Tips From a Just-Returned First-Timer

I just arrived back in the US after an unbelievably wonderful cruise with Azamara on the Adriatic. Our expectations were exceeded! I thought I'd note a few not immediately obvious things which I discovered (some of these are also noted in other threads on this board)

• Embarkation, the muster drill, and disembarkation are as brief and painless as possible
  
• This was the first cruise we had taken with open dining and I was slightly worried that there would be less comraderie in the dining room between us and the waitstaff. No worries!!!! The waiters were all wonderful and treated us as favorite relatives!
  
• The room was not nearly as small as it appears on the website! There were a couple of spaces that were a bit tight but we were not at all uncomfortable. There is plenty of storage space. The bathroom, however, was pretty tiny and the shower the smallest I've seen. Shaved my legs out of the shower
  
• There are tapas served in The Living Room every night before dinner -- we often went there for the beautiful view and a pre-dinner drink
  
• Maps of the ports do not come to your room every night as they do on many ships. They are available at the Guest Services desk, and recommended shopping/dining sites can be found as you exit the ship in the security area. Also, there is a "local representative" who comes on deck and is stationed in the Guest Services area who can answer questions and help you with arrangements.
  
• The small ship advantage of docking close to the town and the Azamara principle of staying late in port make an enormous difference in your day! There are fewer lines, time in port when the crowds clear out, and times when you go back and forth from the ship to town multiple times per day. It makes for a much more relaxing experience
  
• Eating on the back deck, especially during sunset, is beautiful
  
• There is table service for dinner at the grill on the Pool Deck
  
• There is breakfast in the dining room with different items than appear in the buffet
  
• Do not, under any circumstances, miss the White Night Party or the Azamazing Evening! They are truly magical experiences and so much more fun than you can imagine. Even my husband, who is not necessarily a "joiner" or a fan of organized group activities, loved both of them
  

Hope these help!! We loved every second on this cruise!!

Thank you Debbie for sharing your tips as a first-timer.

We are so happy you loved every second of your cruise :hearteyes:

We hope to see you again soon!

Oh yes Bonnie--we booked on board for Greece and Italy next year with our adult daughters!! Can't wait to be back!

Thank you so much for the tips! I saved them so I can re-read them during our countdown to next year's first Azamara cruise.

Good luck! Hope they help! I'm sure you'll be pleased with Azamara!

Thank you! Our first AZ cruise is next July when we will be on the Journey in Norway. We are long-time Celebrity cruisers but this particular itinerary was too good to pass up. From what I've read here through reviews like yours, we're going to love it. It sounds like the perfect ship to me.

Welcome home debcip. Some good tips you gave and glad you had such a great cruise.

Phil

Hi

Great to hear you had such a good time. This will be a very useful thread for new cruisers to Azamara

"Shaved my legs out of the shower"

I with you! And even that is a balancing challenge. But worth it to be sailing Azamara!

Glad you enjoyed your travels.

Hi,

I am glad you have enjoyed it. Azamara is a very fine cruise line.

Great advice. We'll be on our first Azamara cruise(s) in February. We have sailed many times with Celebrity and Princess (Princess has those tiny showers too...so we'll be prepared)

Yes thanks I've shared with friends we're taking on Azamara Wuest for the first time in October. Super excited!

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Thank you, Debbie. You hit many of the highlights. We can all add some of ours...there are many. So happy that you had a great time.

Thank you, Debbie. You hit many of the highlights. We can all add some of ours...there are many. So happy that you had a great time.

Please add on.... Those of us who will be Azamara newbies relish every tip and detail!

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Thanks for your tips..Will be on our first Azamara cruise in October.

Can you answer some practical questions?

Do you need to bring your own detergent for the laundry?

Are plugs European or US?

Does casino take US$?

I know they are crazy questions but trying to prepare.

Thanks for your tips..Will be on our first Azamara cruise in October.

 

Can you answer some practical questions?

Do you need to bring your own detergent for the laundry?

Are plugs European or US?

Does casino take US$?

 

I know they are crazy questions but trying to prepare.

I can answer some of the questions. The plugs were mostly US; there may be one or 2 European, don't remember. The casino accepts only US Dollars.

Please add on.... Those of us who will be Azamara newbies relish every tip and detail!

 

 

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Few more tips: Enjoy the coffee in the Mosaic coffee bar, and they can always prepare it to-go. If you like a wine served one day, remember it for it may be available on a subsequent day, in addition to the pours for that particular day. Avoid the art auctions, unless you are an avid fan. Meet the crew (Captain, Hotel Director, etc.) and the performers who circulate. Use the fitness center, which is quite complete for a smaller ship. Plan on spending a lot of time in the Living Room which is used for just about everything; my favorites are cocktail hour, staring out the huge windows, and late-night dancing.

Thanks for your tips..Will be on our first Azamara cruise in October.

 

Can you answer some practical questions?

Do you need to bring your own detergent ?

 

 

.

You don't need to bring your own detergent, it is provided

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There are USB sockets 'hidden' below the bedside lights so if you recharge devices with these, you will not need plugs.

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So glad you enjoyed your first Azamara cruise and that you will enjoy another next year

There are USB sockets 'hidden' below the bedside lights so if you recharge devices with these, you will not need plugs.

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LOL. We didn't notice those sockets until on day 5 the room steward very helpfully unplugged my cord from the wall socket and plugged it in there. At that point I noticed the teeny tiny sticker with the USB emblem on it.

I am going to hijack Debbie's thread to add some thoughts of my own, as hers track very closely with what I would have posted.

Embarkation, the muster drill, and disembarkation are as brief and painless as possible.

TOTALLY agree. People get really worried about this and it was easy peasy!

This was the first cruise we had taken with open dining and I was slightly worried that there would be less camaraderie in the dining room between us and the waitstaff. No worries!!!! The waiters were all wonderful and treated us as favorite relatives!

We were in the same situation and had the exact same experience. We ended up sitting in the same section every night and got to know our wonderful waitstaff. We also had a great time chatting with everyone around us and met people from around the globe.

The room was not nearly as small as it appears on the website! There were a couple of spaces that were a bit tight but we were not at all uncomfortable. There is plenty of storage space. The bathroom, however, was pretty tiny and the shower the smallest I've seen. Shaved my legs out of the shower.

The room was really well designed with loads of places to store your stuff and because the beds are not on platform bases, we were able to store our luggage underneath. I also loved that there were hooks in the room; very handy to be able to hang up a purse or robe. And while the bathroom was teeny (and I, too, had to shave my legs out of the shower and I am 5' on my tippie toes), it had plenty of shelves and a cubby area under the sink so we had ample storage. PRO-TIP: Get a flat, hanging toiletry bag. It is easier to pack and very easy to hang on the hooks in the bathroom.

Maps of the ports do not come to your room every night as they do on many ships. They are available at the Guest Services desk, and recommended shopping/dining sites can be found as you exit the ship in the security area. Also, there is a "local representative" who comes on deck and is stationed in the Guest Services area who can answer questions and help you with arrangements.

This one was area I felt could be improved. Several of the "local representatives" were completely clueless. One even told me she wasn't really local! We are very used to be able to DIY a port/destination all over the world and had hoped to be able to get basic info about public transport, cost of taxi, etc.. but could not. They could not even tell us where the local tourist offices were. It felt a bit rigged to push us to the very expensive shore excursions.

Eating on the back deck, especially during sunset, is beautiful.

YES! And breakfast out there is lovely.

There is breakfast in the dining room with different items than appear in the buffet.

We never made it there for breakfast because the selection in the buffet was AMAZING. I eat pretty healthy, DH not so much, and both of us were in heaven. Every day I would bring some of the smoked fish to the egg station, and the chef would scramble me some eggs whites with the fish. There was more fruit than you can possibly imagine...and then the naughty stuff. I may have loved breakfast most of all!

Do not, under any circumstances, miss the White Night Party or the Azamazing Evening! They are truly magical experiences and so much more fun than you can imagine. Even my husband, who is not necessarily a "joiner" or a fan of organized group activities, loved both of them.

Ditto. I am not a group activity person, and I would have skipped these but for all the reviews here, and I am so glad we went. The White Nights party was a blast (although in my dancing zeal, I accidentally stepped on someone's foot, and the next day heard her complaining about me to everyone in ear shot on the pool deck. Very embarrassing and awkward...).

The gym was really excellent for such a small ship. There were a number of free classes, which I attended and were excellent. There is also a spin class (which I never made it to) and a bootcamp (which was super pricey, IMHO). I was able to keep up with my fitness routines very easily.

Mosaic may have been my favorite place and the guys who worked there my favorite people. Anyone who will give me a double shot latte at 7 am is my BFF.

We ate at Aquilina, Prime C (2x) and did the Chefs Table. We liked Aquilina but didn't love it. It was not very lively and we like a restaurant with energy. The food was great. We LOVED Prime C -- and I don't even eat meat! It was a great atmosphere and the food was delish. I had my birthday dinner there, and they spoiled me rotten. (Bonnie - if you are reading this: Nikolai out did himself. He is wonderful.) But, the best experience of the entire cruise was the Chefs Table. It hit every note perfectly: The food was divine; the wine pairings superb; the company excellent. If you love food and wine, then do not hesitate. Book it. You will have no regrets.

The only negative of the experience was the spa. I booked a 90 minute massage as a massive splurge, and 10 of those minutes were used listening to a sales pitch. Totally not cool. I mentioned it to the manager who promised to "get back to me" (about what, I am not sure) but she never did. It was also not a relaxing environment. The room I was in was noisy, and they don't have anyplace for you to wait for your service other than the lobby. They wanted me to sit out there in a robe. Um. No. So I had to sit in the locker room because they admonished me not to go out on the VIP deck. It made me wonder what is out there? Champagne? Caviar? It was super weird.

All in all, it was fantastic. We won't likely do it again for a few years, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

We plan to do the Chefs table for the first time on our Journey cruise next month. Which one did you do?

That's very odd the service you received at the spa. I've never had that and as far as the private deck goes, if you are having a treatment then you get complimentary one time use of that anyway. Sounds like a member of staff who wasn't very experienced.

Overall glad you had such a good time.

Phil

We plan to do the Chefs table for the first time on our Journey cruise next month. Which one did you do?

We did the French menu. It was magnifique! I'll try to scan and post the menu when I get home.