Aqualina and Prime C refurbishment on Journey

[Spursgirl]

Another epic fail. Those tables for two guests are ridiculously small for a speciality restaurant with menus that encourage you to order side dishes (especially Prime C). There's no space to put those side dishes. What's going on with the decisions going to the ships? Who is in charge of making these decisions? I think they are asleep on the job.

 

Phil

They now have a new ship to pay for and to Re-imagine so suspect it is the bean counters who are looking for any way to drive revenue.

 

Think they have forgotten that they require guests to fill these three ships. Am I the only one wondering if I have to look for the class and elegance provided by Azamara until recently elsewhere? 😂😂😂

[Bloodaxe]

They now have a new ship to pay for and to Re-imagine so suspect it is the bean counters who are looking for any way to drive revenue.

 

Think they have forgotten that they require guests to fill these three ships. Am I the only one wondering if I have to look for the class and elegance provided by Azamara until recently elsewhere?

 

Hazel you are certainly not alone.

We join Quest next week and for many reasons that is very likely to be our last Azamara.

[Mrs Miggins]

Getting more and more impressed with Viking. 2 cruises done and one more booked. Friend just returned from her first Viking Caribbean cruise and has already booked 2 more - one Far East one Mediterranean as she just could not fault the onboard experience. Lovely Viking Magazine "Explore More" has just popped through my postbox.

[TravelBugM]

And the problem is, the amazing crews on Journey and Quest are receiving the brunt of everyone's frustrations which are a direct result of all the negative changes being made by the "bean counters".

 

We've just gotten off Quest and there was most definitely a different "feel" on the ship vs our Journey sailing last fall. The changes are weighing heavy.

 

Another small change which might go unnoticed by some is at breakfast in Windows there are no longer crew who roam with the coffee carafe to refill cups. If you wanted another coffee, you were brought a fresh cup (no saucer). We started getting and refilling our own cofee to ease the load of the crew.

[Spursgirl]

Hazel you are certainly not alone.

We join Quest next week and for many reasons that is very likely to be our last Azamara.

 

Eric, I hope you both have a wonderful cruise. Will be very interested in your assessment of how things are on Quest as we board her in June.

 

As Mrs Miggins says, Viking is a delightful option. Stunningly beautiful ships, attentive crew, good food and a lovely ambience

[Bloodaxe]

Eric, I hope you both have a wonderful cruise. Will be very interested in your assessment of how things are on Quest as we board her in June.

 

As Mrs Miggins says, Viking is a delightful option. Stunningly beautiful ships, attentive crew, good food and a lovely ambience

 

Thanks Hazel, I will certainly report back after the Cruise.

Viking is a possibility for the future they have been on my Radar for some time.

[Belfastman]

For sometime I have been talking about the price increases and the dumbing down of the onboard experience however I think there will be enough of the Azamara 'loyalists' to satisfy the bean counters so will not make any difference however much you complain on this board.

[TravelBugM]

For sometime I have been talking about the price increases and the dumbing down of the onboard experience however I think there will be enough of the Azamara 'loyalists' to satisfy the bean counters so will not make any difference however much you complain on this board.

 

I am in agreement with you Belfastman. At least this is the attitude AZ seems to have at the moment. But is that shortsightedness? Let's see what the long term results are.

[cruiservirginia]

I am very disappointed to learn about the changes to the spacing and size of the tables in the specialty restaurants. Quiet, private, leisurely dining with great food is very important to us and we eat in the specialty restaurants every night. We switched from Oceania to Azamara because of specialty dining and will evaluate, after our next cruise, whether we need to switch to another cruise line. (The Oceania specialty restaurants are wonderful, but our assess to them was limited.)

[Cyber Kat]

Well this is kind of disappointing. I can’t really tell from the photos what the area looks like now, and I didn’t see what it looked like before, but I was hoping for a similar experience to our recent Viking cruise.

 

I understand that the specialty restaurants on Azamara have an extra charge, so I was actually thinking they might be a bit better than the ones on Viking which are included in the cruise fare.

 

We booked our upcoming Azamara cruise for the unusual itinerary and because it sails from close by Manhattan (no flights!), so I’m sure we will have a great cruise.

 

Our Viking cruise was absolutely fabulous, so they have set a high bar. To those considering Viking, I think you may find yourselves in for a treat!

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

I think you will enjoy the food in the Azamara speciality restaurants - and also in Discoveries (MDR). We think that Discoveries food is great and Aqualina & Prime C’s food is terrific!

 

 

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[marinaro44]

And the problem is, the amazing crews on Journey and Quest are receiving the brunt of everyone's frustrations which are a direct result of all the negative changes being made by the "bean counters".

 

We've just gotten off Quest and there was most definitely a different "feel" on the ship vs our Journey sailing last fall. The changes are weighing heavy.

 

Another small change which might go unnoticed by some is at breakfast in Windows there are no longer crew who roam with the coffee carafe to refill cups. If you wanted another coffee, you were brought a fresh cup (no saucer). We started getting and refilling our own cofee to ease the load of the crew.

We're in our sixteenth day on Quest now and the "feel" is the same as ever. I sense nothing "weighing heavy." Maybe I'm just not looking for problems as others might.

 

[And, as you've seen from my recent postings on Aqualina's re-do on Journey, Pursuit's new plans for decks 4 and 5, and the dumping of suites to consolidators rather than top tier cruisers, when I see something I don't like I'm not shy to speak up.]

[excitedofharpenden]

We're in our sixteenth day on Quest now and the "feel" is the same as ever. I sense nothing "weighing heavy." Maybe I'm just not looking for problems as others might.

 

[And, as you've seen from my recent postings on Aqualina's re-do on Journey, Pursuit's new plans for decks 4 and 5, and the dumping of suites to consolidators rather than top tier cruisers, when I see something I don't like I'm not shy to speak up.]

It’s good to get all points of view and whilst we don’t always agree I think you are pretty robust and honest in your opinions. I will wait and see in June, but knowing many of the crew on there at the moment I’m sure the vibe will be just fine. If it’s not I’ll say so.

 

Phil

[ellbon]

For sometime I have been talking about the price increases and the dumbing down of the onboard experience however I think there will be enough of the Azamara 'loyalists' to satisfy the bean counters so will not make any difference however much you complain on this board.

Well, it seems that the AZ loyalists have either tried or are planning on trying another line. I always liked AZ fir the late nights in port and for the crew. But I have test run a couple of lines. Some good and bad on those lines.but the the food was great and in general so was the music. I have three cruises booked on AZ for this year. What I see and feel will help me decided on the future,

Loyal people move on if they see something better. It happens

[excitedofharpenden]

For sometime I have been talking about the price increases and the dumbing down of the onboard experience however I think there will be enough of the Azamara 'loyalists' to satisfy the bean counters so will not make any difference however much you complain on this board.

Many here have been saying about the price increases for some time, but I can honestly say that I have not experienced any dumbing down of the onboard experience of which you speak. I sailed Azamara seven times last year. Same excellent experience each time as always. From that you can deduce I am an Azamara loyalist, but I’m not an apologist and will feed back good and bad.

 

As regards the bean counters at work, I believe that whilst us loyalists figure in the plans somewhere, there is much more interest in attracting new guests and maximising revenue from all of us. It’s a business after all. It’s just the way they are going about it in a bit of a blundering fashion if I was honest. The crew on the ships are so professional. I used to think the same of the other parts, but not so much now. They are making some odd decisions at present. The obvious squeezing in of more covers in the Specialties being one. Growing pains? I hope so and that they figure out what is important about sailing on an Azamara ship.

 

Phil

[Cyber Kat]

I think you will enjoy the food in the Azamara speciality restaurants - and also in Discoveries (MDR). We think that Discoveries food is great and Aqualina & Prime C’s food is terrific!

 

 

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I hope so - after all the food and the service is key. If that's all there, I can live with a small table ;)

[manc]

We prefer the two restaurants because there is less background noise which is a problem for anyone with hearing loss. We look forward to the addition of more specials but worry about the close proximity of others which will increase the noise levels

[AllisonJames]

We dine often in Discoveries, occasionally with a group but most often just the two of us, not because we are completely anti-social but because we both work a lot and so our vacations are our time to reconnect. One of the things we dislike is the placement/location of the tables for two, side by side and so close together. You feel you are literally sitting in the other guests' laps! Difficult to have a private conversation. We always like to wait for a table by the window which feels a little less crowded and that's usually not a problem because we are what could be considered "late" diners on Azamara. We enjoyed the spacious and less crowded atmosphere of the specialties and it is so nice to have two seated at a table for four. I'm assuming this change will be implemented on Pursuit which is our next AZ cruise so I also am a little disappointed but will see how it goes...

[Belfastman]

Many here have been saying about the price increases for some time, but I can honestly say that I have not experienced any dumbing down of the onboard experience of which you speak. I sailed Azamara seven times last year. Same excellent experience each time as always. From that you can deduce I am an Azamara loyalist, but I’m not an apologist and will feed back good and bad.

 

As regards the bean counters at work, I believe that whilst us loyalists figure in the plans somewhere, there is much more interest in attracting new guests and maximising revenue from all of us. It’s a business after all. It’s just the way they are going about it in a bit of a blundering fashion if I was honest. The crew on the ships are so professional. I used to think the same of the other parts, but not so much now. They are making some odd decisions at present. The obvious squeezing in of more covers in the Specialties being one. Growing pains? I hope so and that they figure out what is important about sailing on an Azamara ship.

 

Phil

I was a Azamara loyalist and someone who has sailed on Azamara from its inception. Throughout those years I have noticed that the product has declined both in terms of quality and detail. Examples of which are the toiletries which went from Elemis to the current Eco product. The wonderful food once offered in Aqualina to that on offer now and the changes in staffing to those now who have less interest in the customer. Recently we were even put on the wrong bus for the Azamazing evening after being directed by a senior mamber of staff.

Now that I have experienced the finer product offered by other Premium lines for often less cost, it is diffcult to justify continuing with Azamara. I also think that the new ship will also dilute the crew experience onboard as a lot of new staff are taken on and some of the faces we all recognise move between ships.

Currently I have three more Azamara cruises booked and will use these to make a final decision on the way forward for me.

[tazza_0712]

All Azamara will see is your three forward bookings. They won’t know what you’re thinking. So hopefully if you don’t like it, you vote with your wallet and stop sailing on them to really prove the point. That’s the only way.

 

 

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[Riocca]

Changes will never please everyone but all products have to evolve that’s just has to be accepted, we will continue with Azamara until we feel this evolution has a negative impact on our cruise experience.

We have yet to experience Azamara in 2018 but out cruise on Quest last September was one of the best.

Like others we are trying other lines mainly for the itineraries however it does give good comparisons. Our cruise in January on Crystal was ok but lacked the friendly atmosphere of Azamara we could easily have been on Celebrity, we certainly won’t be rushing back especially at Crystal prices. Next year we are trying Viking Oceans, others speak highly of the onboard experience however I’m struggling with them having too much control of my holiday. I normally choose my own flights and hotels so having Viking including both feels alien to me, I’ve yet to be advised of flight routing and upgrade costs even though flights have been on sale for over a month, hopefully it will work out fine but I feel uncomfortable about it.

 

 

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[nordski]

I hope so - after all the food and the service is key. If that's all there, I can live with a small table ;)

 

We can as well, though we worry that service may suffer if they attempt to accommodate too many diners.

 

Actually, and I know we are alone in this, when it was just the two of us we found the large tables rather overwhelming and if anyone nearby wished to converse it was difficult because of the distance involved.

 

I hope for those concerned that a flexible system is in place to allow groups to form and couples to eat privately if they so wish.

[Riocca]

Actually, and I know we are alone in this, when it was just the two of us we found the large tables rather overwhelming and if anyone nearby wished to converse it was difficult because of the distance involved.

 

 

Your not alone we always thought the same and preferred Prime C to Aqualina as we felt it had a better atmosphere.

Remains to be seen how we feel about the changes when we are on Journey in May. However from the pictures there’s a lot more room around the tables than we experienced in Prego on Crystal Symphony in January.

 

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Changes will never please everyone but all products have to evolve that’s just has to be accepted, we will continue with Azamara until we feel this evolution has a negative impact on our cruise experience.

We have yet to experience Azamara in 2018 but out cruise on Quest last September was one of the best.

Like others we are trying other lines mainly for the itineraries however it does give good comparisons. Our cruise in January on Crystal was ok but lacked the friendly atmosphere of Azamara we could easily have been on Celebrity, we certainly won’t be rushing back especially at Crystal prices. Next year we are trying Viking Oceans, others speak highly of the onboard experience however I’m struggling with them having too much control of my holiday. I normally choose my own flights and hotels so having Viking including both feels alien to me, I’ve yet to be advised of flight routing and upgrade costs even though flights have been on sale for over a month, hopefully it will work out fine but I feel uncomfortable about it.

 

 

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We have sailed on Viking Ocean and it was wonderful! N

 

I’m not sure what you mean about them having too much control over your holiday. I don’t know if you are aware that if you pay $50pp for Viking Air Plus, you have complete control over your flights. We always choose our own flights and schedule.

 

It’s like with everything else, if you leave it up to them, they go with the less desirable bulk routes. The $100 is so worth it.

 

And they only pick the hotel if you are doing an extension with them. We did one and while it was nice having them take care of everything, we do our own extensions. The big benefit is the transfers to and from the airport, hotel and ship. I can manage to find a taxi [emoji41]

 

Didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but a lot of first time Viking cruisers don’t seem to know about Viking Air Plus.

 

I’m looking forward to our Azamara cruise mainly because of the unusual itinerary, but I’m also curious how the experience compares. We are new to upscale cruising so I’d like to check all the lines out.

 

 

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[Riocca]

We have sailed on Viking Ocean and it was wonderful! N

 

I’m not sure what you mean about them having too much control over your holiday. I don’t know if you are aware that if you pay $50pp for Viking Air Plus, you have complete control over your flights. We always choose our own flights and schedule.

 

It’s like with everything else, if you leave it up to them, they go with the less desirable bulk routes. The $100 is so worth it.

 

And they only pick the hotel if you are doing an extension with them. We did one and while it was nice having them take care of everything, we do our own extensions. The big benefit is the transfers to and from the airport, hotel and ship. I can manage to find a taxi [emoji41]

 

Didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but a lot of first time Viking cruisers don’t seem to know about Viking Air Plus.

 

I’m looking forward to our Azamara cruise mainly because of the unusual itinerary, but I’m also curious how the experience compares. We are new to upscale cruising so I’d like to check all the lines out.

 

 

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Unfortunately here in the U.K. once again things are different, no Air Plus with Viking just as there’s no Choice Air with Azamara. Included flights are Vikings choice, upgrades subject to availability, have been promised information next week - we will see.

 

 

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