3 January 2010 Panama Canal thoughts

[Rotterdam]

My partner & I returned from this 16 day Panama Canal cruise w/ a 3 day stay in San Diego.

 

We stayed at the Omni downtown - nice hotel but no soundproofing in room. Great staff overall.

 

Sailing out of San Diego is just wonderful - easy & a beautiful sail away.

 

The Azamara Journey is a smaller ship w/ only 640 passengers on this cruise. We loved the open seating dining & country club casual dress code. Never having to wait on lines(except for security on initial boarding) was great. The pool, gym & steam room were clean & never crowded.

 

Dining - we ate in the main dining room 9 nites & never had a problem getting a table for 2. We tried both specialty restaurants - we preferred Prime C, but did not see any reason for a return visit. The buffet area is nice & we ate outside several evenings on the aft deck.

 

Cabin - we had an outside midship cabin on deck 4. The cabins are small, dated & the beds really need to be replaced - also the furniture is made for small people. Closets & storage space is ok if you do not overpack. warning - cabin 4031 has a laundry pump underneath it & it sounds like a clothes dryer w/ sneakers in it going at full speed - at 1 & 4 a.m After 4 nites they seemed to fix it.

 

Service - it ran from very good to just horrible. Our cabin "Butler" was good but did not like to dust the furniture and it took 2 days to get shampoo & soap(she said her assistant did not understand her). We found a few waiters that were great and a few that wouldn't pass a Mc Donalds test.(a breakfast in the DR - took over 90 minutes & we had to keep asking for silverware , cream for coffee etc). Our waiter in Prime C - we could not understand a word he was saying - it turned humorous at one point. The bar staff could have an attitude & because they rely on gratuities - it gets uncomfortable at times when they work against each other. The 18 % gratuity is a corporate gimmick(we were told 15 % goes tother staff & Azamara corporate gets the other 3% - either way - service levels do not warrant any more than 15%.

 

Food - was hit or miss. Overall it was 3 out of 5 star. Beef was consistantly served raw - we ordered it medium to well. In Aquilina my seafood appetizer came straight out of the freezer & the lobster tail was raw. We both had food poisoning on 2 different sea days. I am happy with a salad so I always had something to eat.

 

Officers etc - the captain had the personality of a piece of cardboard & seemed to permeate the staff at times - tho the Hotel Director, Guest Relations Manager & cruise Director were very personable & helpful.

 

Will we return to Azamara - probably not...we'll stay with the smaller ships but look into Regent & Seabourn. Also, with the new pricing structure many people felt the increase was not warranted. Azamara should just bill itself as the small ships of Celebrity.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

[satchiesmom]

It sounds like Azamara was definitely not for you.

[cruisecountess]

We were on the Panama Canal cruise that ended in San Diego on Jan., 3, so we disembarked as Rotterdam boarded. Here are some comparisons and contrasts to R's experience.

Our Captain was wonderful, visible and friendly. He made warm, from-the-heart speeches about his staff and crew and, on one sea day, taught well over 100 passengers how to do Greek dancing. He was positively touched that so many guests wanted to learn about his culture. However, he was scheduled for vacation time and disembarked with the rest of us in San Diego. Sounds like the new captain on board has yet to establish rapport with his staff.

 

Our experience with the dining venues was, perhaps, not quite as extreme, but was in the same ballpark. The phrase "hit or miss" is apt to describe the main dining room. My duck came out raw one evening; the waiter apologized for not telling me that it is prepared rare; he took it back and brought out one prepared medium; my husband had to send back a steak one night because it was so fatty. This was the first time on about ten cruises that we ever sent food back. I ordered some dishes and desserts that I had enjoyed immensely on two previous Azamara cruises; this time they were lacking, even tasteless ~ yet they had to be made from the same recipes. Service in the MDR was spotty as well. Some evenings we were in and out in a timely yet relaxed manner, while other times we completely missed the show as we felt like a captive audience waiting for our meal. We even skipped dessert one evening, just to get out of there after three hours. We did greatly enjoy both specialty restaurants and had the best service in each of them. The food was good on deck, but I preferred to have a less casual experience in the evening. However, DH would get sushi as an appetizer on deck before heading down to the MDR with me. He said it was wonderful. Breakfast service on deck was not much more than someone cleaning off the tables. No one assisted with trays and when we asked a waiter for juice one morning, he offered to show us where we could go to get it. Yes, it was self-serve, but it was a little thing to bring it if asked. The most glaring difference, regarding food, from our previous two cruises was the lack of visibility of the Food and Beverage Manager. On the prior cruises we got to know Anton quite well; he was always out and about on deck, visiting with guests, and, on the one and only occasion that we had a problem ~ and it was minor ~ we received a platter of cookies and candies as an apology. Honestly, I've only been home about six weeks and I can't even tell you who the F&B Mgr was on my cruise, much less have seen him or talked with him. I think that's part of the problem. He needs to be out there, listening to concerns and then dealing with them.

 

Other than a lackadaisical attitude on the part of some servers, we had wonderful service throughout. Our cabin attendant was responsive to our limited requests and our room was always made up nicely. We thought our room, also an outside cabin on deck four, was fine and I felt I had lots of storage space, more so than on some other ships. As for the senior staff, they were terrific. We were on a holiday cruise by choice; yet, due to the nature of their profession, they were away from family and friends to serve us. They never showed any sadness and made our holiday extra special. We were made to feel like we were traveling with close friends; they always stopped to have a conversation and, on New Year's Eve, were up on deck celebrating with us. It was quite lovely and special.

 

Would I go on another Azamara cruise? Since food was the only real complaint I had on this cruise, I probably would, as I travel more for the itinerary than the food. However, with the new Azamara Club pricing, that puts a different spin on things, but that's for another thread. Suffice it to say that I'll have some basis for comparison after our Oceania Med. cruise this June.

[Rotterdam]

it was nice to read someone else's review for a similar sailing......

 

My main compalint about the captain was that he was not good at informing passengers of rough seas...and it did get rough several days...along with being difficult to understand due to his thick accent - he certainly did not exhibit concern for the many older passengers onboard when rough seas were expected.

 

Funny that you mentioned teh F&B manager - we did see him a great deal & one day even showed me the new flooring he helped install in the buffet area....he was quite nice actually. He also served on the Officers Buffet line on deck & one "ice cream social by the pool.

 

We are also looking into Oceana...we'll look for your thought when you return from that cruise!

[Rotterdam]

For us it came down to Azamara not nearly delivering what they advertise on many levels...

 

Since the size of the ship & dress code was great for us we are going to try OCEANA next....

 

we'll post a comparison after the Oceana cruise....but for now Azamara is off the radar ...

 

It sounds like Azamara was definitely not for you.

[cruisecountess]

Do you recall the F&B manager's name? I wonder if, like the Captain, a new person was brought on board for your cruise. Otherwise, he drastically underwent a change for the better.

[Rotterdam]

Physically he was about 5'8" dirty blond hair in his early 40's.....

 

I do not know how much might of changed from one cruise to the next - ours was so inconsitent there was no rhyme or reason why events took place - or did not.

 

Certainly not enough staff is another MAJOR issue with this cruise line(along w/ most others).

 

Early on the day of the crew tug of war the Cruise Director, Hotel Director, Food & Bev Mgr were all moving those heavy lounge chairs around the pool to make room - usually deck hands would handle that....the poor pool man was worked to death and the aft area outside the buffet(which was wonderful for meals & cocktails) was always in need of a good cleaning (food & paper products on the floor - for days)- which was not done until the day before we disembarked.

 

I see you also posted to teh Q& A w/ Pimemtel....lets see what he has to say / sell!

 

 

 

Do you recall the F&B manager's name? I wonder if, like the Captain, a new person was brought on board for your cruise. Otherwise, he drastically underwent a change for the better.

[ginagirl]

For us it came down to Azamara not nearly delivering what they advertise on many levels...

 

Since the size of the ship & dress code was great for us we are going to try OCEANA next....

 

we'll post a comparison after the Oceana cruise....but for now Azamara is off the radar ...

Unfortunately, Azamara has NEVER delivered what they have advertised on many levels. However, the powers-that-be keep trying to entice the public to see how good and improved they are now. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.:eek:

[Rotterdam]

Thanks Ginagirl......after posting a question to Larry p & getting the usual Corporate blah blah blah..we definetely will not return..

 

LP said they spent $40 million on the 2 ships - well it certainly was not in the Main DR chairs(on the first nite one leg of teh chair I was in was falling off) or in the furniture off to the side of the pool - tho attractive the cushions must of been part of the original ship(think 10 year old patio furniture) and certainly no $$$ was spent on mattresses in our stateroom where they bowed in the middle so much it was like sleeping w/ 6" walls.....(other than new towels we saw no improvements in teh cabin.....even the window leaked!)

Your advertise a 5 star product that certainly is not supported today 7 certainly does not warrant any price increase....perhaps you should visit some 5 star ships & resorts - I certainly can suggest a few!

 

$20 million per ship is not much......sorry LP - we are not fooled!

 

 

Unfortunately, Azamara has NEVER delivered what they have advertised on many levels. However, the powers-that-be keep trying to entice the public to see how good and improved they are now. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.:eek:

[Paulchili]

This type of review is unfortunately becoming a trend rather than the exception.

What a shame!

[ikelmay]

I'm happy to report that having sailed on the same itinerary and ship as the OP, many of our experiences couldn't have been more different.

 

Having said that, some of the points made do have some validity. I think one of Azamara's concerns should be the Main Dining Room. We ate there only three times, the food and ambience is mixed at best. I found the engine noise and vibrations to be a real issue. Our food was pretty good but the service spotty.

 

The specialty restaurants in my opinion were superb. We ended up eating three times in Prime C and twice in Aqualina - and each time, we were impressed with the food and the wonderful staff. Maybe it's our attitude, but we found the wait staff in Prime C to be charming, gracious and extremely efficient. I am at a loss to understand comments in a further post regarding senior hotel staff - Philip Herbert (Hotel Director) and his sidekick (younger officer from Poland I think) were everywhere, and were doing their best to monitor and inspect - I have never been on a ship with senior officers having such high visibility. I had an issue that I wanted addressing, and Philip Herbert went out of his way to find a solution and to ensure that I was kept appraised.

 

I would, though, agree with comments about the Captain - the previous Captain left the vessel for a vacation in Acapulco, so we got to see his farewell to the ship and crew, and it was very moving. His command of english, his very good sense of humour and his genuine attachment to the vessel and crew was evident. He must have been a hard act to follow, as his replacement struggled to match the rapport of his predecessor.

 

Again, it is the luck of the draw, but our "Butler" (this is the most ridiculous gimmick that should be done away with ASAP) was by far the best we have ever enountered in 13 cruises.

 

We loved the ambience of the ship, the smaller head count and the style. The big but for us, though, is that the new Azamara philosophy and positioning means that the prices are climbing way above what I think the cruise itself is worth.

[Hot2Travel]

I'm happy to report that having sailed on the same itinerary and ship as the OP, many of our experiences couldn't have been more different.

 

Having said that, some of the points made do have some validity. I think one of Azamara's concerns should be the Main Dining Room. We ate there only three times, the food and ambience is mixed at best. I found the engine noise and vibrations to be a real issue. Our food was pretty good but the service spotty.

 

The specialty restaurants in my opinion were superb. We ended up eating three times in Prime C and twice in Aqualina - and each time, we were impressed with the food and the wonderful staff. Maybe it's our attitude, but we found the wait staff in Prime C to be charming, gracious and extremely efficient. I am at a loss to understand comments in a further post regarding senior hotel staff - Philip Herbert (Hotel Director) and his sidekick (younger officer from Poland I think) were everywhere, and were doing their best to monitor and inspect - I have never been on a ship with senior officers having such high visibility. I had an issue that I wanted addressing, and Philip Herbert went out of his way to find a solution and to ensure that I was kept appraised.

 

I would, though, agree with comments about the Captain - the previous Captain left the vessel for a vacation in Acapulco, so we got to see his farewell to the ship and crew, and it was very moving. His command of english, his very good sense of humour and his genuine attachment to the vessel and crew was evident. He must have been a hard act to follow, as his replacement struggled to match the rapport of his predecessor.

 

Again, it is the luck of the draw, but our "Butler" (this is the most ridiculous gimmick that should be done away with ASAP) was by far the best we have ever enountered in 13 cruises.

 

We loved the ambience of the ship, the smaller head count and the style. The big but for us, though, is that the new Azamara philosophy and positioning means that the prices are climbing way above what I think the cruise itself is worth.

 

We also were on this cruise and I totally agree with your review except our dinning experience in the MD was disappointing with food quality and service each of the three times we used it . If I may add, the entertainment was outstanding and professional. :) Yes, Azamara is overpricing themselves. Will give then one more shot with a Black Sea Cruise in June. ;)

[Jancruz]

For us it came down to Azamara not nearly delivering what they advertise on many levels...

 

Since the size of the ship & dress code was great for us we are going to try OCEANA next....

 

we'll post a comparison after the Oceana cruise....but for now Azamara is off the radar ...

 

I just posted a very similar post with my thoughts of A..since it was our 4th cruise on them, the disappointment was even greater!!

Jancruz1