Elite Celebrity and Diamond RCL cruiser interested in Azamara

We have done cruises on Celebrity and RCL (also NCL) that would allow transfer of membership benefits to Azamara.

Does Azamara have a happy hour similar to Celebrity or RCL?

I noticed that Azamara prices are substantially more than Celebrity or RCL. Any tips on finding bargains, especially for transatlantic cruises?

No happy hour drinks on Azamara, but to be honest with late night in ports and included select drinks there isn't a need.

As far as bargains, they are rarer these days. Just keep looking and an eye out for the promotions Azamara run (although these too are less common). There are good deals on repos like a ta, but not necessarily on one that you are interested in.

Having done quite a few Celebrity I'm now content to pay more for Azamara. For me they are superior and I love the smaller ship.

Phil

You may already know this, but one reason there is no happy hour is that standard drinks are included in the fare.

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Thanks for the information. I have heard great things about Azamara, but the prices tend to run double or more that Celebrlty's. Including basic drinks is good, but we are Elite and get free happy hour drinks and don't spend much on alcohol. I do like the Rome to Rio transatlantic and would love doing that one.

Thanks for the information. I have heard great things about Azamara, but the prices tend to run double or more that Celebrlty's. Including basic drinks is good, but we are Elite and get free happy hour drinks and don't spend much on alcohol. I do like the Rome to Rio transatlantic and would love doing that one.

You will have other benefits due to the matching of your Celebrity status to the one in Azamara. I believe that if you are Elite in Celebrity you will be Discover in Azamara. It brings many benefits but not the happy hour. I do not think you need the happy hour because many drinks are already included in the price. You will not spend much in alcohol at Azamara either.

Now, at Azamara you get a smaller ship (for a transatlantic not necessary something I would choose) and shows are not as good as in Celebrity or as in the larger Royal Caribbean ships.

Service and interaction with officers are better in Azamara. Food presentation and quality are also imho better in Azamara.

Azamara has other advantages that I do not think apply much during a transatlantic for example free shuttle in most ports if necessary, Azamazing evening and long stay at ports.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruises.

Azamara includes gratuity besides the alcohol and soft drinks and specialty coffees. For a Transatlantic I went with RCCL since I wanted a higher activity level for so many sea days.

We have done cruises on Celebrity and RCL (also NCL) that would allow transfer of membership benefits to Azamara.

 

Does Azamara have a happy hour similar to Celebrity or RCL?

 

I noticed that Azamara prices are substantially more than Celebrity or RCL. Any tips on finding bargains, especially for transatlantic cruises?

Perhaps my X/AZ comparison will help. See. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2477526

I have found Azamara to be a very different proposition to Celebrity. It's not for everyone, but suits me. To be quite honest, with the price differential you are seeing and particularly the standard of the LCV benefits they really don't enter the equation much.

Phil

We had only ever sailed X (15 cruises) and have been elite+ for a third of those and have had the premium package on many of them. We love a good glass of wine and some special cocktails, and we were also a little concerned we wouldn't like the included offerings on AZ. We were prepared to have to buy an upgraded package or buy lots of extra drinks. So we gave it a couple days to see. Not only did we not spend a single dollar on adult beverages on our 15 night AZ cruise this past summer, we think we are going to stick with AZ from now on. We love the atmosphere, the food, the service, the size of the ship, and so much more. If Celebrity has the right itinerary then we would return to them, but we honestly love the AZ itineraries better (which is what brought us to AZ in the first place).

We aren't big drinkers but we did like that we could grab a bottle of water wherever and whenever we wanted, and that wine and cocktails are complimentary and good. We made use of all the Discoverer + perks we got with our loyalty transfer.

I hope you have a great cruise.

I like Celebrity and Azamara. Like many long time cruisers, I was cruising years before Azamara existed. I am elite plus or discoverer plus depending on which line I am on. Benefits vary. On Celebrity the evening reception is nice. It brings together like minded cruisers who obviously like Celebrity for complimentary drinks and snacks. It is a nice place to unwind and relax. Azamara does not do it. The drinks are always complimentary 24/7. It would be nice to get together with loyal cruisers. I value the pleasant time to converse with like minded folks. I don't drink much liquor. For me, it's not about the drinks.

Celebrity elite plus does provide 2 free bags of laundry per person and 240 free internet minutes. azamara used to provide this. I have heard that it has been cut down. Since I seldom use all my free bags of laundry or wifi, I am ok. What Azamara does as a smaller ship makes a big difference in the cruise experience. It isn't crowded, no lines or advance tickets needed. Eat dinner in the MDR or buffet when you want. Azamara sails into smaller ports. It is worth experiencing. As for price, Azamara often costs more than Celebrity. It includes more in the basic fare. There are promotions offered like double upgrades, air credits, free excursions, etc. that may make the fare actually lower than Celebrity. Shop carefully. Try Azamara. I still cruise on Celebrity and other lines. I like most cruises.

On Celebrity the evening reception is nice. It brings together like minded cruisers who obviously like Celebrity for complimentary drinks and snacks. It is a nice place to unwind and relax. Azamara does not do it. The drinks are always complimentary 24/7. It would be nice to get together with loyal cruisers. I value the pleasant time to converse with like minded folks. I don't drink much liquor. For me, it's not about the drinks.

From what I have been reading there seems to be a move away from the Elite Lounge on Celebrity in favour of loading the seapass card with three free Elite menu drinks per day that can be used in most of the bars. I think this has a lot to do with just how many Elite members there now are. For me personally I never found the Elite Lounge particularly conducive to open socialising although did meet up there with people I’d already become friendly with elsewhere on the ship.

Phil

The drinks loaded onto your seapass only happens when there are too many people to fit into a reserved space. When that happens, you will find lots of elites at every bar. I have usually had that happen on winter Caribbean cruises. One of the best elite evening events was held nightly on the Millenium in the Rendez Vous lounge. It was really nice, had music, lots of ship officiers came, and it was next to the dining rooms.

Even though they give you the possibility to take your drinks at any bar in cruises with too many Elite members in Celebrity ships, they keep the lounge open, which means you can still socialize with the other members.

Even though they give you the possibility to take your drinks at any bar in cruises with too many Elite members in Celebrity ships, they keep the lounge open, which means you can still socialize with the other members.

And they still serve canapés.

One of the nice features of the designated elite reception is that you have the opportunity for interaction with officiers and other guests. At a chance encounter on Millenium, the CRuise Director paid attention to my comments. It made a good cruise even better.

On Azamara you get lots of opportunities to talk to officers, they’re very visible.

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Your status on X/RCI transfers over to Azamara's Le Club Voyage program (your LCV number is the same as your CC member on X). Every quarter there are a list of cruises that offer a 10% discount to LCV members, and we've taken advantage of that. If you book onboard, you can get an LCV discount and OBC, but of course you have to be on a cruise to get that discount :) Right now with the double upgrade promotion, we've found some decent prices on a few cruises if you book balcony cabins.

We always book through a travel agent to get a little more bang for our buck in the form of OBC or a cash-back rebate.

One of the nice features of the designated elite reception is that you have the opportunity for interaction with officiers and other guests. At a chance encounter on Millenium, the CRuise Director paid attention to my comments. It made a good cruise even better.

Well I have got to say that the visibility of officers on Celebrity pales in comparison with Azamara. They are much less visible. As for the Elite Lounge, I've never seen an officer at one of the gatherings, save for the Captain's Club event and I've been to quite a few. Bottom line. Azamara is a very different experience socially than Celebrity and the size of the ship and general atmosphere onboard doesn't call for a nightly social gathering. Besides Azamara hold a number of events for the loyalty programs, including reciprocal arrangements with Captain's Club members. If you go to the Cruise Critic gathering they do a much more professional job than Celebrity and all the Senior Officers including the Captain if he can make it from the bridge will be there.

Way too much is being made of the daily Celebrity Elite Lounge event. It's just not needed IMHO.

Phil

If you have a Celebrity cruise booked, and you wait to book Azamara until you are onboard, there is a nice discount in the price of the Azamara. I was on a Celebrity cruise, and as an Elite Plus member, got 7% off booking an Azamara cruise while on board.:D:D