Loyal HAL cruisers thinking of Azamara to Norway. Suggestions?

dcsam · October 17, 2013

The two choices have me stumped:

14 nights on either the Ryndam or w/Azamara.

Both have a great Norwegian itinerary

Both include drinks (however, hubby doesn't consume alcohol)

The cost for Azamara is double , but that puts us in a balcony at their inside rate (still dbl the $) - it's their current promo and it ends soon. Outside on HAL

no formal nights on Azamara :-)

Guess I could go on and on comparing the two. But when it comes down to it, I'd prefer the Azamara. For those who have cruised Azamara! was the experience worth the extra cost?

OVgirl · October 17, 2013

If you really like Azamara that much then you should take that cruise. "Worth the extra cost"? I guess if you like them a lot. You are the one having to choose and you will be the one enjoying it. Go with your heart.

Myself, 2 cruises on HAL for the price of 1 on Azamara. No question, I would choose HAL.

bphman · October 17, 2013

Don't know if i can be considered a loyal HAL after only 3 cruises, all in suites but it depends on your comfort level with Azamara pricing is. This is an "apples and oranges" discussion as they are totally different products. We much prefer Azamara over HAL in every respect but the cabin size. But the food, service, familiarity with crew blow HAL away IMHO. That is not to say we don't like HAL but, given the opportunity, we would choose Azamara every time. It is pricier and on a different level. We also prefer more intimate ships. We enjoy talking with people and actually seeing them again on board. Of the mass market lines, HAL and Celebrity are our favorites.

dcsam · October 17, 2013

I realize it just gets down to personal preference and what one can afford. The Azamara ends in Copenhagen, which would allow us to visit with friends who live there. And we've been talking of visiting them for years. HAL begins and ends in Dover, which I see is quite a distance from the airport. My husband has mobility issues, so getting to and from places with ease is also a consideration. So if we went with HAL, we'd need to figure getting from Heathrow to Copenhagen somehow. I, personally, would choose Hurtigruten again, but my husband likes the amenities on the true cruise ship experience. Nice to hear from those who have experienced both HAL and Azamara.

Thank you!

RuthC · October 17, 2013

I took the 14-day Ryndam out of Dover last year, and did enjoy it very, very much.

I flew into Heathrow, and took the HAL transfer down the next morning. It was a pleasant ride, and wasn't very long. A little over an hour, iirc.

If I were to sail out of Dover again, though, I would take a long look at flying into Gatwick; it seems to be much closer to the Dover port.

I have also sailed out of Copenhagen several times. Several years ago I connected in Gatwick. The connection time seemed quite long, and was tough after a trans-At flight. The plane to Copenhagen was small, and the seats were tiny. Most uncomfortable.

The last time I sailed out of Copenhagen, I found a connection airport at Dulles, and that did work out well.

I have no experience with Azamara, so won't speak to that part of your choice.

dcsam · October 17, 2013

Great suggestion, Ruth. I'll look into flying into Gatwick.

dcsam · October 17, 2013

Ruth,

Did you do your own hotel near Heathrow? And if so, how did you catch the transfer: did it pick you up?

Thanks again!

Caroline :-)

Padraic · October 17, 2013

My wife and I spent 11 days on the Quest this past spring in the Med after a 23 day transatlantic cruise on the Eurodam to get there. If the price is no consideration I would jump on the Azamara in a second. Everything on the Quest was just a notch above Holland America whether it was the staterooms, food, decor, service, etc. Azamara had just started the complimentary AzAmazing Evenings so we spent an evening at a Medieval Chateau in Cannes. Everything was top notch. We do love Holland America but would opt for an Azamara cruise where possible.

RuthC · October 17, 2013

Ruth,
Did you do your own hotel near Heathrow? And if so, how did you catch the transfer: did it pick you up?

Thanks again!

Caroline :-)

I stayed at a London Hilton, on the HAL 1-night pre-cruise; there was another hotel choice, too.

HAL had a car & driver meet me at the airport to take me to the hotel. There was a HAL hospitality desk, where I got my instructions for the next day, when a bus took about 6 of us. We stopped at the other hotel to pick up the rest of the passengers, then headed to the pier.

On other cruises I have booked my own hotel, then made my way back to the airport arrivals area to pick up the HAL transfer. I gave HAL flight arrival information as if I were coming in that morning, instead of the day before.

That system has always served me well.

Typhoon1 · October 17, 2013

A very well regarded cruise line. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise them.

Dr. Cocktail · October 18, 2013

I had the privilege to sail on HAL and Azamara this past year. While I enjoyed HAL and am returning in a few months time, there is NO comparison to Azamara.

Azamara provides superior food, includes all tips and provides the (variable quality) Azamazing evening, includes basically all of your alcohol and a great daily rotating selection of wines and a fun "White Party" on deck on all sailings.

Throw in complimentary transfers into town, complimentary bottled water and espressos and cappuccinos and the price difference starts to shrink a bit.

While the crew on HAL is usually very good, the crew on Azamara are almost cult-like in their determination to make sure that your are happy with everything. If you don't see at least two of the Hotel Manager, Captain and Cruise Director at least twice daily, something has gone seriously wrong.

If the cost is not an issue, it's a no brainer.

edinburgher · October 18, 2013

To make it more difficult for you, HAL have Baltic and Norwegian itineraries on Eurodam, which are actually round trip from Copenhagen. If you intend only to fly into London and transfer to Dover then fly home from Copenhagen, the round trip Copenhagen might work out more economical for air and easier for you in terms of airport/ship transfer time and spending time with your friends.

If Azamara is double the cost of the same number of days with HAL, if time is not an issue, you could also look at perhaps joining two of the HAL Copenhagen itineraries together as there are some nice options available and if you do that you could visit many more ports and it could still work out cheaper than Azamara.

Having sailed with both HAL and Azamara this year (Azamara for the first time, HAL for the fifth) we could see the advantages of Azamara, but if you are getting free drinks on HAL, the only cost differential onboard is likely to be the cost of gratuities and shuttle transfers if offered by HAL and required by you, and the cost of shorex which are not included with either line.

For us, we very much enjoyed Azamara, really found nothing we disliked and it suited us well, would love to sail with them more often in the future, but they are pricey and we are still HAL fans too.

I would weigh up the pros and cons of flights, routing and pricing, the cost of each including what is not included with lead in fares on both, and the actual itineraries themselves, because at the end of the day the itineraries are also important.