Smoke on Azamara?

[orchestrapal]

:confused: We have been regulars on Oceania but like some of the up-coming Azamara cruises. What has been your experience on Azamara's making sure the non-smoking rules are followed.

Pretty much smoke-free Oceania is great and they make sure smokers observe the rules. Non-smokers, how was Azamara?:confused:

[greeneg]

On our January 5-19 Quest cruise the published smoking rules were followed and appeared to be enforced. Essentially the interior of the ship was almost completely smoke and odor free. I did not notice any smoke or smell when I was on our verandah. One afternoon early in the cruise, someone was smoking a cigar in the smoking area starbord side forward on the pool deck; that did not occur again on the cruise and I can only assume that the person concerned was asked not to do that again.

 

The casino was smoke free and you actually could see the machines.

 

Overall, the best cruise I have ever been on from that aspect.

[Jsipes]

SMOKING is no longer acceptable in North America....somewhat different in Europe....Azamara, Thanks.:)

[orchestrapal]

SMOKING is no longer acceptable in North America....somewhat different in Europe....Azamara, Thanks.:)

 

Most European countrys no have very strict non-smoking laws in public places:

Italy, France, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Sweeden, Ireland and more.

Their ships now are in line with the laws of the country.

Since the US does not yet have a Nationwide Non-smoking ban we still have ships that go both ways. And yes, thanks Oceania and Azamara.:)

[IowaCruisers]

Hi -

 

Almost at the end of my cruise, I'm very pleased with the smoking policies on Quest. There's one corner of the pool bar I avoid, but I haven't smelled any violations anywhere. The smoking policy is stated every day in our paper. It does say that pipe and cigar smoking are permitted on Pool Deck 9's smoking section. I'm very sensitive, and haven't had any problems at all. This is one of the reasons we chose this cruise line and particular cruise. It's been a wonderful two weeks, and I'll be sorry to disembark in Acapulco on Saturday. For anyone who is worried, let me put your minds at rest. We have about 20 or so smokers, and they are all very considerate and keeping to the designated smoking areas.

 

I'll post a full review when we get back from Acapulco, as will the other 8 Cruise Critic couples on board.

 

Brenda

[orchestrapal]

Thanks, Brenda.

Our experiences on Oceania were the same so now we can look forward to Azamara.:)

[Ask4Jay]

On our first crossing on O's Regatta we had one cigar smoker in the smoking corner of the pool deck. So what? It bothered us on our morning rounds on the track every time we passed him below us. Fortunately it was only once. We are happy to hear that Azamara seems to police, er, monitor the situation.

[greeneg]

This just goes to show that it is possible to restrict smoking and have everyone, including the smokers, survive.

 

Let's hope that RCCL management spreads this thoughout the ships of all of its divisons.

[drpad]

:confused: We have been regulars on Oceania but like some of the up-coming Azamara cruises. What has been your experience on Azamara's making sure the non-smoking rules are followed.

Pretty much smoke-free Oceania is great and they make sure smokers observe the rules. Non-smokers, how was Azamara?:confused:

 

The limited smoking was one of the very few things i liked about Azamara- it was great to go through the ENTIRE interior of the ship w/out having to puke at the smell of cig. smoke. As I said- one of the VERY few items we liked on AZ.

[orchestrapal]

Wow, what negativity. What are you comparing Azamara to?

I think we all would like to know what your problems were?:mad:

[QQRZZA]

Having been on both Azamara and Oceania, I found that they both have the smoking situation under control. This is a huge improvement over most of the other cruise lines.

 

BTW Our cruise on Azamara was wonderful, as was the trip on Oceania. They are both a high class experiences on very nicely restored and maintained ships. The crew on both were superb.

[drpad]

Wow, what negativity. What are you comparing Azamara to?

I think we all would like to know what your problems were?:mad:

 

The negativity comes from the big disappointment we had an the Quest. We have cruised on Ren. cruises in tahiti, thus knew what to expect from the small ships, as far as accomodations. But , having cruised on most of celebrity's ship, we expected the experience on Quest to be a tad above. It ended up being two notches lower. The food, other than in the speciality restaurants was, at best, comparable to princess fare. The specialty restaurants' food quality- comparable to the regular dining room on Celebrity. Service was very good although somewhat disorganized. Shore excursions were highly disorganized, but for that- overpriced. The "butller"- basically our cabin steward dressed in a tuxedo. Canapes in the PM- 4 crackers with some fish spread on them. The "pivate" Thalassotherapy area in the front of the ship- we enjoyed in on Ren AND on Quest, except for the numerous times the "privacy" was not enforced and htere were no vacant lounges. Entertainment- guest entertainers were were very good (i.e. Dan Daly) but the ships entertiment staff- very mediocre. Bottom line- next small ship experience for us will be on a different cruise line.

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

We loved our recent trip (early February Canal cruise) on the Quest and the non-smoking policy contributed a great deal to this experience.

 

I couldn't smell the smoke from the small corner of the pool area where smokers congregated.

 

In the one lounge where smoking is allowed (can't remember the name) I did notice the smell of smoke or stale smoke...if I walked in through the door on the port side. When I entered from the starboard side entrance for Trivia games or other activities I couldn't smell smoke on that side of the room.

 

The policy seemed to be working for the very few smokers on board and for the rest of us as well.

 

I loved being able to enjoy my balcony without smoke wafting into "my space".

 

We'll be taking smoking policies into account when planning future cruises.

 

Happy cruising!

 

murphysmum;)

[Luckyladym]

that your negativity stems from a cruise prior to 2008. Unfortunately, it took Azamara about 2 1/2 months to get its act together. We sailed in Jan. 2008 and the food everywhere was fantastic. Specialty restaurants are now free of charge, reducing the stress on the dining room which results in delightful dining experience in the main room as well as the specialty venues. The alternative "Breeza" is equally delightful.

 

My husband says that I am an X cheerleader, and although that might be true, I thought Azamara was terrific and so did he.

 

I agree that "butler" is a misnomer...but there was not a thing that we wanted that was not provided, including tropical fruit plates rather than the usual apples, oranges, etc. and cheese and crackers rather than the usual canapes.

 

Perhaps if you have time, you might like to read the Feb. and Mar. reviews posted by more recent travelers. Azamara now provides such interesting itineraries, a comfortable small ship experience, and wonderful service and food. You might want to give it another chance if the price is right.

 

Happy sailing,

Marilyn

[greeneg]

I am sorry that you were disappointed, but what you are stating is entirely your opinion and it appears to be at odds with any number of other cruisers, who would appear to have at least as broad a range of cruising experience as you. While you are certainly entitled to your opinions and a venue, in which to express them, it certainly appears to me that you are the outlyer here and that your conclusions are not consistant with the major experiences of recent Azamara Cruisers.

 

I think when you post as negatively as you have seemed to do recently, all you really do is to encourage others to discount the value of your opinion.

 

I would suggest that you would perhaps be more effective if you would simply state your findings as objectively as you can, suggesting, where possible, changes could be made which would improve the cruising experience for yourself and others.

 

Balanced criticism is useful to both the cruise line and to your fellow cruisers; growsing just makes you sound like a grump.

[QQRZZA]

that your negativity stems from a cruise prior to 2008. Unfortunately, it took Azamara about 2 1/2 months to get its act together. We sailed in Jan. 2008 and the food everywhere was fantastic. Specialty restaurants are now free of charge, reducing the stress on the dining room which results in delightful dining experience in the main room as well as the specialty venues. The alternative "Breeza" is equally delightful.

 

My husband says that I am an X cheerleader, and although that might be true, I thought Azamara was terrific and so did he.

 

I agree that "butler" is a misnomer...but there was not a thing that we wanted that was not provided, including tropical fruit plates rather than the usual apples, oranges, etc. and cheese and crackers rather than the usual canapes.

 

Perhaps if you have time, you might like to read the Feb. and Mar. reviews posted by more recent travelers. Azamara now provides such interesting itineraries, a comfortable small ship experience, and wonderful service and food. You might want to give it another chance if the price is right.

 

Happy sailing,

Marilyn

 

 

I've got to agree with Marilyn. I think Azamara has learned a whole lot in their short history. We were on Regatta in October and Quest in February. Quest was right up there with Regatta. It obviously took a lot of work, but they have really done well. Azamara is a well run quality operation. Their staff training was amazing. Azamara is a teriffic cruise experience!

 

The "butler" are a misnomer, I agree. Azamara's "butlers" mean that the one of your 2 cabin attendants wears formal clothes (which is kind of silly). In my experience on Quest, the "butler" made up the bedroom, and the "cabin steward" cleaned up the bathroom. The team approach worked well, as the room was always quickly & impeccably maintained. We never ate the afternoon canapes. There was so much superb food on the ship, that the last thing we wanted was more food a couple of hours before dinner.

 

The dining room food and service was first rate. With the two alternate restaurants "free", it was always easy to get a seating whenever we wanted. The staff couldn't do enough for us.

 

Our "cruise director" was an amateur, and seeing her operate was irritating. Hopefully, Azamara will seek out better trained, more experienced cruise directors. These ships do not cater to teenie boppers, so the cruise director needs to be more attuned to their audience. The entertainment was first rate and, unlike Oceania, they offered 2 shows every night which was wonderful. It reduced crowding, and allowed us to eat anytime and still catch a show.

 

 

The ship is being maintained superbly. Infection control is an obsession. Any criticism from our experience would be nit-picking, as they did so much so well. The cruise-air arrangements that they offered were rediculous, but that is something that one doesn't have to use. It looks like all the Azamara air arrangements are done by clerks in the RCCL office in Miami, most of whom know little about geography. They wanted to route us from Seattle to Minneapolis at midnight to get to Acapulco. We opted for our own air, next day to Phoenix and on to Acapulco. In all fairness, all the cruise lines have pretty weak cruise-air arrangements.

 

Like any cruise line, the shore excursions were pretty good, and yes, Azamara charges more than most of the shore based providers. Many cruisers make their own arrangements. We enjoyed 8 private tours (not ship tours) while in Europe on Regatta. In the end they were less expensive, more detailed, better quality, and smaller than the ship's tours. But, that's true of all large ship shore excursions. It just takes some organization and a bit of luck in finding a group of about 8 fellow cruisers interested in doing similar excursions. Interestingly, the on-board presentations on shore excursions on Quest were given by our clueless ditzie cruise director who couldn't even pronounce the names of the places that she was reading from her script. For some odd reason, the shore excursion manager never gave the briefings on the shore excursions. So, this was probably the weakest area we found on Quest. This is also the easiest to fix.

 

Oceania does not have a ship's photographer. This is a real plus. Azamara does have a photographer, but very low key. On Quest they were not bugging us every 5 minutes. No pirate pictures, or other contrived mass-market annoyances.

 

One note. It does cost a bit more on-board on Azamara. They add 18% to the tab for drinks, etc. The daily "gratuity" charge is $12.50 each. But, the staff did such a great job, that we thought they earned every cent.

 

All in all, Azamara is worth another look. I think they do a wonderful job!

[drpad]

that your negativity stems from a cruise prior to 2008. Unfortunately, it took Azamara about 2 1/2 months to get its act together. We sailed in Jan. 2008 and the food everywhere was fantastic. Specialty restaurants are now free of charge, reducing the stress on the dining room which results in delightful dining experience in the main room as well as the specialty venues. The alternative "Breeza" is equally delightful.

 

My husband says that I am an X cheerleader, and although that might be true, I thought Azamara was terrific and so did he.

 

I agree that "butler" is a misnomer...but there was not a thing that we wanted that was not provided, including tropical fruit plates rather than the usual apples, oranges, etc. and cheese and crackers rather than the usual canapes.

 

 

Thank you Marilyn for the update- sounds like AZ, finally got their act together. As far as your being "...a cheerleader for X"- my wife and i have always been cheer leaders for celebrity- that is why we were so let down by our experience... I don't know if we'll try AZ again- htere are still many ship we have not tried yet, so- they come first...Luckily not many are smal, and we do prefer the small ship experience, thus, maybe AZ could get another chance...ight now, the next trip is Tahiti, and, since the ship (Paul Gauguin) is, to us, a known quantity, we hope the quality is the same as we remember...

All the best,

Dan

[orchestrapal]

:) Thank you all for the positive responses which now give us an alternative to Oceania.

We love the non-smoking atmosphere of Oceania plus their service and food and of course the size of the ships.

Azamara now has our attention and we await the schedules for May-December 2009.:)

[drpad]

I am sorry that you were disappointed, but what you are stating is entirely your opinion and it appears to be at odds with any number of other cruisers, who would appear to have at least as broad a range of cruising experience as you. While you are certainly entitled to your opinions and a venue, in which to express them, it certainly appears to me that you are the outlyer here and that your conclusions are not consistant with the major experiences of recent Azamara Cruisers.

 

I think when you post as negatively as you have seemed to do recently, all you really do is to encourage others to discount the value of your opinion.

 

I would suggest that you would perhaps be more effective if you would simply state your findings as objectively as you can, suggesting, where possible, changes could be made which would improve the cruising experience for yourself and others.

 

Balanced criticism is useful to both the cruise line and to your fellow cruisers; growsing just makes you sound like a grump.

======================================================

Of course what I am stating is My OPINION- or else I would put it in quotation marks and give credit to the originator...If you go back to read others who posted during AZ's early days, you will see that I am not the only one who left the cruise with a bad taste in my mouth. (actually i speak for 2- my wife and myself.) I was not trying to be objective- the cruise experice, as any experiences we have in lie-totally subjective. I cannot stand the "fun ships" (carnival) yet there are millions who love them Are they objective? Am I? of course not. We all have opinions and this board is helping us express them. As far as effectiveness- I am not here to help or hurt AZ, thus i do not try to be effective- I just call the shots as I see them. I have never been on a perfect cruise and I do not believe that prfection exists, however I have been on cruises that i loved, cruises that were so-so, and cruises that totally turned me off. The Quest experience turned me off; there were not many positives I could find there, thus, the negativity.

P.S. I was responding to a query about the smoking on the ship- I did mentioned that the smoking policy was good, and this was a positive experience.

[Taxguy7]

I agree 100%.

[drummondcreek]

there is an article this week on Cruise Critic that does a good job of identifying the smoking policies on all the cruise lines. Very helpful Cruise Critic.

[orchestrapal]

The Cruise Critic information does not leave many choices for those of us who do not want to get Cancer vicariously!:mad: It seem that Oceania and Azamara are our only choices.:)

[greeneg]

I'm afraid, at this particular time, that that's about it, just those two. I have been told, by someone at Celebrity who should know, that Celebrity and possibly RCCL will adapt a policy similar to Azamara late this year after the European season. We'll have to see if it actually happens.

[swigso]

The Cruise Critic information does not leave many choices for those of us who do not want to get Cancer vicariously!:mad: It seem that Oceania and Azamara are our only choices.:)

 

I do not smoke but on the Quest it would have been better if the smoking area had been moved to the Aft after say 9.30 when all the smoke would have been taken away by the sea breezes and would not have caused any bother with those dining outside.. ( The bar area here was always empty after 9.30)

I must say though that most no all of the smokers on the ship were very caring as to not offend the non-smoking passengers so perhaps we could leave the smokers alone for a change.

[Napi's Mom]

I'm afraid, at this particular time, that that's about it, just those two. I have been told, by someone at Celebrity who should know, that Celebrity and possibly RCCL will adapt a policy similar to Azamara late this year after the European season. We'll have to see if it actually happens.

Just got off the Celebrity site, and they had a post announcing that people who've gotten their Cruise docs found reference to NO SMOKING IN CABINS is allowed anymore!!!! Website does not state this but the Cruise Docs are more up to date for cruises just a little ways off. I'd written a complaint about the smoking policy a few wks ago and am thrilled if this is true and enforced, as we go on Mille. in Jan. (Yes we will miss Azamara or "O" and our Renn. ships but cost is more effective on Mille for New Zealand/Aust.!):D