Just returned from Quest Baltics Rendezvous

[wcc19]

I don’t have time for a detailed review, but just a brief recap.

 

This was our 20th cruise and our 9th cruise line, but our first time on Azamara and we felt that this was probably our best cruise experience of all. We really like the Azamara product. There are a lot of positives (plus a few negatives, but fortunately only a few).

 

The crew (with a couple of exceptions) were very friendly and efficient. Tony is a good CD and we liked Captain Carl. We enjoyed his explanations of how he was going to leave the dock every time we went out. The favorite was when he told us his 8th in command would be taking us out. A lot of people thought he was kidding but he wasn’t and later at the reception he told us the story behind it. We liked that he was personable and visible, for one example saying farewell on the last day at the foot of the gangway.

 

The entertainment was quite good. The disappointment was when the final night show was cancelled due to illness of one of the performers. But the performers were very talented.

 

The Azamazing evening, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, was truly a wonderful event and was run very efficiently.

 

The white night started late and had to be moved inside due to weather, so I think we missed something there based on what I have read from other people describing what it is like when held on deck, but that’s the way it goes. Generally speaking we did not have great weather on this trip as there was a lot of rain. We did have very calm seas though.

 

The food (although always subjective) in our opinion was excellent, probably the best we have had, and yes we have sailed on Oceania and a few others so have a basis of comparison. The main dining room was consistently good, with very good service. Prime C was better than the steakhouse on O and Aqualina was excellent from start to finish, probably the best meal we have had at sea.

 

We try to avoid the buffet as much as possible but ended up there for breakfast once during the cruise and also on the last morning, and were disappointed with the service. The food was very good but it was so hard to find a clean table and get somebody’s attention to get a cup of coffee. And it’s too bad that last morning has to be such a zoo, but everybody wants to eat at about the same time and the staff were overwhelmed.

 

Loved the Living Room, loved the tapas and the change to having a choice of two reds and two whites every day is great. With that choice it is easy to find something you like.

 

Like I said, a brief recap and I suppose somewhat disjointed, but I blame the jet lag. Despite a few hiccups our lasting impression is overwhelmingly positive and we will be looking at future itineraries. I could answer questions if anyone has one.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for your review! Helps keep me excited about our first Azamara cruise next month.

[Turangi!]

WCC19!

 

Many thanks for your review. We are on the July 22 Baltic Quest and appreciate hearing about your cruise. I did the Baltic in 2013 on Celebrity and we had great weather so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

A few quick questions...

 

Where did you dock in St. Petersburg——English Embankment or Lt. Schmidt or out at the big terminal Marine Facade?

 

Where did you dock in Stockholm——Frihamnen or Vartahamnen? Was there a shuttle in Stockholm?

 

And finally, what was your favourite port????

 

Turangi!

[wcc19]

Sorry, don't know the exact name of the port in St. P but it was way up the Neva river, as far as you could go before hitting the first bridge. That was great because we were right in the city to start. Every once in a while in our driving around we caught a glimpse of the big ships and they were way far out. It must have taken them at least half an hour of driving or more just to get where we started from.

 

There is a shuttle in Stockholm. It drops you off right in front of the palace so very close to the old town where you can walk around.

 

The port of Stockholm is funny with the Frihamnen/Vartahamnen thing going on. Really, they are right beside each other in the same place. You get into that area you can easily see your ship. A few people on our cruise were concerned about that but it isn't a problem. We just told our taxi driver to take us to the cruise port for the Azamara Quest and he dropped us right in front of it.

 

Impossible to name a favorite port. They all had some unique feature. St. P had the must-see attractions, but really they were unbelievably crowded. Just a mass of humanity in every palace. Copenhagen is very expensive, surprisingly so. Tallin has a real charm to it.

[IsanTom]

Thanks for the review!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Turangi!]

WCC19,

 

Many thanks for the info! Getting excited about our upcoming Baltic Quest. My husband had to cancel last time last minute so I went with a girlfriend instead, so it will be all new for him...so it willl be interesting to see what he likes best! Definitely St. Petersburg was the highlight, especially Catherine's Palace and the Church of the Spilled Blood, but LOVED Amsterdam... but each port was unique.... the strawberries in Helsinki, Rosenberg Castle in Cophenhagen, Vasa in Stockholm, touring with Dave in Warnemunde, pier running in Tallinn.... can't wait until we board late July!!!

 

Turangi!

[pvkatmom]

You should post this on the Review page for AZ. Enjoyed reading your review, thank you!

[upwarduk]

pier running in Tallinn....

 

Not quite sure what this expression means, but if you didn't go into Tallinn you missed a treat.

We took the shuttle and then walked up into the main square. We then walked further up to a large church, which had a museum in the crypt, which we went into as it started to rain. Here we saw Russian art work (which had recently been found in Germany) being renovated- a unique experience.

Edited July 7, 2016 by upwarduk

[BBMacLaird]

Hello wcc19,

Thank you for the review. I'm so pleased you found Azamara to be the "best cruise experience of all." I will definitely pass your words along to the ship. We look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon!

Bonnie

[wcc19]

Believe it or not, I forgot to mention one of the highlights in my original post. But I'm less tired today.

 

Second last day of the cruise I checked my onboard account and found a mysterious entry - a $150 credit.

Went to the front desk for an explanation, and she told me that some of the port fees were less than anticipated, so they were giving back that money ($75 each) in the form of a refundable OBC! We were amazed. I have never heard of this happening before. In fact, most lines won't refund your port fees even if they miss a port. Azamara could have kept quiet about this and no one would have known a thing. But they did the right thing for their clients and I find that truly remarkable.

Combined with my original OBC, we finished this cruise with an $11 credit on the account, and that is most definitely a first.

That's the kind of customer service that inspires loyalty in your client base.

[Turangi!]

UpWardUK,

 

My most vivid memory of Tallinn is "pier running" ... after spending a wonderful day exploring the walled city, we got back to the port mid-afternoon but lost track of time in the wonderful craft market at the end of our pier and realized that our ship was leaving in a few minutes and we had to run for the ship before they pulled up the gangway... the furniture was already put away!!! :eek:

 

Never thought I would be one of the "pier runners" that you watch with amusement from your balcony!!! :o :p :o

 

Turangi!