A new ex-Azamara cruiser

I never thought I would ever post something like this about Azamara -- which has been one of my favorite cruise lines. Our 6th and last Azamara cruise was aboard the Journey for a 14-day SE Asia Christmas-New Years cruise. As with the other sailings aboard Azamara, I was booked in a continental suite. Overall, I was very disappointed in the level of service on board. We had problems with beverage service in the dining room (actually couldn't even get a Coke Zero on several occasions); overall level of service in dining room was so poor (despite not being very crowded) that I chose to eat in the specialty restaurants for most of the cruise; problems at front desk (couldn't get 5 singles for a $5 bill because of "corporate policy"). If you wanted something, it just always seemed to be very difficult. (I won't even talk about the hype of the Azamazing Evening that, at least on this cruise, fell far short of any expectations -- local government official advised people to have medicine on hand if they ate the food.) In a conversation with the hotel director during the cruise, I was advised that all my complaints could be attributed to Azamara's new corporate policies -- and that the staff on board could not vary from those policies. Upon returning home, I wrote a detailed letter to Larry Pimentel, President and CEO. After more than a month, I never received even the courtesy of a form-letter response and contacted Azamara again. In order to get a response, I had to make a very aggressive effort. I was advised that the problems I had experienced were not seen as "failures" because corporate policy had changed. (You can't get a soda in the dining room. Even the maître d' says it is not possible. And it's not a service failure? You wait 45 minutes after being seated for a waiter to come to the table -- and, when told, the maître d' does nothing.) I found it quite interesting that a company in the hospitality industry was no longer interested in providing customer service. So, Azamara can talk about being more inclusive, but it has forgotten the basic service that made sailing on Azamara a very special experience. After sailing on the ship, I was determined that I would never again sail on Azamara. When I was told that Mr. Pimentel does not respond to letters that are sent to him (corporate policy), that made an even bolder statement about the company's attitude to its customers. Azamara has great itineraries. Their pricing is very competitive. But, the on board experience is not what it once was. For me, service is an important part of any cruise experience. The value of sailing on such a small ship is that the line has always been customer-friendly. Well, that appears no longer to be corporate policy. For a few dollars more, I will make my way to Oceania, Regent, and Seabourn. And when I want to be treated like one among the masses (as appears to be the new Azamara corporate policy), I can stay in the family and choose RCCL and Celebrity or venture down the road to HAL.

But, no more Azamara for me. Without service, the new Azamara is just not worth the price or the time.

Tom

Sorry you didn't have a good time. I must admit I haven't experienced the very slow service in the MDR like you have or other service failings. I will also say that many of your grumbles wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Interesting that you posted this back in 2010 after your third Az cruise. You seem to have been unlucky and best to move on.

I jut got off my third Azamara cruise in the last year. I was stunned at how the quality and selection of food aboard the Qwest had declined so significantly just since Christmas when I last sailed the Qwest in SE Asia. Although all the service personnel on board were great, the dining room is having serious problems that -- if not corrected -- will make this Azamara cruise my last one on the line. Even the food quality and service in the specialty restaurants was very poor. Food often came out cold -- if it ever came out -- even in Aqualina, patrons at our table missed a course of two.

 

Now that Azamara is offering free wine during lunch and dinner, it seems the goal is to load folks up with wine -- a glass never went empty -- but the rest of the meal is ignored. It has changed the whole dynamic of the dining experience on Azamara. No longer do you have a waiter to take drink orders or a sommelier to take wine orders. Your waiter and bus person does it all.

 

So, some might see the changes of complementary wine to be a "deal;" I found it not quite so amazing.

 

It was not unusual to wait nearly an hour before one course was served -- thank goodness for the bread basket. There is something to be said for leisurely dining. But, this passed that point. Waiters seemed to be doing their best, but the problem often seemed to be in the kitchen.

 

Evven the menu, however, had been reduced from pervious cruises. And the food often looked as bad as it tasted. We had been told that Royal Caribbean was playing a more prominent role in making the changes in the dining room. One can only hope that Azamara sends those folks back to Miami to manage the mass-production that characterizes RCCL ships.

 

Nevertheless, Azamara offers a nice product by virtue of being a small ship that sails to interesting ports. It is certainly competitively priced. The staff cannot be more friendly. But, this last cruise was not so "amazing" as the previous two Azamara cruises. Maybe, others are beginning to realize that as well as the ship did not sail even close to being full. This made the poor dining room and kitchen service even more surprising -- one wonders what it would have been like with a full ship.

 

So, I will be thinking more than twice about booking on Azamara again. And will look for another ship that does almost the same amazing itinerary.

 

tom

Phil

Gee. thanks for the reminder. So, as you have reminded me, it has been a gradual decline in service, after all. But, now it seems that the service in the dining room is even worse! (Even the quality of the complementary wines on board have declined; but at least there are other options for sale -- but not the kind of wine list that once was available.) This may be a reflection of how Azamara's position within the RCCL food chain has evolved over the years. But, few people care about that. I only care about my experience on board and generally I have been satisfied over the years with Azamara despite the standard challenges that come with cruising.

Nevertheless, I must admit that I thought long and hard about doing the SE Asia trip this past Christmas-New Years because of some concerns with the on board product that Azamara offers. The itinerary which included three days in Yangon was the selling point. The Azamara itineraries cannot be beat. (I also did a wonderful itinerary on the Journey about two years ago in the Med with two nights overnight in Seville.) But, as I have come to realize, if you wait a year, other ships tend to offer the same unique itineraries.

Everybody must choose for themselves what value they expect from a cruise ship. Although I was willing to give Azamara the benefit of the doubt for the SE Asia trip this past Christmas, the last trip for me was a deal breaker given the changes in basic levels of service on board. Frankly, it made me wonder if Azamara was trying to focus less on a U.S. market, especially for its Asia itineraries.

But, thanks for reminding me of other issues that I have had on Azamara over the years. It only makes me more resolute to take my business where it is more appreciated.

tom

Seriously...you can't get a soda in the dining room???? Is this because the server messed up or because sodas are not allowed, or???

Seriously...you can't get a soda in the dining room???? Is this because the server messed up or because sodas are not allowed, or???

There HAS to be more to the story. I am absolutely certain that no cruise line would have a policy against serving soda in the dining room.

As one who regularly drinks club soda with her dinner with her wine I can say I have never had an issue ever on Azamara in being served one. Indeed sometimes the top ups were coming quicker than I could drink.

I have always had all queries answered on board no problem and I have never had a hotel director say "Blame Miami" indeed knowing who the HD was on that particular cruise, it does not add up - sounds like something has got lost in the Chinese whispers

We had the same house wines on our February Journey cruise as we had on our fall 2013 and fall 2012 cruises on Quest. And they were uniformly good. We were also able to ask for what we wanted if that night we preferred a Riesling to a Chardonnay, or a Pinot Noir to a Cabernet. No problem at all with the wine or the choices.

We were on the Quest 2 weeks ago...house wines were good and we had no issues asking for another if we didnt care for the daily choice...got ginger ale at dinner no problem...during the cruise we commented on the mid-cruise comment card that service in the Discoveries could at times be spotty and it was addressed immediately...now how they addressed it is another issue!

Nice to know I'm not the only one hearing about problems.

We just came off the Quest last month. My husband and one of our traveling companions drank soda (Diet Coke) every night in the dining room. It was never an issue and refills were always brought immediately. The service in the dining room was quicker than our past cruises. We found that we had to kill time in the Casino before the shows. Never once did any of the waiters mention a new - no soda- policy.

As for five singles for a $5.00 bill - I don't understand that, either. We needed singles for quite a few of our ports and had no issues.

I am sorry you had these problems…..

It strikes me a strange that the OP after their third Azamara cruise was finding things not to their liking, and instead of moving to an alternative cruise line continued cruising with Azamara.

Now after an additional 3 Azamara cruises the OP sees fit to post about issues they were concerned about 3 cruises ago. It just doesn't make sense.

The Berlitz cruise guide is the definitive independent cruise reference book.

In 2011 they scored Azamara's service as 283 (out of 400). In the most recent publication (2014) they score Azamara's service at 320. The scores are identical for both ships.

If these figures are anything to go by then Azamara's service has improved by 10% in a three year period.

I am very sorry you now call yourself a new ex-Azamara cruiser.

Please know it is not corporate policy to give bad service, just as it is not any individual server's intention to deliver bad service. Hopefully it was simply a series, or I might call it a convergence, of unfortunate experiences, as well as what sounds like some unsolicited opinions, such as not eating ashore.

I have known both the President and the VP of Hotel Operations for a couple decades now and know first hand that your review will be taken very seriously.

I'm only one voice but I do hope you'll give Azamara another chance.

As for five singles for a $5.00 bill - I don't understand that, either. We needed singles for quite a few of our ports and had no issues.

 

I am sorry you had these problems…..

Interestingly, on our Celebrity cruise around South America this past December, we also were told by the front desk that they weren't allowed to give us 1's for a larger bill. We had never heard anything so ridiculous.

Michael

princess has really gone downhill so if azamara is worse i'd be very disappointed ...

 

only way to know for myself is to actually sail --- looking forward to judging for myself on the quest in 6 weeks :)

 

mass market lines aren't all bad, i have really been enjoying celebrity--it's more like what princess used to be

we did quest in december 13 and carib princess in february 14. princess minisuite was much better room than quest balcony room, larger with a real bath and two TVs. food was comparable on both ships with maybe an edge to princess, which surprised me as ACC is usually pretty good but not the december trip. per diem much less on princess even with a 100 buck per day bar tab and tips added. if interaction with officers ala' ACC is important to you, forget it on princess. embarkation and, particularly, debarkation procedures (3000 pax) were much more efficient on princess. but i still prefer azamara because of the passenger mix. too many yahoos on princess, spending all their time on how to smuggle stuff on board to avoid paying, including cases of water from Sam's Club, etc. we make friends on ACC but not on princess. and the princess itinerary was a joke, we only went to escape the winter and because we could drive to the port.

We had the same house wines on our February Journey cruise as we had on our fall 2013 and fall 2012 cruises on Quest. And they were uniformly good. We were also able to ask for what we wanted if that night we preferred a Riesling to a Chardonnay, or a Pinot Noir to a Cabernet. No problem at all with the wine or the choices.

Ditto. I was about to say exactly the same thing... the selection of wines has been identical from my March 11 trip to my trip last year and I expect to see the same wines when I board in July. The NZ KAto is excellent. So I'm afraid I also do not buy the line "Even the quality of the complementary wines on board have declined" as it is the same wine that is on offer. In fact the selection has widened as they now also offer a very good rose.

Anyway, back to the topic of perceived decline in service, which I will be happy to clarify after my cruise in July. I'm sure others are cruising before then and will also be happy to describe their service experience upon their return.

I join Journey on Monday for five weeks and will be happy to do that or maybe during the trip.

Phil

Seems to me Bonnie should easily be able to get answers to two questions for us:

1. Is it now an Azamara policy not to serve sodas in the main dining room? (People certainly were having sodas there on our February 17 Journey cruise, after the OP's Christmas/New Year's cruise on Journey).

2. Is it now Azamara policy not to make change for guests at the Guest Relations desk (with the understanding that at any point in time the desk may be short of the necessary small bills and therefore unable to do so)?

Gee. thanks for the reminder. So, as you have reminded me, it has been a gradual decline in service, after all. But, now it seems that the service in the dining room is even worse! (Even the quality of the complementary wines on board have declined; but at least there are other options for sale -- but not the kind of wine list that once was available.) This may be a reflection of how Azamara's position within the RCCL food chain has evolved over the years. But, few people care about that. I only care about my experience on board and generally I have been satisfied over the years with Azamara despite the standard challenges that come with cruising.

 

Nevertheless, I must admit that I thought long and hard about doing the SE Asia trip this past Christmas-New Years because of some concerns with the on board product that Azamara offers. The itinerary which included three days in Yangon was the selling point. The Azamara itineraries cannot be beat. (I also did a wonderful itinerary on the Journey about two years ago in the Med with two nights overnight in Seville.) But, as I have come to realize, if you wait a year, other ships tend to offer the same unique itineraries.

 

Everybody must choose for themselves what value they expect from a cruise ship. Although I was willing to give Azamara the benefit of the doubt for the SE Asia trip this past Christmas, the last trip for me was a deal breaker given the changes in basic levels of service on board. Frankly, it made me wonder if Azamara was trying to focus less on a U.S. market, especially for its Asia itineraries.

 

But, thanks for reminding me of other issues that I have had on Azamara over the years. It only makes me more resolute to take my business where it is more appreciated.

 

tom

What cruise line/s are you thinking off now if you are ditching Azamara ???????????............:confused:

Please dont try Celebrity, I have just come off Reflection and the Miami DJs were boom boom boom every night in the martini bar whilst i drank my stoli elite martini on my fully included inclusive drink premium package....:rolleyes:

But I LOVED the cruise one of the best and I did B2B........:D

I join Journey on Monday for five weeks and will be happy to do that or maybe during the trip.

 

Phil

I look forward to reading your comments Phil, whether on board or when you return and I know for sure that there won't be "personal attacks" in what you do post - I don't think I've ever read a post from you like that, I'd consider your comments to be fair and accurate but then again that is my opinion.

Clearly "sorry you didn't have a good time" means something different across the pond! I must try it out on my fellow cruisers when I cruise next and can I just say "I do hope have you have a fantastic time" :D

I join Journey on Monday for five weeks and will be happy to do that or maybe during the trip.

 

Phil

I know your view will be balanced and objective as your previous ones have been, you certainly do not pack rosie tinted specs - so do tell us - but remember, first and foremost you are on holiday so we can wait for your thoughts!

I join Journey on Monday for five weeks and will be happy to do that or maybe during the trip.

 

Phil

You lucky guy.

We sail Journey From Rome this October.

Your comments will be appreciated.

luv2kruz

There HAS to be more to the story. I am absolutely certain that no cruise line would have a policy against serving soda in the dining room.

I was able to get Coke Zero in the dining room on Quest in mid-February.

I have to agree with the OP that dining room service was not very good.

I join Journey on Monday for five weeks and will be happy to do that or maybe during the trip. Phil

Hope you have a great trip Phil. :)

Having just got home from the TA on Quest I find the OP's comments to be so far removed from our experience, it's as if we were on a different cruise line.

We had no problems with service of any kind and found there were often little helpful touches that only improved the overall experience, like the last morning at breakfast, when, as an example, the waiter noticed my wife was unwell and went out of his way to get her a chamomile tea with honey and lemon as well as a couple of energiser drinks.

Another example, earlier in the cruise, I'd spoken to Hotel Director, Philip Herbert, to enquire about the tender process as I'd organised a CC group walking tour in Cannes. Rather than just pass this on to one of his team, Philip took all the details and ensured that everything was organised so our group could tender together and in time for the start of the tour.

I could go on with more details (and probably will when I finally manage to finish the review I'm working on) but our time on Azamara Quest was excellent, probably the best cruise of the seventeen we've achieved so far and without doubt the friendliest and most helpful crew we've ever encountered at all levels.

Having just got home from the TA on Quest I find the OP's comments to be so far removed from our experience, it's as if we were on a different cruise line.

 

We had no problems with service of any kind and found there were often little helpful touches that only improved the overall experience, like the last morning at breakfast, when, as an example, the waiter noticed my wife was unwell and went out of his way to get her a chamomile tea with honey and lemon as well as a couple of energiser drinks.

 

Another example, earlier in the cruise, I'd spoken to Hotel Director, Philip Herbert, to enquire about the tender process as I'd organised a CC group walking tour in Cannes. Rather than just pass this on to one of his team, Philip took all the details and ensured that everything was organised so our group could tender together and in time for the start of the tour.

 

I could go on with more details (and probably will when I finally manage to finish the review I'm working on) but our time on Azamara Quest was excellent, probably the best cruise of the seventeen we've achieved so far and without doubt the friendliest and most helpful crew we've ever encountered at all levels.

Thanks for the input. I'm 2 weeks away from going out on the Quest. Look forward to your review. Please let us know when and where you post.

CC