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thinking of trying Azamara

LHT28

By LHT28,
in Azamara

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APFBarb

APFBarb

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We are thinking of trying Azamara but wonder when or if they have been reburbished lately??

 

We like the small ship size

 

Thanks

 

Lyn

 

 

We were on the Quest in January and she was in beautiful shape. Not sure when she was last refurbished - but I can tell you she was beautifully maintained. Don't hesitate to give Azamara a try - we loved it.

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Kellie Poodle

Kellie Poodle

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The Azamara veterans tell me that even though the shore-side experience is awful (bad web site, phone reps who take forever to answer the phone and then give wrong answers), the on board experience is wonderful.

 

I'll report my personal findings in March as we are about to do our first Azamara sailing very soon.

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dln929

dln929

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We are thinking of trying Azamara but wonder when or if they have been reburbished lately??

 

We like the small ship size

 

Thanks

 

Lyn

Lyn, I don't know if you follow Facebook or Pinterest, but Azamara has official pages there with photos of the refurbishment. You're welcome to glance at my trip report, too. I took lots of photos of the interior of the ship so you can get a bit of an idea of what it all looks like. We thoroughly enjoyed being on the Quest. It was our first experience with a small ship and now we're sold :). http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966387

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CintiPam

CintiPam

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New beds were added just over one year ago (October 2012), and soon after that, both ships received a surface makeover: new loungers on the pool deck, some nice new carpets in the common areas, plus I think some new furnishings in the main dining room. Also, both specialty restaurants got very nice makeovers, which the steak place needed desperately. (We sailed on Quest in October 2012 and September 2013, so the changes really stood out.)

 

Unfortunately, the cabins have the same really tired furnishings that they had on Oceania when we first sailed the "R" ships in 2008. They are very sadly in need of refurbishment. But with only two ships, taking one off-line is pretty difficult and with Quest being chartered in the both the spring and fall of 2015 (when I prefer to cruise because I do not deal well with heat and crowds), not a lot of great sailing choices for me.

 

However, if one can put aside the refurbishment issue, Azamara offers great staff and service, shuttles in every port where needed, and food only a bit below that on Oceania. Also, in the one year between our Azamara cruises, very many less Americans, and many more from the UK, New Zealand and Australia (a plus IMO!:)).

Edited by CintiPam
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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

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Look at the per person per day charge of a number of cruises, THEN determine whether you'd like to go there. The chances are high that you might like to go there, depending upon time of year & weather....

 

:confused:

The bottom line is what I look at after the intinerary

 

YMMV

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ShopperfiendTO

ShopperfiendTO

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Hi Lyn,

 

Have you cancelled all of your O bookings? From the O thread, you'll be getting your silver pin (and additional perks) your next cruise, and are half way to your free cruise (I'm sure you've thought about the "investment" you've already put into to O, but just in case, lol).

 

If the pricing is similar (and it would be for Azamara), IMHO it's not worth it to jump ship (pun intended) until you've received your free cruise!:) I've been on Az and think they're comparable but would still give the edge to O for the food quality (except for Aqualina vs. Toscana). Yes, Az officer crew is much much much more interactive than O officer crew, but I believe that officer interaction is not of crucial importance to you.

 

If food service is the issue, just eat at the Terrace Cafe for your dinner meals. I think all of the R-ships will have been upgraded with the grill station at the Terrace Cafe by the end of the year?

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Granny DI

Granny DI

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Just a word of advice to all who are considering a cruise on any ship. The truth usually lies in the middle. The "cheerleaders" love the ship no matter what and can never see any of the faults, where as the "Debbie Downers" see only the faults. This is because everyone is looking for something different. We had a wonderful cruise on the Quest last July and a mediocre one in Nov. Every sailing is different even on the same ship. We don't care about the interaction of the crew with the passengers or where the piano is located, we care about itinerary, cabin, service and food....itinerary being number 1.

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

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Hi Lyn,

 

Have you cancelled all of your O bookings? From the O thread, you'll be getting your silver pin (and additional perks) your next cruise, and are half way to your free cruise (I'm sure you've thought about the "investment" you've already put into to O, but just in case, lol).

 

No as in the other thread we have not given up Oceania ..YET

We did cancel 2 cruises but still have our 2015 cruise

I have been watching Azamara for years but they never seem to have what we are looking for

They keep switching up their game so not really sure if we will try them or not

Should have gone with Jan on the current cruise ..it was at least in North America for the most part

 

I have no interest in whether the officers socialize with the passengers or not

I have not had any issues with the Officers on O they are always polite & have a good day greeting when we see them

 

I also dislike buffets even on O .. ;)

 

I doubt if we will ever get to the free cruise stage :D

so no worries there..it is not even on my radar

 

Thanks for the reminder though ;)

 

Lyn

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pacheco18

pacheco18

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Just a word of advice to all who are considering a cruise on any ship. The truth usually lies in the middle. The "cheerleaders" love the ship no matter what and can never see any of the faults, where as the "Debbie Downers" see only the faults. This is because everyone is looking for something different. We had a wonderful cruise on the Quest last July and a mediocre one in Nov. Every sailing is different even on the same ship. We don't care about the interaction of the crew with the passengers or where the piano is located, we care about itinerary, cabin, service and food....itinerary being number 1.

 

Wonderful advice.

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  • 1 month later...
a5lson

a5lson

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Lyn, I am leaving on the Quest Monday for 8 days and will be happy to send you my review..

Jancruz1

 

We are new to cruising apparently you are not :-) Booked Azamara for October 11, 2015 on the Quest. We are booked on Oceania Marina in November from Lisbon to Rio. Any advice for the newbies on both Oceania and Azamara?

 

Thanks, Arleen

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Kellie Poodle

Kellie Poodle

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We are new to cruising apparently you are not :-) Booked Azamara for October 11, 2015 on the Quest. We are booked on Oceania Marina in November from Lisbon to Rio. Any advice for the newbies on both Oceania and Azamara?

 

Thanks, Arleen

 

The best advice I can give you is to go aboard each ship and form your own opinions.

 

Each one of us has different expectations, likes and dislikes. Every opinion you will get here (including mine) will be based on a person different from yourselves.

 

Go on your cruises and have a wonderful time. Take your own excitement and leave what others think behind.

 

Bon voyage.

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pacheco18

pacheco18

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The best advice I can give you is to go aboard each ship and form your own opinions.

 

Each one of us has different expectations, likes and dislikes. Every opinion you will get here (including mine) will be based on a person different from yourselves.

 

Go on your cruises and have a wonderful time. Take your own excitement and leave what others think behind.

 

Bon voyage.

 

Best advice ever.

Just go read the reviews of folks who were on the SAME cruise. -- it was best cruise ever, food was great, booked another cruise on this line AND cruise line awful, food and service unacceptable, I will NEVER cruise this line again.

 

Happens all the time. Only YOU can decide.

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Redtravel

Redtravel

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An Oceania and an Azamara cruise in one year. Lucky you. There will be differences. Post a comparison after you sail. If you sail on R class ships, the basic ship layout will be the same. If you sail on the Marina or Riviera, it will be different. I prefer the smaller ships.

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