Is Onward really a 2.9?

[OC Cruisers]

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

[tgg]

I think the important word in your question is "lately".  A maiden voyage is never a good sailing on which to judge a ship. This was particularly true for Onward.  Everyone, from the captain on down, has acknowledged that there was much work that still needed to be done. I'll be interested to read the responses you get from recent passengers. We're booked on Onward in December.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would also note that the Reviews section seems to get a lot of 'one and done's – and that group of posters is always more negative than those who have more experience (with a cruise line, and with cruising in general).

[FlyerTalker]

One important thing to do is to look at WHY they gave that rating.  Someone who is used to a behemoth ship with a dozen activities at all times would find Azamara boring.  Someone who is used to Silversea luxury would call it downmarket.  But those opinions are not addressing the question - does Azamara deliver a product as advertised and promoted in a consistent manner and at the appropriate price point?

 

The devil is in the details.

[norn iron]

33 minutes ago, OC Cruisers said:

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

 

2.9 is totally unfair. We sailed on Onward in June, it was either the 4th or 5th cruise since the maiden voyage.

We had no issues with the crew, in fact they were great.  There were lots of familiar faces from other ships in the fleet and they were hands on guiding newer members into the Azamara way.

 

The issues, and yes there were some, were more to do with the workmanship from the refit in Amsterdam.

If you looked carefully there was substandard workmanship, especially compared to Pursuit and I am not being prejudiced. There was major work being done by the crew, on an ongoing basis to rectify the issues.

 

We had a conversation with Tony Markey in his role of HD and when discussing the final finish he actually refused to comment (in a humorous way).

 

 

 

 

 

[lenoirm]

We were on Onward in July and had a good time.

Sure , the crew needs more training but service in bars and restaurants was friendly .

Looks like things will get better with time and more experienced servers. We would not hesitate to go on Onward again .

We will be onboard 1/2015 for part of the world cruise.

The spirit of Azamara is onboard Onward!

 

Micheline and Luc

 

 

[combine]

Disembarked my first Onward cruise 2 weeks ago. Number 13 on Azamara…so could have been unlucky !

But Onward did not disappoint at all, and although our two previous cruises on Journey and  Quest this year were also great cruises with low numbers of guests, I thought Onward was a notch up on both of those.

The staff , nearly all  new, were incredible and they were just intent on making our cruise as enjoyable as they could. They were all so  welcoming and remembered our names within moments. Discoveries service, food choices and quality were really very good with many items new to me. Never had to wait to be seated. Every wait staff we had were superb. Speciality restaurants exceptional and some familiar senior faces from the other ships made it very special. 
 

Plenty of space around the ship, and at just over 600 guests , we were told it was the most they had so far on Onward. So this truly was a test of how it could run at near capacity.

 

Perhaps didn’t  see alot of Senior staff around the ship as we usually do.

Our cabin whilst extremely  clean , was looking tired , some of the furniture was a bit rough around the edges but I think it’s  work in progress and it in no way detracted from a really wonderful cruise. I was travelling with a first timer on Azamara ( previous P&O, Princess) and they were very impressed with the total inclusivity of the cruise and friendliness of fellow guests. It was definitely interesting to experience life onboard through their new eyes.
 

Would have no hesitation in looking at cruises on Onward again.

 

[takemewithyou]

I am glad this question was asked.

So was the hard surface furniture…..cabinets, nightstands, countertops, sink replaced or still the old stuff?

Is there one upholstered chair and a metal chair to sit in CC suites?  
How about the balcony furniture….one table and 2 chairs?

[lisiamc]

8 hours ago, OC Cruisers said:

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

We were on the maiden voyage in May and we had such a good time that we have three more Onward cruises booked. Was the ship in perfect condition? No, but the remaining issues didn’t cause us any problems, and I’m sure they’re sorted by now. We were very happy. We’ve been cruising with Azamara since 2007, and they are our favourite cruise line. . 

Edited September 10, 2022 by lisiamc

[royallondon]

15 hours ago, OC Cruisers said:

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

We had 10 nights on “Onward” in July.  Had a great time and well up to par of the other ships. 2.9 out of 3.0 sounds about right!  

[Piaa]

I just submitted my review - will see if it gets posted but (imo) yes a 2.9 out of 5 is about right.

[federalexpress]

Just had a glance through the reviews, given I have my first Azamara cruise booked. Seems to me they have had a big QC problem with the refurb on this ship, looks like it is sub standard. I imagine- hope- they are aware of it and will find ways to fix it as they go. Luckily I'm on Pursuit so it won't impact me but I can see why others might be concerned. Other shortcomings sound more like picking the wrong cruise. One person said they wanted to go back to NCL. Personally that line, while suiting others, is not not one I'd even think of going on. Equally if you want lots of glitzy theatre shows and loud music, I assume Azamara is not for you. Because it doesn't do that is precisely why I'm booking it. You can interpret reviews- when I see a tripadvisor review giving a low rating, complaining there is nothing to do and it's boring, that makes me give it a positive mark. Relaxation and tranquility in nice surroundings is my aim. Horses for courses.  Some negative comments about excursions which should worry Azamara given their positioning as a brand, but I've noted they are eye wateringly expensive for these and am mostly arranging my own, as I did on my only other cruise.

 

I suspect the reviews will perk up as they fix the snagging..

[combine]

56 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

Just had a glance through the reviews, given I have my first Azamara cruise booked. Seems to me they have had a big QC problem with the refurb on this ship, looks like it is sub standard. I imagine- hope- they are aware of it and will find ways to fix it as they go. Luckily I'm on Pursuit so it won't impact me but I can see why others might be concerned. Other shortcomings sound more like picking the wrong cruise. One person said they wanted to go back to NCL. Personally that line, while suiting others, is not not one I'd even think of going on. Equally if you want lots of glitzy theatre shows and loud music, I assume Azamara is not for you. Because it doesn't do that is precisely why I'm booking it. You can interpret reviews- when I see a tripadvisor review giving a low rating, complaining there is nothing to do and it's boring, that makes me give it a positive mark. Relaxation and tranquility in nice surroundings is my aim. Horses for courses.  Some negative comments about excursions which should worry Azamara given their positioning as a brand, but I've noted they are eye wateringly expensive for these and am mostly arranging my own, as I did on my only other cruise.

 

I suspect the reviews will perk up as they fix the snagging..

The most recent review was June 2022, 3 months ago. Several thousand have cruised on Onward since then (myself included ) and no new reviews. I am as guilty as anyone else in not doing a review, but a lot of discussion does take place on this forum and any concerns are answered  fairly swiftly. Up to date information is key. 
There is no doubt that the early cruises after refit had more than acceptable problems . We had a wonderful cruise in August but others may not have. Hope you enjoy Pursuit.

[federalexpress]

46 minutes ago, combine said:

The most recent review was June 2022, 3 months ago. Several thousand have cruised on Onward since then (myself included ) and no new reviews. I am as guilty as anyone else in not doing a review, but a lot of discussion does take place on this forum and any concerns are answered  fairly swiftly. Up to date information is key. 
There is no doubt that the early cruises after refit had more than acceptable problems . We had a wonderful cruise in August but others may not have. Hope you enjoy Pursuit.

Thanks you, am very much looking forward to it, especially as it goes to a continent- S America- I've never been to before. It would actually take something pretty poor to spoil the trip given the places are so interesting, I guess only the one thing cruise lines can't fix, the weather. I've only been on one other cruise previously so I don't know what my sea legs will be like on a smallish ship in a storm around Cape Horn!!

 

Like you, more often that not, my intention to do a review is often not followed through. Actually, for better or worse, I tend to do them when things are either wonderful or awful and thus I can get my teeth into it. It's a bit less motivating to post 'yeh, it was ok, decent enough' even though that might represent most of the experiences we have in our travels.

Edited September 11, 2022 by federalexpress

[Zoey]

On 9/9/2022 at 4:45 PM, OC Cruisers said:

Hi everybody☺️
 

We’ve enjoyed many Azamara cruises, but Quest is our favorite. We’ve been eyeballing an October itinerary but are spooked by the reviews on this site that say it’s not up to Azamara’s usual standards. The 2.9 overall rating is 😱 Has anyone who’s an Azamara regular been on Onward lately who can shed any light? Thanks!!

I wish I had just ignored this thread. I'm scheduled for my third Azamara cruise in November (Pursuit twice prior to Covid) and all I can say is 'yikes!' and I'm scared. I can overlook some little things related to issues like supply chain delays, etc., but broken toilet seats and missing fan and light covers are really unacceptable. I think maybe the launch of Onward should have been delayed a bit longer until some of these issues could be resolved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[excitedofharpenden]

3 minutes ago, Zoey said:

I wish I had just ignored this thread. I'm scheduled for my third Azamara cruise in November (Pursuit twice prior to Covid) and all I can say is 'yikes!' and I'm scared. I can overlook some little things related to issues like supply chain delays, etc., but broken toilet seats and missing fan and light covers are really unacceptable. I think maybe the launch of Onward should have been delayed a bit longer until some of these issues could be resolved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you can say that about the reviews in general on CC. I avoid them. TMI can be a bad thing. I've been on ships that would have you believe you were going on a garbage scow if you read some of the reviews!  I think you need to ignore the really glowing ones and the very negative and the truth falls somewhere in the middle, acknowledging everyone sees things differently. Added to that is the sample size and recent reviews. Onward hasn't been operating for long. 

 

Only way to be sure is to see for yourself and go there to enjoy. I've never been disappointed with the Azamara product. 

 

Phil 

[lisiamc]

37 minutes ago, Zoey said:

I wish I had just ignored this thread. I'm scheduled for my third Azamara cruise in November (Pursuit twice prior to Covid) and all I can say is 'yikes!' and I'm scared. I can overlook some little things related to issues like supply chain delays, etc., but broken toilet seats and missing fan and light covers are really unacceptable. I think maybe the launch of Onward should have been delayed a bit longer until some of these issues could be resolved. 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t have those issues on the Inaugural cruise, and although some might have, I just can’t believe they would still be lingering months later. Please report if they are! That would be a huge surprise.

[Baynanno1]

2 hours ago, federalexpress said:

Thanks you, am very much looking forward to it, especially as it goes to a continent- S America- I've never been to before. It would actually take something pretty poor to spoil the trip given the places are so interesting, I guess only the one thing cruise lines can't fix, the weather. I've only been on one other cruise previously so I don't know what my sea legs will be like on a smallish ship in a storm around Cape Horn!!

 

 

 

I have not cruised around Cape Horn, but have cruised the South China Sea.

I would recommend choosing a stateroom midships on a lower deck and going prepared with your choice of remedy should there be "some motion in the ocean" as one of the Captains says.

Enjoy your cruise!

[tgg]

23 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

I have not cruised around Cape Horn, but have cruised the South China Sea.

I would recommend choosing a stateroom midships on a lower deck and going prepared with your choice of remedy should there be "some motion in the ocean" as one of the Captains says.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

When we sailed around Cape Horn, the seas were completely calm.  Several passengers, who had prepared for the worst,  assumed we weren't there yet.

[federalexpress]

1 hour ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

I have not cruised around Cape Horn, but have cruised the South China Sea.

I would recommend choosing a stateroom midships on a lower deck and going prepared with your choice of remedy should there be "some motion in the ocean" as one of the Captains says.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I'm afraid the die is cast on that. I wanted a CC suite, they are only on deck 8 and the ones in the very centre had gone. I'm about 3/4 back towards aft, I'm told the latter is a little better than being forward in rough seas, but as the decks get less long as you go up, it's probably 2/3 back in terms of the total ship length so not too bad. I comfort myself that although this is pretty much the highest stateroom deck, these are not especially tall ships and people I know have been on mega ship 4 or 5 decks higher. I suspect you feel it rolling more with that height.

 

Anyway it is what it is. Part of the appeal of this cruise is seeing some wild places so the possibility of some serious weather goes with the territory and anyway, maybe I get nice weather....

[Utopia1]

I've cruised around Cape Horn three times--and much to our surprise the waters were calm each time.  The roughest waters we have encountered in our years of cruising has been the China Sea-- but it never stopped us from from cruising in that part of the world.

Enjoy your cruise! 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

26 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

 

I'm afraid the die is cast on that. I wanted a CC suite, they are only on deck 8 and the ones in the very centre had gone. I'm about 3/4 back towards aft, I'm told the latter is a little better than being forward in rough seas, but as the decks get less long as you go up, it's probably 2/3 back in terms of the total ship length so not too bad. I comfort myself that although this is pretty much the highest stateroom deck, these are not especially tall ships and people I know have been on mega ship 4 or 5 decks higher. I suspect you feel it rolling more with that height.

 

Anyway it is what it is. Part of the appeal of this cruise is seeing some wild places so the possibility of some serious weather goes with the territory and anyway, maybe I get nice weather....

The fulcrum of a ship is actually not the center, because of the weight of the engines at the rear – so your cabin may be pretty close to the pivot point!

[takemewithyou]

Back to the original topic, for those of us who may be considering Onward, it would be nice to hear some specifics about the cabins and the condition of them since that seemed to be where all the complaints were on the first couple of cruises, as backed up by the reviews on CC.  Saying, well my cruise was great!  I appreciate that …..but How about answering some specifics?  There are a lot of complaints in these reviews….are they resolved or not?  I don’t know.

 

I asked some very specific questions about CC suites earlier in this thread and have gotten no responses!  I have gone to you tube and reviewed what I can but I am still left with questions.

 

I wish people would give some specifics about the cabins….

Have the chairs on the verandas been changed?  Were those temporary due to supply chain issues or permanent?
Is there now a second chair in the CC suites or just the one big upholstered chair?

is the furniture and the sinks still chipped or have repairs been made?

Any other comments on cabins?

Edited September 12, 2022 by takemewithyou

[takemewithyou]

11 hours ago, tgg said:

 

I'd like to read your review.  Could you copy and paste it here?

Here is the review…..was just again checking for new reviews….

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=690698

[neverseasick]

On 9/10/2022 at 12:51 PM, Piaa said:

I just submitted my review - will see if it gets posted but (imo) yes a 2.9 out of 5 is about right.

Hi Piaa! Your review has been posted...I just read it, thank-you. Sounds like they have their work cut out for them. Are you canceling your future Onward cruises? 😔