Spirit Vs Quest-Advice

Looking at similar cruises for January 2016 on Azamara Quest and Silver Spirit. Azamara is priced higher, cabins (club continent suite) are higher than Spirit Veranda Suites and ship is actually a bit smaller with over 100 more PAX. The Quest has recently been in dry dock so cabins may feel fresher. Does anyone have any experience with both brands and also, any comments about smoothness of the "ride" on each?

I have never been on Azamara and never will - but there is this - :eek:

http://www.cruisepassenger.com.au/mexican-adult-company-charters-azamara-quest-erotic-cruise/

I did see that on their boards. To each his/her own I guess...

With clothing optional on the Quest, it should be easy to decide on the cruise line.

Clothing optional?!

Looking at similar cruises for January 2016 on Azamara Quest and Silver Spirit. Azamara is priced higher, cabins (club continent suite) are higher than Spirit Veranda Suites and ship is actually a bit smaller with over 100 more PAX. The Quest has recently been in dry dock so cabins may feel fresher. Does anyone have any experience with both brands and also, any comments about smoothness of the "ride" on each?

I assume you mean January 2017?

yes-one cruise is Jan 4th 2017, the other January 5th and they are both in the Caribbean

Looking at similar cruises for January 2016 on Azamara Quest and Silver Spirit. Azamara is priced higher, cabins (club continent suite) are higher than Spirit Veranda Suites and ship is actually a bit smaller with over 100 more PAX. The Quest has recently been in dry dock so cabins may feel fresher. Does anyone have any experience with both brands and also, any comments about smoothness of the "ride" on each?

We have been on the Spirit and the Azamara Journey, a twin of the Quest. The Azamara is one of the previous R ships and similar to the trio sailing for Oceania. The Azamara is even more casual than Oceania: While Oceania staterooms are "plain functional" the public areas are "ornate" to an extent. The Azamara ships are "plain functional" throughout, with no pretence of luxury whatsoever. Oceania guests dress casually, but still try to be fashionable, Azamara guests are as down to earth as you can find.

The food on Oceania is good, the food on Azamara is also quite good, especially in the specialty restaurants. If you take a "minisuite' which you are in your example, all specialty restaurant meals are included, and on a priority basis. The size of the Azamara minisuite is basically the same as a Spirit regular cabin/"basic suite", the Azamara one is more squarish, with no partition between the living and sleeping areas, unlike the Spirit, with distinctly separated (albeit with a curtain) living and sleeping areas, and separate televisions.

Perhaps you would like to read our rather detailed old reports:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1317609

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1482473

which will tell you more than you may wish to know!

Hi Meow, kudos for providing one the best answers on cruise critic I have seen to a poster's (yogagal47) post/question. Your reviews provide exceptional detail which we all know you continuously provide. Again, well done.

Hi Meow, kudos for providing one the best answers on cruise critic I have seen to a poster's (yogagal47) post/question. Your reviews provide exceptional detail which we all know you continuously provide. Again, well done.

So nice to hear from our Colonel again. Your compliment has been well appreciated .. meow!

Yes- very helpful response to my question. We were on Journey but it was in 2012 Rio to BA. We had a fantastic cruise with Captain Johannes whom we had met on an earlier Sea Dream cruise. Now the ships have been in dry dock and Azamara has gone all inclusive I think we will be even happier.

Looking at similar cruises for January 2016 on Azamara Quest and Silver Spirit. Azamara is priced higher, cabins (club continent suite) are higher than Spirit Veranda Suites and ship is actually a bit smaller with over 100 more PAX. The Quest has recently been in dry dock so cabins may feel fresher. Does anyone have any experience with both brands and also, any comments about smoothness of the "ride" on each?

As an 'R ship' the Quest was built to be sailed in the calmer waters of the Pacific. We have not been on it but have sailed on a couple of its sister ships. The ride is ok, but probably not as good as more modern cruise ships like the Spirit. I doubt the stabilisation system has been modernised. It is likely to feel much more crowded than the Spirit, particularly in the public spaces.

I would like to add some additional points on the comparison question.

First, the crew passenger ratio is infinitely better on the Spirit than with Azamara, so this should lead to a higher service Level on the former.

Having cruised on five of the eight R class ship's under four different owners we have found the ships sail very well and I would not rank the Spirit any higher. Indeed, SS captains find the Spirit alone amongst the line's classic fleet to be difficult to manoeuvre.

Colin Brown's spouse Jean Marc, worked a contract on the Journey as Restaurant Manager in early 2015. He reported he never had a full complement of crew. Our experience in the MDR last September on the Journey bore this out because the waiters were run ragged and staff from the shop and the Casino were drafted in to assist. Our view of the food was on the whole good, sometimes very good, but only reached excellent in the paid for steak restaurant.

Last Seotember, - Azamara held its cocktail parties at 5.30 pm to suit the preference of the demographics it attracts. We queried whether this was an extension to afternoon tea! SS on the other hand, hold theirs at 7.00 pm. Following from this, with a full ship last September, we always had to wait for a table for dinner, if we arrived between 7.30 and 8.00 pm, because so many passengers on Azamara dine very early by SS standards.

On Pool Deck on SS a request to a crew member for a towel for a lounger would result in one being brought immediately, even sometimes rushing across the deck to cover the lounger with towels. On the Journey last September, the same request brought forth the response - "they are over there"! It is that crew passenger ratio again.

We would only sail Azamara again if SS did not offer a comparable itinerary, as was the case last September.

Azamara's publicity sometimes makes a claim that they are a luxury line. Even its officers on board refute this. SS is a luxury line.

Kindest regards

Master Echo