Tell Me About the"Shipboard Experience"

[ellbon]

Kellie, I'm so glad you started this thread. I was thinking of starting one asking for examples were Azamara's staff went beyond the call of duty, this thread covers this nicely.

The example I was going to start my thread with happened on our recent Journey cruise from Athens to Dubai. It was an evening towards to end of the cruise when a fellow passenger (and CC contributor) was standing at Discoveries bar before dinner. The passenger in question had struggled to climb onto one of the high bar stools. In a flash, the floor waiter (Ernesto) dashed behind to the bar storeroom and re-emerged with a step ladder and helped the passenger climb onto the bar stool.

Everybody who saw this gasped in amazement, the whole thing lasted no more than 15 seconds. It was superb.

 

I have been that person on the Journey in that bar on that step stool. I have never understood how the ship was built with a bar so high that i can not get up on a stool. so i spend more time in Prime C drinking.

 

I know Ernesto well, he a sweetie.

 

Also Johaness is just like Carl or shold I say the other way around.Only because Johaness is a tad older.

Edited November 30, 2013 by ellbon

[tommui987]

Norm Iron quoting Kellie:

 

"Kellie, I'm so glad you started this thread. I was thinking of starting one asking for examples were Azamara's staff went beyond the call of duty"

 

We were on the Quest and were disembarking in Hong Kong. Our cabin was on the 7th deck.

We were already down the docks looking for our baggage when Vladimir, our cabin steward, rushed down the various decks, crossed the gangway to the docks with my wife's camera which she forgot to pickup when we left.

 

That is one example of going beyond the call of duty!

[BillC]

Could not agree more about the comments about Ernesto. He is so highly thought of that he is selected by Johannes to serve cocktails and savories when he entertains in his stateroom before hosting guests for dinner. Ernesto also is the hit of the ceremony when going across the Equator!

 

Captain Johannes painted the wall on deck 5 the number of times that the Journey had passed the Equator on last year's Amazon trip. When asked why he sailed in circles to pass the Equator 6 times, he quickly responded "because I could!" He has also met up with a relatives fishing boat in Norway to take on a fresh catch, as well as lowering the zodiak to purchase the available cheese from a Norwegian village. There are many more events that make Azamara so special, but go and find out your own special memories.

[uktog]

Another vote for Ernesto, he had quite a following on our recent cruise. We remember him from his first ever contract and he never forgets us. I swear if he could he would run with an Appletini for me on embarkation, he remembers our preferences so well

Edited December 1, 2013 by uktog

[kathy9]

Looking forward, Kathy. Richard will be our hotel director. If you haven't had the opportunity to meet him, remind me to introduce him to you. We think he's pretty special, and, let me assure you, he personally adds a lot to our enjoyment of a cruise.

 

Thanks....I have not met Richard....I am sure he is as competent and charming as Philip and Hieke.

 

The OP started this thread to ask about the daily life on board AZ......

[marinaro44]

Thanks....I have not met Richard....I am sure he is as competent and charming as Philip and Hieke.

 

The OP started this thread to ask about the daily life on board AZ......

 

Looks to me like she asked why people feel Azamara's shipboard experience is "magical." I think most of us feel the answer does not involve trivia, TV movies, or seating arrangements in the dining room.

[kathy9]

Sorry.....I miss read the OP!

Kathy

[marinaro44]

Sorry.....I miss read the OP!

Kathy

 

Sometimes these threads wander around so much we all kind of lose track of where the thread started.;)

[Kellie Poodle]

Sometimes these threads wander around so much we all kind of lose track of where the thread started.;)

 

That's what makes these boards so charming. :)

[Redtravel]

I like Celebrity...and will be on the Eclipse soon. They do a nice cruise. The big ships are beautiful. I am not thrilled with the large crowd of people. Azamara is a huge step up in service. NO crowds or lines. You will be pampered, spoiled, and come home thinking about your next Azamara cruise. After my first Azamara cruise, I wanted more. I still sail on other lines. I keep coming back to Azamara. Enjoy!

[excitedofharpenden]

I like Celebrity...and will be on the Eclipse soon. They do a nice cruise. The big ships are beautiful. I am not thrilled with the large crowd of people. Azamara is a huge step up in service. NO crowds or lines. You will be pampered, spoiled, and come home thinking about your next Azamara cruise. After my first Azamara cruise, I wanted more. I still sail on other lines. I keep coming back to Azamara. Enjoy!

That about sums it up for me too. Looking forward to Eclipse soon, but can't wait to be back on Journey in April.

 

Phil

[SeaBunny]

We just got back from a Azamara Quest TA and while we had a good time and enjoyed our cruise, we didn't experience any "magic." The crew was lovely, but we've never been on any ship (see list below) where the crew was otherwise.

 

While the Quest has a capacity of 700, there were only 500 on this crossing; however some venues were still quite crowded. Quest is the smallest cruise ship we've been on. While it carries the same passenger count as the two Regent ships we've sailed, it is substantially smaller (30,277 tons vs. 50,000). We could frequently feel the difference due to sea days with inclement weather. However, on a port-intensive cruise that probably wouldn't matter.

 

The Cabaret was used as a theatre, but the largely flat seating floor made viewing less than ideal. The food was fine, but not exceptional -- some good, some meh -- not really different from some mass market lines we've been on.

 

Frankly, we were surprised at the number of repeat guests who had a lot of complaints about different things. We wondered why they kept coming back. Maybe their comments influenced us?

 

I restate -- we did have a good time. There were no problems, just nothing special to make us want to come back.

[Texed]

Most of the posts on this thread are making me very anxious to cruise on Azamara, in 17 days and a wake up. ;)

Edited December 3, 2013 by Texed

[ellbon]

Most of the posts on this thread are making me very anxious to cruise on Azamara, in 17 days and a wake up. ;)

 

you are going to be in love-nothing is prefect but this is clsoe on earth. plus the added bonus for you al lthe extras for being a Discovery member.

where esle can yuo walk on and get 237 free internet minutes ,all the water and coffee you want. plus so much more. you will love Prime C.

[Texed]

you are going to be in love-nothing is prefect but this is clsoe on earth. plus the added bonus for you al lthe extras for being a Discovery member.

where esle can yuo walk on and get 237 free internet minutes ,all the water and coffee you want. plus so much more. you will love Prime C.

 

Thanks for the info. :)

[midwestchick]

Most of the posts on this thread are making me very anxious to cruise on Azamara, in 17 days and a wake up. ;)

 

 

Anxious or excited? ;) I can't wait to go back on the Journey. Was never a fan of cruising(even though we had not cruised before) to begin with but the Journey was the ship that got me hooked. Had a fantastic X cruise but it wasn't the same...I echo all of the previous posters positive thoughts.

Edited December 3, 2013 by midwestchick

[dln929]

Most of the posts on this thread are making me very anxious to cruise on Azamara, in 17 days and a wake up. ;)

 

I know that Azamara will score a home run in your books if their waffles meet or beat Celebrity's. See you at the waffle station in 17 days! :p

[Texed]

Anxious or excited?

 

That's right! :p

[Texed]

I know that Azamara will score a home run in your books if their waffles meet or beat Celebrity's. See you at the waffle station in 17 days! :p

 

That is making me hungry already. :)

[acruisergirl]

Ernesto is the best.

 

Phil

 

Another Ernesto fan!!! On our January cruise he sang a song to me for my birthday.:)

 

Pat

Edited December 3, 2013 by acruisergirl

[ignatz]

Not to take anything away from the many Azamara fans, but there was no magic present on my only cruise with these folks from Seville to Miami this November. A fine cruise but plenty of room for improvement.

 

Possibly compared to other RCL ships the Azamara line stands out. I would suggest branching out to HAL and Regent for a better overview of cruising.

 

A fellow cruiser who was as disappointed with the breakfast hash browns as I was mentioned this to head chef Fabio. Fabio's response that 2 complaints out of 500 passengers wasn't bad indicated a basic ignorance of customer service.

 

This was my first cruise in 14 where receiving food while still warm was a problem. Surprisingly, room service had no difficulty in this regard.

[marinaro44]

Not to take anything away from the many Azamara fans, but there was no magic present on my only cruise with these folks from Seville to Miami this November. A fine cruise but plenty of room for improvement.

 

Possibly compared to other RCL ships the Azamara line stands out. I would suggest branching out to HAL and Regent for a better overview of cruising.

 

A fellow cruiser who was as disappointed with the breakfast hash browns as I was mentioned this to head chef Fabio. Fabio's response that 2 complaints out of 500 passengers wasn't bad indicated a basic ignorance of customer service.

 

This was my first cruise in 14 where receiving food while still warm was a problem. Surprisingly, room service had no difficulty in this regard.

Funny, we were on the same cruise and had no problem with food temperature.

 

And we cruised Regent in 2012 and found nothing about it superior to Azamara other than the staterooms were larger. The cruise director was over the hill as were all his puppets. The captain was utterly invisible. The hotel director was likewise. Entertainers were older than the over-the-hill cruise director. The cruise director's wife hosted the Cruise Critic meeting, an indication of how much they value Cruise Critic members. Getting a table in the specialty dining rooms was next to impossible other than the two you were guaranteed, and if you did get an extra one you had to share a table. I could go on. Never again.

 

As far as HAL goes, it's just another mass-market cruise line with pretensions. One cruise there was enough. Of course, if you're a fan of wearing silly Dutch hats, eating bami goreng, and waving your napkin over your head during the parade of baked Alaskas, it's probably the cruise line for you.;)

Edited December 3, 2013 by marinaro44

[mikechass]

Thanks so much for starting this thread.

I am soooo excited about this upcoming trip and loved reading all the

neat little extra's you have experienced.

Thanks again

Chass

[Travel2Learn]

I was on the recent Seville to Miami cruise and will not go on Azamara again unless they fix the food problems. This was my first cruise on Azamara and cruise #8 since Oct 2012. The food choices were the worst, and the quality often inferior. Fortunately, the passengers and crew made the cruise fun.

Miami also needs to get different bathroom amenities onboard.

[excitedofharpenden]

I was on the recent Seville to Miami cruise and will not go on Azamara again unless they fix the food problems. This was my first cruise on Azamara and cruise #8 since Oct 2012. The food choices were the worst, and the quality often inferior. Fortunately, the passengers and crew made the cruise fun.

Miami also needs to get different bathroom amenities onboard.

LOL. Doesn't sound too magical to me, but I guess you stuck it to the rest of us!

 

Phil