Any of you Azamara folk done Cunard?

Hi all

As many of you regulars know, we recently joined the Azamara fan club and have another Azamara cruise booked in December.

In April next year (my 60th) there is a Cunard trip from our home (Melbourne) to Japan. We waned to go to Japan again anyway so this seems like as good a way as any to get there. However my DH is ‘really over’ big ships and says it’s Azamara/Seabourn/Oceania for him from how on. I, on the other hand, am happy to be on a ship rather than a plane.

I would love to know if any of you Azamara types have ever travelled Cunard and what you think of it, specifically I know they do the formal nights a lot but we simply won’t....so what would that be like for us. Also, the food, it’s crucially important to DH who is something of a food critic. He thought the food on Azamara was ‘acceptable’ but the food in the speciality restaurants on Azamara was excellent. Next Azamara cruise we will be doing even more speciality nights. So what would he think of Cunard (he thinks Princess is akin to a soup kitchen).

I know I can just look up reviews, but I want them from the context of people like us. Thanks guys.

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We traveled on QE 2 from Southampton to Capetown to Sydney (30 days) in 2016. My husband did not think the food on Cunard was as good as Azamara. If you eat in the dining room, a jacket and tie is pretty much expected for all nights. I liked afternoon tea on Azamara much more than Cunard. Cunard is more formal. They are also very much into ballroom dancing. The ship is much too formal for us on what we call a vacation.

We traveled on QE 2 from Southampton to Capetown to Sydney (30 days) in 2016. My husband did not think the food on Cunard was as good as Azamara. If you eat in the dining room, a jacket and tie is pretty much expected for all nights. I liked afternoon tea on Azamara much more than Cunard. Cunard is more formal. They are also very much into ballroom dancing. The ship is much too formal for us on what we call a vacation.

Hmmm, thanks so much Mimi, that’s not sounding good. On the other hand we don’t usually do shipboard entertainment so the dancing doesn’t worry me. The jacket and tie and the food will be a problem though. How is their ‘trough’ (buffet) and are the speciality restaurants jacket and tie please? Also, with the latter, is there a difference between attire at lunch vs dinner? Ta so much.

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I have done about 30 cruises on Cunard and still love the experience. My favourite ship is the magnificent Art Deco Queen Elizabeth.

Yes they have formal nights and that means formal everywhere onboard, except your stateroom, but nowadays a tuxedo isn't compulsory ... a smart suit for the men and cocktail dress for the ladies will do. They will refuse you entry to the Bars and Restaurants if you are not dressed to the code of the day and I think that's a good thing.

Personally, I don't think you can enjoy a Cunard cruise unless you do embrace the formal night experience. It's wonderful to see everyone looking so smart. I like dressing up for dinner, It's always smart casual onboard during the day.

You can always have room service in your cabin in the evening of course but I would hate that.

Food as always is subjective, but I like the Cunard MDR food and the specialities are very good...certainly on a par with Azamara food. If you are lucky enough to be able to book a Queen's or Princess Grill cabin then the food will be absolutely wonderful and there would be no need to go to the specialities at all.

I really do not like the buffet restaurants on any Cunard ship. They are badly laid out. Azamara definitely wins here. However to compare an Azamara "afternoon tea" to the wonderful Cunard experience in The Queen's Ballroom is laughable in my opinion. On Azamara you get a rather underwhelming scone and maybe some cake but it is a real experience on Cunard and they do it very well.

The guest lectures on Cunard are usually very good but I have never been impressed with them on Azamara. Just my opinion. Entertainment has a much bigger budget on Cunard and I like the theatre shows but it's all personal taste. I used to love listening to Ed and Max and watching the wonderful dancers Sasha and Dima and Alex and Alina on Azamara, but I'm not at all sure that I will like the new entertainment offerings. I will see what happens on our June Quest cruises before I make a judgement.

If you do book the Cunard cruise it will be a very different experience to Azamara but speaking personally, I enjoy both of the cruise lines very much and celebrate the differences between them. Having said that, if given the choice of a similar itinerary on Azamara or Cunard my own choice would always be Azamara! That's for the crew interaction, smaller ship experience and just the ambience onboard. However, I do see more Cunard cruises in my future.

Thanks Lottie. I’m a bit concerned now. I don’t own a cocktail dress, or any sort of dress for that matter and would not ever condone wearing one. I do have evening type pants and that would have to do if I did choose to go to anything on those evenings. Tuxedo.....is really laughable so I’m glad they don’t require those any more. Surely they can’t require you to stay in your room on formal evenings - is the buffet truly not an option? I will stay in my room by choice, but not by mandate. I just want to check whether you ever saw anyone going to the buffet on formal nights in non-formal attire.

Anyway I did ask so thank you, I might not go on this if it’s really like that, it sounds pretty unpleasant to me. As for the food, thanks for the input on that, as you say it is subjective (as is dress), and I would enjoy the afternoon teas. If you really think the food in the upper class suites on Cunard is as good as the Azamara specialty restaurants then that would be a temptation for us....the fare is not all that costly anyway in comparison to Azamara so it’s a possibility.

I don’t care for the entertainment on any cruise ship other than the ethnographic/folk performances from local people so entertainment is not a major deciding factor.

Azamara is doing Japan but what appealed to us was to jump on a ship here in Melbourne and end up in Japan and then do some travelling around on land. So we were really thinking of it as a very nice form of transport to replace a long flight. We don’t want to hate it though.....so you have given us food for thought,as it were. Thank you.

Oh, and I adore Art Deco so that’s a plus....

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I'm more of a Cunarder who tried Azamara but yes you can use the buffet and one other bar/lounge if you don't want to comply with the dress code.

The informal dress code for men is jacket, tie optional.

I'm more of a Cunarder who tried Azamara but yes you can use the buffet and one other bar/lounge if you don't want to comply with the dress code.

The informal dress code for men is jacket, tie optional.

OK, great, thank you.

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We travel with a variety of lines, Cunard and Azamara being just 2 of them.

Sometimes on Cunard we will travel in Britannia and sometimes in the Grills. The differences between Cunard and Azamara are quite distinct.

Azamara's ships are obviously a lot smaller ship than Cunard's so you lose that intimate atmosphere. There isn't the same familiarity with the officers as on Azamara.

If your husband isn't prepared to wear a jacket then the main dining room will possibly be out of bounds but....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55470175&postcount=1

I am not suggesting for one moment that you behave in the manner described but it does seem Cunard were lax in the application of their 'rules' which is such a shame as they let their regular passengers down.

If I am travelling on Cunard I know what their dress code is and dress accordingly out of respect for my fellow passengers. I prefer wearing trousers with a top so that's not a problem as far as the ladies are concerned.

The food in Britannia is certainly acceptable but not up to the standards of Azamara's speciality restaurants. However the food in the grills is better than the Azamara specialities IMHO but food is a very subjective matter.

If you travel in Queens Grill you will also get a bar set up for consumption in your suite.

I'm pretty sure you could use the buffet and I believe that they have serve more or less the same dishes offered in the restaurant on any night.

Also there is no anytime dining unless you are in the grills, it is fixed seating 6pm and 8:30pm.

Drinks are quite expensive, they even charge for the mixer if you order a G&T. As I rarely drink alcohol this isn't a problem but if you are used to Azamara and their included drinks then it is something else to consider.

Coffee and soft drinks are also an extra charge unless you drink the buffet coffee. If travelling in Britannia I buy a coffee card in order to get my Lattes, if I'm travelling in the grills I can get them free of charge in the Grills Lounge.

Gratuities are not included as they are on Azamara.

We travel for itinerary and tend to go with the flow.

In the last 12 months we have travelled with Princess, Saga, Cunard and Oceania. We understand the package each line offers and adapt our expectations. Each cruise has been different but each one has been enjoyable, certainly not unpleasant. :)

It really depends on how willing you are to compromise for the itinerary.

Hope this has helped, whatever you decide have a great cruise.

This is taken from Cunard's website:

Evenings

Evenings will be split into 2 different dress codes. You will be notified of the evening's dress code in your Daily Programme. As a guide, these will be:

Formal:

Evening wear consists of an evening or cocktail dress or smart trouser suit for ladies. A tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit with appropriate neck wear for men or you may wear formal national dress and military uniform.

Informal (Jacket Required):

Evenings would consist of a required jacket and optional tie for gentlemen, whilst ladies should wear cocktail dresses, stylish separates or equivalent. No jeans or shorts.

Informal (Jacket Optional):

The Informal (Jacket Optional) dress code amendment applies to Queen Victoria's summer fly Mediterranean season on embarkation days only, in Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Venice. Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth will continue to have the standard Formal and Informal (Jacket Required) dress codes. The ship's newspaper will confirm the dress code of the day.

Guests who have Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Venice as a port during their voyage and are already settled in on board are encouraged to wear a jacket.

Please note that after 6:00pm, shorts and blue or worn denim (for men and women); sandals and sleeveless tops (for men) are not considered appropriate within the ship.

On formal nights, any guests wishing to dress more casually are welcome to dine in the Kings Court or Lido restaurants and relax in the Carinthia Lounge, Winter Garden, Garden Lounge, Yacht Club, G32 or on the open decks. Please do not use other areas within the ship, including The Verandah restaurant, out of respect for our fellow guests.

We did a TA on QM2 a few years back. We enjoy dressing up for an occasion and it was quite spectacular seeing most people in formal attire. Though you could wear a dark suit you might feel a bit out of place if almost everyone else is wearing a tux/cocktail or evening dress. However, there are some dining areas available on formal nights where you would not have to dress up. In the MDR evening dining was at set early and late sittings at allocated tables unless you were in Britannia Club or the Grills when you were at allocated tables but with no set time.

A full afternoon tea with white glove service, a harpist, and on some days a tea dance was also an experience to be enjoyed. I presume it's still the same, but no doubt somebody will post if it is not.

I have travelled with both. The onboard experiences are completely different. Which ship are you looking at?

Cunard besides being more formal, has a class system onboard. Brittania class would compare to economy class on an airplane. There is Princess and Queen classes in which the restaurants serve much better food. If food is important for you, you could book one of those classes.

Where I see, you might have difficulties is with the dress code. You mention you both enjoy more informal atmosphere. Cunard IS a formal cruiseline. Cunard guests enjoy that and many ladies wear long gowns. A Cocktail dress is not even enough. Of course there is always the possibility of the buffet (not that good imho) and of the room service. But why pay such expensive prices for cruising in order to be in your room? Dress code is not just for dinner, it is starting 18.00 hours every where on the ship. If you wish to go to the bars, dancing or to the shows, you will meet people wearing suits and elegant clothes.

Now our last experience with Cunard lies three years ago, it might have become less formal, but since this is one of the characteristics of that cruiseline, I would suggest that you look on Cunard page in order to see the many threads on the subject.

We accommodate to Cunard dress code if we find an itinerary we like with them and we enjoy the elegant, British atmosphere. However, we also prefer to travel light and a more country club atmosphere, so we also enjoy Azamara or Oceania. Good to have so many options.

Ivi

We are trying Cunard next year after our so-so Azamara experience last year. So far the booking process (& website) was flawless, no worries about charters, and the fact that we can get a decent G&T without dragging on drink mixers has us very excited.

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We travel with a variety of lines, Cunard and Azamara being just 2 of them.

Sometimes on Cunard we will travel in Britannia and sometimes in the Grills. The differences between Cunard and Azamara are quite distinct.

Azamara's ships are obviously a lot smaller ship than Cunard's so you lose that intimate atmosphere. There isn't the same familiarity with the officers as on Azamara.

If your husband isn't prepared to wear a jacket then the main dining room will possibly be out of bounds but....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55470175&postcount=1

I am not suggesting for one moment that you behave in the manner described but it does seem Cunard were lax in the application of their 'rules' which is such a shame as they let their regular passengers down.

If I am travelling on Cunard I know what their dress code is and dress accordingly out of respect for my fellow passengers. I prefer wearing trousers with a top so that's not a problem as far as the ladies are concerned.

The food in Britannia is certainly acceptable but not up to the standards of Azamara's speciality restaurants. However the food in the grills is better than the Azamara specialities IMHO but food is a very subjective matter.

If you travel in Queens Grill you will also get a bar set up for consumption in your suite.

I'm pretty sure you could use the buffet and I believe that they have serve more or less the same dishes offered in the restaurant on any night.

Also there is no anytime dining unless you are in the grills, it is fixed seating 6pm and 8:30pm.

Drinks are quite expensive, they even charge for the mixer if you order a G&T. As I rarely drink alcohol this isn't a problem but if you are used to Azamara and their included drinks then it is something else to consider.

Coffee and soft drinks are also an extra charge unless you drink the buffet coffee. If travelling in Britannia I buy a coffee card in order to get my Lattes, if I'm travelling in the grills I can get them free of charge in the Grills Lounge.

Gratuities are not included as they are on Azamara.

We travel for itinerary and tend to go with the flow.

In the last 12 months we have travelled with Princess, Saga, Cunard and Oceania. We understand the package each line offers and adapt our expectations. Each cruise has been different but each one has been enjoyable, certainly not unpleasant. :)

It really depends on how willing you are to compromise for the itinerary.

Hope this has helped, whatever you decide have a great cruise.

Glenndale, you have cheered up my afternoon.

Think it's very unlikely that I would ever book a Cunard cruise as I would find the formality stultifying. However I found the link you posted totally hilarious. AlanXX sounds rather a character. Thanks.

Reading the thread about dress on Cunard just reminds me about why I like Azamara so much. I find Azamara cruisers a pretty tolerant lot!

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We've been on Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. I enjoyed the opportunity to wear lovely clothes that have been at the back of the wardrobe for years. Informal nights I wore pants and nice blouses. Hubby hates formal but had no choice except to take his dark suit. He never wore a tux at all and was not out of place. He did not like having to wear a suit and tie EVERY night, so we won't be on Cunard again.

BUT...Cunard doesn't make allowance for sailing in hot climates. Crossing the Indian Ocean, four of us, neatly dressed in shorts and polos, were seated having drinks in the lounge bar when the clock struck 6 o'clock. Remember this is the time of first dinner seating. The waiter came over and asked us to leave! We were not dressed appropriately.

The only places to be after 6pm and not smartly dressed are the buffet and the Winter Lounge.

I did like the live music played around the ship (especially the string trio), and guest lecturers were excellent. Theatre performances and guest artists we felt were pretty good. Our dinner table was a lot of fun too.

We prefer the relaxed resort casual of Azamara. I will never be able to drag DH back to a Cunard ship.

The other part DH didn't like were the moving members of our dining table on the Auckland to Fremantle cruise. People on from San Francisco to Sydney left there and obviously there were empty cabins to fill. So they were sold as a 2-night cruise to Melbourne. Then the 3-night cruise to Adelaide, and so on. So on some itineraries there can be lots of changes to your dining table, but we didn't notice it anywhere else on board.

Thank you everyone. A few times I have toyed with the idea of Cunard and then not done it, but this time I was quite serious. Now I’m not so sure. I had hoped that Azamara types might say that they found a way around all the hoopla, if not flouting the system at least finding a way to make it work for them. I am beginning to think we might have to ‘suck it up’ and take something formal if we went, and I’m just not sure that is a holiday for us. More thinking required. On reflection, I do have sari’s (having lived in India/Malaysia) so I guess I could take those - at least they fold up to nothing, I just utterly loathe Western formal dresses for women ON ME (others can do as they wish, I don’t judge).

Based on what we have read, I think we would book Britannia Class and then go to the speciality dining venues most evenings. I don’t think the club classes would be worth it for us - we tend to like spicy/international foods so the price difference between Britannia vs Club classes would more than pay for speciality restaurants each night. Thus, again, we’d have to do the formal thing.

Thank you everyone for your input.

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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

For us the set time dining & formality night after night got wearing (but we had opted for a world cruise so it was a long time anyway) . But the buffet does have speciality nights (payable small amount) where you can book a table any time and the food then was good. The MDR food we didn't particularly rate highly and there is only one speciality which is quite pricey.

As the cruise seems to mainly sea days there should be bargains to be had. If the price is right and you are, as you say, only using it as a ferry go fo it it is better than flying any day! You can eat in the buffet every night, and lots did, even in full evening dress!!

Drink prices were high.

Lectures, entertainment & trivia are good standard.

We've done cruises on Azamara and Cunard ships as well as with other cruise lines and quite liked both of these very different experiences.

We're not formal people either and to be honest we prefer Azamara for that reason. On the other hand it IS a great experience to sail on a Cunard ship from time to time BECAUSE they are such a different kind of ships. I saw that you are considering the Queen Elizabeth - I love its Art Deco style and décor, the absolutely stunning library, afternoon tea in the Queen's room even if there was no clotted cream for the scones :'), the Lion's pub, the specialty (themed) evenings in the buffet restaurant where you are served and the food is really good, the comfortable lounges , the lectures etc

If you choose a Club Britannia cabin you are in more "intimate" surroundings i.e. a smaller restaurant for breakfast/lunch/dinner. We adhered to the dress code in that way that my husband packed a dark suit jacket and two different ties ( and no, he didn't forget to wear trousers and shoes...) and I wore evening trousers and sparkly tops or blouses - not really very formal but enough to get by and be accepted. Nobody stopped us or gave a snarky remark and it wouldn't have bothered us anyway. It was especially interesting to sit on a comfortable seat and watch the real "formally clothed people" walking by in all their finery, shaking hands with the captain, posing for photos or waltzing on the dance floor.

On the other hand I still hesitate to recommend a Cunard ship for that kind of itinerary you have in mind - there are lots of sea days and after a few days the dress code can get a bit stifling. I'll never forget the day when my husband, wearing a very expensive dark blue cashmere sweater and tie was rebuked by a shop assistant at ten minutes past 6 p.m. that he was not yet wearing a jacket....On the other hand, there are so many lounges and places to enjoy a quiet day at sea, reading the day away or just watching the waves.

The cabins on QE are quite nice even if the bathroom is a bit spartan - I'm not sure if they got rid of the clingy shower curtains yet ( we'll sail on her in July again...) but cabins of the lower categories on Azamara are not that huge either! I looked at the prices for the journey to Yokohama and they seem quite competitive. If you are looking at balcony cabins I can really recommend categories BD or BE; A2/A1 are Club Britannia - the ones with the smaller restaurant and the open times for dinner. In the "lower" categories there are two fixed dinner times or you'll to go to the buffet or specialty restaurants.I'm afraid we haven't sailed in Queen's Grill or Princess' Grill categories and to be honest don't see a need for it either. Others may view it differently, of course.

Whatever you decide - have fun!

Our household loved Cunard - QM2 transatlantic and QE med.

We have done Azamara and Oceania. We love both!

We love all 3!

Bottom line - they are different creatures - not really comparable as they are designed from the start to be very different. Difference is outstanding! It is the spice of life!

Cunard is a mass cruise line (excepting the QM2) - Cunard which is the most formal of the Mass cruise lines. Nothing bad about the product at all - there is a higher level of formality and the service is more formal. Cunard shines in the on board lectures, the high tea in the Queens room and their ships are well - they are ships with vistas, not floating Las Vegas which is the trend in the mass lines nor is there the nickle and diming and art auctions etc.

I did not find the class system on Cunard to be anywhere as bad as Celebrity has become and MSC and NCL so I have read. The "grills" as it is called is very low key, not in your face at all. Further, it is very rare for anyone on the Cunard thread to even speak of the "grills" - everyone posts about Cunard (it is really about the dogs on the QM2 to be frank, it was awesome). I found Cunard to be totally wonderful in every way. If you get the privilege, the privilege, to be on the QM2, and sitting in the Britannia under the picture of the former Queen Mary - it is an experience that is spiritual. Get on the QM2 and go to the fly deck above the bridge - there is an entire area at the front with just the wind and the ship and the sea - few things in my life compare to being at this place in the world. Other ships do not come close to QM2 hence why we are booked again on this most special of ships and why we repudiate the mass cruise lines. QE was wonderful as well.

Azamara and Oceania are designed to be a small scale "one class" - a country club with more casual dress. The same high level of food and service is available for all. It is a different product. A wonderful product.

Frankly, the formality on Cunard is a small item (take one outfit and repeat), just experience the legendary grandeur of Cunard AND Azamara!

Our household loved Cunard - QM2 transatlantic and QE med.

 

We have done Azamara and Oceania. We love both!

 

We love all 3!

 

Bottom line - they are different creatures - not really comparable as they are designed from the start to be very different. Difference is outstanding! It is the spice of life!

 

Cunard is a mass cruise line (excepting the QM2) - Cunard which is the most formal of the Mass cruise lines. Nothing bad about the product at all - there is a higher level of formality and the service is more formal. Cunard shines in the on board lectures, the high tea in the Queens room and their ships are well - they are ships with vistas, not floating Las Vegas which is the trend in the mass lines nor is there the nickle and diming and art auctions etc.

 

I did not find the class system on Cunard to be anywhere as bad as Celebrity has become and MSC and NCL so I have read. The "grills" as it is called is very low key, not in your face at all. Further, it is very rare for anyone on the Cunard thread to even speak of the "grills" - everyone posts about Cunard (it is really about the dogs on the QM2 to be frank, it was awesome). I found Cunard to be totally wonderful in every way. If you get the privilege, the privilege, to be on the QM2, and sitting in the Britannia under the picture of the former Queen Mary - it is an experience that is spiritual. Get on the QM2 and go to the fly deck above the bridge - there is an entire area at the front with just the wind and the ship and the sea - few things in my life compare to being at this place in the world. Other ships do not come close to QM2 hence why we are booked again on this most special of ships and why we repudiate the mass cruise lines. QE was wonderful as well.

 

Azamara and Oceania are designed to be a small scale "one class" - a country club with more casual dress. The same high level of food and service is available for all. It is a different product. A wonderful product.

 

Frankly, the formality on Cunard is a small item (take one outfit and repeat), just experience the legendary grandeur of Cunard AND Azamara!

Oh I couldn't have said that better myself. 😄

I LOVE both Cunard and Azamara for different reasons. The "dressing up" part of Cunard really is not that onerous if you don't want it to be. Yes, you can't go to dinner in shorts and a tee shirt on Cunard....but then speaking personally, I don't think that should be the norm on Azamara either!

Again, thanks to all for the WONDERFUL, COMPREHENSIVE responses. I really do appreciate it. Grayjay : what you and husband wore is exactly what we plan to do if we go, so I’m glad you found it quite comfortable to do. I hope you admonished the shop assistant, I know they would have received a withering response from me. :)

Aboatnerd: you clearly adore ships, as do I. We are also considering Q.V. for something else...what do you think of her? I would really love your opinion. I can totally see your point about enjoying the ship whatever the cost (in terms of having to dress).

Again, thanks all. Am really taking all of this to heart.

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Please note that from June this year the dress code is changing. You can now be smart casual (including smart jeans) in the Pub, Theatre, Carinthia Lounge and a few other places. A jacket and smart trousers is still required for the Main Dining Room.

Formal nights are going to become Gala Nights and the dress code has also changed, but I can’t remember exactly. Go to the Cruise Critic Cunard threads and I am sure there will be a reference there to these changes.

Personally, I found the main dining room food in Cunard good, but not outstanding. I thought the buffet offering was really quite good compared to other cruise line buffets. I did very much enjoy the $15pp alternative Dining offerings.