Celebrity vs. Azamara

[LOP]

I know that I am going to buck the trend here but we much prefer Celebrity over Azamara.

So, while I would not say that we would never sail on Azamara again, it is unlikely. The suites on Celebrity are much better than on Azamara and we would prefer to spent our money on X.

 

Sue

 

 

Appreciate your opinion on this as I feel we have the same tastes in cruising especially cabin choices and what to expect from a cruise.

 

We are looking at a 2013 Quest Norwegian Fjord cruise and a 2013 Costellation cruise leaning to AZ due to itinerary mainly so this entire thread is helpful.

[Wineart]

Have been on both Celebrity and Azamara. Which line is better really depends on what you're looking for in a cruise. Celebrity has big ships, so there's better nightlife, more activities, and larger cabins. Azamara has small ships, so the itineraries tend to be more interesting, food is better, but cabins are smaller and there's not much nightlife. We enjoy both lines, and pick based on itinerary and price. Azamara has definitely gone up in price, and we've been doing more cruises lately on the new S-class ships on Celebrity.

[Bridge Maven]

Does anyone feel that Celebrity is focusing on making its Azamara brand to be what Celebrity originally was, and Celebrity to be more like other mass market cruise lines?

[ellbon]

The cabins I thought on te M class ships are 175 sq ft.. on S class they are 194 sq ft. Azamara's are 194. .i get the club suite for space; butlet, bathtub. etc.

I love the later nights in ports. in europe had dinner out.. walked at night.

I do not drink much wine but many love the free wine. the food si better in Azamara. their spec restaurants are included nightly in all suites.. about half the price of celebrity.

everyone knows you.. yes, there is less to do at night.. but that is ok as i am out and about during the day.

Trying celebrity's new Reflection with children.. But i will always prefer Azamara.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Well said Phxazzcruisers. Our favorite ship is the Mercury. We had a great time on Azamara. We are thinking of cruising the Black Sea. Azamara will be our 1st choice. Richard

 

Hi. We are actually doing the Black Sea from Isyanbul in late July this year on Quest then B2B from Athens to Venice. We can't wait !!!!

[uktog]

One of the difference with the smaller ship is inevitably there are less staff on board. This means that a layer of management does not appear to exist and there is much more multi tasking. As others have reported, Officers are visible, not just walking around but actually doing things. The other difference though is that the staff are trained to work out what you would like and have a lot of freedom to do extra things for you. They do not need to go and ask a manager. So wheras on a Celebrity ship if you ask a waiter for something slightly different, he has to go and check with his manager, on Azamara, the waiter makes it happen if he/she can. It is interesting that Azamara have no issues retaining staff and staff chose to stay on board at their current grade rather than seek promotion on other X ships. That may be even more surprising to some when you consider their accommodation is much less smart than on S class ships. The bottom line is you have a very happy engaged team of staff and this rubs off onto the service and the guests. It is very very rare to have a less than top grade member of staff, whereas on Celebrity we read about less good housekeeping staff etc

 

Because so much more is included (and yes this is reflected in the cost) staff do not spend ages running back and forward with bills to be signed, all that time is freed up to look after you in other ways.

 

Every time we have gone on Azamara, the service has got better (if that is possible!) on Celebrity to be honest it has gone backward or stayed static

[excitedofharpenden]

One of the difference with the smaller ship is inevitably there are less staff on board. This means that a layer of management does not appear to exist and there is much more multi tasking. As others have reported, Officers are visible, not just walking around but actually doing things. The other difference though is that the staff are trained to work out what you would like and have a lot of freedom to do extra things for you. They do not need to go and ask a manager. So wheras on a Celebrity ship if you ask a waiter for something slightly different, he has to go and check with his manager, on Azamara, the waiter makes it happen if he/she can. It is interesting that Azamara have no issues retaining staff and staff chose to stay on board at their current grade rather than seek promotion on other X ships. That may be even more surprising to some when you consider their accommodation is much less smart than on S class ships. The bottom line is you have a very happy engaged team of staff and this rubs off onto the service and the guests. It is very very rare to have a less than top grade member of staff, whereas on Celebrity we read about less good housekeeping staff etc

 

Because so much more is included (and yes this is reflected in the cost) staff do not spend ages running back and forward with bills to be signed, all that time is freed up to look after you in other ways.

 

Every time we have gone on Azamara, the service has got better (if that is possible!) on Celebrity to be honest it has gone backward or stayed static

That is a good observation. I hadn't really thought of it that way, but it makes sense.

 

I have been very impressed with the three Azamara cruises I have been on. For me a smaller ship makes you feel more part of the experience and you get to know passengers and crew alike. Personally I think the food is better than Celebrity, the service is more polished and there is more consistency in its delivery. Your fellow guests are likely to be on average slightly older than an X cruise, but more active and well travelled.

 

For me the major attractions aside from these are that the ships dock right in the heart of the action going to places you wouldn't get to in a larger ship and overnights enable you to see them at night.

 

Just a note. The Club Continent Suites aren't priced at such a premium as the Sky Suites on Celebrity and the 125% singles rate on some sailings make them attractive to solo occupancy travellers.

 

I'm booked on Quest in October and can't wait. Having just done a B2B on Eclipse I think Azamara is now where my heart lies.

 

Phil

[Andy]

Does anyone feel that Celebrity is focusing on making its Azamara brand to be what Celebrity originally was, and Celebrity to be more like other mass market cruise lines?

 

Hi Bridge Maven,

 

Azamara has a separate management team from Celebrity. That I'm aware, Celebrity has nothing to do with Azamara's day-to-day operations. Major decisions are coming from either Azamara's management, or Royal Caribbean... which (for those who are unaware) is the parent company.

 

Getting back to your question, At times, I've wondered similar things. Cuisine is an example, Azamara reminds me of Celebrity when Michel Roux was the head chef. IMO, I do not believe Celebrity is striving to be like "mass market" cruise lines. I feel they are trying to carve out their own specialty niche, while recruiting a younger and upmarket demographic.

 

While I completely respect Celebrity's desire to reach out to new & younger cruisers - after all, it's smart business... I feel they should cater to all age groups, and not lose sight of their countless repeat Guests, many of whom are in their 40's, 50's and well beyond. They are the group that's been instrumental in making Celebrity the success they are today.

[Karynanne]

Does anyone feel that Celebrity is focusing on making its Azamara brand to be what Celebrity originally was, and Celebrity to be more like other mass market cruise lines?

 

We found the Azamara experience completely different than Celebrity. I don't feel that the Azamara brand is trying to do anything but give their passengers a more personalized experience. It's like comparing apples to wheat!

 

Celebrity competes against it's own ship size and passenger size. The brands are entirely unique and separate.

[dabear]

We found the Azamara experience completely different than Celebrity. I don't feel that the Azamara brand is trying to do anything but give their passengers a more personalized experience. It's like comparing apples to wheat!

 

Celebrity competes against it's own ship size and passenger size. The brands are entirely unique and separate.

 

I agree totally a different experience. A's cabins are a bit smaller, but it is a more personalized experience, service and food we found much better compared to X 's current offerings. Oceania also is a similiar experience with more creative food than A. Saying all of this (we've tried all 3 lines) you still have to compare price and itinerary.

[Maggie 1008]

We did our first Azamara cruise in April and loved it so much we are going to the Batic in June. We are Elite on Celebrity and will still cruise with them. I just enjoy the smaller ship. Elite events and happy hour on the S Class ships are too crowded. 2800 people is some times just too many. We loved the comp. wine with lunch and dinner on Azamara. Smallest bar tab we have ever had. I will remain loyal to Celebrity and Azamara. Just wish there was more out of the West Coast.

[emcee207]

Guess I'll have to add my two cents...........

 

11 time cruisers here since 2004, 10 on Celebrity and 1 on Azamara Quest back in spring of 2008. It was a 14 day "Best of Italy" cruise and was really the trip of a lifetime for us.

For us, if we are going to the Caribbean and just looking to escape the winters of the northeast, we'd probably stay with Celebrity. When escaping the cold, its not so much the itineraries but more the warmth and the ammenities of the ship.

For Europe or the Med, where the itineraries are more important, we'd try to go with Azamara. The smaller ships can get into smaller ports and it is easier booking tours with a group of 700 passengers as opposed to 3,000. For example, when we stopped at the Amalfi coast we tendered in Sorrento as opposed to docking in Naples. The tender ride was 10 minutes max.

We also had an overnight there which allowed us to tour the Amalfi coast on the first day and then spend the second day on the island of Capri.

 

We also had overnights in Venice (loads of fun, a total different strory;)) and Livorno, which is the port for Florence. We actually stayed overnight in florence that night, which was cool.

 

However, in 2008 Azamara prices were comprable to Celebrity. I don't know now if we could justify the difference unless it was an itinerary we really wanted to take.

 

You need to consider all the variables in making your selection. Once made, run with it and make the most of it. Life is short.

[JFontaine]

Part of what I like about cruising is just to sit quietly on my balcony. The Azamara balcony was really too small to enjoy. For what I paid for a one week Greece and Croatia cruise, I could have gotten a nice-sized suite on a Celebrity ship. I found that the staff tried very hard on Azamara, with often mixed results. My expectations were high for service and food(partly my fault - but in the Regent and Crystal range) and the product didn't live up to my expectations. I would cruise them again, based on the itinerary, but with lowered expectations.

[cirpi]

We did a 16-day transatlantic on the Journey before she was elevated to club status. We loved the ship, the crew and the food and considered this the best Celebrity cruise ever (as we invariably do after every cruise). After Journey, we stepped way up in size to Equinox and Silhouette with great trepidation, but, by golly, we found that there was no discernable difference in food, service, friendliness of staff and space ratios between Journey and the megaships.

[LOP]

This thread has been very insightful and it helped us decide to sail Azamara.

 

Just booked our first Azamara cruise 07/2013 on the Quest.

 

Had considered the Constellation cruise out of Amsterdam at about same time of year, but the AZ itinerary appealed to us more and R/T out of Hamburg interests us as we are already sailing the Connie 08/2012 out of Amsterdam.

[cpgrneyes]

LOP, you'll LOVE Azamara!

[sweetsailing]

Question for those who love Azamara-- do you find that a smaller ship is worse in rough seas? I love the idea of a smaller, more intimate group but always worry that the smaller ships are less stable in rough waters.

[Maggie 1008]

We did San Juan to NYC in April. We had 4 sea days and all were rough. Love Azamara but would not do a transatlantic on a ship this size.

[takemewithyou]

Question for those who love Azamara-- do you find that a smaller ship is worse in rough seas? I love the idea of a smaller, more intimate group but always worry that the smaller ships are less stable in rough waters.

 

Loved everything on our TA, but it was rough! Like "strap yourself into the bed so you don't fall out" rough....so as much as I liked Azamara, I would never do another TA on their small ships! :eek:

 

Our friends were on the same route just a day or two ahead on us on a RCCL ship (much larger) said their sailing was smooth!

[Redtravel]

Celebrity and Azamara are both nice. I like the Azamara style better. I prefer the smaller ship with better service. Also, Azamara has better food. Celebrity has good food. I hate formal nights. I pick dates and location. Then I shop both lines. Since Celebrity has more ships, I often pick Celebrity because it fits my agenda. Celebrity prices are usually less expensive than Azamara. Although I have picked up some deals on Azamara, plan on spending more than on Celebrity. Azamara is my choice when sailing as a couple. Very few kids. Celebrity is my choice when sailing with the family. You will enjoy either line. Also, Azamara cabins are smaller than most Celebrity cabins. The included wine, coffees, and tips on Azamara are built into the basic fare. On Celebrity you have more flexibility. For example, I don't drink wine. On Azamara I'm already paying for it. On Celebrity, I can choose whether or not to buy it.

[excitedofharpenden]

Question for those who love Azamara-- do you find that a smaller ship is worse in rough seas? I love the idea of a smaller, more intimate group but always worry that the smaller ships are less stable in rough waters.

I've been on Journey in 15 foot seas between Nice and Corsica and maybe a little less between Taiwan and Japan on Quest. Swells on both occasions weren't that great. The ships certainly moved more than one of the larger Celebrity M or S-Class. Not unpleasant and I like some movement to remind me I am at sea. Not sure I would want to do a transatlantic, but that may be more to do with their slower speed and the greater number of sea days in a row.

 

Phil