How does Azamara compare to Crystal?

[Riocca]

We’ve only done one Crystal cruise which was Symphony back in 2018 whilst we’ve done quite a few Azamara. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with Crystal but it wasn’t for us, service on the face of it is impeccable but robotic, staff were like rabbits caught in the headlights if you tried to interact with them. Every night in the restaurant was like a first night, nobody seemed to remember who you were, we had the same waiter for most of our 15 days onboard but had to ask for his section every night. Officers were friendly but didn’t engage passengers in conversation, lunch buffet closed at 1.30 pm sharp even if the majority of passengers were of the ship on tours returning after this time. 
We were in South Africa and there was a large group of golfers onboard so maybe this changed the dynamics but it was like a ghost ship at times, below is a picture of the pool deck on a sea day just after lunch with a band playing on deck!

 

[Killin Time]

Well we just got back from our first Crystal Cruise and there is a difference between premium and luxury lines. 

Entertainment was excellent. Great shows, very good musicians, and the lectures were enjoyable. Included liquor was very good particularly the wines. I love Azamara but the everyday wines are not very good. Food on Crystal was delicious though I would have liked more food choices in the main dining room at night. If you like Asian food they have a great Japanese restaurant as well as Chinese food choices at Silks for both lunch and dinner. 

 

We got a very good deal on a 7 day trip NYC to Bermuda. A lot of anxiety though with Covid tests and the Bermuda requirements. Crystal does not seem to do much if anything to help guests who test positive or have been in close proximity to Covid positive individuals. (see postings on the Crystal Board for more details). 

 

Crystal ownership has changed and there have been many complaints about extremely long delays in issuing refunds. That’s a negative for me. 
 

I still love Azamara but Crystal is real luxury. Of course it is considerably more expensive than Azamara. I think I need to consider making Azamara more luxurious for me by making sure we eat at the specialty restaurants. My husband has this (silly) aversion to add on costs. Also planning on buying wine packages or bottles to have wines that I really like. Those aren’t big increased costs but would make Azamara feel more special. 
 

Will I try Crystal again? Yes if we get a deal. But Azamara is more affordable and we genuinely enjoy the experience. Upping the budget for music would be great though. Crystal entertainment was fabulous and Russ seemed very pleased with his entertainers on Crystal Symphony. 

[surfcitygirl]

We were on the first Symphony cruise to Bermuda and we are also big Azamara fans. We have the Black Sea booked for June 2022 on the Onward. We loved our experience on the Symphony. We had quickly booked when we saw the great deal online and grabbed for a chance to experience Crystal. We loved the food and entertainment especially and would do it again with a deal as you indicated also. But our experience with Azamara has until now been our favorite overall. 

[AmerikanMatt]

I’m glad this topic was bumped because my wife and I seem to have quite the decision to make. 

 

We’re in our mid-40’s…. And have only cruised on Carnival and NCL. We did a Northern Baltic 11-Day and a Mediterranean 9-Day - for our Honeymoon and then our 5-year. Now, it’s time for our 10-year and we are absolutely intrigued by the itineraries being offered for June, 2023 on the Black Sea (have been wanting to do Greece and Instanbul and Bulgaria forever!) on both Crystal and Azamara. Really can’t wait to get back to Russia too….. 

 

But alas… which cruise line?

 

For me, I’m pretty mellow…. The ports are everything so as long as the food is good and there are some decent things to do on sea days, and maybe some nice people to converse with… I’m happy as a clam.

 

My wife on the other hand, found NCL super-boring compared to Carnival. She is always on the go… we did trivia, and bingo…. Spent time in the casino….. all the things. But we’re also pretty young at heart….. we like to dance, have some libations, and generally just try to be as young as we can while we still can.

 

So - reading the reviews on here - it seems that both options have some pros and cons.

 

Crystal Cruise Lines seems to be more up my wife’s alley as far as entertainment and activities, and I was going to book there based on that… but then I read about the muckity-muck older, snobbish crowds on there and that is a DEFINITE no-no for us. We absolutely hate rude, sucky people who think they’re better than everyone else. I make plenty but you’d never know it. If we run into a snob, who acts all entitled, or tries to play some sort of class-game with us, we’re more likely to laugh out loud at them and point at them and make fun of them…. (After a few drinks of course) than anything else. I’m semi-kidding, but seriously, who likes crappy people on vacation? We’re the types who know our cabin stewards and bartenders by name on Day 2. We tip generously and really enjoy just being friendly and having fun.

 

Then…… hearing that Azamara has awesome people and crew, but no casino and a smaller, less activity-based ship…. I’m fearing my wife will be bored to tears after our 250th game of Cribbage on the pool deck.

 

Both itineraries are great and price isn’t a factor whatsoever….. so… after what you’ve all read - What would you recommend I do? 

 

Is there another cruise line in this class you’d recommend me looking into? These are the only two with this itinerary I’ve been able to find and I’m ready to book the best one.

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thank you so much!!!

[tv24]

We've sailed a lot on Azamara and twice on Crystal.  Since you are young at heart, IMHO, you will feel out of place on Crystal where the passengers are usually way past retirement age.  And we've had a terrible experience of being snubbed on Crystal so much so that we are reluctant to return.  The activities on Crystal that stand out are the lectures, while the best activities on Azamara are the parties, meet-ups, the silly things like trivia.  I love casinos and regret that AZ took theirs out, but frankly, the casino on Crystal is a bit dull.  For me the stand-out on AZ is the conviviality on the ship, the passengers and the staff.  Can't say that about Crystal.

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, AmerikanMatt said:

I’m glad this topic was bumped because my wife and I seem to have quite the decision to make. 

 

 

 

We’re in our mid-40’s…. And have only cruised on Carnival and NCL. We did a Northern Baltic 11-Day and a Mediterranean 9-Day - for our Honeymoon and then our 5-year. Now, it’s time for our 10-year and we are absolutely intrigued by the itineraries being offered for June, 2023 on the Black Sea (have been wanting to do Greece and Instanbul and Bulgaria forever!) on both Crystal and Azamara. Really can’t wait to get back to Russia too….. 

 

 

 

But alas… which cruise line?

 

 

 

For me, I’m pretty mellow…. The ports are everything so as long as the food is good and there are some decent things to do on sea days, and maybe some nice people to converse with… I’m happy as a clam.

 

 

 

My wife on the other hand, found NCL super-boring compared to Carnival. She is always on the go… we did trivia, and bingo…. Spent time in the casino….. all the things. But we’re also pretty young at heart….. we like to dance, have some libations, and generally just try to be as young as we can while we still can.

 

 

 

So - reading the reviews on here - it seems that both options have some pros and cons.

 

 

 

Crystal Cruise Lines seems to be more up my wife’s alley as far as entertainment and activities, and I was going to book there based on that… but then I read about the muckity-muck older, snobbish crowds on there and that is a DEFINITE no-no for us. We absolutely hate rude, sucky people who think they’re better than everyone else. I make plenty but you’d never know it. If we run into a snob, who acts all entitled, or tries to play some sort of class-game with us, we’re more likely to laugh out loud at them and point at them and make fun of them…. (After a few drinks of course) than anything else. I’m semi-kidding, but seriously, who likes crappy people on vacation? We’re the types who know our cabin stewards and bartenders by name on Day 2. We tip generously and really enjoy just being friendly and having fun.

 

 

 

Then…… hearing that Azamara has awesome people and crew, but no casino and a smaller, less activity-based ship…. I’m fearing my wife will be bored to tears after our 250th game of Cribbage on the pool deck.

 

 

 

Both itineraries are great and price isn’t a factor whatsoever….. so… after what you’ve all read - What would you recommend I do? 

 

 

 

Is there another cruise line in this class you’d recommend me looking into? These are the only two with this itinerary I’ve been able to find and I’m ready to book the best one.

 

 

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thank you so much!!!

 

 

Azamara offers a reasonable range of activities, especially on sea days. Quizzes, bingo, deck activities like shuffleboard, table tennis, destination lectures etc. I’ve attached photos of 2 daily programmes, one for a sea day and one for a day in port.
 

From what you say I think you’d love the crew and guests on Azamara, we’ve not come across any of the ‘entitled’ types you describe - I think that’s one of the main reasons we come back to Azamara time after time.

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Grandma Cruising

[Mackdogmolly]

7 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

 

Azamara offers a reasonable range of activities, especially on sea days. Quizzes, bingo, deck activities like shuffleboard, table tennis, destination lectures etc. I’ve attached photos of 2 daily programmes, one for a sea day and one for a day in port.
 

From what you say I think you’d love the crew and guests on Azamara, we’ve not come across any of the ‘entitled’ types you describe - I think that’s one of the main reasons we come back to Azamara time after time.

 

Wow! Lots of sea day options! I’m relieved because not really in to trivia 

[AmerikanMatt]

Man you guys are too awesome! I knew I'd find the right advice. Thank you so much for the great info. Definitely sounds like Azamara is our line. So much so that I just closed my eyes and booked!

 

Got a Suite leaving Athens on 06/19/23 and arriving in Instanbul on 07/01! SO EXCITED!

 

Now... off to the Roll Calls and questions forums. I have a feeling I'll be fairly active over the next 18 months.... lol....

 

Thanks again all!!!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, AmerikanMatt said:

Man you guys are too awesome! I knew I'd find the right advice. Thank you so much for the great info. Definitely sounds like Azamara is our line. So much so that I just closed my eyes and booked!

 

Got a Suite leaving Athens on 06/19/23 and arriving in Instanbul on 07/01! SO EXCITED!

 

Now... off to the Roll Calls and questions forums. I have a feeling I'll be fairly active over the next 18 months.... lol....

 

Thanks again all!!!!

Pretty cool – when I close my eyes, I tend to click on the wrong button!!! 🤣

[TeaBag]

16 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Pretty cool – when I close my eyes, I tend to click on the wrong button!!! 🤣

But hey, if it's the penthouse, ya done good!

[Leo_On_Geo]

I just did two Crystral cruises and I found sea days BORING comared to Azamara.  Usually two lectures a day and one Trivia on Symphony and that was about it!  On Azamara LOTS of activities,  I have never been as bored as I was on Crystal on the down-times. Food was comparable, can not make more comparisons due to Covid protocals. Entertainment on Azamara is fine for me, but most would say it is better on Crystal with larger casts and bands. The rooms/bathrooms on Symphony are larger than the R ships.  Personally for me the size of the R-ships is perfect.  Azamara docks are close in, in my case Front Street in Hamilton Bermuda, as opposed to The Dockyards where Symphony docked.   It's good to try new things but looking  forward to return to Azamara in January.

[audobon_tx]

2 hours ago, Leo_On_Geo said:

I just did two Crystral cruises and I found sea days BORING comared to Azamara.  Usually two lectures a day and one Trivia on Symphony and that was about it!  On Azamara LOTS of activities,  I have never been as bored as I was on Crystal on the down-times. Food was comparable, can not make more comparisons due to Covid protocals. Entertainment on Azamara is fine for me, but most would say it is better on Crystal with larger casts and bands. The rooms/bathrooms on Symphony are larger than the R ships.  Personally for me the size of the R-ships is perfect.  Azamara docks are close in, in my case Front Street in Hamilton Bermuda, as opposed to The Dockyards where Symphony docked.   It's good to try new things but looking  forward to return to Azamara in January.

 

To each his own but your summary of Crystal activities ignores: casino, paddle tennis, golf lessons/driving net, real movie theater with daily movies and popcorn,  computer lab and lessons, bridge tournaments and lessons, arts classes, large shops with quality merchandise, fitness classes in a large gym, and so on.

 

No cornhole or putting contests in the Living Room, granted.  Azamara does have more trivia things.

 

Since food is subjective I'll leave that unchallenged.

 

Nothing wrong with being an Azamara fan, we've done 25 on all three ships, but reviews should be fair.

Edited December 13, 2021 by flyingshoes

[BQEC]

Have sailed a fair amount - Azamara twice, 2 - 7 back to back, Spain/France (with Russ!) and New Zealand/Australia. Azamara both times thoroughly enjoyable. They bill themselves as "port intensive" which is truly the case - especially if you are cruising one-two countries, think Greece, Turkey. I found the shore excursions a little expensive and more people than my taste. That may have changed due to covid. Now trying Crystal -  just to get away for the holidays. (Hope that Russ is on) Will make a nice comparison to Regent - fare includes business class, which is hard to beat. Each cruise line has something to recommend it ... Just like the countries we visit. Happy trails!

[Leo_On_Geo]

1 hour ago, flyingshoes said:

 

To each his own but your summary of Crystal activities ignores: casino, paddle tennis, golf lessons/driving net, real movie theater with daily movies and popcorn,  computer lab and lessons, bridge tournaments and lessons, arts classes, large shops with quality merchandise, fitness classes in a large gym, and so on.

 

No cornhole or putting contests in the Living Room, granted.  Azamara does have more trivia things.

 

Since food is subjective I'll leave that unchallenged.

 

Nothing wrong with being an Azamara fan, we've done 25 on all three ships, but reviews should be fair.

I'm sorry if you do not think my feelings are "fair" . I went to the one computer class that was something I felt challanged by, others were too elementary.  Although Crystal does  have a very nice computer set up.   I was looking very forward to the Crystal movie experience, but there was not one (of the three shown) I wanted to see. I don't play golf or bridge, and the art classes and shops were not interesting to me.  I like trivia and games so for me Crystal was BORING.  Why are my opinion not "fair". 

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, flyingshoes said:

 

To each his own but your summary of Crystal activities ignores: casino, paddle tennis, golf lessons/driving net, real movie theater with daily movies and popcorn,  computer lab and lessons, bridge tournaments and lessons, arts classes, large shops with quality merchandise, fitness classes in a large gym, and so on.

 

No cornhole or putting contests in the Living Room, granted.  Azamara does have more trivia things.

 

Since food is subjective I'll leave that unchallenged.

 

Nothing wrong with being an Azamara fan, we've done 25 on all three ships, but reviews should be fair.

Having done a Crystal cruise this past September, I'd say that comparison was very fair.  Crystal had one advantage:  wine.  Food was more ambitious, but ambition can lead to laying eggs.  Souffle was dreadful.  Prego desserts were not good.  Afogato was an awful tiramisu variant.  Pineapple cheesecake was mush buried in pineapple foam.

 

Cruise director was excellent...but he came from many years on Azamara and we knew him well.  Other than Russ the CD there was a notable absence of warmth.  Worst of all was Crystal treating OBC from my cruise agent as nonrefundable.  That's just unacceptable.

Edited December 13, 2021 by marinaro44

[AmerikanMatt]

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful advice. I totally agree that both entertainment and food are subjective to some degree based on your personal tastes and experience, so agree with the “To each his Own” concept. 
 

That being said, hearing other perspectives allows one to decide which seems more in line with your own tastes so all of your posts were super helpful. 

Personally, I think our taste in entertainment and what we’re looking for on a cruise that has sea days (cause let’s face it - it’s really ALL about the destinations right?) is more in line with Leo than it would be with Flying Shoes. Again….. neither is incorrect…. We just really gravitate towards things like trivia and other fun group games throughout the day. Too much idle time on a cruise ship just gets boring for us. I can read a book anywhere. Lol. 
 

Also, we really don’t like cruise excursions. We hate being herded around like cattle. We always either explore on our own and make our own itineraries….. or we book a private tour so it’s just a guide and us. The awesome part that we can see from Azamara is that you’re in port FOREVER! Most of them until like 9:00 PM so we will be able to do both in most ports. Like a 4-hour tour to get to know the place and then off on our own to meet locals, eat, drink, site-see, and be merry!!!
 

Also, because we’re in port so long, we won’t even be eating on the ship very often. We’ll do breakfast, lunch, and dinner in port…. What a great perk! 
 

Also, ANYTIME there is an overnight, we ALWAYS book a hotel room and stay overnight in port. It’s really an awesome way to experience a new place. We did that in St. Petersburg Russia and I gotta tell you…… that night cruising the harbor and staying out till 2:00 AM was the highlight of our trip. Overnight in Venice was pretty spectacular too. I always recommend that you do that when cruising as returning to the ship is always the worst part of the day….. lol. 

 

So…. Bottom line, we booked a 12-night Black Sea cruise on Azamara. Starting in Athens and ending in Istanbul. We’ll stay in Istanbul for a few days after also as that is just an AMAZING city. Soooo can’t wait!!

 

The only thing we’re trying to decide now is whether to upgrade our cabin. We’re currently in a Continental Suite, but it’s super small….. but man those upgrades are EXPENSIVE!  Not sure if the Spa Suite or the World Suites are worth the up charge as they are comparable in Price. Any thoughts or suggestions there? Will our experience be THAT much better if we fork out another $4K to get a monster suite? Would love your thoughts there as we always have just done a standard suite with balcony, but they are way bigger than standard rooms on most lines. Very small on Azamara so we don’t feel like our current “suite upgrade” is really very much if an upgrade. I think it got us like another 150 at or something silly. 
 

thoughts appreciated!

 

Thanks again everyone! It’s kinda cool to talk to others who share the same love of seeing the World and making friends as we do. 

Bon Voyage and may all your days be Great Ones. 
 

 

[Baynanno1]

@AmerikanMatt if you are intending to be off the ship so much on a port intensive cruise, what is the point in spending extra on a larger room you may only use to sleep, shower and change your clothes?

 

On a potentially dubious point . . . you may possibly find you might not be able to stay off the ship overnight while Covid is a very irritating and contagious fact of life.

 

Enjoy! I would love to be on a Black Sea cruise!!

[Jimmycruiser]

We just completed a 23 night B2B2B Crystal cruise on Serenity which was our first after many Azamara cruises. For us we will not go back to Azamara unless we can not find any itinerary on Crystal. The price for a suite with butler was not much more than Continental suite on AZ and the entertainment, food, service, included wines and beverages, and enrichment programs far superior to AZ in our humble opinion. Also the ship design and functionality was far superior with much more passenger space ratio and more variety on Crystal than AZ.

 

After about a week many of the staff knew our names and what our favorite beverage was. Our butler was much more attentive than our butlers on AZ and having our butler serve us course by course from the specialty restaurant menu in our suite on a couple of special occasions was a real treat.

The crystal show band,  lounge musicians, and production shows  were Las Vegas quality.

 

There is no right or wrong choice based on what is important to you, and we are all different and nice to have choices, but for our lifestyle and what was important to us, Crystal exceeded our expectations and was true luxury compared to AZ for little price premium.

 

For those that said The Crystal passengers were too old, too formal, or not friendly, nothing could be further from reality in our experience. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Jimmycruiser

[BQEC]

Thank you Jimmycruiser. I leave on 12/22 MIA-MIA. My first time on Crystal Serenity. Have sailed Azamara three times. Am in the PS and have contemplated the Continental Suite on Azamara for future cruises. I appreciate your sharing your Crystal experience. 

[Jimmycruiser]

4 minutes ago, BQEC said:

Thank you Jimmycruiser. I leave on 12/22 MIA-MIA. My first time on Crystal Serenity. Have sailed Azamara three times. Am in the PS and have contemplated the Continental Suite on Azamara for future cruises. I appreciate your sharing your Crystal experience. 

I believe you will love the Serenity. I hope the same entertainers will be on as we had (disembarked on 12/12). Do not miss Roger McGuinn lectures which were a great stroll down memory lane for the music of the 60’s to 90’s. He is in the Rock n roll Hall of fame from the Byrds fame and known as the Forest Gump of musicians. He will be on until Jan. 6.

[Jimmycruiser]

22 minutes ago, BQEC said:

Thank you Jimmycruiser. I leave on 12/22 MIA-MIA. My first time on Crystal Serenity. Have sailed Azamara three times. Am in the PS and have contemplated the Continental Suite on Azamara for future cruises. I appreciate your sharing your Crystal experience. 

You will also love the PS suite. Nothing like it on AZ and much nicer than the CCS on AZ. We were in a PH on Serenity and also nicer than CCS and you will love the Butler and all that amenities that suite guests receive. 

[BQEC]

Thanks again Jimmycruiser for your recommendations and sharing your experiences. Happy trails. 

[OC Cruisers]

We are also longtime Azamara cruisers. We took our first Crystal cruise in October 2021 and just disembarked our 2nd Crystal cruise today, so two Crystal cruises in about six weeks for us tells the tale. We were blown away by the friendliness and professionalism of the crew, the quality of the food and beverage, the staterooms (those beds!!) and the overall experience. Wait staff knew our names and drink preferences right away and remembered both when we returned this month. The only thing we missed from Azamara was outdoor evening dining. We’re sold on Crystal and with Azamara’s sale, I doubt we’ll return with what we’re reading about current quality issues. We enjoyed it so much before—what great people they had! 

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, OC Cruisers said:

We are also longtime Azamara cruisers. We took our first Crystal cruise in October 2021 and just disembarked our 2nd Crystal cruise today, so two Crystal cruises in about six weeks for us tells the tale. We were blown away by the friendliness and professionalism of the crew, the quality of the food and beverage, the staterooms (those beds!!) and the overall experience. Wait staff knew our names and drink preferences right away and remembered both when we returned this month. The only thing we missed from Azamara was outdoor evening dining. We’re sold on Crystal and with Azamara’s sale, I doubt we’ll return with what we’re reading about current quality issues. We enjoyed it so much before—what great people they had! 

I haven’t read anything about quality issues - in fact people seem to be saying that Azamara is even better now!

[Jimmycruiser]

3 hours ago, OC Cruisers said:

We are also longtime Azamara cruisers. We took our first Crystal cruise in October 2021 and just disembarked our 2nd Crystal cruise today, so two Crystal cruises in about six weeks for us tells the tale. We were blown away by the friendliness and professionalism of the crew, the quality of the food and beverage, the staterooms (those beds!!) and the overall experience. Wait staff knew our names and drink preferences right away and remembered both when we returned this month. The only thing we missed from Azamara was outdoor evening dining. We’re sold on Crystal and with Azamara’s sale, I doubt we’ll return with what we’re reading about current quality issues. We enjoyed it so much before—what great people they had! 

Glad you discovered Crystal as we did. We booked a Crystal cruise for next year after comparing prices with AZ and the differences that are important to us. Yes Crystal is more expensive but in our opinion not as much as the upgraded experience. The only thing we miss with AZ were the azamazing evenings which were special but no longer being done and in a few ports the longer stays.