Journey Review

[californiacruiseluvrs]

Being a veteran of over 45 cruises, a connoisseur of fine food, excellent unobtrusive service, and wonderful accommodations I was excited to learn of Celebrity Cruise Line’s announcement that they would be refitting Pulmantur’s Blue Moon and re-christening her M/V Journey. As one of the original ships of the now defunct Renaissance Cruises this vessel is amongst 8 virtually identical ships built in the late nineties and early new millennium. This 30,000 ton 700 passenger vessel is sure to please with the right management as proven by Oceania Cruises. I was quite excited to see what Celebrity had in store for this vessel following her $17 million 4 week refurbishment in Freeport, Bahamas. Both Oceania and Princess currently each sail 3 of these former Renaissance vessels with the final 2 going to Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity announced that their second Renaissance acquisition will be named Quest and debut this Fall 2007.

Surprise! On May 4, 2007 Royal Caribbean International (RCI) announced that the expected Celebrity Journey would sail as the product of a new line named Azamara Cruises. She would retain the name Journey – The Azamara Journey. This genesis of this product was a very late decision allegedly made by RCI executives in March, 2007. The Azamara product was created to compete with the likes of Oceania Cruises – a line designated as a deluxe product. Contemporary cruise products include the likes of Carnival, NCL, and RCCL. Premium cruise lines include Holland America and Celebrity, while the luxury market is made up by lines like Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, and Seabourn. The Azamara deluxe designation falls between luxury and premium.

Unfortunately, the inaugural sailing on May 5 did not go exactly according to plans as it was delayed and ridden with problems often seen during shake down cruises. Over the last few weeks many of these problems have been remedied and Azamara Cruises has done a terrific job at ensuring that the most valiant efforts are being put forth to erase the bad memories of the past few weeks and provide a truly deluxe experience for guests which directly competes with Oceania.

I was quite excited about my May 26 Bermuda sailing on Journey from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. As a superstitious person I was alarmed when during my flight from Los Angeles to Newark on Friday, May 25 a huge thump was heard followed by screaming from several women including a flight attendant. I quickly jumped from my seat fearing a terrorist attack and was ready to defend my flight. Upon rising and rushing down the aisle I found that the large thump was a gentleman who had collapsed to the ground and needed resuscitation. As an anesthesiologist/critical care physician I felt obliged to assist this passenger and was able to work with the captain to avoid an emergency landing. However, I was concerned that this start to my vacation was a bad omen.

Upon arrival in Newark at 11:30pm my wife and I claimed our baggage and took the complimentary shuttle to the Marriott Newark Airport Hotel which is a wonderful and newly renovated property located right at the airport. The next morning we hailed a cab to Journey for a brief 10 mile, but $50 ride! Our driver became lost due to poor signage at the port.

Cape Liberty is one of the ugliest and depressing ports I have ever embarked from. However, this was quickly overshadowed the moment we pulled up at the ship and were met by a porter who collected our baggage and directed us to the terminal building. Embarkation was easy and quick. Strangly, after obtaining our room keys we were transferred to a bus which took us on a half mile ride to the gangway of Journey. After walking up the stairs to the Journey main lobby we were greeted by smiling crew members who offered us champagne and quickly escorted us to our accommodations – a standard outside balcony stateroom aft on deck 7.

The stateroom was well appointed, but amongst the smallest I have seen. Of particular note, the bathroom was definitely the smallest I have experienced on board a ship. Despite the small size of the accommodations which Azamara could not do much about being that they acquired this vessel the staterooms are all well appointed with down comforters, high thread count sheets, fresh flowers, real teak wood balconies (if balcony accommodations are chosen), binoculars, an umbrella, Elemis toiletries, thick terry cloth robes, thick terry towels, a plasma television, and eventually a refrigerator (once refit is complete). In my stateroom all soft goods were new with furniture, lamps, and the bathroom being original to Renaissance days.

Standard inside, outside, and balcony cabins all received similar refits to that of my cabin. On deck 8 many balcony cabins were removed and replaced with Sky Suites which are completely new and quite nice. The Penthouse and Royal Suites were supposedly completely redone, but I was not impressed as they appeared worn and I would have been extremely dissatisfied if I had splurged on such accommodations on this ship.

The overall condition of the ship is excellent and she is truly beautiful! Most public rooms have been completely refurbished while maintaining the country club, Ritz Carlton type feel originally intended for these ships by Renaissance. Fresh flowers are present everywhere and quite beautiful. There are a number of issues which I imagine are not unusual during an inaugural season including some incomplete work from the 4 week dry dock. I will address this topic more later in the review.

The service on board is perhaps the best I have experienced on any vessel. Much of this can be attributed to the absolutely dedicated and dynamic acting Hotel Manager (Executive Vice-President Fleet Operations) David Kelly and Cruise Director John Howell. These two gentlemen have a tremendous love and passion for what they do and their dedication and excitement for the Azamara product is clearly felt by the crew and an inspiration to provide a level of excellence on every conceivable level.

One of the appealing aspects of Azamara Cruises is the country club casual atmosphere which never requires a man to endure the discomfort of a suit or tuxedo on a supposedly relaxing tropical vacation – or wherever the Journey may take you. Nonetheless, passengers dressed smart with jeans and shorts never being allowed in the dining venues for dinner.

Discoveries is the main restaurant which offers an open sitting from 6pm until 9:30pm allowing guest to dine when they want and with who they want. Rarely was there ever a line at this venue other than the usual opening rush at 6pm. Funny enough people frequently would get in line at 05:30pm for the 6pm opening – I don’t understand this mentality as one who prefers to dine late and recognizes that within 15 minutes of the dining room opening there is no line! Food quality in Discoveries was on par with Celebrity, but presentation was typically superior. Nonetheless, food in Discoveries was just a notch above good banquet food, but service was always outstanding!

The two specialty restaurants Aqualina and Prime C are absolutely wonderful dining experiences and celebrate fine dining at its best. Both of these venues rival any fine dining establishment in the world’s great cities. Reservations are required. We found these restaurants to be so outstanding that we chose to dine two times at each during our 7-night Bermuda cruise.

Another option for dinner is the Windows Café which is transformed to Breeza at night – a casual lido style venue where passengers can have a more relaxed and believe or not even more casual meal. I never tried this dining option for dinner, but did enjoy some pre-dinner sushi appetizers on several evenings. Window’s Café offers the standard lido style fare for breakfast and lunch with a limited, but quality selection. There is also a poolside grill which offers great hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, etc. Pizza is offered on the buffet. Of note, ice cream is no where to be seen except in the dining room at lunch and dinner.

Room service was a huge disappointment both with regards to service and quality of the food. Orders usually took at least an hour to fill and the food which I received was literally not edible.

Coffee and tea was excellent and cappuccino was complimentary! Only the Cova Café charged for these beverages, but the fee was nominal and well worth the Cova experience. Pastries and small bites were always available with the purchase of a beverage at Cova.

As many are aware the maiden voyage of the Journey was delayed a day and all passengers received a full refund for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, the inconvenience was not just a delay of one day in sailing, but a much unprepared ship which never should have sailed on its maiden voyage as it was not ready for consumer consumption. I am pleased that many of the problems which plagued the maiden voyage have been remedied. The remaining issues are very minor and generally speaking will not adversely affect one’s experience. For example, the spa is lacking lockers adorned with robes, slippers, and proper bath amenities such as soap, shaving cream, body lotion etc. The pool deck still sports the old and uncomfortable Renaissance sling lounges, but new more deluxe lounges are due to arrive mid-June. The in cabin telephone system is not fully functional with the messaging system not yet ready. The flat screen plasmas in the room are not yet ready to offer interactive video, account status check and the other features which will eventually be offered. Additionally, no television or movie schedule was available. This is estimated to be complete by the end of August at the latest. The main cabaret lounge was missing the wall sconces, but these arrived and were installed on our sailing. There are holes in the tables in this lounge where small table lamps are slated to go once they arrive. The ships logo was missing from the starboard side, but this was being painted on arrival in Bayonne on June 2nd. There was no evidence of any work other than the routine shipboard maintenance which one would expect. Rumor has it that the pool may be completely redone with mosaic tiles and the ugly white railings replaced with more aesthetically pleasing ones. Lounge towels were stacked on tables, but towel caddies have been ordered. Surprisingly, usual Celebrity touches were not offered on this supposedly more upscale line like iced towels being offered at the gangway when coming back from shore excursions or ice cream and snacks being passed at the pool. However, these deficiencies are being addressed and I believe in the next few weeks vast changes will be seen. Azamara is removing some passenger cabins from inventory and converting them to crew cabins in order to accommodate more staff members. They would like to have more than 400 for the 700 passengers. This will help to provide with extra staff such as bathroom attendants to make sure that the public facilities are always kept clean and stocked with essentials like towels and soap. This was a problem on my voyage. The door handles in the public areas are very worn and many are broken. New handles have been ordered. Crew members still adorn uniforms bearing the Celebrity name. New uniforms with the Azamara name and logo have been ordered. Additionally, there are many other signs of the Celebrity name and the “X” logo. These will all vanish soon. For example, on my sailing the casino received new gaming table tops with the Azamara branding.

No detail has been overlooked and even the tiniest detail is being addressed aggressively in order to provide an outstanding product consistent with even the most discerning traveler’s expectations.

This product is sure to succeed and as long as the crew remains as dedicated, cohesive, and responsive to passenger needs as they were on my sailing Azamara may become one of the world’s most premier cruise lines.

[SheilaNC]

Great review! I agreed with almost all of your comments. The only difference I would add is that there ARE long lines for dinner at Discoveries after 7:30 PM. We experienced 30-45 minute waits almost every time we ate there and the noise level at that time is not suited to a relaxing dinner. I would love to cruise on this ship in 6 months to see the changes made and applaud the work that will make Azamara truly competitive with Oceania and other like lines.

 

By the way, as an experienced ICU/ER nurse, I am so glad for the man you helped to treat on the plane that you were there. What a beginning to a vacation!!

[PSCruiser]

Thanks for one of the most concise reviews I have ever read!

Your detailed descriptions of the remaining problems, and how and when they are being addressed, makes me feel much better about the state of the ship for our upcoming (Sept.) cruise.

[dabear]

thanks for a honest and detailed review. I am curious about your comment of banquet level food in the main dining room, which I would agree with on Celebrity and other main line cruises. Have you ever tried any of the O ships which I thought had food quality at a 7 or 8 at restaurant quality level? If yes, are you saying the food is not as good as O?

[californiacruiseluvrs]

I have not sailed on Oceania. However, I do feel strongly about my remarks regarding banquet quality food.

 

I would tend to agree with the post about lines for dining around 730pm now that I think more about it. We would usually enjoy martinis in the martini bar outside of Discoveries at that time and would eat at around 830pm. There were usually people lined up waiting to be seated.

 

Jeff

[amazing]

Could you be so kind to tell me a little more on the Royal Suites and Penthouses. I'm somewhat shocked by your comments on this. Are they really sooo bad ?

[valleyguyva]

Many thanks to californiacruiseluvrs for their concise but wholly informative review of Azamara Journey. To say that I am grateful understates the sentiment in spades.

 

Having booked a Penthouse suite on the 9/22 Journey sailing to Bermuda, I was disappointed to read a less-than-flattering critique of the Penthouse and Royal suites. This was not unexpected given similar comments by others but I was hoping for improvement now that we are a month into this new concept. I hope my continued faith in RCI, Celebrity and Azamara is not ill-placed.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted a comment, favorable and otherwise. Only through such a lively discourse are we able to become well-informed travelers.

[californiacruiseluvrs]

For reasons I don't clearly understand the Royal and Penthouse suites seemed to have old furnishings and the bathrooms appear worn. For example, the jacuzzi tub in one of the Penthouse suites was old looking with the emblem worn off etc. I was very disappointed with the look of these accomodations. The furniture looked perhaps as old as the Renaissance days with the exception of the bed. The only staterooms which are completely new appear to be the sky suites.

[twin123185]

Sky Suite was very nice - the shower however was abominal - who needs a tub anyway !!!

 

LB

[amazing]

For reasons I don't clearly understand the Royal and Penthouse suites seemed to have old furnishings and the bathrooms appear worn. For example, the jacuzzi tub in one of the Penthouse suites was old looking with the emblem worn off etc. I was very disappointed with the look of these accomodations. The furniture looked perhaps as old as the Renaissance days with the exception of the bed. The only staterooms which are completely new appear to be the sky suites.

 

This is what Azamara tells on her website: "Your suite has also been updated to include all new furnishings, from carpet to fine furniture."

 

So may we conclude this is another promise not fulfiled by Azamara ?

[nlvc12]

This is what Azamara tells on her website: "Your suite has also been updated to include all new furnishings, from carpet to fine furniture."

 

So may we conclude this is another promise not fulfiled by Azamara ?

 

I wonder if this is another situation in a long list of 'items on order', like the refrigerators and lounge chairs. Perhaps they are planning to shift folks to other cabins and upgrade during a cruise?

 

I am amazed at how Azamara isn't revising their website for things like this and the 'butler'.

 

nlvc12

[amazing]

Indeed...although something as a refigerator or deck chair is easy to implant......but furnishing or things like a jaccuzi ?

 

All in all there's a very long way to go......but every day I'm considering my options a little more and am not so sure whehter it is a good idea to travel on Azamara

[valleyguyva]

This is what Azamara tells on her website: "Your suite has also been updated to include all new furnishings, from carpet to fine furniture."

 

So may we conclude this is another promise not fulfiled by Azamara ?

 

I've resigned myself to accepting descriptive terminology from Azamara as what I'll call "futurespeak." The Journey will afford its passengers enhanced ambiance, impeccable service and the oft-mentioned "deluxe" cruising experience, but in due time. Truth be known, ALL of the Bermuda itineraries are in some fashion a shakedown for Journey. Only when Azamara departs the Bermuda market and sails for more exotic destinations will the concept attain its intended (and much promised) level of refinement. For those of us already booked on Bermuda sailings, we are left to accept Azamara marketing as a work of fiction or, for the more charitable, a well-intentioned promise of things not yet achieved. As for the Journey, we must realistically accept her as a work in progress, like it or not. Were I not locked into my vacation plans, I'd likely cancel on principle alone.

[Dale Jr]

Truth be known, ALL of the Bermuda itineraries are in some fashion a shakedown for Journey. Only when Azamara departs the Bermuda market and sails for more exotic destinations will the concept attain its intended (and much promised) level of refinement. For those of us already booked on Bermuda sailings, we are left to accept Azamara marketing as a work of fiction or, for the more charitable, a well-intentioned promise of things not yet achieved. As for the Journey, we must realistically accept her as a work in progress, like it or not. Were I not locked into my vacation plans, I'd likely cancel on principle alone.

 

This is pretty much what I was referring to in a different thread when I basically accused the Azamara management of having an indifference to their passengers. They really should have qualified their web site as all of the features available in November of 2007 rather than tricking people into thinking their cruise was going to be upgraded as well.

 

When Quest comes on line they are going to go through the same identical process. It would all be ok if they discounted the first 10 cruises or so but they have no intention of doing that. As long as their bookings remain strong they will have no reason to do anything different. Perhaps if Travel Agents steered their clients away from these cruises it would be a different story. I know I for one will not book anytime soon.

[amazing]

I think "discounting" is what they basicly already did. The prices for 2007 and beginning of 2008 are much "friendlier" as those from the moment they'll start there European season. But does this mean you'll have to accept a downgraded product that does not match up with what is promissed by Azamara's website ?

[CKBob]

Our group of 24 were on this same cruise. I would have say all of use were well pleased with the Journey. We were very happy to be upgraded to balconey cabins, which did not exist on the Zenith. The food I thought was definitely a notch up from my previous two Celebrity Cruises. The staff were all working hard to make our vacation a truely memoriable experience. The captain was also often seen talking to the passengars and getting their opinions. My final comment though is that I prefer a larger ship.