Tips From a Just-Returned First-Timer

That's very odd the service you received at the spa. I've never had that and as far as the private deck goes, if you are having a treatment then you get complimentary one time use of that anyway. Sounds like a member of staff who wasn't very experienced.

 

Overall glad you had such a good time.

 

Phil

I think you are right. The person at the desk seemed a little lost. But when you have gone, have you gotten the full duration of the service? I was really shocked that I got a sales pitch pre and post service and only 70 minutes of actual massage.

Spursgirl - we did French, Italian and Californian Chef's Tables as we bought the package for $250 pp. Not cheap but absolutely fantastic. We thought the food was some of the best we ever had, anywhere! This was in July this year when we did the Norwegian fjords cruise.

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We have just returned from 10 nights on the Quest around the Adriatic. It was a superb cruise and has really raised the bar for us now. Can completely echo everything that has been said here. The only thing that we could fault was the weather and we couldn't do much about that! Rainy and choppy the first four/five days and then thankfully the sun shone.

The food, service, stateroom, and people we met were top notch. White night was amazing - Azamara had arranged for a tenor to come aboard and sing - brought several tears to my eyes - superb!

Mosaic cafe was a great place to grab coffee and cake. The main dining room served really good food and we also ate in Prime C and Aqualina both or which were excellent.

Never had breakfast in the buffet as prefer it in our stateroom but it was wonderful to sit on the balcony and eat breakfast overlooking Amalfi.

We were very spoilt and will definitely book Azamara again!

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I think you are right. The person at the desk seemed a little lost. But when you have gone, have you gotten the full duration of the service? I was really shocked that I got a sales pitch pre and post service and only 70 minutes of actual massage.

I'll be honest. I had a treatment in May on Journey and the member of the spa staff was able to prepare the treatment at the same time as giving the sales pitch so it didn't waste any treatment time. However it was really annoying and hard sell of after care treatment before I'd even had the treatment done! It was almost embarrassingly pushy. I let it go and said a firm "no" after it was explained to me. I should have just said at the start "don't bother with trying to sell me anything extra because I'm not interested", but she caught me on a benevolent evening, maybe after a couple of Moscow Mules. Lol. Lesson learned. I know the Spa Manager on Journey very well and always get great service from the team so perhaps I just balanced it out a bit.

Phil

I love this thread. Thank you to all who have contributed. My husband and I leave on our first cruise EVER, which is Azamara, next month! I thought I was excited before but now I am definitely excited. My husband isn't a join in kinda guy either, really, but now I think I will have to insist on the White Night.

I love this thread. Thank you to all who have contributed. My husband and I leave on our first cruise EVER, which is Azamara, next month! I thought I was excited before but now I am definitely excited. My husband isn't a join in kinda guy either, really, but now I think I will have to insist on the White Night.

You can "join in" as much as you want on White Night. They may have tables for two set up ***** Deck 9, although that area will be more exposed to the elements.

But even on Deck 8 you may find a quiet area and we just enjoy watching the entertainment and the frivolity of others. Your level of joining in, even as to attire, will be purely your own decision.

But do eat the BBQ/buffet food on deck - it's wonderful!

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I love this thread. Thank you to all who have contributed. My husband and I leave on our first cruise EVER, which is Azamara, next month! I thought I was excited before but now I am definitely excited. My husband isn't a join in kinda guy either, really, but now I think I will have to insist on the White Night.

By the time White Night occurs, you may have met new friends on board. That happened to us, and they saved us seats at their table [good thing, the tables all filled up very quickly]. DW loves to dance; I never exercise voluntarily -- so she had a great time out on the dance floor, and I had a great time grazing the buffet and watching the action. My approach may work for your husband? ;)

Spursgirl - we did French, Italian and Californian Chef's Tables as we bought the package for $250 pp. Not cheap but absolutely fantastic. We thought the food was some of the best we ever had, anywhere! This was in July this year when we did the Norwegian fjords cruise.

 

 

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Thank you. We have been wanting to try the Chefs Table for a while but it just didn't work for us on our last 7 night cruise. Fortunately our October trip is 11 nights so this time we are determined to book one of them.

It's good to know that you enjoyed all of them so much

Spursgirl - we did French, Italian and Californian Chef's Tables as we bought the package for $250 pp. Not cheap but absolutely fantastic. We thought the food was some of the best we ever had, anywhere! This was in July this year when we did the Norwegian fjords cruise.

Thanks for the review! One question about the California menu: all the menus are 5 courses with a choice on the 4th, so when Calif says #3 is "surf and turf" and #4 is choice of NY Strip or Sea Bass -- what exactly do you get?

A couple of shower tips:

1) Take two bars of soap in to the shower with you. If you drop one there is not room to pick it up.

2) Place a face cloth on the shower floor and you will have wall to wall carpeting.

John :D

Also don't miss the officers BBQ - it was excellent! We also just returned from our first Azamara Quest cruise and really enjoyed ourselves!

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A couple of shower tips:

 

 

 

1) Take two bars of soap in to the shower with you. If you drop one there is not room to pick it up.

 

 

 

2) Place a face cloth on the shower floor and you will have wall to wall carpeting.

 

 

 

John :D

John, I appreciate your humour [emoji3] on a more positive note (but rather at risk of over sharing) both my husband and I can fit in the shower[emoji3].....it is what it is, after all it's an R class ship, lol.

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John, I appreciate your humour [emoji3] on a more positive note (but rather at risk of over sharing) both my husband and I can fit in the shower[emoji3].....it is what it is, after all it's an R class ship, lol.

 

:'):'):')

On the plus side, it had a very nice shower head and lots of hot water and good pressure. And I appreciated that there is a drain on the outside of the shower, as well, which meant I could move the curtain to the outside and not worry about flooding.

(I should also add that we live in a really old house so my frame of reference is a bathroom that is only marginally larger than the one on the ship!)

I love this thread. Thank you to all who have contributed. My husband and I leave on our first cruise EVER, which is Azamara, next month! I thought I was excited before but now I am definitely excited. My husband isn't a join in kinda guy either, really, but now I think I will have to insist on the White Night.

Wow--your first cruise ever on Azamara!! Good for you! Be prepared to fall in love!!

I'll be honest. I had a treatment in May on Journey and the member of the spa staff was able to prepare the treatment at the same time as giving the sales pitch so it didn't waste any treatment time. However it was really annoying and hard sell of after care treatment before I'd even had the treatment done! It was almost embarrassingly pushy. I let it go and said a firm "no" after it was explained to me. I should have just said at the start "don't bother with trying to sell me anything extra because I'm not interested", but she caught me on a benevolent evening, maybe after a couple of Moscow Mules. Lol. Lesson learned. I know the Spa Manager on Journey very well and always get great service from the team so perhaps I just balanced it out a bit.

 

Phil

I actually had the exact opposite experience in the spa--had my massage, the woman wrote down some items she suggested, and she never asked about it again! Sometimes I wonder if I even want a massage given how much I dislike the hard core sales at the end and was relieved I didn't have to deal with it this time.

There are USB sockets 'hidden' below the bedside lights so if you recharge devices with these, you will not need plugs.

 

 

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Thanks, this is a nice touch. I will be able to charge my phone while using it as a bedside alarm clock.:halo:

Denise

Thanks, this is a nice touch. I will be able to charge my phone while using it as a bedside alarm clock.:halo:

 

Denise

They are REALLY handy!

Phil

Thanks for the review! One question about the California menu: all the menus are 5 courses with a choice on the 4th, so when Calif says #3 is "surf and turf" and #4 is choice of NY Strip or Sea Bass -- what exactly do you get?

Have you had this question answered?

It seems to me that #3 is surf and turf (without NY strip or sea bass, e.g., maybe filet and lobster?) and #4 is surf (the sea bass) or turf (the NY strip)

On our previous Chefs Tables, the choice has always been on the main, being the meat choice or the fish (usually the sea bass).

I am going to hijack Debbie's thread to add some thoughts of my own, as hers track very closely with what I would have posted.

 

Embarkation, the muster drill, and disembarkation are as brief and painless as possible.

TOTALLY agree. People get really worried about this and it was easy peasy!

 

This was the first cruise we had taken with open dining and I was slightly worried that there would be less camaraderie in the dining room between us and the waitstaff. No worries!!!! The waiters were all wonderful and treated us as favorite relatives!

We were in the same situation and had the exact same experience. We ended up sitting in the same section every night and got to know our wonderful waitstaff. We also had a great time chatting with everyone around us and met people from around the globe.

 

The room was not nearly as small as it appears on the website! There were a couple of spaces that were a bit tight but we were not at all uncomfortable. There is plenty of storage space. The bathroom, however, was pretty tiny and the shower the smallest I've seen. Shaved my legs out of the shower.

The room was really well designed with loads of places to store your stuff and because the beds are not on platform bases, we were able to store our luggage underneath. I also loved that there were hooks in the room; very handy to be able to hang up a purse or robe. And while the bathroom was teeny (and I, too, had to shave my legs out of the shower and I am 5' on my tippie toes), it had plenty of shelves and a cubby area under the sink so we had ample storage. PRO-TIP: Get a flat, hanging toiletry bag. It is easier to pack and very easy to hang on the hooks in the bathroom.

 

Maps of the ports do not come to your room every night as they do on many ships. They are available at the Guest Services desk, and recommended shopping/dining sites can be found as you exit the ship in the security area. Also, there is a "local representative" who comes on deck and is stationed in the Guest Services area who can answer questions and help you with arrangements.

This one was area I felt could be improved. Several of the "local representatives" were completely clueless. One even told me she wasn't really local! We are very used to be able to DIY a port/destination all over the world and had hoped to be able to get basic info about public transport, cost of taxi, etc.. but could not. They could not even tell us where the local tourist offices were. It felt a bit rigged to push us to the very expensive shore excursions.

 

Eating on the back deck, especially during sunset, is beautiful.

YES! And breakfast out there is lovely.

 

There is breakfast in the dining room with different items than appear in the buffet.

We never made it there for breakfast because the selection in the buffet was AMAZING. I eat pretty healthy, DH not so much, and both of us were in heaven. Every day I would bring some of the smoked fish to the egg station, and the chef would scramble me some eggs whites with the fish. There was more fruit than you can possibly imagine...and then the naughty stuff. I may have loved breakfast most of all!

 

Do not, under any circumstances, miss the White Night Party or the Azamazing Evening! They are truly magical experiences and so much more fun than you can imagine. Even my husband, who is not necessarily a "joiner" or a fan of organized group activities, loved both of them.

Ditto. I am not a group activity person, and I would have skipped these but for all the reviews here, and I am so glad we went. The White Nights party was a blast (although in my dancing zeal, I accidentally stepped on someone's foot, and the next day heard her complaining about me to everyone in ear shot on the pool deck. Very embarrassing and awkward...).

 

The gym was really excellent for such a small ship. There were a number of free classes, which I attended and were excellent. There is also a spin class (which I never made it to) and a bootcamp (which was super pricey, IMHO). I was able to keep up with my fitness routines very easily.

 

Mosaic may have been my favorite place and the guys who worked there my favorite people. Anyone who will give me a double shot latte at 7 am is my BFF.

 

We ate at Aquilina, Prime C (2x) and did the Chefs Table. We liked Aquilina but didn't love it. It was not very lively and we like a restaurant with energy. The food was great. We LOVED Prime C -- and I don't even eat meat! It was a great atmosphere and the food was delish. I had my birthday dinner there, and they spoiled me rotten. (Bonnie - if you are reading this: Nikolai out did himself. He is wonderful.) But, the best experience of the entire cruise was the Chefs Table. It hit every note perfectly: The food was divine; the wine pairings superb; the company excellent. If you love food and wine, then do not hesitate. Book it. You will have no regrets.

 

The only negative of the experience was the spa. I booked a 90 minute massage as a massive splurge, and 10 of those minutes were used listening to a sales pitch. Totally not cool. I mentioned it to the manager who promised to "get back to me" (about what, I am not sure) but she never did. It was also not a relaxing environment. The room I was in was noisy, and they don't have anyplace for you to wait for your service other than the lobby. They wanted me to sit out there in a robe. Um. No. So I had to sit in the locker room because they admonished me not to go out on the VIP deck. It made me wonder what is out there? Champagne? Caviar? It was super weird.

 

All in all, it was fantastic. We won't likely do it again for a few years, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Glad to hear they put hooks up ib the cabin. Did you notice whether they put the shower lines back in the showers?

We've just been on Quest and there was a retractable washing line in the shower. Never used it, but noted it was there!

Glad to hear they put hooks up ib the cabin. Did you notice whether they put the shower lines back in the showers?

They've been there for some time now.

We've just been on Quest and there was a retractable washing line in the shower. Never used it, but noted it was there!

Thanks!

They've been there for some time now.

Thanks. I'll be looking to book next year on one of the Cuba cruises.

Just received an e-mail stating that they're having a 10% sale but not sure those are included. It does say that it's combinable with previous offers.

Our first time on Azamara was last week. I really wanted to love it. There were a number of benefits, but I didn't walk away feeling as though I had been on a luxury cruise.

Pros:

*small ship no embark/disembark lines, even when tendering. No lines for anything on board.

*great itinerary

*partially included beverages. Especially appreciated the coffee selection

*dining room was excellent and staff were reminiscent of the level of service from 20 years ago - where they remember your name and preferences after the first or second night (if you ask to be seated in the same section as we did)

*room service options were better than any other line. They won't deliver beer, but they will deliver wine?!

*azamazing night was excellent! As was the white night. Definitely do it!

Here is my list of cons...a very odd list in my opinion!

*i have never experienced "last call" on a ship before... Not even on a river cruise! The blink the lights and everything - every night.

*casino closes even though still in international waters... I guess taking money from just a handful of people isn't profitable enough.

*drink service is slow... From coffee and juice in the morning, to pool side and at the grill. I guess when it is included there is no reason to expedite. The selection of what is included at the various levels is also incomprehensible and there were no local choices included, which seemed counter-intuitive to the immersion approach.

*while I was a first timer on this line, my status on another line translated to this line, which was nice. But the returning guest reception required us to return almost two hours early from the port. If you like the port, don't come back early for the reception. You aren't missing much. They even took away already poured drinks rather than give them out. Maybe they would rather dump them out, but I couldn't help but think they were recycling them.

*as someone already mentioned, you have to seek out port maps instead of providing them in room. Strange approach.

*the time on port seemed off. Ports where there were many things to do time was short. Where there wasn't much the departure was late. When I say there were things to do, most of what I refer to is activities we would plan on our own. The excursions were geared towards a much older crowd. No beach excursions, no volcano/hot spring excursion which were things we had found on our own but couldn't schedule due to departure times.

*no storage in the bathroom. Two women sharing a cabin doesn't work with this bathroom configuration.

Overall, a good experience, but not a luxury line.