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Azamara Questions


Daneboy
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We have never been on an Azamara cruise however we are Elite on Celebrity. We have also been on Oceania ships. I have some questions about Azamara cruises.

 

1. How good are the complimentary wines, especially the reds?

2. What is the policy as to bringing wine onboard to have in room?

3. Do AZ credits and Celebrity credits accumulate together or separately?

4. Since we are Elite on CCL we are Discover on Azamara so I know they

are recipical.

 

Thank you for any information; Doug

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We have never been on an Azamara cruise however we are Elite on Celebrity. We have also been on Oceania ships. I have some questions about Azamara cruises.

 

1. How good are the complimentary wines, especially the reds?

2. What is the policy as to bringing wine onboard to have in room?

3. Do AZ credits and Celebrity credits accumulate together or separately?

4. Since we are Elite on CCL we are Discover on Azamara so I know they

are recipical.

 

Thank you for any information; Doug

 

1. On Journey recently I found them very good, especially the reds. I haven't had a problem with the included boutique wines.

2. No restriction on alcohol of any kind (having regard of course for storage limitations.

3. Together.

 

Phil

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Hi daneboy, welcome to the Azamara Cruise Critic forum!

If you have any other questions about Azmara Club Cruises please don't hesitate to ask. We are very lucky to have a well-traveled, well-informed, community here, and I'm on here to help as well.

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DH and I sailed on the Journey in 2014 and 2015. The included red wines were very inexpensive and not to our liking. You may, however, be able to find some that are drinkable. Once a wine is served, you can request it on subsequent nights. For example, both years, the Crusher Merlot at $13 per bottle retail was one of the better options so we had it multiple nights. In 2015, there was a Melini Laboral Chianti Classico with some age that was okay so we had it twice. We love Napa Valley cabs so the Cousino-Macul, a very inexpensive cabernet sauvignon from Chile, was not to our liking. In 2014, we enjoyed the Golden Triangle Pinotage, but did not like the Stellenzicht Pinotage which was served in 2015. The Periquita Red Blend from Portugal was okay.

 

The included wines are no longer listed on the website. There were 9 red and 9 white wines in the rotation, and one rose. While the wines may have changed, this gives you and idea of the wines served. The other red wines were:

Bulletin Place Shiraz (Australia)

Castle Rock Pinot Noir (California)

Cline Zinfandel (California)

Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale (France)

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The Perequota Portuguese Rose was lovely too, then it got changed to a sweet slightly fizzy rose which was not nice!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

But the great news, it was back on Journey on the Transatlantic so hopefully its a permanent resident :)

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We were quite happy with the complimentary red wines on the Journey in April, as well with the whites and roses. We are not opposed to ordering special wines if the mood pushes us in that direction, but found the complimentaries to be good enough to avoid the extra expense. And remember: If you love a wine served the day before (or several days before), it might be available into the future. Just ask! We did, and were often pleasantly surprised.

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We were quite happy with the complimentary red wines on the Journey in April, as well with the whites and roses. We are not opposed to ordering special wines if the mood pushes us in that direction, but found the complimentaries to be good enough to avoid the extra expense. And remember: If you love a wine served the day before (or several days before), it might be available into the future. Just ask! We did, and were often pleasantly surprised.

If you can bring wines onboard at the start we will bring some when we get onboard. We like Cabs so if they have some decent cabs we will be fine. Also I would like to know the quality of the main dining room. We normally are in an Aqua room on Celebrity so we usually dine in Blu. Blu has gotten kind of boring, mundane the past couple of cruises. The menu is not very exciting however the service has always been outstanding. How is the main restaraunt compared to Blue on Celebrity as far as quality and service. Thank all for their response. Doug

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DH and I sailed on the Journey in 2014 and 2015. The included red wines were very inexpensive and not to our liking. You may, however, be able to find some that are drinkable. Once a wine is served, you can request it on subsequent nights. For example, both years, the Crusher Merlot at $13 per bottle retail was one of the better options so we had it multiple nights. In 2015, there was a Melini Laboral Chianti Classico with some age that was okay so we had it twice. We love Napa Valley cabs so the Cousino-Macul, a very inexpensive cabernet sauvignon from Chile, was not to our liking. In 2014, we enjoyed the Golden Triangle Pinotage, but did not like the Stellenzicht Pinotage which was served in 2015. The Periquita Red Blend from Portugal was okay.

 

The included wines are no longer listed on the website. There were 9 red and 9 white wines in the rotation, and one rose. While the wines may have changed, this gives you and idea of the wines served. The other red wines were:

Bulletin Place Shiraz (Australia)

Castle Rock Pinot Noir (California)

Cline Zinfandel (California)

Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale (France)

I can't believe they would have a Merlot for $13 per bottle that is drinkable. If that is true there is no sense in buying a Wine package since we only drink Red wines. If that is palatable it would work for us however we do prefer Cabs, more of a fruity taste. Doug

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If you can bring wines onboard at the start we will bring some when we get onboard. We like Cabs so if they have some decent cabs we will be fine. Also I would like to know the quality of the main dining room. We normally are in an Aqua room on Celebrity so we usually dine in Blu. Blu has gotten kind of boring, mundane the past couple of cruises. The menu is not very exciting however the service has always been outstanding. How is the main restaurant compared to Blue on Celebrity as far as quality and service. Thank all for their response. Doug

 

Doug: We have sailed on Celebrity only once, in March 2014. We were in a suite, so we had access to Blu and happily dined there often during our voyage, but not so often to find it boring. In the past I would have told you that the AZ main dining room (it's called "Discoveries") was comparable to Blu in quality and had a wider selection of cuisines. But I'm afraid, IMHO, as is true in many cruise lines, the quality and variety are slipping. It's still good, and the service is fine, but...I'm sure you'll have a fine time. Just don't arrive with extreme expectations.

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Doug, having dined in Blu I too find the menu a bit bland and boring, although as you say, the service is very good. On Azamara the buffet restaurant has great options at night. I usually wouldn't be seen in a buffet at night on other cruise lines, including Celebrity but Azamara's is different. It is great to sit outside on a balmy evening, enjoying the sunset.

The MDR has really good food lMHO anyway and the service is excellent. You have the option of Aqualina or Prime C speciality restaurants, free if your in a suite or a very reasonable $25 dollars if your not. They are both excellent.

 

Azamara do a Chef's table night in Prime C varying between French, Italian or Californian nights, where the wines are paired with the food. These are popular nights, so book early if you want to try them. You can do speciality meal packages, which are excellent value if your not in a suite. There is also tapas in The Living Room, little snacks in Mosaic cafe and the new menu in The Patio Grill.

 

Trust me, you won't go hungry on an Azamara ship! :)

 

I find the Cabs eminently drinkable too. They are not vintage of course, if you want to try the wine list then they have a great choice, but the included wines are fine by me and I do know a good wine when I drink it! Azamara allow you to bring on as much wine as you want....as long as it's not many cases of course. You can buy good local wines in your ports and drink them at dinner for a very reasonable corkage fee. I would say hold off buying any drinks packages until you have tried the included wines to see if they are to your taste.

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Hi Lottie,

Glad to say we are on Quest on 17th May ! We previously found the included wines OK - especially after the first 3 glasses.

Anyway you mention 'Speciality Dining Packages'. Havent come across these before so any information would be great.

Best wishes,

Pam

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Hi again Lottie, I guess I was being lazy, but have just found the Dining Packages. We have never done the Chefs Table. The Chefs Table + 1 Prime C and 1 Aqualina looks good. We are only onboard for 8 nights.

Any views on the different Chefs Table options ?

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When planning your eating, one thing that really helps with the newly reimagined azamara is that you can review main dining room menus for the whole cruise on the television in the room.

It is really worth your while to sit down for a few minutes and call up the menu for each day and decide, given what you might be doing in port, how late sail out is, what the menu is what nights you are going to the MDR, what nights the patio etc. We did that on the transatlantic and it was time really well spent as we felt we made the best of all the great choices available and fitted it in well with our personal plans and wishes.

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Hi again Lottie, I guess I was being lazy, but have just found the Dining Packages. We have never done the Chefs Table. The Chefs Table + 1 Prime C and 1 Aqualina looks good. We are only onboard for 8 nights.

Any views on the different Chefs Table options ?

 

Hi Mrs M....how are you? Glad to see you are back on Quest soon. We are doing Journey in June and then Nautica in October....I'm giving O another chance to impress me, but secretly I wish I was on an Azamara cruise. :)

 

I think all the dining package options are good, but the Californian one seemed less popular for some reason. H didn't want to include that one, but the others got booked up very quickly, so do it on embark day if you want to go. I think the Chef's Table + 1 Prime C and 1 Aqualina is the best choice too. Personally I would prefer the Italian choice as I love Italian food. We are off to Italy on Saturday for a land holiday.

 

I hope you and Mr M have a great cruise on Quest.

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Hi again Lottie, I guess I was being lazy, but have just found the Dining Packages. We have never done the Chefs Table. The Chefs Table + 1 Prime C and 1 Aqualina looks good. We are only onboard for 8 nights.

Any views on the different Chefs Table options ?

 

I have to agree with Lottie. I had trouble getting the French. Think my favorite is the Itakien one, personally I am not in love with the CA menu and rarely drink an American wine. The people at the table make a huge difference too. Think you will love doing one wine and one each of each restaurant.

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Thanks Robin, my only concern is the high table and chairs which many are complaining about. We will make up our minds once onboard.

 

I get help getting down if i had one to many . sometimes if a full table hard to get out for a bathroom break. else no problem. read the menu then decide.. i know thy added more dinners with more sea days.. not sure how it sells in europe.

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