It's not like this on Azamara

[uktog]

We are finally back from a month down under which included a 17 night cruise on Celebrity Solstice. We knew we would not have the same Azamazing experience on board but given recent price rises on Azamara we were interested to see were some of the assertions that the deal will now be as good on Celebrity true.

 

I will do a review on the Celebrity boards shortly, it was a good cruise fitted the bill in terms of covering destinations Azamara do not and on that basis we also now have two more Celebrity trips booked to locations not covered by Azamara.

 

But, we have to say it is not valid to compare the whole service or food quality between the two lines and say they are equal. We dined each night in Blu, the food was good and very acceptable but it is not quite on the same level as Discoveries. Those in the main dining room told many horror stories re service and quality issues so beware on that score.

 

However, for us one event summed up what was wrong with Celebrity and is right with Azamara and found us uttering the famous it's not like this on .... Line. The silly thing is, this issue of difference is not related to costs or budgets available to Celebrity. Prior to this event, we could not put our finger on why the staff seemed to be trying but lacked the skill or engagement of an Azamara crew. Generally, most were doing things because they had to, not because they wanted to and smiles were forced at times.

 

We were in the buffet one lunchtime enjoying our lunch when the Captain and Staff Captain came in and sat down next to us in deep conversation and never said hello to anyone around them. Surprised us, even a nod of acknowledgement would have been appropriate if they were dealing with an important issue. A few minutes later a server approached them re drinks and one of the gents just barked "we are still waiting for our usual." That was it.....no pleasantries, no hello crew member, no checking those around had drinks (they did not!) etc. For those of you who know Azamara officers, can you imagine any of them treating a member of their team or guests like that.

 

I have always believed the behaviour of the leaders sets the tone of the organisation, I may be wrong as to why the Solstice crew were so often just going through the motions.....but we did find ourselves having several reflections about the behaviour of the officers and loyalty hostess and found ourselves trotting out the line, it's not like that on Azamara.

 

So for us, if the destination is right, it will still be Azamara post price rises even if the have to trade down rooms. Shiny showers and bigger pool decks are less important to us than an engaged crew who are proud to work for their cruise line and leaders who set the tone and walk the talk re behaviours and values

[Lottie A]

That's it in a nutshell Ann.

 

I found exactly the same on Oceania. As you said, it is inconceivable that Azamara officers would behave like that to their crew or their passengers. And that is why there are genuine happy smiling faces on Quest and Journey. :)

[little britain]

Where is the 'like' button?

Captain Carl would probably go and get you a drink!

[excitedofharpenden]

Ann, cruising on both lines I totally agree with you. I have said it before that I feel Celebrity service is more "going through the process" rather than being totally focused on the passenger. I think it is more evident on the S-Class ships and that may be due to the size. Azamara has a genuineness that is hard to put down to one thing because there are many facets to it. I think central to it though is a happy crew that as you say is led from the top.

 

Phil

[Dick in Falls Church]

For what it may be worth (probably nothing), we took the Century to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago. While the food wasn't as good as Azamara, the crew and staff, including the captain, almost made us feel we were on Azamara.

Weather was marginal at best, but had a very nice time.

[Andy]

Hi Ann,

 

Thank you for your (as always) outstanding comments. I absolutely agree that Azamara does an incredible job with Guest interaction, and making their Guests feel very special, and appreciated. Their onboard officers & crew are second to none.

 

We've sailed on Celebrity twice in the past 5 months, in November on Eclipse, and last month on Constellation. On the Eclipse sailing, we experienced everything you mentioned. The Crew seemed as if they were serving a prison sentence - no smiles, minimal assistance, and gave the appearance of wanting to be anywhere but that ship. When I asked to speak with the Hotel Director, it was blown off to Guest Relations, who called my cabin, promised a response, and never heard from him again. Coupled with several other problems, including several poor dining experiences, an inexcusable Specialty Dining experience, and an absolutely dreadful embark & disembark.... My Mother was in tears on the embark, as they left us (and many others who needed special assistance) sitting in the terminal for over 2 hours, as the rest of the guests walked onboard - it all led to a very disappointing cruise.

 

However, on last month's Constellation sailing, everything was outstanding... including crew attitude (smiles & assistance everywhere !), to wonderful cuisine, to a flawless embark and disembark. Everything was so outstanding, that we are sailing on Connie later this week. We are very excited about sailing on her again !

 

The bottom line is, I believe there are individual ship issues, as opposed to the entire line. I agree that it's all about leadership, and when there's poor leadership onboard, it spreads like wildfire to many of the officers & crew. While there are concerns, I hope that Celebrity will make an in depth review at each ship's operations from top to bottom.

 

Thankfully, we do not have to worry about any of this with Azamara. Kudos to everyone onboard Journey & Quest, and Bert Van Middendorp, Azamara's Director of Hotel Operations, for his outstanding efforts.

[Jade13]

Hi Ann,

When I asked to speak with the Hotel Director, it was blown off to Guest Relations, who called my cabin, promised a response, and never heard from him again. Coupled with several other problems, including several poor dining experiences, an inexcusable Specialty Dining experience, and an absolutely dreadful embark & disembark.... My Mother was in tears on the embark, as they left us (and many others who needed special assistance) sitting in the terminal for over 2 hours, as the rest of the guests walked onboard - it all led to a very disappointing cruise.

 

 

I am really sorry to hear this.

[nordski]

Uktog, we really appreciate your assessment.

 

Several years ago we were in Aqua Class on the Solstice, when it was a relatively new concept, and I keep thinking it's the closest we've come to the Azamara experience.

 

Agree that in terms of itinerary Celebrity is an alternative. For example, Az has a limited presence in the Baltic Sea and the Constellation, post Solsticization, may be a satisfactory choice.

 

But can we be realistic in our expectations???

[dfishner]

We have been on 3 x ships twice on Century which was as close to being perfect as you can get on a cruise.

 

We also were on the Solstice where we really enjoyed great staff and service. We found the food especially in Murano was a big disappointment we had two incredible experiences with Murano on Century. I have to give the maitre d' and the food and beverage director so much credit that they address our concerns and invitied us back for another meal which was so improved from our first go round.

 

We really enjoy X and found the service levels very high and the food generally better then on mass market lines. It is not Azamara but for what Azamara charges now X is a great fall back for us.

[Phxazzcruisers]

We can't agree more. We absolutely love Azamara and always feel great from the first "welcome home" we get very time we board the ship. The Captain and crew are all just incredible. Azamara is always our first choice, no matter the price, but we also still like Celebrity very much. If Azamara is not going anywhere we care to go when we can sail, we hop on a Celebrity ship.

[pacheco18]

IMO the comparison is absurd!

 

I am a regular Oceania cruiser (with two future Azamara cruises booked) and I just got off the Solstice - 14 days Australia/New Zealand. We had a great cruise. MDR was best we have ever experienced.

 

We paid around 2200 pp as opposed to the 5 or 6000 pp we pay on Oceania -- OF COURSE IT IS NOT LIKE OCEANIA -- or Azamara -- IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE.

 

You get what you pay for. Celebrity is the best value at sea but it is not an upscale small ship experience and does not try to be. If you board a Celebrity ship of any size and try to compare it to Oceania or Azamara you are destined to have a lousy cruise.

[lahlah57]

It's to be said whats one persons grip is another persons praise!

So many opinions, likes, dislikes, needs and wants that to take any into any great account could be misleading!

I have given reviews on cruises and someone on the exact same cruise will give a total and opposing view!

Only if the ship sinks into the ocean or to the bottom of a river bed......then maybe......just maybe you'll get a true view of a ships vacation worthiness:rolleyes:

[spw1947]

We were on the same cruise as UKtog and have previously sailed on Azamara. Like her we will write a more detailed review but for what it's worth , a few observations:

 

• It's an amazing logistical exercise to turn out 3 meals a day for so many people though I regard as absurd the Food and Beverage manager's assertion that there was really no where to load fresh supplies between Melbourne and Darwin.
  
• We were fortunate enough to be in a suite where we had excellent and personalised service from our room attendants and butler, and after I slipped over near the pool, the pool butler frequently asked if I was OK.
  
• In some areas of the ship, service was very offhand, but in others the staff were as friendly as we knew on Azamara. We found the officers generally kept to themselves and didn't acknowledge anyone else, unlike the A experience.
  
• For a big ship with so many passengers, there was rarely a feeling of it being crowded and on the few occasions we ate in the MDR the wait was no longer than on Azamara.
  
• Like UKtog we much preferred to eat in Blu and though the food was fresher, lighter and better sized than the MDR. We generally found service there personable.
  

We decided that we preferred smaller ships and look forward to another cruise on Azamara soon, but wouldn't totally reject Celebrity.

 

 

 

Incidentally, we agree with lahlah57 that different passengers on a cruise will have different experiences and views but hope we don't have to prove that with a capsize!

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Sue and Susan

[uktog]

IMO the comparison is absurd!

 

I am a regular Oceania cruiser (with two future Azamara cruises booked) and I just got off the Solstice - 14 days Australia/New Zealand. We had a great cruise. MDR was best we have ever experienced.

 

We paid around 2200 pp as opposed to the 5 or 6000 pp we pay on Oceania -- OF COURSE IT IS NOT LIKE OCEANIA -- or Azamara -- IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE.

 

You get what you pay for. Celebrity is the best value at sea but it is not an upscale small ship experience and does not try to be. If you board a Celebrity ship of any size and try to compare it to Oceania or Azamara you are destined to have a lousy cruise.

 

The point I was making in my post is that values and behaviours of the leadership (something that costs nothing) differs so greatly and that impacts on the cruise experience.

 

We did not board expecting the same experience and we did not have a lousy cruise!

 

Sue I had forgotten about how many supplies we ran out of towards the end of the cruise, that was an annoyance and again F and B managers will attempt to address the issues on Azamara - we got to the point on this cruise of virtually no breakfast cereals being available

[captainmcd]

In the last year I have cruised with RCI, Celebrity, and Azamara. Cruising, like any travel, is a subjective thing. No two people can expect to have the same experience on the same ship on the same cruise, let alone when on different ships on the same itinerary. My first Celebrity cruise was my best cruise ever, thanks to the captain whose assistant took me under her wing, had me sit at the captain's table, and treated me, a first time cruiser, as a VIP. It may have been that she read the CC rollcalls, and learned of my work as captain of humanitarian relief vessels. Azamara has a great size of ship, reasonable prices, and a high standard of service, but thanks to one person on one cruise, my best experience was on Celebrity. RCI was my worst experience, thanks to the shore staff mishandling the boarding process, requiring most passengers to wait two to four hours in a disorganized boarding process. I find reading the cruise reviews valuable, but not having much of an impact on the experience that I would have.

[pacheco18]

The point I was making in my post is that values and behaviours of the leadership (something that costs nothing) differs so greatly and that impacts on the cruise experience.

 

 

If you have ever run a business, you would know that everything costs money -- there is training involved in changing behaviors and values. It is not automatic.

 

Again, I think to make such a comparison is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If you prize so greatly the "values and behaviours" you believe can only be found on Azamara, then you should sail only Azamara -- so you won't be singing that sad refrain and your cruise experience won't be negatively impacted.

[marinaro44]

If you have ever run a business, you would know that everything costs money -- there is training involved in changing behaviors and values. It is not automatic.

 

Again, I think to make such a comparison is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If you prize so greatly the "values and behaviours" you believe can only be found on Azamara, then you should sail only Azamara -- so you won't be singing that sad refrain and your cruise experience won't be negatively impacted.

You rather conveniently ignored uktog's next sentence which reads:

 

"We did not board expecting the same experience and we did not have a lousy cruise!"

 

It is possible to make a comparison without being "disappointed" or "sad" or "negative" about one of the cruises. And, as far as I can see, it costs nothing monetarily for the captain, hotel director, F&B manager, cruise director, etc., to mix with and be sincerely involved with passengers rather than aloof and withdrawn. Setting that tone affects crew behavior and costs essentially nothing.

[uktog]

If you have ever run a business, you would know that everything costs money -- there is training involved in changing behaviors and values. It is not automatic.

 

.

 

Actually I do run a business specialising in people development - and it is well documented that you do not promote to leadership positions those who do not possess the underpinning values. There is also significant evidence that you cannot train in the innate leadership behaviours required.

 

I posted originally to highlight what I saw as a difference in approach between two cruise lines. I was never setting myself up for a disappointment and I do not believe my original post was a sad refrain, I refer you to line 4 of my original post

 

"it was a good cruise that fitted the bill" - nothing sad about that I would say

 

Marinaro is absolutely right, there is no cost in setting the right tone and in my view the two senior officers did not.

[pacheco18]

You rather conveniently ignored uktog's next sentence which reads:

 

"We did not board expecting the same experience and we did not have a lousy cruise!"

 

It is possible to make a comparison without being "disappointed" or "sad" or "negative" about one of the cruises. And, as far as I can see, it costs nothing monetarily for the captain, hotel director, F&B manager, cruise director, etc., to mix with and be sincerely involved with passengers rather than aloof and withdrawn. Setting that tone affects crew behavior and costs essentially nothing.

 

I read the entire post -- you missed my point entirely

 

OF COURSE IT IS NOT LIKE THIS ON AZAMARA when you are on Celebrity. it never will be.

Secondly, it costs plenty to change a culture (and that's what you are both referring to) -- there is training involved; you need to change attitudes. To say it costs "nothing" is way off the mark. Changing a culture is difficult and expensive. Businesses hire consultants to do it. Celebrity has its own culture; Azamara has its culture. They will never be the same.

[marinaro44]

I read the entire post -- you missed my point entirely

 

OF COURSE IT IS NOT LIKE THIS ON AZAMARA when you are on Celebrity. it never will be.

Secondly, it costs plenty to change a culture (and that's what you are both referring to) -- there is training involved; you need to change attitudes. To say it costs "nothing" is way off the mark. Changing a culture is difficult and expensive. Businesses hire consultants to do it. Celebrity has its own culture; Azamara has its culture. They will never be the same.

Sorry, but having spent 30 years in business, I can safely say your "secondly" paragraph is utter nonsense. See uktog's posting above for expert corroboration.

[Jade13]

You rather conveniently ignored uktog's next sentence which reads:

 

"We did not board expecting the same experience and we did not have a lousy cruise!"

 

It is possible to make a comparison without being "disappointed" or "sad" or "negative" about one of the cruises. And, as far as I can see, it costs nothing monetarily for the captain, hotel director, F&B manager, cruise director, etc., to mix with and be sincerely involved with passengers rather than aloof and withdrawn. Setting that tone affects crew behavior and costs essentially nothing.

 

I agree with you and UKtog. There are somethings that cannot be changed. One is usually a people person and well suited for the hotel industry, or, it doesn't matter how much you train them, they are not a people person and doing the bare minimum their job requires, going through the motions to get paid.

 

We were on the Silhouette transatlantic in December and the cruise exceeded our expectations. Of course we had lowered our expectations on this large ship, but only paid $100.00 per diem in Aqua class. However, the crew was outstanding and personable. The Captain was everywhere and showing up to late night events in the Theater, as well as broadcasting each day where he would be at a certain time if anyone wanted a photo Op with him. The food was actually better than our last Azamara cruise. We did not enjoy Prime C. Sure it is a big ship and the ports were pretty standard (Genoa was new and a highlight), but we are booked on two more Celebrity cruises next year.

 

We are on Azamara again later this year, and after paying more than in the past our expectations are greater.

[Spursgirl]

I read the entire post -- you missed my point entirely

 

OF COURSE IT IS NOT LIKE THIS ON AZAMARA when you are on Celebrity. it never will be.

Secondly, it costs plenty to change a culture (and that's what you are both referring to) -- there is training involved; you need to change attitudes. To say it costs "nothing" is way off the mark. Changing a culture is difficult and expensive. Businesses hire consultants to do it. Celebrity has its own culture; Azamara has its culture. They will never be the same.

 

Laraine,

 

I think we appreciate that Azamara and Celebrity have distinct cultures and many of us enjoy cruising on both lines.

 

However, if the Captain and Staff Captain on any ship sat next to us at a table in the buffet and didn't even say a brief hello I would consider them impolite. It has nothing to do with a company's culture it is a question of manners.

[HudandPug]

Laraine,

 

I think we appreciate that Azamara and Celebrity have distinct cultures and many of us enjoy cruising on both lines.

 

However, if the Captain and Staff Captain on any ship sat next to us at a table in the buffet and didn't even say a brief hello I would consider them impolite. It has nothing to do with a company's culture it is a question of manners.

 

I agree on the manners, which applies to about 50% of people on a cruise. Sometimes you fear saying hello, when you sit down on the next table at the buffet because they look as miserable as sin! Others have happy smiles and you know you can be polite and say hi! As far as officers goes you should try the Costa lot, but the rest of the crew are absolutely lovely, chatty, professional and amazingly attentive. Some of my best memories are of all the staff on the costa mediterranea, so you can have brilliant staff and snotty officers. In Costas case most officers you did see looked like they had just crawled out of an all night party (ladder in tights, messy shoes, crumpled trouser) and the rest of the crew were immaculate. We have not found that level of service on NCL (very nice and friendly) or Celebrity (bit offish) but did not expect it. May will be our first Azamara and we are very hyped up about what to expect :)

[Lindy028]

Laraine,

 

I think we appreciate that Azamara and Celebrity have distinct cultures and many of us enjoy cruising on both lines.

 

However, if the Captain and Staff Captain on any ship sat next to us at a table in the buffet and didn't even say a brief hello I would consider them impolite. It has nothing to do with a company's culture it is a question of manners.

 

Absolutely agree with this, it doesn't matter who they are, they are in the hospitality business and all their jobs rely on the 'customer' being satisfied.

I would not expect to be totally ignored by any member of the ship's crew or officers, nor would I be impressed with the way the crew member was addressed by a senior officer.

Civility costs nothing, nor do manners, treat people as you would wish to be treated, is, for some a rather trite remark, but has always been how I have treated everyone, be they staff working under me or friends.

[nordski]

 

It is possible to make a comparison without being "disappointed" or "sad" or "negative" about one of the cruises.

 

I agree that one can make a reasonably objective comparison while limiting the affective element. Indeed, all wise consumers do so.

 

I took uktog's post to be an attempt to measure the salient difference(s) with Celebrity in order to answer that most important question: "Is the Azamara difference worth it?"

 

Surely that is a step that all of us will take as we experience ACC's new "amenities" which are accompanied by higher rates.

 

Furthermore, as I stated above, it was a very worthwhile comparison for those of us who have previously sailed Aqua Class on Celebrity and contemplate doing so again.

 

I certainly appreciate her assessment and recognize that she sees a value in the Celebrity experience.