We cheated on NCL and liked it! Review of Azamara by a frequent NCL cruiser

[JennKach]

Wow.  Cheating on NCL may have just ruined our ‘marriage’.  We were persuaded to step out with Azamara by our Canadian cruising companions who got a killer deal through their travel agent.  It turned out to be a combination of price deal and a mix up getting extra discounts and perks, but they truly got the deal of a lifetime on a large balcony.  We still got a nice price but settled for an obstructed ocean view and no perks.  Azamara includes gratuities and a basic drink package in the cruise fare which also includes fresh juices, smoothies, bottled water, specialty coffee bar, room service, and a fridge stocked with whatever canned drinks you ask for.  Yes, we had real canned Coke and Coke zero, unopened, for free!  No bartender bribing required.  Our out the door price for this cruise was $2400 USD for two.  Unbelievable.  

 

On this cruise it was me (58), my husband (61) and a similarly aged couple on cruise #20 since 1995 (11 on NCL) and we are Sapphire and long time shareholders.  We are cost conscious cruisers and often use cruise next, My Vegas, points upgrades, etc. to sail in a balcony cabin, and don’t typically spend a lot of money onboard.  We’re also flexible to sail in the cheaper seasons and take mostly independent excursions.  New ports are a priority and now that we’ve retired, we often tack on land based stays pre or post cruise.  We are not the type that want to be fawned over, nor do we expect perfect service, but we really appreciate friendly staff that at least appear to enjoy their line of work.

 

Our cruise was the August 18 Pursuit 7 day sailing out of Civitavecchia (Rome) visiting several ports in Italy, France, Monaco and ended in Barcelona.  We’ve been to Rome before but the remainder of the ports were mostly new.  Azamara only has four small ships and the sold-out Pursuit had 650 passengers aboard.  Crew outnumbers the passengers for sure.  Demographics were about half American with 25 other countries represented.  Age range was 30-80, averaged 55 with a couple teenagers and toddlers. Dress code is almost identical to NCL except they require long pants for men in the main dining room.

 

Pre-cruise Travel

We flew to Rome two days early from Detroit with a 6 hour connection at JFK.  The overseas flight was on Norse Atlantic, which we love because first class is less than coach on most other airlines.  We paid for lounge access and enjoyed great food, drinks and a nap. 

 

Rome

We arrived at 3pm, waited forever for our luggage and took a train to Ostiense station (8 Euro) and walked to our AirBnB.   I chose the AirBnB for the location a block from the train station and Pyramide metro station.  We explored the neighborhood, picked up some groceries for breakfasts and ate pizza.  Our friends flew in the next morning and we explored the Vatican, Colosseum, Fountain of Trevi, and had a really nice dinner.   The unlimited Metro/bus pass for the day was 7 Euro.

 

Embarkation

On cruise day we took the train from Rome to Civitavecchia (5 Euro), then a bus (6 Euro) to the cruise terminal. Check in was super quick and easy.  The muster drill consisted of watching a video in comfortable chairs while sipping prosecco.  Rooms were ready immediately and our bags were already at our door.

 

Food

Buffet – we mainly ate breakfast here, had two lunches and pre-dinner on seafood night.  It was excellent!  The choices were amazing for breakfast.  There were always two or three egg specialties that changed every day plus an omelet and pancake/waffle station.  You place your order and they bring it to the table.  The fresh fruit station had bowls of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, chia pudding, fresh whipped cream along with the other usual fruits.  They had hash browns and smoked salmon!  There was a smoothie bar with fresh OJ and energy shots.  Waiters took drink orders and kept the glasses full.  There were too many fresh baked goods to mention.  They had THREE kinds of bacon – streaky, regular and extra crispy.  They also had full English breakfast items.  My husband was in bacon heaven.  The lunch and dinner selections were equally impressive and on par with NCL specialty restaurants.  The sushi had caviar on it.  I wanted to kidnap the pastry chef because every dessert was outstanding. 

 

Main Dining – Everything was like eating at a specialty restaurant and we tried a lot of food.  One night the entrees included lamb chops, scallops and fillet and I ordered all three!  There was always a sugar free option like chocolate melting cake, and hazelnut gelato.  I honestly didn’t dislike anything I tried.  Breakfast had steak and eggs available every day and a caviar menu.

 

Prime C – This is their version of Cagney’s.  They outdid themselves again with fillet and sea bass.  The service and food was impeccable.

 

Room Service – Unfortunately we didn’t get to try it.  We planned to get breakfast on the final morning but found out they discontinue service at 2am on disembarkation day.  Otherwise the menu looked delicious and there is no charge.

 

Cookies – available every day at the buffet.

 

Drinks

Azamara has three levels of drink packages with gratuities included.  Everyone gets the base package at no charge which gets you very basic liquors and wines, and bottled water with NO ADDDED COST FOR GRATUITIES.  We opted to upgrade to the Ultimate package which covers most everything except a couple high end items.  It was on sale for basically the same price NCL charges for just gratuities on their basic package.  And you can bring your own liquor and drinks on board at no charge.  The package is more economical than buying ala carte and you break even after two or three cocktails.

 

Cabin

We were in a 99% obstructed ocean view on deck 6.  Having two CPAPs was not a problem running the cords under the bed with the extension cord I brought.  On the two tendering days they used the boat in front of our window so we had a nice view for a while.  These rooms are said to be the smallest on the ship but we didn’t mind since we were never in the cabin.  I did miss having a chair/couch and a table though.  Bathrobes were provided.  Bottled water and soda were restocked daily and we had service twice a day.  There were treats a few evenings too and a nice embroidered tote bag to keep.

 

Ports

Livorno – We actually had an overnight in this port.  The first day we visited Florence via train on our own.  As soon as you leave the port area you are able to catch a bus to the station.  We bought our bus tickets in a tobacco store (2 Euro) and the train was about 10 Euro each way.  The second day we repeated the process to visit Pisa.

 

Santa Margherita – The tender process was very smooth and we hardly waited at all.  Azamara had tents set up on shore and provided ice cold towels and beverages.  We just walked around town for a couple hours.

 

Monte Carlo – Because the ship is small we were able to dock right in the marina. We chose to do the hop on hop off bus here and it was a good choice.  We rode the full loop and then got off to see the casino, then again at the palace and walked to the aquarium.   

 

Nice – We docked in the marina again.  After walking along the beach and promenade we did the hop on hop off bus tour.  Then we walked around town for a bit.

 

Sanary Sur-Mer – This was another tender port.  It’s a very nice seaside town with a beach area close by.  We visited the Saturday market and spent a couple hours at the beach, bought pastries.

 

Entertainment

Azamara doesn’t do any big shows.  There is a house band that’s very good, a DJ, a pianist, and some singers and dancers.  The cruise director is also a great performer.  They did bring on a group of acrobats, dancers and a magician for a cirque type show that we didn’t enjoy.  They also do a cultural event called Azamazing Evening which can be on shore or on the ship.  Ours was two opera singers on the pool deck one evening while they served cannoli and sparkling wine .  We actually loved it. 

 

Pool

The pool loungers were all padded with thick fluffy folded towels waiting for you.  We never had an issue finding seats together but drink service was not always prompt.  The pool and hot tubs were well used and the pool was a perfect temperature and not too deep. 

 

White Night

This was such a nice event.  They clear the pool and sun deck and set up beautiful dining tables with white tablecloths.  Everyone dresses in white and they do a super impressive buffet.  We had lobster, scallops, shrimp, several types of fish, London broil, grilled venison, bbq chicken and so much more I can’t remember.  The bar staff does specialty smoked cocktails.  The dessert table was more amazing than usual.  There was a mini show with the singers and dancers which turned into a dance party under the stars.  

 

Disembarkation

The morning was surprisingly calm.  Azamara assigns you a time to leave based on your flight or arrangements, and then you just leave.  There are no announcements waking you up or rushing you off the ship.  We stayed until the last independent time slot at 8:45 and then walked off. No lines, no stress, and bags were waiting in the terminal.  We walked out and a taxi was right there to take us to our hotel.

 

Trip Home

Barcelona – We stayed at a hotel a block from Sagrada Familia.  After dropping our bags we walked over for an 11:00am tour of the basilica.  Book early because they sell out.  It’s such an impressive building that my mouth was hanging open.  We spent two hours exploring the inside and museum, and returned later in the evening to study the outside from all angles.  We did the hop on hop off bus, both routes which gave a great overview of the city and took three hours.  We got off in the old town and walked 1.5 miles back to our hotel.  The next day we took a taxi to the airport.

 

Iceland – We decided to take Iceland Air back to Detroit because there were no non-stop flights from Barcelona and Iceland offered a unique free stopover program.  For some reason, first class for that route was cheaper than coach.  We landed at 6:20pm and rented a car.  The volcano was nice enough to erupt for us so we parked as close to it as we could and hiked a little closer.  It was impressive and a once in a lifetime thing to see red lava shooting 100 feet in the air.  The next morning we spent 3 hours at the Sky Lagoon thermal bath and spa before heading back to the airport.  The flight home was uneventful and very nice to be in first class.  

 

Final thoughts

We were blown away by the difference between NCL and Azamara.  Part of it is because NCL is declining in quality and service, and part is the all-inclusive nature of Azamara. The fact that I paid less for Azamara than a comparable NCL cruise magnifies the wow.  I felt like Azamara was almost like a Haven experience on the entire ship, plus it was in essence adults only.  We felt special and appreciated from beginning to end even though we were in a plain old ocean view with no loyalty status.

 

Where does NCL win?  Poolside entertainment atmosphere and drink service, quantity of dining venues, theater seating, a martini bar, has a casino, bathroom design, size of fleet, convenient homeports, and tap water flavor.

 

Where does Azamara win? Service from check in to disembarkation, staff friendliness and attitude, all food venues, drink pricing, all inclusive product (gratuities, basic drinks, coffees, bottled water, room service, stocked fridge, canned soda), bathroom amenities, pool seating, entertainment, specialty dining, no pushy photographers, extended port times and overnights, can bring alcohol and soda onboard, and disembarkation process.

 

I hadn’t really paid attention to people complaining about NCL nickel and diming, but after this experience it becomes so obvious.  If I add up the costs of drink package gratuities, daily service charge, espresso after dinner, upcharges on liquor not included in the package, a couple fresh squeezed orange juices, some bottled water for excursions, and a few room service breakfasts, it’s a considerable amount added to the base cost of the cruise.   

 

We have a few cruise next certificates and My Vegas points to use up, but after that we’re probably not going to consider NCL our first choice anymore.  Our relationship with them is definitely on the rocks.  

[Seas2mountains]

Thank you! That was helpful and interesting. I’m glad you had a wonderful cruise. We love NCL for many reasons but we are also impressed when we are trying other cruise lines. I’ll add Azamara to the list.  

[combine]

@JennKach nice balanced review. Hope its ok, Ive shared to the Azamara board. 

[Dr H]

Not that I want to throw cold water on this, BUT. We just got off and Azamara Amsterdam to Iceland cruise, followed immediately on Norwegian Star from Reykjavik to New York City. Never again, because Nor. was, simply put,  abominable. We've been cruising with Azamara since 2010, with two on Celebrity when both were part of Royal Caribbean. So yes, we've been spoiled. There were two deciding factors for choosing Norwegian. First, convenience. We debarked at 9AM on July 1 from Azamara Quest, we walked over to Norwegian, and terminal doors opened at 11AM. Second, airfare from Reykjavik to Atlanta was beyond outrageous. For a grand total of about $1000 more (we thought) we got 12 additional cruise days Iceland, Greenland, Eastern Canada/Lobster Land, into New York City with several days to hang out with my sister in law, and a no cost, frequent flyer flight back home. A no brainer really. Okay. Star was refurbished about 2 years ago, and other than the theater which looks like a cross between a shabby high school theater and a run down French bordello, the ship really is lovely. That's where it ends. There isn't a quiet spot on board. I was measuring 81dB on my phone, and UPWARD wherever we went. The inside of a B737 jet at cruising altitude is 2dB lower at 79dB. Food in the Cafe was totally inedible. Not bad, inedible! It's hard to make bad Asian noodle soup. They did, and they were able to do it consistently. Service in the main dining room, Ginza restaurant, Pub grill was spotty at best. A 40 minute wait for a glass of orange juice was the rule, NOT the exception. My wife would ask for a refill her coffee, a short wait and she would get it. Chicken liver over here sitting right next to her was ignored. Food quality, mediocre at its best. Still, I booked the cruise based on the fare, as long as it got me home and we didn't starve to death, I was good. However, we spoke to the Maitre about the problem after one 50+ minute wait in the MDR, my wife got up, marched into the kitchen to demand an apron, a  frying pan, some butter, and two eggs. Staff was not amused, neither was my wife. Service did improve, and we were met by the Maitre at every subsequent meal. He agreed, staff was poorly trained, uncoordinated, but they did not have the budget for further training. I'm glad I'm tipping this level of service at a manditory 20%. We won't discuss the outrageously expensive excursions (3x the price of Viator or Azamara excursions), the mandatory gratuities, 20% tips on "included" drinks on our package, or once daily room service. The icing on the cake was the large number of out of control kids, screaming, running everywhere, adding to the noise level.  I'm glad you had a great time, I really am. But you can't pay me to get onto a Carnival cruise, and definitely not a Norwegian cruise ever again. 

[hoops71]

Nice review by the OP. You had me interested until almost the end.  But then you said, “no casino”. I’m out. After all I would then have to stop my degenerate ways and it’s too late for that now.

[blag]

On 9/1/2024 at 4:03 AM, JennKach said:

The overseas flight was on Norse Atlantic, which we love because first class is less than coach on most other airlines

It's stretching things a bit to say that this was 'first class'. Norse's premium offering offers no fast track, no lounge access, meagre food, limited entertainment, no lie-flat seats.

When compared to other airlinees their ling-haul premium is lower-end business class, or slightly better than Premium Economy.

Furthermore their flights are often scheduled at antisocial hours.

I understand that the price is exceptionally low, but, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

On 9/1/2024 at 4:03 AM, JennKach said:

Iceland offered a unique free stopover program

Just in case anyone is tempted to think thst the cost of the stay in Iceland is included in the fare: it isn't. Iceland allow you to prolong your layover, but you pay for hotels, transfers etc.

[FredZiffle]

We're sitting on several CruiseNext certificates and wonder if we'll ever use them.  We're long-time NCL cruisers (Sapphire) with an occasional Princess, Celebrity or RCCL thrown in.  We've even cruised in the Haven once (and it was perfectly fine), but regular NCL has just dropped in quality so much that we've stopped even looking at upcoming sailings.  We have 5 cruises currently booked through December of 2025 - two on Regent, one on Oceania, one on Princess, and one on Azamara.  I was surprised to find prices for the 4 luxury cruises were less per day than what we paid for our stay in the Haven, and we're getting an entire ship of top-notch service and food - not just a Haven enclave.

 

NCL wasn't always this way.  It started for us pre-pandemic in 2018 when we had a TA on the Getaway.  I started counting the number of different items I ate in the MDR on that cruise and how many were at least average quality.  Not great, just the level I'd expect at a Chili's or Applebee's.  Out of 64 items, including entrees, sides, apps, and desserts, I had exactly two that I thought achieved or surpassed that level of mediocrity.  One was a chicken wings appetizer that was fine.  The other was a dessert soufflé which was actually above average.  62 of the 64 items ranged from below average to inedible.

 

For those who say that this is the best one can expect from a mainstream cruise line, or that I'm obviously impossible to please, I'll point to our cruise this past May on the Carnival Sunshine.  We hadn't cruised on Carnival in 30 years, and I wasn't expecting much since Carnival is about as low as one can go and not be in a rowboat.  But, I was pleasantly surprised when ever single item I tried in the MDR was at least average, and most I would rate as above average.  Service was impeccable.  The wines included in the drink package were drinkable.  I'm sorry, but if Carnival can do this at much lower rates, then NCL should also be capable of achieving this.

[zqvol]

Of course you liked it, your comparing apples to cars, not even supposed to be close to the same. 

[GPTXGrandmaJ]

My DGD and I were on the same Azamara Pursuit cruise as JennKach. We loved it!  It was my first Azamara cruise and I sure hope it will not be my last. I really appreciate the small ship atmosphere and the all-inclusiveness. Great food, great drinks. The service was impressive. 
 

We also stayed at a hotel that was extremely close to Sagrada Familia, did a tour, and it was amazing!

[GPTXGrandmaJ]

The only NCL cruise that I truly loved was the Pride of America in Hawaii. That had more to do with my family members that were with me and the fact that it was Hawaii. 

[dhanakorn]

On 8/31/2024 at 7:03 PM, JennKach said:

The fact that I paid less for Azamara than a comparable NCL cruise magnifies the wow.  I felt like Azamara was almost like a Haven experience on the entire ship

You miss the point of ship within ship. If the whole ship is like Haven, then you don’t feel “special” anymore. After seeing others suffer the subpar service and bad food, secluded Haven area will make you feel much better than staying in super luxury cruise lines. 

[blag]

4 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

super luxury cruise lines

Azamara is not in this category.

[cruisermsoon]

No, Azamara may not be in the super luxury category, however neither is it's price structure.

[YVRteacher]

I just cheated on NCL for 5 weeks on two different Princess ships then returned to NCL for two weeks of the worst cruise experience ever. I am an Ambassador with NCL and I actually cheered disembarking the Jewel today. I will never set foot on that ship again.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I am cheating on NCL next week with Disney and then celebrity next year. There are four cruise next certificates sitting in my account, so this is just a brief fling.

[Kailyn]

I enjoyed reading your experience. While I enjoy cruising with NCL, after going on Azamara last year my husband says he is spoiled and will never go on another regular line cruise. That's fine! I cruise NCL with my mom, my brother, and my kids and we are ok to occasionally leave my husband at home or at work. They are definitely different experiences and I choose each for a different reason. If you are used to or enjoy big ship entertainment, the entertainment options available on Azamara are just not even close to comparable. However I do greatly enjoy the more inclusive nature and not feeling like I have to worry about prices of things. On NCL, I rarely drink alcohol, I never order an espresso drink even though I love them, and I get annoyed every time I have to pay for something like bowling or an activity. It truly is nice to know that for the most part, on Azamara you don't have to get charged every time you turn around for something new.

 

We're actually taking the kids on Azamara next month and I'm incredibly nervous because it's not family-friendly and I am honestly worried that people are going to sneer at and be rude to the kids. That's one reason why I'm looking forward equally as much to our next NCL cruise that is more family-friendly and has more activities for all of us to do 

[blag]

38 minutes ago, Kailyn said:

it's not family-friendly and I am honestly worried that people are going to sneer at and be rude to the kids

Your children will not be sneered at, and I would be truly astonished if they encounter rudeness. Unless, of course, the rudeness is justified.

As for Azamara not being family-friendly, I am not sure that is entirely true. I have seen many families onboard, and they all seem to find the experience enjoyable. It is true that the demographic is very different, but if your children are well-behaved and treat others with respect and courtesy, I think that you will all have a pleasant time - albeit probably less exciting than NCL.

[Kailyn]

1 hour ago, blag said:

Your children will not be sneered at, and I would be truly astonished if they encounter rudeness. Unless, of course, the rudeness is justified.

As for Azamara not being family-friendly, I am not sure that is entirely true. I have seen many families onboard, and they all seem to find the experience enjoyable. It is true that the demographic is very different, but if your children are well-behaved and treat others with respect and courtesy, I think that you will all have a pleasant time - albeit probably less exciting than NCL.

While we did have a handful of children on our Azamara cruise last year, they were all officer's families. That may have been partially because it was originally an Israel intense itinerary (rerouted), so not one that would draw many younger families anyway. This time we are doing a mainstream Mediterranean itinerary.

 

I'll be interested to see the dynamic for this one and I do dearly hope it goes well. I still, however, would not ever call it family friendly in our experience so far. We have to pay more per person for our 3 person cabin than our 2 person cabins. There also are very few if any activities that children would enjoy. Of course on a small ship there are never going to be things like water slides, rock walls, or arcades, but with an adult demographic things like trivia, Name That Tune, and arts & crafts are all skewed towards an older adult audience. We knew this before booking - we didn't expect a kids club - we still booked for specific reasons including the fact that this is a family trip with 11 people total. My point is just that they are entirely different experiences. 

[mexico8]

We have hundreds of cruise days with HAL, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean etc.   We did cruise in June 2023 on the Azamara Journey.   We liked the smaller ship size and the crew were wonderful to deal with.  The service was excellent in the dining room and buffet and Guest Services etc.   We found the staff to be the friendliest we had encountered on any other cruise.

 

We did not enjoy the food.   Nearly everything on the buffet was overcooked and I am one person who orders their steak (or any meat) to be well done or medium well.   For me to complain the food was overcooked is rare.   The items were often dried out and practically inedible.   The seafood buffet was great but I don't really care for caviar and expensive seafood and prefer items like coq au vin or beef bourguignon etc.   I think that we always had a buffet for lunch  (no open dining room) and we had a hard time to find anything that we liked that was not dried out and overdone.

 

The breakfast items were also overdone and we felt the food on the ship was the worst in all of our cruises.

[blag]

1 minute ago, mexico8 said:

We have hundreds of cruise days with HAL, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean etc.   We did cruise in June 2023 on the Azamara Journey.   We liked the smaller ship size and the crew were wonderful to deal with.  The service was excellent in the dining room and buffet and Guest Services etc.   We found the staff to be the friendliest we had encountered on any other cruise.

 

We did not enjoy the food.   Nearly everything on the buffet was overcooked and I am one person who orders their steak (or any meat) to be well done or medium well.   For me to complain the food was overcooked is rare.   The items were often dried out and practically inedible.   The seafood buffet was great but I don't really care for caviar and expensive seafood and prefer items like coq au vin or beef bourguignon etc.   I think that we always had a buffet for lunch  (no open dining room) and we had a hard time to find anything that we liked that was not dried out and overdone.

 

The breakfast items were also overdone and we felt the food on the ship was the worst in all of our cruises.

You were unlucky.

I have enjoyed many cruises with Azamara, and, and on one cruise only have I felt that the standards of the food were not good.

In particular, on that one cruise, the beef was well below the usual standards, but I think that was due to the source of the meat, rather than the cooking.

On our most recent cruise - a fortnight or so ago - I found the roast pork, roast ham, and roast beef being served in windows buffet (carvery) to be very, very good indeed. Moist and tender, and certainly not overcooked.

In Prime C, the pork chops were delicious, as were the steaks.

Perhaps, realising that your meat was being overcooked, you might have chosen to adjust your specification of how you wanted it, until it suited your taste.

And, on Azamara, they will listen. Find the maitre d' or senior staff, identify the problem, and thereafter they will be very, very attentive. I like my (English) bacon slightly undercooked and ask that it be freshly prepared. Every morning as I walk in to Windows, the greeter welcomes me and immediately liaises with a colleague so as to advise the kitchen.

The squeaking wheel gets the most oil.

It is worth noting that Azamara has recently been voted as offering the Best Cruise Line Dining in the Global Traveler 2024 Leisure Lifestyle Awards.

[mexico8]

The problem was with  the food on the buffet.   The water was boiling with the hot plates sitting in it and the food got overcooked and dried out.   You could see it so I am sure the staff knew the problem and were not able to rectify it.