Queens Grill vs Azamara

[Itsallaboutholidays]

My husband and I are Azamara fans with the occasional Celebrity or Princess cruise chucked in when a good itinerary demands it (usually in a suite). We are looking to try an august Cunard QG sailing and from my initial research I can tell that it will be different to Azamara...but different isn't always bad right! The only rooms left on this sailing are Q4 penthouses on deck 7 - any views on these? The things we love about Azamara are personalised service/recognition, very few kids, great service, complimentary in suite dining and the butler service afforded to a suite. For those that have cruised both, do you think we may be disappointed with QG on Cunard?  Many thanks in advance.

Edited April 18 by Itsallaboutholidays

[exlondoner]

The Q4s make very poor use of their good amount of space, but nonetheless I like them very much, and they would always be my choice. Unless you are very unlucky you should get good service from your butler and in the restaurant, where they’ll probably know your names by dinner. It is August so there will be children, but, on the rare occasions they are visible, they will be sweet and well behaved. 
 

Can’t make any comparisons, I’m afraid, but obviously the size of the ship will be a major difference.

[Lynnewob]

We've cruised both lines and like them for different reasons.

 

We've had all cabin grades on Cunard, except Q2 and Q1. 

On Azamara, we've had Continent Suite, Owners Suite, Spa Suite.

 

We love Cunard for their dress code as people really make an effort in the evening.  We do prefer the aft QG cabins as they are more open on the Vista sisters than the Q4/Q3 which are more of a W shape.  We actually found we had more availability for seating in a PG cabin when we had friends on board than in a Q3.  QM2 is different and the cabins are larger but the restaurants are not positioned in a great place.

 

The service in QG is excellent and the flambes tableside are lovely. You can ask for something off menu for the evening if requested at breakfast or lunchtime. The table is yours throughout the voyage with the same waiters and sommelier.   The restaurant has great views out to sea - wonderful if dining at night in the Norwegian Fjords due to the midnight sun (on QV/QE).

 

The middle outdoor grills terrace is lovely for lunch if the weather is good, but it has no views.  We have dined there at night when overnighting in Istanbul but it is not widely used in the evening.

 

The rest of the ship is larger and can get crowded in some bars but there are choices to suit different tastes - we like the Commodore Club.  Speciality coffees are not included, unless sitting in the Grills lounge.  Neither are drinks, so bear that in mind. However, you can take your own on board for consumption in the room - we always bring champagne for balcony sailaways. 1 bottle of spirits pp (+ mixers/water) is provided in QG (or wine, not champagne though, except the 1 on boarding).

 

Azamara's staff on board are wonderful and they remember you - this is due to the small size of ship and less people on board.  The senior officers are also very visible and will always chat.

 

We prefer that the buffet is served to you on Azamara (not keen on everyone handling buffet utensils on other lines) and that you can sit outside in good weather overlooking the back of the ship for breakfast, lunch and returning from shore.

 

Drinks are included and in suites, they give the one bottle pp option too. The Butler service on Azamara feels more personal and more helpful than on Cunard.

 

Suites on Azamara include speciality dining in the 2 restaurants but the menu is a little repetitive if on for a longer time. The service is exceptional in these restaurants.  The higher level suites have drinks and a dinner with the Snr officers.

 

We love the fact that Azamara can get into smaller ports - a highlight for us is the ability to tender into Dubrovnik and sail directly into Seville.  There is no way Cunard could do that, the ships are just too big.

 

Azamara's dress code is "country club casual".   This varies a lot to people's interpretation and is not anywhere near Cunard's code.

 

We are limited to dates we can sail, so look at both lines and consider itineraries and happy to do either line.   We have used Celebrity in the past, but Retreat pricing has got ridiculous and the ships are loud with not much space to sit and chat as music is blasted everywhere.  If we want that on the odd occasion and the itinerary works, we will sail Princess at a much cheaper price.

 

Hope this helps a little.

Edited April 19 by Lynnewob

[ExArkie]

@Lynnewob Thank you for that comparison. Azamara ran a “flash sale” earlier this year and we booked a 9-day westbound transatlantic in Club Continent Suite at a price for two of us that is close to (a little below) the best price per person we’ve obtained in QG for a 7-day TA. It is also well below half the usual Azamara price for that cabin, too. It will be our first time on their ship after several QM2 crossings, so I am thankful for your cogent comparison of the two.

 

[NE John]

6 hours ago, Lynnewob said:

We've cruised both lines and like them for different reasons.

How does a smaller R class Azamara ship handle rough seas? Even the Mediterranean can be rough, let alone a Transatlantic crossing. 

If I understand from your post, do the menus change nightly on Azamara, outside of the “standards”? The food looks very good on Azamara from various Vlogs. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

We have cruised extensively in the "R"s including the original R7 (Renaissance/Oceania) and I love them. My wife doesn't... the BAC-111 size "bathrooms" of 90 percent of the cabins not high on her list and yes, as a sensitive sailor, she can discern they are not anything like any of the big Cunarders or even CARONIA in anything like a sea. And off the coast of Libya on the R7, she was really feeling the swell.  So were many others. I suspect it's an easier transition to go from Oceania/Azamara "R"s up to Cunard Grills than the other way around. Was for us and... we have not gone back.

[Itsallaboutholidays]

9 hours ago, Lynnewob said:

We've cruised both lines and like them for different reasons.

 

We've had all cabin grades on Cunard, except Q2 and Q1. 

On Azamara, we've had Continent Suite, Owners Suite, Spa Suite.

 

We love Cunard for their dress code as people really make an effort in the evening.  We do prefer the aft QG cabins as they are more open on the Vista sisters than the Q4/Q3 which are more of a W shape.  We actually found we had more availability for seating in a PG cabin when we had friends on board than in a Q3.  QM2 is different and the cabins are larger but the restaurants are not positioned in a great place.

 

The service in QG is excellent and the flambes tableside are lovely. You can ask for something off menu for the evening if requested at breakfast or lunchtime. The table is yours throughout the voyage with the same waiters and sommelier.   The restaurant has great views out to sea - wonderful if dining at night in the Norwegian Fjords due to the midnight sun (on QV/QE).

 

The middle outdoor grills terrace is lovely for lunch if the weather is good, but it has no views.  We have dined there at night when overnighting in Istanbul but it is not widely used in the evening.

 

The rest of the ship is larger and can get crowded in some bars but there are choices to suit different tastes - we like the Commodore Club.  Speciality coffees are not included, unless sitting in the Grills lounge.  Neither are drinks, so bear that in mind. However, you can take your own on board for consumption in the room - we always bring champagne for balcony sailaways. 1 bottle of spirits pp (+ mixers/water) is provided in QG (or wine, not champagne though, except the 1 on boarding).

 

Azamara's staff on board are wonderful and they remember you - this is due to the small size of ship and less people on board.  The senior officers are also very visible and will always chat.

 

We prefer that the buffet is served to you on Azamara (not keen on everyone handling buffet utensils on other lines) and that you can sit outside in good weather overlooking the back of the ship for breakfast, lunch and returning from shore.

 

Drinks are included and in suites, they give the one bottle pp option too. The Butler service on Azamara feels more personal and more helpful than on Cunard.

 

Suites on Azamara include speciality dining in the 2 restaurants but the menu is a little repetitive if on for a longer time. The service is exceptional in these restaurants.  The higher level suites have drinks and a dinner with the Snr officers.

 

We love the fact that Azamara can get into smaller ports - a highlight for us is the ability to tender into Dubrovnik and sail directly into Seville.  There is no way Cunard could do that, the ships are just too big.

 

Azamara's dress code is "country club casual".   This varies a lot to people's interpretation and is not anywhere near Cunard's code.

 

We are limited to dates we can sail, so look at both lines and consider itineraries and happy to do either line.   We have used Celebrity in the past, but Retreat pricing has got ridiculous and the ships are loud with not much space to sit and chat as music is blasted everywhere.  If we want that on the odd occasion and the itinerary works, we will sail Princess at a much cheaper price.

 

Hope this helps a little.

Thank you.  We have just come off an Azamara Club World Suite and I'm trying to understand if I may be disappointed by the Cunard QG service as I have read that it can be very hit and miss.  Thoughts?

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Itsallaboutholidays said:

Thank you.  We have just come off an Azamara Club World Suite and I'm trying to understand if I may be disappointed by the Cunard QG service as I have read that it can be very hit and miss.  Thoughts?

I’ve not found that with the QG. One or two people I haven’t warmed to, mainly a long time ago, but they’ve always been efficient, and mostly charming and kind.

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, Itsallaboutholidays said:

Thank you.  We have just come off an Azamara Club World Suite and I'm trying to understand if I may be disappointed by the Cunard QG service as I have read that it can be very hit and miss.  Thoughts?

We have a few QG nights under our belt and it's a hit for us, and if a miss occurred, I would be making sure the miss became a hit. 🙂

[stan01]

I would go in with a very open mind, and just assume Cunard and QQG will be different than your experience on Azamara.  Some things you might like better on Cunard QG, some things you might like better on Azamara.  Both should be very nice experiences to enjoy.  There are pros and cons of a larger ship.  There are pros and cons of a more formal atmosphere that comes with Cunard.  Cuisine styles are different and each person will have their preferences about that subject.  I'd try to avoid boarding with a lot of expectations and instead be surprised and delighted when something fun happens.

[Itsallaboutholidays]

Very helpful everyone - we like to try new things and there are always pros and cons to things. Thank you

[NE John]

1 hour ago, Itsallaboutholidays said:

Very helpful everyone - we like to try new things and there are always pros and cons to things. Thank you

Please report back with your feedback. Enjoy. 

[e&mcruise]

We were in the owners suite on Azamara and hated it, from the cabin to the food, to the staff. One 5 day cruise in QG and we are already planning our next Cunard cruise. Our Q4 cabin was fine (comfortable but not mind blowing) and on par with Azamara but a little nicer for far less cost. The food & the staff was where we found the real difference with Cunard. Nothing was too much trouble and unlike Azamara we don't feel we were being fed the same lunch every single day. The food itself was even better than expected in QG and on par with quality restaurants. Azamara felt like expensive camp food in comparison.

[Lynnewob]

Not sure I'd like to do a transatlantic on an Azamara ship - QM2 everytime for me as it handles the Atlantic so well.

 

I must admit, everytime we get back on board Cunard, we always say we're home. Our first Cunard was a transatlantic in QG in 2005 and it was only when we reached Diamond level, that we started to explore other lines. 

 

Some lines have been a huge miss, others meh and others we will go back to (Azamara being one of them).   A lot depends on when we can get time off, itinerary, price, whether it's a short trip or longer and if we have friends on board.

 

Our first Azamara was in June 2019 and we really enjoyed it - a magnificient sail out of Venice (although we've done this sail out on QV too). Things are not the same since Covid, but neither are they on any other line.

 

We know a few staff members on board Cunard and they have amazing memories and treat us really well, hence why we call it coming home.

 

On Azamara, where we only travel once a year, unless you are on the same ship, it's a case of getting to know them on board again.  This is easily done due to it's smaller size.

 

We agree that the food in QG and PG is better and the wines are far superior but it's still nice to have variety.   

 

We're back on Azamara Journey in an Owners Suite in July (deck 6 as we couldn't get our favoured deck 7) and trying out QA in Oct in an aft suite again (we were gutted we couldn't get the usual Q6 and ended up paying for a Q3, just because it's aft).   Can you tell there's a theme here - aft cabins are our favourite 😁 as the views are amazing.  

 

We have had a front cabin once on Sky Princess (which is on top of the bridge and sticks out a long way) and found the balcony unusable due to the wind when travelling.  It would be excellent sailing down a Fjord and it did work for us on a slow sail into Oslo but otherwise, it was not good.  All furniture had to be ratchet strapped up every night.

 

As mentioned before, go with an open mind and it's always good to experience new things.

Edited April 20 by Lynnewob

[tv24]

I think Lynnewob nailed it as a comparison.  I will add only 2 cents.  We love the extra space in the big suites on Azamara, and I don't think the space on Cunard QG can compare, except in the penthouses on Cunard.  We prefer the food in the specialty restaurants on AZ to the food in QG, but that is personal taste.  On Cunard you will find a lot more activities during the day as AZ is set up for port-intensive cruising.  Sea days on AZ are relaxing, to be sure, but there is not much going on other than trivia.

[Austcruiser84]

17 hours ago, Lynnewob said:

  Can you tell there's a theme here - aft cabins are our favourite 😁 as the views are amazing.  

 

We have had a front cabin once on Sky Princess (which is on top of the bridge and sticks out a long way) and found the balcony unusable due to the wind when travelling.  It would be excellent sailing down a Fjord and it did work for us on a slow sail into Oslo but otherwise, it was not good.  All furniture had to be ratchet strapped up every night.

Agree aft cabins are great. Never felt any vibrations and there’s nothing like relaxing with the sight of the ship’s wake trailing off into the distance. 
 

Only complaint to be made (and this is one of those first world problems) is the Q1 balconies on QM2 are largely exposed to people on decks above. A little strange to lounge about as people stare down. Has a zoo like atmosphere. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

I would avoid QM2 Q1s for the nonstop noise of the canned "music" played around the pool and open deck during the day just below your "private" balcony.  If you can hear this up on the Grills Deck if the wind is right (and you can), it must be very noticeable on the suite balconies. I would find it unbearable. I cannot imagine why this is even necessary with the myriad ways of listening, privately, to one's own music if needed.  But to spend a Q1 per diem forced to listen to this... no way. 

Edited April 21 by WantedOnVoyage