Negligible basis for Azamara reputation

[rsquare]

I recently took my first trip on Azamara, and was assured by virtually everybody with whom I came into contact on these boards that I was in for an extraordinary experience. I found a rather ordinary cruise line with some significant deficiencies. I won't be coming back.

 

Let's start with the food. Dinners were generally excellent, both in the MDR and upstairs, although there were occasional duds like a cream of leek soup so heavy with cornstarch as to be almost inedible. Lunches were so-so, and breakfasts wholly unimaginative, and often created out of substandard ingredients, like the bright orange food service cheese mislabeled cheddar, or the odd variant on Egg Beaters used to make the thin, nasty omelettes.

 

Particularly apparent at breakfast was a lack of sensitivity to non-mainstream dietary needs. Pork avoiders were not catered to with turkey sausage and/or turkey bacon, as is common on other cruise lines (the ship does indeed stock an excellent turkey sausage, but the only way I got it was to make a fuss with the maitre d’ in Discoveries; eventually this worked its way to the executive chef, who called me to tell me that turkey sausage would be put out in Windows for breakfast, which it was – for three days, and not the last three days of trip). Those on low-carb regimens found that getting a simple slice of whole-wheat bread was complicated by the fact that the ship stocked something called “brown bread,” which looked like pumpernickel, and something called “wheat bread,” which seemed more like a hard-crusted rye. Whole wheat rolls were not labeled as such, and a server in Windows misidentified a white roll as whole wheat, an example of a lack of staff training that was all too apparent in other areas as well. Those trying to avoid milk sugars were not offered milk alternatives such as soy milk. Again, after my complaint worked its way up to the executive chef, a box of almond milk was kept under the counter in Windows for me, but I was told that it could not be put out for others because there were only 4 one-liter boxes on board.

 

Mislabeling of food also occurred at other meals. On one of the last days of the cruise, the Windows menu listed a soup described as “Green lentil soup with roasted root vegetables.” One of the “roasted root vegetables” turned out to be little cubes of ham. Tea sandwiches when tea was served in Windows (it unaccountably shifted from Windows to the Drawing Room from time to time) were unlabelled, and one server behind the counter, asked about the content of the sandwich, identified what was clearly ham as roast beef. Since this kind of misidentification occurred so often, I am assuming that workers are trained to provide a response to guests, any response, rather than say “I don’t know” or “I’ll have to check.”

 

Service could be agonizingly slow in Discoveries. One night I was seated at 6:35, and by 8:10 had not even been offered a dessert menu; I left, to make an 8:15 show. The poor training of servers also showed up whenever I had herring followed by eggs for breakfast; only once was the fork that I used for herring replaced when the eggs arrived.

 

Other instances of poor training occurred in non-food contexts. Because of the abysmal reach of the ship’s Wi-Fi system, I sometimes had to go the IT center to log on with my iPad. Once, when I was unable to do so even in the IT center, I consulted the IT person, who told me that my password would have to be reset. After asking me to write down my login and password, with another passenger in the room working on a laptop he then proceeded read back to me out loud my login and password, thus giving the other passenger access to my account. The IT guy seemed rather annoyed when I pointed this out to him.

 

Poor training even extended up to the ship’s captain, who engaged in a running commentary in his noon announcements on the difficulties two of his bridge staff were having using a sextant. I assumed that he was referring to bridge cadets, and was appalled to later meet one of the poor sextant-users and observe that he was wearing third officer stripes. I don’t find public criticism of someone’s professional skills by their manager to be amusing or acceptable.

 

The ship itself is too short to ride heavy swells really well. The smallness of the ship also seems to affect the quality of the entertainment offered, which was quite uneven, and on-board lecturers, who (let’s try to be polite here) worked at a level well below what I am used to seeing on Cunard.

 

Communication does not seem to be an Azamara priority. The ship's information binder in my cabin said that that no bridge or kitchen tours would be given for reasons of security, but these were apparently easily available from the Guest Services desk, since I met several fellow passengers who had taken such tours, as well as one who had taken an engineering tour. The ship’s map showed no library, and I only discovered that the ship actually has a fairly nice one when I entered the Drawing Room for another function. Spelling and grammar mistakes in some of the Port Explorers were (or should have been) embarrassing.

 

Granted, some of these criticisms are trivial, but I would argue that at Azamara’s price point, the trivialities matter more than on the mass market lines. My expectations of what near-luxury cruising should be like were set by the time I’ve spent on Cunard ships. I would recommend that some Azamara senior managers take a few cruises or crossings with Cunard to see how world-class near-luxury cruising is done.

Edited April 17, 2014 by rsquare

[Granny DI]

"I recently took my first trip on Azamara, and was assured by virtually everybody with whom I came into contact on these boards that I was in for an extraordinary experience."

 

 

 

Wish you had read some of my posts. I spoke of the poor service and noise level in the MDR. I was sea sick for several days because the ship couldn't handle the swells. I hadn't been sea sick aboard ship in 11 years. The balcony cabins are very small in comparison to other lines at this price point. Food is subjective so I never pay attention to reviews about food.

 

I love CC and get lots of info from the posts. When I read reveiws I look for the middle of the row reviews...those that mix the good experiences with the bad. I've found over the years that the glowing reports are as one off as the ones who hated everything about the cruise. I look for reviews of things of interest to me...cabin size, itinerary and all round value.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Granny DI

[pacheco18]

I recently took my first trip on Azamara, and was assured by virtually everybody with whom I came into contact on these boards that I was in for an extraordinary experience. I found a rather ordinary cruise line with some significant deficiencies. I won't be coming back.

 

Let's start with the food. Dinners were generally excellent, both in the MDR and upstairs, although there were occasional duds like a cream of leek soup so heavy with cornstarch as to be almost inedible. Lunches were so-so, and breakfasts wholly unimaginative, and often created out of substandard ingredients, like the bright orange food service cheese mislabeled cheddar, or the odd variant on Egg Beaters used to make the thin, nasty omelettes.

 

Particularly apparent at breakfast was a lack of sensitivity to non-mainstream dietary needs. Pork avoiders were not catered to with turkey sausage and/or turkey bacon, as is common on other cruise lines (the ship does indeed stock an excellent turkey sausage, but the only way I got it was to make a fuss with the maitre d’ in Discoveries; eventually this worked its way to the executive chef, who called me to tell me that turkey sausage would be put out in Windows for breakfast, which it was – for three days, and not the last three days of trip). Those on low-carb regimens found that getting a simple slice of whole-wheat bread was complicated by the fact that the ship stocked something called “brown bread,” which looked like pumpernickel, and something called “wheat bread,” which seemed more like a hard-crusted rye. Whole wheat rolls were not labeled as such, and a server in Windows misidentified a white roll as whole wheat, an example of a lack of staff training that was all too apparent in other areas as well. Those trying to avoid milk sugars were not offered milk alternatives such as soy milk. Again, after my complaint worked its way up to the executive chef, a box of almond milk was kept under the counter in Windows for me, but I was told that it could not be put out for others because there were only 4 one-liter boxes on board.

 

Mislabeling of food also occurred at other meals. On one of the last days of the cruise, the Windows menu listed a soup described as “Green lentil soup with roasted root vegetables.” One of the “roasted root vegetables” turned out to be little cubes of ham. Tea sandwiches when tea was served in Windows (it unaccountably shifted from Windows to the Drawing Room from time to time) were unlabelled, and one server behind the counter, asked about the content of the sandwich, identified what was clearly ham as roast beef. Since this kind of misidentification occurred so often, I am assuming that workers are trained to provide a response to guests, any response, rather than say “I don’t know” or “I’ll have to check.”

 

Service could be agonizingly slow in Discoveries. One night I was seated at 6:35, and by 8:10 had not even been offered a dessert menu; I left, to make an 8:15 show. The poor training of servers also showed up whenever I had herring followed by eggs for breakfast; only once was the fork that I used for herring replaced when the eggs arrived.

 

Other instances of poor training occurred in non-food contexts. Because of the abysmal reach of the ship’s Wi-Fi system, I sometimes had to go the IT center to log on with my iPad. Once, when I was unable to do so even in the IT center, I consulted the IT person, who told me that my password would have to be reset. After asking me to write down my login and password, with another passenger in the room working on a laptop he then proceeded read back to me out loud my login and password, thus giving the other passenger access to my account. The IT guy seemed rather annoyed when I pointed this out to him.

 

Poor training even extended up to the ship’s captain, who engaged in a running commentary in his noon announcements on the difficulties two of his bridge staff were having using a sextant. I assumed that he was referring to bridge cadets, and was appalled to later meet one of the poor sextant-users and observe that he was wearing third officer stripes. I don’t find public criticism of someone’s professional skills by their manager to be amusing or acceptable.

 

The ship itself is too short to ride heavy swells really well. The smallness of the ship also seems to affect the quality of the entertainment offered, which was quite uneven, and on-board lecturers, who (let’s try to be polite here) worked at a level well below what I am used to seeing on Cunard.

 

Communication does not seem to be an Azamara priority. The ship's information binder in my cabin said that that no bridge or kitchen tours would be given for reasons of security, but these were apparently easily available from the Guest Services desk, since I met several fellow passengers who had taken such tours, as well as one who had taken an engineering tour. The ship’s map showed no library, and I only discovered that the ship actually has a fairly nice one when I entered the Drawing Room for another function. Spelling and grammar mistakes in some of the Port Explorers were (or should have been) embarrassing.

 

Granted, some of these criticisms are trivial, but I would argue that at Azamara’s price point, the trivialities matter more than on the mass market lines. My expectations of what near-luxury cruising should be like were set by the time I’ve spent on Cunard ships. I would recommend that some Azamara senior managers take a few cruises or crossings with Cunard to see how world-class near-luxury cruising is done.

 

I don't think Azamara is luxury at all -- I think what folks like about it is the on board feeling and family-like attitude of the crew. Yes, the price point is high -- perhaps too high for what they offer and veteran Azamara cruisers have complained about that. I am a fan of the smaller ships and I like the on board experience. Azamara is not my first choice, it is my second, but I have 3 cruises scheduled because of the itineraries. If you were looking for luxury, you came to the wrong place. Incorrect expectations always lead to disappointment.

 

Many of the issues you mentioned I would probably not have even noticed except for the IT problem, which I did not experience. I expect poor entertainment (and I get it) but I do not care.

 

Azamara is not and does not pretend to be Cunard -- which has a class system.

Azamara is clearly not a good fit for you and I would expect you to vote with your wallet.

[Sailin' Shoes]

The OP apparently did a TA in March. Personally, my wife and I would never do a crossing on ACC particularly in the late winter in the north Atlantic, the ships are too small for the seas. But comparisons to the Queens is really like apples to oranges. If you are a Cunard fan, there is little about ACC ships that you would care for. Rigid formality vs. friendliness/informality. Dressing for dinner or not. Ballroom dancing or going to bed early because of heavy port itineraries. Officers and crew straight off the Whitestar line vs. staff that cares about your needs. And so on. To each his own but since the OP believes Cunard is the way a cruise should be, ACC will never satisfy him and he should spend his money on cruiselines that align with his expectations. And I reject the OP opinion that the ACC officers take a TA on Cunard to "learn" what they most likely have been trying to unlearn as their nautical careers have advanced over the many ships they have served upon and created the ACC culture and environment.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Sailin' Shoes

[dln929]

 

 

The ship’s map showed no library, and I only discovered that the ship actually has a fairly nice one when I entered the Drawing Room for another function. Spelling and grammar mistakes in some of the Port Explorers were (or should have been) embarrassing.

 

This will not apply to you since you have no intention of returning to Azamara but for everyone else, there is a ship's tour given on embarkation day. It's listed in the daily program handed out to passengers upon boarding. Had you availed yourself of this, you'd have been shown the beautiful library and all other public areas of the ship. Not Azamara's fault you were unaware of this room, especially when ship's deck plans are also available on the Azamara website for your viewing before boarding. As to your comment about the spelling and grammar, the crew is international and it's quite possible that whomever wrote the port guides may not have been a native English speaker. Perhaps the writers are chosen for their knowledge of the ports in question rather than than mastery of spelling and punctuation.

[Granny DI]

We prefer the library on the Quest to the QM2. The library on the QM2 was larger but the Quest was more elegant. We were on the QM2 for 24 nights, 17 of the nights were formal....never again! Azamara and Oceania have the best dress codes!

The QM2 was made for transatlantics and the Quest was made for cruises on calm seas.

We prefer the passenger mix on the Quest.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Granny DI

[autumn lass]

As someone who has sailed Grill Class on Cunard I do not consider it to be "world class, near luxury cruising". Azamara is not perfect, it is not a luxury line and it's price point is now too high for what is on offer but it has it's own unique warmth.

[Marmaduke]

As someone who has sailed Grill Class on Cunard I do not consider it to be "world class, near luxury cruising". Azamara is not perfect, it is not a luxury line and it's price point is now too high for what is on offer but it has it's own unique warmth.

 

I have also travelled Grill Class with Cunard and the main difference between that and the Britannia Class is a bigger cabin and a more extensive menu in a different restaurant. I certainly didn't consider it "luxury". I love Azamara, it provides me with every thing I want from a cruise holiday but I appreciate that it doesn't suit everyone. I agree with Autumn Lass, the price point is now too high for what is on offer. The double upgrade promotion that is currently running is not as good as last years (for UK customers) as it doesn't included free European flights or reduced price long haul flights, although I believe you can choose your cabin. The cruises for next year that I am interested in do not seem to be selling, as I have been monitoring the number on balcony cabins available and the number has not reduced over the past 3 weeks.

[Spursgirl]

Like every cruise line Azamara has its shortcomings but I've enjoyed all my vacations on the Quest very much.

 

I totally respect the OP's view that it didn't meet his expectations and he will clearly look elsewhere for future cruises.

 

IMO, Cunard may once have been a luxury world class cruiseline but it isn't now and the rigorous formality alone would preclude me from booking with them.

 

We are all in the fortunate position of having many cruise options to select from. Each to his own

[uktog]

Like every cruise line Azamara has its shortcomings but I've enjoyed all my vacations on the Quest very much.

 

I totally respect the OP's view that it didn't meet his expectations and he will clearly look elsewhere for future cruises.

 

IMO, Cunard may once have been a luxury world class cruiseline but it isn't now and the rigorous formality alone would preclude me from booking with them.

 

We are all in the fortunate position of having many cruise options to select from. Each to his own

 

Well said - we each have very different tipping points and things that matter to us and mine and the OPs differ but it would be a scary world if we all tipped at the same point .

 

For future cruisers reading this thread who have specific dietary wishes, one thing to remember is that what you think is "normal" may not fit with the cruiselines ideas of "normal" and so I would always put a Special Requirements form into Azamara - worst case they will say that is not a Special Requirement we cater for it as standard - but it avoids any onboard tensions.

 

We have a "less than "normal"" need and wherever we go we make sure the accommodation provider knows in advance. Funnily enough we have often found the smaller less luxurious establishments are best at handling it, however Azamara is always excellent in their handling of the issue (unlike Celebrity but that is another story)

Edited April 18, 2014 by uktog

[pacheco18]

I think from a marketing standpoint Azamara made a serious mistake touting itself as a "luxury" line -- remember "bespoke?" That label is a misnomer and is sure to lead to disappointment for many who are expecting "luxury" and do not experience it. On the website they are now describing the on board experience as akin to "up-market boutique lodging" and I think that is a good and fair description.

 

There is no way those older unrenovated ships with the tiny cabins (which I love) qualify as "luxury" for most people. There are many good adjectives I would use to describe the Azamara experience but "luxury" is not one of them.

[little britain]

Poor training even extended up to the ship’s captain, who engaged in a running commentary in his noon announcements on the difficulties two of his bridge staff were having using a sextant. I assumed that he was referring to bridge cadets, and was appalled to later meet one of the poor sextant-users and observe that he was wearing third officer stripes. I don’t find public criticism of someone’s professional skills by their manager to be amusing or acceptable.

 

...I believe this is called 'humour'.....:rolleyes:

[johnandlinda]

I think whats most important is does the paying customer feel like they are getting good value for their money. For us, Azamara fits the bill. When we price compare cruises for what we want and expect and compare to others, Azamara generally prices out better for our wants and needs.

[uktog]

...I believe this is called 'humour'.....:rolleyes:

 

and on a certain Azamara ship one has to hope the Captain has his socks on the correct feet ;)

[Prefdavid]

Well as someone who was on the same cruise as the OP I respect his opinion but didn't recognise any of the problems he encountered.

 

We never felt rushed whilst dining in Discoveries but neither did we feel the service was slow. I enjoyed all our meals and particularly so on the 3 occasions that we ventured to Aqualina and Prime C (would have been back to Prime C but had to cancel due to illness).

 

Found the food in Windows Cafe to be absolutely fine and thought the entertainment was generally good and the "staff" singers to be every bit as good as many entertainers we've seen "flown in" on other cruises.

 

Having never sailed on Cunard we have no basis for comparison but certainly when comparing to P&O, Princess, NCL, Fred.Olsen and Celebrity we really enjoyed our Azamara experience.

 

Maybe it's 'cos we're Brits but we found Captain Carl's noon talks to be highly amusing and it was very apparent from talking to the crew how highly respected he is and the jokey comments regarding the sextant training were so obviously meant in fun.

 

I'm just amazed the OP hasn't commented on Activities Manager Alex and his obvious poor taste in choosing to perform the Speedo Modelling in Mosaic Cafe! Clearly this would never be allowed on Cunard due to the dress code. ;)

Edited April 18, 2014 by Prefdavid

[rsquare]

I think from a marketing standpoint Azamara made a serious mistake touting itself as a "luxury" line -- remember "bespoke?" That label is a misnomer and is sure to lead to disappointment for many who are expecting "luxury" and do not experience it. On the website they are now describing the on board experience as akin to "up-market boutique lodging" and I think that is a good and fair description.

 

There is no way those older unrenovated ships with the tiny cabins (which I love) qualify as "luxury" for most people. There are many good adjectives I would use to describe the Azamara experience but "luxury" is not one of them.

 

I'm amused at how many posters disclaim the "luxury" label for Azamara when the company clearly promotes itself as a luxury line. Just open their web page: "Our luxury cruise destinations....why choose Azamara for your next luxury cruise?" etc. While we're on labelling, I quite agree with those posters who pointed out that Cunard is not a luxury cruise cruise line, which is why I carefully used the term "near-luxury" in describing Cunard.

 

The stereotypes about Cunard were also amusing. Sailin' Shoes, for example ("If you are a Cunard fan, there is little about ACC ships that you would care for. Rigid formality vs. friendliness/informality. Dressing for dinner or not. Ballroom dancing or going to bed early because of heavy port itineraries. Officers and crew straight off the Whitestar line vs. staff that cares about your needs. And so on.") seems to think that QM2 is Downton Abbey at sea.

 

Oddly enough, I have had more friendly experiences on QM2 than on Quest because of the assigned seating. I always ask for a table for 6 on QM2 and haven't had a dud table yet. Eating with the same people each evening and being served by the same waiters gives rise to a small community, with each member doing something different during the day, and all checking in with each other at dinner. On Quest, I was constantly introducing myself at dinner, with the opportunity in any one evening to develop only the most superficial relationship. As to staff, it was nice having waiters on Cunard who quickly picked up on my dietary quirks and preferences. And any other staff with whom I came in contact on QM2 or Queen Victoria, such as cabin stewards, guest relations staff, etc. were as friendly and efficient as on Quest. Granted, there are formal nights on Cunard ships, and I did like the idea of not having to pack my tux for Azamara, but that alone doesn't make up for all of the other deficiencies that I noted.

 

I'm afraid that I can't agree with those like little britain and Prefdavid who thought that Captain's Carl's public shaming of his subordinates was humorous (" the jokey comments regarding the sextant training were so obviously meant in fun."). "Can't you take a joke?" is a frequent response of those called out for bullying. I managed professionals for over twenty years and would not have publicly criticized any of them, or allowed supervisors reporting to me to do so with their own reports. I don't think that made me humorless; I think it is just good management practice. Of course, jokes are always funnier when the butt is the other guy and not ourselves.

[Spursgirl]

While my overall Azamara cruise experience differs from the OP, we too experienced slow service in Discoveries restaurant on our last Quest cruise.

 

I rarely complain but was irritated enough about it to mention it to the CD when we were having coffee together.

 

Where I violently disagree with the OP is with his assessment of Captain Carl and the perceived bullying of his staff. I have sailed with him several times and his genial personality and competent seamanship as well as his rather idiosyncratic noon announcements are appreciated by most cruisers.

 

Most importantly he is extremely popular among the ship's company and I think the comments you heard were truly meant in jest. While we in the UK speak the same language as our American friends across the pond, our sense of humour couldn't be more different

[dln929]

 

I'm afraid that I can't agree with those like little britain and Prefdavid who thought that Captain's Carl's public shaming of his subordinates was humorous (" the jokey comments regarding the sextant training were so obviously meant in fun."). "Can't you take a joke?" is a frequent response of those called out for bullying. I managed professionals for over twenty years and would not have publicly criticized any of them, or allowed supervisors reporting to me to do so with their own reports. I don't think that made me humorless; I think it is just good management practice. Of course, jokes are always funnier when the butt is the other guy and not ourselves.

 

I'm sure you know the old saw "One's man's trash is another man's treasure." Seems to fit. ;)

[Sailin' Shoes]

Where I violently disagree with the OP is with his assessment of Captain Carl and the perceived bullying of his staff. I have sailed with him several times and his genial personality and competent seamanship as well as his rather idiosyncratic noon announcements are appreciated by most cruisers.

 

Strongly agree. When we have sailed with Carl we prop our cabin door open during the noon announcements. Love his wit and good cheer. I don't think the OP has a sense of humor - all those Cunard cruises perhaps.

 

I will concede his comment that I see Cunard as "Downton Abbey at sea" is pretty amusing, and not far off the mark.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Sailin' Shoes

[annie99]

I agree with earlier posters. The OP was on the wrong ship for him!!

He should have been on Crystal if he wanted a high end luxury cruise line.

Where was your TA? He / She could have told you this in advance .Of course, you pay more, but you do get the things t hat are important to you.

[dln929]

I agree with earlier posters. The OP was on the wrong ship for him!!

He should have been on Crystal if he wanted a high end luxury cruise line.

Where was your TA? He / She could have told you this in advance .Of course, you pay more, but you do get the things t hat are important to you.

 

No one wishes anyone an unenjoyable cruise but since the many cruiselines have such distinct cultures, a little bit of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A good TA, as you say, would have been helpful. Also reading and asking questions here on the forums would have gone a long way. Had the OP read my account of sailing on the Quest, for example, he'd have known exactly where the library was (post #72, photo and description). ;)

Edited April 18, 2014 by dln929

[brucory]

I'm sure you know the old saw "One's man's trash is another man's treasure." Seems to fit. ;)

 

Too true!!!

 

Captain Carl was the nicest and most personable Captain we have come across. He went out of his way to make all on our cruise feel SO welcome! His humour was very much appreciated - A lot of it was "tongue in cheek", which seemed to be relished. It is kind of sad that someone was put out by it. :confused:

 

Good luck to the OP on your next cruise - according to your signature, that one is on HAL - We really like HAL, but it isn't Azamara. Though their website stipulates the word luxury, luxuries, etc, I truly hope you do your research so your expectations are in line with what you will be getting….

 

;););)

[uktog]

I think I would be much surer about my facts before inferring behaviour is bullying. The OP had absolutely no evidence of this and should retract his remarks as it discredits the other points he is making.

 

I think if there was bullying on any Azamara ship, at any level, they would not have the over 90% retention level they enjoy. Having regularly met cadets, third, second and first officers I have been delighted to see over the six years the same faces albeit with more stripes over time. And everyone speaks highly of their masters.

 

Captain Carl is passionate about retaining traditional skills in seaman, the use of the sextant is one - long may this continue!

[maryann ns]

Captain Carl is passionate about retaining traditional skills in seaman, the use of the sextant is one - long may this continue!

 

We found Captain Carl's daily announcements hilarious! And yes, he was helping improve the skills of junior officers.

 

When the earthquake happened (Japan 2011) Captain Carl became all business, took good care of us and kept us informed.

[azevedan]

or the odd variant on Egg Beaters used to make the thin, nasty omelettes.

 

I can only imagine they ran out of eggs on a transatlantic? We certainly had fresh eggs for our omelets. I would get two egg/one yolk omelets. Also watched all the others being made up fresh.