Celebrity cruiser tries Azamara

We are about to take our first Azamara cruise (booked at the very last minute, I might add!) We usually cruise on Celebrity. I've noticed that there are a lot of experienced Celbrity cruisers on this board and I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions I have...

LAUNDRY: We are Elite on Celebrity so we will have some of the same perks on Azamara. Is it only one free bag per cabin, not per cruiser? How do they know not to charge you for the laundry- is there a coupon or something that you enclose? Do they return it wrinkled and folded, like Celebrity, or pressed?

INTERNET: Do we get 90 minutes per elite member or just 90 minutes for the cabin? Do we have to use it up all at one time, or can we spread it out like on Celebrity?

SPECIALTY COFFEE: Are the included (complimentary) coffees available in all dining venues or only at the Mosaic cafe? What kinds are included (cappucino? caramel macchiato? ) Are there coffee drinks that have an extra charge?

PORT SHUTTLES: How will I know which ports have a shuttle and which ports I will have to navigate on my own if I don't have an excursion booked? When do you find out if there will be a shuttle?

TOILETRIES: How do they compare to what I'm used to on Celebrity? I'm assuming I'll have conditioner and body lotion in addition to shampoo? Is there bar soap (I hate shower gel)?

MAIN DINING ROOM: I have been looking at the menus people have posted and they look delicious! I feel like I may have trouble deciding between them. Can I sometimes order 2 appetizers or an extra main dish to share with my DH (like we do on Celebrity) or is this considered uncouth and, well, piggy? Also, how are the desserts on Azamara?

LUNCH: What venues are open for lunch on Embarkation day? Just the buffet? I'm assuming the MDR is only open for lunch on sea days, is that correct?

PARK WEST: Are they still on the ship? I hate having them on Celebrity, and I imagine they will be even more obtrusive on a much smaller ship.

And last but perhaps most important (:D)

ICE CREAM: Can I find it anywhere on the ship or is it just frozen yogurt that's available? (If it's just frozen yogurt like on Royal Caribbean, I'll survive and come home a few pounds lighter!)

Wow, I guess that was more than a few questions! Thank you if you're still reading this, and thank you in advance if you have time to answer some of my questions. (BTW, this is the first thread I've ever started, so be gentle...:)

I will answer the ones I know for sure off the top of my head.

LAUNDRY - one coupon per cabin per 7 days (so if it's a 12 night cruise you'd still get one coupon). Fill out the laundry sheet and put LCV Free Laundry in the special instructions and a coupon in the bag. It all comes back pressed, not dry folded like Celebrity.

INTERNET - per eligible member not cabin. You don't need to use it in one go, just make sure you log off.

TOILETRIES - I find them fine. Two soap bars, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.

MDR - no problem ordering two appetisers and they are very accommodating. Personally I really enjoy the desserts.

EMBARKATION LUNCH - buffet and The Patio are open

PARK WEST - has gone!

We are about to take our first Azamara cruise (booked at the very last minute, I might add!) We usually cruise on Celebrity. I've noticed that there are a lot of experienced Celbrity cruisers on this board and I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions I have...

 

LAUNDRY: We are Elite on Celebrity so we will have some of the same perks on Azamara. Is it only one free bag per cabin, not per cruiser? How do they know not to charge you for the laundry- is there a coupon or something that you enclose? Do they return it wrinkled and folded, like Celebrity, or pressed? You are Elite on Celebrity, so you will be Discoverer on Azamara. Yes, it is only one bag per cabin. There is a coupon to enclose with the laundry and the welcome letter contains instructions on what to write on the laundry form. Our laundry has always come back pressed (shirts on hangers).

 

INTERNET: Do we get 90 minutes per elite member or just 90 minutes for the cabin? Do we have to use it up all at one time, or can we spread it out like on Celebrity? It is 90 minutes per member and you can spread it out (don't forget to log off).

 

SPECIALTY COFFEE: Are the included (complimentary) coffees available in all dining venues or only at the Mosaic cafe? What kinds are included (cappucino? caramel macchiato? ) Are there coffee drinks that have an extra charge? We regularly order complimentary espresso in Discoveries, but we don't generally drink coffee.

 

PORT SHUTTLES: How will I know which ports have a shuttle and which ports I will have to navigate on my own if I don't have an excursion booked? When do you find out if there will be a shuttle? Generally a free shuttle is provided unless the ships docks right in the centre of town (close enough that you wouldn't need a shuttle). Shuttle details are provided in the daily Pursuits on the evening before arrival at each port.

 

TOILETRIES: How do they compare to what I'm used to on Celebrity? I'm assuming I'll have conditioner and body lotion in addition to shampoo? Is there bar soap (I hate shower gel)? Yes, bar soap is provided. We think the quality of the toiletries is similar to those on Celebrity.

 

MAIN DINING ROOM: I have been looking at the menus people have posted and they look delicious! I feel like I may have trouble deciding between them. Can I sometimes order 2 appetizers or an extra main dish to share with my DH (like we do on Celebrity) or is this considered uncouth and, well, piggy? Also, how are the desserts on Azamara? Yes, you can oder what you want (although we've always found that an appetizer, soup, main course and dessert is plenty).

 

LUNCH: What venues are open for lunch on Embarkation day? Just the buffet? I'm assuming the MDR is only open for lunch on sea days, is that correct? Yes, the MDR is normally only open for lunch on sea days. It also tends to be open if arrival or departure is around lunchtime. We always eat in Windows on embarkation, but the Patio may also be open.

 

PARK WEST: Are they still on the ship? I hate having them on Celebrity, and I imagine they will be even more obtrusive on a much smaller ship. Park West are no longer on Azamara. :)

 

And last but perhaps most important (:D)

 

ICE CREAM: Can I find it anywhere on the ship or is it just frozen yogurt that's available? (If it's just frozen yogurt like on Royal Caribbean, I'll survive and come home a few pounds lighter!) A good selection of icecream (made onboard) is available in Windows. Icecream is always on the dessert menu in Discoveries.

 

Wow, I guess that was more than a few questions! Thank you if you're still reading this, and thank you in advance if you have time to answer some of my questions. (BTW, this is the first thread I've ever started, so be gentle...:)

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank goodness Park West is gone, but now they have antiques they sell. Not impressed with that at all.

Port shuttles when available will be announced in the daily newsletter.

Speciality coffee is served in the Mosaic Cafe, along with a variety of sweets and at noon, small sandwiches...quiche is also available.

Ice Cream....wonderful Gelato in Windows Cafe, lunch and dinner. Don't count on saving pounds. 😉

We're recently off the Quest. I thought the food was very good before but it seems to have improved over our last Azamara cruise. Maybe it's because we've sailed on Celebrity the past several cruises, but the food is definitely better on Azamara. The MDR is a much more pleasant experience. You won't find the noise like you do on X. Be sure to try the speciality restaurants...they are well worth it. We did a speciality dining package. Buffet restaurant has a themed dinner nightly. Some nights we didn't bother with the MDR.

WARNING ⚠️. You may get spoiled on Azamara.

Enjoy your cruise. 😁

Hint: Go up to IT and have the person running it show you a shortcut to use the Internet. I had problems with the log off and lost almost 90 minutes. It was given back because he knew I hadn't used the minutes.

I'm currently on Journey and also think the food (which was already great) has improved further the past 6 months. Really pleasing.

Park West is gone - hooray. I'm also not happy with the antique sales but it's a lot less intrusive. It's a single table you can chose to ignore while walking past; no auctions or anything.

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They had the antiques table on our Quest cruise in August -- when Park West was still there. The antiques were kind of fun to give a quick look-over, but it's hard to imagine anyone will buy them. At least they seem to be real ;)

I shout a big "good riddance" for the departure of Park West and their borderline fraud. On a happier note, we love the gelato at Windows everyday. I enjoy constructing sundaes. And we routinely order coffee drinks in Discoveries and Windows, plus hang out in Mosaic everyday, along with just about everyone else. And we take specialty coffees back to our stateroom from Mosaic. Nice touch.

Antiques onboard - no issues as far as I'm concerned. Very discreet. They use the desk in Mosaic that used to be Park West assigned. The IT specialist onboard also doubles up there.

A big thank you to all those who answered my questions! Great news about the food, the presence of gelato (YUM) and the absence of Park West. :D If anyone has any other tips or hints about the Quest or Azamara in general, I'd love to hear them.

Hint: Go up to IT and have the person running it show you a shortcut to use the Internet. I had problems with the log off and lost almost 90 minutes. It was given back because he knew I hadn't used the minutes.

The 'shortcut' is typing logoff.com in any browser. Couldn't be easier; it's how I always log off. That said - with the new unlimited Internet package this cruise, I've never logged off and simply kept my iPhone connected 24/7.

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The 'shortcut' is typing logoff.com in any browser. Couldn't be easier; it's how I always log off. That said - with the new unlimited Internet package this cruise, I've never logged off and simply kept my iPhone connected 24/7.

 

 

 

 

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No, he showed me another way. He had logon and logoff and I could just click on it and be logged on and logged off immediately. There was no .com to it. I think it may have been an app??? Should have written it down.

No, he showed me another way. He had logon and logoff and I could just click on it and be logged on and logged off immediately. There was no .com to it. I think it may have been an app??? Should have written it down.

Some time ago on one Az cruise we were able to use an app to log off.

Haven't seen that option since.

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Some time ago on one Az cruise we were able to use an app to log off.

 

Haven't seen that option since.

 

 

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Not really sure if it was an app, but more like a bookmark. It worked, whatever he did and specifically told me it was a shortcut to be sure I was logged off.

Not really sure if it was an app, but more like a bookmark. It worked, whatever he did and specifically told me it was a shortcut to be sure I was logged off.

Indeed your memory is better than mine.

Thanks for the correction.

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Looking forward to our first Azamara cruise. Mainly did Celebrity before.

Next week we go the reverse way after a gap of three years. To be honest we has wanted to be in Quest but my work calendar said no so Celebrity it is. I will compare the two when I get the chance. My Celebrity booking has unlimited internet which will be a huge bonus however I'm heartened to hear Azamara is offering better internet pricing these days

Speciality coffee is served in the Mosaic Cafe, along with a variety of sweets and at noon, small sandwiches...quiche is also available.

 

Ice Cream....wonderful Gelato in Windows Cafe, lunch and dinner. Don't count on saving pounds. 😉

 

Specialty coffee is also available in The Living Room starting at 11am or noon (forgot which) along with the same sweets, snacks, etc.

Gelato is on the dessert menu in the main dining room and both specialty restaurants. If dining at lunch or dinner in The Patio, can also walk into Windows buffet and select from the gelato cart.

Specialty coffee is also available in The Living Room starting at 11am or noon (forgot which) along with the same sweets, snacks, etc..

This sounds great...but no one has defined "specialty coffee" yet :confused:

What kinds of coffee drinks are included?

This sounds great...but no one has defined "specialty coffee" yet :confused:

What kinds of coffee drinks are included?

Espresso, cappuccino, cafe au lait, etc.

Espresso, cappuccino, cafe au lait, etc.

Any coffee with alcohol in is an extra charge, unless you order the inclusive alcohol seperately and add it yourself:cool::cool:

Any coffee with alcohol in is an extra charge, unless you order the inclusive alcohol seperately and add it yourself:cool::cool:

Ha! Good idea...is there any included alcohol that would go well in coffee? (The only thing that I can think of is Bailey's, but then I don't have much imagination when it comes to drinks :).

I just noticed on another thread someone mentioned a Top Tier Breakfast (not sure that was the correct name). Can anyone explain what this is? Since we're Elite on Celebrity, we'll be Discoverer (?) on Azamara...so would we qualify for this?

A special brunch for Discovers, and above, is usually held in Prime C and served by the senior officers.If there is a very large number of eligible people, such as a transatlantic sailing, it has been held in the MDR. Either way, it is quite enjoyable.

Ha! Good idea...is there any included alcohol that would go well in coffee? (The only thing that I can think of is Bailey's, but then I don't have much imagination when it comes to drinks :).

The first two that come to mind are Kahlua or Tia Maria. They're both coffee based Liqueurs. Kahlua is heavier and sweeter IMHO. I prefer Tia.

Another option is Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur or a Chocolate Liqueur such as Godiva. Of course for some, there's the old standby Irish Coffee with Irish Whiskey.

The first two that come to mind are Kahlua or Tia Maria. They're both coffee based Liqueurs. Kahlua is heavier and sweeter IMHO. I prefer Tia.

 

Another option is Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur or a Chocolate Liqueur such as Godiva. Of course for some, there's the old standby Irish Coffee with Irish Whiskey.

Great ideas... and are all those liqueurs included in their complimentary package? Oh and come to think of it, would things like a chocolate martini or lemon drop be included?

Great ideas... and are all those liqueurs included in their complimentary package? Oh and come to think of it, would things like a chocolate martini or lemon drop be included?

Unfortunately, the good Liqueurs are not included.

Here's a list of the basic complimentary spirits. https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

You'd have to get the premium liquor package for $15.95/day

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/booked-guests/onboard-packages/beverage-packages