live from marina!!!!!!! Musings from an O newbie - Azamara cheerleader.

[hypercafe]

We have had dinner with the Captian, first officer, hotel director and drinks in the Captians cabin over the years. All were great, the food drinks and service were first class. I really would not expect less and to be honest I would never compare those events to having dinner on with just the two of us in the dinning room or buffet.

[wripro]

Cindylouwho,

 

I understand your reaction and you are right to acknowledge that knives do come out. This is called the "Never Say Anything Negative About My Favorite Cruise Line" Syndrome. It's just like criticizing some peoples' grand childrens' piano recitals. Like a knife to the stomach!

 

Just know that many of us appreciate your efforts.

[Paulchili]

So Cindi - who was the CD?

[Jancruz]

So Cindi - who was the CD?

 

Paul, funny I was just going to ask the same thing..I know it wasnt Leslie Jon, he is on Riviera..BTW we will have to meet when I am up in the bay area..

Jancruz1

[kimanjo]

Cindylouwho,

 

I understand your reaction and you are right to acknowledge that knives do come out. This is called the "Never Say Anything Negative About My Favorite Cruise Line" Syndrome. It's just like criticizing some peoples' grand childrens' piano recitals. Like a knife to the stomach!

 

Just know that many of us appreciate your efforts.

 

I didn't read any "knives coming out"... I made comments about the ship's officers not being "visible" as not important to my cruise experience.. Just as she made comments that it is important to her cruise experience.

 

 

I think both opinions help others get a feel for what a ship's vibe is like.

[Paulchili]

Paul, funny I was just going to ask the same thing..I know it wasnt Leslie Jon, he is on Riviera..BTW we will have to meet when I am up in the bay area..

Jancruz1

 

Jan,

That would be great. First you have to catch us at home:D

I am writing this from Zurich and we finally fly home Saturday - been away since May 27th.

Just let us know when you are coming up :)

Paul

[orchestrapal]

Jan,

That would be great. First you have to catch us at home:D

I am writing this from Zurich and we finally fly home Saturday - been away since May 27th.

Just let us know when you are coming up :)

Paul

 

Spent a week in Zurich in June. Treat your self to a great dinner at Cantinetta Antinori.:D

[Paulchili]

Spent a week in Zurich in June. Treat your self to a great dinner at Cantinetta Antinori.:D

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It's too late this time - maybe next time.

[Jancruz]

Jan,

That would be great. First you have to catch us at home:D

I am writing this from Zurich and we finally fly home Saturday - been away since May 27th.

Just let us know when you are coming up :)

Paul

 

I know we will be up for Super Bowl..not sure before then..our daughter lives in San Raphael..

Jancruz1

[Paulchili]

I know we will be up for Super Bowl..not sure before then..our daughter lives in San Raphael..

Jancruz1

 

Here is hoping that the Niners will be in it :D

Paul

[cindilouwho]

Roy Perez.

[cindilouwho]

Cindylouwho,

 

I understand your reaction and you are right to acknowledge that knives do come out. This is called the "Never Say Anything Negative About My Favorite Cruise Line" Syndrome. It's just like criticizing some peoples' grand childrens' piano recitals. Like a knife to the stomach!

 

Just know that many of us appreciate your efforts.

 

Got it ---- ;) No intention of insulting ..... my bad.

[Travelcat2]

I've been following this thread with interest as we were newbies to Oceania couple of months ago and found the staff warm and welcoming. The only possible exception is in The Terrace where everyone seats themselves. I'm wondering if being a "group" made it more difficult to feel connected to the staff? For instance, did just three or four of you go to a dining venue to be seated? If so, was the reaction different? I'm not saying that the staff should not be welcoming to a group, it just presents some challenges for them.

 

We are Regent loyalists and tried to judge Oceania on it's own merits rather than comparing it to what we were used to. We found the service equal to Regent. The only weak area we found on the Riviera was The Terrace. There were several things about it that we did not care for. On the other hand, the specialty restaurants were superior to Regent.

 

Overall, we would sail again on Oceania (ONLY on the Marina or Riviera) in a heartbeat!

[cindilouwho]

I've been following this thread with interest as we were newbies to Oceania couple of months ago and found the staff warm and welcoming. The only possible exception is in The Terrace where everyone seats themselves. I'm wondering if being a "group" made it more difficult to feel connected to the staff? For instance, did just three or four of you go to a dining venue to be seated? If so, was the reaction different? I'm not saying that the staff should not be welcoming to a group, it just presents some challenges for them.

 

We are Regent loyalists and tried to judge Oceania on it's own merits rather than comparing it to what we were used to. We found the service equal to Regent. The only weak area we found on the Riviera was The Terrace. There were several things about it that we did not care for. On the other hand, the specialty restaurants were superior to Regent.

 

Overall, we would sail again on Oceania (ONLY on the Marina or Riviera) in a heartbeat!

 

From one cat person to another ..... we didn't wander around as a group. We are friends but very independant and came together for tours and sometimes dinner.....it was a general feeling we all agreed we experienced.

[A Knitter]

Cindi. Thank You again. Everyone wanted to hear your candid review when you returned but of course NOT everyone wanted to hear it:). I have been on countless other cruise lines and just happen to be comfortable with Oceania but it is not perfect. Like you I am not shy about voicing my opinion and/or concerns regarding issues onboard that are not up to standards. Oceania handled those issues to conclusion. I hope to have the pleasure of sailing with you in the future.

[pacheco18]

Hmm

Roy was asst cd on our first cruise with Nolan dean. He was great at teaching Spanish. We liked him a lot more than nd, but that's not saying much

 

I wonder if this is his first cd gig.

Maybe he is being given a slot while Dottie is out. With nautica coming back they need more CDs

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[pacheco18]

Of course I meant insignia, not nautica

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[CintiPam]

I am certain the officers are busy, but to veteran Azamara cruisers the interaction with the officers is a huge part of their experience. Just read the Azamara boards. They all rave about it. They know every officer by name, send them regards (granted there are only 2 ships in the fleet). I assume that they feel if the officers on Azamara can do it, the officers on other ships can too. It is simply part of the Azamara culture. Cindi loves that part of the Azamara experience and she did not like O's culture in that regard.

 

CintiPam has been on both lines and she commented on this difference recently.

 

I am sailing Azamara for the first time next month and I am looking forward to experiencing this difference for myself.

 

I just read Cindi's comments and the several pages of followup. I consider myself both an Oceania enthusiast and an Azamara enthusiast, apparently a rare bird on the respective forums for those lines. For one thing, I only have taken five cruises so far, one each in the last five years, with the first four on Oceania and the last and next one on Azamara, then back to check out Riviera next spring. For another, we are itinerary driven, and the chance to visit four ports in Sicily, revisit Malta and finally go to Paestum were the reason I booked on Azamara.

 

It was most interesting to check out the differences on the same "R" class of ship. And the prime difference, as described so well by Cindi and Paul (other than cosmetics, because the Azamara Quest had not been refitted last October when we sailed) truly was the interaction with the officers and also the staff, which contributed a great deal IMO to the more relaxed informal atmosphere on Azamara. On the other hand, I recently commented that the stream of information on departure from every port by the Azamara captain on the precise challenges of the physical manuvering involved were either very annoying or very charming depending on your perspective. And the pre-sail experience with Azamara on land is pathetic. A nice cruise critic event hosted by Azamara with the Cruise Director, Hotel Director and another officer attending, all gratis and set up by Azamara versus my dashing around trying to get a location and invitations sent out on Oceania.

 

No sterling silver everywhere in the main dining room, as provided on Oceania, versus very attentive service on Quest. Tatty plastic placements in the Azamara steakhouse and a slightly shabby air versus truly top steakhouse-worthy surroundings and accoutrements on Oceania. No wonderful 4 PM tea and scones versus an amazing comfortable coffeehouse on Azamara with great friendly attentive table service all the time. Better food than I expected on Azamara, but a bit short of Oceania standards. Actually better entertainment IMO on Azamara. On the other hand, no fresh blueberries and sticky buns daily on Azamara and a much smaller area to dine outside for breakfast due to the placement of a massive bar taking up much of the space.

 

The White Nights special event provided on every Azamara cruise, ours while anchored in Sorrento with a tenor from the opera house on Naples emoting on the pool deck, and dancing under the stars there with the Cruise Director (and yes, my husband as well) made for a very memorable evening. My memorable evenings on O all involve excellent food!

 

On Azamara, people definitely dressed more casually for dinner, some too casually IMO for the main dining room. On the other hand, Azamara never pushed and pushed to have us dine with others every night in the MDR like Oceania did on our last voyage with them on Marina.

 

Bottom line: both provided us with a wonderful experience on the size ship we wanted going where we wanted. Kudos to both lines, and may they both live long and prosper.

[computerworks]

Hmm

Roy was asst cd on our first cruise with Nolan dean. He was great at teaching Spanish. We liked him a lot more than nd, but that's not saying much

 

I wonder if this is his first cd gig.

Maybe he is being given a slot while Dottie is out. With nautica coming back they need more CDs

 

He was 'promoted' from ACD when we were on the Riviera this past March. Roy said he would have a stint on the Marina, then hoped to return to the Riviera in the Fall.

[LHT28]

The White Nights special event provided on every Azamara cruise,

Never having sailed on Azamara what is this event??

[Paulchili]

Pam,

As usually, you are spot on.

Excellent and detailed analysis and comparison, IMO.

Thanks,

Paul

[English Tim]

Never having sailed on Azamara what is this event??

 

The White Night, is a pool deck party, with a grand buffet. It's not to be confused with Azamara's new Azamazing Evening, which is a shoreside event, usually a meal or concert, and can be something that is not normally available to the public, like a concert at Ephesus.

[LHT28]

The White Night, is a pool deck party, with a grand buffet. It's not to be confused with Azamara's new Azamazing Evening, which is a shoreside event, usually a meal or concert, and can be something that is not normally available to the public, like a concert at Ephesus.

thanks

[kbeauinal]

We are a lot like Kimanjo. We upgraded to a PH on an O cruise last fall on Nautica. We hardly used the butler at all. On our recent O cruise on Marina (London to Stockholm just prior to Cindi's trip) we were on the concierge level, Deck 10. We made only two trips to the concierge lounge.

 

We've had different experiences on each O cruise (we've done 5), but each has been a great trip. On our first trip, there was a sail away party when we embarked from Venice. I figured that was probably standard, but we haven't had that on any other cruise, although we did have a sail away party from one of the ports (just not the initial port) on the most recent cruise.

 

I've liked some cruise directors better than others, but they don't make or break the trip for us. You just can't beat Leslie John in my book. We've had him twice.

 

On our Athens to Istanbul cruise last fall, we probably had the most interaction with the officers and staff than on any other. I figure it was a function of happenstance. When our flight arrived in Athens, our luggage did not, and as we were standing in line at the lost luggage counter, we struck up a conversation with two young ladies. We all discovered that we were on the same O cruise. Larry and I thought at the time that they seemed a little young for the typical O crowd, and we found out why when we went to the first show. They were two of the singers. Every time we saw them, we had nice conversations. One was on our most recent cruise and remembered us from the "lost luggage." Also on that cruise we were invited to dine with the captain on night. Have no idea why.

 

For me, the cruises are a lot about the people you meet and interact with on board. We did a lot of excursions on our most recent cruise with people we had "met" on CC. It was so much fun getting to know Loretta and Louis, Elliott and Elaine and others. Hope to cruise with them again some time.

 

And I've never thought the food in the GDR was not warm enough, and I'm very particular about my food being hot enough, especially soup.

 

I must be unusual, but I do not care whatsoever if a Senior Officer (I don't even what one is) or a Junior Officer greets me getting on or off the ship, in the elevator or whenever. Or if they are "mingling" with the passengers. Or get invited to dine with the Captain. Nor do I care who the CD is... I don't even know what they do!

 

We had a PH on our latest cruise, and we had a butler... I guess we "underutilized" him too. Our only request of the 10 days was for some fresh sliced limes for our Diet Cokes. And maybe we felt we should ask for him for something, he looked like he dying to do something for us.

 

That is how we generally live our lives, low-key, low demand, self sufficient, and not needy.

 

 

So for any fellow pax out there (if there are any) like us, you will find O just lovely.

 

 

I have sailed AZ previously, and recently O Riviera this past May.

[cindilouwho]

I just read Cindi's comments and the several pages of followup. I consider myself both an Oceania enthusiast and an Azamara enthusiast, apparently a rare bird on the respective forums for those lines. For one thing, I only have taken five cruises so far, one each in the last five years, with the first four on Oceania and the last and next one on Azamara, then back to check out Riviera next spring. For another, we are itinerary driven, and the chance to visit four ports in Sicily, revisit Malta and finally go to Paestum were the reason I booked on Azamara.

 

It was most interesting to check out the differences on the same "R" class of ship. And the prime difference, as described so well by Cindi and Paul (other than cosmetics, because the Azamara Quest had not been refitted last October when we sailed) truly was the interaction with the officers and also the staff, which contributed a great deal IMO to the more relaxed informal atmosphere on Azamara. On the other hand, I recently commented that the stream of information on departure from every port by the Azamara captain on the precise challenges of the physical manuvering involved were either very annoying or very charming depending on your perspective. And the pre-sail experience with Azamara on land is pathetic. A nice cruise critic event hosted by Azamara with the Cruise Director, Hotel Director and another officer attending, all gratis and set up by Azamara versus my dashing around trying to get a location and invitations sent out on Oceania.

 

No sterling silver everywhere in the main dining room, as provided on Oceania, versus very attentive service on Quest. Tatty plastic placements in the Azamara steakhouse and a slightly shabby air versus truly top steakhouse-worthy surroundings and accoutrements on Oceania. No wonderful 4 PM tea and scones versus an amazing comfortable coffeehouse on Azamara with great friendly attentive table service all the time. Better food than I expected on Azamara, but a bit short of Oceania standards. Actually better entertainment IMO on Azamara. On the other hand, no fresh blueberries and sticky buns daily on Azamara and a much smaller area to dine outside for breakfast due to the placement of a massive bar taking up much of the space.

 

The White Nights special event provided on every Azamara cruise, ours while anchored in Sorrento with a tenor from the opera house on Naples emoting on the pool deck, and dancing under the stars there with the Cruise Director (and yes, my husband as well) made for a very memorable evening. My memorable evenings on O all involve excellent food!

 

On Azamara, people definitely dressed more casually for dinner, some too casually IMO for the main dining room. On the other hand, Azamara never pushed and pushed to have us dine with others every night in the MDR like Oceania did on our last voyage with them on Marina.

 

Bottom line: both provided us with a wonderful experience on the size ship we wanted going where we wanted. Kudos to both lines, and may they both live long and prosper.

 

Well said ---- I feel much the same ..... just need to add that AZ has that wonderful fresh griddle for waffles and pancakes for breakfast. Not that I can eat that anymore with my new gluten and dairy-free lifestyle choice :( but my friends missed it. And, to be sure, O might have found a way to modify the recipe for me - they were very good at dong that!