Alternatives to Azamara?

[wewonwon]

I cruise with many cruise lines, so I am no super expert in Seabourn. And due to years of Covid interruption, my information on Seabourn might likely be outdated. But I'll tell you as much as I remember.

 

I think Seabourn has very good service in general. Some staff members are fun and quirky and some are more formal - which is somewhat different from SeaDream, and Azamara. Of course, it depends on how the client interacts with the staff, too. 

 

In the Caribbean, they do Caviar in the Surf, which is fun, at least for the first 10 minutes. You can eat as much Caviar and drink as much Champagne as you can on the beach. It happens usually around lunchtime. If you have an excursion that ends late, they may or may not wait for you. But they will serve you caviar when you ask anyway - one portion has say 200 eggs, two people's has 300, if you're in a group of 4... then 400 eggs - you get what I mean... unless they really really do like you. They never liked me enough.

 

They have water toys, which they bring out in certain areas with calm seas. The Caribbean is a prime spot. It's certainly fun.

 

I find their food a bit more sophisticated than both Oceania and Azamara. Whether one likes it, it's personal. Like Oceania's bread, I very much like Seabourn's bread sticks (they're addictive) and fries/onion rings. If they put their breadsticks next to caviar, certain people, like me, would go straight to the breadsticks. They really really like me when I ask for breadsticks.

 

If you fancy something off the menu. Give them enough time, usually a day in advance, and they will make it for you. If it is very simple, half a day. Cunard loves to advertise that Queens Grill (and Princess Grill to a certain extent) cooks anything their guests request. Pretty much every cruise line in that market segment does that, as long as the request is reasonable. I find Seabourn's menu very good to excellent - always can find something I like. They do cook well. 

 

The same goes for wine. If you don't like what they are serving one night, just let them know, and they will find something that you would like, or at least like better. 

 

Their itineraries used to be quite repetitive. But I find these days, they are better. As we are less and less interested in port-intensive itineraries, it really does not matter to us. 

 

Ship-sponsored excursions are usually good... as far as bus tours go. Prices are about the same as other luxury lines. But for a while already, Silversea and Regent have included excursions (I personally do not like it that much, even though I do have a Regent cruise booked; I prefer Seabourn's non-inclusion), so it is getting harder to compare in this regard. 

 

Even the cheapest cabin is of a good size and nice. Very comfortable. Minibar included. Delicious toiletries (Molton Brown if I remember correctly... I remember that the shampoo and bath gel sound more like dessert, with ginger, mandarin oranges, honey, ginseng, etc, than soap). 

 

I bet many Seabourn cruisers are still reminiscing about the old Trio - Pride, Legend, and Spirit. I do to a certain extent too. I have found some new loves throughout the years... but I still would sail with Seabourn, Silversea, x, y, z,... and Azamara - they are all good in their own way.

 

Nothing is perfect. My motto is to try different things that come my way, experience the freedom of choice, and love every little good thing each trip gives me. 

 

Safe travels everybody! 

[DS]

       So, for the past 7 or 8 years, we have sailed on Azamara almost all the time.  A year or so ago friends showed us an interesting itinerary on Seabourn that they were going on:   Dover UK, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, down St Lawrence to Montreal (an itinerary that was not available on Azamara at the time—I think they are doing it in 2025…).   So… new itinerary, new line, old friends…Sure!

              We booked an oceanview cabin—nice size—but still cost more than 150% of what we paid per day for Club Continent suite on Azamara, and were prepared to be WOWed!  We were not…

              The itinerary was great; the cabin was nice; the friends were fun.  The food the first week was wonderful… then it was less so and more repetitive—never bad.

       But the onboard service was totally unimpressive.  Dinners often took 90 minutes to serve entre after ordering; something was always missing:   salad, or coffee, or wine, or butter, or wrong entre, or…  By always, I mean EVERY SINGLE MEAL—something different each time, but no one got 100%, ever.   I think they are still suffering from Long Covid, as the staffing is clearly not up to snuff:  when it takes 26 minutes to get a drink at a bar after ordering, there clearly are not enough bartenders/waiters; when it takes 90 minutes to get food, there aren’t enough waiters or cooks or something.

       Did we enjoy the trip?   Yes!  Did we think it was better than Azamara?   No--- certainly not for the money. 

       I am keenly aware of the on-shore difficulties that AZ has been having, but we have been on more than 10 AZ cruises since the post Covid restart—and NEVER had a bad onboard experience.  We are next on AZ in November, and look forward to being taken care of by our friendly staff and crew again!

[QueenP]

Chucktown Steve I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but I have a similar question. I want to do a Canada New England cruise, but frustratingly Az just won't do this itinerary. Have any Az regulars done this on another line, and if so how did you find it? Any recommendations?

Edited August 22, 2023 by QueenP

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, QueenP said:

Chucktown Steve I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but I have a similar question. I want to do a Canada New England cruise, but frustratingly Az just won't do this itinerary. Have any Az regulars done this on another line, and if so how did you find it? Any recommendations?

Windstar.  Closest line to Azamara that we've found in terms of crew and ambiance.  Some misses:  no real evening entertainment; no dinner buffet; main dining room starts dinner at 7.

 

Good Canada/New England itineraries including Iceland and Greenland.

Edited August 22, 2023 by marinaro44

[ChucktownSteve]

2 hours ago, QueenP said:

Chucktown Steve I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but I have a similar question. I want to do a Canada New England cruise, but frustratingly Az just won't do this itinerary. Have any Az regulars done this on another line, and if so how did you find it? Any recommendations?

 

Not at all.  In May 2022 we did a 15 night Regent cruise from Miami to Montreal. It skipped New England but did an overnight in Charleston and three days in Bermuda. Really enjoyed the itinerary and food quality.

 

Celebrity used to do good 14 day cruises of NE and Canada out of Cape Liberty. Now it's only 11 day out of Boston.  However it was so long ago and Celebrity has changed quite a bit since 2015 even before Covid...and not for the best IMO.

 

You might take a look at Oceania. They do several from NY to Montreal.They also have four of the R class ships that Azamara has.

Edited August 22, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[terry&mike]

3 hours ago, QueenP said:

Chucktown Steve I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but I have a similar question. I want to do a Canada New England cruise, but frustratingly Az just won't do this itinerary. Have any Az regulars done this on another line, and if so how did you find it? Any recommendations?

Cunard has some good itineraries to Canada and New England every year. For example, the Queen Mary 2 has a sailing departing from NYC on September 29, 2023 - you can do a 7 night and sail NYC to Quebec, or you can do a 14 night and sail roundtrip from NYC to Quebec and back. 

[royallondon]

3 hours ago, QueenP said:

Chucktown Steve I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but I have a similar question. I want to do a Canada New England cruise, but frustratingly Az just won't do this itinerary. Have any Az regulars done this on another line, and if so how did you find it? Any recommendations?

We did the same itinerary as ChucktownSteve in May this year with Regent.  The itinerary was excellent (though not really New England) but we were disappointed with service, the quality of included excursions and the ship itself (Navigator).  There was no doubting the quality of food, comprehensive drinks offering and suite facilities (daily free laundry) but, it comes at a price.

 

In 2018 we sailed “New England in the Fall” with Oceania (R ship same as Azamara’s).  This was excellent, very port intensive, great food (lobster every day if that’s your bag) and fabulous on board experience.  Indeed, we find Oceania to be a very close comparison to Azamara in their overall offering.

 

Regards
 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

2 hours ago, royallondon said:

We did the same itinerary as ChucktownSteve in May this year with Regent.  The itinerary was excellent (though not really New England) but we were disappointed with service, the quality of included excursions and the ship itself (Navigator).  There was no doubting the quality of food, comprehensive drinks offering and suite facilities (daily free laundry) but, it comes at a price.

 

In 2018 we sailed “New England in the Fall” with Oceania (R ship same as Azamara’s).  This was excellent, very port intensive, great food (lobster every day if that’s your bag) and fabulous on board experience.  Indeed, we find Oceania to be a very close comparison to Azamara in their overall offering.

 

Regards
 

 

I agree with your comments about the Navigator. It was my first but least favorite of the three ships we sailed.  However I found a lot of die hard Navigator fans.   had already decided I'll not sail that one again.

 

I chalked up the less than stellar Navigator service to untrained new hires which hadn't been acclimated to the Regent quality. But I also found that on Azamara and Celebrity at that same period. I'm sorry to hear it didn't improve in the year. Not good.  The other two ships, Mariner and Splendor were much better.

 

Food is subjective but I devoured a lot of seafood which I enjoy. Plus I was fortunate to book the Regent sailings when the pp/pn price was less than Celebrity's suite prices with less inclusions.

 

I would like to do the Oceania NE/Canada  cruise but I'd prefer it to be on an O class ship.

Edited August 22, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[donaldsc]

For a unique cruising experience try Star Clippers - https://www.starclippers.com/us-dom/.  They are true sailboats not like Windstar which are nowhere close to being a true sailboat.  A Star Clipper cruise is a unique great experience.

 

DON

[QueenP]

We leally want to do Montreal to New York. I looked at recent Oceania reviews and there's a lot of really negative ones! I thought they would be most similar and I love the R ships, but....sheesh! That's why I thought I'd ask Az veterans, because I trust their judgement, Az being the perfect fit for me. Anyone done a Viking cruise in the region?

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, QueenP said:

We leally want to do Montreal to New York. I looked at recent Oceania reviews and there's a lot of really negative ones! I thought they would be most similar and I love the R ships, but....sheesh! That's why I thought I'd ask Az veterans, because I trust their judgement, Az being the perfect fit for me. Anyone done a Viking cruise in the region?

I am originally from New England (Maine] .  Have done cruises there, too.

Do you have an itinerary you are looking at?

Does Viking even stop in Maine?  Usual stops are Portland and Bar Harbor.

In my opinion, you miss a lot if you don’t have at least Bar Harbor or Portland Maine on your itinerary.

Edited August 23, 2023 by takemewithyou

[Utopia1]

1 hour ago, QueenP said:

We leally want to do Montreal to New York. I looked at recent Oceania reviews and there's a lot of really negative ones! I thought they would be most similar and I love the R ships, but....sheesh! That's why I thought I'd ask Az veterans, because I trust their judgement, Az being the perfect fit for me. Anyone done a Viking cruise in the region?

I'm a fan of Azamara--- it is amazing the number of passengers that I have met on Azamara who also sail on my favorite line-- Seabourn.  Both lines have pros and cons-- but I have found that Seabourn has more pros for me--although I wouldn't hesitate to sail on Azamara again.

The ship Seabourn sails on their New York- Canada cruises has a capacity of 450 passengers.

[takemewithyou]

7 minutes ago, Utopia1 said:

I'm a fan of Azamara--- it is amazing the number of passengers that I have met on Azamara who also sail on my favorite line-- Seabourn.  Both lines have pros and cons-- but I have found that Seabourn has more pros for me--although I wouldn't hesitate to sail on Azamara again.

The ship Seabourn sails on their New York- Canada cruises has a capacity of 450 passengers.

I was looking at their itineraries recently…..at least a few of their itineraries stop in Bar Harbor.

 

 

Azamara is really losing out by not doing Canada / New England cruises!…..I know they added a Greenland to Canada cruise…..that itinerary doesn’t do it for me!  Been to some of those places before and once was enough.

There are quite a few of us who have been requesting these for quite a few years! 
One of the most beautiful areas for cruising on this side of the pond.

Edited August 23, 2023 by takemewithyou

[QueenP]

I totally agree, every time Azamara ask where we'd like their itineraries to go, we say Canada New England, but I can't understand why they won't go there. I'll be going with my niece, she really wants to see Boston and New York, we'd both love to see PEI, and I'd love anywhere in New England! Plus Quebec of course.

 

Viking don't go to PEI or Maine, but most of their destinations are what we are looking for.

 

I'm worried that Seabourn is too formal? Although I've had them on my radar for a while too, and they do go to PEI.

 

I haven't actually seen Oceania itineraries, I'll have to check them out too.  We are looking at Sept/Oct 2025, as my niece has to save up 😄

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have done Quebec to New York on Princess [it was the cruise that made us realize we had outgrown Princess].  

 

I would like to do this itinerary again – on Azamara – because I hope that Azamara would do their 'destination immersion' approach, meaning the cruise would be longer and would stop at more of the out of the way places (including L'Anse aux Meadows) and stay longer in port.

[takemewithyou]

10 hours ago, QueenP said:

I totally agree, every time Azamara ask where we'd like their itineraries to go, we say Canada New England, but I can't understand why they won't go there. I'll be going with my niece, she really wants to see Boston and New York, we'd both love to see PEI, and I'd love anywhere in New England! Plus Quebec of course.

 

Viking don't go to PEI or Maine, but most of their destinations are what we are looking for.

 

I'm worried that Seabourn is too formal? Although I've had them on my radar for a while too, and they do go to PEI.

 

I haven't actually seen Oceania itineraries, I'll have to check them out too.  We are looking at Sept/Oct 2025, as my niece has to save up 😄

We have done those itineraries on Celebrity and Holland America and they were great cruises.
I think Oceania has some nice itineraries with both Maine and PEI, but pricey.

Azamara is the one I wanted to return on to this area.

Boston is a great city.  Great history.

New York?  Well, I could care less to go there. Sorry Host Jazzbeau. 😀

[mtnesterz]

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I have done Quebec to New York on Princess [it was the cruise that made us realize we had outgrown Princess].  

Thank you for posting that. We just got back from a Princess cruise and after an increasing feeling of outgrowing them, we've decided to move on. Yes, that cruise that made the news three times in one sailing. Thanks also to @ChucktownSteve for starting this thread. This is just what we needed to read.

AZ seems like a good fit for us and Seabourn is not in our budget.  Some have expressed problems with AZ booking and IT issues. I need to learn more.

[ChucktownSteve]

4 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

 Thanks also to @ChucktownSteve for starting this thread. This is just what we needed to read.

AZ seems like a good fit for us and Seabourn is not in our budget.  Some have expressed problems with AZ booking and IT issues. I need to learn more.

 

You're welcome. 

 

I don't know that at this stage in my life  I am interested in going on a cruise which requires I schlep along one of my Tuxedos, a couple of fancy shirts only worn with the tux, cummerbunds and shinny shoes. Been there, done that, don't want to do it anymore!  That's why I like Azamara and Regent.

 

If you find a good TA who gives you a great cash rebate after the cruise, you don't have to deal with the IT issues...they do.

[aliaschief]

We have cruised from Montreal/Quebec City to Port Everglades on repositioning cruises 5 times. Has always been a favorite. We are doing it again this October on the Seabourn Quest from Montreal to Miami. Fourteen days with overnight in NYC and a late night departure after a stop in Charleston along with regular stops along St. Lawrence and Bar Harbor. Only smaller cruise ships can sail from Montreal as larger ships cannot pass under the Jacques Cartier bridge. Larger ships depart from Quebec City.

The Seabourn cruise is probably going to be past peak foliage and on previous cruises we have experienced great weather, snow and some affected from hurricanes. We enjoy the feasting on seafood and ports of call. We have done most of the highlighted excursions so this cruise it’s the ship and walks in ports. We also have done a May repo cruise from Florida to Montreal.

Our TA told us about this October cruise and it was a great deal so we jumped on it. Our experience is repositioning cruises do have some attractive prices.

Will be our first time on Seabourn and last cruise of the year before our Azamara Onward World Voyage.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by aliaschief

[1985rz1]

19 hours ago, QueenP said:

I totally agree, every time Azamara ask where we'd like their itineraries to go, we say Canada New England, but I can't understand why they won't go there. I'll be going with my niece, she really wants to see Boston and New York, we'd both love to see PEI, and I'd love anywhere in New England! Plus Quebec of course.

 

Viking don't go to PEI or Maine, but most of their destinations are what we are looking for.

 

I'm worried that Seabourn is too formal? Although I've had them on my radar for a while too, and they do go to PEI.

 

I haven't actually seen Oceania itineraries, I'll have to check them out too.  We are looking at Sept/Oct 2025, as my niece has to save up 😄

Viking Expedition ships sail from Toronto to New York and from Toronto to Ft Lauderdale (or reverse), and some sailings stop at Charlottetown, PEI, and Quebec.  They are expensive.  We did the Toronto to NYC and loved it.

Edited August 23, 2023 by 1985rz1

[takemewithyou]

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

We have cruised from Montreal/Quebec City to Port Everglades on repositioning cruises 5 times. Has always been a favorite. We are doing it again this October on the Seabourn Quest from Montreal to Miami. Fourteen days with overnight in NYC and a late night departure after a stop in Charleston along with regular stops along St. Lawrence and Bar Harbor. Only smaller cruise ships can sail from Montreal as larger ships cannot pass under the Jacques Cartier bridge. Larger ships depart from Quebec City.

The Seabourn cruise is probably going to be past peak foliage and on previous cruises we have experienced great weather, snow and some affected from hurricanes. We enjoy the feasting on seafood and ports of call. We have done most of the highlighted excursions so this cruise it’s the ship and walks in ports. We also have done a May repo cruise from Florida to Montreal.

Our TA told us about this October cruise and it was a great deal so we jumped on it. Our experience is repositioning cruises do have some attractive prices.

Will be our first time on Seabourn and last cruise of the year before our Azamara Onward World Voyage.

 

 

Let us know how it goes…..do you have dress in formal attire for Seabourn?

[Utopia1]

Formal dress is not required or widely worn on Seabourn. Men can dine in all the restaurants without jackets-- collared shirts are expected in the main dining room (called the Restaurant). Jeans (not torn) are also permitted.

Formal nights most men wear a jacket in the Restaurant -- Ladies are fine with a pair of slacks and a nice top. 

 

In general dress is smart casual (whatever that means) in the evening  . 

I hope I answered your question 😀

[marinaro44]

Makes no sense to me that dress should change from night to night in a restaurant.  A restaurant is either "formal," or it isn't.  Otherwise, it's a costume party.

[Utopia1]

IMO bathing suits and shorts are not appropriate in some restaurants in the evening -- especially when diners are given the choice  of eating elsewhere in that attire.  

[aliaschief]

12 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Let us know how it goes…..do you have dress in formal attire for Seabourn?

Plan on bringing blazer and open collar dress shirt for what they call their formal night. So our plans are basically dress as we would on Azamara. I’m done with tuxedos.

Edited August 24, 2023 by aliaschief