Our take. Azamara suites vs Celebrity suites

[uktog]

Not sure about the "muttering" you were hearing during your escort. I don't know if it was actual or you may have been feeling guilty for your special treatment. I can say that I have never heard anyone else ever mention a like occurrence.

I wanted to ask you about the "BOOM BOOM" music what is your age?...because I have never heard anyone describe Celebrity ships as party boats with pounding music ....especially one you would need a bolt hole too escape from.

In your comparison of food you mention not liking some of the offerings in Luminae and having more options on Azamara....also that you used the specialty restaurants on Azamara....it should be noted that you can also, order Items from the MDR in Luminae and that in a Royal suite you have unlimited access to ALL the specialty venues at no additional charge.

 

You don't mention the entertainment at all.....no comparison on quality or quantity of entertainment available.

 

What is your feeling about the complimentary minibar and bottles of spirits during your stay in the suite? the convenience of the butlers pantry? And how were the bathrooms in comparison overall?...you backhandedly compliment the fact that Celebrity had a walk in shower that you preferred...how do the bathrooms compare overall?

 

What about shopping? which ship had better offerings and which had more available?....what about your opinion of the decor and appearance of the common areas?

 

And how do the Spas compare?....

 

Thank you for your post and for highlighting that I did not comment on several aspects in comparison. I will pick up on each of your points in turn

 

1. The mutterings in May were indeed real such that the Captains Club hostess who was escorting us on board apologised and also indicated to the aggrieved party he too would be on board very soon

 

2. I think if you do a search on the Celebrity boards you will find several mentions of the loud music both poolside and in the bar in the evening. It was also an issue in Luminae at breakfast some days. The Martini Bar was beside the set up for a group called Miami DJs - a gentleman with a mixing desk and a second player with a set of bongo type drums.

 

Our age, we are both baby boomers we like to party some of the time (in the review I have posted to cruise critic I have highlighted that the Looking Glass was pleasantly lively each evening. We like to be able to talk with others during our evening drinks, on Celebrity we have founded we needed the perk of Michaels club to be able to do that, there is no "private club" on Azamara, something that has concerned some future cruisers and the point I was making was, if you are wanting the club for somewhere to be able to drink and socialise with others, its absence on Azamara is not an issue.

 

3. I had access to 2 speciality restaurants on Celebrity plus Luminae and 2 specialities on Azamara. Overall I found the range of choice on the menus far wider on Azamara and the standard of food and presentation was far higher. I discounted the option to order off menu from elsewhere which I could have done. I would add that the evening buffets on Azamara are of a far higher standard than those on Celebrity.

 

I appreciate that on S class ships on Celebrity I would have had a wider specialty choice, however, my experiences of late are that the quality of food and service in these restaurants has not been as good and inconsistent, whereas the experience on Azamara was consistent and very good.

 

As I said in my original post, food is the bear pit and I suspect we will never all agree on that one!

 

4. My apologies for not mentioning entertainment. Again this is something impacted by personal tastes and therefore comparisons can be very subjective. I prefer the smaller show lounge of Azamara and because the demands on the singers and dancers in that more intimate setting are higher, I personally considered them far superior and also the sound technician had the sound balance correct, something that did not happen on our Celebrity cruise. I prefer the Azamara deck parties and I like the fact that the seven piece orchestra is everywhere for us to enjoy - we only had six somewhat disengaged players on Celebrity.

 

The guest singer (Bruce Parker) was excellent and better than many I have listened to elsewhere, I would put the flautist and comedian in the very good category and on a par with Celebrity.

 

5. I make no use of the butler's pantry on Celebrity, sorry so I cannot comment there, however I did find the four bottles (50cl each) of spirits to be very useful as we could host cocktails for others and enjoy some ourselves whenever we chose.

 

6. I am not sure why you think my comment about the shower to be backhanded, far from it, this was where I highlighted that I thought the Celebrity product was currently ahead. Again, it is because I am not a fan of tubs/step in showers. If I was I might well have put Azamara ahead. I did enjoy having the second guest powder room, something we did not have on Celebrity (though I recognise S class do have them).

 

7. I do not shop onboard so no comment

 

8. The public areas and condition of the ship were excellent on Azamara. Restrooms were kept far cleaner than on Celebrity however sometimes that can be due to how the guests treat them as much as how the ship maintains them. However I do not go hunting for rust and and rips so I may not be the best person to comment

 

9. The spa - I had one paid for visit - I had my hair done the last day, a simple wash and blow dry and I was very happy with the result and even more happy that I did not suffer the high pressure selling antics I did on Celebrity during the treatment. The stylist did a far better job of my hair than on Celebrity but I did not previously mention this in my comparison as I had put that down to the fact my hair was at a far different stage in its growing process now.

 

Azamara spa deck is of course something suite guests can enjoy all cruise - a lovely outdoor area to relax in that you do not have an equivalent of on Celebrity.

 

I hope I have answered your further queries in full.

 

I still want to say I am happy to cruise on both brands but if both ships went to similar destinations and the same time and the like for like prices were comparable, there is no question my personal selection at present would be Azamara. I know others would have a different personal selection

 

Thank goodness sometimes we are all different!!!!

[excitedofharpenden]

 

2. I think if you do a search on the Celebrity boards you will find several mentions of the loud music both poolside and in the bar in the evening. It was also an issue in Luminae at breakfast some days. The Martini Bar was beside the set up for a group called Miami DJs - a gentleman with a mixing desk and a second player with a set of bongo type drums.

One of my bugbears on Celebrity is the noise that permeates around the ship. I've written about it on the Celebrity board a number of times. The loud music that travels up the atrium at times and invades the quiet areas of the library and other venues is a design limitation of the S-Class ships. More annoying is the piped music all over the ship, including the Lawn Club.

 

Like you I too enjoy Celebrity, but in the final analysis I prefer the more sedate and intimate nature of Azamara. It wouldn't suit everyone. It's great to have choices out there.

 

Phil

[nordski]

 

4. My apologies for not mentioning entertainment. Again this is something impacted by personal tastes and therefore comparisons can be very subjective. I prefer the smaller show lounge of Azamara and because the demands on the singers and dancers in that more intimate setting are higher, I personally considered them far superior and also the sound technician had the sound balance correct, something that did not happen on our Celebrity cruise. I prefer the Azamara deck parties and I like the fact that the seven piece orchestra is everywhere for us to enjoy - we only had six somewhat disengaged players on Celebrity.

 

The guest singer (Bruce Parker) was excellent and better than many I have listened to elsewhere, I would put the flautist and comedian in the very good category and on a par with Celebrity.

 

 

I really appreciate the questions posed, and your thoughtful response.

 

Agree totally with your assessment of Bruce Parker's skills as an entertainer and the value of the deck parties.

 

On the other hand, there were several music ensembles that we, somewhat to our surprise, really enjoyed on our recent Constellation cruise. Just the luck of the draw.

 

And now a conundrum for us. A good fiend was on board the cruise that I believe you and Phil were enjoying. She has experience with Azamara and, like Phil, suggested that the product keeps getting better. We have reserved a 2017 cruise to New Zealand on the Solstice, but these reports are really forcing us to reconsider!

 

It's a delightful problem.

[scapel]

The Millennum Penthouse suite gave the best service because on the Singapore cruise Jennifer the concierge got myself and 75 of our group off the ship at Komodo on the first tender.

All butlers in all suites have been excellent. I have not been in a larger suite then the Millennium Penthouse. That table came in handy to feed some of the family for breakfast.

 

Millennium Penthouse

 

There are some stills of the Suite in this group from a Panama Canal

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f&id=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F%211905

 

 

For the Owners suite in this video you just have to watch the hold thing until you come to it.

Azamara Quest—Owner’s Suite

 

We will try the forward suite on the Journey in October and I will report back. I remember always having to go on deck to take pictures coming into port. Now I will just step on the veranda to take them. Only thing concerning me is the ride. It certainly will deliver more motion then the stern. This suite is smaller than the owners suite. 7005 for those with the deck plan.

[uktog]

Although the focus of this thread is the comparison between the two products, thought I would add the link to the review we did which very much focuses on Azamara Journey and the specifics of the cruise we enjoyed

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=510280

[need2cruisesoon]

"8. The public areas and condition of the ship were excellent on Azamara. Restrooms were kept far cleaner than on Celebrity however sometimes that can be due to how the guests treat them as much as how the ship maintains them. However I do not go hunting for rust and and rips so I may not be the best person to comment"

 

We just cruised the Silhouette last month (Concierge aft cabin) around the BI's and granted we did have some issues (Tuscan Grille, Tendering...) however I will disagree on your point above.

 

I did find all the public areas and restrooms onboard our ship to be immaculate and clean. Also, all Cuvee restaurant restrooms on both decks were manned by attendants to ensure all was kept clean and in good shape. I would compare with my last trip on Journey (2012) but that wouldn't be fair has the ship has gone through some improvements.

Edited August 14, 2015 by need2cruisesoon