kool kruiser

On the clearly contentious subject of who exactly will be providing the expected magnificent service levels on NC (😂), whilst we have heard about Hotel and Cruise Directors (all great news) what about the restaurant managers, a really important position, especially in Waterside ?

Just a quick observation that some lines are using Ravenna as an alternative.

I think that we may be at cross purposes. The Crystal Vintage Room is only available on select evenings on a cruise, has very limited capacity ( I may be wrong, but I think this may be only 12) and can be cancelled if demand is insufficient. Perhaps this can be likened to a private dining experience. On the other hand, Anthology has a potential capacity of 70 (48 indoors and 22 outside) and I would imagine that it will be open every evening. More like an exclusive restaurant, with staggeringly high pricing for a luxury inclusive line, with high per diems to begin with. I absolutely respect and understand that some may wish to splash out but my previous comments nevertheless remain.

We have a slightly different perspective. In general, having paid a premium price for a luxury cruise on an inclusive basis, our starting point is that we do not wish to pay extra for a special dining venue. Full disclosure, we are (old) Crystal fans and it was possible to dine in all the restaurants, bar an occasional special exclusive 12 person wine pairing option, with no extra charge. The fee for Anthology is mouth-wateringly high and definitely not for us. I know this may sound mean but I hope the uptake is very poor, forcing the line to review.

Rather late to this party but many thanks for the two posters for their brilliant blogs. This itinerary is now very much on my radar and I have pasted the great insights for future reference. Hoping that AZ keeps all those wonderful little 'extras' and that they were not just for this year !

It would be great if this could be extended to our UK TAs !! Our market is a little different as the most frequent incentive offered by TAs is a price reduction, although OBC may also be given. At present very few TAs are including NC and those that do appear to have no incentives at all. Unless I have missed something....

Just to clarify further, we were advised that, although they were unable to serve the tailored ultimate package cocktails served in the other bars, they could serve, without difficulty, ''classic '' cocktails ( which, indeed, they did for us ). I think this is a similar situation throughout the ship where bars can only serve their own special ultimate package cocktails and not those offered in other bars.

Having been on Onward twice, I believe that the efficient use oi the new systems by bar and dining room staff really depends on the skill of individual staff. Maybe we were fortunate, but we had no issues at all with any of our orders throughout our cruises. Incidentally, we are Crystal refugees and the hand-held devices were used by that line really efficiently, perhaps due to their relatively low staff churn. I am sure any problems will diminish once staff are more familiar with the processes.

Our recent cruise on Onward had about 570-580 passengers. Good news, the Patio was open in the evening, although not on embarkation day.

Indeed. Moreover, after visiting the Atlas Bar on the first evening, we were never subsequently asked anything on subsequent evenings by the excellent bar staff, other than what we would like to order...😀

I can confirm all that Riocca says. We too tend to be in the Den after the show. I fully understand your comments regarding live music. We tried the Atlas bar as an experiment on our first night on our recent cruise. We were blown away by the superiority of everything in that venue and this became our venue pre-dinner for the remainder of the cruise. Why not do likewise and give it one try ? I also generally had the Den cocktails only available without charge to those on the ultimate package. The bar menus throughout the ship are very clear as to what packages are needed for each drink to be ordered without charge

Hearts of Azamara is an Atlas bar offering on Onward, so I suspect this is the case. Onward also had several special cocktails in every bar.

Here is a link to a section of the Explora online brochure:- https://explorajourneys.com/uk/en/life-on-explora/dining If you scroll down below the dining options, you can see that music/entertainment is indeed envisaged, although there will not be a traditional cabaret/theatre lounge. Hope this helps.

Whilst agreeing with these comments, can't complain about the Moet champers, which was also available on our recent cruise.

In response to the above posts:- Definitely no poolside musak. None in other locations, except VERY quiet on Sunshine Terrace at breakfast time. Vasi, the terrific Den entertainer, had her volume at, IMHO, a perfect level. White Nights volume great. Cabaret Lounge sound levels rather loud for us, but not ridiculous. Unable to comment on Living Room, as we did not frequent this particular venue. Now to the Atlas bar. In May, the video screens could not be used, due to lack of appropriate certifications. This time, fully operational and they made a great positive improvement to the atmosphere. Easy to avoid by moving to other areas of the bar if it's not your thing. Live music here a definite no no, as it would overpower, however restrained. In summary, we love the three screens !!

We have just returned today from the Rome-Barcelona cruise, having been onboard for a back to back in May. Well, the ship has been vastly improved over the last five months, so many wrinkles ironed out. Further work continues as stated but the ship really is so much better. We thought the food in Discoveries was excellent, better than in May, when it was still pretty good ! White Night was lovely, although, sadly, no lobster. Flamenco dancers for our Destination Celebration were terrific and CD Eric's show remains the tops. Bingo was offered and the officer-hosted dinner returned, for those interested. Embarkation Windows buffet was a full lunch style offering but the Patio was not open. The frozen yoghurt machine was operational. Not wishing to strike a controversial note but we absolutely loved the Atlas bar. The 'classic' cocktails they make are superb, much better than in the other bars, the service and atmosphere is at the highest level and the three screens showing live-recorded music trios enhances the vibe. For us, the only place to go for a pre-dinner drink!! Incidentally, a much greater selection of books is now available in the Living Room and the travel books are also there in the Den. We had another great cruise, thoroughly enjoyable and so relaxing.

I am definitely not an Azamara ''cheerleader'' having only been on one B to B with them. I certainly think that all of your criticisms are fair and well-founded. However, I would urge you to go to the guest services desk and ask to speak to the Hotel Director or their deputy, titled by Azamara as the Food and Beverage Manager. On our cruise we had a problem which was dealt with very poorly. We then had a meeting with the excellent F and B Manager who was brilliant, listening to our issues and promptly resolving. Don't let things fester and negatively affect your cruise, the top brass onboard are really good.

Hi Adrian Fair comment. We never booked the Vintage Room dinner, as we were so so happy with the included five terrific evening dining venues. Have you booked Explora ?? Keep well Colin

True, however our protection continues to apply even if booking overseas and not in the UK. Worldwide protection, provided a UK credit card is used.

We took our first Azamara cruises in May on the Onward. Yes, there were a number of quality issues from the refit, which we know were recognised fully by senior onboard officers. However, there were also many excellent features, for example the beautiful pool area with lovely hard and soft furnishings. Overall, we had a great time, perhaps primarily because the crew were superb. We are returning in October, so it couldn't have been that bad !! As a matter of interest, when the Pacific Princess, the ship was used for that cruise line's then world cruise. In May, the seas were more akin to ponds so difficult to evaluate stability.

Whilst noting what you say, our Captain's Club points WERE recognised on our first ever Azamara cruise this year...

This review relates to a pre-launch TA cruise. We sailed on the second and third voyages and, as has been documented, there were a number of issues needing to be resolved. Undeterred, we are embarking again in October as, notwithstanding these glitches, we had such an enjoyable time and the itinerary is again so appealing. I wonder whether anyone has a recent onboard experience and how the snagging etc is progressing ?

I think passengers may well resent having to pay for canapes to accompany their upscale drinks. i agree that this probably has no future and hope it will be replaced with a complimentary offering of sorts.

FYI...Crystal ARE coming back😀

We are Crystal ''refugees'' and the policy on that line (and our experience) was exactly as you describe. Anthology will have to be sensationally better than the other offerings for us to be tempted.It's a lot of extra dosh !!