hangover

Hi

Quick update, this second cruise is more to what I was expecting with Azamara. I believe the issues with the first cruise is that the clientele including myself was looking for sand beach and sun. So on sea days it put a strain on the operations on deck 9, bar etc. This cruise deck chairs available throughout the day and staff much more relaxed. We are only sailing with 75 fewer guest but the atmosphere is  totally different, More people attending lectures etc,

Could be one of the reasons Azamara is offering fewer Carb, departures from Florida in 24 &25

Hello from Miami

Just completed the first leg of our three cruises. The ship had 611 guest on this cruise which stretched things in relation to service etc. Once again it was the staff who arose to the occasion and continued to give 110% effort. Second leg of the journey there will be 550 guest so we will see how things go. When the ship is near capacity things are very crowded. If you wanted a deck chair in the shade you had to be on deck by 730AM on sea days . Prior to getting on the Onward we did a Princess cruise and we never felt the need to be on deck by 7am to get what we wanted. Food was good  and we ate at Prime C a couple of nights but on the last night of the cruise we had a steak in the MDR  and it was the best steak I had on a cruise ship in a number of years ahead of Prime C

Currently its 145pm 15 minutes before the next influx of guest arrive 😀

On 9/5/2022 at 10:40 AM, andrcan said:

For us, long 42 days on any cruise ship in the Caribbean beat long 42 Canadian Feb/March days:) We really enjoyed our Azamara cruise in June, have another coming in December on Onward and thinking of booking Onward Feb/March as well. Hope we’ll see you guys there!

On 9/4/2022 at 4:15 PM, hangover said:

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

 

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

Quick update

We arrived on ship the 17th and everything pretty much what we expected. Staff continue to be excellent. ,Ship sailing at near capacity so pool deck very crowded , Few issues with service request but they were always rectified. Food good, service in dining room efficient Check in was interesting as they advised us  not to go to pier until our allocated time at 2pm. We followed the rules arrived at 2 was given a boarding number of 17 when we got to the boarding area the room was full. each group had lets say 30 guest  so by the time we got on board close to 500 guest were already on board . Was told by an employee they open the terminal at 10:30 and who ever shows up regardless of boarding time is processed. We were on the ship around 3pm so not that bad. The ship looks well maintained but being a R class ship there is only so much that can be done. When we sailed with Azamara the last time we both agreed that there was a distinct line between Azamara and the other main stream cruise lines and it was good value before moving on to Seabourn etc. This  line is becoming less noticeable as other cruise lines with newer ships have increased their add on values to become very competitive .Azamara by sticking with their class of ships really don't have the space etc.  They need a new build to move to the next level. Will we book with Azamara in the future? probably but will look at other cruise lines more closely for sure before deciding.

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

On 8/3/2022 at 9:48 PM, jelayne said:

Why not just bring a bottle of your favorite champagne on board.

On 8/3/2022 at 9:48 PM, jelayne said:

Why not just bring a bottle of your favorite champagne on board.

not sure if this got posted twice

One of our cruising traditions is to have Baileys with our morning coffee while we sit on deck We have our own coffee mugs. As baileys is not included in the basic plan we will just bring some on board. My only problem is that our current plans are to be on the Onward for 42 days Jan feb 2023 . Looks like my better half will have to pack lighter to make room for the Baileys. To upgrade just for the baileys does not make financial sense as the rest of the included drinks are 🙂 

Hi

We have sailed Azamara several times however our last  cruise was 2017 . i found the information here very helpful  as we have three cruises planned for Jan Feb 23 on Azamara

7 hours ago, fudge said:

I hope you have a great time. Well done you for taking the plunge so to speak, you will get well looked after thats for sure. Please let us know how you get on, bon voyage. 

Call me crazy, but we just booked the Ovation for the end of Feb. Had enough of the Canadian winter and if we are stuck on the ship  for 14 nights with no ports so be it. Sitting on the deck overlooking the sea with a glass of wine or a Southern cocktail suits me fine. Great food, great service what more can I ask for

Our only change this time will be flying into Miami the day before the cruise as in the past we usually went several days prior to the cruise to enjoy the beach. Will be first time with Seabourn .Saied with Regent and Crystal so expecting same level of enjoyment     

28 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I can only comment that they are being moved to deck 4. I haven’t heard for how long before they can be tested again. It makes perfect sense to me (although I know inconvenient) to have a COVID “ward.” Otherwise, they would have to post security at every cabin to ensure compliance.

Thanks

Understand the logistics but to move from a balcony stateroom or suite to a outside for a minimum of 5 days  would be a deal breaker for me or should I say my partner. 

Need some information. Currently booked on a B2B cruise leaving on 23jan. Fully vaccinated with Booster shot. Have booked a balcony stateroom. If we test positive with no symptoms and have to isolate is it for the 5 days based on the new guidelines' issued by the CDC ? On Azamara website could not find length of isolation it stated if positive you are moved to a stateroom closer to the medical staff which would be deck 4 with no balconies.  Was wondering what is happening currently on the Quest with the people testing positive . Are they being moved and for how long

Thanks

Was looking at doing the Pride Nov.06th 14 days return San Juan. Was concerned with the number of negative reviews regarding the ship. Everyone seems to like the food and crew which is great. Like  small ship  cruising which have the all inclusive features. and once again concerned about being nickle and dimed. Believe I can get around this by buying the exclusive package.?

Read so many reviews and when I saw this tread found it interesting . The above reply from First Mate Gilligan is excellent and makes me feel much more positive in booking. Keep expectations in perspective. We like beaches and and if none will stay on the ship.

One question as the sailing is off season it seems Windstair has a tendency of lowering prices . Any suggestions as to the best time to book?

Thanks 

On 7/17/2019 at 11:37 AM, Spanky My said:

Should be an interesting trip.

 

WRIPRO or anyone else, did most folks get off the boat on wet landings? Or did several stay on board ? Also how long did it take to get off  the ship with only using zodiacs ? Thanks in advance for your response  🙂

On 7/3/2019 at 10:48 AM, FirstMateGilligan said:

I just got off Pride on Monday.  I hope to write a review later, but here are the basics.  I was on Legend six years ago before the handover. Pride looks better now than Legend did then. Two of the elevators were out at least some of the time, with the forward elevator out the entirety of the cruise. There were occasional issues with the toilets flushing, but they were corrected quickly. If you go around taking pictures of cracks in the marble bathrooms and places where the fittings are not flush you will be very busy. If you take the "big picture" then I think you will enjoy the ship. The biggest real issue I saw was that the seats in the steam room had spots, which looked like mold or mildew. I went to the dry sauna instead.  Also, the beds are horrible. I had to get my steward to bring me an eggcrate topper. That helped, but the beds are not as comfy as  Seabourn.

 

On the Hotel side, this was the friendliest staff I have ever encountered on a cruise ship. The food was good, but not exceptional. I will give Seabourn the edge there, though the food is certainly better than mass market lines. We were blessed with very un-Scottish weather and were able to eat out on the veranda several times and even use the whirlpool! Breakfasts, btw, were excellent, both roomservice and in the Veranda.

 

It is a 31 year old ship. It does need a refurb (and is going to get a big one!), but if you go with realistic expectations I don't think you would be disappointed. My friends and I put down a deposit on another cruise, and we would not hesitate to sail the little sisters again.

Just completed our first BTB cruise and know sitting on the ship inPPT waiting for the next. First was 11 days now a 10 day. The information we got from this forum was great. We knew not to arrive at pier prior to 3pm.felt sorry for the guest waiting at the pier at 1pm.aftercheck in got our dinner reservation as suggested by4pm then our snorkeling gear..we were completed with everything by life drill.found the special place on deck8 will do a review when we return to Canada

Really enjoying, heading out for Feb 23 and March 7_18 spending a few nights on Tahiti so reading your thread for suggestions. Thanks

Hi

Not sure if you have booked or not. We are Cdns from Ottawa and were looking at the same cruise. The CDN discount is 10% on this specific cruise and if your travel agent is part of the Ensemble group you get a 100.00 OBC per person. as someone else stated a good agent wold have that information at his finger tips . We ended booking B2B cruises in Feb and March 2018

You will find the service very, very good. Certainly comparable to those lines. A lot of the PG staff had their origins in Regent so very similar to the old Regent style. Food is comparable to Azamara's main dining room. Though to be frank we have had food misses on all three lines. Have a great cruise. Love b2bs.

thanks for the comments. We always felt the same way when it came to dinning regardless of the cruise line and its rating. our biggest problem now is a pre hotel received some great suggestions from members but my spouse and I seem to be at odds. I want a property where I can experience some local food she just wants a property that has everything on site and she does not have to leave. Selecting the cruise was the easy part:)

Thanks for the great information.We have just booked our first PG cruises doing back to back cruises end of Feb and March 2018 10/11 days. previous post answered my concern regarding shade around the pool and the drift snorkeling concerns were answered on another post. we have sailed on crystal, regent and azamara and are really looking fwd. to PG. Being from Canada need a good break from the winter. Any suggestions of a good hotel in Bora Bora for a couple of days

Thanks everyone for the great information. Makes my Spouse and I much more comfortable with our decision. I must say I was a bit concerned when I saw the last two cruise reviews especially regarding the food. I did a cut and paste of the review regarding the shrimp and from those comments was not sure if the all inclusive was restrictive.

Food was only mediocre and many times served only warm. Coffee in the grill was served warm until we sent back for hot coffee two days in a row. With few exceptions, food was bland. NY steak served in main dining room was about 1/2 inch thick. I have seen better at Sizzler. (Side note: Asked for a Shrimp Cocktail appetizer in main restaurant and was told there would be an extra charge. Really???? at these prices. Shameful!!)

Will continue to monitor the site and look fwd. to your comments "Emdee" from you upcoming cruise

We are planning to take the 14 day cruise in Nov.2017.Being from Canada we like to get away when it turns cold here. Initially was thinking Feb. but looking at different internet sites, it seems to be in the height of the raining season. Nov. seems to be the start of the raining season and looking at reviews on this site, from people traveling then, I see it being humid but rain not a issue. Would this be a good ASSUMPTION:)

We enjoy the smaller ships and the all inclusive aspects. Just returned from Crystal Serenity where we had a great time.

In reading the last couple of reviews seem to be getting a mixed message regarding the cruise line. One review stating they were required to pay a surcharge for shrimp cocktail ? Is this the norm

We cruise to relax, beach, snorkeling ,swimming and to relax on deck with a good glass of wine . Entertainment and lectures not a factor for us. Will travel a couple days prior to cruise and probably stay at the Inter. Cont.

Based on the above comments should we have any issues with this line?

thanks