I am looking for a reccomendation for outstanding waitstaff in Discoveries onboard Azamara Journey.

[corinna121]

My husband and were onboard Regent Mariner in December 2023 and had the most amazing waiter Dennis. He really went above and beyond to make our trip extra special. We board Azamara Journey on September 21, 2024 for a B2B and I was hoping that someone to reccomend a waitstaff member who added a special experience to their trip. We like to have the same waitstaff throughout our cruise. Thank you.

[uktog]

You can ask Azamara for the same staff member each night and they will try and accommodate you but sometimes it is not possible for example having to allocate the waiter to a different restaurant.  Its difficult to tell who will be onboard as staff change all the time and the best ones from the MDR today might be moved up to a speciality by the time you board.

All the experienced staff are very good - my advice would be to ask the host at the podium if you can be seated with one of their most experienced waiters.  

To be honest for me, location of my table can be more important - it can be noisy in some parts of the restaurant if the ship is pulling out of port or travelling at speed.  Some tables are also more cramped in than others so you might want to choose a location first night eg some like the middle section or by the windows nearer midships rather than a waiter

[takemewithyou]

37 minutes ago, corinna121 said:

My husband and were onboard Regent Mariner in December 2023 and had the most amazing waiter Dennis. He really went above and beyond to make our trip extra special. We board Azamara Journey on September 21, 2024 for a B2B and I was hoping that someone to reccomend a waitstaff member who added a special experience to their trip. We like to have the same waitstaff throughout our cruise. Thank you.

I don’t think I have ever had a bad server in MDR or frankly, anywhere else on Azamara!  Their staff is their biggest strength and the main reason why so many people return to sail with Azamara again and again.  You won’t have to search to find a great server who makes your cruise special….unlike some other lines! 

[luv2travel90266]

The Azamara on bord staff is the gold standard. You will be treated BETTER than Family

[Dr H]

We've been with Azamara since 2010, mostly on Quest. I'm happy to say I can't recommend anyone in particular - they are all amazing. And while I can't remember most of their names, invariably there are the three or four people who remember mine, from cruise to cruise. As I am so fond of saying, you need to be more worried about getting to the ship on time for boarding than anything else that is going to happen later. Have a wonderful time!

[corinna121]

Dr H....Thank you for your answering my question. We are arriving 6 days before our cruise begins in Athens Greece so we will definitely make the ship. My husband and I definitely appreciate and remember the cruise members who make our cruise special. They are such an amazing part of a cruise. I am looking forward to our 21 day B2B onboard the Journey but we will look into the Quest as per your reccomendation.

[Dr H]

Corinna, our paths are going to cross on your cruise. We are also B2B, on Pursuit, Athens to Istanbul then back to Athens. Alas, starting October 5th. Literally counting down the days to be back with our Azamara family and friends. It is a remarkable cruise line

[hamrag]

16 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

I don’t think I have ever had a bad server in MDR or frankly, anywhere else on Azamara!  Their staff is their biggest strength and the main reason why so many people return to sail with Azamara again and again.  You won’t have to search to find a great server who makes your cruise special….unlike some other lines! 

Having cruised on 20 different cruiselines, I would say Azamara are definitely number one in that regard, in our experience so far, and Windstar a very close second.

Edited September 7 by hamrag

[alfredo1]

One of the many longtime strengths of Azamara from the beginning is the egalitarian manner by which all guests are treated, whether in an inside cabin or top suite and the crew provide superb service to all across the board. It is their raison d'etre.

To travel with Azamara expecting individualised service from nominated staff disrespects other staff and other passengers. This sits alongside another recent trend where some passengers are slipping tips to bar staff and waiters on day one of the cruise in the expectation of better service from these individuals, perhaps to the detriment of other passengers, and other staff not so lucky to be rewarded. That is why there is a crew fund to reward all.

While these practices are the very obvious norm on other cruise lines and "across the pond",  they sit badly with the ethos of Azamara service, an ethos which has generated such a huge and ongoing loyal following of very regular, interesting and well travelled repeaters.

If that changes Azamara loses its soul and becomes indistinguishable from the others.