Why Azamara?

[Suico]

I saw the "deal" for Azamara on an e-mail from Cruise Critic and thought I would investigate as I have never heard of this cruise line before. Where to start? Cruise Critic Boards, of course! The information gathered here far surpasses anything you can get from the cruise line or even from TA's. So, from what I read on this Board, the staterooms are cramped, the bathrooms are tiny, the food is no better or worse than other cruise lines, the drinks are overpriced with a high added on gratuity, several oceanview staterooms have obstructed views or portholes, the entertainment is so-so, the shore excursions weren't rated very high, the fuel surcharge appears higher than on other cruise lines I have researched and the butler service is just a steward in a tux. Wow! The bonus is fewer passengers and the prospect of visiting smaller ports due to the size of the ship. Am I missing something here? I like the itinerary but at what cost? So, I guess I am asking you, the sages of cruising if this is a good choice or should I be looking elsewhere for comfort and value? :confused:

[Host Andy]

Hello Suico !

Thanks for visiting our board. Most of your concerns seem to come from a small handful of negative reviews. Based on your comments, it looks as if you read 1 or 2 negative reviews. Most of the negative reviews were from Azamara's early days (yes, I remember them as I have been the moderator here since day 1 of Azamara). Most of the more recent reviews have been wonderful. At any rate, let's examine your comments, and I will try and tackle your concerns.

1. Comment: Staterooms are cramped. Answer: That all depends on what cabin you choose. Keep in mind, this is a smaller ship, and all of her Sister ships have the same cabin dimensions. Some of the Outside cabins are smaller than others, but a good TA can guide you on which cabins are larger.

2. Comment: Bathrooms are Tiny. Answer: Again, they are smaller than the Mega-Ships, but typical for a ship of this size. If you stay in a Suite, the bathrooms are huge. Unless you are a plus sized person, the bathrooms should be fine.

3. Comment: Food is no better or worse than any other Cruise line. Answer: This is completely untrue. The food is wonderful, and amongst some of the best I ever had on a Cruise. The Specialty Restaurants are wonderful too.

4. Comment: Drinks are overpriced / High gratuities Answer: The drink prices and gratuities are slightly higher than most other Cruise ships. It is not enough to not consider Azamara. Drinks are a large profit center for every Cruise ship.

5. Comment: Several Oceanview Staterooms have Portholes. Answer: See question 1. Most do not have portholes, and a good TA can help you find the right Stateroom.

6. Comment: Obstructed Cabins. Answer: These are only on the deck where the lifeboats are located. Simply stay away from those cabins, and you wont have a problem.

7. Comment: Entertainment is "so-so". Answer: If you are looking for Royal Caribbean type splashy hi-tech entertainment, you wont find it here. Think of the entertainment as being more of a cabaret type show. With that said, we thought the entertainment was outstanding, and not even close to "so-so".

8. Comment: Shore excursions not rated very high. Answer: I'm not big on excursions, so I cant be much help on this one. I've only seen a very small handful of reviews saying they didnt enjoy the excursions. Most of the feedback has been very postitive, other than they are fairly expensive.

9. Comment: Fuel Surcharges higher than other lines. Answer: Not exactly. Azamara is higher than say a Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, but on par with their competitors/ships of this size. Again, this probably has to do with Azamara being a much smaller ship than the mainstream lines.

To sum up, you asked the question: "Why Azamara?". My answer is: "Why NOT Azamara !" :). Azamara is a wonderful cruise line, but it is not like a Royal Caribbean type experience. If that's what you are looking for, this isn't the line for you. Azamara's service and food, the itineraries and smaller ship experience is outstanding. I also very much enjoyed the more casual atmosphere and relaxed dress code. I highly recommend you check out this board, and especially by reading many of the wonderful reviews.

I know I cant wait to sail on Azamara again, but that's my own opinion. Good luck making your decision.

[factor30]

Thanks Andy - you've taken the words out of my mouth (as they say).
We've had two Azamara cruises (Quest) and a third (Journey) next Feb, so that must tell Suico something.
Of course, it won't suit everyone; not if you want all the noise and razzamataz other lines can supply - continuous announcements over the tannoy; constant touting to buy drinks by the pool, several daily flyers with the ship's paper to buy inches of gold, etc. etc. You'll get none of that on Azamara apart from the ship's daily paper.
We love it and so do hundreds of others, so Soico, I suggest you go for it.

Rita

[Ask4Jay]

For us it's not just Azamara.
It is Azamara, Oceania and/or Princess. All three operate some of the former R-ships and feature 'Freestyle' dining. The ship is the destination, we don't really care where it is going, as long as it cruises across the Atlantic. The cabins and bathrooms are adequate. We drink very little, so drink prices do not matter much, and we do not rely on the ship to provide our entertainment. So what's left? Ah, the balconies, the beautiful aft balconies. We love small ships, the atmosphere is more intimate, and you can feel that you are on a ship the ocean. Our stewards, one with, the other without a tux worked around our schedule to keep the cabin neat and clean.

Yes, we also cruise on NCL with their humongous ships because they have that wonderful BoA credit card program - and Freestyle dining.
So you can see for us this is the best choice. YMMV.

[librarygirl]

Azamara Quest was so good in May that we've booked again for October. It was our home and we were made to feel so welcome it was wonderful.

Loved the mattress - in fact I want to get the same one in my home! Loved the service, the pleasant staff, the great food and the choice of seating at any time.

Loved the sheets, loved the sunrise from our balcony and the bathroom was perfect and my husband is 6ft 2 inches tall.

Loved the lounges by the pool, drank on shore rather than on the ship however a bottle of wine with dinner was not expensive $30 - $40 and well worth it.

The sushi was the best, the souvlaki was great, the berry shakes for breakfast were super, the cappucino wonderful, large cookies terrific, dessert spectacular, lobster marvellous....

Can't wait to see everyone again!

[Dick in Falls Church]

Andy covered it very well.
We tried Azamara on repo from Brazil to Miami. Found it wonderful, enough that we booked a TransAtlantic from Barcelona to Miami in December.

Shows--some were great, one group I didn't like. Not bad for 15 days.

[isujim]

Bottom line is no matter what opinions others may offer, you need to try the line yourself. There is no substitute for first hand " I tried it" experience.

That is exactly what we are doing and why we booked an Azamara cruise. I will determine if the food, cost of drinks, etc is worth the money for Azamara.

My greatest hope is that Azamara will come close to a throw back of what cruising used to be 25 years ago without the glitz and fanfare of modern floating resort cities..........if it is close to what cruising used to be, it will be worth every penny to me.

Go and try and it...........in the end......the best judge is always yourself;)

[crzrr]

One other reason to try Azamara is the service. It was outstanding. I can't tell you the number of times we were asked if there anything someone could do to make our experience better. We have not been on an Oceania or Regent so I can't compare. We are elite members on Celebrity and have never had a complaint about the service on Celebrity ships but the service on Azamara even outdid Celebrity. We took the Quest in February and are booked on an upcoming Journey cruise.

Sue