Thinking of Azamara

Hi Everyone,

We are thinking of a Christmas and New Year cruise with Azamara only because of the itinerary.

Having only sailed with Seabourn and Silversea I am apprehensive about sailing with another cruise line.

Friends of ours rave about Azamara and say their is not a lot of difference.

Having researched Azamara the suits/cabins look smaller however, I believe if you book a club continental suite they are about the same size and quality of a Seabourn suite.

Any advise would be appreciated.:)

We sailed Azamara last year in the Caribbean. It is certainly not Seabourn but we really enjoyed it. The service was excellent, included wine and spirits good, prosecco now included but not champagne. Our cabin was very small with a tiny bathroom but we looked in a suite and it was on a par with Seabourn for size so that would be a good idea for you. The food was good, sometimes excellent, on occasion a dish was not so good but was changed immediately on asking. We ate at the Chef's table one night which has an extra charge and that was absolutely fantastic. There are two speciality restaurants with an extra charge too. They were OK but not outstanding. As a suite guest you would have access to these included in your fare.

The captain and staff were very visible and friendly, just as on Seabourn. We didn't like the fact that suite guests were accorded priority boarding etc as that obviously doesn't happen on Seabourn, but again if you have a suite you will get those perks! The shows were similar to Seabourn's and the CD, Eric de Gray was fabulous, an ex Seabourn CD.

I would say go for it if the itinerary is what you want. Go with an open mind and don't expect it to be on a par with Seabourn, but enjoy it for what it is. It beats RC and Holland America (our only other two cruise experiences) hands down. ( We have seven Seabourn cruises under our belts).

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Margbem,

Thank you so much for that very useful information, its nice that you have sailed with Seabourn and can make the comparison.

We wanted a Christmas/New Year cruise not having done one before.

Have a great new year.

Forgot to mention, the cruise is Hong Kong to Singapore, 16 days. It looks like Azamara spend more time in the port, 2 nights Bangkok, two nights in Vietnam.

Hi Everyone,

 

We are thinking of a Christmas and New Year cruise with Azamara only because of the itinerary.

 

 

 

Having only sailed with Seabourn and Silversea I am apprehensive about sailing with another cruise line.

 

 

 

Friends of ours rave about Azamara and say their is not a lot of difference.

 

 

 

Having researched Azamara the suits/cabins look smaller however, I believe if you book a club continental suite they are about the same size and quality of a Seabourn suite.

 

 

 

Any advise would be appreciated.:)

My sister and brother in law travel Azamara. They say the cabins are small, but otherwise they are pleased although my sister tells me the toiletries are sub par and so she has to bring her own. They would not like the sociability of SB but Azamara is good for transport between ports. They do get the premium suites and packages, so you may want to consider that.

Sent telepathically.

Mary and I took Azamara Journey on the Hong Kong to Singapore cruise 2 years ago and have taken 3 Azamara cruises, the first in a regular balcony, next in the penthouse and the last in the owners suite. I would definitely recommend taking a suite, you would find the standard balcony too small and not the most comfortable for a 16 day cruise. However, we had good cruises on Azamara and I think you will enjoy. The ship docks at very convenient locations in most of the ports, however Hanoi is a long (over 3 hours) ride over 3rd world roads and hardly worth the trip, IMHO. Food is generally good but usually not outstanding. Crew is usually very friendly, helpful and well trained. It is a more casual ship than Seabourn, no formal nights, which we like.

It's certainly worth taking for that itinerary.

Thank you all for your kind replies, that information is very useful indeed. We will book a suite, we are used to the comfort of Seabourn and Silversea.

As always,buyer beware.

Good luck

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As always,buyer beware.

Good luck

 

 

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Not sure what you mean, but willing to give anything a try once!:)

I have to respectfully disagree that Hanoi is not worth the three hour trip from Halong Bay. Usually Azamara overnights in ports like this and if this is the case here, I would recommend spending the night in a hotel in Hanoi instead of driving both ways on one day. Hanoi is a vibrant city with many important things to see imo.

…. Friends of ours rave about Azamara and say their is not a lot of difference.

Having researched Azamara the suits/cabins look smaller however, I believe if you book a club continental suite they are about the same size and quality of a Seabourn suite.

Any advise would be appreciated.:)

Seabourn is superior in public room decor and furnishings, stateroom amenities, mattresses and linens. Even though Azamara has recently "reimagined" their ships, they still don't ooze top quality. Some areas are already showing signs of wear and tear after only a few short months. The Club Continent suites are nice but not as well appointed as a SB suite.

I'd give SB the nod for better dining. They have more varied menus, better quality ingredients and overall superior choices in the main restaurants and the specialties. Like SB, Azamara has theme buffets on selected nites and they can be excellent. Azamara also tries to source local ingredients and bring them onboard whenever possible, thus allowing the chefs to break free from scripted menus. Azamara includes selected wines, spirits and beer but SB provides more extensive and premium choices. Pre-dinner appetizers are offered in the Living Room on Azamara but it's a self-serve station. If caviar is your thing, look to pay a hefty surcharge on Azamara for what is freely available on SB.

Azamara is similar to SB in creating a very welcoming atmosphere on board. Officers, staff and crew are accessible and they genuinely want you to have the best cruise possible. It's hard not to be positively affected by their enthusiasm. Service on Azamara is friendly and familiar, albeit less refined than on SB. Photographers and art dealers are omnipresent on Azamara, though that may be changing. Cruise staff on Azamara perform as part of the evening entertainment, much like on SB.

Azamara has chosen to differentiate itself on destination immersion but is somewhat limited by having only a 2-ship fleet. It's hard for them to cover the waterfront. SB offers equally compelling port intensive itineraries. Most Azamara voyages include a complimentary excursion known as Azamazing Evening. Some of these evenings are wonderful and others not so much. It's sometimes tough for Azamara to find an appropriate venue to wow almost 700 guests. I'd give the edge to SB for quality of destination experts and guest lecturers.

Bottom line, if you go on Azamara not expecting Seabourn, all should be well.

Hi Everyone,

We are thinking of a Christmas and New Year cruise with Azamara only because of the itinerary.

 

Having only sailed with Seabourn and Silversea I am apprehensive about sailing with another cruise line.

 

Friends of ours rave about Azamara and say their is not a lot of difference.

 

Having researched Azamara the suits/cabins look smaller however, I believe if you book a club continental suite they are about the same size and quality of a Seabourn suite.

 

Any advise would be appreciated.:)

Hello Fudge,

We'd love to have you sail with us on Azamara Club Cruises!

Hong Kong-Singapore over the holidays is a great itinerary. And yes we are known for Longer Stays in Ports, More Overnights and Night Touring.

Don't interpret this as a criticism of Seabourn...I'm a big, heartfelt fan of SCL.

But I'd love to introduce you (all of you) to the warm hospitality of Azamara.

I would say, give AZ a try. Here is my experience: In order to get a comparable stateroom to Seabourn, you have to upgrade to the Club Continent on AZ. Then you get unlimited access to their speciality restaurants, which we have found to be superior to the cuisine in the MDR on Seabourn. Beverages and service are superior on Seabourn, as is their enrichment program, which barely exists on AZ. AZ attracts a hugely social and non-snobby clientele, which can be great fun, while we found some fellow PAX on Seabourn to be a bit too class-conscious (although we made some dear, dear friends on Seabourn). Seabourn houses 2/3 of the PAX as AZ on the same size ship, so the result is lots and lots of brilliant public spaces and almost private quiet areas, which are hard to find on AZ. Compare prices, not sure if AZ wins all things considered. But we've had great times on AZ and will surely return. We would love to return to Seabourn, but have not yet found the right itinerary (think crossing) for us. Interesting for me to make these comparisons.

Thank you everyone, this thread has been really helpful for making choices.

We dont expect Azamara to be Seabourn or for that matter Silversea however, given what you kind people have advised it sounds like a decent cruise line.

Its the itinerary we do like, never cruised over Christmas or the New Year, thanks again for your advise.

Glad you found all the replies helpful, Fudge. Go for Azamara and enjoy it. We found the fellow passengers very nice and friendly, just as on Seabourn. Interestingly, when we paid for the speciality restaurants on Azamara we were disappointed and found the food not as good as Seabourn MDR, the opposite to tv24's comment above.

We are taking a second Azamara cruise in June to Norway and the Arctic circle. Do we wish we were going on Seabourn? Yes, but at half the price due to a special offer we will enjoy our cruise and look forward to another trip on SeBourn in 2018!

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So summing up if you can't afford Seabourn try Azamazingmara

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So summing up if you can't afford Seabourn try Azamazingmara

 

 

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Not really sure that holds water. If you book a Club continent suite on AZ you will probably be playing a very similar amount to Seabourn. And if you don't book a suite on AZ you will regret it.

Yes I think you're right Henry

We do see these comparison questions come up a lot and so far nothing compares to Seabourn when you break it all down for quality and value

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So summing up if you can't afford Seabourn try Azamazingmara

 

 

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We can easily afford Seabourn or Silversea having cruised 8 between them, its itinerary we are going for, SB or SS do not have the cruises we want at that time of year.

I tried Azamara and loved it! I did, however, upgrade to a suite, so that made a big difference. For those that loved Eric DeGray on SB, you're in luck! He has been employed by AZ for some time now!

So many choices...Aren't we lucky? Concerning Azamara, in our opinion an R-Ship is an R-Ship is an R-Ship. We have enjoyed them, including the aft Owner's Suite which is great, but they are not our fave ships. Azamara has a certain style as has been mentioned. I believe this comes from a fair amount of top management, including Larry Pimentel, and ship staff, including Capt. Tysse-our favorite, coming from SeaDream. That has to contribute to the friendly, accessible, casual style. And Azamara does have some different itineraries from the rest. Hard to make a bad choice between these two lines.:D

As a longtime and ongoing supporter of Azamara and having recently returned from Seabourn Sojourn, the immediate and glaring difference between Seabourn and Azamara is the hardware. Whilst the Azamara ships are very comfortable and very well maintained, they are of their time, whereas the Seabourn Sojourn was much more modern with loads of public and private space both on deck and inside, and never felt crowded. The cabin size issue has been well ventilated on this site, but the in suite bar set up, no charge speciality restaurants, and other slightly more polished aspects of presentation should be noted and adopted by Azamara.

That been said, we have just booked Azamara Journey for March which speaks volumes.

I've found this string very informative, since I too have been interested in Azamara's holiday 2017 itineraries. We've sailed SB multiple times (most recently on the 33-day Dubai to Singapore holiday cruise). We like SB very much, but are thinking about trying Azamara because of the itinerary.

The detailed comments by posters who have sailed both lines are extremely helpful.

Hi there

We have done 35 days Az from Istanbul to Nice. I think the comments made pretty much sum things up. Ours was a charter cruise, so perhaps some things were different. Just check you aren't booking on during a charter operation - it happens.

Staff - very obliging. General wait and bar staff are predominantly Filipino (SB European) and have a great sense of humour.

Rooms - yes, go for Club Continental for some room. The bathrooms otherwise are quite small - OK for a short trip, but...Take note of where the laundry is on deck 6 or 7 (?) and stay well away. It's located amidst suites.

Food - specialty restaurants were just OK. The Italian one better than the steak. MDR was fine. It was nice to have a cook to order station in the buffet for wonderful Asian soups and stirfrys and noodles. Something SB could add.

Entertainment - glad the CD got off part way through our cruise. Entertainment staff were ordinary, but so are Seabourn these days. Out of the same mould, same shows etc. Other visiting entertainers are the same as SB.

Itineraries are good and they do include quite a few overnights stays which is great.

Hope you enjoy your trip. It will be hot and humid at that time of year.

Having tried Az last year in a CC suite, i would never travel with them again. The only thing i found to be comparable to SB were the two specialty restaurants.

Everything else including service, room, toiletries, lunches, breakfasts,drinks were not in the same class.

Some very unhelpful staff too. Plus they mixed the most awful cocktails i have ever had, at which point i gave up trying to get a decent one. Even complaining about them didnt get a resolution.

Az is a premium line, which will never match SB luxury. Even if i couldnt afford SB i wouldnt travel AZ, which is a shame as they have such good itineraries.