Pursuit Review from Azamara Newbie

[brazilgirl]

We just disembarked for the Pursuit following a 16 night Transatlantic crossing. The cruise is still fresh in my mind, so decided to write a review with observations about the ship, crew and itinerary.

 

Background : 

I am a semi-retired high school teacher who grew up in California, was an exchange student in Brazil and ended up marrying my Brazilian sweetheart and moving to Brazil. Lived there for over 35 years and we have three children. My husband is a physician. In 2020, we made a big life change and moved to the northern region of Portugal mid-pandemic. An exciting and daunting change. This all made the transatlantic “ Portuguese Pursuit” cruise, leaving from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon, very appealing. We were able to visit family in Brazil and sail home to Portugal at a leisurely pace and take some extra suitcases as well.

 

We have sailed on many other cruise lines. Crystal, Celebrity, Holland America more than once and Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Seawind ( now defunct) one time each.

Most of our cruises included our three kids, they are avid cruisers themselves and 

 

We mainly focus on itineraries and have sailed to Antarctica, the Baltic Region, Iceland, many Med trips, the Galapagos, the Caribbean and Norway as well as other Northern European countries.

 

We also really enjoy land trips and will rent airbnbs and cars to explore areas more deeply.

 

We enjoy more elegant ships. Good service and interesting fellow passengers are important. Small ships are appealing because of the destinations and longer port times.

 

I don’t drink alcohol due to AI condition so that does not weigh on our choice and my husband is happy with the standard drinks.
 

We enjoy food but are not terribly fussy.

 

Next Chapter… the review will start

 

 

[aliaschief]

Looking forward to your review. Thanks for sharing your cruise experience.

[tomhalv]

As we are considering our first cruise with Azamara for next March, I’m looking forward to your review. We’re considering either the BA to Rio cruise or Rio to Lisbon.  

[brazilgirl]

Review by Topics:

 

Stateroom:

 

We had a Veranda Plus Stateroom, Room 8019. The room was very well located, close to the stairwell and elevators. We could just pop up to the pool or spa or down to the Discoveries Restaurant or Mosaic Café. We did not have bothersome noise ( there were occasional sounds, but nothing that woke us up). We would certainly book this cabin again. Not sure if the “plus” amenities are worth the extra price. We initially had a normal veranda but upgraded due to price reduction. We bid on a CC suite but since the cruise was sold out, we did not get it.

 

There was plenty of storage and I loved the pillows. Bed was comfortable and linens and shower pressure good. We were fine with the dreaded shower curtain, lol.

 

Veranda furniture was very comfortable , but showed some wear and tear. Our balcony seemed leas deep than those we have had on other ships, but no problem.

 

Our ship cabin attendant, Leo, was excellent. He did get off a few days before the end of the cruise, which I thought was curious.
 

Towels were thick as was robe.

 

I did not like the conditioner… I have long hair and it did not condition adequately, so bought some other conditioner. Soap has a great smell. 
 

Any questions, will be happy to answer along the review

 

With each topic, will try to post corresponding images I took

[brazilgirl]

Ship Layout:

Other than the Celebrity Xpedition , which had less than 100 passengers, the Pursuit was the smallest ship we have been on.

 

The compactness of it was very nice. All public areas are extremely well taken care of and elegantly decorated. The colors and furnishings are traditional and soothing. Nice artwork in the stairwells.

 

Due to the small size, everything is reachable in minutes. There are 4 guest elevators and they were almost never crowded.

 

Our cruise was sold out, so there were times when I felt the venues were a tad overcrowded. It was sometimes challenging to get a sun lounger by the pool and a table in the dining room at peak times. However, most of the time the ship felt comfortable as far as space.

 

The Drawing Room and speciality restaurants were the most beautiful spaces on the ship, together with the Living Room. Very comfy loungers are placed in the Living Room in front of the huge windows to appreciate the views.

 

Photos follow

[BohJang]

We were in 8019 on Pursuit last July for the Ireland Intensive Cruise. We agree that it was a very nice room in a convenient location.  We were just on Journey a few weeks ago for the South Africa Intensive Cruise.  And you  guessed it - 8019 again!  The Pursuit and the Journey are almost identical. We enjoyed the lounge chairs in the Living Room on Pursuit but missed those lounge chairs in the Living Room on Journey.  Both cruises were fabulous!

[aliaschief]

Was the Patio open most evenings for dinner?

[brazilgirl]

43 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Was the Patio open most evenings for dinner?

Yes, we dined there several evenings and really enjoyed it. There were heaters and the tables were nicely set and service was excellent. I was a bit surprised how few fellow passengers took advantage of it.

[brazilgirl]

3 hours ago, BohJang said:

We were in 8019 on Pursuit last July for the Ireland Intensive Cruise. We agree that it was a very nice room in a convenient location.  We were just on Journey a few weeks ago for the South Africa Intensive Cruise.  And you  guessed it - 8019 again!  The Pursuit and the Journey are almost identical. We enjoyed the lounge chairs in the Living Room on Pursuit but missed those lounge chairs in the Living Room on Journey.  Both cruises were fabulous!

Good to hear the room is nice on both ships. I would love to do the Ireland Intensive cruise!

[brazilgirl]

Everyone’s favorite topic : food

 

Let’s start with the highlights, the food that was most memorable 

 

- strangely enough, I will start with the gelato/sorbet/ice cream. Kudos to Azamara. The variety and quality was surprising and I really loved it.

 

- The Middle Eastern BBQ out on Deck 9 on the evening of our visit to Salvador was incredible. We had local talent come aboard and lovely weather and the food was outstanding. The seasonings and grilling and desserts … yummy. It was my favorite meal other than the Indian Buffet, which was brilliant as well.

 

The food overall was quite good. It was nicely presented and a variety of international flavors represented.

 

Discoveries Restaurant: we enjoyed both dinners and lunches. Because we had several sea days, the venue was open for lunch, which we enjoyed. The service was good and on most nights we did not have to wait to be seated. The fish dishes were a highlight and we had several enjoyable desserts. 
 

Specialty Restaurants : we went to Prime C twice and Aqualina once. Our meals were very good. I loved the crab and lobster ravioli, the Prime Rib, the goat cheese tart.

 

The Windows Café. The breakfasts were delicious. I was not terribly impressed by lunches. The international buffets at night were excellent and loved the table service. My favorites were the Indian and Japanese buffets. There was a coconut rice pudding one day that was one of the best things ever. I think the salad offerings could be improved. 

Mosiac Cafe : fabulous coffee and service and nice bites to eat

 

The Patio was a special place to dine. Great grilled offerings and nice service and ambience.

 

Overall, I liked the food. But it didn’t blow me away. Wish lobster would have been available ( silly thing, but I do love it). I think they overuse bell peppers on the ship. That is just me being nitpicky 🤣

 

 

[aliaschief]

3 hours ago, brazilgirl said:

Yes, we dined there several evenings and really enjoyed it. There were heaters and the tables were nicely set and service was excellent. I was a bit surprised how few fellow passengers took advantage of it.

Thanks for the reply. Will be on Journey for the Intensive Spain and France cruises this June.

On our January Onward cruise we had lunch in Discovery MDR a couple of times. Very few folks dined there on our Caribbean cruise but maybe they didn’t want to give up their sun loungers by the pool. We really enjoyed the lunch menu, attentive service and quiet ambiance.

Great review.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[brazilgirl]

I forgot to review the boarding process:

 

Boarding Process: this is a part that seems a bit port dependent, it may not have a lot to do with Azamara.

 

We boarded in Rio. We had done the online checkin and received a 3 pm boarding time. We arrived at the port at 3:15 pm 

 

Our bags were taken care of quickly and being that we were in Veranda Plus we were given a “Priority Boarding” pass and told to wait in an appointed area.

 

The people with non-priority area had designated groups were called to queue up at certain times. There were multiple attendants and the process seemed fairly efficient. 
 

Our group, on the other hand, stayed seated and attendants were going to each passenger with an ipad and doing the checkin. This was badly done. We arrived before many people and they had no order or rhyme or reason about who to checkin first. We ended up sitting there for over an hour and were among the last people checked in. We should have just gotten in the regular line. It was a bit frustrating but soon we were on the ship exploring and all was well. The Muster Drill was the best ever, loved the 5 minute movei, excellent!
 

[brazilgirl]

Fellow Passengers:

 

By far , the best thing about Azamara is the fellow passengers ( at least on our cruise it was).

 

I have never been on a cruise that had such outgoing, well-traveled and interesting people.

 

On our transatlantic, there were fewer Americans than on any other cruise we have been on, which makes sense. Many people from the UK ( we met many kind Scots in particular). We also chatted with people from Belgium, Namibia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Spain, the US, Canada and many other places.

 

I came back from our trip having learned a great deal from fellow passengers, which is a nice feeling. This is a huge differential and really makes the Azamara cruising experience stand out.

[Ekelley8804]

Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! We are boarding on April 1, 2023 and really appreciate the time you took to write this up. Gives us a good idea of what to expect. 

[Azulann]

1 hour ago, brazilgirl said:

Fellow Passengers:

 

By far , the best thing about Azamara is the fellow passengers ( at least on our cruise it was).

 

I have never been on a cruise that had such outgoing, well-traveled and interesting people.

 

On our transatlantic, there were fewer Americans than on any other cruise we have been on, which makes sense. Many people from the UK ( we met many kind Scots in particular). We also chatted with people from Belgium, Namibia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Spain, the US, Canada and many other places.

 

I came back from our trip having learned a great deal from fellow passengers, which is a nice feeling. This is a huge differential and really makes the Azamara cruising experience stand out.

 Exactly what I am looking for in terms of the onboard culture among passengers.

Azamara is now on our list of  cruise line to try next. We love cruising Viking but their itineraries in Europe have not changes over the years. Looking to some different ports of call. 

Thank you for your  informative posts in this summary review. 

[brazilgirl]

 

 

Officers and crew were without exception kind and the Captain was very visible in all events ( Captain Antonio from Spain).

 

The entertainment staff was fantastic. Kudos to the talented Emily ( cruise director) and phenomenal Nicholas ( Asst Cruise Director) for keeping the cruise filled with interesting and engaging activities.

 

There was a choir for the passengers, art classes, destination lectures, tons of trivia ( to my delight), high energy shows and several special events on board.

 

Among the special events:

 

local talent onboard in Salvador with magnificent Middle Eastern bbq

 

Azamara Expo - an event that highlighted all the departments on the ship. Each area had a table and you could ask questions and interact with the crew

 

White Night - the famous evening where everyone wears white, there is a lovely homage to the crew and wonderful food on deck. Be sure to bring your white clothes

 

The Crossing of the Equador - very fun event that initiated the first time crossers. Lots of costumes and laughs as we crossed the line. Even the Captain took a dip

 

Progressive Trivia - we played on teams on every sea day. Such fun

 

 

 

 

[brazilgirl]

10 minutes ago, Azulann said:

 Exactly what I am looking for in terms of the onboard culture among passengers.

Azamara is now on our list of  cruise line to try next. We love cruising Viking but their itineraries in Europe have not changes over the years. Looking to some different ports of call. 

Thank you for your  informative posts in this summary review. 

It really did make the cruise much richer because of these interactions. Very natural and pleasant. I was very surprised how easy it was to make friends!

[Mrs Miggins]

The mix of passengers is one of the best things about Azamara.  We also like Viking but passengers almost exclusively from the US or Canada.  Friends currently onboard Viking Sea and there are only 14 from the UK.   On our last Azamara it was about 50/50 North American and British plus a sprinkling of other nationalities.

[brazilgirl]

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

The mix of passengers is one of the best things about Azamara.  We also like Viking but passengers almost exclusively from the US or Canada.  Friends currently onboard Viking Sea and there are only 14 from the UK.   On our last Azamara it was about 50/50 North American and British plus a sprinkling of other nationalities.

I am curious to try Viking as the ships look quite beautiful. I do think the Transatlantic voyage brings a really good mix as many Europeans are going home from their South American wanderings. 

[Azulann]

13 minutes ago, brazilgirl said:

I am curious to try Viking as the ships look quite beautiful. I do think the Transatlantic voyage brings a really good mix as many Europeans are going home from their South American wanderings. 

My first Viking  cruise was a TA from San Juan to Barcelona! It was wonderful with great mix of passengers that we got to know many  over the course of six sea days in a row.  I know what you mean about doing a TA.

Viking ships are absolutely Scandinavian beautiful. One can always see the sea or sky from all the common areas except the theater and the nightclub Thorshaven. Also no casino , no children under 18 and all veranda cabins. Wintergarden room is  the best light and airy space on any cruirse line! They have afternoon  tea in it, otherwise a quiet  place to just relax , read etc. 

Do try Viking Ocean, I am sure you would love it. It is more of a European vibe than the US based cruise lines.It is owned by a  Norwegian family.  

Sorry, did not mean to highjack your summary. 

[brazilgirl]

5 hours ago, Azulann said:

My first Viking  cruise was a TA from San Juan to Barcelona! It was wonderful with great mix of passengers that we got to know many  over the course of six sea days in a row.  I know what you mean about doing a TA.

Viking ships are absolutely Scandinavian beautiful. One can always see the sea or sky from all the common areas except the theater and the nightclub Thorshaven. Also no casino , no children under 18 and all veranda cabins. Wintergarden room is  the best light and airy space on any cruirse line! They have afternoon  tea in it, otherwise a quiet  place to just relax , read etc. 

Do try Viking Ocean, I am sure you would love it. It is more of a European vibe than the US based cruise lines.It is owned by a  Norwegian family.  

Sorry, did not mean to highjack your summary. 

Oh, it sounds right up our alley! We will definitely try it. I have a real fascination with all things Scandinavian and love cruising Northern Europe. Will keep an eye out for good itineraries. I love reading about other people’s experiences, helps me make future cruise decisions.

[lackcreativity]

On 3/24/2023 at 9:29 AM, Azulann said:

 Exactly what I am looking for in terms of the onboard culture among passengers.

Azamara is now on our list of  cruise line to try next. We love cruising Viking but their itineraries in Europe have not changes over the years. Looking to some different ports of call. 

Thank you for your  informative posts in this summary review. 

Azulann,

I am here from the Viking threads, for the same reason. Love Viking, but need some new itineraries in Europe, especially the Mediterranean. 

 

Brazilgirl,

Your review has been very helpful. I will continue investigating Azamara.

Edited March 25, 2023 by lackcreativity

[brazilgirl]

Random comments :

 

- Using the onboard laundry was great. Located on Deck 7, laundry pods are provided and there are 2 ironing boards and irons with timers. We also had 2 complimentary bags of laundry with our Veranda Plus cabin, which we used. Our clothes came back nicely pressed.

 

- gym - the gym had all the basics. This is one are my husband felt could have been bigger ( I don’t visit gyms on vacation, lol). 
 

- I saw many people doing daily walks on Deck Ten. 
 

- Because our cruise was completely full and we had many sunny days, sometimes it was hard to find empty sun loungers at peak hours. There is a really nice sun lounger on Deck 5 as well where there is protection from the sun. It was always full and I saw people snoozing and enjoying their books.

 

- The library has a fair selection of books plus a book exchange. It was easy to find reading material.

 

The onboard shops had some interesting items. I bought a beautiful silver dragonfly necklace from Spain which I love with our OBC as well as a great beach bag from the brand Inoui, which is a favorite of mine.

 

The spa carries the Elemis products, as do most at sea spas, which are solid beauty products. They also have Perricone and Sisley products in the shop.

 

 

[brazilgirl]

Ports and Disembarkation and thoughts on Transatlantic:

 

I definitely want to do another transatlantic. Never have I felt so relaxed. All the sea days and being able to do nothing and be pampered and read and eat and chat with interesting people and just hang out with my husband was truly heavenly. And Azamara was the perfect line to do this on.

 

Our weather was all over great. We had a couple of rough sea days, with seasickness bags put on the stairwells, but overall we had lots of smooth seas and and sunshine. It was fabulous overall.

 

Our ports included 

Rio, Brazil

Buzios, Brazil

Salvador, Brazil

Mindelo, Cabo Verde

Tenerife, Canary Islands

La Palma, Canary Islands

Funchal, Madeira Island ( Portugal)

Lisbon, Portugal

 

We enjoyed all the ports and did independent tours or DIY on all of them except for La Palma, on which we did a ship tour. It was fine. In general, I find we can do better price wise and content wise on our own. Our favorite stop was Funchal.

 

Disembarkation in Lisbon was incredibly easy and smooth. I was surprised that there was no immigration process, we just walked off the ship and got our luggage after having breakfast. Easy peasy. 
 

As a newbie, would I sail Azamara again? Absolutely … hopefully, in the near future!

 

posting last photos in order of the ports we visited ( on from each place)

 

[takemewithyou]

Just incredible pictures!!  Thank you so much for taking the time to provide  your comments and your review.  I think you have been bit by the Azamara bug!! We prefer it to any other cruise line, including Viking.  That was a big miss for us.

We have never met such wonderful fellow passengers on any other line and the onboard atmosphere is special and has never been the same for us anywhere else!   That is a big part of what keeps drawing us back,