Coming Back

[hangover]

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

 

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

[luv2travel90266]

A lot of strong opinions on the forum. Azamara is a notch above Celebrity in a smaller cruise ship. While it is not perfect my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our Iceland Intensive just finished and booked a back to back on board. 

[federalexpress]

13 hours ago, hangover said:

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

 

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

 

The isolation in another cabin Covid issue is one that concerns me too, especially as I have a small suite booked. Bad enough to have your holiday spoiled, another thing to be kept in what probably feels like a cell, given you can't get out.

 

Happily quite a few posters on here have said that they tend to now just confine you to the cabin you are in. Not great, but better than before and at least you can sit on your balcony and admire the views and enjoy some fresh air. Having had Covid, I'm not that bothered about it from a health point of view, but I am from a 'spoil holiday' point of view, so will actively seek to minimise infection risk. All one can do, ideally, is get another vax or infection as close as possible to departure, which should give a modicum of protection against infection. Obviously that might be hard to plan for (especially the latter!) so if it's a while since your last jab or infection, it might be a case of being more careful that you might otherwise be re distancing, masks etc.

[RW75]

I have 40 nights booked on Onward and feel no apprehension at all. 
 

I did cruise last year from August and found Azamara procedures implemented much better than my other experience with another line a few weeks earlier. 
 

There have been small issues I have been unhappy with, however, five minutes  and a glass of champagne later they were always forgotten. Nothing serious. The service and onboard experience is still as good as ever. 
 

I don’t expect to have anything less than a brilliant time onboard and other than complaining to myself about the tonic and possible wine substitutions I know everything will be perfect. 
 

Any small issues I may find I know will be resolved so there’s no need to worry.

[andrcan]

18 hours ago, hangover said:

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

 

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

For us, long 42 days on any cruise ship in the Caribbean beat long 42 Canadian Feb/March days:) We really enjoyed our Azamara cruise in June, have another coming in December on Onward and thinking of booking Onward Feb/March as well. Hope we’ll see you guys there!

[harrodsfan]

Our vacation on Azamara this summer was anxiety ridden as there were so many unknowns. We too were worried about having to change to a tiny cabin is we were to become I’ll. However that fear was laid to rest. Having to test before we got on the ship was also at the top of the list. I got Covid a week before our first of Btb cruises. It was a super light case as we had just gotten our boosters and my husband never got it. But I kept testing positive until the day before we were to fly to meet the ship. We spent three days in Bologna in our hotel room as we didn’t want to get exposed. Fortunately we tested negative and were able to board. Three days later they announced that they were dropping the testing requirements for most ports. However one port it’s not dropped for is Athens and that’s the embarking port for our next cruise in May. Hope they drop the requirement by then!  

[excitedofharpenden]

I would like to comment that some of us often stay in the deck 4 outside cabins that have also been used for quarantine. I've spent more than 40 days in one on a series of back to backs and have sometimes been confined. It's never nice to have to do this, no matter what cabin you are in, but the deck 4 OVs aren't "tiny".  Admittedly if you are in a suite then it's a bit of a come down, but for me it would be doable. 

 

Phil 

[federalexpress]

2 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I would like to comment that some of us often stay in the deck 4 outside cabins that have also been used for quarantine. I've spent more than 40 days in one on a series of back to backs and have sometimes been confined. It's never nice to have to do this, no matter what cabin you are in, but the deck 4 OVs aren't "tiny".  Admittedly if you are in a suite then it's a bit of a come down, but for me it would be doable. 

 

Phil 

 

Hi Phil,

 

That may have been referring to me, point taken, but I'm one of those who is not by instinct a cruiser and I can get a bit claustrophobic, hence booking a bigger cabin, and my concern over not then having access to the outside, if confined. Actually the issue was only brought into focus by another poster, saying they had been taken out of their balcony cabin and away from her husband, isolated for 12 days on her own with an angry person next door also isolated, banging on the walls. Sounded very traumatic.

 

I've read a fair few posts on cabin options. People who book inside/outside have said they spend most of the time outside on the ship or in the port and mostly just sleep there, so that makes sense, especially if you want to go on cruises more often than I do ( couldn't financially run to multiple CC bookings per year even if I wanted to). On the only other cruise I've been on, I spent a fair bit of time in my cabin, enjoyed the privacy. I guess as you suggest, it's horses for courses...

[excitedofharpenden]

48 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

 

Hi Phil,

 

That may have been referring to me, point taken, but I'm one of those who is not by instinct a cruiser and I can get a bit claustrophobic, hence booking a bigger cabin, and my concern over not then having access to the outside, if confined. Actually the issue was only brought into focus by another poster, saying they had been taken out of their balcony cabin and away from her husband, isolated for 12 days on her own with an angry person next door also isolated, banging on the walls. Sounded very traumatic.

 

I've read a fair few posts on cabin options. People who book inside/outside have said they spend most of the time outside on the ship or in the port and mostly just sleep there, so that makes sense, especially if you want to go on cruises more often than I do ( couldn't financially run to multiple CC bookings per year even if I wanted to). On the only other cruise I've been on, I spent a fair bit of time in my cabin, enjoyed the privacy. I guess as you suggest, it's horses for courses...

Actually It was more directed at harrodsfan who described them as tiny. I do take your point about confinement, but wanted to mention that too as to how I feel.  I didn't want anyone new to Azamara being put off by the "tiny" comment.  They are the same size as a veranda, but obviously smaller than a suite. Not everyone stays in a suite though.  

 

That poses a question of anyone who has been in a suite and then confined on deck 4. Does your butler still operate for you?  

 

Phil

[Vivasea]

Having had covid on Quest in June I can assure you that I was allowed to stay in CC suite. My husband who also was positive  before I was.  was moved to balcony cabin only for two nights then moved back to our CC cabin. 

[RW75]

I rather like the Deck 4 cabins. My personal view is they feel more spacious than the balcony cabins. Clearly they aren’t, maybe it’s just the difference in layout.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

1 hour ago, RW75 said:

I rather like the Deck 4 cabins. My personal view is they feel more spacious than the balcony cabins. Clearly they aren’t, maybe it’s just the difference in layout.

 

Thats my perception too.  Of course the sideways cabins are a whole ‘nother thing!  

[PirateWife]

We were isolated in our veranda room on our cruise last month. Frankly, any room can start to feel small after a few days in mandated isolation. There were several rooms on our deck that had isolated passengers. If I had been really sick, I might have chosen to be on deck 4 closer to the medical facilities.

[hangover]

On 9/5/2022 at 10:40 AM, andrcan said:

For us, long 42 days on any cruise ship in the Caribbean beat long 42 Canadian Feb/March days:) We really enjoyed our Azamara cruise in June, have another coming in December on Onward and thinking of booking Onward Feb/March as well. Hope we’ll see you guys there!

 

On 9/4/2022 at 4:15 PM, hangover said:

We are regular cruisers however our last Azamara cruise was in 2017.We were planning on cruising with them in 2021 but with COVID they were testing while on board and if you tested positive you would be assigned to a stateroom on deck 5 which were outside cabins. So we opted with Seabourn all balcony staterooms for 28 days followed by 14 days on another line 

Azamara was our first move up in cruising from main stream to more a bit upscale. We have some great memories of our first cruises with Azamara, our bartender from Jamaica and the staff overall were so wonderful we wanted to keep coming back!

 

We are returning to Azamara on the  Onward starting in Jan 2023  for 42 days . When I read some of the comments we are optimistic then others comments are less than favorable. We like getting out of the Canadian winters for Feb and March. . Hoping our memories meet current realities. If not it could be a long 42 days...  

Quick update

We arrived on ship the 17th and everything pretty much what we expected. Staff continue to be excellent. ,Ship sailing at near capacity so pool deck very crowded , Few issues with service request but they were always rectified. Food good, service in dining room efficient Check in was interesting as they advised us  not to go to pier until our allocated time at 2pm. We followed the rules arrived at 2 was given a boarding number of 17 when we got to the boarding area the room was full. each group had lets say 30 guest  so by the time we got on board close to 500 guest were already on board . Was told by an employee they open the terminal at 10:30 and who ever shows up regardless of boarding time is processed. We were on the ship around 3pm so not that bad. The ship looks well maintained but being a R class ship there is only so much that can be done. When we sailed with Azamara the last time we both agreed that there was a distinct line between Azamara and the other main stream cruise lines and it was good value before moving on to Seabourn etc. This  line is becoming less noticeable as other cruise lines with newer ships have increased their add on values to become very competitive .Azamara by sticking with their class of ships really don't have the space etc.  They need a new build to move to the next level. Will we book with Azamara in the future? probably but will look at other cruise lines more closely for sure before deciding.

[Xcelsior]

On 1/20/2023 at 1:54 PM, hangover said:

 

Quick update

We arrived on ship the 17th and everything pretty much what we expected. Staff continue to be excellent. ,Ship sailing at near capacity so pool deck very crowded , Few issues with service request but they were always rectified. Food good, service in dining room efficient Check in was interesting as they advised us  not to go to pier until our allocated time at 2pm. We followed the rules arrived at 2 was given a boarding number of 17 when we got to the boarding area the room was full. each group had lets say 30 guest  so by the time we got on board close to 500 guest were already on board . Was told by an employee they open the terminal at 10:30 and who ever shows up regardless of boarding time is processed. We were on the ship around 3pm so not that bad. The ship looks well maintained but being a R class ship there is only so much that can be done. When we sailed with Azamara the last time we both agreed that there was a distinct line between Azamara and the other main stream cruise lines and it was good value before moving on to Seabourn etc. This  line is becoming less noticeable as other cruise lines with newer ships have increased their add on values to become very competitive .Azamara by sticking with their class of ships really don't have the space etc.  They need a new build to move to the next level. Will we book with Azamara in the future? probably but will look at other cruise lines more closely for sure before deciding.

Completely agree.  Just off the Onward and I think there is nothing to distinguish between Azamara and mainstream lines now except for the size of the ship - which of course also brings fewer onboard amenities and activities.  I will now only sail with Azamara for the itinerary as the food, service etc. is the same as other lines (honestly, IMHO Celebrity is actually a step UP from Azamara now).

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Xcelsior said:

Completely agree.  Just off the Onward and I think there is nothing to distinguish between Azamara and mainstream lines now except for the size of the ship - which of course also brings fewer onboard amenities and activities.  I will now only sail with Azamara for the itinerary as the food, service etc. is the same as other lines (honestly, IMHO Celebrity is actually a step UP from Azamara now).

Have you been reading the Celebrity forum on Cruise Critic lately?  Lots of unhappy people there over cutbacks...

 

And on the Oceania forum, there are lots of complaints about last-minute changes to schedules that reduce time in ports, which remains Azamara's biggest strength.

[Ayden]

4 hours ago, Xcelsior said:

Completely agree.  Just off the Onward and I think there is nothing to distinguish between Azamara and mainstream lines now except for the size of the ship - which of course also brings fewer onboard amenities and activities.  I will now only sail with Azamara for the itinerary as the food, service etc. is the same as other lines (honestly, IMHO Celebrity is actually a step UP from Azamara now).

You may want to read the ongoing complaints on the very recent Celebrity boards before you lump them in the same category.  There are many cost saving, revenue building downgrades in service and food which have guests very upset.

After many, many Celebrity cruises we have no interest in booking based on these reports.

We loved our Azamara cruises and only pray these sorts of issues won't begin on Azamara too.

Onward was our most recent cruise.  

Edited January 24, 2023 by Ayden
Spelling

[lisiamc]

5 hours ago, Xcelsior said:

Completely agree.  Just off the Onward and I think there is nothing to distinguish between Azamara and mainstream lines now except for the size of the ship - which of course also brings fewer onboard amenities and activities.  I will now only sail with Azamara for the itinerary as the food, service etc. is the same as other lines (honestly, IMHO Celebrity is actually a step UP from Azamara now).

It’s fortunate that those who feel that Celebrity is a better fit have choices available to them.

[Xcelsior]

18 minutes ago, Ayden said:

You may want to read the ongoing complaints on the very recent Celebrity boards before you lump them in the same category.  There are many cost saving, revenue building downgrades in service and food which have guests very upset.

After many, many Celebrity cruises we have no interest in booking based on these reports.

We loved our Azamara cruises and only pray these sorts of issues won't begin on Azamara too.

Onward was our most recent cruise.  

I can only speak to my own experiences.  I was on the Millennium in November and the Solstice in December.  I rank the Millennium the best service and food I have had on a cruise in many, many years.  It was absolutely excellent.  The Solstice had its challenges - mainly with the condition of the ship as it badly needs to be drydocked and refurbished in several areas - but the food in Blu was not as good as the MDR was on Millennium which shocked me.  I think ship to ship in all lines can be big differences in quality of food and service.  The Onward was not a great experience or value for the dollar in my opinion compared to Celebrity - that being said, I have another cruise booked on Onward as I am not going to let one less than great experience define the entire line or the ship in the future.  I just think it's a work in progress and they need to do better.

[Xcelsior]

9 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

It’s fortunate that those who feel that Celebrity is a better fit have choices available to them.

Yes of course.  I'll continue to sail on both lines.  I definitely like Azamara's itineraries better, I'm just lowering my expectations somewhat.  Azamara is a little too boring for me, and Celebrity sometimes a little too crowded and busy.  It also depends on who you are travelling with and what you are looking for in your vacation.  Choice is a great thing.

[Ayden]

9 minutes ago, Xcelsior said:

Yes of course.  I'll continue to sail on both lines.  I definitely like Azamara's itineraries better, I'm just lowering my expectations somewhat.  Azamara is a little too boring for me, and Celebrity sometimes a little too crowded and busy.  It also depends on who you are travelling with and what you are looking for in your vacation.  Choice is a great thing.

You are so right about variables between ships.  We were on Reflection in October and described the experience as "beige", not horrible but nothing to excite us which us what we are looking for when on holiday.  A truly mass market experience to be sure. 

Even Azamara offers a different vibe depending upon itinerary, cruise director and senior staff.

One thing that remains consistent though is friendliness and service from the entire ship.  There are always lots of smiles and they can't do enough for you...something that is desperately lacking on Celebrity and other larger ships.

 

 

 

 

[boxman52]

Having been on Azamara twice and going again soon I like the line because it offers great value for money when you take OBC deals into account & has good itineraries

However I'm bewildered as to why people say it's a luxury cruise line.

Leave aside if you think it is or not look at the price per night v Viking & upwards and Azamara is much cheaper

Look at MSC Yacht club or NCL Haven prices again Azamara is cheaper 

I went on the Oasis bought a drinks package for $80 + tax & tip ppn. I added on an unlimited dining package. The result was a more inclusive perhaps "luxury" cruise than Azamara, however at a much higher price per night 

You can say you don't like mega ships but that's nothing to do with luxury. Im sure many mega ship cruisers would take one look at an Azamara bathroom, gym, entertainment, non changing speciality menus ( they need a revamp!) and walk straight back out saying not good enough 

Like that recent vlog with them saying I wouldn't expect this from a luxury cruise line, there are unrealistic expectations for the price paid. 

Azamara isn't better or worse it's a great value, high service small ship experience.Just my view and of course others will differ.

Edited January 24, 2023 by boxman52

[Mackdogmolly]

43 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

Having been on Azamara twice and going again soon I like the line because it offers great value for money when you take OBC deals into account & has good itineraries

However I'm bewildered as to why people say it's a luxury cruise line.

Leave aside if you think it is or not look at the price per night v Viking & upwards and Azamara is much cheaper

Look at MSC Yacht club or NCL Haven prices again Azamara is cheaper 

I went on the Oasis bought a drinks package for $80 + tax & tip ppn. I added on an unlimited dining package. The result was a more inclusive perhaps "luxury" cruise than Azamara, however at a much higher price per night 

You can say you don't like mega ships but that's nothing to do with luxury. Im sure many mega ship cruisers would take one look at an Azamara bathroom, gym, entertainment, non changing speciality menus ( they need a revamp!) and walk straight back out saying not good enough 

Like that recent vlog with them saying I wouldn't expect this from a luxury cruise line, there are unrealistic expectations for the price paid. 

Azamara isn't better or worse it's a great value, high service small ship experience.Just my view and of course others will differ.

I think that Azamara markets itself as a premium cruise line, not a luxury cruise line, which I would say would be a step up from premium.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Traditionally the cruise industry consensus has been to have four levels:  mass market (Carnival, MSC, NCL, Royal – pretty strong agreement on this, although things like MSC Yacht Club start to blur it); premium (Celebrity, HAL, Princess); super premium (Azamara, Oceania, Viking); and luxury (Regent, Seabourn, Silversea).  Expedition cruise lines don't fit into this scheme (Hurtigruten, Ponant).

 

The Cruise Critic forums for Celebrity, HAL and Princess are very upset about continuing rounds of cutbacks, and both Carnival and Royal keep building new ships with more and more experiences like roller coasters – so people are now beginning to question whether the 'premium' category really exists anymore.  But A, O and V are clearly somewhere above the mass market and below the luxury lines.

 

Most of the newbie complaints here are either (a) people who for some reason think of Azamara as luxury – yup, you will be disappointed; and (b) people who expect small ships to have all the experiences and nightlife of the mega ships – yup, you will be disappointed too.  

 

Complaints that Azamara's standards are slipping are the ones I worry about, but thankfully I don't see too many of those and my cruise on Journey in October didn't have any problems worth mentioning.  I 'got' Azamara from my first cruise, and the two following ones have provided exactly the experiences I was expecting.  [But I would be a little leery of Onward until I read that the problems – both supply chain and staff training – have been fully rectified.]

[federalexpress]

14 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Traditionally the cruise industry consensus has been to have four levels:  mass market (Carnival, MSC, NCL, Royal – pretty strong agreement on this, although things like MSC Yacht Club start to blur it); premium (Celebrity, HAL, Princess); super premium (Azamara, Oceania, Viking); and luxury (Regent, Seabourn, Silversea).  Expedition cruise lines don't fit into this scheme (Hurtigruten, Ponant).

 

The Cruise Critic forums for Celebrity, HAL and Princess are very upset about continuing rounds of cutbacks, and both Carnival and Royal keep building new ships with more and more experiences like roller coasters – so people are now beginning to question whether the 'premium' category really exists anymore.  But A, O and V are clearly somewhere above the mass market and below the luxury lines.

 

Most of the newbie complaints here are either (a) people who for some reason think of Azamara as luxury – yup, you will be disappointed; and (b) people who expect small ships to have all the experiences and nightlife of the mega ships – yup, you will be disappointed too.  

 

Complaints that Azamara's standards are slipping are the ones I worry about, but thankfully I don't see too many of those and my cruise on Journey in October didn't have any problems worth mentioning.  I 'got' Azamara from my first cruise, and the two following ones have provided exactly the experiences I was expecting.  [But I would be a little leery of Onward until I read that the problems – both supply chain and staff training – have been fully rectified.]

 

That segmentation would align with mine, except that I would have Costa and P and O to add in the mainstream/mass segment, Cunard in the premium segment and personally I'd have Celebrity in the super premium segment.

 

Am currently on my first ever AZ cruise and only my second cruise ever (I did do other shorter trips, but they were work- my business was travel and tourism so I got some free trips). The other paid for cruise was with HAL which I enjoyed more than I expected. If my memory stretches that far back- it was 8 years ago- I can compare and contrast.

 

Cruise service cutbacks have been discussed elsewhere, I suspect its unavoidable given the financial mess the cruise lines are currently in. I can't, as a first time cruiser, comment much on that with AZ but so far, the crew are indeed a big asset, very engaged, friendly and helpful.