Are Azamara cruises as good as they sound?

[wangeling gal]

I recently booked the 14 night Spice Route cruise out of Singapore, finishing in Mumbai on the Azamara Journey next April. Originaly the cruise grabbed my attention due to the the ports it was visiting, which were places I have always wanted to go to. Since then I have read many reviews stating how fabulous Azamara cruises are. Not having been on a cruise before this sounds absolutley to good to be true. Many of the reviews were for Europe or the Carribean but only 1 for the Asia area.
I have had a few extra questions that I have wanted answered, and after emailing the main office twice and then the Australian office (with phone calls as well) they have never gotten back to me. Would this be because I ask silly questions............or that all the fabulous service is on the ships and not in the office?
Even in local newspaper reviews Azamara never seems to get a mention, so Im wondering if they are so small that they go unnoticed or that they are so good that they dont need to be reviewed?
If anyone can answer my questions i would be really grateful.
Great website!

wangeling gal
Western Australia

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Ask your question about Azamara here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=466

[Robb]

Our Azamara cruise was better than expected. Want to go back, just looking for the right itinerary.

Others may have other opinions, but we loved it.

[Keith1010]

I would also recommend posting your Azamara questions on the Azamara Cruise Line Board.

Keith

[Beejay4016]

Originally Posted by wangeling gal

I recently booked the 14 night Spice Route cruise out of Singapore, finishing in Mumbai on the Azamara Journey next April. Originaly the cruise grabbed my attention due to the the ports it was visiting, which were places I have always wanted to go to. Since then I have read many reviews stating how fabulous Azamara cruises are. Not having been on a cruise before this sounds absolutley to good to be true. Many of the reviews were for Europe or the Carribean but only 1 for the Asia area.
I have had a few extra questions that I have wanted answered, and after emailing the main office twice and then the Australian office (with phone calls as well) they have never gotten back to me. Would this be because I ask silly questions............or that all the fabulous service is on the ships and not in the office?
Even in local newspaper reviews Azamara never seems to get a mention, so Im wondering if they are so small that they go unnoticed or that they are so good that they dont need to be reviewed?
If anyone can answer my questions i would be really grateful.
Great website!

wangeling gal
Western Australia

Hi Wangeling,

I have been checking out their Iceland cruise for July of next year. The price shown on their own website is about double what one of our main online agencies is advertising their cruise for. I love the concept of the smaller ship (less than 800 passengers) and they sound, as you say, almost too good to be true. If you do book, I will be looking forward to your opinion.

I think it was them last year who drifted around the Indian Ocean after loosing power and then ended up being towed into Singapore, but my feeling is bad things can happen to anybody. I do hope, however, that you get some responses to your queries because, even if your questions were so stupid as to beggar belief, you are a paying customer and deserve respect.

Have a wonderful time. And by the way, does that petrol station by the bridge still do the best sausage rolls in the world?

Cheers .. Bev

[wangeling gal]

Hey Bev!!

So you know my town?? Awesome!! Yes they still do a fabulous sausage roll
and now some authentic Indian curry as well....life is good!!

I understand that things can go wrong, I dont have a problem with that. I contacted the editor of the West Australian newspaper travel section and he asked around and said he had heard only good things regarding Azamara cruises, though he was disappointed they hadn't got back to me regarding my questions. Im going to go for it, because it is all that I dreamed of for a long time. I agree that when you look on the Azamara website the cruises are double in price than what can be advertised by travel agents, so that looks like the way to go.

After looking at the footage of the large ships that came into Fremantle the other week with 4000 odd people on board I don't think I could handle that, after the peace and quiet of the country, so a small vessel will be the way to go. Hope your cruise can come about. Will keep you updated.

bye for now
Deb

[wangeling gal]

Thanks Robb - there are so many fabulus sounding cruises out there I'm sure you will pick a great one!!

[cruisemom42]

Originally Posted by Beejay4016

I think it was them last year who drifted around the Indian Ocean after loosing power and then ended up being towed into Singapore, but my feeling is bad things can happen to anybody. I do hope, however, that you get some responses to your queries because, even if your questions were so stupid as to beggar belief, you are a paying customer and deserve respect.

I believe you are thinking of the Costa Allegra, which lost power last year (shortly after the Costa Concordia disaster) in the Indian Ocean and had to be towed to the Seychelles.

I've not heard of any Azamara ship losing power in that area...

[maryann ns]

Azamara on board is unbelievably wonderful.

[LHT28]

Originally Posted by cruisemom42

I've not heard of any Azamara ship losing power in that area...

It was in the spring
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4792

[cruisemom42]

Originally Posted by LHT28

It was in the spring
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4792

Thanks, I missed that somehow....probably because I'd just returned from an exhausting trip to Italy a couple of days before.

[BruceMuzz]

Azamara cruises are great. No doubt.
The company is very small and can carry only a few thousand passengers at any given time.

In 2012, 13.5 million people took a cruise.
Most of them didn't sail on Azamara.
In fact, Azamara ships are rarely full when they sail.

So if Azamara cruises are so wonderful (and I personally believe thay are) why is it that the company cannot fill the ships - with waiting lists for every cruise?

[corpkid]

I think it's their higher price point, lack of "typical" activities (e.g. a kids program, broadway style shows, large casino, etc.), and their longer and more "exotic" trips which deter many from choosing that line - it's certainly not a "mainstream" line like RCL or Carnival/Costa. Just my hunch.

I'll find out in 15 days when we board (for the first time on Azamara) in Rio! Very excited.

[Fredr]

I have sailed on an Azamara ship twice and I had a truly wonderful cruise experience both times. My first Azamara cruise was with my wife. And after she passed away I went on an Azamara cruise with a lady friend. Both said that Azamara was an excellent cruise line.

And I highly recommend Azamara to anyone, and especially from that magical country down under called Oz.

Bruce, to answer your question, Azamara's not selling out may be due to a combination of factors. First, there may be a reluctance to sail on smaller ships which do not have the glitz of bigger ships (such as the newer Celebrity ships). Secondly, sometimes Azamara is not competitively priced. This means for example that someone interested in an Azamara cruise may opt for a Celebrity or HAL ship suite for less money (same itinerary). And sometimes it may be difficult for Azamara to convince those who are enamoured with Silversea, for example, to give Azamara a try.

Here's wishing you happy holidays.

[maryann ns]

The company is very small and can carry only a few thousand passengers at any given time.

With two ships at maximum 694 passengers that is not even two thousand. It was full both times I cruised, but there were sales.

If you cruise for the ports and great food and comfort in an elegant setting, then Azamara is for you.

[Beejay4016]

Originally Posted by wangeling gal

Hey Bev!!

So you know my town?? Awesome!! Yes they still do a fabulous sausage roll
and now some authentic Indian curry as well....life is good!!

I understand that things can go wrong, I dont have a problem with that. I contacted the editor of the West Australian newspaper travel section and he asked around and said he had heard only good things regarding Azamara cruises, though he was disappointed they hadn't got back to me regarding my questions. Im going to go for it, because it is all that I dreamed of for a long time. I agree that when you look on the Azamara website the cruises are double in price than what can be advertised by travel agents, so that looks like the way to go.

After looking at the footage of the large ships that came into Fremantle the other week with 4000 odd people on board I don't think I could handle that, after the peace and quiet of the country, so a small vessel will be the way to go. Hope your cruise can come about. Will keep you updated.

bye for now
Deb

Hi Deb,

Wow, go for it, and please let me know what sort of deal you get. I love their prices through the online agency we've used for our January cruise but their website prices really put me off and I can't reconcile the two. I'm with you in not wanting a huge ship. We're booked on the Volendam, which only holds about 1400, which is quite big enough for me. We went down to Fremantle to see her when she was in port recently and she is just gorgeous.

My parents-in-law are actually sailing on one of the mammoth ships, the Voyager of the Sea, in February from Sydney off around NZ and across to Fremantle. They were booked on the Athena, but we all know what happened to her, sadly. They have done a few Athena and Funchal cruises between here and UK and around Asia, plus Alaskan cruises etc. After their last Alaskan cruise (I think on the Diamond Princess) they said they would never go on a big boat again - and then they book a few weeks on this enormous ship. Go figure.

Assuming we love our January cruise - which I'm sure we will - I think we will stick to boats that carry no more than 2000 pax. We're not after the glitz and glamour and rock climbing walls and Vegas shows. Our cruising experience has been a few trips with just the two of us on a canal boat in France and that is pure heaven, but now it's time to branch out a bit.

One thing I do notice with Azamara is that they don't go in for formal dinners; it's all country club casual. I have to admit that the idea of the formal dinners on HAL is a big appeal to me at the moment. I used to be in a job where I got to attend a lot of balls, and I just adore getting all dressed up in a long gown etc. Those opportunities these days are between zero and none, and so I happily went out and bought some formal gear for the upcoming cruise and am looking forward to those nights as an added bonus.

Have you checked out the roll calls for the Azamara vessels? I go onto the roll calls of all the vessels that interest me to try to gauge how friendly or otherwise they are, get a feel for the vessel from people who have sailed on her etc. I think if you read the Quest and Journey roll calls you will be even more excited and even more sure that you have made the right decision.

Oh, and next time we decide to head down to Denmark or Albany we'll definitely stop into that petrol station for the sausage rolls, and maybe some curry take-away for later on - thanks for the tip.

Cheers .. Bev