New To Azamara - questions / advice needed

[Muffinz]

We are considering doing a cruise on Azamara Pursuit in December around the bottom of Australia (we are also considering a Princess cruise around the same time) and have some questions that hopefully seasoned Azamara cruisers can answer.

 

We've cruised once before on Celebrity Solstice in 2018, so we're not totally new to cruising. 

 

Looking at the overview of Pursuit on cruise critic it looks like the ocean view cabins / rooms are slightly smaller than the interior or balcony cabins? (there are no interior cabins available on this particular cruise). What are peoples experience with an ocean view cabin compared to a balcony cabin?

When looking at the pricing for the cruise, a Balcony room was $5,000 (NZ) more than an ocean view cabin - is it really worth paying that much extra for a balcony room?

The overview of the cabins (on cruise critic) says "Because the ship originally was built in 2001, cabins in general are fairly snug" and "Bathrooms also are tight though well-appointed, with a sink, shelves, toilet and showers. For most cabins, showers are a squeeze...."

What are peoples opinions on this? - are the cabins / bathrooms smaller than say Celebrity Solstice?

Are there draws where we can put / hang up our clothes and is there room in the cabin to store the empty suitcase?

 

We couldn't see anything regarding drink packages - are drinks (basic beer / wine / spirits) included or are they extra?

 

We also couldn't see anything about Gratuities / Tips.... when we booked our Celebrity cruise we were told that because we were cruising in Australia that gratuities / tips don't apply - is this the case with Azamara?

 

With the ship being smaller than say Celebrity Solstice, would you feel the rough seas more in a smaller ship?

 

That's all I can think of for now.... if we do book the cruise I'm sure we'll have many more questions!

 

Thank in advance

[blag]

Maybe some of your questions are answered here: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/7-reasons-azamara-is-the-cruise-line-for-you

[Dynacruiser]

2 hours ago, Muffinz said:

We couldn't see anything regarding drink packages - are drinks (basic beer / wine / spirits) included or are they extra?

 

We also couldn't see anything about Gratuities / Tips.... when we booked our Celebrity cruise we were told that because we were cruising in Australia that gratuities / tips don't apply - is this the case with Azamara?

 

With the ship being smaller than say Celebrity Solstice, would you feel the rough seas more in a smaller ship?

 

 

All basic drinks are included.  Beer, house wine, house spirits, all extra.   You can see the package descriptions to understand what labels are not included.

 

Gratuities, all included.  Please don't get into a discussion about leaving extra or not, that tends to attract strong opinions.

 

I don't have a lot of experience to compare large  versus smaller ships, but based on my limited experience, a smaller ship can be more bouncy.  Depending on your destination, you may not get rough conditions (e.g., the Mediterranean is usually OK).

 

I don't have experience with the type of cabins you are inquiring about.  

 

Hope this works out for you!

[Grandma Cruising]

Firstly you will find many of your questions answered in the topic ‘Tips for Azamara Newbies’ and it’s associated spreadsheet.

To answer some of your questions - never been in an interior cabin so can’t help you about them, but Oceanview and Verandah cabins are generally the same size (except for the addition of the balcony). Both have small bathrooms with very small showers with shower curtains - in our opinion small but adequate. There are 4 larger Oceanview cabins - the last ones on the front end of the port and starboard corridors on decks 6 (6004 & 6005) & 7 (7006 & 7007).they are next Verandah cabins and have the Verandah space incorporated into the cabin. They have a large round window.

The obstructed view Oceanview cabins on Deck 6 are a little smaller that the other Oceanview cabins.

Included drinks are available any time (not just at meals). They include specific spirits (E.g Gordon’s & Beefeater gin, Famous Grouse whisky, Smirnoff & Finlandia vodka, a draught beer and some bottled beers, a couple of red and white wines, a rose and a sparkling wine. Speciality coffees are included and soft drinks.

Tips are included.

We don’t think the movement is too bad in rough seas, but we’ve not been on a ship bigger than about 1200 passengers.

[Muffinz]

4 hours ago, blag said:

Maybe some of your questions are answered here: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/7-reasons-azamara-is-the-cruise-line-for-you

Many thanks for that - very helpful!

[Muffinz]

3 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Firstly you will find many of your questions answered in the topic ‘Tips for Azamara Newbies’ and it’s associated spreadsheet.

To answer some of your questions - never been in an interior cabin so can’t help you about them, but Oceanview and Verandah cabins are generally the same size (except for the addition of the balcony). Both have small bathrooms with very small showers with shower curtains - in our opinion small but adequate. There are 4 larger Oceanview cabins - the last ones on the front end of the port and starboard corridors on decks 6 (6004 & 6005) & 7 (7006 & 7007).they are next Verandah cabins and have the Verandah space incorporated into the cabin. They have a large round window.

The obstructed view Oceanview cabins on Deck 6 are a little smaller that the other Oceanview cabins.

Included drinks are available any time (not just at meals). They include specific spirits (E.g Gordon’s & Beefeater gin, Famous Grouse whisky, Smirnoff & Finlandia vodka, a draught beer and some bottled beers, a couple of red and white wines, a rose and a sparkling wine. Speciality coffees are included and soft drinks.

Tips are included.

We don’t think the movement is too bad in rough seas, but we’ve not been on a ship bigger than about 1200 passengers.

thanks for that advice

[Moby Jones]

I've sailed om both Celebrity Solstice and Azamara Pursuit. In rough weather you will notice the seas more aboard the 30,000 tonne Pursuit compared to the 122,000 tonne Solstice. But not much more. The Azamara R class ships are pretty stable despite their much smaller size compared to the Solstice class ship you have sailed on. 

[azjoy]

Cabins in the center and on lower decks (4 and 6) tend to be less affected by rough seas.  

 

We've only stayed in Ocean View and Balcony cabins.  I think the bathrooms are the same size, as Grandma said "small but adequate".  I believe the old Azamara website listed the square footage and there was a difference but I don't remember how much.  The light from the balcony makes the cabin seem much larger and cheerier.  

 

I prefer the Balcony cabins but 5,000 is a big difference, in almost any currency!  But depending on the length of the cruise, it might be worth it.   

 

Good luck and happy cruising!

[wjfan417]

On our first Azamara cruise in 2012, we traveled with our adult children. We booked an interior cabin for them, and an oceanview for us. It seemed like their interior was so dark-I decided I would never book an interior again for any of us. The oceanview was better, and we’ve booked once since. We really prefer the verandah 2 cabins though. We occasionally order breakfast to enjoy on the balcony, and we’ll have a glass of wine out there after dinner (grab one from the bar on your way back to your cabin or bring your own onboard). Sounds like you’re considering the same cruise we’re booked on. Azamara’s ships are the largest we will cruise on. 

[Kitekat]

The cabins are most definitely smaller than Celebrity Solstice class cabins in both room and bathroom space. But there is good hanging storage with an extra hanging area above the drawers in the third cupboard. Below are four small drawers and and there are four more in the desk/dressing table. Plus other small amounts of storage alongside the safe etc. 

 

Suitcases can be stowed under the bed(s) and you could always leave stuff in there.

 

Having just come through Drake Passage in Force 12 winds (gusting Force 16) on Quest which is exactly the same as Pursuit... we certainly felt the motion in the heavy seas but she held up really well and the only things which broke were a few plates and glasses. But I would rather be on board Azamara ships than the huge ones in bouncy seas.

[wjfan417]

Another storage hint I found on these pages is to bring some magnetic hooks. There are spots on the wall you can attach them to that you can hang light jackets, etc. It adds a little more storage.

[gowilk]

two comments from a purely personal view,

one i wouldn’t worry about seasickness and picking cabins on that basis, we’ve done forty cruises across 6 or 7 lines and with varying ship size from 400-3000 passenger. Despite the fact that we both need patches for deep sea fishing, i’ve never needed ginger or medication on a cruise ship and my wife only needed help to get through a difficult drake crossing and i think we fit the average profile. My advise is not worry about ship placement unless you have a documented history of seasickness.

Two, as for cabins on Azamara they are horribly small and the showers are uncomfortable for above average types.  But the size is well appointed and survivalable for us although i’ve never tried an inside or obstructed view…since we choose to conserve funds, suites are out of the question which makes the four forward large outside cabins our sweet spot. Unfortunately others are equally aware of that and those cabins are rarely available. if have a port intensive cruise, get a nice outside cabin on deck 4 and save some money, the rooms still small and shower curtains are still clingy but have more money for the drink package.

Edited February 2 by gowilk

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, wjfan417 said:

Another storage hint I found on these pages is to bring some magnetic hooks. There are spots on the wall you can attach them to that you can hang light jackets, etc. It adds a little more storage.

Another tip is to bring some hanging storage which you can hang on the hooks on the inside of the bathroom door. I use these for all my bottles, like suntan cream etc.

[hamrag]

14 hours ago, Muffinz said:

....What are peoples experience with an ocean view cabin compared to a balcony cabin?

When looking at the pricing for the cruise, a Balcony room was $5,000 (NZ) more than an ocean view cabin - is it really worth paying that much extra for a balcony room?

The overview of the cabins (on cruise critic) says "Because the ship originally was built in 2001, cabins in general are fairly snug" and "Bathrooms also are tight though well-appointed, with a sink, shelves, toilet and showers. For most cabins, showers are a squeeze...."

What are peoples opinions on this? - are the cabins / bathrooms smaller than say Celebrity Solstice?....

 

- is it really worth paying that much extra for a balcony room?

Ocean View, except category 08 much smaller, is 170 sq ft and Balcony 175 sq ft so we would never pay significantly more for a balcony. Bear in mind, the balcony space apart, everything else is much the same....the bathrooms are identical, some have said it's like the old telephone boxes back in the day or coffin sized. They are not far wrong, a coffin would have to go upward to fit in it, but for me at 15 stone or 210 pounds and relatively fit it is perfectly manageable.

 

Our 4 Az cruises have all been inside, so that or an outside is adequate for us. Across all our 58 cruises, we probably had a balcony on 25% of them. My DW loves to interact with, and watch, people and always says the rest of the ship is her balcony.....me, provided I'm on a ship, I do not care what the cabin is like...within reason! 

[Muffinz]

thanks for the replies - We've watched a few YouTube clips on Pursuit and the more we watch the more we like it..... the tight bathrooms are a bit of a concern, but then again you only spend time in there to shower / wash and go to the toilet

 

One thing I don't really like about their (Azamara) website is you can't see what staterooms are available - with Celebrity and Princess if you do a dummy booking you can select a deck and see what staterooms are available, but when you go to do a booking on Azamara it just asks for all your details (name / contact details / next of kin)... I'd like to see what rooms are available first

 

I've just tried to do a dummy booking but it's only coming up with Ocean view staterooms, so maybe the veranda ones have sold out?

 

Wife is going to phone a friend who has cruised with Azamara before on pursuit, so she will have first hand knowledge... and she will contact Azamara to ask about staterooms / availability  and ask if Azamara have anything special planned for NYE to see the fireworks - as the ship will be docked in Sydney. 

[amyhphoto]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:23 PM, Muffinz said:

I've just tried to do a dummy booking but it's only coming up with Ocean view staterooms, so maybe the veranda ones have sold out?

You can go on other sites (i dont think im allowed to mention them by name but the really big booking sites) and it will show which cabins are available. 

 

[Muffinz]

thanks for that - Wife phoned Azamara and they confirmed only ocean view staterooms available

she also phoned her friend who just happens to have done the exact cruise we were looking at and the friend said where the ship docks in Sydney is way behind the Sydney harbour bridge and you can't see the bridge from the cruise ship.

We've decided against doing this cruise, but we do like the look of Azamara and may book a cruise with them in the future

[curmudgeon98]

2 hours ago, Muffinz said:

thanks for that - Wife phoned Azamara and they confirmed only ocean view staterooms available

she also phoned her friend who just happens to have done the exact cruise we were looking at and the friend said where the ship docks in Sydney is way behind the Sydney harbour bridge and you can't see the bridge from the cruise ship.

We've decided against doing this cruise, but we do like the look of Azamara and may book a cruise with them in the future

My understanding is that there are two cruise docks in Sydney, One at Circular Quay, and one at White Bay.  Either might be used by Azamara depending on the circumstances (and assigned by the harbormaster).  It wouldn't surprise me however, if the more central docking space were given to larger ships on NYE.

[Muffinz]

16 minutes ago, curmudgeon98 said:

My understanding is that there are two cruise docks in Sydney, One at Circular Quay, and one at White Bay.  Either might be used by Azamara depending on the circumstances (and assigned by the harbormaster).  It wouldn't surprise me however, if the more central docking space were given to larger ships on NYE.

Yes - Azamara docks at White Bay according to the cruise itinerary and it's there for 2 nights I think 

The main reason for wanting to do this cruise was to see the NYE fireworks - and our friends said most of the CBD streets are closed on NYE and there's no public transport that runs to White Bay, so they were forced to stand on the top deck to get whatever glimpse of the fireworks they could....

[Juandebowwow]

We just finished our first Azamara cruise on Tues, the Quest Chilean Fjords (Santiago to BA). We previously cruised on Celebrity and NCL before the pandemic, this was our first since 2019. Our impressions:

1. Azamara exceeded our expectations. Classy, non-glitzy, well maintained ship, nice size, incredibly good service, no nickel & diming. The entire staff was wonderful every single day.

2. The veranda stateroom felt about the same size as every other ship we’ve been on. Shower/bath was fine unless you’re super obese. Cabin storage excellent and plenty of real hangers. Good bed and TV.

3. Food was better than Celebrity and NCL. All my meals were excellent except for two (avoid the veal cordon blue and pork based Greek thing). Small portions which we like, we never left hungry. House wines were quite drinkable (good Syrah, SB, Rose, ok Chardonnay). Bread & Butter Pudding was incredible!!!!

4. Entertainment very good to so-so. The eight lectures by Col. Mike Ryan were really interesting. On sea days, wife attended several craft classes and I enjoyed a wine tasting event. Lots of options on sea days. Pool/ two jacuzzi’s were small but not over crowded.

5. We had a minor engine problem near Puerto Montt and missed out on Puerto Chacabuco but Azamara compensated us with pretty a generous refund (we took the 15% FCC option). We’re also coming home with a $900 credit card credit, not too shabby!

6. The White Night Party and Azamazing Evening in Montevideo were an absolute blast.

7. Fellow passengers: mostly well-educated friendly seniors, made good friends with two European couples, all fun courtesy classy folks to travel with.

We had so much fun we booked two more trips with Azamara in ‘25.

John
 

[Mackdogmolly]

@Juandebowwow, so nice to hear! I believe you were on the Quest, which I will be boarding next week.

Edited February 9 by Mackdogmolly

[Juandebowwow]

25 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

@Juandebowwow, so nice to hear! I believe you were on the Quest, which I will be boarding next week.

There was quite a bit of chatter on this board in the past months about the “failed coil/ port engine” issue in the Quest. I have no direct knowledge about the technical status of this rumor but I can say that when we were near/at Puerto Montt on 1/24-1/25, the Master of the Ship (captain) announced that a specialist boarded the ship to assist/ certify repairs and afterwards the prop wash from both port and starboard engines appeared to be equal and speeds were up in the 20-21 knot range so I would assume everything got resolved. I was really impressed with the transparency and frequency of communication from the captain during this minor bump in the road. 
We had a fabulous cruise on the Quest, wishing safe travels to you!

[Mackdogmolly]

14 minutes ago, Juandebowwow said:

There was quite a bit of chatter on this board in the past months about the “failed coil/ port engine” issue in the Quest. I have no direct knowledge about the technical status of this rumor but I can say that when we were near/at Puerto Montt on 1/24-1/25, the Master of the Ship (captain) announced that a specialist boarded the ship to assist/ certify repairs and afterwards the prop wash from both port and starboard engines appeared to be equal and speeds were up in the 20-21 knot range so I would assume everything got resolved. I was really impressed with the transparency and frequency of communication from the captain during this minor bump in the road. 
We had a fabulous cruise on the Quest, wishing safe travels to you!

If you’re talking about Captain Johannes, he is the best, IMO. Always very transparent about what is going on.

[oddjob16]

9 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

If you’re talking about Captain Johannes, he is the best, IMO. Always very transparent about what is going on.

It was Capt Jonas Lyddby from Sweden. Johannes came on three days ago in BA.

[Juandebowwow]

54 minutes ago, oddjob16 said:

It was Capt Jonas Lyddby from Sweden. Johannes came on three days ago in BA.

Apologies for not remembering/ giving credit to Captain Lyddby, not only a competent ship master but also a charming host and very funny man in the Lier’s Club game show.