Just off Journey with mixed feelings

[AllisonJames]

Overall an enjoyable, very port-intensive cruise (British Isles, Open Championship), our 4th AZ and 3rd PerryGolf cruise. First time back on Journey since August 2017, last year we did Pursuit's Maiden. The positives: Embarkation in Edinburgh was extremely quick and efficient, we were in our cabin and had our luggage by 2 p.m. Had enough time to unpack, make specialty reservations, and work out prior to lifeboat drill.  Our cabin attendants were Luis and Edwin and Luis remembered us from our last cruise...their service was excellent.  Overall service was good and I thought the several AZ excursions were better than the ones I have taken previously. The tendering (3 ports) and shuttles (offered in nearly all the ports) were extremely efficient. AZ really shines with the convenient port access. So much so that I thought if someone who had only taken river cruises was interested in an ocean one that AZ might fit the bill just on that alone.  Overall service in the restaurants and bars was very good.  We booked our specialty reservations as soon as we embarked and had no problem getting days and times we wanted. The Azamazing Evening was very special and enjoyable -- Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.  The chocolate buffet the last evening was also incredible.  The followup to our mid-cruise survey comments was thorough although many of our issues seemed to be unsolvable onboard as they seemed to be linked with HQ.  Captain Johannes was very visible, more so than Captains I have seen on other AZ cruises, he always seemed to be there as we disembarked in various ports, wishing us a good day and saying goodbye as we left at the end of the cruise. There was a great show of Scottish performers that AZ brought on board that was really enjoyable.

 

Needs improvement: Our loyalty level was incorrect on our key cards, but correct on documents in our stateroom.  Not sure why that info isn't integrated. May seem like a silly thing but we worked hard and spent quite a bit of $ to get from Adventurer to Discoverer! They also did not have our onboard credit from our travel agent despite the fact that she had documentation as to when she communicated it, but was told they'd made some kind of error in crediting it.  It took some days to get that fixed.  Food: I felt it was better on Pursuit last year. Last year I would call it good to very good, this year, I would say fair to good. Soups continue to be a standout and presentation is lovely, but overall I felt food lacked taste and there wasn't anything I said "Wow, this is delicious" even during the Chef's Table. I think that menu was the same we had last year.  The beverages continue to be our biggest sticking point and one big reason why we have not booked another AZ and are looking at golf travel companies that offer cruises on luxury lines. We had enough onboard credit that we would have happily purchased bottles, but even the wine for purchase list is extremely weak. And we downright hate nearly all of the whites they serve. We even resorted to buying a couple of bottles in Isle of Man, that's how desperate we were for a chardonnay to our taste. The reds are slightly better. The waiters tried hard to find something we liked, but are not given much to choose from. Overall the food and beverages disappointing at AZ price point.

 

Journey vs. Pursuit: Journey is looking a bit long in the tooth and they are making her wait so long to get spiffed up! Probably should have been done last year. For example, the wallpaper in our cabin had buckles and seams coming undone. I mentioned on another thread, we love the living room improvements on Pursuit and the Den, but we love the Sunset Bar on Journey that Pursuit removed. Also, the really large chairs they put on Pursuit in the cabins instead of the loveseats on Journey were way too big and we literally had to move the cocktail table to the side because there wasn't any room to sit at the desk if it was there. Hope they keep the smaller loveseats on Journey, so much better.

 

Niggling issues: Halfway through the cruise I had a neck issue which is exacerbated by high feather pillows. Luis tried hard to find me a flatter foam pillow but there were none to be had...I ended up using the small foam pillow from the loveseat and my own travel pillow. So if you need pillows that are not 10 inches high, you might bring your own.  Also, I can't really figure out the service model at the Patio...some days we had wait service and some days I sat there waiting until I realized I was expected to place my order at the counter. Also, I wish they would stop grabbing my plate to take it away as I am taking the last bite . . . are they short of dishes? Perhaps less attention to this and more attention to refilling water glasses.

 

We have to cancel a current booking and we were going to change it to a different one onboard just in case we decide to use it. Since it was a cruise I'd transferred to a travel agent I was told they couldn't do it as they could no long access the booking, but that my travel agent could do it and keep all the existing benefits in place. Given all the issues my agent has had with AZ I am a bit cynical that this will go smoothly, but we'll see. Since we are currently looking at other cruise lines I'll just keep that booking in place until close to the 120 day cutoff and hope prices on cruises I might consider go down. Very little reason to book on board so far ahead anymore.

 

Perry Golf is a very positive experience, but we shared with the owner that we are looking elsewhere due to AZ's price to value ratio declining. We don't mind paying for better food and beverages but are convinced we can get that and larger staterooms for close to the same amount we have been paying on AZ.  We are sad about this and are not ruling out future AZ cruises, but right now AZ feels like a friend who is getting to be a little more high maintenance and not quite the quality experience it used to be or could be with a few careful improvements. Everything seems to be about the bottom line and I truly dislike the games they play with the "sales".  We are working professionals in our 50's who hopefully have many travel years ahead of us and significant funds to spend and so feel that AZ is "missing the boat" with us and maybe even lots of others in our demographic. We invest our vacation time and travels funds carefully and want to feel we are getting value and the things that are important to us.  We never met a cruise we didn't like, so this was a good cruise and a very fun vacation, but AZ was missing that little extra something. We enjoy all the friendly guests we meet onboard but many said they were looking at other options, regular cruisers felt there are been downgrades and those new to AZ expected more for their money.

 

Happy to answer questions!

[marinaro44]

Azamara didn't remove the Sunset Bar on Pursuit.  There was no bar when they bought her.

[ellbon]

3 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Azamara didn't remove the Sunset Bar on Pursuit.  There was no bar when they bought her.

So true, Oceania have none. of the 8  R ships as far as i know only 2 have bars and AZ owns them.

 

I like the read wines that I buy on AZ. 

 

I agree that the JR needs a facelift and not sure why they are waiting so long.

 

As far as food goes as much as I like Iwan i know it is time for new chef   table menus.  Yes, to bland food. Find on most ships to bland.

 

I am looking forward to my next AZ cruise in a month.

[Grandma Cruising]

Thanks for posting about your experience. Totally agree with you about the Patio service - we were never very clear about whether you were supposed to give your order at the counter or wait to be asked, and the drinks service was very patchy. 

 

Interesting that you thought the food was not as good as you have had previously. We were on the Journey on the Norway cruise before yours. It was our 8th Azamara cruise on Journey & Quest - we’ve not yet been on the Pursuit. We thought the food was the best we’ve ever had on Azamara in Discoveries, Prime C & Aqualina. In fact our meal in Aqualina was probably the best meal we’ve ever had at sea.

 

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks for your thoughts Allison. A good summary. 

 

Phil 

[uktog]

12 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

 

 

Niggling issues:  Also, I wish they would stop grabbing my plate to take it away as I am taking the last bite . . . are they short of dishes? Perhaps less attention to this and more attention to refilling water glasses.

 

 

 

A good balanced assessment.  Have to totally agree with this niggling issue and have fed back onboard that the approach in Windows and the Patio and the MDR at breakfast is really non premium.  When I did a summer stint in a smart Edinburgh hotel I was taught never to start clearing until the last person in the group has moved their fork and knife to parallel.  They cannot even wait for you to lay a fork down sometimes.  I also stop part way through and restart after digesting but the waiters keep coming back wanting to take it.  I think as a start waiters should be taught not to start to clear until all the group have finished.  Its not as if they are going to get the table back any quicker!!

[procter]

Ann,

Whilst i agree with the sentiments re waiting to clear until last is finished I do agree  that it should be  good practice to make sure as soon as last has finished  waiters should clear quickly.

It is so frustrating if you are waiting for a table and people have obviously finished but need a "nudge" to get up and allow others to sit down.

Edited August 2, 2019 by procter

[AllisonJames]

HostGrandma — thanks for your insight. I knew you were on right before us so avidly followed your posts! I don’t know what our issue is in Aqualina...we have yet to have a meal we thought was really good there...maybe we choose dishes that are not their best. Four cruises and Prime C has consistently been the much better meal for us and we are not really red meat eaters, so go figure!

 

Interesting fact about the Sunset Bars, I did not know that.  While we didn’t really feel the lack of one on Pursuit, I was reminded how nice it is to have it there when I was back on Journey.  In addition to the convenience it improved the overall ambience on the Sunset Terrace (if that makes sense).

[mj_holiday]

It seems (a lot of places I have eaten) that wait staff does not know what it means to lay your knife and fork parallel on your plate, because I will put them on the plate and servers ask if they can take my plate.  And yes other times when I haven't put my fork/knife in the center of my plate, servers will come by and start to pick up my plate.  I think many times wait staff are reacting to customers that do not ever put their knife and fork in the center of their plate.

[hiccups]

12 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

Perry Golf is a very positive experience, but we shared with the owner that we are looking elsewhere due to AZ's price to value ratio declining. We don't mind paying for better food and beverages but are convinced we can get that and larger staterooms for close to the same amount we have been paying on AZ.  We are sad about this and are not ruling out future AZ cruises, but right now AZ feels like a friend who is getting to be a little more high maintenance and not quite the quality experience it used to be or could be with a few careful improvements. Everything seems to be about the bottom line and I truly dislike the games they play with the "sales".  We are working professionals in our 50's who hopefully have many travel years ahead of us and significant funds to spend and so feel that AZ is "missing the boat" with us and maybe even lots of others in our demographic. We invest our vacation time and travels funds carefully and want to feel we are getting value and the things that are important to us. 

I've mentioned previously we also came to Azamara because of PerryGolf,.  We are also in our 50s and enjoy taking several trips a year, with at least one cruise (this year will have three).  After our first experience (British Open 2017 cruise),  which we found a little disappointing based on the price , we set a cap on the price we'd pay on a per-day basis, and for the past two years have been able to find a PerryGolf cruise that fits in that range.  We're still waiting to see if anything for 2020 will make the cut, but right now, it's not looking like it will.
 

[snowglobe]

Interesting to read about the plate & table clearing issue...is there really a push to turn the tables over as quickly as possible??

Is this a cultural issue or is there really a need for it?

 

Not talking of ‘time slots’ here but ‘table-turning’, how many sittings per night per table is planned/aimed for: in the specialty restaurants? in the MDR? in Windows?

 

A really good meal should be savoured, and I would not want to be rushed through it; so if there is a different managed approach between venues, I’d like to be aware of this and make my dining choices accordingly.

Edited August 2, 2019 by snowglobe

[Grandma Cruising]

I’ve never found this an issue in Discoveries at dinner, but have seen it there at breakfast and occasionally in the Patio.

[dabear]

Being a slow eater, It's always annoying to me when the wait staff starts to pick up the other pax plates while I'm still eating & sometimes I have to hold onto mine!. BTW, this comment is not limited to cruise staff.

Edited August 2, 2019 by dabear

[cinnamon]

I always thought that it was standard dining etiquette that no plates were cleared until everyone at the table had finished. I’ve been surprised to find it happens on many cruise lines and especially disappointed on the smaller slightly upmarket ships, such as Azamara. 

Even with our family, I don’t clear until we’re all finished...........unless one of the grandchildren is being tardy and their parent wants them to keep going but says it’s ok for the rest of us to continue. 

Surely it should be standard training for the wait staff on Azamara?

[uktog]

7 minutes ago, cinnamon said:

I always thought that it was standard dining etiquette that no plates were cleared until everyone at the table had finished. I’ve been surprised to find it happens on many cruise lines and especially disappointed on the smaller slightly upmarket ships, such as Azamara. 

Even with our family, I don’t clear until we’re all finished...........unless one of the grandchildren is being tardy and their parent wants them to keep going but says it’s ok for the rest of us to continue. 

Surely it should be standard training for the wait staff on Azamara?

Never had the issue on river cruises or other smarter ocean lines but Azamara especially Windows and to some extent the Patio are particularly bad.  I hate it particularly in the evening when I want a proper experience.  To be fair they often say "may I" even when we say not yet they are back again a short time later.  We are never table hogging, only sometimes digestion requires more time.  

[AllisonJames]

Hiccups -- I remember your review of AZ because you were on the The Open Golf Cruise the year after we were.  We are not very flexible regarding our travel schedule as we can only time we can take two weeks off is in the summer or over Christmas and Perry Golf doesn't do any trips over the holidays so that leaves only the summer. Last summer we did Pursuit's maiden voyage because we could not find a Perry Golf cruise that we haven't done that worked for our schedule.  One of the reasons we specifically spoke to Perry Golf leadership about the AZ quality is because they are bringing a lot of new clients to AZ through the golf cruises (at the closing Perry Golf cocktail party they asked who was on their first ever AZ cruise and it looked like it was about 90%!!!) so we thought maybe AZ would listen more to the feedback if it came from them . . .

 

I have found another company that offers Golf Cruises on luxury cruise lines for what appears to be around the same price point (or even less) as the AZ/Perry Golf combination so we are awaiting their 2021 itineraries (already have a river cruise trip booked for summer 2020).  Since cruisecritic doesn't like us to plug other providers on this board, if you are interested, email me at eileenpmoran@verizon.net.

[ellbon]

7 hours ago, uktog said:

 

A good balanced assessment.  Have to totally agree with this niggling issue and have fed back onboard that the approach in Windows and the Patio and the MDR at breakfast is really non premium.  When I did a summer stint in a smart Edinburgh hotel I was taught never to start clearing until the last person in the group has moved their fork and knife to parallel.  They cannot even wait for you to lay a fork down sometimes.  I also stop part way through and restart after digesting but the waiters keep coming back wanting to take it.  I think as a start waiters should be taught not to start to clear until all the group have finished.  Its not as if they are going to get the table back any quicker!!

I was taught this growing up.  In todays world  i have my plate removed while in the bathroom. The fork and knife thing I still do anywhere. same with chopsticks. i have been rushed by  waiters  on ships and land.   I like to stop and start again also.

 

[Werangels]

5 hours ago, snowglobe said:

Interesting to read about the plate & table clearing issue...is there really a push to turn the tables over as quickly as possible??

Is this a cultural issue or is there really a need for it?

 

Not talking of ‘time slots’ here but ‘table-turning’, how many sittings per night per table is planned/aimed for: in the specialty restaurants? in the MDR? in Windows?

 

A really good meal should be savoured, and I would not want to be rushed through it; so if there is a different managed approach between venues, I’d like to be aware of this and make my dining choices accordingly.

 

We were never rushed anywhere or had staff wanting to clear our plates.

[norn iron]

I often wish the waiting staff were as quick at offering another drink or a top up of a wine glass, as they are at offering to clear tables.

[late2cruisin]

My worst table-clearing experience happened not on Azamara, but on Celebrity. We were in a suite, so eating dinner in Luminae. I was savoring my second course (I believe it was chestnut ravioli) and was about halfway through. I turned to converse with the people at the adjacent table, and when I turned back to my food, it was gone! I can't imagine how he snatched it so quickly without my noticing it. When I immediately protested that I was not finished with it, he told me that it was gone (how fast do they dump leftover food?) and  would I like to re-order it. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but I really enjoy that dish so I said yes. I took a while for it to arrive, and probably messed up the timing of my main course, which seemed a little over-cooked. Ever since then, when I turn away from my food for any reason, I tell my husband "Don't let them take this away!"

[LuAnn]

We are on Journey for the holiday cruise this year..."looking a bit long in the tooth"...can you tell me what you found in the "long tooth department" that didn't look up to par? :) :) :) When does she go in for the "big" dry dock?

[AllisonJames]

LuAnn — I don’t want you to think the ship is totally run down, but two situations gave me the perspective of “tired”— first of all, last cruise on Pursuit’s Maiden where everything was brand-new, freshly painted and sparkling so that contrasted with Journey’s carpets, paint and upholstery being very “lived in”.  And, when you see wallpaper in your stateroom looking less than nice, you kind of start looking for other flaws.  And, I also don’t quite understand why they drydocked Quest so long before Journey when Journey was the first ship to have the “reimagining” a number of months before Quest so in my mind Journey should have been first.  Also, I’m kind of detail oriented about aesthetics—someone else might not even notice.

[beachseeker]

Currently on the Journey.  Overall impression is that the ship still looks very nice.  We last sailed on Journey right after her drydock.  If you look closely, you see the blemishes, wallpaper in our stateroom and dings on the furniture.  We are traveling with 3 couples new to Azamara.  One said their room looked tired but the linens and bedding are luxurious.  The towels do seem of higher quality from our last cruise 2 years ago.  It’s time for a refresh but still a lovely ship.

[LuAnn]

Thanks for the clarification on the "long teeth"!! ;) :) :) ..only 4 + months until we board...so hopefully not TOO much move "lived in"!!! :)

[ABoatNerd]

OP, thank you for your excellent review.

 

I am particularly struck on your conclusion.  Pleased that yet another cruiser is not automatically accepting of the continual drive to the bottom line at the expense of the cruiser.  This message is appearing more often on all the CC boards.

 

I call it the death of the "cruise trance".

 

We ended our patronage of Oceania recently due to a very poor cruise experience that was not aligned to the Oceania marketing drivel. Again, a decline of the on board experience at a higher price than previous similar voyages.

 

This is the first year since 1989 that we have no cruises booked and none contemplated. We have moved on to customized land tours, golfing vacations. Trips to europe end with the QM2 home.

 

Cruise lines have taken business for granted because bookings have been strong and that has been their opportunity to degrade their product offerings and increase their revenue. 

 

No thank you. There is a world of travel options, cruising is just one.