If I were king...

[Jim in OR]

If I were in charge of the way space is used on the Azamara ships, I’d consider turning the lightly used drawing room into a French specialty restaurant. I get that the seating capacity would be limited when compared with the other two, but it seems like several tables could be fit into the space and it could be a charming dining venue. Of course, there would need to be black out dates for special events like the “best of the best” but I do think it would be doable. 
 

Any other king/queen wannabes that would make changes to the current space usage?

 

Jim

[excitedofharpenden]

Not really.  I think that perhaps you misjudge just how much the Drawing Room is used each cruise.  Aside from special dinners there it is used for such things as vow renewals and weddings, religious services and the like. Aside from being a reading space with comfy chairs and (depending upon the ship) a piano for extra entertainment apace, I think it’s pretty well used as an extra venue.  

 

I can’t think of anywhere that  makes me think “oh, they should do this”. 

 

Phil

[marinaro44]

13 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Not really.  I think that perhaps you misjudge just how much the Drawing Room is used each cruise.  Aside from special dinners there it is used for such things as vow renewals and weddings, religious services and the like. Aside from being a reading space with comfy chairs and (depending upon the ship) a piano for extra entertainment apace, I think it’s pretty well used as an extra venue.  

 

I can’t think of anywhere that  makes me think “oh, they should do this”. 

 

Phil

Where would they prepare the exquisite French cuisine?  The small galley on deck 10 is already fully used preparing meals for the existing two specialty restaurants.

[laurieb]

I would love a French restaurant!  Maybe a change in menu one or two nights at one of the specialties 

[Bloodaxe]

6 hours ago, laurieb said:

I would love a French restaurant!  Maybe a change in menu one or two nights at one of the specialties.

 

Aqualina used to have more of a French theme before it went mainly Italian, we liked it better then.

[Grandma Cruising]

The only change I would make is the one already made/being made - taking away the casino and making more sitting space. I’ve very rarely seen anyone actually using either the slots or the tables.

[uktog]

There is a French chefs table and often a French themed buffet.  It’s hard to meet all tastes and between the buffet, the extensive variety in the main dining room and the other venues I’d say Azamara do pretty well. 

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Aqualina used to have more of a French theme before it went mainly Italian, we liked it better then.

Food of course is subjective, but I prefer Aqualina now to what it used to be. I can find many more menu items that I like. 

 

Phil 

[Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Food of course is subjective, but I prefer Aqualina now to what it used to be. I can find many more menu items that I like. 

 

Phil 

 

That's obviously very true everyone will have their favorites, in the very early days (even before your Azamara experience), Aqualina on Journey had a excellent French Chef.

The Chef and Rhysard would carry out cooking demonstrations in the Speciality Restaurants on sea days.

That's what sticks in my memory has the best of times on Azamara..

Edited October 11, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[BBMacLaird]

I love this conversation. While I doubt it is feasible or desirable to repurpose the Drawing Room into a specialty restaurant the question makes me wonder if it couldn’t be occasionally used as a “pop-up” specialty venue. It IS such a beautiful venue at night.

 

I also love this conversation, started by Jim in OR (thank you Jim!), a new voice on the forum with just 19 posts, because it reflects what I’d call Pride of Ownership. I often think about my own house in the same way...”maybe we should redo our front porch to make it prettier” or “why don’t we repurpose the guest bedroom into a sewing room.”  People don’t think that way unless they are invested and want to make the space better in the long run...which means you all plan to return. 🥰

Thank you for making Azamara ‘your’ cruise line. Your suggestions are always welcome.

[wrtmlt]

How about a cigar Bar?

[snowglobe]

A gelateria!

[Grandma Cruising]

Yes, you’re right - being able to have gelato any time - or even for longer than just meal times - would be great. I know the frozen yogurt is available, but it’s just not the same!

[mj_holiday]

We have done one cruise on the Journey, another Azamara booked.  When on the Journey, I was surprised by how empty the library was the couple times we went to it.  

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, mj_holiday said:

We have done one cruise on the Journey, another Azamara booked.  When on the Journey, I was surprised by how empty the library was the couple times we went to it.  

I think that’s part of the appeal though.  Factor in the preparation that would be required by the crew to turn it into an official eating venue and how many times it’s used throughout a cruise for special functions and it’s a bad idea in my view.

 

Phil

[Ithikan]

Yes, the library can be empty, but never for very long...

I visited once quite, quite early one morning - having a need to consult the enormous atlas about all the tiny islands we were passing - and just after opening that tome to get started I was joined by a security officer.  Very nice, we exchanged greetings, but  I was simultaneously both impressed and taken aback at how quickly staff responded to activity in this always quiet venue.

i love the library and hope it remains in its current form.

[travelberlin]

Since we are all dreaming, I would love to have a Japanese Restaurant....

[Werangels]

I like the idea of pop-up bistros and would like to see these on the pool deck on hot weather cruises.  Italian port - Italian food, Greek port - Greek food, Arabian port , etc.