Azmara vs Holland America

[TraelorMex]

Hi cruisers. Would anyone care to weigh in on the relative merits of Azamara Cruises as compared to Holland America? I posted this thread on the HAL board and received 5 responses. Thank you in advance for your help. (We have cruised HAL pretty much exclusively and have little to no experience on other lines).

[njccpa]

I have cruised both lines and prefer Azamara for the following reasons:

 

Dress code-Azamara is 100%"country club casual"

 

Ship size-Azamara holds less than 700 passengers.

 

Entertainment-Azamara is more intimate,less extravaganza.

 

Having said that,I have enjoyed my HAL cruises as well as my Azamara cruises.I have yet to experience a "bad cruise " on any line.

 

Enjoy whichever you choose.

[orchestrapal]

:DYou never have to encounter somke or smokers on Azamara!:D

[Bodger]

We have sailed both lines. We too like the casual dress for dinner. The cabins on HAL ships are generally larger than on Azamara.

 

While I have no problems with the food on HAL, Azamara's offerings were more upscale. (Fancier than me anyway.) Mrs. Bodger is a vegetarian and she seemed to fair better on HAL, although the Quest maitre'd did arrange for Pad Thai specially for her.

 

We have never eaten at the specialty dining rooms on HAL but on Azamara we did so a few times (it only cost $5 for gratuities, a real deal).

 

We also liked the smaller ship and chose the Azamara cruises because of the ports, many of them ones that HAL would not visit. On HAL we also tend towards the smaller ships but they are still twice the size of the Quest/Journey.

 

Both are fine products, just different. I would not hesitate to sail with either. Go and enjoy yourself.

 

Bodger

[TraelorMex]

Thanks for your insights. We are really looking forward to our cruise. The 'no smoking' policy is quite a nice surprise as well :)

[lisiamc]

Thanks for your insights. We are really looking forward to our cruise. The 'no smoking' policy is quite a nice surprise as well :)

 

I would describe it as an "extremely limited smoking" policy. There are still two areas where people can smoke on the ship - one outdoors near the pool area, and one indoors in the corner of the Looking Glass Lounge. So if you don't walk through those areas, you won't encounter any smoke.

 

Lisa

[WooKeef]

:DYou never have to encounter somke or smokers on Azamara!:D

seriously??? Is Azamara non-smoking??? this is fabulous news, since I abhore cig. smoke.

[WooKeef]

I would describe it as an "extremely limited smoking" policy. There are still two areas where people can smoke on the ship - one outdoors near the pool area, and one indoors in the corner of the Looking Glass Lounge. So if you don't walk through those areas, you won't encounter any smoke.

 

Lisa

I suppose I should have read further...oops. I suppose this would deter some hard core smokers from using Azamara???:p

[orchestrapal]

WooKeef: You will find both Azamara and Oceania pretty much smoke free because you will never have to go through the two small smoking areas.

We have been on a number of these cruises and have been able to totally avoid any smoke. What a pleasure!:D

[world~citizen]

HAL ships and philosophy seem to be straying from their original raison d'etre. They are getting big and they don' do big well.

 

I can't think of anything HAL does better than Azamara. Before you say "but you pay for it", take a good look at HAL fares.

 

HAL S class is still a good product.

[helenp2]

HAL ships and philosophy seem to be straying from their original raison d'etre. They are getting big and they don' do big well.

 

I can't think of anything HAL does better than Azamara. Before you say "but you pay for it", take a good look at HAL fares.

 

HAL S class is still a good product.[/quot

 

 

For starters, how about the size of the cabins and verandas on HAL vs Azamara. How about the beds on HAL vs Azamara. How about the dedicated movie theater, library supported by the NYT, multitude of small quiet spaces with comfortable chairs and string musicians. How about a teak promanade deck with teak loungers that encircle that deck. I sailed on HAL's Noordam last Feb. for 10 nts to the Carib. out of NYC, in an SS Suite 340 sq ft with double sink vanities, bathtub, seperate stall shower and wonderful large veranda for $957.00 pp. Hard to beat at any price.

 

Yes, I have sailed on Azamara ships when they were owned by Rennaisance and unless they have knocked out some walls those cabins are tiny, tiny, tiny. And, the beds were not too comfortable. I would hope that they have redone those cabins (used to be dark wood with royal blue or navy) and upgraded the bedding by now.

[greeneg]

And in my opinion, Azamara is a much superior product compared to Holland America, even without taking into consideration the smoking on the latter.

 

So, to each his or her own....

[world~citizen]

HAL ships and philosophy seem to be straying from their original raison d'etre. They are getting big and they don' do big well.

 

I can't think of anything HAL does better than Azamara. Before you say "but you pay for it", take a good look at HAL fares.

 

HAL S class is still a good product.[/quot

 

 

For starters, how about the size of the cabins and verandas on HAL vs Azamara. How about the beds on HAL vs Azamara. How about the dedicated movie theater, library supported by the NYT, multitude of small quiet spaces with comfortable chairs and string musicians. How about a teak promanade deck with teak loungers that encircle that deck. I sailed on HAL's Noordam last Feb. for 10 nts to the Carib. out of NYC, in an SS Suite 340 sq ft with double sink vanities, bathtub, seperate stall shower and wonderful large veranda for $957.00 pp. Hard to beat at any price.

 

Yes, I have sailed on Azamara ships when they were owned by Rennaisance and unless they have knocked out some walls those cabins are tiny, tiny, tiny. And, the beds were not too comfortable. I would hope that they have redone those cabins (used to be dark wood with royal blue or navy) and upgraded the bedding by now.

 

 

Hi:

 

Cabins are bigger on HAL. This could be an overwhelming consideration for some. In our case, we spend very little time in them. It is true that the bathroom is smaller, but to be honest, the "tubs" in HAL cabins (that have them) are out of Jonathon Swift's Lilliput. The beds in Azamara are excellent, as are the other appointments.

 

With respect to the multitudes of small quiet spaces...depends on the cruise director. On our last two HAL cruises we couldn't find a place where we could find peace and quiet for more than 20 minutes at a time before quizzes, contests, dancing lessons, singers, demonstrations and lord knows what moved in.

 

Loungers and lounging areas are just fine on Azamara.

 

Where Azamara has HAL hands down is on food, atmosphere, attitude and perhaps itinerary. My wife struck-up quite a relationship with the Quest sushi chef who took the time to explain where she was going wrong with the way she prepared sushi (at her request), and even made special variations for us every day to re-enforce and enrich the experience. The alternate restaurant service and cuisine are excellent, and with no accompanying surcharge. More, when excursions come in late, restaurant hours in Azamara are extended. What a refreshing change from HAL's: "its one second past operating hours now, we're closed" customer service. Without exaggeration, when a tour group came in late at Christmas on our HAL South America/Antarctic cruise, our table mates were initially denied entrance to the dining room at dinner. That was quite a display - it beggared common sense. Is this any way to run a ship? HAL is more inflexible than is appropriate. Flexibility is the hallmark of the Azamara philosophy.

 

With respect to atmosphere, you can't do on a ship with thousands of passengers what you can do on one with 700-800. Personal service is a reality on Azamara, it is something that suffers on HAL as their ships get bigger and bigger. The Captain and senior crew are everywhere, and maybe just that make the difference. The friendliness is tangible and almost overpowering on Azamara. You really "feel" like you are a guest on Azamara, not just another passenger.

 

Of course, Azamara has some refreshingly new itineraries.

 

Having said this, I realize for some people, the ship is the destination. In this case I agree people should find the biggest ships with the biggest cabins. Its what is important to them, and they should indulge.

 

Also, it is not possible to compare Renaissance to Azamara. Realistically, Your R experience is not relevant.

 

As to fares, I was impressed with the amenities you describe in your SS Suite. Did you really get that for $957 pp.:rolleyes:

 

I do respect your opinion and love of HAL. We would sail HAL again with the right itinerary and price...hopefully on a smaller S or R ship.

 

I recommend you do the same - treat yourself to an Azamara cruise. I bet you will appreciate the difference.

 

Smooth sailing...

[greyhound101]

I have never cruised HAL or Azamara, but based on itinerary offered we chose Azamara for our June 2010 Baltic Cruise. They do 3 days in St. Petersburg, and next year they are doing 2 in Warenmunde (Berlin ) as well where HAL does 2 days and 1 day respectively. Azamara also gives you 2 in Stockholm.

My experience is with Princess who is a sister company to HAL. Our experience on the Diamond ranged from good to bad. Bad was the smoking, bad were the children running around the lounges at night preventing entertainers from entertaining. Good was the food, and relaxation areas.

From what I have read elsewhere on this website, I am glad I booked Azamara for our upcoming cruise and not Princess or HAL.

[Aussie Gal]

We have sailed on both Azamara and HAL and to make a fair comparison of the two lines you need to compare HAL's Prinsendam with either Quest or Journey as that ship does only hold just over 700 passengers.

 

We were on the Prinsendam back in 2004 and it is a lovely ship. We will be back on her in November this year and I will be able to do a complete comparison between our experience on the Quest in March and the Prinsendam a few months later.

 

We do love the ex "R" ships and enjoy cruising on them having been on 6 - Oceania's Nautica, Tahitan Princess x 3, Pacific Princess and the Quest, though we prefer to have a mini suite as compared to a verandah cabin for a couple of reasons mainly the size of the bathroom. Saying that, our experience on the Quest in March fell far below our experience on Oceania's Nautica of May last year when we were on that lovely ship for 35 days. Oceania has perfected the art of cruising on a small ship and we had a wonderful experience.

 

HAL does have great beds, wonderful service using Indonesian and Philapino staff and much larger bathrooms. As we haven't been on a HAL ship since 2006, I cannot comment on the food. The food on the Quest was good but nowhere near as good as Oceania's Nautica. The only downside that I can think of at the moment with HAL is the smoking policy. It is lovely to be on a ship without the smell of smoke coming from lounges and bedrooms.

 

We are looking forward to our 24 day cruise on the Prinsendam in November and once we have completed that cruise I will be able to compare Oceania, Azamara, HAL and Princess as they too use 3 of the ex "R" ships.

 

Jennie

 

We have c

[Redtravel]

HAL? AZAMARA?

 

 

Although HAL is good, it doesn't compare with Azamara.

 

HAL attracts very stuffy old people who like things set. Azamara attracts mature people who are still alive and flexible. I like flexible dining.

 

HAL has larger cabins with bathtubs in many categories. Azamara bathrooms are tiny. I take showers.

 

HAL has bland food. Menu is the same in both buffet and dining room...how dull! Azamara has different menus in all dining venues.

 

HAL has better entertainment. Azamara has a greater variety.

 

HAL staff is rude and aloof. Azamara tries to care. I loved my butler. Mario was superb.

 

HAL is cheaper. If price is your concern, go for cheap. It's better to cruise cheap on HAL, than to not cruise. However, if you can afford it, Azamara is my choice.

 

HAL....no! AZAMARA...yes!

[JennAngel9]

I haven't been on HAL in some time (due to the smoking policy) but based on my '02 cruise on the Veendam and my 07 cruise on the Tahitian Princess, I would say that if you are above averaged size, you might prefer HAL. I recall thinking the bedrooms, bathrooms, and many public areas seemed more spacious. Granted, my experience is dated and I sailed HAL to alaska, but I found their food to be excellent and easily on par with Celebrity's (which I understand to be a smidge below Azamara).

 

I personally would be willing to make a lot of trade-offs to have a soaking tub and larger stateroom, but a heavy smoker on the balcony next to me can ruin a vacation, and so now I will travel on Azamara, Oceania and Celebrity whenever they are in the region I want to visit (also, I believe their food to be superior to Princess/NCL/RCCL/Carnival).

[Aussie Gal]

HAL? AZAMARA?

 

 

Although HAL is good, it doesn't compare with Azamara.

 

HAL attracts very stuffy old people who like things set. Azamara attracts mature people who are still alive and flexible. I like flexible dining.

 

HAL has larger cabins with bathtubs in many categories. Azamara bathrooms are tiny. I take showers.

 

HAL has bland food. Menu is the same in both buffet and dining room...how dull! Azamara has different menus in all dining venues.

 

HAL has better entertainment. Azamara has a greater variety.

 

HAL staff is rude and aloof. Azamara tries to care. I loved my butler. Mario was superb.

 

HAL is cheaper. If price is your concern, go for cheap. It's better to cruise cheap on HAL, than to not cruise. However, if you can afford it, Azamara is my choice.

 

HAL....no! AZAMARA...yes!

 

I must disagree with you on some of your points. First of all I am not old and stuffy and yet I have done quite a few cruises on HAL. In fact we have over 100 days on that cruise line.

 

Secondly, the cheapest cruise we have ever done was on Azamara's Quest in March and it was propably one of the worst we have done.

 

Thirdly, there was very little entertainment both during the day and at night on Azamara whereas the shows at night on HAL are excellent.

 

Food is something that no-one will agree on as we all have different tastes. We did find the food on Azamara to be good in the dining room and excellent in the two alternate restaurants but the buffet or lido had a lot to be desired and we ended up having all our breakfasts and lunches in the dining room on that cruise.

 

If you cruise on the Prinsendam which is HAL's equivalent to Azamara, then you will be paying a far higher premium per cruise than on Azamara.

 

You must compare apples with apples and not apples with oranges. In other words, do not compare any of HAL's other ships be it Vista, R or S class with Azamara.

 

Jennie

[world~citizen]

I must disagree with you on some of your points. First of all I am not old and stuffy and yet I have done quite a few cruises on HAL. In fact we have over 100 days on that cruise line.

 

Secondly, the cheapest cruise we have ever done was on Azamara's Quest in March and it was propably one of the worst we have done.

 

Thirdly, there was very little entertainment both during the day and at night on Azamara whereas the shows at night on HAL are excellent.

 

Food is something that no-one will agree on as we all have different tastes. We did find the food on Azamara to be good in the dining room and excellent in the two alternate restaurants but the buffet or lido had a lot to be desired and we ended up having all our breakfasts and lunches in the dining room on that cruise.

 

If you cruise on the Prinsendam which is HAL's equivalent to Azamara, then you will be paying a far higher premium per cruise than on Azamara.

 

You must compare apples with apples and not apples with oranges. In other words, do not compare any of HAL's other ships be it Vista, R or S class with Azamara.

 

Jennie

 

HAL philosophy is HAL philosophy.

 

I went to the guest relations people on HAL many times and never got anything more than what I call a corporate response followed by a brisk "sir" at the end of each sentence. I might as well have been talking to a complaining wall.

 

I went to the guest relations people on Azamara, and they wanted to know what I needed to correct the situation. WOW - I never knew that could happen on a cruise ship.

 

As I mentioned earlier, Azamara flexibility extends to restaurant hours of operation - which are extended for late shore excursion arrivals. Again, I had never seen anything like it on HAL. I was much more familiar with: "its one minute past operating ours, we're closing". I have even seen people refused entrance to the dining room after an excursion arrived late.

 

If HAL wants to say personal service is a company hallmark, why are they building bigger and bigger ships? Personal service suffers on larger vessels, HAL is not an exception.

 

Yes HAL has bigger cabins, but what is corporate attitude when something goes wrong in those cabins. These boards are filled with passenger complaints with respect to HAL response to plumbing and odor problems. In our cabin we had a TV that was never repaired and a climate control problem that was never resolved. It was as if the problem was noted, and would be repaired in the next few days or weeks in order of priority and what was your problem anyway?

 

A cruise company has a 7-10 or 14 day window to get the cruise experience right or a vacation can suffer. Azamara gets it, HAL less so. That for me is the most important distinction.

 

HAL was our favorite cruise line, but times they are a-changing.

 

In the most important ways Azamara and HAL CAN be compared.

 

Smooth sailing to you...

[Aussie Gal]

As I mentioned above, we haven't cruised on HAL since 2006 and it could have changed in those intervening years.

 

I will say that I can compare Azamara with Princess and Oceania and after our cruise in March on the Quest, it came in third, with Oceania a clear winner in number one position and Princess in number 2.

 

We were on the Tahitian Princess in September last year and as it is a sister ship of the Quest and the Nautica, I feel that we were in a position to able to compare the three lines.

 

Of course, when we cruise on the Prinsendam in November, I will be able to compare HAL with the other three cruise lines and it will be an interesting comparision. At the moment I can only look back on our other HAL cruises and remember what great experiences they were.

 

Jennie

[Jade13]

As I mentioned above, we haven't cruised on HAL since 2006 and it could have changed in those intervening years.

 

I will say that I can compare Azamara with Princess and Oceania and after our cruise in March on the Quest, it came in third, with Oceania a clear winner in number one position and Princess in number 2.

 

We were on the Tahitian Princess in September last year and as it is a sister ship of the Quest and the Nautica, I feel that we were in a position to able to compare the three lines.

 

Of course, when we cruise on the Prinsendam in November, I will be able to compare HAL with the other three cruise lines and it will be an interesting comparison. At the moment I can only look back on our other HAL cruises and remember what great experiences they were.

 

Jennie

 

Does the Prinsendam have a wrap around Verandah? We think we'll like Quest based on the photos but love HAL's service and also the fact that most other ships lack the wrap around Verandah. We also like the fact that quest has a jogging track.

[helenp2]

Does the Prinsendam have a wrap around Verandah? We think we'll like Quest based on the photos but love HAL's service and also the fact that most other ships lack the wrap around Verandah. We also like the fact that quest has a jogging track.

\\

 

 

yes, the Prinsendam has a wrap around teak promanade deck with lovely teak loungers for relaxing. It is a special ship indeed and IMHO beats Azamara, Regent & Oceania on many different levels.

[Aussie Gal]

Yes, the Prinsendam does have a wonderful wrap around verandah and also a dedicated movie theatre.

 

It is the nicest of all the smaller ships and has a lot of features that the ex "R" ships lack including large cabins with wonderful walk in robes and great bathrooms.

 

The Quest and all the ex "R" ships do have a jogging track which is also the walking track but it takes 13 times around to make up a mile so it is not very large and it can be extremely windy out there.

 

Jennie

[LarryBbythesea]

I have sailed HAL for years especially the Prinsendam. This ship is comparable in size to Az. One thing I note is there is no free laundry, dry cleaning or no concierge lounge for the suite bookings on Az. Vey nice perks on HAL. However, having said that, the price is about half for a comparable cruise. I will post my final comparison after my Jan., 31, 2010

cruise to the Carib.

[world~citizen]

...yes, the Prinsendam has a wrap around teak promanade deck with lovely teak loungers for relaxing. It is a special ship indeed and IMHO beats Azamara, Regent & Oceania on many different levels.

 

Really?

 

I would be very interested to know which ones.

 

Smooth sailing to you...