Just back - Quest Jan. 19 Panama Canal sailing

[capegranny]

Just back from our 1/19 sailing on the Quest and thought I'd post a review. Excellent in almost every regard. Ship is beautiful, service was superb, food and entertainment were generally better than expected with some real highlights in both areas. A particularly excellent feature was the presence of Dr. Penny Schweibert, an expert on the Panama Canal, who gave 5 lectures about the canal and related issues throughout the voyage and also was on deck with us as we transited the canal to point out features, answer questions, and help us all to appreciate the enormity of the project.

 

Azamara needs to do more of this type of true expert programming. They continue to promote the 'in-depth information' about ports' but that did not happen. In fact the CD gave a presentation on several ports that was inexcusably poor; the text was exactly what had been posted on the shipboard TV, she couldn't pronounce some of the words she was reading, and content focused on things like color of the country's flag! One day the on-board newspaper had its entire front page devoted to the 2010 world cruise that Azamara was promoting. When I raised my hand at the cruise sales director's presentation that day and said I understood it had been cancelled about a month ago, she said 'Well, yes, that[s right.' When I asked why it was a featured promotion in the newsletter, her only response was "That's a good question."

 

On the third day of the cruise there was a Cruise Critic members' meeting with senior personnel. They were candid and clearly pay attention to the cruise critic commentary. There were two different opportunities during the cruise to provide commentary about various aspects of the ship and its services and programs. I had a phone call and then a personal meeting with the Activity Director to explore more completely some suggestions I'd made. In short, we found the personnel to be exceptionally eager to 'do the right thing' and make the cruise the best possible experience for us. It seems they still are hampered by some issues further up the chain, e.g., the 'world cruise' thing in the newsletter, the continued lack of brochures, and nothing but photocopied pages of itineraries for either the Quest of the Journey!

 

The post-cruise stop in Acapulco was an unfortunate end because the two hotels that had been offered through Azamara were both less than acceptable. We were at the Hyatt Regency and it's in a gorgeous location right on the beach. We had a beatiful view of the beach and Acapulco Bay from our balcony, and the hotel had an attractive pool and garden area, a decent coffee shop and many shops. The room, on the other hand, was dirty. I mean there was something black splashed on the headboard of the bed and the night stand, the bedskirt was very stained, the drain in the bathtub was completely rusted, there was so much dirt on the 'behind the door hotel info' that you could barely read the first few lines of type, etc. I took pictures and will mail them to Azamara and to Hyatt. We've stayed in better budget motels - and this was NOT a 'budget' property! The folks at the Fairmont reported the same to us when we saw them on the 'dinner and cliff divers' tour' that evening.

 

Back to the positives. Our shipboard cabin was just terrific. Our butler could not have been more responsive. The size of the ship was a huge plus for us because you really did meet people, see them often, share stories and hints, etc. There were 9 of us from Cruise Critic roll call who got together twice for dinner...thanks, Jini, for arranging that. Great fun!! Entertainment was much better than we'd expected. One very funny magician/comedian, a fabulous pianist (who also gave an afternoon concert of classical music on a sea day), the fantastic Azamara Quest orchestra, Geoffrey Tozer (a piano player/vocalist), and so on.

 

Some of the ports left a bit to be desired (particulalry Port Antonio, Jamaica), but staying on-board is a very attractive option on this ship. Did everyone love everything? Nope, but that's life. Will we go again? In a heartbeat! I actually hated to leave this wonderful ship - and I'm a somewhat reluctant cruiser because I get so terribly seasick and also get very annoyed at the people who 'save' pool lounges and hardly every show up to use them ( a pet peeve!!). But Azamara Quest is getting better all the time and they truly have an attitude of wanting to serve you. Can't ask for more than that, folks, so enjoy!!

 

Cape Granny

[greeneg]

Nice review and consistant with comments from the previous sailing. There appear to be issues with what I would describe as "auxilliary areas" ( Ports and Descriptions, Shore Excursions and off-ship accomadation), but not with the ship itself and its customer-friendly crew.

 

Will be interesting to see how long it takes for these issues to be resolved/addressed.

 

Again, glad you had a as great a time as we did on board.

[IowaCruisers]

Hi Capegranny,

 

Thanks for posting such an informative review. We're on the March 1st Quest Panama Canal, and I'm soaking up all the information I can get!

 

Brenda

[Andy]

Hi Cape Granny !

 

Thank you for your excellent review. I truly look forward to sailing on Azamara again, probably in early 2009, when Journey is sailing the Caribbean.

[Gadgetguru]

Thanks for your review. I have a question maybe someone can answer for me. I have read comments on the "$ 11.00" martinis. Does this include the 18% gratuity or is it added on to the eleven dollars? Is this the price at all the bars or are there different sizes at the outer bars? Are they the same size as the larger martinis you will find at the martini bar or are they the smaller size found at the other bars on Celebrity?

 

Thanks for your respose in advance

Bob

[NotChoppedLiver]

"I have a question maybe someone can answer for me. I have read comments on the "$ 11.00" martinis. Does this include the 18% gratuity or is it added on to the eleven dollars?"

 

Guru,

We sailed on Quest 12/8. Mainly we had martinis in our cabin, but

one night I had a marti in Discoveries, the main dining room.

It was a very skimpy marti and the charge for the drink alone was $9.00.

I can't remember if the gratuity was included, but it probably was.

18% of $9 would be approx $1.62. So that would be slightly under $11.

 

Just to be clear, I don't feel that $9 is overpriced for a marti, but the size of the drink made it ridiculous.

 

We didn't have drinks at the martini bar so I can't comment on bar prices.

 

Someone else on CC pointed out that Azamara likely buys its liquor offshore thereby avoiding U.S. taxes. Not only that, but considering the huge quantities of liquor purchased for sure they don't pay retail like you and I.

 

 

The corkage fee is supposed to be $25.00.

One night we brought a bottle of wine to dinner in Discoveries.

When the bill came it said:

Corkage: $20.00

Gratuity @ 18%

5.00

Total: 25.00

 

18% of $20.00 is approx $3.60

 

$5.00 would've been 25%.

We paid it without a murmer but felt

that calling $5.00 18% was dishonest.

 

Otherwise, it's a beautiful ship with

great crew. I agree with what everyone else

says about shore excursions and lack of

accurate info from excursion desk.

 

Hope this was a little helpful.

 

Laura

[capegranny]

I think the previous writer is correct; think the martini was $9 and then the 18% gratuity made it closer to $11. I thought it was a pretty typical size for a martini but my biggest gripe was that they had only olives with pits!! Someone told me that on the first couple of days of our trip there were unpitted olives, but not by the time I started drinking martinis. Ugh. Don't think that should happena gain given all the complaining the bartenders got about it!

[Gadgetguru]

"I have a question maybe someone can answer for me. I have read comments on the "$ 11.00" martinis. Does this include the 18% gratuity or is it added on to the eleven dollars?"

 

Guru,

We sailed on Quest 12/8. Mainly we had martinis in our cabin, but

one night I had a marti in Discoveries, the main dining room.

It was a very skimpy marti and the charge for the drink alone was $9.00.

I can't remember if the gratuity was included, but it probably was.

18% of $9 would be approx $1.62. So that would be slightly under $11.

 

Just to be clear, I don't feel that $9 is overpriced for a marti, but the size of the drink made it ridiculous.

 

We didn't have drinks at the martini bar so I can't comment on bar prices.

 

Someone else on CC pointed out that Azamara likely buys its liquor offshore thereby avoiding U.S. taxes. Not only that, but considering the huge quantities of liquor purchased for sure they don't pay retail like you and I.

 

 

The corkage fee is supposed to be $25.00.

One night we brought a bottle of wine to dinner in Discoveries.

When the bill came it said:

Corkage: $20.00

Gratuity @ 18%

5.00

Total: 25.00

 

18% of $20.00 is approx $3.60

 

$5.00 would've been 25%.

We paid it without a murmer but felt

that calling $5.00 18% was dishonest.

 

Otherwise, it's a beautiful ship with

great crew. I agree with what everyone else

says about shore excursions and lack of

accurate info from excursion desk.

 

Hope this was a little helpful.

 

Laura

 

I think the previous writer is correct; think the martini was $9 and then the 18% gratuity made it closer to $11. I thought it was a pretty typical size for a martini but my biggest gripe was that they had only olives with pits!! Someone told me that on the first couple of days of our trip there were unpitted olives, but not by the time I started drinking martinis. Ugh. Don't think that should happena gain given all the complaining the bartenders got about it!

 

Thank you both for your information it is very helpful. We may just have to have more cocktails in our cabin:D

 

Bob

[crzfanatic]

I hope that they will have more information on the ports before we go on our 18 night SE Asia cruise next December. After reading what I have here on CC, I am going to do as much research as possible on my own and try to plan our own excursions too. I generally do this anyway and then I have no one to blame but myself. <G> It would be nice to have some knowledgeable experts on board though. When we were on Journey last Sept. it wasn't necessary for Bermuda...

 

Andy

[vi1234]

There are about 20 different flavors of martinis. I went back and pulled out receipts from our cruise on the Journey last month in order to better answer your question about prices. One night my husband had a traditional gin martini for $10.50 and I had an apple martini for $11.50. Then there was an 18% gratuity of $3.96. The total bill for the two was then $25.96. We did feel that the size of both drinks was generous.

Vivian

[Gadgetguru]

There are about 20 different flavors of martinis. I went back and pulled out receipts from our cruise on the Journey last month in order to better answer your question about prices. One night my husband had a traditional gin martini for $10.50 and I had an apple martini for $11.50. Then there was an 18% gratuity of $3.96. The total bill for the two was then $25.96. We did feel that the size of both drinks was generous.

Vivian

 

Vivian,

 

Thank you for your information. It seems that they are about one to two dollars more than Celebrity, and are the same size as you will find in the martini bar on Celebrity. I think they know that the increase is just enough for us to complain about, but not quite enough to stop us from socializing before dinner at the martini bar.

 

Thanks

Bob

[Ms. J.]

Greetings, all....

 

I was on this cruise with Cape Granny, and concur with everything she says.

Great review, Sandy!

 

This cruise was different for me, as there weren't a lot of drinkers onboard. The bartenders were bored most of the time with few to keep them busy except moi(!) Other partying bar people as well as the bar staff noticed this too. Not that the slow bars was a bad thing, it's just I really enjoy getting to know people, and there wasn't much activity there. As far as the martinis, the $9 price sounds right, but mine were double size, not the tiny little martini glasses. The bartenders also free-poured and were generous if you told them you prefer a strong drink.

 

An interesting thing happened to me. There was a competition, Celebrity fleet-wide, to create cocktails they would feature in their Valentine's promotion. I was sitting at the bar while head bartender, Terecita, was concocting some entries in the contest. She called the first one "Hugs and Kisses". She knew I had a background in advertising, and asked what I would call her next creation. I called it "Forever Love". Fleet wide, four cocktails were chosen....and yep, Terecita's two creations made it. How cool is that to have named a cocktail for the Celebrity fleet!? I teased the bartenders that they would have to think of me everytime they made a "Forever Love"!

 

All in all, it was a great cruise, and the CC-ers were a delight! The staff listened to us, and I received a phone message thanking me for my mid-cruise comment card, and that they were taking care of my concern. For me and Cape Granny it was the ever-perky cruise director making activity announcements over the PA system that actually went into the cabins, which we were not able to turn off or lower the volume. The CD aactually was reading the daily program which took about 4 minutes! It was loud and annoying, so I called reception. After my comment card, there were no more activity announcements that we could read for ourselves in the program. Any other tiny problems, they took care of immediately.

 

Host Andy....I have been super busy since I returned, but wanted to let you know how right you were - Azamara has risen to the occasion, which you were saying all along after the maiden voyage of the Quest. I found Azamara to be nearly perfect. The only change that would make them more perfect is to be all-inclusive (!) I will be cruising with Azamara in the future.

 

A big hello to Sandy & Tom, Jan & Bud, Dick & Sheila, and Helen & Bob! (other cc-ers) I'll keep in touch. Take care, all and have some fun today!

 

Jini

[cindilouwho]

Wow Jini - You and CapeGranny sound likeyou are both a ton of fun. Can I convince you both to come on the Journey on April 25? LOL :o

 

I am hoping one day to get on a cruise and you will be on it too!

 

Loving the solo cruisers life....your new and instant friend!!!

[Napi's Mom]

Stange that the announcements were made in the cabins....we had no such thing happening, in fact I'd have appreciated the Panama Canal spiel tho be broadcast to the cabin, but was only on deck. Only the Capt. morn message, or important, or weather type updates were in cabins. Wonder if they had people ASK for the announcements like other lines do...and they are always trying to please.

[Andy]

Host Andy....I have been super busy since I returned, but wanted to let you know how right you were - Azamara has risen to the occasion, which you were saying all along after the maiden voyage of the Quest. I found Azamara to be nearly perfect. The only change that would make them more perfect is to be all-inclusive (!) I will be cruising with Azamara in the future.

 

Jini

 

Hi Jini !

 

Thank you for your very nice comments. I am extremely happy to see that with each sailing, the reviews are getting better and better. As you know, I was on Quest's maiden voyage, and while in some cases, things were less than perfect. With that said, I saw the massive potential for Azamara. I felt strongly about Azamara back then, and I feel every bit as confident about Azamara to this day.

 

Most of the problems on our sailing centered around the Discoveries Dining Room, which is a major part of any Cruise. I immediately noticed the problem, and I was totally confident of the solution.... which was to stop charging the fee for the Specialty Restaurants. This action, as I suggested back then, (and I was quite vocal about) would take a great deal of pressure off the Discoveries Dining Room, and allow Azamara to make it a wonderful place to have dinner. In my opinion, if Discoveries was EVER to be a success, Azamara had no choice, but to remove the surcharge off of Prime C, and Aqualina, which by the way, were 2 of the best Specialty Restaurants I have ever dined in. The problem was, there werent too many passengers, who were willing to pay the 20.00 or 25.00 surcharge to dine there. Frankly, for the money Azamara was charging, the surcharge never should have been there in the first place.

 

As I am confident that Azamara management reads this board, they listened, and took my suggestion (and the many others who subsequently called for it), and eliminated the surcharge off of Specialty Dining (other than a 5.00 pp tip - which is fair). The end result, is that Dining is working as it should on Azamara, and has also made the entire Cruise experience a better one.

 

Another thing I realized about Azamara, is that most all of the crew on Quest was some of the most wonderful, friendly, and helpful crew I have ever met on a Cruise. However, there were a few problems...... with the Captains Club Hostess, who seemed totally overwhelmed, and was put off by the concept of trying to help people. I believe she is no longer on Quest. We also had a Butler, who was a major disappointment. Oddly enough, we had him as a Cabin attendant on Millennium a few years ago, and he was no better now, then he was years ago. This person should not be in the Suite area, and I was surprised he was given such a choice location. However, I have since learned that most Cabin attendants do not want to work Suites, as they apparantly make less money in that area. If that is the case, then Azamara has to compensate them better, as you cannot have inferior crew working the Suite area. It should be an area that every cabin attendant wants to work.... not avoid !

 

The bottom line ? even with my concerns, I saw the potential. I had zero doubt, that with some hard work, and some better managment decisions (which are happening), that Azamara will be a wonderful Cruise line. I saw the vision Azamara has for this line from the moment I set foot on Quest, and I feel it is well on its way to getting there.

 

I truly wish I could have sailed on Quest again this season. Quest was my first choice. Unfortunately, due to family schedule conflicts, Quest's timetable did not work for us. We are sailing on Celebrity Constellation next month. The good news is, Journey will be in the Caribbean in early 2009. I expect to book something in the near future. In all honesty, I am waiting to see if some onboard Credit deals, or other specials, surface before I book. I would book right now, but many of Azamara's specials say "new bookings only" and they are very strict about that, so that means I will wait a bit. However, I am pretty sure we will be sailing on Azamara Journey early next year, and I can hardly wait !

[capegranny]

Great to hear from you, Jini. Congrats on creating the name for a winning drink! We'll look forward to seeing if it's offered the next time we cruise with Azamara or Celebrity.

[capegranny]

I concur completely with your wish to have had the Panama Canal spiel broadcast in our cabins - or at least some way that it could have been done on request. The commentary was really good - but it was a VERY long day on deck. In fact, we had our Prime C reservations that night and were there as we cleared the last lock some 14 hours after entering the canal!

[Ms. J.]

Hi, Cyndi....

 

I'd love to join you on a cruise....but I'll be on the Century T/A April 28th. There's a whole lot of fun people taking that cruise...some I've sailed with before. Take care, all, and have some fun today. Jini

[marytexas]

Thanks Jini, Granny and Andy for yur reviews. We'll be going on the Quest on May 24 and are really looking forward to it. But please tell me about the butler. Are they just calling room attendants butlers? We have Room 7074. Are their services extra? Did you bring dressy clothes? Were laundry and/or dry cleaning expensive? After reading many comments on this board I was getting worried about what we had done in booking this cruise line. Thanks for taking the time to share with us all of your experiences. It can only make it better than it is.

[greeneg]

Marytexas, our "butler" was a cabin steward; as on our other cruises, he had an assistant, but other than his jacket the only difference was the title. This is not to demean him or his service which was outstanding, but only the title was different.

 

My wife and most of the women that I noticed wore what I would call "smart causal" at dinner. No jackets as a rule and I saw very few men ( not me) who wore ties. One gentleman wore a white dinner jacket, et al, but he sort of stood out.......Dress neatly and comfortably and you'll be just fine.

 

The laundry is on deck 7 near your cabin; it works just fine, take quarters or acquire some. Use of the dryer is included with the washer so you only have to put money in the latter.

 

I don't think that you will regret sailing on the Quest, we had a wonderful time.

 

Hope that helps,

[smallturtle]

Thak for helping us

 

Is there bathrobes in the stateroom with veranda ?

[Andy]

Thak for helping us

 

Is there bathrobes in the stateroom with veranda ?

 

Hello !

 

Yes, there are bathrobes. Enjoy your Cruise !

[marytexas]

Thanks thats what I thought too. Just wanted it confirmed.

[Loucat]

Thanks Jini, Granny and Andy for yur reviews. We'll be going on the Quest on May 24 and are really looking forward to it. But please tell me about the butler. Are they just calling room attendants butlers? We have Room 7074. Are their services extra? Did you bring dressy clothes? Were laundry and/or dry cleaning expensive? After reading many comments on this board I was getting worried about what we had done in booking this cruise line. Thanks for taking the time to share with us all of your experiences. It can only make it better than it is.

We are just off the 2/16 Quest sailing. We had a wonderful butler "Hari" and his assistant. They could not have been better. There is no extra charge for them, but they are covered by the daily charge for gratuities. In regard to dress, many were casual, many dressed up for dinner. It is really what you want to do.

[Jancruz]

Stange that the announcements were made in the cabins....we had no such thing happening' date=' in fact I'd have appreciated the Panama Canal spiel tho be broadcast to the cabin, but was only on deck. Only the Capt. morn message, or important, or weather type updates were in cabins. Wonder if they had people ASK for the announcements like other lines do...and they are always trying to please.[/quote']

 

Did you have your TV on in your cabin..sometimes the annoucements that are made on deck are also made through the TV or radio..

Jan

*****