Alternatives to Azamara?

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, nordski said:

 

 

Now wait just a gosh darn minute here. Several years ago I had to enter the trenches on this forum to defend the honour of Canadian back (peameal) bacon. And as a long ago hog farmer I am certainly willing to vigorously defend the quality of the source of that bacon.

 

Being of a peaceable nature I am going to assume that maybe there is a confusion in terminology between Canadian bacon and what the English seem to call “streaky” and what we would call American bacon.

 

But be warned that I will not stand for any slander of our fine Canadian bacon (either back or peameal)

Your fine Canadian bacon makes a great Eggs Benedict.  But to go with scrambled eggs [fresh eggs scrambled, not some orange liquid out of a container!] you need American, streaky, smoked, crispy [not but burned] bacon.  Horses for courses.  😀

[Grandma Cruising]

12 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Your fine Canadian bacon makes a great Eggs Benedict.  But to go with scrambled eggs [fresh eggs scrambled, not some orange liquid out of a container!] you need American, streaky, smoked, crispy [not but burned] bacon.  Horses for courses.  😀

Nooooooooooo!

[travelberlin]

I do not see an alternative to Azamara for me. The closest would be Oceania in that Premium Category. 
 

Having said that, this that not means that I am not cruising. I am booked on cruises with the New Crystal and with Explora. Different markt segment than Azamara though. New Crystal and Explora are claiming a place in the luxury segment not in the premium one like Azamara. We will see how they actually perform.

 

I also like cruises with Windstar and Mein Schiff. We have several options for cruising although the experiences would be different that those in Azamara. But maybe it is good so…

 

Ivi

[susiesan]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:44 PM, donaldsc said:

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

If you are not a smoker you will not enjoy Star Clipper cruises. They cater to mostly European passengers and allow smoking everywhere on the outside decks. You can't get away from it. I've cruised with them once and will not again due to their smoking policy.

[Mrs Miggins]

I loved Star Clippers.  I am a non smoker and never experienced any issues.

[blag]

3 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

American, streaky, smoked, crispy [not but burned] bacon.  Horses for courses.  😀

Expand  

Nooooooooooo!

Could not agree more.

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

If you are not a smoker you will not enjoy Star Clipper cruises. They cater to mostly European passengers and allow smoking everywhere on the outside decks. You can't get away from it. I've cruised with them once and will not again due to their smoking policy.

As a non smoker, I have not had a problem on the Royal Clipper. I have loved the experience.

Ivi

[1985rz1]

4 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Nooooooooooo!

Yesssssss! 

Sorta sound like a James Bond recipe for bacon:  crisp, not burned. 😁

Edited August 29, 2023 by 1985rz1

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, susiesan said:

If you are not a smoker you will not enjoy Star Clipper cruises. They cater to mostly European passengers and allow smoking everywhere on the outside decks. You can't get away from it. I've cruised with them once and will not again due to their smoking policy.

 I also did not have a problem w smokers on my recent Star Clipper cruise.

 

DON

[debcip]

On 8/13/2023 at 3:05 PM, Marylebone37 said:

“ until the current senior management team is gone and my online account is accurate (on its own, without any more hours of follow up from me).”

LOL, agree!  I have spent so many hours on this, to no avail!  I’ve got all my info printed ou (from Celebrity) and am just hoping it can be straightened out on board in March!

[debcip]

On 8/13/2023 at 3:42 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I've been on the one Viking itinerary that appeals to me.  The cruise was great, but I don't cruise for the ship.  [And I don't expect them to change, since they seem to be doing fine with their over-and-over itineraries.  Just not for me.]  We are going to try Windstar in the Caribbean – they have interesting itineraries and their small ships can go anywhere.

Thanks, Jazzbeau, for an interesting perspective. I think I should adopt this as a philosophy— don’t worry about the ship and just go for the itinerary.  I had become a bit of an Azamara loyalist but maybe I shouldn’t be so rigid, esp while they are ironing out the kinks. 

[Nippy Sweetie]

Having been on Azamara last year then Viking early this year (5 months between cruises), it's Viking only for us now. It's more than the ship it's the wrap around customer care that we liked. I could give numerous examples starting from the basics - Viking answers the phone! I've spent hours trying to get through to Azamara. 

The food was much better on Viking (Venus) too. 

Sorry. I know there are keen Azamara fans but it's just not for us 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Nippy Sweetie

[uktog]

23 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Having been on Azamara last year then Viking early this year (5 months between cruises), it's Viking only for us now. It's more than the ship it's the wrap around customer care that we liked. I could give numerous examples starting from the basics - Viking answers the phone! I've spent hours trying to get through to Azamara. 

The food was much better on Viking (Venus) too. 

Sorry. I know there are keen Azamara fans but it's just not for us 

We were very happy with our recent Viking cruise and agree certainly on our cruise and for our tastes the food was light years ahead of our last Azamara experience. But one swan doesn’t make a summer and one bad apple doesn’t ruin the crop. So our position now is a mix between Azamara and Viking and others in 2024 and review after that. 

[Wacktle]

On 8/29/2023 at 9:48 PM, Mrs Miggins said:

I loved Star Clippers.  I am a non smoker and never experienced any issues.

We've never had an issue on Royal Clipper with ciggie smoke either. We're both non-smokers.

 

[Ithikan]

We recently gave Seabourn a try, on a 10-night RT from Vancouver BC through Alaska's glorious Inside Passage. 

Staff and crew members were universally exceptional.  They gave every impression of  being delighted that we'd joined them on this voyage.

Ship and food, not so much.  Odyssey's carpets were afflicted with mold and mildew in our stateroom and elsewhere; blown seals on the large, observation windows made viewing problematic; the bland and repetitive food led me to a 3# weight loss on this cruise.  (Immediately replaced, no worries 😉)

We're back to Azamara in January and although Seabourn offers a tempting Iceland-UK itinerary next fall, we can't bring ourselves to commit to 21 days with probable mildew and unappealing food.  So it's Onward in October for us, and I'm hoping for cruises that match our prior Azamara experiences. 

[takemewithyou]

47 minutes ago, Ithikan said:

We recently gave Seabourn a try, on a 10-night RT from Vancouver BC through Alaska's glorious Inside Passage. 

Staff and crew members were universally exceptional.  They gave every impression of  being delighted that we'd joined them on this voyage.

Ship and food, not so much.  Odyssey's carpets were afflicted with mold and mildew in our stateroom and elsewhere; blown seals on the large, observation windows made viewing problematic; the bland and repetitive food led me to a 3# weight loss on this cruise.  (Immediately replaced, no worries 😉)

We're back to Azamara in January and although Seabourn offers a tempting Iceland-UK itinerary next fall, we can't bring ourselves to commit to 21 days with probable mildew and unappealing food.  So it's Onward in October for us, and I'm hoping for cruises that match our prior Azamara experiences. 

That’s very helpful to know because some of us have been considering giving Seabourn a try.  How old is the Odyssey and what was the size of the ship?

[Ithikan]

Odyssey felt enormous, takemewithyou.

Our deck 8 cabin was comfortably large with so many drawers and shelves throughout that I continually forgot where I'd tucked stuff.  (Where are the warm scarves?  And what day is it, anyway??)  Bathroom plenty large, no comparison here, the nod goes to Seabourn.

The layout with one large atrium staircase piercing the center of the ship made traversing from one end to the other feel like a bit of a hike.  To avoid the spiraling stairs we used an enclosed, dark passageway on deck 5, quickly dubbed The Tunnel of Love.

Reservations in the specialty restaurant, TK The Grill, were easy.  We ate there twice, both times revelling in the tableside Caesar Salad.  The mains were okay; I left my significantly over-salted gnocchi on the plate.  (Remember, 3 pounds lost on this voyage.)

Afternoon tea in the Observation Lounge was worth the price of admission.  Lots of clever savory and sweet treats on a tower and a large menu of teas.  However, finding a seat for this event was challenging - the Odyssey sails with 450 pax and during this cruise it felt like nearly everyone wanted tea.

Just The Facts, Ma'am:  Odyssey, 650 feet long, 450 pax.  Azamara, 594 feet long, @680 pax.

 

[takemewithyou]

3 hours ago, Ithikan said:

Odyssey felt enormous, takemewithyou.

Our deck 8 cabin was comfortably large with so many drawers and shelves throughout that I continually forgot where I'd tucked stuff.  (Where are the warm scarves?  And what day is it, anyway??)  Bathroom plenty large, no comparison here, the nod goes to Seabourn.

The layout with one large atrium staircase piercing the center of the ship made traversing from one end to the other feel like a bit of a hike.  To avoid the spiraling stairs we used an enclosed, dark passageway on deck 5, quickly dubbed The Tunnel of Love.

Reservations in the specialty restaurant, TK The Grill, were easy.  We ate there twice, both times revelling in the tableside Caesar Salad.  The mains were okay; I left my significantly over-salted gnocchi on the plate.  (Remember, 3 pounds lost on this voyage.)

Afternoon tea in the Observation Lounge was worth the price of admission.  Lots of clever savory and sweet treats on a tower and a large menu of teas.  However, finding a seat for this event was challenging - the Odyssey sails with 450 pax and during this cruise it felt like nearly everyone wanted tea.

Just The Facts, Ma'am:  Odyssey, 650 feet long, 450 pax.  Azamara, 594 feet long, @680 pax.

 

Sounds like tea was the main event !  Maybe everyone was filling up on food there because the restaurants at dinner were not so great?!