Azamara versus Oceania

[TERRIER1]

rge-Azamara was a $5 charge when I sailed but those days are over.

Casual dining-a tie except for the outdoor dining during the day is

 

 

No ties are required anywhere or anytime on Oceania.

[MIKESCOTLAND]

Having sailed on both twice for 14 day cruises on the R-ships I can offer the following observations:

 

MDR-I would give it to Oceania as I found more variety and better food.

Special Dining-Oceania and its free with no cover charge-Azamara was a $5 charge when I sailed but those days are over.

Casual dining-a tie except for the outdoor dining during the day is Oceania hands down-why -great variety including lobster and filet mignon sandwiches and also Kobe burgers.

Entertainment-a draw at most but I did feel the special guest entertainers on Azamara were better.

Staff- I give that to Azamara-a much warmer feeling.

Ship conditions-Overall I give it to Oceania and that is before the $50 million overhaul. I last sailed on the Quest in 2010 and sailed on the Nautica in 2013.

Guests-To me the same mix of people maybe a bit more affluent on Oceania.

Itineraries-Edge-Azamara-longer port stays and now more overnights.

 

 

Conclusion-I prefer Oceania especially on price and Azamara has gotten too expensive and that is due to their free wine and liquor program. For people who do not drink or drink occasionally (a little wine with one's meal) this is a turnoff. That is one reason I will never cruise on an all-inclusive-why pay for things you will not need or use? I would prefer to take more sailings and forego amenities that I do not need or care for.

 

When I compare price Oceania wins hands down and that is too bad because I do like Azamara. I am also a loyal Celebrity cruiser. If Azamara wants to grow they should rethink their pricing and perhaps build a couple of new ships at around 50-60,000 tons and 1200 passengers. They would lure a lot more of their base (Celebrity and RCL cruisers) in addition to other cruisers that want a more upscale experience and smaller ships without paying a fortune(albeit a small one).

 

Just my thoughts,

Rodan

 

Having sailed in the last 15 months on both Azamara vessels & also the Nautica I share most of your views but not your Conclusion.

 

I don't think there is a consistent relationship in the pricing between Oceania & Azamara & the "perks" vary between sailings. However we find that more often than not Azamara is still cheaper "for us". This takes account of the fact Azamara always includes gratuities in the price, the included booze, Azamara offers "early bird" booking discounts & we have found it is possible to negotiate higher OBC with Azamara. Oceania tends to hold/increase it's prices more than Azamara which appears to discount more for some late bookings. Azamara tends to offer cheaper excursions even allowing for the end of the 25% discount for early bookings.

 

Apart from the factors you mention we have experienced & enjoyed relatively more enrichment lectures on Oceania but it is possible this is partly a function of the number of sea days. Our view on Azamara is however unfavorably influenced by it's weakness in administration.

 

Our conclusion is we would always focus on the itinerary first & then look closely at the net cost of any short listed cruises. For 2014 we have found Azamara has the best itinerary for us but the position is reversed in 2015.

[billie bucks]

We have been loyal Oceania passengers since 2006. Over the years, we have seen their pricing increase to the point where we are wondering if we are going to be able to afford more cruising with them. Their wine pricing has also increased greatly and the corkage on bringing your bottle of wine to the dining room had an increase of 5USD from March of this year.

Azamara seems to us to have more competitive pricing as was shown in their promotion earlier this year...pay for an inside and get a balcony. A great saving combined with the included gratuities, wine and beer, free laundry facilities and a set number of Internet minutes. Although the air is not included, one can book their own flights with Choice Air and the pricing is very competitive. Not using Oceania air gives one a small rebate and relying on their choice of carrier does not give you any flexibility, unless, of course, you pay for an air deviation at the cost of 300USD ( for 2).

We are booked on Azamara at the end of this month and also doing a b2b from Singapore to Athens in the Spring. We had been booked on Oceania from Bangkok to Rome for the same time frame but after doing a cost benefit analysis, decided to cancel Oceania .... The difference made it very worth our while. Unfortunately, we will not be going to Mynamar but the additional cost was not worth it.

 

 

 

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[GreenEyedKat]

We like both cruise lines a lot but Azamara is the winner for price, included benefits like free Internet, tips and alcohol and the crew and Oceania wins for food, though Azamara's is pretty good. Oceania has much nicer staterooms but Azamara has that special feeling that it's so hard to describe.

 

Choose either cruise line and you will have a great time. We have one Azamara Journey cruise and one Oceania Marina cruise booked in 2014 and are looking forward to both of them.

[Emdee]

IMO the warm and fuzzy feeling is not going to be enough -- and believe me, I understand it.

 

The reality, as I see it:

 

They have priced some regulars out of the market

 

Their itineraries are lacking and with so much time taken up by charters in high season, they are "forcing" some who might choose Azamara to look elsewhere.

 

Luxury cruisers are NOT going to opt for Azamara -- they care less about warm and fuzzy and more about the ship and the amenities. Many have moved to O's new large ships and others MAY gravitate to the Oceania R ships after the refurb.

 

The regular O cruisers like myself, who have tried Azamara and like it, may ultimately find the ships too "shabby" compared with the refurbished O R ships.

 

I would like to see a "sign" that Azamara is doing something to protect and improve its position in the market. So far, I have seen the opposite.

 

Actually Luxury cruisers care very much about the warm and fuzzies. Its premium cruisers who look for more 'value'

Despite the cost we would go again on Regent ( and bought an option when we were on board in May) simply because it felt like coming home. I think I had that feeling on Azamara too. I am on to my 8th cruise on the PG primarily because I love the crew ( FP doesnt disappoint either). Did my first Crystal this year and though service was mostly impeccable I missed the warm and fuzzies.......

[Emdee]

We have been loyal Oceania passengers since 2006. Over the years, we have seen their pricing increase to the point where we are wondering if we are going to be able to afford more cruising with them. Their wine pricing has also increased greatly and the corkage on bringing your bottle of wine to the dining room had an increase of 5USD from March of this year.

Azamara seems to us to have more competitive pricing as was shown in their promotion earlier this year...pay for an inside and get a balcony. A great saving combined with the included gratuities, wine and beer, free laundry facilities and a set number of Internet minutes. Although the air is not included, one can book their own flights with Choice Air and the pricing is very competitive. Not using Oceania air gives one a small rebate and relying on their choice of carrier does not give you any flexibility, unless, of course, you pay for an air deviation at the cost of 300USD ( for 2).

We are booked on Azamara at the end of this month and also doing a b2b from Singapore to Athens in the Spring. We had been booked on Oceania from Bangkok to Rome for the same time frame but after doing a cost benefit analysis, decided to cancel Oceania .... The difference made it very worth our while. Unfortunately, we will not be going to Mynamar but the additional cost was not worth it.

 

 

 

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Why dont you add on Myanmar to your itinerary pre cruise? We are doing precisely that post a Crystal Cruise in 2015. Bagan is a must see and you will need more than a couple of days in any case.

[Texed]

I am on to my 8th cruise on the PG primarily because I love the crew ( FP doesnt disappoint either). Did my first Crystal this year and though service was mostly impeccable I missed the warm and fuzzies...

 

Emdee,

 

So nice to see you posting on the Azamara boards. But, we love PG also. :)

[Emdee]

Emdee,

 

So nice to see you posting on the Azamara boards. But, we love PG also. :)

 

I have been on a few Azamara cruises. Nowadays our travel is itinerary driven except returning home to the PG.

[tv24]

This is a very interesting thread and a lot to digest. IMO, Azamara is struggling to find its niche. Prices have gone way up, the Azamazing evenings have received mixed reviews (read CC), the all-inclusive booze is very limited inclusive, the entertainment is limited, the lectures are mostly aimed at selling excursions. One very savvy Azamara customer on a recent cruise told me, "If you negotiated a very good price on this cruise, you think you won the lottery. If you paid full price, you feel as though you were robbed.." As a result, sailing on Azamara feels like buying a used car. This is not a semi-luxury experience. I know there are loyal customers, and God bless them. But one needs to shop around. If you get a good price on Azamara, go for it. Otherwise, well...

[audobon_tx]

I have been on a few Azamara cruises. Nowadays our travel is itinerary driven except returning home to the PG.

 

uh...what is a PG?

[Emdee]

uh...what is a PG?

 

Sorry, PG is the Paul Gauguin cruiseship that is based in tahiti.

[kiawahdon]

it is possible I missed it, but in Larry's twitter chat there was zero mention of dry docks and ship upgrading. A missed opportunity or no definite plans?

[MIKESCOTLAND]

When we were on the Azamara in July I remarked about lack of revenue generating items. The casino is pitiful. I love the slots and usually leave money in them when I sail other lines. I think I threw in a few quarters and went on my way. Alcohol is the biggest money maker for cruise lines and now with it being included no revenue is being generated. Azamara also needs to do something with their cabins. Shabby Chic comes to mind. We were very disappointed in them. We did get the "warm and fuzzy" feeling when we came on board...but that only goes so far. As I've said many times I choose a cruise for itinerary. We're sailing on the Quest in a few days. The itinerary is wonderful and very unique. No other line does the same itinerary. We're going back to NCL, Princess and Crystal in the next 18 months. Princess and Crystal have very unique itineraries in the Black Sea and China and I just want my husband to experience the NCL Mega ship penthouse suite which is 1/2 the price of an Azamara balcony. We won't get the warm and fuzzy feeling when we board the NCL ship but the aft penthouse suite will make up for that.

 

Maybe & we have enjoyed NCL 4 times. However I have met 2 couples who regret a similar move to a NCL Penthouse . There is an argument which I am sympathetic to which is get a cheap cabin but in one of the best ships. A lot depends on what you want a cabin for but if you don't expect to spend much time in your cabin other than sleep then their may be huge benefits from enjoying the facilities offered in a more expensive ship.

[billie bucks]

Why dont you add on Myanmar to your itinerary pre cruise? We are doing precisely that post a Crystal Cruise in 2015. Bagan is a must see and you will need more than a couple of days in any case.

 

That would have been an idea, but we are visiting our son in Shanghai for a week prior to the cruise! Another time perhaps!

 

 

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[Granny DI]

Maybe & we have enjoyed NCL 4 times. However I have met 2 couples who regret a similar move to a NCL Penthouse . There is an argument which I am sympathetic to which is get a cheap cabin but in one of the best ships. A lot depends on what you want a cabin for but if you don't expect to spend much time in your cabin other than sleep then their may be huge benefits from enjoying the facilities offered in a more expensive ship.

 

We have sailed on 30+ different ships. We have sailed the Azamara Quest twice and Oceania once. We are looking forward to our cruise on the NCL Breakaway. We enjoyed sailing the Epic and the Oasis of the Seas. We thought we'd hate them but had a great time.

[Emdee]

Maybe & we have enjoyed NCL 4 times. However I have met 2 couples who regret a similar move to a NCL Penthouse . There is an argument which I am sympathetic to which is get a cheap cabin but in one of the best ships. A lot depends on what you want a cabin for but if you don't expect to spend much time in your cabin other than sleep then their may be huge benefits from enjoying the facilities offered in a more expensive ship.

 

The argument is certainly valid with respect to a line like Regent which has all suite ships but the regular cabins in Azamara are quite small as are the cabins in Oceania's R class ships. Yes you dont expect to spend much time in your cabin on a destination cruise but even then one looks forward to the oasis of peace which is your cabin....