Tell me a story to illustrate the "Azamara vibe"

[cl.klink]

I'm looking forward to my first Azamara cruise in December. I've enjoyed other cruise lines, mostly Celebrity, but what I've read about Azamara pleases me -- I'm hoping for good food, good service, relaxation on board, interesting ports, and I'm looking forward to seeing what a smaller ship feels like.  I was intrigued by thread inviting a Celebrity - Azamara comparison (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2622086-once-you-try-az-you-ever-go-back-to-celebrity/), where cruisefam 38 commented "there is an atmosphere or a vibe on Azamara that sets it apart." 

 

What I'm suggesting on this thread is not a comparison of one line to another or a judgment of good or bad per se, but rather I'm hoping people can post a story of an Azamara experience that, in your opinion, illustrates the "vibe" of what it was like to sail on Azamara.

 

Hope I can read some interesting experiences.

 

- Joel

 

 

 

[Sleep7]

Great question! 😃

I knew Azamara had it's own vibe on our very first Azamara cruise on the Quest in October of 2010.  Our 7 day cruise embarked in Rome and ended in Venice.  The day we rounded the boot of Italy it was ROUGH!  I don't get seasick but my poor husband was flat on the bathroom floor sick as a dog.  I went to the ship's doctor to see what types of medicines they had for him.. he is a doctor himself and asked me to bring back a list of what was available.  Who was in the Medical Facility asking about the same thing? Captain Carl!  His sweet wife was along on this cruise and the poor dear was pregnant and was feeling just terrible.  I was so surprised to see him.  We bonded over nauseous spouses and chatted for a bit.  I walked away with the list of meds available thinking to myself.. wow.. in all the big ship cruises I have ever taken I have never met a Captain who was so engaging, down to earth and just so plain friendly!  5 Azamara cruises later and we still feel the same way.. when you are aboard an Azamara cruise you are family.

Here is the list that I brought back.. the whole experience was so memorable I took pictures of the day just to remember it.

I'm sure DH wanted to forget it though!😛

Later that day we rounded the boot and headed up the Adriatic and my husband felt almost instantly better. Whew!

[cl.klink]

3 hours ago, Sleep7 said:

Great question! 😃

I knew Azamara had it's own vibe on our very first Azamara cruise on the Quest in October of 2010.  Our 7 day cruise embarked in Rome and ended in Venice.  The day we rounded the boot of Italy it was ROUGH!  I don't get seasick but my poor husband was flat on the bathroom floor sick as a dog.  I went to the ship's doctor to see what types of medicines they had for him.. he is a doctor himself and asked me to bring back a list of what was available.  Who was in the Medical Facility asking about the same thing? Captain Carl!  His sweet wife was along on this cruise and the poor dear was pregnant and was feeling just terrible.  I was so surprised to see him.  We bonded over nauseous spouses and chatted for a bit.  I walked away with the list of meds available thinking to myself.. wow.. in all the big ship cruises I have ever taken I have never met a Captain who was so engaging, down to earth and just so plain friendly!  5 Azamara cruises later and we still feel the same way.. when you are aboard an Azamara cruise you are family.

Here is the list that I brought back.. the whole experience was so memorable I took pictures of the day just to remember it.

I'm sure DH wanted to forget it though!😛

Later that day we rounded the boot and headed up the Adriatic and my husband felt almost instantly better. Whew!

 

 

Nice story! Hope there are more to come!

 

- Joel

[Grandma Cruising]

We found ourselves in the business class lounge with Captain Carl at San Jose airport in Costa Rica in January. He was more than happy to spend time talking to us, when we might have expected that, as he was on his way home, he would want to get away from all things cruise related. 

 

[cruisefam38]

What is a Vibe?  Is it imagination?

 

          We had a wonder filled morning whale watching off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, followed by a tasty lunch of Jalisco pollo and California burrito, topped off with a cold, salty margarita.  Maybe some of the salt was already on our lips, from sea spay thrown up while we darted around to get to the best viewing of the next whale sighting?

 

          We walked around to the tender terminal and it is nearly full of people waiting.  Oh no, we thought we had timed the tender ride back better than this, look at the line.  However, there was a mass market cruise liner in port, only the second one we've shared a bay with during this trip, and they have had a short stay in Cabo, so many of those passengers are having to head back to their ship.  Phooey, I guess we will go to the back of the line.  "Wait", my wife says, "Is there another line?".  "Probably not," is my response, "although, uh, I recognize two of the four couples from the Quest".  Sure enough, we go over, walking past people standing in the long snaking line, and it's for the Quest.  It is better to be in the short line.

 

          On the ride back to the ship, we shared recaps with the other couples, they all enjoyed themselves on some kind of jeep ride and had good lunches at some cantina.  When we get back on the ship, I had my card to a member of the security team, before scanning the card, he said, "Hi Mr. J, Ms. P, did you have a good time in Cabo?"  "We certainly did.  We saw whales!"  After going through the security scanner, a helpful attendant picked up our backpack and handed it to me, "Welcome home" she said.

 

Later that afternoon, before dinner and to celebrate our fine day and final port before our destination in San Diego, we stopped off at Discoveries Lounge.  The bartender is busy, we have to wait while he serves two other couples.  After he has rinsed out the mixer glasses, he looks to me and says, "She wants a tequila sunrise, and you want that blue drink."  With a smile my wife nods and says, "That's it!", and I nod and say, "Yes, I want another Moonraker".  It's not telepathy, since we had been cruising up the Mexican coast, those are the drinks we asked for two days before, and the bartender remembered. 

 

That evening we had dinner with a couple we met on board, people who gladly shared their knowledge about Azamara, and had many interesting stories about their extensive travels.  Not surprisingly, we had a delicious meal in Aqualina.  Later, when we were strolling around deck 5 before retiring to our cabin, we again saw the Hotel Director Phillip Hebert.  He said, "Did you go upstairs for your evening walk?"  "Oh yes, it was beautiful topside, as always." Needing to attend to yet another task Phillip nodded and said, "Good night, see you tomorrow."  Because Phillip was everywhere, even in seemingly unlikely places, we knew we would see him at some point during the sea day cruising north. 

 

Also--

This may seem strange, but look at the thread uktog started called "doing things differently on Pursuit".  Although she is sharing a serious concern regarding issues during part of an extended recent cruise, looking at the posts on the thread, one gets a sense of the "Azamara vibe", not the least because Host Grandma and BBMcLaird are actively paying attention to the discussion. 

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by cruisefam38

[AllisonJames]

Our very first Azamara cruise was Irish Seas and included the Isle of Man.  Captain Carl came to the Cruisecritic gathering and told us all about his home. That was very nice.  Our second Azamara cruise was Baltic and included Gdańsk.  Rysgard arranged for Lech Walesa to come on board and give a speech and then take photos with us.  Very special.  So to me the vibe is “extra special effort to provide Azamazing experiences.”  Oh yes, and we were on Pursuit’s maiden when we met Journey in Norway for “Sisters Meet.”  So, a total of 3 AZ cruises so far for us and each one unique and special.

[uktog]

I know people can talk about the vibe from the point of view of "this officer did this, or that...." but for me the vibe is also about the fellow guests.  Maybe its because how the staff are behaving towards the guests so guests reflect the behaviour to each other, maybe its because its a smaller ship, but there is a vibe from the fellow passengers.  I suppose to explain it, when guests arrive in a busy bar, they may ask can I sit with you, you say yes, but unlike on other ships where there is often little conversation between you and the others, people immediately introduce themselves and conversations are struck up.  Often, if this is pre dinner that morphs into you asking for a table for four at dinner.

Edited January 21, 2019 by uktog

[cl.klink]

11 hours ago, cruisefam38 said:

What is a Vibe?  Is it imagination?

 

          We had a wonder filled morning whale watching off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, followed by a tasty lunch of Jalisco pollo and California burrito, topped off with a cold, salty margarita.  Maybe some of the salt was already on our lips, from sea spay thrown up while we darted around to get to the best viewing of the next whale sighting?

 

          We walked around to the tender terminal and it is nearly full of people waiting.  Oh no, we thought we had timed the tender ride back better than this, look at the line.  However, there was a mass market cruise liner in port, only the second one we've shared a bay with during this trip, and they have had a short stay in Cabo, so many of those passengers are having to head back to their ship.  Phooey, I guess we will go to the back of the line.  "Wait", my wife says, "Is there another line?".  "Probably not," is my response, "although, uh, I recognize two of the four couples from the Quest".  Sure enough, we go over, walking past people standing in the long snaking line, and it's for the Quest.  It is better to be in the short line.

 

          On the ride back to the ship, we shared recaps with the other couples, they all enjoyed themselves on some kind of jeep ride and had good lunches at some cantina.  When we get back on the ship, I had my card to a member of the security team, before scanning the card, he said, "Hi Mr. J, Ms. P, did you have a good time in Cabo?"  "We certainly did.  We saw whales!"  After going through the security scanner, a helpful attendant picked up our backpack and handed it to me, "Welcome home" she said.

 

Later that afternoon, before dinner and to celebrate our fine day and final port before our destination in San Diego, we stopped off at Discoveries Lounge.  The bartender is busy, we have to wait while he serves two other couples.  After he has rinsed out the mixer glasses, he looks to me and says, "She wants a tequila sunrise, and you want that blue drink."  With a smile my wife nods and says, "That's it!", and I nod and say, "Yes, I want another Moonraker".  It's not telepathy, since we had been cruising up the Mexican coast, those are the drinks we asked for two days before, and the bartender remembered. 

 

That evening we had dinner with a couple we met on board, people who gladly shared their knowledge about Azamara, and had many interesting stories about their extensive travels.  Not surprisingly, we had a delicious meal in Aqualina.  Later, when we were strolling around deck 5 before retiring to our cabin, we again saw the Hotel Director Phillip Hebert.  He said, "Did you go upstairs for your evening walk?"  "Oh yes, it was beautiful topside, as always." Needing to attend to yet another task Phillip nodded and said, "Good night, see you tomorrow."  Because Phillip was everywhere, even in seemingly unlikely places, we knew we would see him at some point during the sea day cruising north. 

 

Also--

This may seem strange, but look at the thread uktog started called "doing things differently on Pursuit".  Although she is sharing a serious concern regarding issues during part of an extended recent cruise, looking at the posts on the thread, one gets a sense of the "Azamara vibe", not the least because Host Grandma and BBMcLaird are actively paying attention to the discussion. 

 

 

Love the details! Thanks for the comment, too, on the Pursuit post.  

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

1 hour ago, AllisonJames said:

So to me the vibe is “extra special effort to provide Azamazing experiences.”

 

Great to hear!

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I know people can talk about the vibe from the point of view of "this officer did this, or that...." but for me the vibe is also about the fellow guests.  Maybe its because how the staff are behaving towards the guests so guests reflect the behaviour to each other, maybe its because its a smaller ship, but there is a vibe from the fellow passengers.  I suppose to explain it, when guests arrive in a busy bar, they may ask can I sit with you, you say yes, but unlike on other ships where there is often little conversation between you and the others, people immediately introduce themselves and conversations are struck up.  Often, if this is pre dinner that morphs into you asking for a table for four at dinner.

 

This sounds great

- Joel

[cruisefam38]

12 hours ago, cl.klink said:

 

Love the details! Thanks for the comment, too, on the Pursuit post.  

 

- Joel

 

Joel, your request presented a challenge and caused me to try to understand and put into words why we are eagerly anticipating our August Greek Intensive cruise with Azamara.  Having only one cruise with this line, I am probably not the best equipped to represent the small ship ambience, however as you have probably noted, there are knowledgeable and personable  travelers and cruisers who really enjoy the vacation/holiday package that Azamara provides.  In the vignette posted above I sought to convey the sense of the human element, the interpersonal interactions with fellow passengers and staff that are the the fabric of the "vibe" previously alluded to in another thread.  I hope you enjoy your December thoroughly.  To anyone else reading along, I also wish you many more cruises, with safe and enjoyable travels.

[MissyMom]

Our first Azamara cruise was years and many Azamara cruises ago. Our agent suggested we try the line after mostly Norwegian cruises.

The first night we sat in Mosaic after dinner in Discoveries to wait for the show. A single woman came to the opening near the dining room but stood frozen.  One of the two waiters came to greet her. She said she has a balance issue. That the chairs faced into the room so there was nothing to easily hold onto.

The waiter asked her to take his arm and he would walk her to the theatre. She said she just needed to get to the glass walls of the stores.

As they strolled by, he asked her if she planned to have dinner at the same time each night. He said he'd look for her each night. When she protested that his job was to serve coffee. He said his job was to assist guests and he hoped she'd share a story with him about her day.

I turned to my husband and said "I think we've found our new cruise home".

[iata]

It,s your home away from home  on steroids

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by iata

[cl.klink]

6 hours ago, MissyMom said:

Our first Azamara cruise was years and many Azamara cruises ago. Our agent suggested we try the line after mostly Norwegian cruises.

The first night we sat in Mosaic after dinner in Discoveries to wait for the show. A single woman came to the opening near the dining room but stood frozen.  One of the two waiters came to greet her. She said she has a balance issue. That the chairs faced into the room so there was nothing to easily hold onto.

The waiter asked her to take his arm and he would walk her to the theatre. She said she just needed to get to the glass walls of the stores.

As they strolled by, he asked her if she planned to have dinner at the same time each night. He said he'd look for her each night. When she protested that his job was to serve coffee. He said his job was to assist guests and he hoped she'd share a story with him about her day.

I turned to my husband and said "I think we've found our new cruise home".

 

That's an impressive story!
- Joel

[Host Jazzbeau]

The officers are around and visible in a way we have never seen on other lines.  The personal aspect of meeting them is real, as noted above.  But there is also a practical aspect to this: they are eager to hear your complaints – and act on them.  We saw the Exec. Chef around somewhere and DW mentioned that the bowls of fresh berries were always topped with a sprig of mint, which affected the flavor.  EC reacted 'I hate mint on my berries too!'  And we never saw another sprig of mint on the cruise.

 

Another example: on most cruise lines Trivia can be very cut-throat even though the prizes are practically worthless.  On Azamara you get a card the first time you attend any type of competition event and it gets stamped each time you attend.  If your team wins, you get a second stamp [so there's much less incentive to be cut-throat].  At the end of the cruise, the Cruise Director has a big table near the pool with all the available prizes and everyone lines up with their stamped cards.  Prices are somewhat negotiable, so that everyone comes away with some nice memento of the cruise.  [We ended up with many items, and a newlywed couple behind us hadn't cottoned to the deal until the last day and only had 1 stamp – so we gave them most of our stuff.  They were delighted, and our luggage was lighter – win-win!]

[cl.klink]

22 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The officers are around and visible in a way we have never seen on other lines.  The personal aspect of meeting them is real, as noted above.  But there is also a practical aspect to this: they are eager to hear your complaints – and act on them.  We saw the Exec. Chef around somewhere and DW mentioned that the bowls of fresh berries were always topped with a sprig of mint, which affected the flavor.  EC reacted 'I hate mint on my berries too!'  And we never saw another sprig of mint on the cruise.

 

Another example: on most cruise lines Trivia can be very cut-throat even though the prizes are practically worthless.  On Azamara you get a card the first time you attend any type of competition event and it gets stamped each time you attend.  If your team wins, you get a second stamp [so there's much less incentive to be cut-throat].  At the end of the cruise, the Cruise Director has a big table near the pool with all the available prizes and everyone lines up with their stamped cards.  Prices are somewhat negotiable, so that everyone comes away with some nice memento of the cruise.  [We ended up with many items, and a newlywed couple behind us hadn't cottoned to the deal until the last day and only had 1 stamp – so we gave them most of our stuff.  They were delighted, and our luggage was lighter – win-win!]

 

Thanks for sharing.

- Joel

[hardwareguy60]

Two memorable moments from our first AZ cruise - Malaga to Rio 2013 for our 50th anniversary.

 

1:  Just before noon Captain Carl announced that the officers would be shooting our position at noon and we were invited to Deck 11 to observe.  When we arrived to officers were shooting the sun with sextants and Captain Carl was explaining Celestial Navigation on the superstructure with a piece of chalk.  When the officers confirmed their readings Captain Carl said "Now we will call the bridge to see how far out the GPS is today."  We were within two miles of the GPS.

 

2:  The day after we left Cape Verde on the African coast and started our crossing Captain Carl announced that it would be a great night for star gazing.  Again we were invited to Deck 11 at 2100.  When we go there we looked up and saw stars but nothing really spectacular.  Then Captain Carl called the bridge and told them to douse all the exterior lights.  It was like being in a planetarium, Captain Carl proceeded to point out and explain 12 of the 14 stars in that quadrant used for navigation.  This he did with a long laser pointer.  Truly unforgettable!

 

We are booked from Seward, Alaska to Tokyo, Japan in August and hope that we have similar wonderful experiences with Captain Jose.

 

 

[MissyMom]

How about adding this as a sticky!

Then when people say it's my first Azamara Cruise, etc, and what can you tell me, they can be directed to this sticky thread.  I assume other posts of similar thoughts can be added as they appear on any thread. Sounds like work but so is responding to several requests for insights every year. And it's fun to read every so often how others feel.

 

 

[MissyMom]

A few times, a second announcement was made in a language other than English. This was when a large group of French or Spanish guests were on board and they asked! Crew with this language as a first language were asked to go to the bridge to make announcements after both the captain and cruise director made announcements

. . . plus a few other times.

[aussie travel bird]

On 1/23/2019 at 7:13 AM, MissyMom said:

Our first Azamara cruise was years and many Azamara cruises ago. Our agent suggested we try the line after mostly Norwegian cruises.

The first night we sat in Mosaic after dinner in Discoveries to wait for the show. A single woman came to the opening near the dining room but stood frozen.  One of the two waiters came to greet her. She said she has a balance issue. That the chairs faced into the room so there was nothing to easily hold onto.

The waiter asked her to take his arm and he would walk her to the theatre. She said she just needed to get to the glass walls of the stores.

As they strolled by, he asked her if she planned to have dinner at the same time each night. He said he'd look for her each night. When she protested that his job was to serve coffee. He said his job was to assist guests and he hoped she'd share a story with him about her day.

I turned to my husband and said "I think we've found our new cruise home".

Oh I have so many to share, but rather that 'bore' everyone in answer to this one here's what happened to me one one of my very first Azamara cruises.  

 

On leaving Halong Bay we were warned things might get a bit 'rough'. They sure did, we were at dinner in Discoveries and lots of guest and crew were making hasty retreats because of the sudden onset of sea sickness.  Whist not affected I needed to go to the bathroom.  Our waiter overheard my concerns about me negotiating the 'path' to the bathroom in my high heels.  My dear waiter accompanied me to the ladies, discreetly stood outside the bathroom and accompanied me back to the table and out guests.  He's still on Azamara and is very special to us.

[Grandma Cruising]

10 hours ago, MissyMom said:

How about adding this as a sticky!

Then when people say it's my first Azamara Cruise, etc, and what can you tell me, they can be directed to this sticky thread.  I assume other posts of similar thoughts can be added as they appear on any thread. Sounds like work but so is responding to several requests for insights every year. And it's fun to read every so often how others feel.

 

 

Good idea. Will do.

[debcip]

My husband and I were still learning the ropes on our first Azamara Cruise. We arrived a little too late at our “White Night” and were wandering aimlessly on the deck looking for a place to sit with our full plates, wondering if we were just going to regret the whole evening. Then suddenly a light British female voice rang out to us:  “Hello? Are you looking for a seat? Please come and sit with us!”  We sat down with two couples who had known each other for 30 years, and by the end of the night we were enfolded into their group!  We spent much of that week with them,  and that made the trip just a little more wonderful. 

 

“And that’s what [Azamara] is all about, Charlie Brown”

Edited February 8, 2019 by debcip
Spelling correction

[Tom47]

All great stories.  We have been on two Azamara cruises.

[cl.klink]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 2:10 PM, hardwareguy60 said:

Two memorable moments from our first AZ cruise - Malaga to Rio 2013 for our 50th anniversary.

 

1:  Just before noon Captain Carl announced that the officers would be shooting our position at noon and we were invited to Deck 11 to observe.  When we arrived to officers were shooting the sun with sextants and Captain Carl was explaining Celestial Navigation on the superstructure with a piece of chalk.  When the officers confirmed their readings Captain Carl said "Now we will call the bridge to see how far out the GPS is today."  We were within two miles of the GPS.

 

2:  The day after we left Cape Verde on the African coast and started our crossing Captain Carl announced that it would be a great night for star gazing.  Again we were invited to Deck 11 at 2100.  When we go there we looked up and saw stars but nothing really spectacular.  Then Captain Carl called the bridge and told them to douse all the exterior lights.  It was like being in a planetarium, Captain Carl proceeded to point out and explain 12 of the 14 stars in that quadrant used for navigation.  This he did with a long laser pointer.  Truly unforgettable!

 

We are booked from Seward, Alaska to Tokyo, Japan in August and hope that we have similar wonderful experiences with Captain Jose.

 

 

 

I really like these stories. Illustrates a very "inclusive" attitude.

- Joel

[cl.klink]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, MissyMom said:

How about adding this as a sticky!

Then when people say it's my first Azamara Cruise, etc, and what can you tell me, they can be directed to this sticky thread.  I assume other posts of similar thoughts can be added as they appear on any thread. Sounds like work but so is responding to several requests for insights every year. And it's fun to read every so often how others feel.

 

 

 

Wonderful idea! 

- Joel