So little about the little showers.......

[calliopecruiser]

I find it hard to believe that there are thousands of people so seemingly accepting of the pathetically tiny showers in non-suite cabins.   Does everyone think they're acceptable for what purports to be a "premium" cruise line?  Especially on longer cruises, where you can't just say "I can put up with it for a few days".

 

The showers are about 20" deep x 30" long, but if you discount room for the shower hardware, it's realistically about 20" x 20" of space to stand in.  Forget about bending over to wash your knees - you can't even raise your hands to your head to scrub in shampoo without displacing the shower curtain into the small bathroom.   For all I've read about Azamara and talked to past passengers, I can't figure out why this is apparently so acceptable that it's rarely mentioned. 

 

In my opinion, a cruise line that thinks showers that tiny for most of their passengers is acceptable is not at a premium level, let alone the luxury level they claim to be. 

 

Rant over.  Now I'm off to the spa/fitness area for a shower where I can wash my hair without getting water all over the rest of the bathroom. 

[Grandma Cruising]

Oceania has the same size showers in its 4 ‘R’ class ships, but they have put doors on them, so instead of moving the curtain with your elbows, you bash them on the door!

We’ve done 11 cruises on Azamara, none in Suites, so all with the small shower. We honestly have no problem with them. Yes they’re small, but perfectly adequate for us.

[ECCruise]

The whole point here is that you are railing against the classic "square peg, round hole" scenario.

There literally is nothing that Azamara (or Oceania) can do about the size of the showers save gutting the ship from bow to stern, removing all ~300 cabins and starting from scratch. The footprint is what it is.  Ands like @Grandma Cruising said, Oceania replaced the curtains with solid doors and it is like being trapped in a clear sarcophagus and way worse. 

We have also sailed Azamara numerous times in non-suites and really have no issue about the size.  Would we prefer that the showers were bigger?  Of course.  But it ain't gonna happen.

Square peg, round hole.

[govanguy]

51 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

I find it hard to believe that there are thousands of people so seemingly accepting of the pathetically tiny showers in non-suite cabins.   Does everyone think they're acceptable for what purports to be a "premium" cruise line?  Especially on longer cruises, where you can't just say "I can put up with it for a few days".

 

The showers are about 20" deep x 30" long, but if you discount room for the shower hardware, it's realistically about 20" x 20" of space to stand in.  Forget about bending over to wash your knees - you can't even raise your hands to your head to scrub in shampoo without displacing the shower curtain into the small bathroom.   For all I've read about Azamara and talked to past passengers, I can't figure out why this is apparently so acceptable that it's rarely mentioned. 

 

In my opinion, a cruise line that thinks showers that tiny for most of their passengers is acceptable is not at a premium level, let alone the luxury level they claim to be. 

 

Rant over.  Now I'm off to the spa/fitness area for a shower where I can wash my hair without getting water all over the rest of the bathroom. 

That's the way it is.....

[royallondon]

1 hour ago, calliopecruiser said:

I find it hard to believe that there are thousands of people so seemingly accepting of the pathetically tiny showers in non-suite cabins.   Does everyone think they're acceptable for what purports to be a "premium" cruise line?  Especially on longer cruises, where you can't just say "I can put up with it for a few days".

 

The showers are about 20" deep x 30" long, but if you discount room for the shower hardware, it's realistically about 20" x 20" of space to stand in.  Forget about bending over to wash your knees - you can't even raise your hands to your head to scrub in shampoo without displacing the shower curtain into the small bathroom.   For all I've read about Azamara and talked to past passengers, I can't figure out why this is apparently so acceptable that it's rarely mentioned. 

 

In my opinion, a cruise line that thinks showers that tiny for most of their passengers is acceptable is not at a premium level, let alone the luxury level they claim to be. 

 

Rant over.  Now I'm off to the spa/fitness area for a shower where I can wash my hair without getting water all over the rest of the bathroom. 

Having read and talked to past passengers, this begs the question of what made you so accepting of the pathetically tiny showers to book your cruise?

[lisiamc]

We are used to the showers and have no problems with them, but a while ago, someone on this forum gave the great advice that if you find the showers are too small, you can a) spring for a Club Continent suite, or b) leave the curtain open and declare that it’s a wet room. Problem solved. 😁
 

FWIW, we are going to cruise with MSC in October, in an ocean view cabin on one of their older ships, and the bathroom (and shower) is noticeably smaller than the Azamara bathrooms and showers. This is a fun cruise to make some friends happy, and the size of the bathroom/shower is not a dealbreaker, but it’s good to know that we will be coming back to the comparatively larger showers on Azamara! 

[curmudgeon98]

Yes, the showers are annoying.  I sometimes think that those showers actually end up being part of the "secret sauce" that makes us enjoy Azamara above other cruise lines.  Passengers who are willing to put up with those showers tend to be more pleasant, relaxed, "take things as they come" people when compared to the general run of cruise passengers.  We've found that while other cruise lines may have nicer ships, Azamara seems to have the most congenial passengers.  No guarantees, of course, life doesn't work that way, but it draws us back. 

[Melissaghoti]

Maybe the showers are the secret sauce.
I find them adequate and don’t think I’d use more space than that in any case.
 

[donaldsc]

Didn't the OP know about the size of the showers before they booked.  Those of us who have cruised or who have checked on Azamara or have reviews of their cruises all know.  I do wonder how someone who is "plus" sized handles them.  Look at the positive part of the issue however.  Instead of wasting cabin space on showers you can use it for other stuff.

 

DON

Edited August 6, 2023 by donaldsc

[ECCruise]

We had been on similarly tiny showers on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess and Celebrity before we took our first cruise on Azamara in 2009.  Ships like the Celebrity Zenith.  Royal Caribbean Vision Class, NCL Dream, Princess original Royal Princess.

Then we encountered the onboard experience on Azamara and it was game over.

Happy to accept those pathetically tiny showers.  With a smile on our faces. 

[imescaping]

12 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Didn't the OP know about the size of the showers before they booked.  Those of us who have cruised or who have checked on Azamara or have reviews of their cruises all know.  I do wonder how someone who is "plus" sized handles them.  Look at the positive part of the issue however.  Instead of wasting cabin space on showers you can use it for other stuff.

 

DON

I have never sailed Azamara, I came to check out the boards and get a feel for what guests say about it. Had I not seen this thread and just booked, I would not have known about tiny showers, nor would I have expected a premium (and somewhat pricey line), to have tiny showers.

[beatnix]

The ships are over 20 years old - this was standard size in these times.

I prefer these small ships that can reach ports bigger ones can not and I am able to deal with the shower size. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by beatnix

[ECCruise]

Honestly, I cannot get my arms around the notion that the size of a shower, where you spend a few minutes a day, as a deciding force of booking or not booking a cruise.  But to each their own, I guess.

[hamrag]

9 hours ago, ECCruise said:

Honestly, I cannot get my arms around the notion that the size of a shower, where you spend a few minutes a day, as a deciding force of booking or not booking a cruise.  But to each their own, I guess.

Indeed! For our first Az cruise we were unaware pre-cruise. When we surveyed our cabin upon boarding, we immediately understood that we'd just need to shower a little differently from home and manage the process. It was painless, and perfectly adequate. I am 6 feet tall, a little overweight for that height. DW about 4 inches shorter than me, and proportionate body size, and it works fine for us.

[calliopecruiser]

13 hours ago, ECCruise said:

The whole point here is that you are railing against the classic "square peg, round hole" scenario.

Not rallying against it as much as rallying against their promotion of luxury, and the industry's acceptance of the "premium" label.  I don't care if they do nothing about it; I do care that they continue to claim a "luxury" label and cruisers are told Azamara is considered a "premium" line - while they have a deficiency so widely spread across their line - a deficiency not defined just by me, but by their competitors in the upper tiers of cruise lines.  

 

I expect to be comfortable on board a premium or luxury line, whether I'm in the shower, in the library, in the dining room, or in a lounger on deck. 

[BrendaJ]

I know it’s unpopular to express any negativity about Azamara on this board, but I agree, the tiny showers are not remotely luxurious; in fact, the cabins are smaller than many cabins on standard cruise lines.   I keep hoping that Azamara will build a new ship someday and make the cabins a bit nicer.

[ECCruise]

28 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Not rallying against it as much as rallying against their promotion of luxury, and the industry's acceptance of the "premium" label.  I don't care if they do nothing about it; I do care that they continue to claim a "luxury" label and cruisers are told Azamara is considered a "premium" line - while they have a deficiency so widely spread across their line - a deficiency not defined just by me, but by their competitors in the upper tiers of cruise lines.  

 

I expect to be comfortable on board a premium or luxury line, whether I'm in the shower, in the library, in the dining room, or in a lounger on deck. 

Of course everyone can have their own opinion on what matters them.  

 

But I don't think Azamara, or the industry in general, is going to suddenly recategorize the experience from "premium" to something much less simply from the footprint of a shower in the cabins.  When the overall experience, in the opinion of the vast majority of those who sail the line, falls firmly within those lines.

 

We all have choices of where we spend our money for travel.  So for those who make their decisions on shower size (or omelet preparation or theater decor or whatever) there are lots of ways to go.

[uktog]

46 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Not rallying against it as much as rallying against their promotion of luxury, and the industry's acceptance of the "premium" label.  I don't care if they do nothing about it; I do care that they continue to claim a "luxury" label and cruisers are told Azamara is considered a "premium" line - while they have a deficiency so widely spread across their line - a deficiency not defined just by me, but by their competitors in the upper tiers of cruise lines.  

 

I expect to be comfortable on board a premium or luxury line, whether I'm in the shower, in the library, in the dining room, or in a lounger on deck. 

Be aware on Onward there is no longer a library as such although there is still a reduced selection of books available to borrow in the Living Room and for travel books The Den,  Rumour has it the conversion of the library to a bar will go ahead on the other vessels during their next dry docks whenever that is.

[lisiamc]

18 minutes ago, uktog said:

Be aware on Onward there is no longer a library as such although there is still a reduced selection of books available to borrow in the Living Room and for travel books The Den,  Rumour has it the conversion of the library to a bar will go ahead on the other vessels during their next dry docks whenever that is.

I thought it was a pretty good selection the last time I saw it, and it is supposed to expand further. I take my books on a kindle app, so it’s immaterial to me, but there were more new selections on Onward than the books I just saw on Pursuit.

Edited August 7, 2023 by lisiamc

[uktog]

4 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

I thought it was a pretty good selection the last time I saw it, and it is supposed to expand further. I take my books on a kindle app, so it’s immaterial to me, but there were more new selections on Onward than the books I just saw on Pursuit.

Thanks, Im not a kindle reader - too much eye strain - so take books with me (and leave in the library) - usually very recent hard back titles.  I was really disappointed in the selection on Onward, they are going to struggle to have as much as was on the ships with proper libraries as they do not have the same amount of shelving.  Like food what represents good books is subjective!!

[ECCruise]

Our problem with the destruction of the Drawing Room on Onward to replace it with the Atlas Bar has less to do with the books (I have well over 500 on my Kindle Fire) but with the loss of a quiet retreat which is offered almost nowhere else on the ship.

 

And unfortunately, I believe that the change will continue with upcoming dry docks.  We will be on Quest for about 30 days before the dry dock scheduled for April 1-14, 2024.  Hopefully we don't have to watch the start of the destruction during the crossing from Rio to Lisbon.

[ECCruise]

11 minutes ago, uktog said:

Thanks, Im not a kindle reader - too much eye strain - so take books with me (and leave in the library) - usually very recent hard back titles.  I was really disappointed in the selection on Onward, they are going to struggle to have as much as was on the ships with proper libraries as they do not have the same amount of shelving.  Like food what represents good books is subjective!!

Have you tried a Kindle Fire?  I find it very similar to reading a conventional book that is printed on a white page.  Even to the turning of the pages.

[uktog]

7 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Have you tried a Kindle Fire?  I find it very similar to reading a conventional book that is printed on a white page.  Even to the turning of the pages.

Thanks for the suggestion, I suppose I have resisted as it means something else to carry over and above the iPads that have to come for work.  I have tried Kindle on the iPad and it just did not work for me,  I will look again at the Fire though before our Antarctic trip (though it looks like Quest will still have the library then)

[lisiamc]

32 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Our problem with the destruction of the Drawing Room on Onward to replace it with the Atlas Bar has less to do with the books (I have well over 500 on my Kindle Fire) but with the loss of a quiet retreat which is offered almost nowhere else on the ship.

 

And unfortunately, I believe that the change will continue with upcoming dry docks.  We will be on Quest for about 30 days before the dry dock scheduled for April 1-14, 2024.  Hopefully we don't have to watch the start of the destruction during the crossing from Rio to Lisbon.

It is very possible to sit and read in the Atlas Bar in the daytime. The seats are comfortable, and there are still windows, although not as many. I took daily trawls through the Drawing Room at random times on our Pursuit cruise last month and almost never saw more than one or two people using that room unless there was a function. I went there with friends a few times very late in the evening (after midnight) and that would have also been possible if it had been the Atlas Bar, as it would have closed by then. 

[beatnix]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Thanks for the suggestion, I suppose I have resisted as it means something else to carry over and above the iPads that have to come for work.  I have tried Kindle on the iPad and it just did not work for me,  I will look again at the Fire though before our Antarctic trip (though it looks like Quest will still have the library then)

I started reading books on an Ipad - and it was not my thing. Then I changed to a Kindle paperwhite - and I love it because the display is quite different and much more convenient. For books with a lot of pictures (cooking or travelling) I still use Ipad.