davidandjulia

We found the obstructed view cabin on deck 6 claustrophobic, as the window was completely blocked by a lifeboat, as well as the cabin seeming smaller than the ones on deck 4 because of the layout.

David and Julia

Many thanks Mike for your message and we have sent you our contact email address.

David and Julia

Hi Mike. I don't know if you will remember us from 2005 when we were on the Tahitian Princess together, sailing around the Tahiti area. We were so sorry to hear of your loss of Carol whose friendship on that cruise we still remember.

We can still recall you joining in with the local dancers when they came on board and have pictures somewhere.

We loved reading about your trip on the Pursuit and are very glad you enjoyed it so much. We thought your review was very professionally written as usual.

We have sailed on the Pursuit a few times now, including the Transatlantic Rio to Lisbon last March, so we could identify with your review of the ship.

Our next trip in March is on the Oceania Sirena, which you probably know was actually the Tahitian Princess and then the Ocean Princess (when we also sailed on her in the Far East around 2010), so that will also be interesting for us to see how it has been refurbished. It will be our first cruise on Oceania as usually we try to sail with Azamara, but on this occasion none of the ships would have been located where we wished to visit.

Kind regards and we hope that you enjoy your future cruises.

David and Julia

We sailed on the Silver Shadow about two years ago, and have sailed several times on Azamara, before and after the Silverseas cruise. We wrote a detailed comparison of our impressions of both at the time as per above. Of course, things could have changed since then. We certainly have enjoyed our Azamara cruises since then.

David and Julia

We also have a picture from the Pursuit crossing in March this year. The captain can be seen on the right of the picture about to be led towards the pool. We all thought he was going to be thrown in but he managed to delegate this to one of his deputies! 

The whole event was very enjoyable and the pictures unfortunately don't reflect how much fun it was.

We booked the Quest cruise starting in Dubai on 29th November about 2 weeks ago on a guaranteed veranda basis and received our assignment about a week later. We aren't sure if this is the usual time frame though.

1 hour ago, tv24 said:

Positive Response:  Azamara passengers are anything but snooty.  They are the most friendly we have ever encountered, and we have sailed on many different lines.  Down to Earth and friendly.

 

Also positive:  You will find a way to spend your OBC.  Last resort:  Buy some bling and pawn it when you get home!

 

Negative:  Since you are an active, busy person, I do think you might be bored on AZ, unless you alter your approach to a cruise.  There really is not a lot going on  on board.  The big attractions are the ports and just hanging out with your fellow passengers.  Nothing like the many activities on bigger ships.

We use our OBC to purchase Christmas or birthday gifts.

We were on the Pursuit in July and enquired as to the cost of a Baltic cruise for next year. The price quoted (including our 7% LCV discount) was, in our opinion, so exorbitant that we just laughed.. We thought an alternative option might be the Black Sea but that was even more expensive! Needless to say we didn't book, and like many here have stated, we will see if the price drops considerably before finally making a decision. We discussed this with a fellow passenger who told us that he too was interested in booking for the Black Sea but not at the quoted price which he too thought was way too much.

Anticipation used to be part of the enjoyment of cruising but sadly this latest pricing strategy prevents this happening.

What a shame that we can no longer plan our future cruises in the knowledge that if we commit ourselves early on whilst on-board we are paying a price that reflects fair value for money and that we are not subsidising late bookings at substantial discounts.

2 hours ago, Lottie A said:

Hi davidandjulia.

 

It was a pleasure to meet you both onboard Pursuit. A shame the poor Barcelona weather caused us such problems at the end of a wonderful cruise. Hope to see you both on Azamara again in the future. 

Hi Lottie

It was lovely to meet you too and yes, looking forward to meeting again. We are on Pursuit 28th September out of Venice.

Best wishes

David and Julia

We were lucky on Saturday, although delayed an hour in total before take-off (flying to Liverpool with Easyjet due to depart 11am). The terminal was hot and very crowded and no information was given regarding the delay in boarding. Once on the plane, the pilot told us the delay was due to bad weather affecting incoming flights and that we had then lost our take-off slot. The a/c at least was on although no drinks offered. When we did take-off, it must have been into the oncoming storm as the sky was very black, and there were lightening flashes to be seen. The first 15-20 minutes very bumpy and we banked sharply presumably to avoid the worst of the storm.

On our way out to Rome with Jet2, we were delayed 2.5 hours as the plane broke down but again no drinks or food offered until after take-off and then of course no freebies!

1 hour ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

I hope they have it on Pursuit next month, at last some good news, a long overdue improvement I M O.

 

 

We were on the Pursuit Rio to Lisbon recently and can confirm that Famous Grouse was indeed listed and available on the list of included spirits.

We have also stayed at the Tritone. The staff are very friendly and there was a good spread for breakfast for the princely sum of 4 euros! They only provide B&B  but as MaisonRose says, there are some great trattorias just further down the road.

Dear Bonnie

It is now 10 days since the question was raised regarding problems associated with the yellow fever vaccination requirements and still no official response from Azamara to put our minds at rest particularly for those of us who are over 60 for which the vaccination is not recommended. The manufacturers of the vaccine clearly state in their product information that due to a potentially higher risk of yellow fever vaccine-associated severe and potentially fatal disease in persons from 60 years of age, the vaccine should only be given when it is considered that there is a significant and unavoidable risk of acquiring yellow fever infection.

You will note from the roll call for upcoming cruise Rio to Lisbon, that there has been much discussion regarding this issue with no definitive and reassuring comment or input from Azamara. We have discussed the matter at our GP practice and we have decided that due to our age and that we will not be travelling where there is a significant and unavoidable risk, we will not have the vaccination and a note to this effect has been annotated on our GP records to conform with the requirements of our Insurance company.

The question of "where there is a significant and unavoidable risk" poses the dilemma of determining what areas we are likely to visit that could apply especially on shore excursions whether booked through Azamara or privately. We still have not had an answer from Azamara to the question of whether or not we require a Yellow Fever exemption certificate on boarding or exiting the vessel in Brazil or Cape Verde.

With just over three weeks before we leave for Rio please Bonnie, can we have a definitive answer to the questions raised ASAP?

Many thanks again for your help on this Forum

David and Julia

The difference with the laundry is that on Azamara your clothes come back neatly ironed and folded whereas on our last Celebrity cruise, everything was returned as if it had been deliberately screwed into a tiny ball and I had to rewash it when we arrived home before thinking about ironing it|

We did forget to have David's jacket dry cleaned free of charge however 😃

Many thanks Leo_On_Geo

Not sure what you mean by "commission". Can't recall having had a further charge when we moved up to Discoverer Level but perhaps we only looked at the bottom line.

David and Julia

Got it! Thank you very much.

Julia

We are sure that this has been discussed in an earlier thread but are unable to find the answer. As we are due to move up to Discoverer Plus level following our next cruise in May, we will qualify to book a subsequent cruise with six complimentary nights, although we understand that port dues still have to be paid. Does anyone have a rough idea how much these port dues and any other charges would amount to, bearing in mind we would probably be looking at a port-intensive Med cruise?

Thanks for your help.

David and Julia

We were on the QM2 sailing from Singapore to Dubai about 2 years ago just prior to it having the major refit. We were Britannia class but found the food to be fine. The interior public areas are lovely, the entertainment and speakers were very good.

Our concerns were:

1. Up on deck there was no shelter from the sun and if you sat up there you were staring at a blank wall with some bins close to it. The captain even made reference to the fact the only lobsters to be seen were on the sun deck. We were told by a crew member that the ship was built as a transatlantic liner and therefore not best suited for tropical cruising! We were directed to the Promenade deck (under the lifeboats) where there were about 200 old wooden sunbeds for more than 2,000 passengers. One sea day, some of the cushions were missing, apparently being washed!

2. The buffet tables were not kept clean and people were using napkins as tablecloths.

3. Our cabin steward and the sommelier were friendly but some other crew members were surly and even shouting at each other!

4. Embarkation in Singapore took about four hours, many people having to stand once all the seats in the waiting area were taken.

We did wonder, however if there was low morale because of the impending refit and contracts therefore coming to an end. However, based on this experience, we would be reluctant to sail with Cunard again especially in warm climes.

David and Julia

We were given a packed lunch last year when on an Azamara tour that had its departure time changed. An unexpected treat!

Many thanks Ann (UKtog) for your kind acknowledgment,

We composed our article using Word and Excel but unfortunately the formatting was not compatible with the Cruise Critic formatting when we tried to copy it over, and this caused us no end of trouble.

We have noticed however that the correct comparison regarding "drinks provided in suite" should have read 7 Azamara and 10 Silversea.

Another point we forgot to raise was that there wasn't an option for buffet meal in the evening on the Shadow. The only slightly informal offering was the Grill (similar to the Patio on Azamara), but it had to be booked in advance, and for two thirds of the cruise it was far too cold to eat outside anyway.

We sometimes enjoy a buffet meal in the evening where you can just select small portions of different offerings, especially if we have over-indulged during the day!

David and Julia

Our overall personal impression and ratings -

If having read our past contributions to this Forum, you will be aware that we are avid supporters of Azamara and of consequence they would be our first choice when considering our next cruise. For those who live in the UK it will come as no surprise, that as we are no longer restricted by work commitments, come January we look forward to flying out to seek warmer weather (respite care) if only for a couple of weeks or so. It was therefore to our dismay that due to the positioning of both the Journey and the Quest, the logistics of joining either of these vessels would be both costly and very demanding to travel to and from the ship. In the circumstances we were left with no alternative other than to consider other options

As regular cruisers we are inundated with brochures from cruise companies and travel agents which we read with interest if only to keep us abreast of cruising trends, itineraries and of course the advertised cost. In our experience, the advertised price inevitably fails to mention hidden costs which can add considerably to the final bill but, as the advertisers hope, their advert will entice us to at least make further enquiries. As our cruise company of first choice was a non-starter we naturally took a little more time perusing the offers from the more select and, as their advertising infers, exclusive and inclusive cruise companies. We are not averse to choosing a mainstream cruise line which operates the larger vessels (we had a wonderful Christmas experience on the Royal Princess when we were joined by our two sons, their wives and a three-year-old grandchild) but reaching a certaintime of life we now look forward to a less crowded and a more comfortable experience the like of which Azamara provides to the enjoyment of their more discerning guests. Looking at a brochure which seemed to tick all the boxes on our requirement list we were also amazed to find a cruise itinerary which appealed to us and was within our comfort price range. The subsequent telephone call also reaffirmed the inclusiveness of the price advertised (described in the brochure as being a luxury cruise) and that flight arrangements would be from our local airport with Cathay Pacific with an upgrade to premier class. Two-night select hotel stays both pre-and post-cruise would also be included in the cost. We were sold, and for the first time we were to experience the delights of a Silversea cruise starting in Hong Kong and nine days later arriving in Singapore.

To set the scene, let us first consider the following:-

Silver Shadow: Guests 382: Crew 302: Built 2000: Decks10: Cruise critic CDC Score 95

Azamara Journey: Guests 690: Crew 408: Built 2000:Decks 9: Cruise critic CDC Score 94

In order that we could assess by way of comparisonbetween the two Cruise Company experiences, we have listed the various facetsthat are, in our opinion, crucial to ascertain what constitutes a good cruise.The following is based on a rating 0 - 10 arriving at an overall percentage.

Based on recent Azamara suite experiences and our recent Silversea cruise on the Silver Shadow

Azamara Silversea

Checking in procedure 10 10

Greeting 10 9

Suite/balcony 7 9

Quality of toiletries in suite 8 9

Drinks in suite 10 9

Butler/steward 10 10

Quality, choiceand presentation of food 9 9

Service in catering venues 10 10

Quality and selection of alcoholic drinks 8 9

Quality and selection of non-alcoholic drinks 8 9

Comfort and ambiance (internal) 10 8

Comfort and ambiance (pool) 10 8

On board entertainment 7 9

Comfort in entertainment venues 8 10

Staff: Professionalism and friendliness to guests 10 10

Officers:Engaging with guests 10 8

Cruise Director 10 10

Shore Excursions: Quality and value for money 6 7

Total: 158 164

Total rating as %: 88% 91%

Azamara-Costings

Cost of cruise only (Azamara Brochure price for a Continental Suite) for similar cruise and itinerary

£3,414PP for 10 nights = £341 PP per night

Note:Travel Agent price for above for a Continental Suite, Flight from UK (economy)1-night stay pre-cruise and 4-night stay post cruise plus private overseas transfers £3,199pp, carrier not stated. Add on premier seating for flights say£748pp based on Cathay Pacific upgrade for comparison purpose.

Total cost £3,947pp

Silversea-Costings

Cost of cruise only (Silversea Brochure price for a Terrace Suite) for our cruise and itinerary

£5,000 for 9 nights (including shore excursions) =£555 PP per night

Note:Travel agent price for the above cruise for a Terrace Suite including premier seating with Cathay Pacific, two nights hotel stays both at beginning and end of cruise together with Island tour in Hong Kong. All overseas private transfers included plus Fortnum & Mason Champagne & Chocolates Gift.

Total cost £4,249 pp

Additional cost to cruise with Silversea with one-day less overnight hotel stay if booked through same travel agent = £302 pp.

Azamara: General impression based on 11 cruises of various durations, itineraries and cabin types ranging from spa suite to outside cabins.

Our cruising with Azamara represents about a third of our holidays spent cruising, indeed now epitomises most of our recent choice of cruise line. As for us, we have loved every moment of our time on board and have been more than satisfied with the quality and choice of food on offer. The ambiance and general comfort meet all our criteria and we enjoy interacting with members of the on-board team. Yes of course we have had the odd niggle or two but none that has in any way spoilt our enjoyment.The Azamazing evenings have transported us to venues beyond the reach of many, much to our delight and in many instances, represent some of the most memorable of life’s experiences for us. Yes, we do miss the likes of the enjoyable harp serenade that welcomed us to dinner. The insistence of management that their guests should bring on board their own tonic water to make an enjoyable and for me (David) an acceptable gin and tonic is beyond our comprehension. We also agree with many on this forum that there are serious concerns indeed, in our opinion bordering on insensitivity, to assume that we as loyal customers should accept many of the marketing ploys no doubt instigated by Corporate Head Office but the many instances of blunders in publicising of forthcoming events, shore excursions, and promotions etc., would indicate a more hands on involvement by management prior to disclosure on social media needs to be implemented as surely this must impede and frustrate the goodwill so evidently depicted by on-board personnel. That said, we must congratulate the decision by management headed by Mr Larry Pimentel, to make the decision to increase the fleet to three which will enable more cruising itineraries for us to consider and not look to other cruise lines for inspiration. We must also congratulate Azamara for the recent upgrading of the overall ambiance and comfort on board. We look forward to joining the Journey this coming May when we hope that realistic pricing will have been restored to enable us to book our next cruise later in the year on the Pursuit. This all being well will be followed by the already booked Japan circumnavigation cruise in April 2019.

Silversea: General impression based solely on our recentcruise on the Silver Shadow Hong Kong to Singapore, February 2018.

We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise from start to finish. It was obvious from the outset that this is a happy ship and in this respect is very similar to a feeling one derives when cruising with Azamara. What however is obvious is that the ratio of staff to guests on the Shadow is greater than on board the Journey and Quest and this leads to greater efficiency of service especially at busy times. From a recent comment expressed on the Silversea Silver Shadow C.C.Forum we were concerned to read that the ship was showing signs that refurbishment was urgently required for the vessel to be classed as a premium product. Obviously, the décor could be described as somewhat dated and no doubt for some this could be an issue. However, we thought that detrimental remarks implyingthat the ship was inferior in any way were somewhat exaggerated. We understand however that major works are planned during the dry-dock in 2019 to bring theShadow to the level of opulence so evident in the refurbishment recently carried out both on the Quest and the Journey.

It was nice that the captain and the CD were at the gangway to see us off, to thank us for sailing with Silversea and to wish us a pleasant and safe journey home.

For comparison purpose we list notable differences between Silversea and Azamara which, in our opinion, highlight the variances between the two companies.

AZAMARA

Pros

· White Night and Azamazing Events

· Loyalty benefits

· Dress Code i.e. less formal

Cons

· Poor website

· If booking shore excursions in advance it is necessary to pay up-front and complications can arise if wanting to use on board credit having to cancel and rebook when on board

· To choose any premium drinks extra costs are incurred which adds to the overall cost of the cruise

· Suites not to the standard of Silversea i.e. separate shower cubicle, twin wash basins and full-size bath

Silversea

Pros

· Premium spirits, wines etc served as standard plus very acceptable tonic water

· Excellent and very professional entertainers who circulated with guests when not performing

· Two-deck theatre, adequate comfortable seating for all guests

· Very efficient website allowing pre-booking shore excursions and dining options, and these are charged to on board account

Cons

· Cruise usually slightly more expensive than Azamara but offset should you wish to buy a premium brand drinks upgrade

· Safety drill outside whatever the weather which provides the opportunity to chinwag with fellow guests rather than the more important object of listening to instructions

· Poorer loyalty programme

· Dress code

Conclusion:

Azamara would still be probably be our first choice given our loyalty status and the usually lower cost but we would not discount using Silversea as an alternative if the price and itinerary were to our liking.

Hi Richard

Thank you for joining us and for giving us the opportunityof airing some of our concerns albeit probably insignificant given thecomplexities of managing such an involved operation. Concerning however thevexed question of Azamara’s insistence that their bar staff must use your stockbrand of tonic that too many of us find wholly unsuitable as a basic ingredientto make an acceptable tasting G&T, I too feel obliged to add my frustrationthat management has still to appreciate that it is most demeaning for us tohave to bring our own tonic on board to satisfy our simple request of enjoyinga satisfactory G&T in spite of numerous requests by your loyal supporters. It must also be frustrating and embarrassing foryour friendly and professional bar staff to prepare and make our choice ofdrink using inferior ingredients.

Julia finds it rather amusing (she who finds a chilled Rosewine more appropriate at midday) that I am prepared to pack a couple of cans oftonic in our luggage prior to leaving home as I am unsure when I will be ableto stock up at the commencement of the cruise. I must admit though Richard thatI was not best pleased that my sojourn at the port of Guernsey last October wasmarred by the fact that my main reason for my visit was to seek out a supermarket,queue to pay and then make the trek back to the ship via the tender lugging mycase of tonic water just because somebody in Head Office who by their reluctanceto add a decent tonic to their victualling on board list, indicates their lackof education in the basic art of ensuring that a good tonic is essential in thepreparation of a good G&T.

We have just returned from a most enjoyable cruise withSilversea and hopefully our C.C. Forum comparison between Azamara and Silverseawill be completed in order that we can post it shortly. I bet you can guesswhat item will be included in the pros and cons sectionJ

David

We too must add our support and thanks to both Tony and Christine who have given us so much pleasure with their stage acts and for Tony's professional input as CD and we look forward to the possibility of being in their company again later in the year.

We must add that Azamara are indeed fortunate to have three excellent CDs each bringing their own individual style.

David and Julia

Our perception was that the survey was lifted from a larger cruise line because of the nature of some of the questions which didn't reflect the smaller Azamara product.

Thank you, Bonnie, for replying to our “rant” concerning the saga of the “offer” for LCV members for future Pursuit cruises. We must congratulate you for your professionalism in responding to the many disquieted comments made by LCV members who feel, as we do, that the whole episode has been dealt with in a most unsatisfactory way by management be it by accident or design.

We feel however, that it would be unfair as you suggest contacting Mr Twynam directly concerning our general concerns as we are sure that he must be at his wits end sorting out the fallout from this latest fiasco. We did in fact meet Mr Twynam and his team at a promotion event in Manchester early this year as a result we booked the upcoming April 2019 Japan Circumnavigation cruise.We were greatly impressed both with the presentation and the professionalism and friendliness of the Azamara representatives who reflected the experience we enjoy when cruising with Azamara.

Due to the problems of booking our January/February cruise because of the positioning of both the Quest and the Journey, we have booked with Silversea for the first time. It is our intention to compare our last 11 Azamara cruises, (based on our experiences when occupying Spa and Club Continentalsuites) with “fingers crossed” our impressions of our first-time cruise on the Silver Shadow. We will share our thoughts and findings on this excellent Forumon our return.

As a footnote, and perhaps something of interest following our investigation into selecting an alternative cruise for our search for a brief respite from our UK climate, we quote the following costings which did influence our decision to book the Silversea cruise and which also convinced us not to rely on brochure prices or so-called offers made by cruise companies.

Azamara

Cost of cruise only (Azamara Brochure price) (suite) for similar cruise and

itinerary

£3,414PP for 10 nights = £341 PP per night

Note: Travel Agent price for above for acontinental suite, Flight from UK (economy) 1-night stay pre cruise and 4 nightstay post cruise plus private overseas transfers £3,199pp : Carrier notstated (add on premier seating for flights say £748pp (based on Cathay Pacificupgrade) for comparison purpose.

Total cost £3,947pp

Silversea

Cost of cruise only (Silversea Brochure price) (Terrace suite GTY) for our similar cruise and itinerary

£5,000 for 9 nights (including shore excursions) = £555 PP per night

Note: Travel agent price for the abovecruise including premier seating with Cathay Pacific, two nights hotel stays atbeginning and end of cruise together with Island tour in Hong Kong. Alloverseas private transfers included. Plus, Fortnum & Mason Champagne &Chocolates Gift.

Total cost £4,249 pp

Additional total cost to cruise with Silversea if booked through same travel agent = £302 per person albeit it for 9 nights as opposed to 10 with Azamara

We are booked to join the Journey together with two of our friends (who we originally introduced to join the Azamara supporters team) on the 29th May 2018 cruise. Yes, we were part of the 28th May 2018 group whose cruise was cancelled due to the decision by management to accept a late charter booking, but to be fair, Azamara did make us a very reasonable offer by way of compensation. In the past we would have had no hesitancy when considering a future cruise to browse through the Azamara brochure, locate a cruise and without further ado, instruct our travel agent to do the necessary. Sadly, recent decisions made by management have unnerved us somewhat and we realise that prudence should influence our decision making in the future. As a result, we will probably withhold making any future decisions to book until our return from our Silversea cruise and when we have considered offers available to us when we are aboard the Journey in May, or, of course, any too good to turn down genuine propositions received in the meantime. J