Civitivechia, Sorrento, Messina, Volos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Chios and ending in Athens. The minute we stepped on board we could tell the difference. We went to have lunch in the buffet and when we walked in it was so quiet and there were empty tables. Very different from other cruises when the buffet on embarkation day is loud and packed with people everywhere.
The staff was amazing. Hotel Director Heike was around all the time doing everything. She is a very gracious woman always wanting to know if everything is going well. She was always at the gang plank as we left for the day and we often stopped to chat with her. Our butler was great and all the front desk people were always eager to help with any problem.
We never made it to the dining room. We really liked the buffet with the outdoor deck. The food was always good and they had a nice variety. They always had a pasta station and stir fry station. We did eat at the two specialty restaurants three times and enjoyed them very much.
The entertainment was also very good. We really enjoyed the intimate setting of the cabaret. All the entertainers were great and the only time it got crowded was when there was only one show because we were in port. Tony the cruise director was very upbeat and did two shows up in the Looking Glass Lounge.
For every port we went to they brought on board a local person who had maps and local information. Sometimes they even had train and bus schedules. However there were a few times the info was wrong but the maps helped.
Everyone we talked to thought the cruise was wonderful. They often wondered where all the passengers were or if the ship was full. We asked Heike and she said every room was booked. We had only one small child on the whole ship and he was always well behaved.
The staff was amazing. Hotel Director Heike was around all the time doing everything. She is a very gracious woman always wanting to know if everything is going well. She was always at the gang plank as we left for the day and we often stopped to chat with her. Our butler was great and all the front desk people were always eager to help with any problem.
We never made it to the dining room. We really liked the buffet with the outdoor deck. The food was always good and they had a nice variety. They always had a pasta station and stir fry station. We did eat at the two specialty restaurants three times and enjoyed them very much.
The entertainment was also very good. We really enjoyed the intimate setting of the cabaret. All the entertainers were great and the only time it got crowded was when there was only one show because we were in port. Tony the cruise director was very upbeat and did two shows up in the Looking Glass Lounge.
For every port we went to they brought on board a local person who had maps and local information. Sometimes they even had train and bus schedules. However there were a few times the info was wrong but the maps helped.
Everyone we talked to thought the cruise was wonderful. They often wondered where all the passengers were or if the ship was full. We asked Heike and she said every room was booked. We had only one small child on the whole ship and he was always well behaved.