Edinburghgirl1

I totally agree something that caters for all should be found. The pool area in my opinion is too small for a loud band. A bit of background music or a few sets from an acoustic guitarist would be nice. It would create a bit of a fun holiday atmosphere, We’ve had this on other lines and it was well received. Another passenger we met had brought his own guitar with him and played at the pool bar one afternoon without an amp. Everyone was saying how great it was to hear some music. Our cruise wasn’t port intensive and as the majority were Brits and only 80 out of 280 had managed to obtain an Indian visa this meant they had 6 straight days onboard from embarkation. We managed to get our visas but from talking to others who couldn’t get off many were going stir crazy. Unless you wanted to lie sunbathing all day there was next to nothing going on around the ship and Azamara were aware many would have to stay onboard due to the visa issue. I did complete the survey at the end of the cruise as I always do after any cruise and highlighted the areas I felt could be improved.

What was your overall impression of the ship?

I would be unable to state it’s the same on all ships as I’ve only been on one Azamara cruise however the OP confirmed he had the same experience as me on the Onward. Our CD was useless on our cruise and seems like the one on the OPs cruise was in the same mould. . If the ship had a decent CD our experiences might have been totally different. My point is they’re not cheap cruises and I would be unlikely to book another based on MY experience,

Was the same on our first Azamara cruise on the Quest in November. Ship lacked any kind of atmosphere. Pool area was awful with the only sound being folks hacking coughs. Little going on during the day if you didn’t play bridge. I often thought the Den was closed in the evenings when we approached due to the silence. Worst CD we’ve ever encountered. Actively avoided passengers. Enjoyed most other aspects of our cruise but the lack/poor entertainment has put us off booking another Azamara cruise.

We upgraded our packages as my husband likes Moretti and Heineken which weren’t available on included drinks.

Brilliant. I’ll be boarding 3rd February so interested in your thoughts. We’re in a premium balcony cabin on deck 17. Didn’t get to pick our cabin as booked on a promotional deal but seems like a good cabin.

My opinion was given as a first time Azamara cruiser who up till now mainly cruised Celebrity. This was our 5th cruise this year having had two on the Constellation in April and two on the Beyond in June. The Azamara cruise was booked in 2019 and we were meant to sail 2020 but Covid changed that plan. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip of cruise a week in Dubai pre cruise and 3 night in Singapore post cruise and I was merely giving my opinion as a first time Azamara cruiser not complaining. The ships are very old and from our observation routine maintenance is lacking. We never encountered cold food and the food and service was very good. We don’t drink wine so can’t comment on that. The biggest difference we noticed was the pool deck is tiny with everyone crammed in. You could barely move and as the sun beds weren’t stacked at night I felt this area was unable to be cleaned properly. As I mentioned previously there is no music of any kind at the pool and in most bars which in my opinion created a library type of atmosphere not a fun one. It may differ from ship to ship as someone posted a video of live music at the pool. This was my experience however. . There were things I liked about Azamara but I would only book another if it was a great price on a Club Continental suite as the standard cabins looked tiny, and I heard the bathrooms were ridiculously small, and a port intensive itinerary which ours wasn’t.

Lucky you. A bit of music creating a fun holiday vibe. The only sound we heard on our pool deck was hacking coughs. Even We did have the worst cruise director I’ve ever encountered on any ship however. He was completely devoid of any personality and never engaged with passengers. In fact we saw him taking steps to avoid passengers.

The Constellation was due a total refit in March 2020 which was obviously cancelled due to Covid. In November 2021 all public areas were refurbished and all carpets and soft furnishings were replaced. When we were onboard in April 2022 the ship looked great. The cabins were not refurbished however. We were in Aqua class the first cruise and a suite for the second which were in good condition. Maybe the complaints were about the regular cabins which I can’t comment on.

Not got an issue with dressing up I do it every night on a cruise however I think the price point on Silverseas would be too high for what I would want to pay for a cruise. We thought Azamara was upscale but obviously we got it wrong.

I sailed on the Celebrity Beyond on a B2B in June, which is the sister ship of the The Edge, and agree with some of the comments in the two reviews you posted. Whilst they are stunning ships with the wow factor our preference are the Celebrity Millennium class ships. We sailed on the Constellation in April and whilst an old ship we found it very well maintained, unlike the Quest, plenty going on round the ship and a great atmosphere. These ships are the smallest in Celebritys fleet. We will try other lines but unlikely we’ll sail Azamara again. Just not for us and certainly not worth the price they charge.

We got one on the Quest about 6 days into our cruise however it had no branding on it. Heard they picked them up at our first port in India!

Entertainment is an important part of cruising for us also so although we enjoyed some aspects of Azamara it would put us off booking another. There were certainly no pool performances on our cruise and periods in the evening when nothing was happening anywhere!

I’ve had a sunset veranda during rough seas and felt just as much movement at the back of the ship as I did at the front luckily I have never suffered from sea sickness but having a shower whilst holding on with one hand was a challenge!

We have just completed our first cruise with Azamara and I’m afraid entertainment is where they fall down particularly in the evening. From the comments I received when I mentioned this in a post it would appear Azamara cruisers prefer silent venues with no music playing. It would make us think twice about booking another Azamara cruise. as we felt the ship was totally lacking in atmosphere.

We are just off the Quest and our first Azamara cruise and found the standard of dress the most casual of any cruise we’ve been on. Not many dress up.

On my the Quest the only times you could choose were early sitting 6.00 to 6.30pm or 8.00 to 8,30pm. There were always many empty tables at both sittings. I presume due to shortage of crew they have to limit the number of tables to ensure service is not impacted.

Only happened on the last 3 days of ours and made such a difference. Wasn’t loud just background music so you could still converse but at least didn’t feel you were walking into an old folks home after dinner.

Looks like Azamara pay attention to these boards. There was piped background music in the Den for our last 3 nights until the piano player started. Made for a much better atmosphere in my opinion and took away the feeling you were in a library!

Totally agree. The ship we are on, the Quest , is looking very tired. To survive they will need to attract new customers and I can’t see this happening with the current offering and state of the ships. We have spoken to 3 other first time Azamara couples who can’t wait to get off and will never sail with them again.

Totally agree with your comments. This cruise is our 5th cruise this year and we may have booked another with Azamara as there are aspects of the ship we like but on sea days and in the evenings we just find it all a bit boring. Their current fan bar will start dying off so they need to attract new cruisers. For those of you who commented on me possibly being younger I’m not I’m 63 so no spring chicken (must have been a good light when my photo was taken earlier this year).

I wasn’t talking specifically about round the pool. Surely most folk like a bit of music ( not blaring) or live entertainment in a bar of an evening? Just feel the whole ship lacks any sort of holiday atmosphere. Maybe Azamara isn’t for the young at heart. Spoken to many first time cruisers who say this will be their last as they’ve found it too boring. Tried to tell them other cruise lines are t like this so may suit them better and do t let it put them off cruising.

I agree choice is good and I am enjoying my cruise. I meant some live music at the pool on occasion and piped music in the bars between entertainers. The OP was giving his thoughts as a first time Azamara cruiser and these are mine. I expected Azamara to be up a level from Celebrity and instead I feel it’s the opposite so therefore don’t feel it justifies the higher price tag and I wouldn’t book another.

We are currently on the Quest on our first Azamara cruise. We have mainly sailed Celebrity. . Our boarding was very quick but it may be because we are in a Club Continent suite as we were directed to a shorter line. Our cabin is spacious with plenty storage and a large walk in shower. Food is generally good around the ship and we have eaten in the Specialities several times as they are free to suite guests and they to were good.. The service round the ship has been on a par with what we are used to on Celebrity. . We’ve found the ship a bit tired in places with worn furniture and lack of maintenance. The standard of cleanliness round the pool area is pretty poor with no signs of constant cleaning we’ve seen on other ships. Where the ship really falls down is lack of atmosphere and entertainment. There is no music at the pool area despite having a stage. It’s like a very cramped morgue most days. In the evening there are periods were there is nothing going on around the ship not even piped music in bars! The evening shows have been good to ok but I believe we’ve been lucky as others who’ve sailed Azamara in the past have said they’ve been truly awful on other sailings. There are aspects of the cruise we’ve enjoyed but not enough to book another on Azamara.

Was on the menu 2 days ago with black squid oil pasta