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Loyal HAL cruisers thinking of Azamara to Norway. Suggestions?


dcsam

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

Tough choice!

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"Loyal HAL cruisers thinking of Azamara to Norway. Suggestions?"

 

 

I have never been on Azamara and can not comment but I have been to Norway on HAL. Your opening statement caught my eye. I have posted on other threads that IMO HAL is neglecting their "loyal HAL" customer base. I also have stated that I think more and more loyal HAL cruisers will realize that there are other options for cruise lines and itinerarys. I am not disparaging HAL or being a cheerleader for them. But IMO when HAL realizes that they are losing "loyal cruisers" and it effects their bottom line only then will they make the necessary changes to retain them.

 

bob

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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?

 

I like to cruise on different ships so I booked Azamara last year - mainly because I want interested in a particular port of call.

Fortunately I did my home work (studied the ship) on time, so I could cancel the cruise with no cancellation fee.

I simply found the ship would be waste of time in comparison with other options I had.

What to choose depends on how you like to spend your time on a cruise.

 

Did you have a chance to look at good photos of both ships?

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"Loyal HAL cruisers thinking of Azamara to Norway. Suggestions?"

 

 

I have never been on Azamara and can not comment but I have been to Norway on HAL. Your opening statement caught my eye. I have posted on other threads that IMO HAL is neglecting their "loyal HAL" customer base. I also have stated that I think more and more loyal HAL cruisers will realize that there are other options for cruise lines and itinerarys. I am not disparaging HAL or being a cheerleader for them. But IMO when HAL realizes that they are losing "loyal cruisers" and it effects their bottom line only then will they make the necessary changes to retain them.

 

bob

 

But, at what cost??? It seems that some posters feel that HAL is losing its "loyal cruisers" by not offering many amenities that other lines offer.

I imagine HAL could offer those perks if they upped the prices. Notice the OP said the Azamara cruise is DOUBLE the price for an almost identical cruise!! How many "loyal cruisers" would HAL lose if the cost of cruising doubled??

 

The OP said they would prefer the new line. I hope they will try this and then come back here and let us know their thoughts.

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But, at what cost??? It seems that some posters feel that HAL is losing its "loyal cruisers" by not offering many amenities that other lines offer.

I imagine HAL could offer those perks if they upped the prices. Notice the OP said the Azamara cruise is DOUBLE the price for an almost identical cruise!! How many "loyal cruisers" would HAL lose if the cost of cruising doubled??

 

The OP said they would prefer the new line. I hope they will try this and then come back here and let us know their thoughts.

 

Very often we see absolutely irrelevant generalizations like "HAL offers or does not offer".

Amenities and perks are not the same things.

All the amenities can be considered as perks.

But perks are not necessarily amenities.

 

HAL has different ships. Some of them offer more amenities that most of other cruise lines.

Speaking of amenities on the Eurodam vs Azamara - Azamara is literally a floating sink in comparison. Nothing remotely close to what new HAL signature ships offer amenity-wise.

'Perks' on Azamara related to food and wine services - yes they have some advantage, no doubt - but they charge crazy money for that.

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Why not try another cruise line/ship???

 

Live dangerously, broaden your horizon/experiences.

 

With so many great cruise lines and wonderful ships out there we just cannot imagine ourselves limiting our selection HAL or to any other cruise line for that matter. Or to those ships in the HAL fleet that we would consider.

 

Heck, HAL is a commercial enterprise, not a delicate family heirloom.

 

You could always travel incognito and not tell anyone that you are transgressing this bond with HAL. Your dirty secret would be safe with us.

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Speaking of amenities on the Eurodam vs Azamara - Azamara is literally a floating sink in comparison. Nothing remotely close to what new HAL signature ships offer amenity-wise.

'Perks' on Azamara related to food and wine services - yes they have some advantage, no doubt - but they charge crazy money for that.

 

Wow. I have been on 2 Azamara cruises and have a third booked. The ships are small and don't have rock walls and surf riders, but neither do the HAL ships. I can't remember being on the AZ Quest and thinking, "They do it better on HAL," or "I wish they had XXX like HAL," but I can remember thinking the opposite.

 

Floating sink. Not to this cruiser.

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Wow. I have been on 2 Azamara cruises and have a third booked. The ships are small and don't have rock walls and surf riders, but neither do the HAL ships.

 

Why necessarily rock walls and flowriders?

HAL Signature ships offer great amenities that are not available or rudimentary on Azamara.

Compare spa, promenade deck, sun decks, aft pool, front observation decks, main theatre, sports court.

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Are the cruises really identical?? I think I would chose the itinerary. The Ryndam goes to Geiranger and Sognefjord. I can't find that the Azamara goes there. They do have some different ports of call that HAL doesn't do. But Geiranger Fjord would swing me towards HAL. It have been there twice and it is absolutely the most beautiful place in Norway.

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Update:

We're putting the Norway trip 'on hold' for the time being. Instead, we booked Azamara for a Sea of Cortez cruise. This is an itinerary we've wanted to try for some time now, and the cost is comparable to HALs Sea of Cortez itinerary. We'll come back to HAL, but for now, I'm thrilled to be trying a cruise line that offers a smaller, more personalized, intimate atmosphere.

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Update:

We're putting the Norway trip 'on hold' for the time being. Instead, we booked Azamara for a Sea of Cortez cruise. This is an itinerary we've wanted to try for some time now, and the cost is comparable to HALs Sea of Cortez itinerary. We'll come back to HAL, but for now, I'm thrilled to be trying a cruise line that offers a smaller, more personalized, intimate atmosphere.

 

I'm very pleased for you.

I'm another of those folk that really like to try out as many ships and as many cruiselines that are out there, rather than be 'loyal' to any particular cruiseline.

 

I went on Az Quest in June and loved it. The Azamara ships are very much in the 'niche' cruising market, possibly no good for those who need to have a dozen activities on hand every hour, to keep them occupied.

Azamara is more about top notch service and that lovely feeling of recognition around the ship, both by the crew and other passengers too.

 

I will be back on Volendam again in just a few weeks time. I won't attempt to make comparisons either, because none are required, as I still really like the HAL product anyway. I genuinely think they remain amongst the better mainline cruise line offerings. One reason being that they still have reasonable choice of smaller ships to enjoy and experience, without really having to consider their larger Vista class ships. (not that I wouldn't!)

 

I hope you'll enjoy Azamara, and I'm sure you'll still enjoy to return to any of Holland America ships just as much again in the future too!

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Peter.

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Update:

We're putting the Norway trip 'on hold' for the time being. Instead, we booked Azamara for a Sea of Cortez cruise. This is an itinerary we've wanted to try for some time now, and the cost is comparable to HALs Sea of Cortez itinerary. We'll come back to HAL, but for now, I'm thrilled to be trying a cruise line that offers a smaller, more personalized, intimate atmosphere.

 

Have a great time :D:D

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