We just finished our first Azamara cruise on Tues, the Quest Chilean Fjords (Santiago to BA). We previously cruised on Celebrity and NCL before the pandemic, this was our first since 2019. Our impressions:
1. Azamara exceeded our expectations. Classy, non-glitzy, well maintained ship, nice size, incredibly good service, no nickel & diming. The entire staff was wonderful every single day.
2. The veranda stateroom felt about the same size as every other ship we’ve been on. Shower/bath was fine unless you’re super obese. Cabin storage excellent and plenty of real hangers. Good bed and TV.
3. Food was better than Celebrity and NCL. All my meals were excellent except for two (avoid the veal cordon blue and pork based Greek thing). Small portions which we like, we never left hungry. House wines were quite drinkable (good Syrah, SB, Rose, ok Chardonnay). Bread & Butter Pudding was incredible!!!!
4. Entertainment very good to so-so. The eight lectures by Col. Mike Ryan were really interesting. On sea days, wife attended several craft classes and I enjoyed a wine tasting event. Lots of options on sea days. Pool/ two jacuzzi’s were small but not over crowded.
5. We had a minor engine problem near Puerto Montt and missed out on Puerto Chacabuco but Azamara compensated us with pretty a generous refund (we took the 15% FCC option). We’re also coming home with a $900 credit card credit, not too shabby!
6. The White Night Party and Azamazing Evening in Montevideo were an absolute blast.
7. Fellow passengers: mostly well-educated friendly seniors, made good friends with two European couples, all fun courtesy classy folks to travel with.
We had so much fun we booked two more trips with Azamara in ‘25.
John