Transatlantic Question

[FrankLasVegas]

Hello.

 

Can anyone share their thoughts on doing a TA on Azamara?

 

Considering the 16-day Westbound on the Journey from Barcelona to Miami.

 

Did you find the number of sea days "boring" with it being a smaller ship?

 

Thank you in advance for any insights you can share of your own TA experience(s) on Azamara.

Edited March 29, 2019 by FrankLasVegas

[uktog]

There is not as many activities as on a larger ship but it is enjoyable.  Having done a few, it seems to depend who is running the entertainment and activities onboard.  Journey had the better of the transatlantics we have done.

[upwarduk]

We sailed Quest,  Southampton to Montreal in 2016 and were very lucky to have 8 ports of call, 4 on each side of the Atlantic. It actually meant we only had 3.5 days at sea, Cork to St John’s. Newfoundland.

We did encounter a storm, but the Captain sailed south towards the Azores to avoid the worst of it. You will be sailing a more southerly route, so the weather is usually better than the northerly route which we took.

You will have at least 6 clock changes, so numerous ‘25 hr days.’ Maybe more if you hit on the autumn /fall ‘putting the clock back’ which happens the last weekend in October in Europe.

I have never been bored on a TA, we usually go to the lectures.

The worst thing I found was the poor internet connection, in the mid Atlantic. E mails I thought I had sent didn’t actually get sent until we reached Canada!!

[Wickets]

West bound is much easier on the body.  We have done two east bound on Celebrity and one west bound on Journey. The 23 hour days get to be a real pain after 3-4.  We really enjoy the sea days and did not get any more bored on Azamara than on Celebrity.

[smith5744]

I have done five or six transatlantic on Azamara and I love it.  There is plenty to do if you enjoy trivia, the shows and other activities.  There is a reasonable schedule of things to do and you can pick and enjoy them.  The shows are always enjoyable and the crew and food are terrific.  They mix it up a bit so there are different party options.  They do have a white night party but not an Amazing evening (fine with me).  You get to know a nice group of people and are almost disappointed on port days when you have to go ashore.  Azamara though does have longer stays at port so your shore days are more relaxing too.  It may not be for everyone but I and a bunch of other travelers love doing them.  

[hrhdhd]

I just booked Pursuit's Miami to Southampton cruise in May 2020; I can't wait for 10 days at sea.

[mnocket]

I did a TA on the Journey.  Loved it!  My wife and are able to entertain ourselves without a bunch of shipboard activities.  Someone who gets bored unless they have an active schedule of activities probably would not enjoy a TA.

[yyztravels]

We did the TA on the Pursuit Nov 6/18, 14 night Barcelona to Miami and it was a great trip!!  Unfortunately at the start of the cruise the weather was bad in the North Atlantic so to avoid the storm they skipped our first two stops, Gibraltar and Medeira (Funchal).  We hadn't been to either which is getting to be a rare thing (not having been to a port already) so were looking forward to them but for some reason we were enjoying the trip so much just accepted it and move on.  In place we went to Teneriffe, arrived about 2:00 p.m. and left the following night at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.  We did the ships excursion to the Volcano and would highly recommend it!  We were fortunate in that we have very warm weather the entire crossing and mostly flat seas.  In mid Atlantic they slowed and turned the ship for less wind across the deck and we had the best time at the White Night party!!!  We did 2 nights at Aqualina and 1 at Prime C.  We thought Prime C was better on Pursuit than a previous journey on the Quest.  Our only other stop was Bermuda which I love and we arrived quite early there and got to overnight and had most of the next day, however it was windy and raining pretty hard.  The best part is getting to dock in the centre of Hamilton on the smaller vessels. 

 

We ate quite often at the poolside grill and the service there in the evening was great.  Met lots of nice interesting people that you would continue to run into due to the smaller ship and that made it even more special, getting to hear stories and experiences from others, and laugh and mutual respect.

 

Were not big on scheduled activities vs. reading,. going to they gym,  dining at every meal and not rushing.  I never once felt bored on this crossing and wish it could have lasted longer.  Also getting 7 25 hours days was a bonus.  It was cool to hear basically every other day, "the clocks are going back one hour tonight"! 

 

Previous to the cruise i was reading the reviews of Pursuit and a little concerned but there was no need.  Everything was great, unless your one to pick on maybe the smallest of smallest details

[tv24]

We have sailed TAs on Azamara 4 times and have booked a fifth for November, BCN to Miami.  We have also crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary many times, and also on Oceania, HAL and Princess.  The AZ experience has been excellent.  There are a few ports, so it is not all sea days.  The ship provides some parties and activities to keep you from getting too bored, such as special brunches and the White Night party.  Lots and lots and lots and lots of trivia games.  The passengers are very friendly so one can spend a lot of time chatting at the coffee bar or in other venues.  I spend a lot of time at the fitness center, and we bring some of our hobbies on board with us.  It's a great way to cross the ocean, avoid jet lag, arrive refreshed.