4* Mariner cruises Azamara Journey

[lizziebargain]

Overall I was very happy with this cruise March 25-April 8( Singapore-Borneo-Vietnam-Thailand). It was a segment of their world cruise.The things I really liked were

 

-small size of ship(690 friendly passengers) and great staff with a good crew to staff ratio-like HAL used to have.

 

-the captain and cruise director were ever present and very funny-the banter between the two of them.

 

-lifeboat drill was in the cabaret and they even made us laugh at that-although they do take safety seriously

 

-the mostly all inclusive nature-one price included return flights Calgary-Singapore, transfers, 2 nights hotel with breakfast, free port transfers, soda, bottled water and wine, beer and many mixed drinks-( premium drinks were charged), daily service charge, Azamazing Evening which is a free and well done shore excursion for all the passengers.

 

-the food was excellent. I ate mainly at the Windows Café( like Lido) and the on deck BBQ. They often had theme nights-Thai ,Indian, Greek, Mexican etc. Great coffee in the coffee machine in the café. There was also a little coffee shop with specialty coffees and pastries( no surcharge) Did not really utilize the sit down restaurant much on this cruise. Cannot comment on the specialty restaurants as I did not go-but I think the $35 upcharge was a bit steep.

 

-I liked staying longer in ports-our 2 week cruise included an overnight in Vietnam and 2 nights in Bangkok.

 

-Internet seemed faster-I bought 60 minutes for $19.95 and usually downloaded and sent my email within 5 minutes per day. Other options were the whole cruise for $259 or 24 hrs for $29.95. I also used some shoreside WIFI

 

-Guest lecturer for all the ports was great. They had trivia, mahjong etc but I must admit I did not attend a lot of the entertainment.

 

-free self serve laundry. If you had it done it was priced by the piece with the occasional bag special for $40 which seemed a bit steep.

 

What I didn't like-

 

-I missed the raisin buns and bran muffins in the morning!

 

-I did not utilize their shore excursions as I felt they were quite pricey-as I do HAL shore excursions.

 

-I had a balcony cabin but there was no bathtub and the shower was miniscule.

 

-small ship size meant we were able to port closer to Ho Chi Min City and Bangkok which saved a lot of travel time.

 

-My cabin was a balcony guarantee ( unfortunately, above the cabaret, which is not recommended for an early to bed person). Normally I only pick cabins with cabins above and below me, but this was an upgrade from an inside( no extra charge) and booked through a discount agent so you could not choose the cabin 4 months prior when I booked). I did ask them to turn down the base a bit which they did and I did not let it ruin my cruise-I usually went to bed between the early and late show so it did not stop me from falling asleep.

 

 

 

Overall I think most HAL customers would be pleased with this ship. Normally it is above my price point, but due to a special that was emailed to me from a last minute travel agent on the West coast in November, my total cost was $4199 plus a single supplement of $975-total US $5174 for all the inclusions listed above( including return airfare from Calgary to Singapore). Total trip length was 18 nights including hotel stays.

Edited April 10, 2018 by lizziebargain

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you enjoyed your Azamara cruise.

Thank you for comparing the 2 cruise lines and giving us what you liked about Azamara as compared to HAL.

[portofrome]

Thank you for your comparisons!

[ON cruiser]

Sounds like a great trip. We have wondered about AZ but usually the per diem price is very high. Yet yours at $287, including air, hotel and a single supplement for a verandha, was a steal!

 

Typically AZ charges $400 or more, for older ships and, as the original poster noted, very small cabins (these might be fine for one but for me and my wife I would find it tight) and bathrooms. The suite prices also are quite high, when comparing to true luxury lines (Seabourn, etc) and to HAL for a NS.

 

Glad to hear that the food and service was very good. AZ has a good reputation in those areas.

 

It pays to consider all variables, including itinerary, what is included (the cost of long flights being included can make the difference for us; and if some excursions are included; tipping being included, etc), and the total per diem "all in" pricing. Each of us can determine what is right for us. Moreover, the answer may not always be the same cruise line. Things can change from cruise to cruise.

 

Thanks for putting AZ back on my radar screen!

[lizziebargain]

Yes I had not calculated the per diem but did feel I got good value with the single supplement being pretty reasonable compared to most-I am sure airfare would have cost me at least $1500 if purchased separately. Another thing I really appreciated was the free shuttle buses in each port.

[bennybear]

Thanks for the review, we have been looking at Asia and that is very reasonable. I have heard good things about AZ.

[cruisemom42]

I recently booked one of Azamara's Cuba-intensive itineraries on Journey (this November). Glad to hear of your positive experiences. I've wanted to give them a try for a while and figured this was my chance with a reasonably good deal.

 

I really, really prefer smaller ships (like the R ships) and from what I've seen after intensive combing through itineraries for both Azamara and Oceania over the past couple of years, Azamara has more interesting itineraries and the occasional better deal for solo travelers.

[erewhon]

Thank you for comparing the two cruise lines.

Pleased that you had a good cruise.

[ski ww]

Thanks for your thoughts on the two cruise lines.

Allan

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[vinonme2]

Thank you for your very interesting review. Their longer times in ports especially interests me and I have also heard only positive comments about them from others who have sailed them.

 

I too travel solo so the solo supplement is a consideration; great that you got such a reasonable up charge.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[KirkNC]

Thanks, this is a line we would like to try in the future. Never heard much negative about them.