first time azamara cruise, thoughts

[Edinburghgirl1]

7 hours 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 👏

 

 

 

Lucky you. A bit of music creating  a fun holiday vibe. The only sound we heard on our pool deck was hacking coughs. Even We did have the worst cruise director I’ve ever encountered on any ship however. He was completely devoid of any personality and  never engaged with passengers. In fact we saw him taking steps to avoid passengers. 

[norn iron]

2 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

Lucky you. A bit of music creating  a fun holiday vibe. The only sound we heard on our pool deck was hacking coughs. Even We did have the worst cruise director I’ve ever encountered on any ship however. He was completely devoid of any personality and  never engaged with passengers. In fact we saw him taking steps to avoid passengers. 

I’d agree with you regarding the cruise director. He wasn’t in the mould of AZ CD’S.

It was his first cruise with AZ, and his background was with Cunard and Crystal, so that possibly explains the lack of passenger engagement and the stuffiness.

To survive with AZ he will need to change his ways, engage more and become more approachable. 

His lack of communication on white night was shocking, I don’t think anyone knew what was happening until it was over. 

[KY Deb]

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

[wjfan417]

18 minutes ago, KY Deb said:

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

This CD appears to be the exception to Azamara’s officers. The crew and officers on Azamara are normally the best we’ve ever encountered, and one of the reasons we keep going back to Azamara.  We’ve found the music in the den and Living Room fine.

[federalexpress]

40 minutes ago, KY Deb said:

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

 

I can't really answer you because my first cruise with them is only next month, but I can say I am not hugely put off. It's the nature of forums to be critical and you see the same on other cruise line threads. There are also plenty of people saying positive things on here too, especially about the crew and ambiance. The reviews are also generally positive on Cruise Critic, except maybe some early ones for the new ship which seemed to be having teething troubles. I am one of the people who has criticised the wine and especially what they offer in the higher grade packages, but it won't spoil my cruise, there is drinkable stuff, just not as good as it should be or could be.

 

Maybe your only concern would be how it might compare to other cruise lines you have been on. If you are coming down from a Silversea, Regent or Seabourn and are expecting more of the same, you may be disappointed (and certainly so if you expect formal dressing). Or if you are coming from the bigger resort ships, it is going to be quieter, even 'boring' in comparison and of course as you say, the ships are old (although seemingly well maintained) so maybe you don't get the wow factor of some of the brand new ships like the new Oceania ones or Viking.

 

I think it depends on where 'elsewhere' is for you and why...

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

14 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Yuck.

I’m with you.

[DenGNNJ]

2 hours ago, KY Deb said:

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

Stick with the professional reviews found on CC, outside the discussion forum and elsewhere if you want unbiased opinions.  Don’t get me wrong… these boards are great for finding out more current info, but only a handful of board posts are really useful.  Most are just chit chat from ultimate “fan boys” or chronic complainers with too much time and too little to do.  Notable exceptions to that would be Uktog, Grandma Cruising, and TGG… all of whom (among a few others), are informative, lovely to speak with and reasonable.

Edited December 19, 2022 by DenGNNJ

[KY Deb]

I usually do take some posts with a grain of salt, it was just some of the recent ones have been so  unflattering.   I guess I should consider that most people that sail aren’t on CC, so we never hear from them.   Yes, I did just get off the Beyond.   It was “beyond” enjoyable.  We’ve also done 2 river cruises, which were also great, so I can enjoy either end of the spectrum.  Thank you for your responses. I’ll look forward to our cruise and take the positive posts here as the experience on AZ to expect. 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

On 12/13/2022 at 6:24 AM, 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.

 

We went to lunch when the band started at the pool.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

In general many people never say a word about positive experiences ... the norm are the complainers. Go look up the complainers last 20 post from their profile  ... many times you will notice that the majority of their comments are negative. 

 

In all fairness it often depends on how you look at things ... do you look at the glass as being half empty or half full 😉

[federalexpress]

12 minutes ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

In general many people never say a word about positive experiences ... the norm are the complainers. Go look up the complainers last 20 post from their profile  ... many times you will notice that the majority of their comments are negative. 

 

In all fairness it often depends on how you look at things ... do you look at the glass as being half empty or half full 😉

 

Not sure about that. I think it depends on the site. For example, I find Tripadvisor generally has mostly positive posts (assuming the place in question is any good). Some other sites, like Trustpilot, tend towards the negative. But that site is often about humdrum products and services, whereas holidays, days out etc are nice things that people are more inclined to be positive about. And even the negative reviews can be positive for me. Sometimes it's from people who have clearly made the wrong choice and that can positively affirm it is a good choice for me.

 

I think this forum is fairly balanced overall.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

9 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

 

Not sure about that. I think it depends on the site. For example, I find Tripadvisor generally has mostly positive posts (assuming the place in question is any good). Some other sites, like Trustpilot, tend towards the negative. But that site is often about humdrum products and services, whereas holidays, days out etc are nice things that people are more inclined to be positive about. And even the negative reviews can be positive for me. Sometimes it's from people who have clearly made the wrong choice and that can positively affirm it is a good choice for me.

 

I think this forum is fairly balanced overall.

 

I was referring to CC ...

 

For years I was the destination expert for French Polynesia on TripAdvisor. I would say the post were generally more positive.

[Ayden]

6 hours ago, KY Deb said:

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

My thought would be to measure the words in each review carefully in terms of what is important to you and if the negative remarks are unusual.

There are numerous posters on here who have travelled with Azamara many times over the years and keep coming back.  There is a reason for that.  

There are also posts of those who try it once and find out Azamara doesn't suit them at all.  That is to be expected as well.  To each their own.  An older ship doesn't bother us in exchange for the warm welcoming service, excellent dining , fabulous itineraries and a more boutique cruise experience offered by Azamara over the years.

Hopefully you find the cruise experience that is important to you.

 

 

[Wander58]

6 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

In general many people never say a word about positive experiences ... the norm are the complainers. Go look up the complainers last 20 post from their profile  ... many times you will notice that the majority of their comments are negative. 

 

In all fairness it often depends on how you look at things ... do you look at the glass as being half empty or half full 😉

I could not agree more!  We are onboard in 3 days for the Onward Holiday Cruise.  It's been a while since we've been on Azamara - really looking forward to being onboard.

[Host Jazzbeau]

There's a lovely term in the antiques trade:  patina.  That's what my 75-year-old house has, since it has been maintained at a high level all those years – and it's what Azamara's 'older' ships have.  I wouldn't trade my house for a new build, and I don't find the vaunted bells and whistles [notice how those things all make noise?] on most new ships appealing.

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

4 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

There's a lovely term in the antiques trade:  patina.  That's what my 75-year-old house has, since it has been maintained at a high level all those years – and it's what Azamara's 'older' ships have.  I wouldn't trade my house for a new build, and I don't find the vaunted bells and whistles [notice how those things all make noise?] on most new ships appealing.

 

Now your sounding the same way I fell about the PG 😉

 

It's all about the fine service, good food and of course the destination 

[Edinburghgirl1]

16 hours ago, KY Deb said:

I have to say, we have our first AZ cruise booked for October and I’m not getting the warm fuzzies reading this forum.   Old ships, CD unapproachable, poor wine, cold food, no music.   I’m being to wonder if we made a mistake by deciding to try AZ.   So far the only positive I’m reading is the port intensive itinerary with the small ship.   It’s not too late to cancel and book elsewhere.  Please tell me why I shouldn’t.   

My opinion was given as a first time Azamara cruiser who up till now mainly cruised Celebrity. This was our 5th cruise this year having had two on the Constellation in April  and two on the Beyond in June. The Azamara cruise was booked in 2019 and we were meant to sail 2020 but Covid changed that plan. 
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip of cruise a week in Dubai pre cruise and 3 night in Singapore post cruise and I was merely giving my opinion as a first time Azamara cruiser not complaining. The ships are very old and from our observation  routine maintenance is lacking. We never encountered cold food and the food and service was very good.  We don’t drink wine so can’t comment on that. The biggest difference we noticed was the pool deck is tiny with everyone crammed in. You could barely move and as the sun beds weren’t stacked at night I felt this area was unable to be cleaned properly. As I mentioned previously there is no  music of any kind at the pool and in most bars  which in my opinion created a library type of atmosphere not a fun one. It may differ from ship to ship as someone posted a video of live music at the pool. This was my experience however. . There were things I liked about Azamara but I would only book another if it was a great price on a Club Continental  suite as the standard cabins looked tiny, and I heard the bathrooms were ridiculously small,  and a port intensive itinerary which ours wasn’t. 

[peajay]

We recently returned from Pursuit 16 night cruise from Lisbon to Rio, this was our first Azamara cruise. We have done about 20 cruises over over thirty years on seven other companies, so we have a fairly broad experience. I think the extra cost on Azamara is largely for what you do not get. Loud unnecessary music is not played every where, it is easy to find quiet areas.   No crowded bars with often loud groups and pretty heavy alcohol consumption,  despite complimentary alcohol the atmosphere was very pleasant with people chatting and having a good time without having to shout. I did not see annoying wasted piled up plates of food in the buffet, particularly bad on RCCL ships in our experience. You will not be expected to dress up in pompous posh clothes twice a week and be made to feel like an outcast if you don't want to participate in this ridiculous outdated nonsense. There is no pressure to upsell other products once on the ship.

So our cruise was very enjoyable and a welcome change from " main line" cruise companies. We enjoyed most of the culture and seemed to be with like-minded people of a very good mix of nationalities. They are quite expensive but we had a good deal on our repositioning cruise and will definitely be looking to cruise with Azamara again 

[uktog]

47 minutes ago, peajay said:

We recently returned from Pursuit 16 night cruise from Lisbon to Rio, this was our first Azamara cruise. We have done about 20 cruises over over thirty years on seven other companies, so we have a fairly broad experience. I think the extra cost on Azamara is largely for what you do not get. Loud unnecessary music is not played every where, it is easy to find quiet areas.   No crowded bars with often loud groups and pretty heavy alcohol consumption,  despite complimentary alcohol the atmosphere was very pleasant with people chatting and having a good time without having to shout. I did not see annoying wasted piled up plates of food in the buffet, particularly bad on RCCL ships in our experience. You will not be expected to dress up in pompous posh clothes twice a week and be made to feel like an outcast if you don't want to participate in this ridiculous outdated nonsense. There is no pressure to upsell other products once on the ship.

So our cruise was very enjoyable and a welcome change from " main line" cruise companies. We enjoyed most of the culture and seemed to be with like-minded people of a very good mix of nationalities. They are quite expensive but we had a good deal on our repositioning cruise and will definitely be looking to cruise with Azamara again 

Nice review and very accurate in my experience thanks 

[cruisemom42]

On 12/9/2022 at 3:58 PM, QueenP said:

Before cruising at all, I researched all the cruise ships in the market and chose Azamara as our best fit. I was proved right, it was the perfect fit for us. I was around 40 then, I'm 50 now. The niche Azamara provides is not an age based niche imho. It is appealing to a certain market, and irrespective of age there are plenty of people who want a quiet ship that goes to great ports, has good food, some excellent guest entertainers and a ship on which you do not have to wait in queues! Add to that a happy staff and warm, inviting ambience and you have our desired product.

 

So far I only have one Azamara cruise for comparison, but would agree that my experience was similar to this. I have been looking for a new "home" since Voyages to Antiquity ceased operations, and Azamara offers a similar product -- strong focus on itinerary, small ships, etc. The one missing piece for me is the excellent lectures aboard that VTA offered. I think it would be a real fit with the Azamara brand (and a differentiator from O) if they would pursue this. I am a solo cruiser in my 50s and like the friendly vibe I experienced on Azamara.

 

COVID intervened after my first Azamara cruise but I will be onboard again in 2023 and looking forward to it. In the meantime I have sailed with several other lines, but so far none are a "perfect" fit.  Celebrity's smaller ships that offer more diverse itineraries aren't bad, but I wish they were even smaller. HAL has good itineraries but has shed most of their smaller ships. I'm trying Oceania for the first time this year as well, just to see. I'm pre-disposed to like it less, but I found an excellent itinerary and will keep an open mind.

 

[nordski]

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

So far I only have one Azamara cruise for comparison, but would agree that my experience was similar to this. I have been looking for a new "home" since Voyages to Antiquity ceased operations, and Azamara offers a similar product -- strong focus on itinerary, small ships, etc. The one missing piece for me is the excellent lectures aboard that VTA offered. I think it would be a real fit with the Azamara brand (and a differentiator from O) if they would pursue this. I am a solo cruiser in my 50s and like the friendly vibe I experienced on Azamara.

 

COVID intervened after my first Azamara cruise but I will be onboard again in 2023 and looking forward to it. In the meantime I have sailed with several other lines, but so far none are a "perfect" fit.  Celebrity's smaller ships that offer more diverse itineraries aren't bad, but I wish they were even smaller. HAL has good itineraries but has shed most of their smaller ships. I'm trying Oceania for the first time this year as well, just to see. I'm pre-disposed to like it less, but I found an excellent itinerary and will keep an open mind.

 

Frankly, given the extensive knowledge that you have shared with others, particularly of Med ports, AZ would be wise to tap into your skills.

Personally, we especially benefitted from your notes on Herculaneum.

 

Hope that AZ proves a good fit for your future cruises. I think you will enjoy some of their more imaginative itineraries. VTA attracted a niche market so there are certainly cruisers looking for a replacement.

[donaldsc]

I have not read all the posts but one of the big advantages of Azamara over the Genormous of the Seas monstrosities is the small size of the ships and the fact that they can get into ports that the large ships can't get into.  Even if the large ships claim that they get into a port often it is in an industrial area far away from the tourist area where you can't even walk off the ship because you might get hit by a big crane.  Often Azamara can dock right in the center of town.  As an example and this was before Venice thankfully closed down to large ships our Azamara ship docked at the San Basilio Cruise Terminal (look it up on Google maps) which meant that we stepped off the ship and we were right in Venice instead of being in a large cruise terminal.  This type of thing happens in many towns.

 

Another thing.  Azamara can get into a lot of places where the large ships are not welcome.  To me the difference is that with Azamara the destination is the point of the cruise.  On the large ships the ship and not the destination is the point of the cruise.

 

Different strokes etc.  To me if my only cruise ship options were on one of the Genormous type ships  I would stop cruising.  My last 2 cruises were an AK cruise on a ship that held 180 passengers and a full rigged barkentine sailboat that had about 120 passengers.

 

DON

[Ayden]

43 minutes ago, nordski said:

Frankly, given the extensive knowledge that you have shared with others, particularly of Med ports, AZ would be wise to tap into your skills.

Personally, we especially benefitted from your notes on Herculaneum.

 

Hope that AZ proves a good fit for your future cruises. I think you will enjoy some of their more imaginative itineraries. VTA attracted a niche market so there are certainly cruisers looking for a replacement.

Agree completely. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

So far I only have one Azamara cruise for comparison, but would agree that my experience was similar to this. I have been looking for a new "home" since Voyages to Antiquity ceased operations, and Azamara offers a similar product -- strong focus on itinerary, small ships, etc. The one missing piece for me is the excellent lectures aboard that VTA offered. I think it would be a real fit with the Azamara brand (and a differentiator from O) if they would pursue this. I am a solo cruiser in my 50s and like the friendly vibe I experienced on Azamara.

 

COVID intervened after my first Azamara cruise but I will be onboard again in 2023 and looking forward to it. In the meantime I have sailed with several other lines, but so far none are a "perfect" fit.  Celebrity's smaller ships that offer more diverse itineraries aren't bad, but I wish they were even smaller. HAL has good itineraries but has shed most of their smaller ships. I'm trying Oceania for the first time this year as well, just to see. I'm pre-disposed to like it less, but I found an excellent itinerary and will keep an open mind.

If you are looking for a similar ambience to Azamara but on a smaller ship with better lecturers (and occasional good single fares), I suggest you look at Noble Caledonia.  Their ships hold ~100 passengers, and so can go places even Azamara can't.  They attract similar passengers to Azamara [except 100% British, except DW and me on each of our 4 NC cruises].  Their lecturers are very interesting [and shown on the website before you book].  And their itineraries are equal to or more interesting than Azamara.  Prices are high, but when they run a sale nearer to the cruise all remaining cabins go at a low price with no single supplement.

https://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk