Bye Bye Azamara

[tgg]

We started cruising with Azamara after three cruises with Renaissance and, when they went out of business, three cruises with Oceania. And then, in 2008, we heard about someone taking over two of our favorite "R" ships and decided to give them a try. We've been sailing with Azamara ever since. Here is a list of our cruises:

 

3/29/08 Quest 14 Caribbean

8/14/08 Journey 16 Western Europe

1/19/09 Journey 12 Caribbean

6/14/09 Quest 14 Black Sea

8/19/09 Journey 13 British Isles

2/12/10 Journey 10 Caribbean

9/20/10 Quest 12 Western Med

1/30/11 Journey 16 Panama Canal

6/18/11 Journey 7 Spain & Portugal

1/15/13 Quest 16 Antarctica

7/3/13 Quest 11 Norway, Iceland, Scotland

11/2/13 Quest 11 Vatican to Alcazar

1/15/14 Quest 14 Costa Rica to Los Angeles

8/8/14 Journey 12 British Isles

8/20/14 Journey 14 France, Spain, Portugal

 

But something has changed onboard. The "happy ship" vibe that we've always felt has disappeared. At least it has on the Journey. It is subtle, but for many of us who cruise with Azamara frequently, it is apparent.

 

There were many less-than-positive things that happened on our most recent cruise:

 

- The lack of introductions at our Meet & Mingle was rudely handled by the cruise director.

 

- With the Do Not Disturb sign out, the steward knocked repeatedly and then opened the door to deliver my husband's shined shoes. I had been ill enough to be treated in the medical facility - and I was asleep.

 

- The free-flowing alcohol has attracted some very heavy drinkers. This affects other passengers when you're trying to listen to Richard Rubin playing the piano after dinner and there are people talking at the top of their lungs at the bar. Richard is already competing with the noisy slot machines.

 

- Two of us at a table for four ordered lamb medium rare. It was served well done and we sent it back. The second time it was served it was also well done. We both decided to order something else for dinner.

 

- A waiter got into an argument with his assistant at dinner.

 

- I ordered cheese ravioli for dinner one night and they tasted funny. When I scraped away the sauce I found out why. They were filled with meat instead. The chef came to the table and explained that they must have opened the wrong bag. (No, I'm not a vegetarian and this was not the end of the world.)

 

- The azamazing evening in Bordeaux was a waste of time. On the previous cruise, it was lots of fun.

 

- The message light on our phone didn't work. So, when Guest Relations called us with an important message, we never got it. When another couple called to ask us to join them for dinner, they thought we were rude when we didn't return their call. Although someone came and looked at the phone, the message light didn't work for the rest of the cruise (9 days).

 

- The people serving drinks are working very hard because it seems that many people are ordering drinks after dinner that they would not have ordered had they had to pay for them. I wonder if this is affecting the waiters' compensation. In the past, a passenger would have been given a bill to which he would add a tip. Now that there are no bills for many drinks, I wonder if the staff is feeing overworked and underpaid.

 

- The new show is so badly written that someone compared it to a high school musical that she had to attend because her child was in it. It was truly sad to see talented singers and dancers performing terrible material.

 

Of course there were lots of enjoyable things too. But the balance has shifted. And then we came home to find out that the improvements to the Le Club Voyage program are what I would call deprovements. Although we're Discoverer Plus, we'll never get to the next level because of the program's structure, unless we move onto one of the ships for months at a time. Our computer time and included laundry are gone.

 

So we're voting with our feet. We've booked our next cruise with someone else. And we probably won't be back unless things change.

 

I'll miss Heike, Ngawhira, Ryszard, and Russ - all of whom have gone above and beyond to make sure we had a wonderful time. It was fun.

[critterchick]

What's interesting is that we had many of the same issues on Journey in 2007 during her Panama Canal transit. We gave Azamara another try on Quest 5 months later and it was one of the best cruises we've ever taken. I hope that your experience was a "one-off" (we had a large crew changeover, ran late and left too many supplies in Miami) and not a sign that the onboard experience has been lowered.:eek:

[ellbon]

We started cruising with Azamara after three cruises with Renaissance and, when they went out of business, three cruises with Oceania. And then, in 2008, we heard about someone taking over two of our favorite "R" ships and decided to give them a try. We've been sailing with Azamara ever since. Here is a list of our cruises:

 

3/29/08 Quest 14 Caribbean

8/14/08 Journey 16 Western Europe

1/19/09 Journey 12 Caribbean

6/14/09 Quest 14 Black Sea

8/19/09 Journey 13 British Isles

2/12/10 Journey 10 Caribbean

9/20/10 Quest 12 Western Med

1/30/11 Journey 16 Panama Canal

6/18/11 Journey 7 Spain & Portugal

1/15/13 Quest 16 Antarctica

7/3/13 Quest 11 Norway, Iceland, Scotland

11/2/13 Quest 11 Vatican to Alcazar

1/15/14 Quest 14 Costa Rica to Los Angeles

8/8/14 Journey 12 British Isles

8/20/14 Journey 14 France, Spain, Portugal

 

But something has changed onboard. The "happy ship" vibe that we've always felt has disappeared. At least it has on the Journey. It is subtle, but for many of us who cruise with Azamara frequently, it is apparent.

 

Toni, i so agree with you.. I thought it was because Johaness was missing and the tickle down effect.

 

There were many less-than-positive things that happened on our most recent cruise:

 

- The lack of introductions at our Meet & Mingle was rudely handled by the cruise director.

 

o of the 3 he is the worse.. no around and not caring.. do not want to say more on an open thread.

 

- With the Do Not Disturb sign out, the steward knocked repeatedly and then opened the door to deliver my husband's shined shoes. I had been ill enough to be treated in the medical facility - and I was asleep.

I never ever had this happen on a any cruise line. so sorry.

 

- The free-flowing alcohol has attracted some very heavy drinkers. This affects other passengers when you're trying to listen to Richard Rubin playing the piano after dinner and there are people talking at the top of their lungs at the bar. Richard is already competing with the noisy slot machines.

 

since i did not like his music i can not say much on this.. i feel lit is ont as bad on the Quest as most people like Max.. since the piano was moved i rather be anywhere else

 

- Two of us at a table for four ordered lamb medium rare. It was served well done and we sent it back. The second time it was served it was also well done. We both decided to order something else for dinner.

 

I have sent food back in the MDR but not on deck 10.. I had to chase someoen down to get service to get my food replaced. he skipped the table of women vs seeing all the big round tables.stupid me never told Thomas.

 

- A waiter got into an argument with his assistant at dinner.

not cool at all.

 

- I ordered cheese ravioli for dinner one night and they tasted funny. When I scraped away the sauce I found out why. They were filled with meat instead. The chef came to the table and explained that they must have opened the wrong bag. (No, I'm not a vegetarian and this was not the end of the world.)

now i would of goen to Thomas on this one!

 

- The azamazing evening in Bordeaux was a waste of time. On the previous cruise, it was lots of fun.

 

I almsot never go but all i heard is poor.. at least last year you could walk to it and then leave ..

 

- The message light on our phone didn't work. So, when Guest Relations called us with an important message, we never got it. When another couple called to ask us to join them for dinner, they thought we were rude when we didn't return their call. Although someone came and looked at the phone, the message light didn't work for the rest of the cruise (9 days).

 

and thry did not have an extra phone!! hell, i got a new safe on te Quest.. who is at fault here

 

- The people serving drinks are working very hard because it seems that many people are ordering drinks after dinner that they would not have ordered had they had to pay for them. I wonder if this is affecting the waiters' compensation. In the past, a passenger would have been given a bill to which he would add a tip. Now that there are no bills for many drinks, I wonder if the staff is feeing overworked and underpaid.

I always tip extra but i order better drinks. if i ordered the free ones i have extra cash at end of cruise for the waiters and bartenders i used.

 

- The new show is so badly written that someone compared it to a high school musical that she had to attend because her child was in it. It was truly sad to see talented singers and dancers performing terrible material.

 

saw only one as thry were not redone the second cruise iwas on.. but i thought the over all entertainment sucked on the ship. went to one production show -week one and part of Eric's show.. one singer- bad. . iquit going

 

Of course there were lots of enjoyable things too. But the balance has shifted. And then we came home to find out that the improvements to the Le Club Voyage program are what I would call deprovements. Although we're Discoverer Plus, we'll never get to the next level because of the program's structure, unless we move onto one of the ships for months at a time. Our computer time and included laundry are gone.

well, you know how i feel. on the ship for laundry and internet. and some ports or staff.

 

So we're voting with our feet. We've booked our next cruise with someone else. And we probably won't be back unless things change.

 

i have cancel some and lookign around plus i booekd a land tour too.

 

I'll miss Heike, Ngawhira, Ryszard, and Russ - all of whom have gone above and beyond to make sure we had a wonderful time. It was fun.

 

I enjoyed meeting both of you-twice. I know even with how you feel it was still a hard choice.. I am keeping this winter as everything was done months ago-from plane to hotels.. summer is canceled. .looking at many cruiselines for winter 2016. not sure of europe as i like the ports. i can go back to Celebrity for laundry and dull ports and long bus rides.. i can look at other ship and have.strangely enough the dec 2016 cruises have the best snorkel ports and i hope to do it..

I wish Tony was never on a cruise i was on- i had no problem with any HD or captain but Jason needs to show up once in a while. They need to spend more money on entertainment and gave us our laundry back..

 

i enjoyed meetign you.. thank you for your very honest post. .i hope others agree with you vs being rude. i am freidns wih some of the above names..

[dln929]

I am sorry you didn't like your last Journey cruise. We got off the day you got on and whatever wasn't right for you was for us. We had a lovely Meet & Mingle hosted by Tony. Our lamb was so good we ordered it whenever we saw it offered. Our AzAmazing Evening was just that. The crew was uniformly cheerful and welcoming and the shows (at least those we saw) were entertaining. It was, in short, an enchanting cruise for us while yours seems to have been cursed! I hope you don't abandon Azamara for good--maybe just take a break from it. My opinion only but I thought our May Journey sailing was a little bit "meh" whereas the second time around it was light years away from meh and I was glad that we gave Journey a second chance. I can't explain why, all things being equal (you'd think) our September 3rd Journey was so wonderful and your August 20th wasn't. If I believed in that kind of thing, I'd say our stars were aligned on the 3rd and yours were out of whack on the 20th. I feel for your disappointment because when Azamara is good, it's very very good, and when it's not....:(

[Phxazzcruisers]

I am very sorry you did not enjoy your last Journey Cruise. We have always enjoyed our Quest voyages and have never experiences any of your issues aboard Quest. We love it so much we booked 3 more voyages despite the changes to Le Club Voyage, which we are not so happy with

[Redtravel]

Unfortunately, there were so many things on the Aug. 20th cruise that were not good. We are now looking at other vacation options.

[ellbon]

i had friends on that week and outside of the CC party and lack of seeing the CD after having Russ on their 1st cruise they were happy.. i realize without Johaness the vibe is missing but i do think the HD was around and did a good job.. if you were leaving due to the LCV lack of laundry etc I get it but one bad cruise.

[uktog]

I am sorry it is not now working for you

 

As Denise said, maybe a break works I would add especially when you get over familiar with a product because then a disappointment can be so obvious to you

 

I am concerned though we are doing a lot of people bashing on this thread.

 

I have sailed with all Azamara captains and all the cruise directors. They are different, that's what I like about them - don't get me wrong Johannes is absolutely fantastic but if you start with the premiss that if he is not around the experience is not going to be good you are going to have an issue and are being unrealistic

 

Having sailed a good few times, I personally would not let a less than perfect trip cause me to leave - one swan doesn't make a summer, and as regards unfortunate comments, I think we have all said something we regretted the minute the words left our mouths.

 

However for the OP they had to move on, I accept that and wish them well wherever they cruise and hopefully they will be back soon. To others, let's not let this thread descend into people naming and bashing based on our random preferences

[Spursgirl]

Toni,

 

I am sorry that you have decided to cruise elsewhere after many happy cruises on Azamara.

 

I have cruised on both ships this summer, the same sailing as din29 on Journey and on September 1 on Quest. Both were lovely cruises but if I am honest the Jouney cruise lacked a tiny bit of sparkle but it was my first time on the ship and many of the crew though excellent were not known to me.

 

On my recent Quest cruise I couldn't have been treated any better and was fortunate to receive so many kindnesses many which I hadn't 't asked for or expected.

 

So hopefully your sad experience was just a one off.

 

Happy cruising whichever ship you decide to sail on.

[ellbon]

Heike is aware of this thread. i let her know last night...i do not think there is peopel bashing. i think we have our favorites on board. Toni done 16 cruises and i have done 23 i think we know what we like or if a vibe is missing or not.. Food not being good, poor shows etc. I felt that this summer. .others feel hte MDR food is fine but not good enough for me. Tony not Russ but he was npt around enpugh. the CC party on the 20th seems to be one of the worse ever.. this seems to be Tony's fault..

 

 

i hope when Heike gets back things will be better for all future guests.. between the new LCV and lack of vibe i understand Toni and John's feelings.. i believe they will bring back our laundry and by winter cruises things will be normal.

[Redtravel]

Unfortunately Hieke was not the HD on the Aug. 20th Journey cruise. She and Philip are a class act. Heike, Philip.....You both knew how to a special sparkle into the cruise experience. Both of you are amazing. I will miss you.

[BBMacLaird]

I am sorry it is not now working for you

 

As Denise said, maybe a break works I would add especially when you get over familiar with a product because then a disappointment can be so obvious to you

 

I am concerned though we are doing a lot of people bashing on this thread.

 

I have sailed with all Azamara captains and all the cruise directors. They are different, that's what I like about them - don't get me wrong Johannes is absolutely fantastic but if you start with the premiss that if he is not around the experience is not going to be good you are going to have an issue and are being unrealistic

 

Having sailed a good few times, I personally would not let a less than perfect trip cause me to leave - one swan doesn't make a summer, and as regards unfortunate comments, I think we have all said something we regretted the minute the words left our mouths.

 

However for the OP they had to move on, I accept that and wish them well wherever they cruise and hopefully they will be back soon. To others, let's not let this thread descend into people naming and bashing based on our random preferences

 

I am in agreement that the naming of names and comparisons of individuals are uncalled for on any public social medium. In my book they read like gossip, which most people realize is usually subjective and often based on anecdotal experience.

The individuals at the center of the gossip are also reading the forums, as are their bosses as well as their underlings, which can be demoralizing on many levels.

And since we are all social-beings living in an interactive world, comments are remembered and may reflect upon future behavior as well as future opportunities.

 

Just my two cents.

 

 

[GreenEyedKat]

I am in agreement that the naming of names and comparisons of individuals are uncalled for on any public social medium. In my book they read like gossip, which most people realize is usually subjective and often based on anecdotal experience.

The individuals at the center of the gossip are also reading the forums, as are their bosses as well as their underlings, which can be demoralizing on many levels.

And since we are all social-beings living in an interactive world, comments are remembered and may reflect upon future behavior as well as future opportunities.

 

Just my two cents.

 

 

 

I couldn't agree more Bonnie. I love Azamara and have always found both Tony and Russ to be such genuine and nice people. I find the level of personal comments on this thread most distasteful. I know Tony reads Cruise Critic often and I'm sure he must be feeling upset.

These type of comments are surely not what this forum is about.

We are on Journey in December and I really hope Tony will be our CD.

[nonrev1]

I agree with your sentiments about your recent cruise. Our last experience was very similar except it was on the Quest and not the Journey.

Our first cruise was on the Quest and we fell in love with Azamara. Our next cruise was on the Journey and while we still loved Azamara, we did not feel the same about the two ships and staff. We said to ourselves that our next Azamara cruise would have to be on the Quest. But, our next four or five cruises were on the Journey. We started to enjoy the Journey better than the Quest and can honestly say that both Captains on the Journey are great! Our 8th cruise was on the Quest and we were on the cruise prior to dry dock and were very inconvenienced when they started dry dock work during the cruise. Almost every public area was closed 2 days before the end of our cruise and we had contractors on and off the ship throughout the cruise. Many were very vocal about not having what they needed or complaining in public. But, we thought this was an unusual situation due to the upcoming dry dock and decided to give Azamara another chance. We did again on the Journey and had a wonderful cruise. Our tenth, and final cruise was on the Quest. We had some very similar experiences to the OP but on the Quest vs. the Journey. We kept getting appology after appology and staff saying to us that they could not believe what was happening......but, the "untypical" Azamara experience continued. Upon our return, we sent an email to customer relations with very similar comments that we made in our comment card. We never heard back from Customer Relations. We were not asking for anything.....we just wanted the issues to be acknowledged. A reply is so easy yet seems very difficult for Azamara to accomplish.

Like the OP we are looking at other cruise lines. The icing on the cake was the loyalty program.

[ellbon]

Heike is aware of this thread. i let her know last night...i do not think there is peopel bashing. i think we have our favorites on board. Toni done 16 cruises and i have done 23 i think we know what we like or if a vibe is missing or not.. Food not being good, poor shows etc. I felt that this summer. .others feel hte MDR food is fine but not good enough for me. Tony not Russ but he was npt around enpugh. the CC party on the 20th seems to be one of the worse ever.. this seems to be Tony's fault..

 

 

i hope when Heike gets back things will be better for all future guests.. between the new LCV and lack of vibe i understand Toni and John's feelings.. i believe they will bring back our laundry and by winter cruises things will be normal.

 

I again do not agree that this is people bashing.. Heike is well aware of the problem on the August 20th cruise. she knows who was involved with the CC party.

 

 

i like all four captains but I would like to see Jason out and about more. It si not his style. As far as Tony the CD i did see him on my cruise but there are many comments about the following cruise all over the boards.

 

The enertainment and food is pertsonal to each of us. i did not enjoy over all any shows or music but for Nathan. Food in the MDR was cold- I never seem to order food that i ahve to worry about being over cooked on the ship. .i had one piece of fish on deck 10 that was dry.. i left it.. said i did not like it and got soup and was happy.

[maggie.1008]

I have sailed twice on the Journey. Both cruises with Captain Jason. I sat next to him at the captains table and shared a fun conversation. He just might be a bit more shy than other Captains. He asked to join us at lunch one day. I think he is delightful. Heather

[HudandPug]

I am in agreement that the naming of names and comparisons of individuals are uncalled for on any public social medium. In my book they read like gossip, which most people realize is usually subjective and often based on anecdotal experience.

The individuals at the center of the gossip are also reading the forums, as are their bosses as well as their underlings, which can be demoralizing on many levels.

And since we are all social-beings living in an interactive world, comments are remembered and may reflect upon future behavior as well as future opportunities.

 

Just my two cents.

 

 

Agree, it's been annoying me for some time. I always worry about peoples jobs in the CL industry, it can get very unreal and I have never met a non competent person ever... Nobody who spends their life trying to please people deserves to be targeted in this. Its the bosses job to take the rap so leave the names and hints out Grrrr.

Edited September 18, 2014 by HudandPug

[nonrev1]

I agree with you 100%. No one deserves to be called out personally on a very public forum. Unless of course it is positive! :)

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've just read this thread for the first time, and it's certainly an eye opener.

 

First, to Toni (Member Tgg), I'm sorry to learn that your Journey sailing did not live up to your expectations. It's always a huge disappointment, when your eagerly awaited cruise, isn't what you expected. I've had my share of them. No doubt, it's a big letdown. Over the years, You've been a wonderful member of this forum and loyal supporter of Azamara. I truly hope you take some time to think it over, and reconsider Azamara in the future.

 

As for some of the comments on this thread, I thought a few were a bit harsh, and I often cringe when members make negative comments about ANY officer or crew member. Not only with Azamara, but on any cruise line.

 

I respect the fact that we all have Azamara favorites. Personally, I feel that Captain Johannes Tysse and Hotel Director Heike Berdos are amongst the finest people I've ever met at sea. But let's be clear, just because I'm a fan of Johannes & Heike, that doesn't mean the other Azamara captains or hotel & cruise directors and crew aren't excellent, nor, any less passionate about their work. They are simply different. We are all different. That's what makes the world go round. I totally believe they all try their very best to give you an excellent cruise experience.

 

When commenting on the wonderful onboard folks - I feel that some do not take into consideration that Azamara's (and Celebrity's) officers and crew care very much about your cruise experience and enjoyment. Nobody is going to convince me otherwise - even when things are less than perfect. They give it their all, work endless hours, 7 days a week. I highly doubt many of us could work as hard as they do !

 

I also feel it's important to note that officers and crew spend several months at a time... away from loved ones, friends, and their homeland. With all due respect, they deserve **far** more respect and appreciation that some care to offer. I see them as very special people, and have my utmost respect.

 

In the future, I sincerely wish that our members would take my thoughts into consideration before hitting the "submit reply" button. When I post, I often look at my comments 2 or 3 times before I hit the submit button, and I feel it's a great strategy. Also, please don't hesitate to use the alert triangle, when you see items that require my attention. I always get to alerts very quickly, no matter how busy I am.

 

Just my .02 cents, and I'm taking the final word on this topic. Thanks in advance for considering my insights !

 

This thread is now closed.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Host Andy