Looking at Azamara for the first time

[cruzinaway]

Hello all. DH and I are looking to book a cruise to Europe in late September or early October, 2009. We have cruised Royal Caribbean and NCL (enjoyed both) but noticed Azamara's Quest and Journey are both offering great itineraries during that time. The price tag is a bit higher than Royal or NCL, but I'm assuming the overall cruise experience would be a bit more refined as well.

 

I do have a few questions for those of you who have cruised with Azamara in the past.

 

First, is it true all of Azamara's dining venues are "resort casual"? Will my husband be appropriately dressed in a polo shirt/dress shirt and slacks or should he bring a sport coat and tie?

 

Are gratuities charged to our on-board account (like NCL) or do we hand out tips personally to crew members?

 

I believe I read about a private pool area for suite guests. Is this an indoor solarium or an outdoor pool/sundeck? If it is outdoors, are there cabanas or other shaded loungers available?

 

Do we need to make reservations for the specialty restaurants? If so, how far in advance can/should we book?

 

What exactly is "open seating" in the main dining room? Are we seated with others or can we request a table for two?

 

Finally, I'm a little prone to motion sickness but I've always done well on the larger ships as long as I take my dramamine. Now I know motion on board depends on sea conditions and cabin placement but I'm a little nervous about the size of the ship. What kind of experiences have you had on board Azamara's smaller ships, particularly in the Mediterranean?

 

Thank you in advance for your answers and suggestions!

[ddcruiser]

We definitely suggest Azamara after our last summer's Norway cruise. While not quite up to Oceania standards, the ships are the same, the dining is good, and the specialty restaurants delightful. Do make your reservations for the specialty restaurants as soon as you get on the ship. It is just an entirely different experience from NCL, etc. ddcruiser

[mstrc1]

Open seating means you can go whenever you wish during the dining times. You do not have a posted seating time for yourself. You can ask for a table for two however those are the first to go. So if you are eating later you might have to wait for a bit.

 

Your husband can feel totally comfortable in polo, dress shirt, or aloha shirts. With only 695 pax the smaller size is a plus. We had an aft deck 8 suite and we had no problem with motion at all. We use the patch behind the ear as they are good for 3 days each patch.

 

The pool is open but there is an overhang if you want shade.

 

Enjoy and post and let us know how your cruise went.

[j!m]

hi

 

we enjoy Az maybe you will too

 

i usually wear a sports jacket but it is not necessary most men do not

 

yes, gratuities are charged to your account

 

we dont use pools so cant help there

 

you can pre-book one reservation in specialties, do so they are great

 

worst case of rockin and rollin we ever had was on an M class,

 

we have been on tahitian princess several times (same ship as journey) in south pacific in fairly rough seas and wasnt too bad at all

 

actually i think the bigger ships have more motion because of their height and the wind

 

hava great cruise

[critterchick]

First, is it true all of Azamara's dining venues are "resort casual"? Will my husband be appropriately dressed in a polo shirt/dress shirt and slacks or should he bring a sport coat and tie?

 

Yes. No sport coat or tie are needed, although if you're going to spend any time on land in advance you may find that you want to dress up for dinner there.

 

Are gratuities charged to our on-board account (like NCL) or do we hand out tips personally to crew members?

 

They are charged to your account. The current charge is $12.25/per person/day, $16.25/per person/day for suites, which get a head butler in addition to the regular butler (who IMHO is a dressed-up cabin steward). Azamara is currently running a special with pre-paid gratuities, by the way.

 

I believe I read about a private pool area for suite guests. Is this an indoor solarium or an outdoor pool/sundeck? If it is outdoors, are there cabanas or other shaded loungers available?

 

The Royal and Penthouse suite passengers are entitled to complimentary use of the Thalassotherapy pool, which is located all the way forward on Deck 9. Sky Suite passengers must pay for it. On our Journey Panama Canal cruise it was $175 plus 18% gratuity. We had 9 sea days, and it was very crowded. On a Med cruise I suspect it won't be very popular. It is outdoors. There is a little bit of cover, but if there's a slanting rain, everybody will get wet.

 

Do we need to make reservations for the specialty restaurants? If so, how far in advance can/should we book?

 

Recommended, but I imagine they would seat you if you have room. If you are a Captain's Club member (and you can join at the Platinum or Elite level if you are Platinum or Elite in RCI's Crown & Anchor Society), you can make one reservation 60 days in advance of the cruise. Otherwise you go to whichever of the two is open on embarkation day. You may make 2 reservations (3 if you're in a suite) then. Later in the cruise they will open up and you can make as many reservations as you wish for the remainder of the cruise, subject to availability.

 

What exactly is "open seating" in the main dining room? Are we seated with others or can we request a table for two?

 

Either one, depending on your mood.:)

Finally, I'm a little prone to motion sickness but I've always done well on the larger ships as long as I take my dramamine. Now I know motion on board depends on sea conditions and cabin placement but I'm a little nervous about the size of the ship. What kind of experiences have you had on board Azamara's smaller ships, particularly in the Mediterranean?

 

They move a lot more than RCI's big ships, for sure. We had a midships cabin and still felt quite a bit of motion. I got some of the pickled ginger that accompanies the sushi in the buffet, and a few bites of that settled my stomach right down. I can't help you with the Med - yet. Ask me again in about 3-1/2 weeks.:D

 

Thank you in advance for your answers and suggestions!

 

You're welcome.

[cruzinaway]

Thank you for the replies. My DH was particularly thrilled about not needing that sport coat and tie. :)

 

I will call our TA on Monday and get some prices on the 11 and 14 day Mediterranean voyages departing in September. The airfare just came down a bit yesterday so maybe we'll get lucky with some good pricing all around.

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

 

 

PS - critterchick, I'll be anxiously waiting to hear about your cruise in a few weeks! Have fun!

[SkiCruiser44]

Which Sep 14 night sailing are you looking at? We're on the Journey 9/13 sailing and have a rollcall thread started. This will be our first Azamara cruise and we've read some great reviews - looking forward to not having to dress up and open seating.

 

From everything I've read this is the year for Europe travel and we're doing our part for the economy.

[cruzinaway]

Which Sep 14 night sailing are you looking at? We're on the Journey 9/13 sailing and have a rollcall thread started. This will be our first Azamara cruise and we've read some great reviews - looking forward to not having to dress up and open seating.

 

From everything I've read this is the year for Europe travel and we're doing our part for the economy.

 

We are looking at the Journey 9/27 (14 nights) or the Quest 9/26 (11 nights). Both depart from Barcelona. The Quest itinerary would allow us to debark in Venice and spend a few extra nights there - which is something I would really like to do. The Journey, however, has two nights in Istanbul which would also be a highlight for us. We're going to wait and see what kind of pricing we can get and go from there.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[SkiCruiser44]

That's a nice itinerary - hope it works out - enjoy!!