Review of Quest: Norwegian Fjords and Northern Cape

[BBMacLaird]

We are updating our webpage with Guest Testimonials.

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https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/discover/what-they-say/guest-testimonials

 

*Note* - this invitation is open to anyone interested in submitting a quote why you love cruising with Azamara. Please send to the email address noted above. And thank you, all of you!

[florisdekort]

In the interests of balance, I will point out that we did encounter one cruiser who, partially based upon the preparation of salmon which I mentioned in the first post, felt that Regent provided a better experience.

 

 

The fresh salmon Chef Iwan purchased in Stavanger and served that evening in Aqualina was by far the best salmon I've ever tasted. Absolutely amazing.

 

 

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[nordski]

The fresh salmon Chef Iwan purchased in Stavanger and served that evening in Aqualina was by far the best salmon I've ever tasted. Absolutely amazing.

 

 

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Thanks for sharing that. I, and especially my wife, would really have enjoyed the experience.

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

The fresh salmon Chef Iwan purchased in Stavanger and served that evening in Aqualina was by far the best salmon I've ever tasted. Absolutely amazing.

 

Thanks for sharing that. I, and especially my wife, would really have enjoyed the experience.

 

It was also served in the main dining room as a Chef's Special, and it was fantastic. I don't think I have ever had wild Atlantic salmon before -- since the fish have to swim the flesh is firmer and less fatty [more like Alaskan King salmon] and the flavor is still the delicate Atlantic taste. OTOH the crew-caught cod was still ... cod.

[cruiservirginia]

Now I am really disappointed. We dined in the MDR the evening we sailed from Stavanger and the waiter did not say the the salmon was fresh and wild. I certainly would have ordered it had I know. We also missed out on the freshly caught cod several days earlier. The captain announced it was available in Aqualina, but there were only 10 portions.

[yogagal47]

rallydave-what was your cabin #?

[yogagal47]

Wow-was this guy on the same cruise? http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=543333

[florisdekort]

Wow-was this guy on the same cruise? http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=543333

 

 

I don't take reviews that are negative about *everything* serious. I only agree with two of his points:

 

- All windows were very dirty and that's not helpful on a cruise that is all about the scenery. The Captain and Hotel Director went at great length to explain (both over the PA system and in the daily program) that the North Sea crossing towards Amsterdam the day before we boarded was rough, and the ocean water spray (the salt) had dirtied the windows. They can only wash the windows while in port, and only IF the port authority gives permission. Unhelpfully, neither Amsterdam nor Bergen apparently gave permission.

 

- The Azamazing evening was promoted as a performance by the Bergen philharmonic orchestra and the promotional materials did include a photo of the full orchestra. 98% of that orchestra was indeed a no show. It was still an excellent event, but I can see why this reviewers expectations were not met.

 

All that said - I'm in full agreement with all the positive comments above. This was an excellent cruise. Azamazing service, excellent food, tons of fresh fish, the usual warm hospitality, good entertainment and lectures, a beautiful refurbished ship, Captain Jose and Chef Iwan (the best!), beautiful scenery and gorgeous weather. 5 stars from me. I booked 5 future cruises while on board.

 

Floris

 

 

 

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[nordski]

Wow-was this guy on the same cruise? http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=543333

 

Same ship...different cruise.

[nordski]

I don't take reviews that are negative about *everything* serious. I only agree with two of his points:

 

- All windows were very dirty and that's not helpful on a cruise that is all about the scenery. The Captain and Hotel Director went at great length to explain (both over the PA system and in the daily program) that the North Sea crossing towards Amsterdam the day before we boarded was rough, and the ocean water spray (the salt) had dirtied the windows. They can only wash the windows while in port, and only IF the port authority gives permission. Unhelpfully, neither Amsterdam nor Bergen apparently gave permission.

 

- The Azamazing evening was promoted as a performance by the Bergen philharmonic orchestra and the promotional materials did include a photo of the full orchestra. 98% of that orchestra was indeed a no show. It was still an excellent event, but I can see why this reviewers expectations were not met.

 

All that said - I'm in full agreement with all the positive comments above. This was an excellent cruise. Azamazing service, excellent food, tons of fresh fish, the usual warm hospitality, good entertainment and lectures, a beautiful refurbished ship, Captain Jose and Chef Iwan (the best!), beautiful scenery and gorgeous weather. 5 stars from me. I booked 5 future cruises while on board.

 

Floris

 

 

 

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I would agree with a third point he makes:

 

He should not have let others choose the ship, and he certainly shouldn't be on it again.

 

Floris, wow, 5 stars and 5 cruises booked. Looking forward to more of your interesting posts on your future experiences.

 

Our main issue now is to dial back a bit the expectations for our next Azamara cruise. This forum will help keep us grounded.

[marinaro44]

I don't take reviews that are negative about *everything* serious.

 

Neither do I. Often, something perceived as very negative (perhaps the Azamazing Evening misunderstanding on this cruise) early in the cruise just queers everything for the rest of the cruise.

 

- The Azamazing evening was promoted as a performance by the Bergen philharmonic orchestra and the promotional materials did include a photo of the full orchestra. 98% of that orchestra was indeed a no show. It was still an excellent event, but I can see why this reviewers expectations were not met.

 

The description of this August's Azamazing Evening is now gone from the web site so I can't see how it was promoted for this cruise. I did check the write-up for the Bergen Evening for next June's fjords cruise and I believe it is accurate although subject to misinterpretation.

 

It clearly refers to the performance as a "recital," not a performance by a full orchestra. "Recital" is defined as "the performance of a program of music by a solo instrumentalist or singer or by a small group." It goes on to say the performers will be "members of the Philharmonic" (I assume this was the case but how would I know for sure) and does include some nice words about the Philharmonic.

 

So, if the description was the same for this year's Evening as for next June's, I'd say it was accurate but subject to misinterpretation, especially by someone who would love to have seen a full orchestral concert.

Edited September 1, 2016 by marinaro44

[TravelBugM]

The Azamazing Evening was indeed promoted as a recital with members of the BPO. While it was also not clear if the performance would be held in the main hall or a smaller recital hall, it turned out the performance was in the main hall.

 

While we did not attend, we spoke with many fellow passengers that thoroughly enjoyed the performance. They also praised the co-ordination to and fro.

 

The negative reviewer does not seem to be a happy camper from the get go. I think we may have experienced him on a number of occasions!!!

Edited September 1, 2016 by TravelBugM

[marinaro44]

The Azamazing Evening was indeed promoted as a recital with members of the BPO. While it was also not clear if the performance would be held in the main hall or a smaller recital hall, it turned out the performance was in the main hall.

 

While we did not attend, we spoke with many fellow passengers that thoroughly enjoyed the performance. They also praised the co-ordination to and fro.

 

The negative reviewer does not seem to be a happy camper from the get go. I think we may have experienced him on a number of occasions!!!

Thank you for the clarification.

[Lottie A]

What a great review Nordski! I would love to do The Fjords with Captain Johannes sometime.

I so agree about the lovely HR Manager Tracie Jones. We had a few meals with her on Journey in June and she is so nice.

Must say I enjoyed the fresh salmon in the MDR on Journey last week....much better than previous offerings on the always available menu, but probably not as good as Chef Iwan's fresh caught Stavanger salmon. However we had Chef Monica and HD Ryszard go shopping for genuine cannoli and mozzarella in Sicily....simply delicious!

Can't wait to be back on Journey in three weeks with great friends. :)

[nordski]

What a great review Nordski! I would love to do The Fjords with Captain Johannes sometime.

 

I so agree about the lovely HR Manager Tracie Jones. We had a few meals with her on Journey in June and she is so nice.

 

Must say I enjoyed the fresh salmon in the MDR on Journey last week....much better than previous offerings on the always available menu, but probably not as good as Chef Iwan's fresh caught Stavanger salmon. However we had Chef Monica and HD Ryszard go shopping for genuine cannoli and mozzarella in Sicily....simply delicious!

 

Can't wait to be back on Journey in three weeks with great friends. :)

 

 

Thanks Lottie A. Glad to hear about the salmon.

 

And lest cruising in the beautiful scenery of Norway necessitate contact with a grittier reality, may I suggest some "Nordic Noir" fiction by Jo Nesbo. ( For example, "Midnight Sun" or "The Son")

 

Unfortunately there is no charismatic figure such as Montalba

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

The description of this August's Azamazing Evening is now gone from the web site so I can't see how it was promoted for this cruise.

 

Here is the complete description from the Azamara Shore Excursions booklet for the cruise [emphasis added]:

 

BN43 AzAmazing Evening - Recital at Grieg Hall Bergen

 

Listen enraptured to the moving music of

performers from

the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Relax during a panoramic journey through the center of Bergen past the medieval St. Mary’s Church, the wharf where the legendary Hanseatic League conducted business in the 14th century and the bustling fish market. Tonight’s concert is held at Grieg Hall, named for famous Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg, the Orchestra’s director in the 1880s. The hall is a truly egalitarian chamber of sound, equally revered in youthful subculture as the recording site of Norway’s most popular heavy metal bands. Its modernist architecture provides perfect acoustics for a performance of Grieg’s work and European compositions from other periods. Known for its contemporary selections, the Orchestra performs often and has produced an exceptional discography. Revel in the talents of its master musicians during this wonderful evening of Scandinavian culture and sound.

 

Highlights

:

•Hear a classical music

performance by members of

the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

•Enjoy the architecture and acoustics of modernist Grieg Hall, named for a historic director.

[nordski]

Thanks Lottie A. Glad to hear about the salmon.

 

And lest cruising in the beautiful scenery of Norway necessitate contact with a grittier reality, may I suggest some "Nordic Noir" fiction by Jo Nesbo. ( For example, "Midnight Sun" or "The Son")

 

Unfortunately there is no charismatic figure such as Montalba

 

 

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Apologies for the truncated post above, I lost contact with the CC server.

 

The last sentence was a reference to Inspector Montalbano, a favourite of Lottie A. And I would add the good news that a new Montalbano mystery is being released here in November.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Wow-was this guy on the same cruise? http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=543333

 

 

As is often the case, someone who never came here before the cruise but somehow discovered the public reviews area to complain afterward.

[yogagal47]

Thanks all for your comments. We will be on the ship for their January 4th 2017 cruise round trip from Miami and we are looking forward to it. We previously sailed the Journey with Captain Johannes from Rio to Buenos Aires and had a great time but felt the ship could do with some refurbishments so we are looking forward to the new look!

[tonto2004]

Thanks for the great review. We were also on the Quest from Amsterdam to the Fjords. I cannot disagree with a thing you said. Wonderful - Azamara continues to go above and beyond, in my opinion. To any who would complain about the food - I just think they must live in a different reality to the rest of us! The food was amazing!

I'm just sorry we missed the fresh salmon - we didn't know that was on the menu.

[Lottie A]

Apologies for the truncated post above, I lost contact with the CC server.

 

The last sentence was a reference to Inspector Montalbano, a favourite of Lottie A. And I would add the good news that a new Montalbano mystery is being released here in November.

 

Hi nordski, I don't want to take your great review off topic, but you are the OP so I didn't think you would mind, as we are both such devoted Montalbano fans!

 

The book is released on Nov 16th in the UK and is titled A Voice in the Night. I have already seen the TV episode with the gorgeous Luca Zingaretti as Salvo and it is very good, so the book promises to be excellent. I have already pre ordered mine. :)

On my recent Journey cruise we were in Siracusa which is often used for locations in the Inspector Montalbano TV series. I was excitedly saying to my mother "oh look, that's Catarella's house etc". Of course, she had no idea what I was talking about! :)

[nordski]

Hi nordski, I don't want to take your great review off topic, but you are the OP so I didn't think you would mind, as we are both such devoted Montalbano fans!

 

 

 

The book is released on Nov 16th in the UK and is titled A Voice in the Night. I have already seen the TV episode with the gorgeous Luca Zingaretti as Salvo and it is very good, so the book promises to be excellent. I have already pre ordered mine. :)

 

On my recent Journey cruise we were in Siracusa which is often used for locations in the Inspector Montalbano TV series. I was excitedly saying to my mother "oh look, that's Catarella's house etc". Of course, she had no idea what I was talking about! :)

 

 

You know that if we ever have an appropriate itinerary for Sicily I shall be requesting an annotated map for the Montalbano Tour. [emoji3]

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

You know that if we ever have an appropriate itinerary for Sicily I shall be requesting an annotated map for the Montalbano Tour. [emoji3]

 

Showing all the restaurants where Salvo eats!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have published my blog and photos here:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/jazzbeaux/2/tpod.html

 

The final page is a comparison of Azamara with Celebrity Suite Class, which I am copying here:

 

We were in the unique position of having sailed on Celebrity Constellation in a Celebrity Suite two months before this [our first] Azamara cruise. Azamara has traditionally been considered a step up from Celebrity, especially on food and service – but Celebrity Suite Class now includes the special Luminae restaurant, Michael’s Club and concierge, and a butler. This significantly ups the ante and brings the Celebrity experience into a new luxury level. So this review is a point by point comparison of our Azamara Quest experience to our Celebrity Constellation Suite Class experience.

 

What makes the comparison particularly interesting is that because of weak bookings in the eastern Mediterranean this summer, our Celebrity Suite actually cost less per night than our Azamara V2 veranda cabin [which was booked at a very favorable BOGOHO rate]. However, that Celebrity ‘fire sale’ may have been a unique occurrence. Sample-checking future cruise prices shows that even a Sky Suite on Celebrity can cost far more than a similarly-sized Club Continent Suite on Azamara.

 

• Of course a veranda cabin on Azamara can’t compare to a suite [especially a Celebrity Suite] on Celebrity. The bathroom is tiny, the shower curtain does cling, the new curved settee is uncomfortable for one person to sit and impossible for two people to sit or one person to recline. But in the future we would book a Club Continent Suite on Azamara, which is comparable in size to a Sky Suite on Celebrity. Advantage: tied

 

• Quest always felt crowded: e.g. Mosaic Café, even when empty, is an obstacle course because the chairs leave so little room to walk. This was exacerbated on our northern cruise because it was too cold to sit on the sun deck or one’s balcony, so Mosaic and The Living Room were always full on sea days. It didn’t feel like a luxury cruise at all in this respect. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• The Cabaret Theater has poor sightlines, so only a few of the chairs give a really good view – and some of them are so close to the speakers that you are blasted out. In addition there just isn’t enough seating: the shows fill in earlier and fuller than on Connie, and the lectures are standing room only. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• We had to wait for a table in Discoveries (around 8 pm) several times – in Luminae we never had to wait longer than for them to set a table for us. The wait teams in Discoveries never really learned our preferences from night to night – the Hostess tended to move us around the dining room each night so there was a gap in repeating wait teams, but on Luminae all four wait teams got to know us early in the cruise. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• The food in Luminae was more adventuresome and the presentation and service was more haute cuisine. Azamara has a very good main dining room, but it still feels like a main dining room. We did the Galley tour on both ships, and while Azamara is proud that they cook all entrées “à la minute,” the end product on Celebrity is really the same because the volume allows them to cook all items continuously so the waiter picks up a freshly-plated entrée even though it wasn’t cooked with your name on it. On Azamara my poached eggs were always perfectly cooked [they were often too done on Celebrity]. Captain Jose made ‘technical stops’ at local farms to buy goat cheese and fresh berries [this is an Azamara tradition started by another captain from this area; when we heard we would have Captain Jose we worried we would miss this – but apparently it has been built into the corporate DNA] We were also pleased to learn that all fish on Azamara is fresh – not to mention the Norwegian Fjord wild salmon that was purchased locally and the crew-caught cod. Advantage: tied

 

• The switch to 2 red and 2 white wines each night gave a nice range of choices on Azamara, and this seemed to make wine service much better. On Connie when the sommelier [there was only one for all of Luminae] disappeared to fetch a bottle, you couldn’t get any wine until he returned. On Azamara the wines were at the waiters’ stations and anybody could fill your glass [and they did so very promptly and generously]. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Azamara has a good level of inclusiveness for us. I was happy with the included wines, sparkling water and cappuccino so we had zero bar bill – but this was also true on Celebrity because suites come with the BEST package that includes premium beverages. Tipping is included on Azamara – and included in the BEST package. But the fact that everybody on Azamara gets these things made for a nice relaxed ambience. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Internet access on Azamara was limited to two 60-minute cards, and the speed was very slow [that may have been due to our extreme northern location]. Celebrity suites come with unlimited internet. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• The itinerary on Azamara was excellent, with more time in some ports and an overnight with the AzAmazing Evening. And the small size of the ship allowed us to penetrate further into the Norwegian fjords than any larger ship could do: the Captain took us down the [short] length of Troll Fjord, and then spun the ship 180 degrees with hardly any clearance fore or aft [to show off that we could do it and nobody else can…]. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Entertainment: the guest artists [magician, violinists, comedian, singer] were top class. The resident orchestra included 7 musicians – quite a big budget for such a small ship, but was not up to the level we have found on Celebrity and the six singers/dancers were neither numerous enough nor polished enough to match the cast on a Celebrity ship. All the shows were hamstrung by the small stage and complete lack of scenery and fly space. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• Outside the theater, there was much less music around the ship, and it was pretty barebones: e.g. the same guitarist outside Discoveries every night and one pianist that we never encountered. There were no other musical groups [that I noticed] except the theater band that played in other venues on rare occasions. I don’t know if they had annoying music at the pool [a problem on Celebrity] because on this itinerary it was too cold to use it. Advantage: Celebrity

 

• Activities: Quest Cruise Director Russ Grieve was as good as any we have seen (and more available), and his staff managed to be everywhere – because the DJ, singers and dancers all pitched in. We really enjoyed the trivia, which was kept at a fun level rather than super-competitive. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Enrichment was a strong suit on this cruise. Michael Hicks gave half a dozen lectures on a variety of Norwegian and Arctic topics – he deservedly packed the theater because he is dynamic and very entertaining. The other lecturer was a last-minute replacement and not up to Michael’s level, but it shows that Azamara intends to have a lot of enrichment and will scramble when something goes wrong. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Senior Officers: Captain Jose Vilarinho is by far the most personable captain we have known. He is very visible, he clearly enjoys making presentations [“the voice from the bridge”], and at the same time he gives great confidence in his abilities and professionalism. The other senior officers [Hotel Director Philip Herbert, Cruise Director Russ Grieve, and Executive Chef Iwan] are all equally warm and efficient, and visible. The dining room and cabin crew staff were good, but not particularly different from other ships. Advantage: Azamara

 

• Azamara is responsive to customer feedback. Well-known examples on Cruise Critic include the wine policy change and the addition of sparkling water to the free offerings [although the dining room staff hasn’t had time to get this really into their routine]. CD Russ was very responsive to any suggestion we made: e.g. they announced a “Sudoku Challenge” early in the cruise, but it turned out to be simply handing out a page of Sudoku’s and letting people work on them in a public setting – there was no time limit, nor any calculating of a winner; DW explained to Russ how this was handled on NCL, and a few days later they ran it again as a real time-challenge. We filled out a mid-voyage comment card with a few minor complaints about the food and were contacted by the Exec. Chef to say he agreed with our comments [“more berries, ditch the mint leaf garnish”] and had already taken action; Guest Relations also called to make sure he had reached us [and we never saw a mint leaf on a fruit cup after that!] Advantage: Azamara

 

• The range of shore excursions was very good [especially for such a small ship] and each trip had an Azamara staff member along. But the description for one of our trips [A Walk with the Huskies in Tromsø] was nothing like the actual experience [‘walking along forest trails’ turned out to be a trail-less bog; there was no need to recommend hiking shoes because we were forced to remove them and use the provided Wellies – some of which leaked; the strength of the dogs and the difficulty of the terrain definitely earned the printed description of ‘strenuous,’ but onboard descriptions downplayed this]. Another reviewer has complained about the ambiguous description of the AzAmazing Evening [“members of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra” sounds like all or most of them will be present, not just three; you had to be a musician to pick up on the term “recital” to expect a small number of players]. Both of these examples were actually very good, it’s only the descriptions that were misleading. The Land Discoveries staff onboard acknowledged the problem [with the huskies; we didn’t complain about the recital] and assured us they had let ‘Miami’ know that it should be fixed. So I’m still going to rate this Advantage: Azamara

 

Conclusion: I’m not going to count up the Advantage scores [ok, it was 8 for Azamara, 6 for Celebrity, and 2 ties] because the two lines are strong in different areas and the relative importance of those areas will vary for different people. For us Azamara would be the clear winner over a regular cabin on Celebrity, but the scoring is very close between an Azamara Club Continent Suite and a Celebrity Suite. The comparative cost of comparable cruises might tip it either way [especially if you can nab a deal on a Celebrity Suite]. For us this is doubly good news: we would be happy to sail again on either line, and rank both above all the other cruise lines that we have tried – so after ‘sleeping around’ on seven different ocean cruise lines, we now have a pair of favorites! And since the first factor when we plan a new cruise is itinerary, Azamara will likely have the edge.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Host Jazzbeau

[upwarduk]

Host Jazzbeau,

After your positive review of the senior officers, I am hoping there aren't any changes for our TA, starting on Friday 09/09/16.

Edited September 3, 2016 by upwarduk