Our First Adventure on Azamara

[Redtravel]

Having been on Azamara before and after the the changes. The food has not really changed. It's good, but not great. I've had similar food on many lines. Even the specialty restaurant was just okay....not gourmet. The best dinner I had on my recent cruise was in the MDR. The buffets are good, but boring. The pizza is the worst ever. The ice cream is very good. Room service is good but has a very small menu. The only real changes in the new Club are the free wine, bottled water, and free Cova coffee, and the increase from $5 to $15 in the specialty restaurants. The price increases are very large, but the changes in food on board are very small. I like the ship, but feel that they could have done more.

[Sprit]

This is exactly my feeling as well (Unfortunately). On top of what redtravel mentions, the website of Azamara is still not updated until today (more than a month after the transition)

 

What happened is a price increase of 30 to 40% and in exchange you’ll get some free drinks and by luck a free shuttle. It’s not only that there’s a little to no chance in the food, It seems that Azamara fails to deliver something that makes you go WOW. At this point, in my opinion, the majority of the guests should come of the ship raving about the product and what was delivered.

 

Instead the reviews keep on being very mixed. And the questions with regards to the current pricing keeps on coming and coming. At current prices and compared to what the competition delivers, Azamara keeps on being behind of the rest. That’s a pitty and shame, As I do believe the potential is there. Wrong Management ?

 

On top of that the ships seems to not fill up the way it supposed to be. Easy calculation and my deepest feeling learns that there will be a different Azamara in the not too far future (if any Azamara at all :mad:)

[suec12]

So MightyQuinn - when you asked for suggestions, esp. in the MDR, did the waiters give you suggestions? I was frustrated on Oceania that they would always demur - later another passenger said they were insturcted not to suggest what was good, because "everything was excellent " - except not everything was. I'm hoping that with a little direction, I will have an enjoyable cruise, food wise. The fact that the speciality dining times are not very flexible is frustating.

[lvdave]

I was on this same cruise and my experience was different in some aspects. I have cruised between 25-30 times over the years, mostly with HAL or Celebrity in recent years. This was my first t/a and first with an "upscale" line.

 

I also had a balcony cabin on the seventh deck. I thought the cabin was stylish and extremely well-maintained. All the towels and wash cloths I had were plush and, IMO, better than on other lines. I did not see any mold anywhere. The balcony looked to be about standard size but was not used because of the weather. I still enjoyed having the floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall window. My first impression about the bed was similar to Mighty Quinn's in that the mattress was lumpy and had waves. Surprisingly, I slept extremely well on it without getting any back aches (which I have gotten on other cruise lines).

 

As far as the food is concerned, I have a different take on it. I ate in the MDR every evening except one, including a dinner with Tony, the cruise director. I am trying to remember any eveneing when I did not thoroughly enjoy the food, and can't think of one. I thought the food, from soup, to appetizers, to main entrees to desserts were all of high quality, delicious and presented extremely well. I ate at the same table every evening and the sevice was exceptional. I ate in Aqualina one evening and think that was the best meal I had ever had at sea.

 

Breakfast and Lumch in the buffet, IMO, were just ok. There were some great dishes, but the selections were limited and, in some cases, the food was lukewarm or cold. The only room service I had was a breakfast that arrived on time, but the bacon was cold.

 

I am a fan of sushi and, even though there is an accomplished sushi chef on board (he gave a great demonstratrion) there were very few times when it was available, unlike on the MIllenium where there was sushi every eveny in the buffet area starting at 5 pm.

 

IMO, the staff, crew and entertainers/lecturers were the most attentive, friendly and accessible of any I have encountered. They made the the voyage that much better. The activities were plentiful and enjoyable and the entertainment was exceptional.

 

As I have told my friends since returning home, this was the best cruise experience I have ever had. Not everything was perfect, but it never is.

 

I hope this perspective is helpful.

[greeneg]

Nice review, MightyQuinn, comes across as objective and not unfair. Our experience has been with the "old" Azamara, so cannot compare to the "New" version necessarily although it doesn't seem as though there is enough added WOW factor justify all the hype. We tended to prefer Aqualina to both Prime C and the MDR, finding the the latter two to be "good", while we did think Aqualina was "Excellent". I would note that we did not run into the problem of "fixed" time, but found the restaurant staff to be very accommodating. Perhaps that's a change also. We actually found that we enjoyed having dinner upstairs in the Buffet because of the stir-fries, the sushi, and the ability to sit outside aft and watch the Sun go down.

 

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

[MightyQuinn]

So MightyQuinn - when you asked for suggestions, esp. in the MDR, did the waiters give you suggestions?

Absolutely. We had the same servers for many meals in the MDR & they really seemed to have the inside scoop on what was good or not so much. They had no problems making specific recommendations and/or subtly steering us away from certain choices. So while we may have preferred to try xxx, if they hesitated or said “not tonite Madam” we’d make another selection. As a result, we ate much more red meat & much less fish & pasta than we normally would have. I think it was no secret that the kitchen didn’t turn out the full menu with equally good results.

[MightyQuinn]

I was on this same cruise and my experience was different in some aspects.

LVDave, you & I agree on many things about the cruise. Azamara did lots right & should be commended. Our biggest point of disagreement is in the food, where we clearly see things very differently! Not surprising given the very subjective nature of taste.

 

Btw, was that you who did the Bob Newhart bit during the passenger talent show? Nice going!

[MightyQuinn]

I would note that we did not run into the problem of "fixed" time, but found the restaurant staff to be very accommodating. Perhaps that's a change also.

 

We actually found that we enjoyed having dinner upstairs in the Buffet because of the stir-fries, the sushi, and the ability to sit outside aft and watch the Sun go down.

I've thought a bit more about the specialty restaurants having a fixed reservation schedule. Maybe it is new. And maybe it's because there is increased demand for both restaurants now that they are complimentary for suite passengers. Having a fixed schedule allows Azamara to accommodate more passengers & turn the tables twice each evening. That wouldn't be possible if they accepted peak hour reservations. Just my idle speculation ....

 

Completely agree about the evening buffet. When Windows morphed into Breeza each nite, the aft Sunset Bar became a lovely spot to eat. We had dinner there whenever they served special themed meals, such as Spanish tapas, Asian stir-fry and Indian curries. The chefs seemed to take extra pride in these dinners. And you were guaranteed to get freshly prepared & piping hot food.

[lvdave]

Btw, was that you who did the Bob Newhart bit during the passenger talent show? Nice going!

 

Yes it was. I enjoyed that. Thanks.

 

Dave

[Jade13]

 

Completely agree about the evening buffet. When Windows morphed into Breeza each nite, the aft Sunset Bar became a lovely spot to eat. We had dinner there whenever they served special themed meals, such as Spanish tapas, Asian stir-fry and Indian curries. The chefs seemed to take extra pride in these dinners. And you were guaranteed to get freshly prepared & piping hot food.

 

We never ate at the Sunset Bar. It was hot and too many bugs in Asia.

 

When we went by the Indian buffet it was empty. I never saw any Spanish tapas on Quest, of course we were in Asia, not Spain.

[MightyQuinn]

We never ate at the Sunset Bar. It was hot and too many bugs in Asia.

Jade, if weather & bugs cooperate, try to have dinner at the aft Sunset Bar when you sail Azamara again! It's a delightful spot.

 

We usually prefer to have a served meal in the MDR, but on our recent cruise we were disappointed in it. We found the buffet to be a decent alternative. The choice & selections were very limited but we enjoyed it on special themed nites.

[alexandra cruiser]

I ve read all the posts, and now wonder whether I should re think AZ over Oceania for upcoming Norway cruise,,,the itineraries are similar,but O a little longer and more expensive...Ive been on O 2 times and loved it,stayed on Concierge level also...really thought AZ would be very similar,but the food thing may be a problem.....esp.for hubby...

Then, have a SeaDream cruise coming up in June, and they will be offering a new Norway cruise next year...maybe after that,,,only LUXURY cruising for us,eh? hahaha,,,,do appreciate you comparisons.....any ideas?????? How lucky to have such HARD decisions!!!:D

[MightyQuinn]

I ve read all the posts, and now wonder whether I should re think AZ over Oceania for upcoming Norway cruise,,,the itineraries are similar,but O a little longer and more expensive...Ive been on O 2 times and loved it,stayed on Concierge level also...really thought AZ would be very similar,but the food thing may be a problem.....

Alexandra Cruiser – you’re right. What a happy problem to have!

 

All I can say is that I, like you, read a ton of reviews before we decided to cruise Azamara. Some were positive, others not so much. At times I became confused & discouraged. It would have been very easy to abandon ship & cancel our booking. But then we’d never really know whether Azamara was for us or not. So we decided to follow thru with our booking & make our own first-hand impressions. And in the end, we’re happy that we did.

 

My review is a summary of our cruise as we experienced it, filtered thru our priorities & preferences. What matters most to us may not be the same things that matter most to you. Our disappointment with the food is the primary reason why we would hesitate to sail Azamara again. You may have a different experience or different needs. I can only answer for us. But I think you're very smart to read & compare. Some help huh? ;);)

Full disclosure. We decided to do our test cruises on both Oceania & Azamara on 14-day transAtlantics where our investment was modest & we didn’t risk ruining the trip of a lifetime. Good luck with your choices!