Azamara drink packages and included drinks

[Sandrav]

Hi, can anyone let us know exactly what is included free with our cruise fare, alcohol, water? Coffee? We really just get a explanation that doesn’t really tell you. We need to know what’s included and which package covers water, specialty coffee and alcohol, can anyone help? 

[Grandma Cruising]

The included drinks are a range of spirits, still & sparkling water, speciality coffees, sodas such as Coca-Cola, tonic water, lemonade, ginger ale, red, white, rose & sparkling wine and some beers.

At present the spirits include Gordon’s & Beefeater gins, Famous Grouse Whisky, Smirnoff Vodka, but these can change from time to time.There is no included Brandy.

 

[Beamafar]

@AzamarajunkieI see you’re currently onboard Journey.  Which beer on tap is currently available?

 

TIA 

[ECCruise]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

@AzamarajunkieI see you’re currently onboard Journey.  Which beer on tap is currently available?

 

TIA 

Carlsberg as of a week ago.  

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, ECCruise said:

Carlsberg as of a week ago.  

Thank you! 🤗  DH will be very happy to hear that and now only one of us will have to upgrade to the Ultimate package. 👍

[81Zoomie]

Could anyone post a drink menu with the included cocktails?

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

10 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Thank you! 🤗  DH will be very happy to hear that and now only one of us will have to upgrade to the Ultimate package. 👍

Hi Bea, long time since we spoke last.  Question:  does Azamara allow just one person to upgrade to the Ultimate Package?? 😁

[CGTNORMANDIE]

29 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Hi Bea, long time since we spoke last.  Question:  does Azamara allow just one person to upgrade to the Ultimate Package?? 😁

Hi again Bea, I just got the answer and it is YES!  That’s great because DW might have a glass of rose’ before dinner…😇  I prefer the higher grade drinks.  What’s the story with the Champagne?  As I recall that is your favorite libation.

[Beamafar]

6 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Hi again Bea, I just got the answer and it is YES!  That’s great because DW might have a glass of rose’ before dinner…😇  I prefer the higher grade drinks.  What’s the story with the Champagne?  As I recall that is your favorite libation.

Hi CGT - haven’t been around the boards much lately.  We’ve about had enough with MSC!  Great to hear from you. 

 

Nicholas Feuillatte is available on the Ultimate package, according to the Azamara website:

 

 

Not that fond of it - it’s served in YC - but better than nothing, I suppose.   I need the Ultimate for my other favourite - port & brandy🤪   The old PremiumPlus package was great as it included Veuve Cliquot.  Our favourite hangout was the Champagne bar with that package!   Sadly, it is no more (sigh).   DH will certainly miss Johnny Walker Blue, too.  😭
 

So, you’re booked on Azamara?   We’re on Journey on Aug 6th, then Celebrity Edge on Sept 3rd.  We have World Europa booked from Abu Dhabi to Genoa next March - booked Aurea before the Experience was downgraded, so looks like better value now.  🙄

[uktog]

Like all Azamara wines and spirits, Nicholas Feuillatte is not always available now on the Ultimate package.  They have a habit of substituting a cheaper alternative (Henri, available in the low price aisle in Asda/Walmart) but have sadly trained the bar staff to tell you that it is a superior brand.  The servers believe them - but sadly it is an inferior product.

[Beamafar]

I was thinking along those lines, having read about the reduced range of wines onboard.   DH doesn’t drink wine so will be happy if draught Carlsberg is included on our cruise.  Just going to have to assess whether it’ll be worth it for me to purchase the Ultimate package.  If there aren’t decent wines from the list available, it may not be worth it.  Having said that, I think it’s great that Az allows for only one person to upgrade and that it can be done at any time throughout the cruise. 

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

14 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Hi CGT - haven’t been around the boards much lately.  We’ve about had enough with MSC!  Great to hear from you. 

 

Nicholas Feuillatte is available on the Ultimate package, according to the Azamara website:

 

 

Not that fond of it - it’s served in YC - but better than nothing, I suppose.   I need the Ultimate for my other favourite - port & brandy🤪   The old PremiumPlus package was great as it included Veuve Cliquot.  Our favourite hangout was the Champagne bar with that package!   Sadly, it is no more (sigh).   DH will certainly miss Johnny Walker Blue, too.  😭
 

So, you’re booked on Azamara?   We’re on Journey on Aug 6th, then Celebrity Edge on Sept 3rd.  We have World Europa booked from Abu Dhabi to Genoa next March - booked Aurea before the Experience was downgraded, so looks like better value now.  🙄

Thanks Bea,

Well, at least we can say we enjoyed the YC back when.  NF brute with a shot of cognac and 1/2 a shot of lemon sour makes for a great French 75!  I am very interested in Azamara but I’m still waiting for a kidney transplant.  That should happen shortly then I’ll get off the beach and out to sea.  The kidney and Covid had me held up for the past 5 years.  So here’s hoping.

[Beamafar]

9 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Thanks Bea,

Well, at least we can say we enjoyed the YC back when.  NF brute with a shot of cognac and 1/2 a shot of lemon sour makes for a great French 75!  I am very interested in Azamara but I’m still waiting for a kidney transplant.  That should happen shortly then I’ll get off the beach and out to sea.  The kidney and Covid had me held up for the past 5 years.  So here’s hoping.

Oh, I do hope you get the transplant real soon and that all goes well so you can get back to cruising. 
 

Looking forward to trying Azamara, but I think we’re going to miss the nightly entertainment offerings of the bigger ships.  We’re meeting up with a couple of Norwegians that I got to know on the MSC forum. We met them on Meraviglia’s inaugural, then sailed with them on Seaview (you may remember that was the trip that DH ended up spending most of the time in the medical centre!   Turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he discovered afterwards, by having to attend his doctor, that he had a 95% blocked artery plus prostate cancer). 
 

Who knows, maybe we’ll get to meet you some time on the high seas.  Take care, for now. 
 

PS  Will have to give that French75 a try - especially if NF is swapped out for an even more inferior champagne. 😆

Edited June 30, 2022 by Beamafar

[Port Power]

On 6/28/2022 at 5:28 PM, Sandrav said:

Hi, can anyone let us know exactly what is included free with our cruise fare, alcohol, water? Coffee? We really just get a explanation that doesn’t really tell you. We need to know what’s included and which package covers water, specialty coffee and alcohol, can anyone help? 

The included brands and beverages are on the website, or look in your account/your cruise at the beverage packages.  There is a full on coffee machine in the cafe which serves coffee to passengers and officers. You can order a cappuccino, etc, with your meal at any venue.  Most cocktails can be made with included liquors ( i. e. Not Grey Goose, but a cheaper brand). Actual champagne (Nicholas Feuillatte) is part of the Ultimate package, as is Baileys. Bottled water is included, which is welcome at ports where the local water might upset our GI tracts.  There are included wines, but wineries/brands change from time to time.  Evidently there is now an Azamara branded wine. The Ultimate package includes more wines, but again, brands change depending on location. As an example, the included bourbon is Jim Beam. For Jack Daniels or Woodford Reserve, you either pay when you purchase or choose one of the two higher drinks packages.  Hope this helps.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

6 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Oh, I do hope you get the transplant real soon and that all goes well so you can get back to cruising. 
 

Looking forward to trying Azamara, but I think we’re going to miss the nightly entertainment offerings of the bigger ships.  We’re meeting up with a couple of Norwegians that I got to know on the MSC forum. We met them on Meraviglia’s inaugural, then sailed with them on Seaview (you may remember that was the trip that DH ended up spending most of the time in the medical centre!   Turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he discovered afterwards, by having to attend his doctor, that he had a 95% blocked artery plus prostate cancer). 
 

Who knows, maybe we’ll get to meet you some time on the high seas.  Take care, for now. 
 

PS  Will have to give that French75 a try - especially if NF is swapped out for an even more inferior champagne. 😆

Thanks so much Bea.  “Hope Springs Eternal”

[Port Power]

On 6/29/2022 at 5:41 PM, uktog said:

Like all Azamara wines and spirits, Nicholas Feuillatte is not always available now on the Ultimate package.  They have a habit of substituting a cheaper alternative (Henri, available in the low price aisle in Asda/Walmart) but have sadly trained the bar staff to tell you that it is a superior brand.  The servers believe them - but sadly it is an inferior product.

If Nicholas Feuillatte or better is not available, I’ll be asking for my purchase of the Ultimate package to be refunded!  Champagne is the main reason I upgrade. 

[alfredo1]

Why the discussion about buying wine ashore. Azamara address the problem!!

 

I read this discussion with some dismay because the root cause is that Azamara produces poor complementary wines, and has done for some time. The same applies to the complementary bar menu which is probably the poorest on the high seas, see RCI and Celebrity, and this leading to a push to upgrade onboard and generate revenue.

 

We are long time Azamara supporters from the early days, are Discoverer plus, have completed two cruises this year and one approaching. On both we felt that the service presentation and quality was not as before, but possibly willing to accept that because of problems with staffing and supply, but Azamara make this difficult.....Cancelling Spa access for CC suite customers a few days before our cruise because of capacity issues on the Onward, changing the Covid test process at short notice,  changing the library into a bar, and now cancelling four half bottles of spirits and replacing by one litre of spirits.  The spa and spirits replacement do not particularly bother us but it leaves the feeling of nickle and diming as described by American guests which was not the Azamara way.   This feeling is not helped by the slow drip replacement of loyal senior staff to other lines which causes a feeling of disquiet.

 

The new management of Azamara need to make a decision as to the way forward, because the move to Seabourn and Silversea with massively better quality is not too difficult, and Oceania and Celebrity provide a much better product around the same price band.

 

I understand that Azamara monitor this forum, and it saddens me to say this but our next Azamara cruise may be our last unless things improve across the board, and having spoken to many disappointed travellers on our last two cruises we are not alone in this view. 

 

Over to Azamara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[combine]

Just for clarification. The four included bottles of spirits in suites are  375 cl only. On our April cruise we had 3 x 375 cl …Gin, Vodka and Bacardi and for some reason,  a one litre bottle of whiskey which I left in the cabin. 

[Riocca]

A quick Google comes up with the possible reason, in the first half of this year there’s a supply issue with glass. Spirit manufacturers are struggling to get supplies of bottles so I expect that half bottles are being sacrificed for the production of large bottles.

A quick scan of our local supermarket shelves confirms this quite a few well known brands missing and very few half bottles.

[Host Jazzbeau]

24 minutes ago, Riocca said:

A quick Google comes up with the possible reason, in the first half of this year there’s a supply issue with glass. Spirit manufacturers are struggling to get supplies of bottles so I expect that half bottles are being sacrificed for the production of large bottles.

A quick scan of our local supermarket shelves confirms this quite a few well known brands missing and very few half bottles.

Don't try to shoot down a good conspiracy theory with the facts!!!

[andrcan]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Don't try to shoot down a good conspiracy theory with the facts!!!

No fact can shoot down good conspiracy theory!☝️

[Pizzasteve]

It will be our first Azamara cruise and we will definitely be comparing included drinks against our cruises last year on Celebrity, Regent, Oceana, all with included drinks.  We dont need premium priced beverages, as a good wine should be easily  available at an acceptable cost to the line.  But if we get a large producer's 'dumped junk' wines with very few options for finding well made, economical wine, it will impact our future bookings.

 

Hope they do read this thread, as it is easy to ask a wine person to advise them. I can recommend several, having wine critic, MS, and MW friends.

 

We retired at 53 and have many cruises ahead, so this last few years we have sort of shopped around to find our preferred cruise brand.  We recently cruised on HA, Viking Ocean, and Princess as well.  Viking Ocean was a good example of limited selection but good quality basic wines available included, as was Celebrity (more selection, many sub par, but enough choice that always something decent in the basic package).  Regent had very nice wines, but of course a different price point and their basic is a more premium level.  We brought our own to Oceana, for 25 dollar per bottle corkage, which we loved as an option.

Edited June 30, 2022 by Pizzasteve

[Host Jazzbeau]

So I am a wine aficionado, on a self-imposed budget – because I have found that the range of $10-20 retail in NY offers me reliable, drinkable wines in every category.  When I succumb to '90+' envy and splurge, I am most often disappointed.  If Azamara would stock [horrors!] Apothic* wines for the basic pours, I would be happy.

 

*  For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Apothic offers 6 blended wines with the highly coveted 'Anywhere' AOC with wide distribution through the US at around $10 a bottle.  

I finally discovered what the various blends contain:

•  The Red blend is made with Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It has notes of black cherry, vanilla, and mocha;

•  The White blend is made with Chardonnay, Riesling, and Moscato grapes. It has notes of peach, honey, pineapple, and vanilla spice.

•  Brew is made with Petite Syrah, Teroldego, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and other grape varieties and infused with cold-brewed coffee. It has notes of coffee, red fruit, and toasted oak and less caffeine than a standard cup of decaf.

•  Crush is made with Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, Teroldego, Petit Verdot, and other grape varieties. It has notes of ripe berries, cherry, rhubarb, caramel, and milk chocolate.

•  Dark is made with Petite Syrah, Teroldego, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Tannat.

•  Inferno is red wine that has been aged in charred, white-oak whiskey barrels for 60 days. It has a variety of notes and strong whiskey characteristics including maple, spice, red fruits, caramel, cedar, and black tea.

 

My favorite is Dark, and I do draw the line at the adulterated Inferno and Brew blends.

 

[lisiamc]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So I am a wine aficionado, on a self-imposed budget – because I have found that the range of $10-20 retail in NY offers me reliable, drinkable wines in every category.  When I succumb to '90+' envy and splurge, I am most often disappointed.  If Azamara would stock [horrors!] Apothic* wines for the basic pours, I would be happy.

 

*  For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Apothic offers 6 blended wines with the highly coveted 'Anywhere' AOC with wide distribution through the US at around $10 a bottle.  

I finally discovered what the various blends contain:

•  The Red blend is made with Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It has notes of black cherry, vanilla, and mocha;

•  The White blend is made with Chardonnay, Riesling, and Moscato grapes. It has notes of peach, honey, pineapple, and vanilla spice.

•  Brew is made with Petite Syrah, Teroldego, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and other grape varieties and infused with cold-brewed coffee. It has notes of coffee, red fruit, and toasted oak and less caffeine than a standard cup of decaf.

•  Crush is made with Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, Teroldego, Petit Verdot, and other grape varieties. It has notes of ripe berries, cherry, rhubarb, caramel, and milk chocolate.

•  Dark is made with Petite Syrah, Teroldego, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Tannat.

•  Inferno is red wine that has been aged in charred, white-oak whiskey barrels for 60 days. It has a variety of notes and strong whiskey characteristics including maple, spice, red fruits, caramel, cedar, and black tea.

 

My favorite is Dark, and I do draw the line at the adulterated Inferno and Brew blends.

 

I’m speaking without ever having tried these, so I don’t know what I’m talking about. But truly, these sound horrific. They sound like wine for people who don’t like wine, or who don’t want wine that actually tastes like it comes from grapes. I’m glad you draw the line at Brew and Inferno. I’ve always had a good opinion of you, and thinking you liked those might have damaged it! 😁
 

I’d be deeply disappointed to have these as the included option on a cruise, and suspect the cruise line of trying to force all their customers to upgrade to “real” wine! I’d rather take my chances with the hit-and-miss wines already on offer.

[Riocca]

Latest Azamara newsletter has a link to the wine page of the website I’ve not noticed this page before so it’s interesting to read. Under “Sip & Swirl at Sea” it lays out the latest policy which is for the Azamara branded wines supplemented by local wines when available. We’ve not encountered the new wines so can’t offer an opinion, hopefully at the end of August on Quests Wine & Culture Voyage we’ll experience it in action.

 

https://www.azamara.co.uk/blog/azamara-wines-onboard-ashore