Large ship to small ship?

[brightonguys]

We are looking at a cruise later this summer on the Azamara Quest based mostly on the great reviews we've been reading (okay . . . and the great prices!). But we've only been on large mainstream ships in the past (even the Maasdam was twice the size of the Quest), so I'm curious whether any of you Azamara fans have made a similar transition and what you thought about it. I can enjoy myself just reading for days and days, but when I look at the deck plans of the Quest, I have to admit it just looks so small, I'm a little worried about the transition. Any input you all have would be much appreciated.

[ellbon]

hi

 

i tend to use large ships. but i was on the thatiain princess which is the same ship just another name. there is less to do at nigt and if yuo gamble the room is small. but i love the quiet of the pool area and walking up one deck to use the jogging track and then jumping into the pool.

 

it is easy to get around the ship and you know more people in a week. try it..

[Jancruz]

Which trip are you thinking about..we are on the Journey July31..

Join us!!

Jancruz1

[Napi's Mom]

We are looking at a cruise later this summer on the Azamara Quest based mostly on the great reviews we've been reading (okay . . . and the great prices!). But we've only been on large mainstream ships in the past (even the Maasdam was twice the size of the Quest), so I'm curious whether any of you Azamara fans have made a similar transition and what you thought about it. I can enjoy myself just reading for days and days, but when I look at the deck plans of the Quest, I have to admit it just looks so small, I'm a little worried about the transition. Any input you all have would be much appreciated.

We were on the Ryndam and the Veendam, Azamara isn't THAT much smaller, just less people, which is GREAT, and were SOOO thrilled to get back to our "R" ships we fell in love with (on Renaissance).first on Oceania and then Azamara. These ships are so elegant, classy and compact. You'll love being within easy walking distance of everything, yet there is eveything you need onboard (Except the glitz of Vegas if you need that) Cabins are NOT smaller than other ships and are so well arranged that they seem spacious next to some other ships.OV cabins have sofas by the WINDOW (not the bed, so you can't see out) Balconies aren't huge I admit...but you'd love the ship, love the casual atmosphere, the less people, no lines, too!:D

[LHT28]

We were on the Ryndam and the Veendam' date=' Azamara isn't THAT much smaller, :D[/quote']

 

HAL ships are about 25,500 GRT larger than the R ships ...it does make a difference

[Ask4Jay]

brightonguys -

Do you have any specific aspect that you are worried about? Many cruisers are concerned about the "small ship on a big ocean" thing. We started cruising with NCL on the Sun, Dawn and Jewel at abt 90,000 tons vs. the R-ships at a little over 30,000. We prefer the smaller ships because they are more intimate and have fewer passengers. Have done three Atlantic crossings in R-ships. Yes, there are also fewer restaurants, but how many do you really need at any one time? Does it matter whether you eat in one of 12 or one of 4? As long as the food and ambience agree with you. This is very important for us: On the smaller ships we can 'feel' that we are on the ocean by the reaction of the ship to the waves. If you can entertain yourselves, then you should have no worries.

[brightonguys]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies so far. We are looking at the 8/30/08 Quest sailing and comparing it with the 9/2/08 Brilliance of the Seas sailing -- very different ships, I realize. I feel sure that we would be happy on the Brilliance (given how similar it would be to our past large-ship cruises, esp. on other RCI ships), but I have read so many good things about the Azamara experience (the food, the service, the overall relaxed vibe), that we're thinking it would be worth a try, esp. since the prices are comparable. The more I think about it, too, since these Med. cruises are so port intensive (only 2 sea days out of 14), the ship really is more "moving hotel" than anything else, I guess. So in that since, maybe the smaller, boutique "hotel" would be nice.

[katiebeth]

Dear Brightonguys,

 

We too have always cruised the larger ships. (a few RCI, but mostly the M class Celebrity ships. We are a family of six ranging in age from 12 to 78 and will be on the June 21st sailing of the Quest (Athens to Rome). We have sailed Europe three times on the M class Celebrity ships.

 

However, we were excited about the great itinerary and the opportunity to try a little more "upscale" cruise line. We are looking forward to the country club casual attire and the open seating. The reviews really have been terrific lately with regards to the overall Azamara experience. It seems a little less "mass market" with very few lines and many have commented that it just doesn't feel as crowded as the larger ships.

 

Our itinerary is very port intensive with only one sea day in a 14 day cruise. We, too, are looking at the ship as a floating hotel with great service and wonderful food. After a full day of touring, we are looking forward to coming back to the ship and enjoying a nice dinner and maybe take in a few of the shows. I think with Azamara's port intensive itineraries there is not a great need for a lot of onboard entertainment.

 

It sounds like a first class experience and we are looking forward to trying a smaller ship. My only concern is the motion, as the larger ships have such great stabilizer, we have never had a problem with feeling the least bit seasick.

 

I will report back after our June 21st sailing.

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

[brightonguys]

I hope you all have a great time on the Quest on the 6/21 sailing, Nancy. That's just around the corner -- you must be getting really excited! Have you all decided on excursions yet and whether you are booking them through Azamara or independently?

 

We just booked the Quest for the 8/30 Western Med cruise, and we're already looking forward to it. As for the motion issue, I've read that the Mediterranean is usually pretty calm and I think I've also ready that the Azamara ships also have stabilizers . . . just in case. :)

 

Ed

[rathgael]

I hope you all have a great time on the Quest on the 6/21 sailing, Nancy. That's just around the corner -- you must be getting really excited! Have you all decided on excursions yet and whether you are booking them through Azamara or independently?

 

We just booked the Quest for the 8/30 Western Med cruise, and we're already looking forward to it. As for the motion issue, I've read that the Mediterranean is usually pretty calm and I think I've also ready that the Azamara ships also have stabilizers . . . just in case. :)

 

Ed

 

Ed

Not sure where you read that the Med is usually pretty calm--------well ,we have cruised in both July and August and it has been quite bumpy :-)

Nevertheless you will love the Med ---------there can sometimes be quite spectacular thunder storms, which are fascinating when you are at sea, believe me :)

 

Elma in Lochwinnoch

[lisiamc]

Ed

Not sure where you read that the Med is usually pretty calm--------well ,we have cruised in both July and August and it has been quite bumpy :-)

Nevertheless you will love the Med ---------there can sometimes be quite spectacular thunder storms, which are fascinating when you are at sea, believe me :)

 

Elma in Lochwinnoch

 

In fact,

clip of a disabled cruise ship in a storm was filmed in the Med. Pretty fierce! In fairness, this was a big storm - it's not usually like this.

 

Lisa

[Napi's Mom]

In fact,

clip of a disabled cruise ship in a storm was filmed in the Med. Pretty fierce! In fairness, this was a big storm - it's not usually like this.

 

Lisa

Did watch that before, was scary the ship seemed to have few cabins on it. When we were in the Med in '99(western) and again in '06 (Eastern.)the seas were always calm, one was in the summer, one in Nov. ,12 days both. These were both on the small Renn. ships (685 pass.)30,000 tons..still sailed smooth. Our last 2 trips to the Carib. however were really rough several days...1 on Veendam (HAL) 1 Azamara last Dec. but that was a tropical storm nearby...Felt like a pin ball in a game!:D

[katiebeth]

Dear Brighton Boys,

 

Yes, our cruise is just around the corner! It is hard to believe. We leave on the 18th of June for Athens for a two night pre-cruise stay. Post-cruise we will spend three nights in Rome.

 

As far as shore excursions, I will say this is the one area that has been disappointing for us, in terms of what Azamara is offering. When we got the shore excursion brochure, I was surprised at both the quality and quantity of excursions being offered. There isn't the variety that we had been used to on the larger ships. (which, I guess should be expected). Azamara does advertise "immersion" type shore excursions. However, I didn't find most excursions being offered that inspiring; although, they do have some nice culinary excursions. Another complicating factor for us is that we have a wide range of ages in our party (12 to 78), so it was difficult to find an excursion that worked for all of us. It was particularly hard to find any mild type excursions for my parents.

 

So.......that being said, we have booked more private tours than we normally have in the past. We are using Limo in Rome for excursions in Florence, Sorrento, and Rome. They have received terrific reviews on these boards. In Ephesus, we have booked with Ekol tours and in Santorini we will be using Pixel Tours. We toured with Pixel a couple of years ago while in Santorini and had a wonderful day. I haven't checked your itinerary, but if you are in Santorini, do not miss Oia. It was the highlight of our Med. cruise a few years ago.

 

We have ship tours booked in Gythion, Nauplion, Itea, and Chios Greece. We may add another in Sicily to see Taormina if a shuttle to the village is not available.

 

 

All of the private tours have worked out to be around 500 Euros each for the six of us. When you divide the 500 by six, it isn't too bad. In some cases, it is actually cheaper than the ship tours.

 

I will report back when we return. I think you both will have a great time. The recent reviews of both the Journey and the Quest have been really wonderful!

 

We have only sailed the Med. once before and the seas were calm!! I am trying to ignore lisiamc and rathgaels' post!!! (LOL) I think I have actually seen the video lisiamc is referring to in her post. It is not one I care to view again!!! It was rather frightening.

 

I am going to go with positive thoughts!! I, too, have "heard" that the seas are generally calm in the Med. during the summer. I guess this may not be exactly accurate. Of course, I have also heard that the Baltics cruise can be a little rough, but ours was very smooth.

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

[lisiamc]

Hi Brighton Guys,

 

I hope I didn't put you off with the film clip of bad weather on the Mediterranean! We sailed Azamara after the bigger ships of Celebrity and RCCL (although we've been on the really huges ones of RCCL,) and loved it. We're booked again for a November Ancient Empires cruise on the Quest, and looking forward to it very much. The ships are beautiful and the service is fantastic. The Med cruises are so port-intensive I don't think you'll have a chance to get bored.

 

Lisa

[goody1]

Living in Scotland and having travelled extensively throughout Europe, it seems that October is the one month where its been known to get bad weather in the Med, although this is more the Western Med.

Loved the video, it kind of reminded me when my wife and I were in the Baltic in July 2005 aboard the Century. We sailed into a storm near Poland and other cruise ships fled to a German Port, however our Greek Captain got us into Gdansk using local tugs. An INTERESTING night!

[NorthernLite]

Katiebeth, if you do use a private tour for Taromina can you ask about whether your guide or one he/she knows handles wheelchairs? We'll be on a central Med B2B with a transatlantic next November on Journey and the DH really likes volcanos. I've been able to tear my chair down and fit the 2 of us and it in a large touring car.

 

We lived in Rome for a couple years back in the '80s and I'm trying to think of what a 12 year old would like. Oh, if it's not too far away from Sorrento for you walking around on Sulfa Terra a still belching and burping fumes and heat area off of Vesuvius would thrill many a boy's sense of adventure. Just do not walk upright into those little caves on the side. Some Europeans use them as steam baths and you can get burned badly. And just the process of getting into the Blue Grotta can be fun. OK, also fun for adults to watch from the restaurant above as the occasional tourist falls into the drink and the rowers pull them out. ;-) Maybe a younger adult in your party can ride the donkeys with him to meet you top side in Santorini.

 

Your parents would probably enjoy the town of Anacapri on Capri. Beautiful gardens and benches to take breaks on under the oleander.

 

BTW, we were on the Journey last Fall when it did a repo from Cape Liberty to FLL by way of Bermuda, 3 stops in Colombia, Labadee and Cristobal Pier. Storm and then Hurricane Noel followed us or was ahead of us most the way. Very little wave action at all. Being on the Norwegian Sun as it left the St Lawrence and headed toward Halifax now that was moving! Much bigger ship but Canada is where hurricanes go to die and we were in gale force winds for 2 straight days. I almost rolled out of bed several times. Most Med storms we saw, few, seemed to coincide with the Sirrocco winds out of North Africa.

[Jancruz]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies so far. We are looking at the 8/30/08 Quest sailing and comparing it with the 9/2/08 Brilliance of the Seas sailing -- very different ships, I realize. I feel sure that we would be happy on the Brilliance (given how similar it would be to our past large-ship cruises, esp. on other RCI ships), but I have read so many good things about the Azamara experience (the food, the service, the overall relaxed vibe), that we're thinking it would be worth a try, esp. since the prices are comparable. The more I think about it, too, since these Med. cruises are so port intensive (only 2 sea days out of 14), the ship really is more "moving hotel" than anything else, I guess. So in that since, maybe the smaller, boutique "hotel" would be nice.

 

I can say the way I would compare..is staying at a Marriott or a Four Seasons..

They are both nice but very different..

If you go knowing the experience will be quieter, no big shows and lavish reviews..no formal nights, very few smoking areas..but lovely dinners at your leisure, port intensive, and meeting most people on the ship!!

In the end it depends on your likes and dislikes!! Once Stu and I went on the small ship we were hooked!

Jancruz1

[brightonguys]

Wow, wild video! Here's hoping everyone's Four Seasons finds smooths seas for the foreseeable future! :)

[jmkoilers]

I am hoping some of the more seasoned cruisers can help me. For our 20th anniversary in 2010, we are planning a trip to Paris followed by another transatlantic cruise (from somewhere) back to the US via a southern route. While we thoroughly enjoyed our 1st northern crossing onboard the Celebrity Constellation, I am planning a surprise upgrade to a smaller ship and have some questions. As you can see, all our past cruises have been on ships ranging from the 47,000 ton Carnival Celebration to the 100,000 ton Carnival Destiny. We definitely will not cruise on any ship with the 3000+ crowds that take away from a true ‘cruise’ experience. At 50/55, we are at a point where pampering is greatly appreciated when we just cruise together, though Carnival is nice when we travel with our 4 kids. To relax, enjoy the serenity of sea days, meet new friends from around the world and live life once in awhile as an escape from reality is what we are looking for.

 

With that in mind, I am trying to narrow our choices and so far areconsidering the Regent Navigator 33,000 ton, 490 guests, or the 208 passenger Seabourn Legend (perhaps the Odyssey would be available). What’s it really like on a small ship? Our transatlantic on the Constellation encountered a couple days of 30+ foot waves, so what could we expect? We don’t get seasick, but am concerned about a ship 1/3 the size of the Constellation. Our trip would be NOT be in April or May, but later in the year and am looking for when those itineraries would be available to view.

We just know we deserve a break and want to enjoy luxury at its best. Though we don't dance, we do enjoy quiet times and friendly people. Everyone has so many varied experiences and stories we love to hear and share. 2010 seems so far away and I can't wait to start planning our trip. We so enjoyed our last cruise and the variety of ports in Ireland, France, Canada and pre-cruise time in London that we want to travel. Our feeling is that we don't want to wait until we retire (nothing against retirees), but we want to enjoy life as much as possible - now (though our available time is limited). Hope to hear from others and thanks.

[cathi]

Like most cruisers, we started out on the larger ships but have just completed our first "long" cruise on Oceania. I thought I was a traditionalist when it comes to cruising -like the fixed dining with the same wait staff and companions every night- but I fell in love with the small ship and the ambiance of the Nautica. Although the entertainment at night left a lot to be desired, it was a much friendlier ship and everything is close by. Like someone said it's like the difference between a Marriott and a Four Seasons! Can't imagine going on a 3000 plus ship now!

[shoshona2]

To Nancy,

 

You are very wise to arrange your own tours as I always do. My friends just returned from a Mediterrean cruise on the Journey and said the only portion of the cruise which was very weak was the Excursion Dept. They sent them to a museum which took a lot of time to find and the museum was closed that day. My friends are frequent travelers and the first time on Azamara and were not happy with the tours. Are you listening, Azamara?

 

By the way, when we were in Taormina years ago, after we left the ship, we arranged with the head taxi guy for a cab up to the top of the mountain to the village. You would need two for your party of six. The ruins of an ancient theatre are very interesting and if you climb to the top, you can see Mt. Aetna spouting off smoke. You'll have to ask on the ship if you need to have the taxis come back for you so you make it back to the ship in time.

 

Happy sailing!!!

 

Sheila

[Napi's Mom]

The Itineraries are great, the open dining is wonderful...but it's those "R" ships that get you every time!!! We're on Millennium next Jan. but I sure wish the price was right on "O" or Azamara for Australia/NZ, the ship with 2500+ passengers is NOT my ideal cruise! All that about ambiance is exactly right...it's like a family vacation...oops...without the arguments!