Comparison Between Azamara and Oceania

I have not sailed on Azamara before. I do have Elite status on Celebrity. I am currently booked on the Quest to sail from San Diego to Miami. I have also previously sailed on Oceania and looking at a Miami to Lima cruise at the end of December on the Oceania Marina. Just interested in opinions of others who have sailed on both cruise lines.

We sailed on Oceania Insignia in 2011 and on Azamara Quest in 2016. Both are R-ships and are very similar, although I think the Azamara reimagining has updated Journey and Quest very nicely. [Marina is newer, glitzier -- and also bigger, which isn't necessarily a good thing] The biggest differences for us were (1) food was better on Azamara [many people say Oceania is better, but we found that they were completely unable to cook a steak as ordered]; (2) shore excursions were cheaper on Azamara; (3) enrichment was better on Azamara; and (4) the officers on Azamara are so much more visible and customer-oriented -- you can't appreciate how much this adds to a cruise until you experience it.

I've been on Riviera, Marina's sister ship. Beautiful ship, nice size, great food. I also did Miami-Lima last winter (on Regent), and it was wonderful--the ports were great, the canal transit terrific. Be aware that the weather will be *hot* just about everywhere you go, however.

As for Azamara, we've been on Journey, and are booked on her again. Journey and Quest are the same size as the smaller Oceania "R" ships, although configured somewhat differently I'm sure. I love that size of ship, and found Riviera a bit large, and although beautiful, a bit impersonal for my taste. Although the food on Azamara wasn't quite as good as Oceania, we really enjoyed the ambience on the Journey, and are very much looking forward to our next cruise on this line.

Going on Oceania for the first time next month...on Insignia, so I should be able to do a pretty straightforward comparison. Will report back on our return. (but I have two Azamara cruises booked after that :D)

Something. Most people will never think of. There is no place on Oceania to get money. No ATM's no way to exchange money anywhere.

No included drinks on Oceania unless you got a package.

No,place to get any snacks from 4 to dinner on Oceania. Yes to room service but no snacks. Pool grill closed at 4 pm daily.

I only have a week on Azamara, and a single two-week trans-Atlantic on Riviera. But I do have some opinions about these two lines. First, a brief bit of history about Regent. Please trust me: it is relevant here. Formerly wine was included with dinner, and there were generous setups in the cabins, but all other alcohol was charged for, even a beer at lunch. When they went to all-inclusive the then CEO reported that the overall alcohol consumption on the ships didn't change very much. But from personal observation, the social ambience on the ships changed by a huge amount. Instead of people staying in their cabins, perhaps having a small party there with a couple of friends, the bars and lounges were full of people, and people were making new friends, sharing excursion experiences, etc. A great improvement as far as I am concerned.

Oceania does not include drinks. I had a drink package, but would often go into a beautiful lounge (and Riviera is spectacularly beautiful) with a good band, and hardly anybody there. There is a happy hour in the bars, literally just one hour, every day and then they were packed: other times they tended to be empty. And the night of the captain's reception, it was an open bar and there was not a seat to be had anywhere on the ship: I thought this night was ghastly.

Azamara includes most drinks, and the effect is that the ship is very social, with passengers and crew all interacting in a very friendly way. In that respect it is more like the way Regent is now.

Of course, in some sense on Azamara people who don't drink are subsidising those who do. And some people prefer staying in to going out to a lounge to listen to a band, and perhaps dance. Different strokes, as the saying goes. I have friends whose opinion I respect who adore Oceania. And of course, on this board are lots of folks who adore Azamara. They two lines are in direct competition, and here I've tried to discuss one thing that makes them different.

For me personally, it would take a great itinerary at a great price to get me back on Oceania. But that is me, not you.

I concur with DavidTheWanderer about the social side on Azamara compared to Oceania. Lounges on Oceania were dead after 10pm.

I much prefer the food on Azamara but did like the evening grill on Oceania, however i prefer to be served rather than a buffet in the evening.

Cabins on Riviera were lovely.

I would choose Azamara over Oceania every time but if the itinerary was good I would sail Oceania again.

I have cruised both and personally prefer Oceania over AZ. The quality of food is superior, service equal (we do not need to socialize with the staff).

Free wine is nice on AZ, but we do not drink much, therefore a wine package or by the bottle on O is just fine.

The R ships on both are the same size. I have been on Riviera (similar size to Marina) and it is larger and glamorous. The specialty restaurants are wonderful too.

We are very private and socializing is not necessary for us. We prefer to dine alone.

Both are nice cruise lines. I find AZ similar to Celebrity on a smaller scale and O is closer to a luxury line.

A helpful article! Azamara vs. Oceania

We've sailed on Oceania and enjoyed it very much, and have our first Azamara cruise next month. I thought the observation about the socialization due to the included alcohol on Azamara was interesting, and I expect accurate. We did notice the bars on Riviera were active during happy hours, and during the Captain's reception. But we aren't big drinkers so that didn't really impact us very much--we tend to socialize only during meals. For that, the included specialty restaurants on Oceania were an added bonus. We just don't like paying extra for meals.

We also take advantage of O's included airfare, because we can't book our own flights for less than their included price. For example, for a European cruise next year, O's air would run $1000 PP. This year we're paying $1400 PP for our Azamara cruise. For the cruises we're considering, the overall price point of O fits our budget better.

The most frequent comment I've read on both the Azamara and Oceania boards is the difference in the familiarity of the crew on Azamara. I'm curious to see how much that will weigh in on my opinion of Azamara. And since we sailed on the larger Riviera on O, I'm interested in noting the difference in our experience between it and the smaller Journey.

I have cruised both and personally prefer Oceania over AZ. ... We are very private and socializing is not necessary for us. We prefer to dine alone. ...

A great example of why for some folks Oceania is a better choice than Azamara. Every individual's list of what is important and what is unimportant will be different from what some other individual's list would be. And both are right.

Thank you all for the feedback on my comparison question of Azamara vs Oceania. My wife and I have previously sailed on Oceania Marina, Riveria and Regatta. We decided to stay with our original booking on Azamara Quest and see how it really compares since we booked with Azamara during their BOGO promotion and we got a good price on a Verandah cabin.

A helpful article! Azamara vs. Oceania

Thanks very informative 👍

Oceania has very good food. Food,in my opinion, is the main entertainment on the ship since the specialty restaurants are included for no extra charge and they are really good. No matter which venue you dine in it is very good. The rest of the ship is quite dull. There is just not a lot going on and in the evening there is only one thing going on at a time. For example if the show is on, the piano bar is not. Everyone goes to bed after dinner or after the show. The staff if very polite but not friendly. The service is good but not friendly. When you return to the ship after a long day in port, no fresh towel or drink as you board the ship so I think the service on Azamara is better. I like Azamara much more, except for the food which is NOT to say the food is not good on Azamara, it is very good. I am a foodie and loved the idea of a foodie ship but after cruising with Oceania once I decided that was enough.

They are quite similar with Azamara being a little more inclusive with alcoholic drinks, excursions and some perks. In theory Oceania might fit us slightly more since we are not heavy drinkers and we always prefer booking our own excursions, but then we also like the "intensive" themed itineraries offered by Azamara.

You can't go wrong with either. :)

I can honestly say i was bored at night on Oceania. lack of a coffee bar after a certain time sucks. Pool grill closes early.. furniture is more to my taste on O and the storage is better on O. But everything else si better on AZ. crew, drinks and shows.

Interesting thread. We will be on O for the first time in December, so we will see. Thanks all.

We will also cruise with Oceania in December. Our first and only time with Oceania was 10 years ago. It will be interesting to compare from that time. We love Azamara but prices in Oceania are more attractive right now.

We have done 2 Oceania and 5 Azamara cruises. Absolutely no doubt that we prefer Azamara. We have another Azamara cruise booked for December.We also use other lines, because it is itinerary and timing that are most important to us.

We are not overly social and the interaction with the crew is not a factor for us.

We considered the food on both our Oceania cruises to be quite poor. It was often cold, bland or very salty. Azamara food much more to our taste, and always hot when it was supposed to be.

We are not big drinkers, but quite enjoy the included wines with dinner on Azamara.

We think the service on Azamara has been better than Oceania.

We often do our own thing ashore, but have also had good shore excursions on both Azamara and Oceania.

We like the size of the R ships.

Would prefer Azamara any day and from choice we would avoid Oceania in the future. However if Oceania had an itinerary we liked at a good price, we might consider them again.

Everyone is different!

We've had excellent experiences on both lines. Great food, staterooms and fellow passengers. But most of all the itineraries have been wonderful. And frankly that is what drives us to one line over another.

Interesting thread. We will be on O for the first time in December, so we will see. Thanks all.

Will be very interested in your view as I am sure you are approaching Oceania with an open mind.

We cancelled a cruise on Marina last month because we felt it might be too quiet in the evening and transferred our booking to Quest. We returned last weekend from one of the best cruises we have ever had on Azamara.

But I would like to give Oceania a try in the future.

We too have used both Az and a B to B on Oceania R class..this was handled really well. The finer touches, furnishings, chinawear etc is slightly better on O and it's a very clean line. It's difficult to put my finger on it, but Az is a better cruise.

The ship (O) is somewhat lacking in personality, and is dead in the evening with acres of empty ship. Itineraries are on a par, all too expensive, but on Az the captain himself will often wave you off with a cheery word.

Different strokes for different folks but everyone we met on our O cruise preferred AZ.:cool:

The finer touches, furnishings, chinawear etc is slightly better on O and it's a very clean line. It's difficult to put my finger on it, but Az is a better cruise.

Here's a photo of a veranda stateroom on the newly-refurbished Oceania Sirena. Note the "finer touch furnishings," like the state-or-the-art:rolleyes: television, the flimsy aluminum sling chairs on the veranda (al fresco breakfast anyone?), and the oversized mirror allowing you to observe yourself in bed--left over from Renaissance days.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/sirena/suites-staterooms/concierge-level-veranda-stateroom/

We were booked on a Polynesian cruise on the newly refurbished Sirena (ended up having to cancel) and I have to say I was SO underwhelmed by the look of the ship when the photos came out that I really didn't mind cancelling. Just not to my taste at all and I think a huge plus to Azamara was the incredible job they did in reimagining Journey and Quest. I do wish they had more ships though--I think we will be trying O in the future just because of more choices and I am also seeing many Oceania deals and prices that are so much more competitive than current AZ prices. The O choice fares include airfare and a beverage package (we feel lack of included beverages is one of O's shortcomings) and in many cases price out significantly less than AZ, due to the fact, I would guess, that O has more ships to fill. They also direct market like crazy--I receive at least 3 brochures a week!

We too have used both Az and a B to B on Oceania R class..this was handled really well. The finer touches, furnishings, chinawear etc is slightly better on O and it's a very clean line. It's difficult to put my finger on it, but Az is a better cruise.

The ship (O) is somewhat lacking in personality, and is dead in the evening with acres of empty ship. Itineraries are on a par, all too expensive, but on Az the captain himself will often wave you off with a cheery word.

Different strokes for different folks but everyone we met on our O cruise preferred AZ.:cool:

We sailed around South Africa on the Natuica last winter and found the finer things and value not there. The itinerary was great but once final payment was made almost all port stops were shortened by several hours. Thankfully we did private excursions as ship excursions were extremely expensive and when compared to those who booked with the ship they saw very little. It was probably our one and only time we will sail Oceania.

Little things like the waitstaff uniforms were extremely ill fitting or pilled, service was very spotty, the tableclothes had numerous snags in them, the headboard in our cabin was covered in either dust or dandruff when we checked in, staff were very cold and not friendly, officer presence was almost nil, no welcoming sparkling wine on embarkation, awful entertainment, drinks with the exception of happy hour were very expensive and you'd get no more than an ounce pour at any one time...I could go on and on. I didn't find the food to be as good as others raved. Sure you could have lobster every day for lunch and dinner but when it's cooked to be like a rubber ball who would want it. Steaks had no flavour and their buffet was very poorly run.

This winter we've got a B2B booked on Azamara. Initially I was nervous to book as the ship is same size as the Nautica but friends who are loyal Azamara cruisers told me the footprint of the ship is the only comparison to be made to Oceania. They rave about everything else.