first time azamara cruise, thoughts

[marinaro44]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Every day on Onward either in the Cabaret Lounge, Poolside or Living Room the sound in excess of 90db gets triggered on my watch repeatedly. They could easily dial down a notch and make it far more pleasant for everyone 

Have you had a chance to discuss with Tony?  This has been an ongoing issue.

[uktog]

23 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Have you had a chance to discuss with Tony?  This has been an ongoing issue.

We have

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

We have

Good.  Thanks.  I'll see how things are next week.

[federalexpress]

8 hours ago, boxman52 said:

I agree with you that it's not a choice of either total silence or non stop rave music playing. There is something very sensible in-between to keep all guests happy

Do Azamara advertise the ship is silent other than low volume performers? If so I must have missed that, if not the customers who want a little atmosphere within reason have as much right to that as those who want to spend their time in silence

It surely a compromise 

 

I think there is a middle way, but surely that is not somewhere between rave and silence everywhere, but places where you can have music if you want it, but other places where there is quiet. I've not been on an AZ ship yet but the Den, if that is one of the bars, might be a place for a livelier ambiance and of course the live show (but even there, maybe one of the evening shows could be lower than 90db because if that is accurate as a reading, that is quite loud).

 

There is only one pool so that should not have loud music and probably not any piped music at all, certainly not throughout the whole day, and especially the banal pop music you usually get when it's piped. Celebrity and its ilk are there for those who feel that kind of atmosphere is important for their cruise. I imagine they do it quite well and presumably all the other passengers like it, otherwise they wouldn't be on Celebrity in the first place.

 

 

[Janet&Carl]

I have just returned home after my first Azamara cruise.  I actually was very excited to go on Azamara because the things I read impressed me and I thought we would be a good fit.  We are usually quiet people and we absolutely loved parts of our cruise but didn't fit with other parts. Should we find a great deal on a port intensive cruise we will cruise again.

 

The positives were the food was the best we have had on a cruise.  We missed going out on the Azamazing Evening and the entertainment that was brought onboard was not as good as I expected it would be.  They had "Flamenco Ballet", 8 women who danced very well but were very repetitive.  White night was held indoors but still enjoyed.  The ships cast were good and entertaining but I found the piano player a very mediocre entertainer.  The band upstairs were very good and lively for those that want more volume and groove 🙂.

 

Another upside was the length of time spent in port.  No rush to see as much as you can in as little time as you can and race back.  That we could take our time and park in close was a big plus.

 

The downside for me was the size and age of the ship.  We took a last minute upgrade to a suite.  I checked on the spreadsheet and no one else seemed to have  had an issue with the suite we were in but I could not sleep because  of the creaking and groaning in the ceiling every night.  We had maintenance look at it but eventually had to be moved to another suite.  This one had a bath which I would struggle to get in an out of, fortunately we had payed for spa access so I showered in the spa area.  We had very rough seas - on one night an 8 metre swell, consequently I was very sea sick even after medication.  

[federalexpress]

3 hours ago, Janet&Carl said:

I have just returned home after my first Azamara cruise.  I actually was very excited to go on Azamara because the things I read impressed me and I thought we would be a good fit.  We are usually quiet people and we absolutely loved parts of our cruise but didn't fit with other parts. Should we find a great deal on a port intensive cruise we will cruise again.

 

The positives were the food was the best we have had on a cruise.  We missed going out on the Azamazing Evening and the entertainment that was brought onboard was not as good as I expected it would be.  They had "Flamenco Ballet", 8 women who danced very well but were very repetitive.  White night was held indoors but still enjoyed.  The ships cast were good and entertaining but I found the piano player a very mediocre entertainer.  The band upstairs were very good and lively for those that want more volume and groove 🙂.

 

Another upside was the length of time spent in port.  No rush to see as much as you can in as little time as you can and race back.  That we could take our time and park in close was a big plus.

 

The downside for me was the size and age of the ship.  We took a last minute upgrade to a suite.  I checked on the spreadsheet and no one else seemed to have  had an issue with the suite we were in but I could not sleep because  of the creaking and groaning in the ceiling every night.  We had maintenance look at it but eventually had to be moved to another suite.  This one had a bath which I would struggle to get in an out of, fortunately we had payed for spa access so I showered in the spa area.  We had very rough seas - on one night an 8 metre swell, consequently I was very sea sick even after medication.  

 

Interesting insights, thanks, especially given I am going on my first ever cruise early next year. Couple of questions:

 

1) Where were you sailing?

 

2) What suite were you in, fore or aft?

 

Sorry to hear you got seasick, this also somewhat concerns me because I perhaps foolishly have chosen to sail around Cape Horn and to the Falklands where I gather things can get pretty spicy!

[Janet&Carl]

11 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

 

Interesting insights, thanks, especially given I am going on my first ever cruise early next year. Couple of questions:

 

1) Where were you sailing?

 

2) What suite were you in, fore or aft?

 

Sorry to hear you got seasick, this also somewhat concerns me because I perhaps foolishly have chosen to sail around Cape Horn and to the Falklands where I gather things can get pretty spicy!

 

 

Thats one I wouldnt do on a small ship lol.  I have only ever been seasick on older vessels.  The newer bigger ships don't bother me at all.  But on a bigger ship the queues bother me !  So each has their benefits and drawbacks.  I take a tablet called "Avomine" which I get sent from England.  They are brilliant.  The doctor I spoke to on the ship advised one of the "wristbands"  for seasickness and he said they worked.  I personally haven't tried them. 

 

We sailed in the Mediterranean on a Spain intensive cruise.  The ports were fabulous and I did enjoy my cruise.  Unfortunately, most of the entertainment is up the front of the ship which rocks around more so I was not able to go to a couple of the lectures, I missed a bingo and I missed a few shows because of the rough seas.  Rougher than normal because I usually do not need medication in the med.  We had a Club Continent suite on deck 8 in the middle of the ship so it wasnt the location that bothered me.  I thought perhaps it could be because I wasnt sleeping well.  I think if I was booking a bigger suite it would have to be aft.  This is where the restaurants are located on all the ships I've sailed on, so I guess it is less affected by rough seas than the front of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but beware cruising is very addictive 😉 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Janet&Carl

[Grandma Cruising]

3 hours ago, federalexpress said:

 

Interesting insights, thanks, especially given I am going on my first ever cruise early next year. Couple of questions:

 

1) Where were you sailing?

 

2) What suite were you in, fore or aft?

 

Sorry to hear you got seasick, this also somewhat concerns me because I perhaps foolishly have chosen to sail around Cape Horn and to the Falklands where I gather things can get pretty spicy!

You might be lucky. When we sailed around Cape Horn it was flat as a pancake!

[federalexpress]

1 hour ago, Janet&Carl said:

 

 

Thats one I wouldnt do on a small ship lol.  I have only ever been seasick on older vessels.  The newer bigger ships don't bother me at all.  But on a bigger ship the queues bother me !  So each has their benefits and drawbacks.  I take a tablet called "Avomine" which I get sent from England.  They are brilliant.  The doctor I spoke to on the ship advised one of the "wristbands"  for seasickness and he said they worked.  I personally haven't tried them. 

 

We sailed in the Mediterranean on a Spain intensive cruise.  The ports were fabulous and I did enjoy my cruise.  Unfortunately, most of the entertainment is up the front of the ship which rocks around more so I was not able to go to a couple of the lectures, I missed a bingo and I missed a few shows because of the rough seas.  Rougher than normal because I usually do not need medication in the med.  We had a Club Continent suite on deck 8 in the middle of the ship so it wasnt the location that bothered me.  I thought perhaps it could be because I wasnt sleeping well.  I think if I was booking a bigger suite it would have to be aft.  This is where the restaurants are located on all the ships I've sailed on, so I guess it is less affected by rough seas than the front of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but beware cruising is very addictive 😉 

 

Yes, my suite is towards the back though not at the very back. People have warned me the front of the ship tends to be the worst to be, when it's rocky.

 

I suppose it's unlucky to be hit by rough seas in the Med though I recall reading there was quite a big storm that hit Spain and Italy in the latter part of November, maybe that is what you were caught in.

 

I'm in S America during their summer so in theory, weather should be more settled but on the other hand, they are also very unpredictable waters, especially in the far south....

[federalexpress]

2 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

You might be lucky. When we sailed around Cape Horn it was flat as a pancake!

 

That would be nice! I guess it's just luck of the draw. I gather, for example, that the scheduled stop in the Falklands has a close to 50% chance of not happening, because of high winds affecting the tendering.

 

On the other hand, if one chooses to go to the world's more extreme places, that is the potential price you pay, one in this case I feel is worthwhile.

[uktog]

It depends on the wind direction and direction of current where exactly rocks the most

[Edinburghgirl1]

15 hours ago, Janet&Carl said:

 

 

Thats one I wouldnt do on a small ship lol.  I have only ever been seasick on older vessels.  The newer bigger ships don't bother me at all.  But on a bigger ship the queues bother me !  So each has their benefits and drawbacks.  I take a tablet called "Avomine" which I get sent from England.  They are brilliant.  The doctor I spoke to on the ship advised one of the "wristbands"  for seasickness and he said they worked.  I personally haven't tried them. 

 

We sailed in the Mediterranean on a Spain intensive cruise.  The ports were fabulous and I did enjoy my cruise.  Unfortunately, most of the entertainment is up the front of the ship which rocks around more so I was not able to go to a couple of the lectures, I missed a bingo and I missed a few shows because of the rough seas.  Rougher than normal because I usually do not need medication in the med.  We had a Club Continent suite on deck 8 in the middle of the ship so it wasnt the location that bothered me.  I thought perhaps it could be because I wasnt sleeping well.  I think if I was booking a bigger suite it would have to be aft.  This is where the restaurants are located on all the ships I've sailed on, so I guess it is less affected by rough seas than the front of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but beware cruising is very addictive 😉 

I’ve had a sunset veranda during rough seas and felt just as much movement at the back of the ship as I did at the front luckily I have never suffered from sea sickness but having a shower whilst holding on with one hand was a challenge! 

[marinaro44]

39 minutes ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

I’ve had a sunset veranda during rough seas and felt just as much movement at the back of the ship as I did at the front luckily I have never suffered from sea sickness but having a shower whilst holding on with one hand was a challenge! 

I walk the hallways on decks 6, 7 and 8 every morning between 6 and 7, and have done this for many hundreds of mornings.  There is much more motion in the forward section than anywhere else.  The aft section of the ship may have slightly more motion than mid ships, but the difference is barely noticeable.  We always book suites aft of the rear elevator.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

I walk the hallways on decks 6, 7 and 8 every morning between 6 and 7, and have done this for many hundreds of mornings.  There is much more motion in the forward section than anywhere else.  The aft section of the ship may have slightly more motion than mid ships, but the difference is barely noticeable.  We always book suites aft of the rear elevator.

Agreed.  DW walks the halls every night after dinner, and she reports that while the aft shows some motion it's nothing like what she feels in the forward end.  This is night after night, in small chop and big waves – front is always much more movement than aft.

[excitedofharpenden]

13 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

I walk the hallways on decks 6, 7 and 8 every morning between 6 and 7, and have done this for many hundreds of mornings.  There is much more motion in the forward section than anywhere else.  The aft section of the ship may have slightly more motion than mid ships, but the difference is barely noticeable.  We always book suites aft of the rear elevator.

I'm with you. Much better to be aft than forward if you are prone to seasickness. 
 

Phil 

[TeaBag]

We are not prone to seasickness but great to know the aft is smoother.  We have 7116 booked for 3 cruises and can't wait.

[cruisinclined]

On the subject of piped music the problem is that it is on a cycle and is therefore repeated hourly, daily and weekly- same dull music. Bands at the pool are different and do a session then leave (but usually the same session each time).

Most people at the pool swim occasionally, sunbathe, read or sleep. Readers and sleepers mainly prefer a quiet atmosphere but there is always some background noise. We all will have mobiles and be able to listen to our choice of music if that is our wish. We live in a world where individual choice of music is on tap and not imposed on all.

I acknowledge that there are passengers who want to be entertained more or less constantly with background music, games and bands and Azamara is probably not the best choice for them. There are more lively offerings on the larger ships.

I don't think this is all age related as many of the younger crowd like to crash out in the day and enjoy shows and dancing in the evenings. 

Like all purchased leisure it is all a matter of personal taste and preference, stating the obvious.

 

[excitedofharpenden]

52 minutes ago, cruisinclined said:

On the subject of piped music the problem is that it is on a cycle and is therefore repeated hourly, daily and weekly- same dull music. Bands at the pool are different and do a session then leave (but usually the same session each time).

Most people at the pool swim occasionally, sunbathe, read or sleep. Readers and sleepers mainly prefer a quiet atmosphere but there is always some background noise. We all will have mobiles and be able to listen to our choice of music if that is our wish. We live in a world where individual choice of music is on tap and not imposed on all.

I acknowledge that there are passengers who want to be entertained more or less constantly with background music, games and bands and Azamara is probably not the best choice for them. There are more lively offerings on the larger ships.

I don't think this is all age related as many of the younger crowd like to crash out in the day and enjoy shows and dancing in the evenings. 

Like all purchased leisure it is all a matter of personal taste and preference, stating the obvious.

 

A perfect answer. I'd add that Azamara are more focused toward destination immersion and because of that the ships (unless on a repositioning cruise) are quite empty during the day with people off the ship exploring. I'll also add that I have never been bored on an Azamara cruise, even if I've stayed on. 

 

Phil 

[Rosroz]

Interesting post , we used to use Celebrity a lot but stopped a few years  we were Elite Plus, we found it was not such a good experience as it once was, standards had dropped but the prices had increased a lot plus our fellow cruisers had changed , we used to like the Spa cabins which enabled us to eat in Blu. We decided to give Azamara a try , we enjoyed sailing with them , there is something about Azamara that we like can’t quite put our finger on , we feel the staff truly make it and we like the way they change things as and  when , making impromptu decisions to make the  passengers experience better. We would not describe it as luxury boutique , the ships are not flashy , and the cabins could be improved and of course that  old chestnut the shower curtain, who on earth has shower curtains these days ! We have always found the ships clean and well maintained but that’s our experience, we are on the Onward on the 17th Jan and are looking forward to it.

We prefer the food and the cabins on Oceania, but if people think Azamara is boring then it makes Azamara look like Royal Caribbean in comparison.

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Rosroz

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Interesting thread  ....

 

As a Paul Gauguin regular the bar has been set pretty high. However ... 

 

After reading almost every post in this thread the majority of them is summed up like this IMO. 

 

Are you going for the destination or is the ship the destination? As a PG regular I tell people that ask that I love the ship for the destination, the crew and the eats ... in that order. PG does well in all these categories. I picked Azamara as I felt it too was destination extensive. When you look at the big ships (Azamara is not a big ship company) often people are there for what the ship offers on-board, not the destination. Mega ships are like small cities and everything that is offered in one. Not my cup of tea ...

 

Personally I can't see myself on a ship any larger than an R4 or similar class. I will experience 6 more PG cruises over the next 2 years as well as Azamara Pursuit in the Med and a Celebrity ship in in the Pacific. Will be interesting to see how Azamara compares. I I take groups on all my cruises I needed to move beyond just French Polynesia, thus the Med offering and the other destination in the Pacific. I'm turning 68 and I have my bucket list ... thus I'll still focus on the South Pacific but do at least one cruise outside of that destination. 

 

In 2025 I'm considering a small Silver Seas ship for my group ... my expectations are high for Silver Sea. 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:24 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:

It's very easy to lose all your loyal customers before you attract the new ones you're looking for.  IMO Azamara should stay the course, make incremental  improvements to the soft product (wine list for starters), and research whether they can make a business case for new ships that can still dock in the small ports Azamara's itineraries are known for.  If they can't make that business case, Sycamore has little enough cash sunk in the project that they can just let it tread water with these four lovable old ships – after all, that's basically what RCG* did for almost all of Azamara's history.  There are other small cruise lines that are doing exactly this (Noble Caledonia, Windstar for examples).

 

* and my take is that RCG disposed of Azamara because once they had bought Silversea there was no longer a space for Azamara between the Celebrity Retreat and Silversea.  It had nothing to do with Azamara's future prospects – without Silversea they could easily have given Azamara the new ships that Silversea has gotten since the takeover.

 

edited to add:  Don't think that Azamara would have been better off staying part of RCG, even if they hadn't bought Silversea.  Look at this recent report from Silver Whisper:

 

 

Our TA had initial found a Silverseas cruise to replace our group Crystal cruise.  However, when they looked farther the cancellation fee was the deposit $1500pp! They decide not to do that to their clients even though it was a great itinerary. To them it was just too risky. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:47 AM, marinaro44 said:

Depressing.

I actually notice a bit of music in the restaurant recently.  You really needed a quiet room to notice and even then it wasn’t intrusive.  I truly can’t tell you if it’s there every night though, I think it is. 

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

Here is a video from my first cruise on the Azamara. Which I loved. Live music on a day at sea on the pooldeck onboard the Azamara Journey in the Mediterranean Sea last August 👍 Great atmosphere 👏

 

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Norwegian Cruiser 73

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, Norwegian Cruiser 73 said:

Here is a video from my first cruise on the Azamara. Which I loved. Live music on a day at sea on the pooldeck onboard the Azamara Journey in the Mediterranean Sea last August 👍 Great atmosphere 👏

 

 

 

Yuck.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, marinaro44 said:

Yuck.

Agreed.  Clearly the wrong music for that crowd.  [Or for me.]