Azamara is not a Luxury cruise line, has flaws, but I love it

[KevintheIrishDJ]

We have been on the Onward 3 times. We were disappointed with the temperature of the food in Windows, the balcony furniture and the sound levels of the shows.

[federalexpress]

I've only been on two cruises so can't comment on comparisons with the likes of Silversea, Regent etc. I know for sure I wouldn't touch the likes of Royal, MSC etc with a bargepole. Hell on earth. My first cruise was with HAL and that exceeded my expectations, but only because those were pretty low to start with. I was there for the itinerary.

 

I chose AZ because I expected something a little akin to an English country house hotel afloat. Quite intimate, smallish, characterful, good but relaxed service, traditional decor but maybe a bit long in the tooth and fraying around the edges a bit.

 

It was pretty much as I expected. Much as I like the nice things in life, I'm not sure I fancy the greater formality you'd likely get on the likes of Silversea or Regent. I prefer a more 'kick your shoes off' kind of ambiance. I might have considered Celebrity given the prices I saw, but the new ships seem so loud and brash, that wouldn't be for me.

 

Actually probably my best time afloat was on a 40ft catamaran I hired with my own skipper, cruising around the Croatian islands...but that's another story.

[uktog]

4 hours ago, Toronto Guy said:

Does anyone really think that Prime C or Aqualina is that much better then the MDR?  I have never experienced that.  I've usually been underwhelmed and a bit disappointed with a few exceptions. I still go for a change of venue, but I don't get why some people rave about it and others are more "meh".

I think I would call it inconsistent.  Both certainly have had its issues over the last two or three year in terms of consistency not helped by the removal of popular items that they did well from the menu.  I believe they are working on a new offering for Aqualina in particular and I hear from those who have been onboard recently that the quality of cuisine and service has gone back to how it used to be which is great to hear.

[Dynacruiser]

My views on the food:

 

Kitchen performance and our perception will vary, resulting in differing views

•  The MDR is serving hundreds of people at the same time, can we really expect great food every time? Really?
• Even if we cruise several times a year, our sample size is small and should not draw conclusions.  Ex, years ago, I ordered steak a couple of times in the MDR, and they were rubbery.  I made up my mind that "the MDR has terrible steaks" and have never ordered them since.  Strangely, I often hear a person next to me in the MDR loving his steak.
• In the specialty rsts, special requests and dietary restrictions could lead to chefs neglecting other dishes.
• I like healthier food, cooked with less salt, less oils, and I don't eat spicy food, but other will complain if the food is too bland.  
• A person who has not eaten authentic guacamole in Mexico City will love the one in the Patio, whereas I would complain that it's the worst food I have ever eaten. 
• A couple paid $100 per couple to dine in Specialty rsts will likely have much higher expectations.   People in suites will likely be more forgiving.

 

I absolutely can see how we all have different opinions of the restaurants!

 

I like specialty restaurants better but food can be underwhelming in both.

• I look at the overall experience, not just the food.
• In the specialty rsts, I enjoy the quiet romantic atmosphere (sometimes disturbed by the Chef's Table noise), the exceptional and unrushed service, more elbow room, better wine glasses, and dishes that have more gourmet feel than the MDR. 
• Yes, even in specialty rsts, food has failed to meet my expectations.  I usually eat there when I'm in a suite, so I don't mind, it's "free".  I either order another dish, or simply eat the part that I liked.  I never leave hungry.   
• The MDR can be the opposite: crowded, sometimes loud, rushed service, a generic feel to the dishes (reminds me of Seasons 52 in the USA), tables closed together while seating next to a not-so-friendly stranger, all can make the meal less special.   On the other hand, sometimes the same atmosphere can make meals in the MDR a lot of fun!    

 

Bottom line:  I would not call the food at Azamara exceptional, "luxury" or Michelin worthy or even "consistently great".  However, I feel I am getting wonderful overall value at sea and enjoyable dining experiences overall. 

[GoSeeDo2]

Thank you DynaCruiser for this thread. We took our first AZ cruise Oct '21. We loved it and will be embarking on our 4th cruise next month with another scheduled or June. 

This summer we took a Cunard cruise of Alaska. The itinerary was wonderful, our room stewart did a great job and we had a delightful time getting to know the two british ladies at the table next to us at dinner. The company was great, the food was not so good. A chainsaw was needed to cut through a steak (servers words, not mine). All in all, it just wasn't the same that we get from AZ.

It truly will be like home when we board next month.

[MamaFej]

Our orevious experience with Azamara was a 7+10 night B2B in 2022 on Pursuit. We were very disappointed with the MDR, so we ate most of our meals at Windows(?) (whatever the aft outdoor sunset bar type area is called). We really liked the food and service there. We had a couple of meals at the other outdoor deck restaurant. We liked Prime C and loved Aqualina. The French Chef's Table was magnificent, including the other people at the table. 

 

It's interesting how different experiences can be, each one valid. 

[hamrag]

8 hours ago, Toronto Guy said:

Does anyone really think that Prime C or Aqualina is that much better then the MDR?

Yep, we do! 😉

[Whitby100]

12 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Yep, we do! 😉

Us too!

[Grandma Cruising]

We enjoy our meals in Prime C & Aqualina, but wouldn’t want to eat there every day. Firstly we really enjoy chatting to new people at dinner, either by being on a shared table talking to our neighbours if we are on a table for two. You can’t do that in the speciality restaurants.

Secondly I find the quantity of food in the speciality restaurants just too much - I end up feeling really full, whereas I find the quantity in the MDR just right for me.

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

....Secondly I find the quantity of food in the speciality restaurants just too much - I end up feeling really full, whereas I find the quantity in the MDR just right for me.

That's very true, my DW definitely feels stuffed if full meal eaten....me too tbh. We've adjusted how we do it, only 1 small roll chosen, major on non carbs in main course, and generally leave dessert or have one between us if there's something on the menu that DW cannot resist. I'm more inclined to savoury v's sweet, so it's easy for me to avoid dessert in any restaurant....quality cheeses, that's another matter! 😂

[Grandma Cruising]

On my last few cruises I have rarely taken any bread rolls, even in the MDR - fills me up too much (although I sometimes can’t resist a bread stick!).

[ChucktownSteve]

Dynacruiser, your initial post nailed it IMO. 

As someone posted earlier, even the luxury lines can be disappointing to some at times as witnessed on their boards. Food is subjective. So it is possible for person who has sailed several lines can say they've been disappointed with a Luxury line meal while having better quality on a premium line.

 

I've found AZ passengers less pretentious than our first Oceania cruise.  I even found Regent passengers overall less than Oceania.

Overall I look at what ticks the most boxes on a cruise.  Azamara does it for me. Regent does it for me.  Celebrity used to do it for me.  Thus I too am glad RCG spun off AZ.

[uktog]

5 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

On my last few cruises I have rarely taken any bread rolls, even in the MDR - fills me up too much (although I sometimes can’t resist a bread stick!).

Unfortunately our last two cruises no breadsticks were offered in the MDR - we commented on our cards about that.  Hope they have listened and brought them back

[hamrag]

17 hours ago, uktog said:

Unfortunately our last two cruises no breadsticks were offered in the MDR - we commented on our cards about that.  Hope they have listened and brought them back

First world problems, tbf they are irresistible....just bring your own! 🤣

[uktog]

1 hour ago, hamrag said:

First world problems, tbf they are irresistible....just bring your own! 🤣

The first world problem is I eat some even more naughty bread product instead 😂

[AllisonJames]

Personally, I give the food in Discoveries a solid B, sometimes B+. I especially like the soups. We enjoy our dinners there but don’t usually say “wow, this is delicious.” Our favorite specialty experience is the Chef’s Table and we always get the “Chef’s Table plus 2” package so we have one night each in Aqualina and Prime C. We enjoy the change of venue and the views but wouldn’t say we’ve been wowed by the food there either. That being said, the AZ food is much better than what we had on our recent Viking River Cruise, which we gave a C. And we thought the food taste and presentation on Journey last year was improved…although that could have been “the pandemic effect”… we were just so happy to be back on AZ after such a long time!

[KevintheIrishDJ]

I miss cold soups.

[Dynacruiser]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:40 PM, AllisonJames said:

Personally, I give the food in Discoveries a solid B, sometimes B+. I especially like the soups. We enjoy our dinners there but don’t usually say “wow, this is delicious.” 

 

I think B+ is a fair assessment for the MDR, and I usually don't say "Wow" when I eat there (but I sometimes do).     On the other hand, other guests LOVE the MDR, and their opinion is just as valid as mine.

 

First time cruisers should keep an open mind and understand that not everything is perfect on board, but it's up to each guest to enjoy the cruise.  Or not.

 

[tgg]

I have sailed on Seabourn, Regent, Oceania, Azamara, Celebrity, and Holland America. Right now I'm on the last day of a Viking Ocean cruise. None has been perfect. 

 

Nothing in life ever is. 

[cayman09]

Is that your order of preference?

 

[tgg]

14 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

Is that your order of preference?

 

No. It is the most to least expensive.😀

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, tgg said:

I have sailed on Seabourn, Regent, Oceania, Azamara, Celebrity, and Holland America. Right now I'm on the last day of a Viking Ocean cruise. None has been perfect. 

 

Nothing in life ever is. 

How are you finding it?

I hope you do a comparison.

[ChucktownSteve]

2 hours ago, tgg said:

No. It is the most to least expensive.😀

If you don't mind the question, which do you feel was the best overall value for the experience presuming you selected itineraries you preferred?

[tgg]

1 hour ago, ChucktownSteve said:

If you don't mind the question, which do you feel was the best overall value for the experience presuming you selected itineraries you preferred?

I don't mind the question at all - and I'll be happy to give you a thoughtful answer when we get home in a few days.

[PirateWife]

We just got off the Quest. On the first day, we went to Guest Services four times, each time with an important problem: 1) when we embarked, I was checked in but my husband was not and the crew was looking all over the ship for us, 2) an extra letter was added to my name on embarkation so I couldn't connect to the wi-fi (I wondered why everyone was having a hard time pronouncing it), 3) our loyalty level was wrong so we were not getting the benefits we had earned, and 4) the unlimited wi-fi was under my husband's name when I was the one that needed it. Guest Services took care of our problems, and we got to know the staff very well. We had a problem in the Patio one night. The Head Waiter, the Head Chef and another senior crew member apologized profusely and thanked us for bringing the problem to their attention. We were getting on the elevator on Deck 9 when the captain was exiting. He greeted us and I jokingly asked if he could get the light fixed behind the up/down arrows on the one elevator. It had been out at least a couple of weeks. It was taken care of immediately. No, Azamara is not a luxury cruise line. We don't want a butler. We don't want to eat fancy meals where we eat too much, and that take far too long to be served. We don't have fancy clothes to wear. We don't want a climbing wall. We pay for the luxury of being treated with respect and appreciation by a crew that sincerely likes working at Azamara. It is a luxury for us to have the opportunity to explore the world knowing at the end of the day we will return to the ship--to a room that is clean, food to be enjoyed, and a good night's sleep.