Azamara is NOT Celebrity

[susiesan]

The overwhelming majority of negative posts about Azamara try to use a rational of "well on Celebrity it's always done this way". People, Azamara is not Celebrity. It may have stated out that way almost a year ago but it is a separate company. I have my 11 page eDoc for my cruise on AZ March 1 and in all those pages the word "Celebrity" isn't there even once. Stop comparing and complaining about AZ being different than Celebrity because it is. AZ is doing their own thing in the way they want to. Just because you have status and have sailed Celebrity a lot and enjoy their product doesn't mean you will enjoy AZ as it is a different company. This has been known for over 6 months now. You didn't book a cruise on a Celebrity ship (unless you booked at the very beginning). You booked on an Azamara ship.

[Ask4Jay]

Attagirl, susiesan, you tell 'em.

We are leaving on the Quest April 12, and I have no preconceived idea or expectation, OK? I know that we have our cabin and balcony, the rest doesn't matter that much.

[bububr]

AZ is not Celebrity, however the Captains Club and the benefits ARE the same thing.

 

From what I have seen, much discussion has been about the perks of the CC which seem to vary from cruise to cruise and ship to ship. There seems to be no uniform proceedure on how to handle CC members.

 

So when AZ begins its own frequent cruisers club...then the umbilical cord will be severed. Until then, well.....?

 

Personally I love the ships and the ammenities they offer, especially the lack of a kids club to discourage parnets from dragging children along, however the product in general is the same as X including the food and drink. The difference is only in the price of the items.

 

While they are trying to find their own Identity, I have a feeling that within the next few years AZ will be back to X somewhat like the expedition is, and the way they were originally introduced. The only real difference is the Country Club Casual dress code and open seating dining, other than that AZ shadows X rather closely.

Dave:eek:

[Andy]

Hi Susiesan !

 

You wont get any argument from me. I have said from the very beginning of Azamara, that if you are expecting a Celebrity type experience on Azamara, you are in for a surprise. Although there is the corporate tie, Azamara is a more upscale experience, and more sedate. To compare Azamara to Celebrity never made much sense to me.

 

The funny thing is, these comparisons will go on forever. How many passengers try to compare Royal Caribbean to Celebrity ? Same answer. It's an entirely different experience.

[susiesan]

Hi Susiesan !

 

 

The funny thing is, these comparisons will go on forever. How many passengers try to compare Royal Caribbean to Celebrity ? Same answer. It's an entirely different experience.

 

Which is why I chose to see the Panama Canal on Azamara and not Celebrity.

If one has to make comparisons, make them to Oceania or the Royal Princess.

[BJC]

Hi Susiesan,

 

We have yet to have the pleasure of cruising with Azamara, we are booked on the Journey’s Venice to Barcelona Cruise in October, but have to say that when we booked our cruise we knew it was not Celebrity and were please for opportunity to try something new, but from the same stable, so to speak, of the Cruise Line we have had wonderful cruises with previously.

 

I suppose like many others when we first started to look at Azamara, most of what we found on the internet was accessed through the Celebrity Website, in fact we made our decision on the upcoming cruise through the Celebrity Cruise Search option, as Azamara hadn’t got their own site fully functional, as such one could only but believe that Azamara was to be a bit like Celebrity Xpeditions, just another “class” of ship rather than a different Cruise Line.

 

However that has all changed, well in Australia that is, with the release of the new Azamara Cruise Line Brochure for ’08 – ’09, which presents Azamara as a “total package” in its own right and there is barely a mention of Celebrity, and all I can say is “Viva la Difference”!:)

 

As has been pointed out Azamara should not be compared with Celebrity, and if comparisons are required then it would be better to compare it with Oceania as others have said.

 

Anyway we are so looking forward to our cruise on Journey, and I am confident Azamara will not disappoint.:)

 

Regards, Bruce

[lemursf]

I just returned from the Panama Canal cruise on the Quest (easterly direction). I have never been on Celebrity so have no way to compare. However, I have been on Princess, Royal Carribean, etc. and the Quest is excellent when compared to the seven other cruises I have been on. I say ignore the posts of all the whiners. Quest was just fine, even great, and I would travel on it again at any time.

[cruiseyguy]

Of course the Azamara/Celebrity confusion had its origins with the Journey "launch," when a boatload of bewildered and befuddled Zenith passengers found themselves sailing to Bermuda on a ship they had never heard of. It's taken nearly six months to move beyond that fiasco.

[ligortig]

The overwhelming majority of negative posts about Azamara try to use a rational of "well on Celebrity it's always done this way". People, Azamara is not Celebrity. It may have stated out that way almost a year ago but it is a separate company. I have my 11 page eDoc for my cruise on AZ March 1 and in all those pages the word "Celebrity" isn't there even once. Stop comparing and complaining about AZ being different than Celebrity because it is. AZ is doing their own thing in the way they want to. Just because you have status and have sailed Celebrity a lot and enjoy their product doesn't mean you will enjoy AZ as it is a different company. This has been known for over 6 months now. You didn't book a cruise on a Celebrity ship (unless you booked at the very beginning). You booked on an Azamara ship.

But Azamara is not coming up to what they advertise to be and I have not sailed on Celebrity. I have on Azamara and was dissappointed after reading their advertising - they bulled themselves to be a more select luxury type of ship more on a par with Oceana etc. and they are not making the grade as yet. But still enjoyed the cruise and as I have said in other posts the Captain is the most informative that we have ever had. Cabin & cabin staff very good just the dinning services that really let them down.

[Napi's Mom]

But Azamara is not coming up to what they advertise to be and I have not sailed on Celebrity. I have on Azamara and was dissappointed after reading their advertising - they bulled themselves to be a more select luxury type of ship more on a par with Oceana etc. and they are not making the grade as yet. But still enjoyed the cruise and as I have said in other posts the Captain is the most informative that we have ever had. Cabin & cabin staff very good just the dinning services that really let them down.

Again we've sailed Oceania, and I feel that Azamara is really right up there as best they can be being less than a year old. We got better room attendants on Quest than Nautica, etc., and we were in Concierge on Nautica, and a 1A on Quest, and those even in inside cabins got the same service, the same amenities, which were better than what we got on"O", (don't get me wrong we loved our Cruise on "O"). One thing some of the officers, directors etc. on Quest were really fed up with the oldtime Celeb. passengers complaints and expectations, and their not being open to the new style of cruising Azamara offers.

But another thing...Aren't the Princess lines R ships still pretty much mass market. The ships are the same but the style of cruising isn't, I've heard!

[gkm]

Attagirl, susiesan, you tell 'em.

We are leaving on the Quest April 12, and I have no preconceived idea or expectation, OK? I know that we have our cabin and balcony, the rest doesn't matter that much.

 

Hi Juergen! My DH Bob and I are also on the April 12 crossing. We have a small, but nice roll call started. Please come over and say hello to your fellow passengers! Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=535485

 

Garry

[drpad]

You are. definitely right- AZAMARA IS not cELEBRITY- IT IS ONE OR TWO NOTCHES UNDER cELEBRITY.

(sorry for Caps lock). If you want a small ship experience that is NOT BELOW Celebrity's standards, go to Regent or the other luxury lines. Azamara's Quest was pretty much below Celebrity and we give a ship ONLY one chance.

[ligortig]

You are. definitely right- AZAMARA IS not cELEBRITY- IT IS ONE OR TWO NOTCHES UNDER cELEBRITY.

(sorry for Caps lock). If you want a small ship experience that is NOT BELOW Celebrity's standards, go to Regent or the other luxury lines. Azamara's Quest was pretty much below Celebrity and we give a ship ONLY one chance.

I agree with you we did not feel that Azamara was any better (especially in fact in the case of the food) than RCL or P & O we have not been on Celebrity but Azamara was not what it was advertised to be. It is certainly not a luxury line!!

[SoBaycruiser]

I wish those who say that Azamara is not up to its claims would say when they sailed. I think it isn't fair to compare Journey cruises prior to So America because it wasn't intended originally for the Bermuda cruises. In addition, Quest is just concluding its first 6 months so they should have be given some slack. There are still some tweaks to be made on Azamara, but I thought the service on Journey on our Antarctica trip was excellent and look forward to another trip with them.

[Hedonistuds]

Hi,

 

It seems that some people are sabotaging Azamara in a very unusual way. I don't even believe they have sailed on Azamara. I've heard from family and friends who have sailed on Seabourn, Silversea, Regent and Crystal (like me), that Azamara is offering a luxury line experience at an incredible affordable price (a beautiful ship, excellent service, superb food and interesting ports). I don't really pay attention to them and I'm looking forward for the Western-Northern Europe Itinerary on May 16th as I've been recommended. Do your research, compare prices, ports, etc. before booking your cruise with experts (honest travel agents), not from website discussion boards.

 

Regards,

Joel

[crzrr]

We just returned from the Quest Feb. 16th cruise. We are diehard Celebrity fans and were looking forward to the Celebrity experience upped a notch. Azamara exceeded our expectations. The food was definitely superior to Celebrity (and we never lost weight on a Celebrity cruise). The choices were great - we ate in Prime C three times, Aqualina once, the buffet once, and the main dining room the remainder of dinners. Never had a wait and even had a party of 14 in Prime C one evening. The service was impeccable. Attendants (wait staff, bartenders, etc.) knew us by name within a couple of days and even knew what we might need. I was routinely asked if I was having a good day and if there was anything that they could do to make the day better (there wasn't). I have never seen as many senior staff around the ship as on the Quest. If there was a problem, action was taken almost immediately. It is definitely a more sedate cruise than a Celebrity cruise but a much more luxurious experience. We thoroughly enjoyed the smaller ship atmosphere and will definitely be cruising with Azamara again.

[icecreammama]

I was on the first Azamara cruise. I paid a lot of money for a RS and the outcome was my husband and I jumped ship as soon as we hit Bermuda. I didn't like the ship at all. Everyone was confused, ship wasn't done, no butlers, nothing. Thank heavens, we all got our cruise refunded. Wound up staying at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. Had a wonderful time. Now that was first class. To this day, I would not recommend Azamara. I read these boards and aside from a few things, I see much has not changed. This ship is not for everyone and in my opinion, for the money it costs, it's not worth it.

[Susan-M]

I read these boards and aside from a few things, I see much has not changed.

 

The reviews posted in the CC Review section for Quest are 5 or 5* for the past 6 reviews...and on average 4* for all reviews. I haven't cruised on Az yet, but based on what I've been reading...I'm not seeing what you are as I've noticed a definite improvement in comments from recent Az cruisers.

[lonestarsteve]

I was on the first Azamara cruise. I paid a lot of money for a RS and the outcome was my husband and I jumped ship as soon as we hit Bermuda. I didn't like the ship at all. Everyone was confused, ship wasn't done, no butlers, nothing. Thank heavens, we all got our cruise refunded. Wound up staying at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. Had a wonderful time. Now that was first class. To this day, I would not recommend Azamara. I read these boards and aside from a few things, I see much has not changed. This ship is not for everyone and in my opinion, for the money it costs, it's not worth it.

 

We have spent 28 days on the Quest and are booked for 14 more this month. Azamara is a great deal as far as we are concerned and we have sailed on most lines including Celebrity. There appears to have been some start up problems as covered in other postings but we would book again wherever Azamara sails.

[drpad]

Hi,

 

It seems that some people are sabotaging Azamara in a very unusual way. I don't even believe they have sailed on Azamara. I've heard from family and friends who have sailed on Seabourn, Silversea, Regent and Crystal (like me), that Azamara is offering a luxury line experience at an incredible affordable price (a beautiful ship, excellent service, superb food and interesting ports). I don't really pay attention to them and I'm looking forward for the Western-Northern Europe Itinerary on May 16th as I've been recommended. Do your research, compare prices, ports, etc. before booking your cruise with experts (honest travel agents), not from website discussion boards.

 

Regards,

Joel

 

----------------------------

I am one of the alleged "saboteurs"..I have sailed on Azamara at the end of November.Being a loyal celebrity fan, I HAD to give Azamara a try. It was way under my wife and my expectations, starting with the lousy customer service (all talk and no action), to the food (only good food was in Aquilina, and, even then, no better that regular celebrity fare), to the "butler"- basically a cabin boy (efficient one) dressed s a butler...Yes- 5 o'clock canapes- basically crackers with some toothpaste looking gook on them...luckily, only 4 per stateroom...You claim that family mebers who sailed on Regent etc. liked Azamara? If that is what they are telling you, I cannot believe thet sailed on the luxury lines OR they really have not been on Azamara. One cannot even compare Azamara to a luxury line. We took the Quest expecting just a tad above Celerity, and nothing that compares w/a luxury line. The Quest experience was a couple of notches below Celebrity- maybe comparable with Princess' Tahitioan princess (same size ship- former R ship). Don't kid yourself- htere is nothing that a luxury cruise ship has in common with Azamara.

Have fun.

[Susan-M]

I am one of the alleged "saboteurs"..I have sailed on Azamara at the end of November.

 

In an earlier post you mentioned that you sailed on the October 31st cruise. :confused:

[Andy]

I read these boards and aside from a few things, I see much has not changed

 

Sorry, but if you can make that statement, then you havent been reading the boards much of late. For the most part, the recent reviews are significantly improved.

[cruiseyguy]

I, too, believe that some Azamara reviews and related posts are malicious with the intent of hurting the business prospects of the line. Who could be doing it and why? Who knows--it could be employees of other cruise lines, disgruntled Celebrity employees or passengers, internet trolls. Posts of this nature certainly don't belong on CC but I think it would be impossible for our Hosts to weed them out. Instead, noting significant factual discrepancies and obvious errors in these "reviews" can help other CC members give them the weight the deserve.

[drpad]

In an earlier post you mentioned that you sailed on the October 31st cruise. :confused:

 

I stand corrected- checked it w/my wife- it was Halloween - you are rifgt, however, the bad taste of the cruise is still there, and, as i have said before- I don't give a ship more than one chance. life is short and there are many ships to try...

BTW- I do not post each cruise i have taken- those posts, usually make a one sentence message take a whole page...