Oceania versus Azamara anyone ?

Having just done a 14 day Med cruise on Nautica and having a similar one booked in 2008 with Azamara would be interested to know if anyone else has been on both lines and can give a good comparison please

Having just done a 14 day Med cruise on Nautica and having a similar one booked in 2008 with Azamara would be interested to know if anyone else has been on both lines and can give a good comparison please

you might want to go back to my review of September 1, it is quite long..the only thing is..they have made many changes since the 1st and continue to make them..I would wait until closer to your cruise to ask..as they are working every day to make Azamara more like Oceania..I personally think they will succeed if they dont listen to some of their executives that have been on board Journey and think it is perfect now..It may be perfect for Rccl and Celebrity but not yet up to Oceania standards

Jan

*****

thanks Jan

i suspected that might be the case .........only got brochure promises to go on at present ...........used to love Celebrity but switched to Princess

have Elite on both lines and its hard not to enjoy Princess Elite perks especially on longer cruises but the smoke free atmosphere of Oceania is extremely appealing ............just hoping Azamara follows same policy

As of now..the smoking will be limited as it is on Oceania..I have heard Aza is not filling their ships..so who knows what the future will bring..personally I think they should sell the ships to Oceania..

Jan

*****

I have heard Aza is not filling their ships..so who knows what the future will bring..personally I think they should sell the ships to Oceania..

Jan

*****

Perhaps that is what was meant by the comment some time ago ".......don't be surprised if we become the hunter and not the hunted....." I'm not exactly sure who said it, but it was somebody at Oceania. I would love for Oceania to forego their two new builds in favor of getting their hands on these two ships.

Also for what it's worth it is my opinion that these ships will not be successful with Azamara as long as they continue to charge for the alternate dining other than the one free night. I have heard the specialty dining sits half empty all the time while there are lines to get into the main dining room. At the same time they seemed to have botched the alternate dining that Oceania does so well with Tapas at night.

Perhaps that is what was meant by the comment some time ago ".......don't be surprised if we become the hunter and not the hunted....." I'm not exactly sure who said it, but it was somebody at Oceania.

I believe it was FDR

It would not take much to get the ships up to O standards ...looks like the furnishing are the same. :D

..personally I think they should sell the ships to Oceania..

Jan

*****

Jan you are sooo bad!! :D

I agree though!

Lyn

I believe it was FDR

It would take much to get the ships up to O standards looks like the furnishing are the same. :D

I presume you were saying "....wouldn't take much...." but I think otherwise....

Unfortunately they ruined the martini bar by taking out the casual seating and putting in more casino (stange because I rarely if ever have seen the casino full on Oceania), they added a shop where the concierge and casual seating were on deck 4, they removed additional seating to put in the cova cafe, took out the card room for an acupuncture room and they ruined the library by turning it into a bar at night. I have seen the pictures and the library is nowhere near as comfortable looking.

It could be put back together though and I am sure Oceania would take more time doing that then Azamara did with the retrofit in the first place.

I presume you were saying "....wouldn't take much...." but I think otherwise....

 

.

Yes I saw my omission and changed it maybe while you were replying!!

You are right I forgot about the casino & deck 4 & 5 renos

I have heard the specialty dining sits half empty all the time while there are lines to get into the main dining room. At the same time they seemed to have botched the alternate dining that Oceania does so well with Tapas at night.

While it is true that the specialty restaurants sit half empty, it is not because they charge for it. They simply don't take enough reservations. I know many people on our cruise who would have eaten there more but where told that it was "sold out". Perhaps the kitchen can't handle all the tables full at once. I realize that this is a pitiful excuse but I can't figure out why they are so empty as they were both nights that we ate in them. I have hopes that they will get the dining figured out eventually...

Andy

As of now..the smoking will be limited as it is on Oceania..I have heard Aza is not filling their ships..so who knows what the future will bring..personally I think they should sell the ships to Oceania..

Jan

*****

Hi Jan !

How are you ? I hope all is well.

It would surely be an interesting end to this saga, if Azamara were sold to Oceania, but one has to wonder if that would happen, as Royal Caribbean has incredibly deep pockets. This is strictly my opinion, but I feel that RCI/Celebrity is committed to Azamara, and will do everything they can to make Azamara a winner before they remotely consider selling.

Of course, everything has a price, and with the right price, everything is for sale. I certainly agree that having a large fleet of R-Class ships would be heaven, whether they are owned by Oceania or perhaps even Azamara. I am sure that Oceania has their price as well.

This should be a very interesting story to follow over the next year or two, if not sooner.

When A goes on longer cruises shortly, I sincerely doubt that charging for the speciality restaurants will make the difference between A and O. I would prefer, however for them not to charge. I'll give my opinion of a comparison after we take our A cruise to SA in Feb.

I've been looking at both Oceania and Azamara. The cruises we are looking at are basically the same itinerary with almost identical fares. To me it would seem to be crazy to go on Azamara at the same price as Oceania since all reports (including one from an Oceania expert) tend to report that Azamara, although trying to mimic Oceania, is a poor immitation presently.

To me it would seem to be crazy to go on Azamara at the same price as Oceania since all reports (including one from an Oceania expert) tend to report that Azamara, although trying to mimic Oceania, is a poor immitation presently.

It seems that Azamara is quickly getting the 'wrinkles ironed out' .... this review (posted on another thread yesterday), along with many other positive reports that are coming back, has me convinced that Azamara is the right choice for us. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=33558

I am not opposed to trying Oceania, but since I've really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises, I'm happy to continue on with them as long as the itinerary appeals to me.

It seems that Azamara is quickly getting the 'wrinkles ironed out' .... this review (posted on another thread yesterday), along with many other positive reports that are coming back, has me convinced that Azamara is the right choice for us. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=33558

 

I am not opposed to trying Oceania, but since I've really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises, I'm happy to continue on with them as long as the itinerary appeals to me.

The only way to know for sure is to try both lines then compare.

At present I understand that Azamara does not allow you to bring alcohol for your cabin use, charges for extra times in the specialty dining rooms.

If these are not important to you you then Azamara may be right for you.

Enjoy what ever cruise you choose

The charge for additional dinners in the specialty dining rooms would not matter to us, we are very happy to eat in the GDR or Tapas on the Terrace on Oceania. However, that bottle of sherry is important. So we will have to ‘standardize’ our M.O. on both ships for a fair comparison, i.e. try to bring a bottle on board, try multiple times to get into the premium restaurants, etc. Leaving in three weeks on Regatta Barcelona-Miami and next April on Quest Miami-Rome, both in the same cabin (stern, deck 6).

Note to myself: Don’t forget to take checklist and note pad.

My vote is still out although we have booked an 18 night cruise for March (interesting itinerary). I am not sure that its valid to draw comparisons based on the Bermuda cruises since the line was obviously trying to fulfill Zenith obligations and the short cruises were not typical of the future Azamara offerings. We did feel that the pricing of our cruise was somewhat high, so we will have high expectations. Unlike many on this board, we do not have loyalty to any particular cruise line (been on more than 50 different ships of 11 cruise lines), but we have always been big fans of the old Renaissance vessels. I would also have to admit that of the 3 cruise lines we were on in the past year (RCI, Princess, HA) the biggest disappointment was our 14 day cruise on the Infinity (last year's Rio Carnival cruise) where we had some major issues with pre and post cruise packages/service, on-board food, entertainment (or lack thereof) and a Guest Relations supervisor who had no concept of good "relations" with passengers. However, after cruising for more than 30 years (Elite with Celebrity) we have learned that problems on one particular cruise do not necessarily extend beyond that particular voyage. At this point we are wondering what Azamara is going to do to fill their ships (we have also heard that bookings are light). IMHO they are either going to need to quickly establish very high quality or substantially lower their prices. Failure to deliver on high quality will quickly doom this new venture

Hank

Another number to add...After contacting head office about lack of tours Exotic or otherwise, and extreme pricing on said tours...a fellow cruiser who is researching tours with me for the 12/8 Panama Canal, was told that RCCL 's tours are the cheapest, Celebrity next cheapest and then Azamara passengers, as it's a "Deluxe" line pays more!!! They really are giving the same tour at higher prices! NOt the exotic tours promised, but same tours... more money. This attitude is going to kill them. Even folks that HAVE money like to keep it and a tour isn't a status symbol!!!

They really DON"T get it... The Oceania mistique...YES they cost more, but why are folks like us (with less than tons of money) going with them, cause we were all equal on the trip (even those with suites, except two res. for specialty Rest.), you could even get those extra nights in Spec. rest. if you just go to the desk and ask... maybe not the exact time you wished etc., but you can get in...for FREE. The no formal nights, where differences in income becomes glaringly clear (which is why some miss it I bet) the open dining, where you sit with folks of all income levels, and can actually learn from each. We never had a butler, no suite, but then I don't at home, wouldn't know what to do with one. Made our own Reservations. Everyone is making so much over coupon books, Capitans Club reservations...stuff like that...Mass market gimmicks their "status" to get their "Perks". This is why they want to put Azamara into a "square hole", and they're the "round peg" of something new and obviously misunderstood.

Like Jan Cruz said if Celebrity clients can't relish this type of cruising..and want the mass market stuff...Sell the darn ships to Oceania!!:(

The Azamara docs said you can bring wine - I believe it was 2 bottles per stateroom. However, the corkage fee is $25 so we had ours on our balcony.

It seems that Azamara is quickly getting the 'wrinkles ironed out' .... this review (posted on another thread yesterday), along with many other positive reports that are coming back, has me convinced that Azamara is the right choice for us.

 

I am not opposed to trying Oceania, but since I've really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises, I'm happy to continue on with them as long as the itinerary appeals to me.

I don't know if I would call almost six months "....quickly getting the wrinkles ironed out....". I would have thought if they were going to copy somebody they would have had it figured out long ago. I have also read the reviews and it does not appear to me that they have figured out any sort of solution to their dining room woes yet (Hint, Hint - please copy Oceania's dining protocol and non fee structure - it really does work and there are no lines).

No bones about it I like Oceania and was hoping that Azamara would become an alternate for me. More and more I see that instead of separating from Celebrity they are becoming just like it. You in fact mention that since you enjoy Celebrity you will un-doubtedly enjoy Azamara. I was hoping that Azamara would not become just an extention of Celebrity but would blossom into a luxury line all by itself. Does not appear that this will happen any time soon.

Can anyone explain that after seven months +/- since the announcement of the separation of Azamara from Celebrity why there are no brochures in any travel agents office, no posters on the windows of travel agents offices, and no name recognition with travel agents other than online agents? In fact if you try and book online you get kicked off of a rather still lame Azamara web site and switched over to Celebrity. Not much separation there.

As I've already mentioned on another thread, here in the UK, we received a 26 page dedicated Azamara brochure with our Autumn (Fall) copy of Captain's Club magazine.

There is very little advertising of Azamara in the national UK travel sections of newspapers but travel agents appear to be aware. Oceania have rarely appeared on the travel pages in the UK press as they have managed to sell their product by 'word of mouth'. It would seem they don't need to advertise. It's a popular product in the UK.

I don't know if I would call almost six months "....quickly getting the wrinkles ironed out....". I would have thought if they were going to copy somebody they would have had it figured out long ago. I have also read the reviews and it does not appear to me that they have figured out any sort of solution to their dining room woes yet (Hint, Hint - please copy Oceania's dining protocol and non fee structure - it really does work and there are no lines).

 

No bones about it I like Oceania and was hoping that Azamara would become an alternate for me. More and more I see that instead of separating from Celebrity they are becoming just like it. You in fact mention that since you enjoy Celebrity you will un-doubtedly enjoy Azamara. I was hoping that Azamara would not become just an extention of Celebrity but would blossom into a luxury line all by itself. Does not appear that this will happen any time soon.

 

Can anyone explain that after seven months +/- since the announcement of the separation of Azamara from Celebrity why there are no brochures in any travel agents office, no posters on the windows of travel agents offices, and no name recognition with travel agents other than online agents? In fact if you try and book online you get kicked off of a rather still lame Azamara web site and switched over to Celebrity. Not much separation there.

IMHO the reason Azamara is so much like Celebrity is that the line is courting Celebrity cruisers instead of looking for a new segment of the market..I find it very funny that someone would go into the dining room exactly the same time each nite and sit at the same table..that is not what the open seating is for..it is so we can all meet new and interesting people each night..if you want set seating, why pay the higher price for Azamara..

I think if and when a new and different group of people start trying Azamara they will be successful in their own way and not as a copy of Oceania..Azamara really needs someone in their office to give them new ideas and how this can all work for everyone..There is definitely a need for more small ships with open seating informal..but there are so many wonderful ideas that can make this cruise line better..the above is only my opinion!

Jan

*****

I don't know if I would call almost six months "....quickly getting the wrinkles ironed out....".

We are both basing our opinions on the reviews that we have read since neither of us has cruised with Azamara. When reading a review from those who have been on a particular ship, I do take notice of negative concerns, but my main focus is on the positives. When I read the review in the link that I posted above, my impression was that I would enjoy Azamara because the review was so favorable .... yes, there may still be some things that don't suit some people, but they may not be big items on my list of concerns.

If I felt that it was the wrong cruise line or ship for me, I would pass on it and focus on one that I felt I would enjoy. If I felt that NCL was better suited to me, I would head to those boards to learn and share info with others who enjoy NCL.

No bones about it I like Oceania and was hoping that Azamara would become an alternate for me.

If you are feeling that negative about Azamara, why not book Oceania since it's a line that you really enjoy?

.I find it very funny that someone would go into the dining room exactly the same time each nite and sit at the same table..that is not what the open seating is for..it is so we can all meet new and interesting people each night.

The nice thing about open dining is that you have both options ... you can sit at a different table, at a different time each night .... or you can have the consistency of the same table, same time and same people each night. I don't find it strange that some people enjoy that consistency.

My reason for paying a higher price for Azamara would be the size of the ship and the itinerary.

The only way to know for sure is to try both lines then compare.

 

At present I understand that Azamara does not allow you to bring alcohol for your cabin use, charges for extra times in the specialty dining rooms.

If these are not important to you you then Azamara may be right for you.

 

Enjoy what ever cruise you choose

Yes, it truly is the only way to know for sure ... otherwise just have to glean what we can from reviews.

I drink very little in the cabin ... the occasional glass of wine on the balcony is nice, but if we brought 3 bottles of wine for a two week cruise, we would probably be bringing one bottle home with us.;) We do enjoy wine at dinner, and find that the selection from the wine menu is OK.

I would enjoy having access to the specialty restaurant every night, but it wouldn't be the decision maker in my choice of a cruise line.

I've heard very good things about Oceania and would not hesitate to book a cruise with them if the itinerary and price were right. And I have no hesitation in booking with Azamara.

And so far, so good with enjoying the cruises that we've taken! :)