abandoning the mega ships

Just returned from the Independance of the Seas. Service was really lacking (blaming the drink package) and ship was just too darn big for my liking.

Ready for Azamara and excited to feel the sea under the ship again.

I mentioned drink packages. What is included with an Azamara cruise and what is extra?

Hi ccletzgo,

We can't wait to welcome you onboard Azamara!

Here's a link to the page on our website that describes what alcohol is included in your cruise fare.

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/int/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

Just returned from the Independance of the Seas. Service was really lacking (blaming the drink package) and ship was just too darn big for my liking.

 

Ready for Azamara and excited to feel the sea under the ship again.

 

I mentioned drink packages. What is included with an Azamara cruise and what is extra?

Good choice, IMHO. I can't imagine sailing on one of those floating shopping malls, even if I had a great deal!

Good choice, IMHO. I can't imagine sailing on one of those floating shopping malls, even if I had a great deal!

That's us too. 2,000 passengers is our maximum limit and even that is too big.:D

As many who read this board know, I am a huge fan of Azamara. I love the ship size and friendliness onboard. Back in May I went on Royal's Anthem of the Seas. It's quite a ship, but felt crowded at times. It was however a fun experience. I'm doing a Transatlantic on Allure of the Seas in about three weeks and will come back here and tell a brief story of how it went. I'm really looking forward to seeing the ship and have been told by many people familiar with the ship that in spite of 6000+ passengers it doesn't feel crowded. We will see how it goes.........

Phil

We have really enjoyed the Celebrity S-Class ships but are very much looking forward to trying Azamara's smaller ships out.

We are very much looking forward to our cruise on the Journey next December. We have cruised on Pacific Princess which is also a smaller ship but also on the Regal. The Regal although big never felt overcrowded due to large public areas. It had a lot to offer for many tastes.

I think the biggest plus of a smaller ship is docking at the ports. The smaller the ship the more likely to dock closer into the major destinations.

Very excited to try Azamara for the first time.

Martha

aww.. You all make me even more confidant I will be happier.:) We love the Vision class and the M class, (and miss the galaxy terribly) but this last week on the Independance sent me right over the edge. :(

Thank you for the info on what is included. I am ready to start my cruise search for 2016. :)

aww.. You all make me even more confidant I will be happier.:) We love the Vision class and the M class, (and miss the galaxy terribly) but this last week on the Independance sent me right over the edge. :(

 

Thank you for the info on what is included. I am ready to start my cruise search for 2016. :)

Didn't the Flowrider make up for the crowding??? :D

[PS -- to interpret this correctly, you need to know that I am an "avid indoorsman."

Wish Azamara would do more Sydney based cruises, love the little ships.

But all the lines seem to be building bigger and BIGger and BIGGER ships

The biggest problem I have with the small ships is entertainment.....the big ships do have the advantage there.....It has been the smaller the ship...the more amateurish the entertainment becomes.

We are very much looking forward to our cruise on the Journey next December. We have cruised on Pacific Princess which is also a smaller ship but also on the Regal. The Regal although big never felt overcrowded due to large public areas. It had a lot to offer for many tastes.

 

I think the biggest plus of a smaller ship is docking at the ports. The smaller the ship the more likely to dock closer into the major destinations.

 

Very excited to try Azamara for the first time.

 

Martha

The biggest problem I have with the small ships is entertainment.....the big ships do have the advantage there.....It has been the smaller the ship...the more amateurish the entertainment becomes.

Not necessarily so LabGuy64. I do enjoy the intimacy of the smaller venues on Azamara. The singers and dancers are within reach of you, the shows are low key but very professional and the usually Russian or Ukrainian dancers are wonderful.

The different CD's are performers too....not just "announcer's" and very talented. It's certainly different from the mega ships but for me anyway, much more entertaining.

And on a small Silversea ship last year the entertainment certainly could not be described as "amateurish" because it was Andrea Bocelli! :)

The biggest problem I have with the small ships is entertainment.....the big ships do have the advantage there.....It has been the smaller the ship...the more amateurish the entertainment becomes.

It's odd because I really enjoy the Azamara entertainment and have never thought of it as amateurish. There is usually at least two performers in the troup that rise it above that. I'm just back from Celebrity and wasn't as impressed as Azamara. Only performance that stood out was someone I've seen on Az a few times. Pianist Adam Johnson. He is on Journey in November (Canaries cruise I think and part of transatlantic). If you are on the ship then go and see him. He is excellent.

Phil

Strangely, and I'm only comparing to Celebrity not RC, I find the entertainers more professional on Azamara. The smaller venue means they have no where to hide, no miming and backing tracks to help boost things. On our last two comparative cruises, the orchestra on Azamara has been so multi talented and were playing around the ship, on the quay, at brunches as well as supporting the show lounge far more than the Celebrity orchestra did.The Celebrity orchestra had a lot of "shaky moments " never heard that on Azamara.

I noticed on Celebrity many guest entertainers performed using a CD track they had brought whereas on Azamara, the orchestra learned the arrangements and supported the guests.

And as others have said, we have cruise directors stepping up to give further support, both singing and in the case of one also playing both piano and woodwind to a very high standard.

We have really enjoyed the entertainment on our first two Azamara cruises, but were a little disappointed in July, we really missed the main dancers, I understand that the lady was injured, and although we thought Eric was great fun, when you hear the same jokes for the third time, they wear a little thin.

We also had a good piano player but I think two nights was too much. So although I didn't enjoy the entertainment as much, we certainly didn't think it was amateurish, we love the cabaret lounge as opposed to a big theatre.

Jean

Still really looking forward to our next Journey cruise later this month.

I like big ships. I have never on a cruiseship that is smaller than 3000 pax. The larger the better. :)

There are more activities to do on a large ship, more bars, more restaurants. etc. Never feel crowded except on a seaday.

I like big ships. I have never on a cruiseship that is smaller than 3000 pax. The larger the better. :)

There are more activities to do on a large ship, more bars, more restaurants. etc. Never feel crowded except on a seaday.

And that's why there are big ships and small ships. Some, like blordos, like big ships. Some, like my wife and I, prefer smaller ships. There's room in the cruise business for both business models.

Having been on ships as small as 300 pax and as large as 2100, we go for smaller when feasible. But we're booked on a 2900 pax ship for a Transatlantic next Spring. Why? That's what was offered in the price range we were willing to pay. Money speaks quite loudly. But I don't see us ever sailing on a mega ship.

Wish Azamara would do more Sydney based cruises, love the little ships.

 

But all the lines seem to be building bigger and BIGger and BIGGER ships

Following the airlines model. More rears in more seats. And even following the airlines pricing. Hard to know when to buy these days. As far as entertainment, even on the big ships you can get better entertainment in Vegas, Branson, or certainly NYC. I have never chosen a ship for the entertainment. We usually make our own entertainment.:eek::D

Wish Azamara would do more Sydney based cruises, love the little ships.

 

While Sydney is a fantastic city, it is not very cruise ship friendly. The cruise terminal at White Bay is far from Circular Quay with few transportation options. The old terminal, now torn down for a new development was great.

The other issue for cruise lines is that Sydney has one of the world's highest per passenger docking fees. Consequently ships are spending less time in Sydney and more time in other Australian cities.

Entertainment is not real high on our list. We seldom attend anything more then the one big production show. I prefer lounge entertainment anyway. The on board service and on board nickle and diming are the big ones along with the feeling of a floating shopping mall. I want to be on a floating vessel. ;) We took a 5/6 year break from cruising and have done a lot of all inclusives. I think this is why the atrocious bar service on the Indy really stood out to me. The service at all inclusive resorts is A+.

We took a 5/6 year break from cruising and have done a lot of all inclusives. I think this is why the atrocious bar service on the Indy really stood out to me. The service at all inclusive resorts is A+.

We did a fair amount of all-inclusives before taking our first cruise, getting to the highest level in their loyalty program. Then we took our first cruise. We had expected the all-inclusive resorts to be superior to cruising. To our surprise, we liked it better than we had expected. There are things resorts do better than cruises, just as there are things cruises do better than resorts. I agree that the service at the all-inclusive resorts is A+, better than all but the top level of cruise lines.

We are now going back and forth between the two, depending on our mood and what we are willing to spend.

One thing I will mention - the loyalty program at the all-inclusive resorts we've been visiting is far superior to anything I've seen from a cruise line. After 10 one week stays at the all-inclusive resorts (equivalent to 10 cruises) we were given a free week at the resort. No charge. No gratuities. No bar bill. No port taxes. Free

As many who read this board know, I am a huge fan of Azamara. I love the ship size and friendliness onboard. Back in May I went on Royal's Anthem of the Seas. It's quite a ship, but felt crowded at times. It was however a fun experience. I'm doing a Transatlantic on Allure of the Seas in about three weeks and will come back here and tell a brief story of how it went. I'm really looking forward to seeing the ship and have been told by many people familiar with the ship that in spite of 6000+ passengers it doesn't feel crowded. We will see how it goes.........

 

Phil

Hi Phil !

As I'm sure you are aware, we sailed on Oasis in July. Overall, we had a wonderful cruise, and didn't at all feel as if there were 6000+ passengers onboard. Royal did a *phenomenal* job with the "Neighborhood" Concept, and it works perfectly. Other than the MDR cuisine being rather disappointing, almost everything else was excellent. I highly recommend dining at Specialty as much as possible - the food was wonderful ! Don't miss the Kummelweck Sandwich at the Park Cafe. If you like beef - it's heavenly ! Great location for breakfast and lunch, and it's open on Port days as well.

One of the many wonderful things about cruising, is there's something for everyone. Big Ships ? Medium Ships ? Small Ships ? To me, it's all good :) . Whenever I'm on a Cruise ship, I'm always my happiest.

I look forward to your insights. Have a wonderful cruise.

Thanks Andy. The neighbourhood concept is what I have picked up as working well when speaking to others. It sounds appealing to me. I'm in a cabin grade that allows me to dine in Coastal Kitchen too (I'm in one of those new GS's they built at the back overlooking the Aqua Theatre) and having tried it once on Anthem am looking forward to eating there. I will report back!

Phil

We prefer the smaller ships as well............but we are destination cruisers so on occasion we end up on a larger ship. :)

I discovered last year that I can't handle ships under 1200 passengers. I was sea sick 4 days on the Quest cruise. I have never been sick on ships over 1200 passengers. Our favorite cruises now are in a Haven Suite on NCL. I can have the Azamara experience without being ill.