Will Azamara fit our dempgraphic ?

Hi

We are a late forties couple with an older teenage son ,and have travelled extensively .Due to a number of work factors we had hoped that cruising would provide a solid base for travelling and remaining in contact with work.

Our first cruise was on the Royal Princess in the Med and it really did not "click" with us the ship itself was asleep at 8.00 pm and a number of the passenger base where grumpy ,demanding and difficult which did not make

for a pleasant experience .

We are looking at the Azamara Quest in Asia Jan 2015 as an option is Azamara a friendly ,fun place to be with high end service and facilities ,which would suit our age group?

Kind Regards

Tony

Our first cruise was on the Royal Princess in the Med and it really did not "click" with us the ship itself was asleep at 8.00 pm and a number of the passenger base where grumpy ,demanding and difficult which did not make

for a pleasant experience .

You know darn well why the ship was asleep by 8:00 pm, very port intensive. I did a Ruby med cruise a couple years ago and I was in bed by 9:00 and I am 50 yo.

You will like Azamara though but expect an older demographic and the ship asleep by 8:30pm or earlier.

We've sailed on 2 Azamara cruises. One featured the British Open and the other the West Indies. The demographic on the British Open cruise was much younger than the West Indies. There were NO children on the West Indies cruise and only a few on the British Open Cruise. There was a teenager on the British Open cruise who played golf with his Dad. Personally I would not bring my children or grandchildren on an Azamara cruise.

I haven't seen the itinerary of the Cruise you are thinking about. If it's port intensive then demographic will not be important but if there are several sea days then this cruise may not suit your family.

I have never been on an Azamara Asian cruise but have been on four others. I have never seen a teenage passenger although I have heard that the senior officers occasionally bring their families along. Azamara is not a cruise line for teens or younger...nothing for them to do other than hang at the pool with people that are their grandparents age or older. And the sight of teens splashing about and/or squealing would upset the others. My last cruise was West Indies a few weeks ago and the demographic was much older than any other cruise I have been upon.

Thank You for the replies it looks like Azamara is not going to work ,we will keep looking .It is a shame as the larger ship mainstream product just does not offer the higher level of amenities we prefer.

The demographic on the West Indies cruise was the oldest we've ever experienced. We felt young on that cruise!

Azamara is really not for teenagers or children...there is nothing for them to do.

The demographic on the West Indies cruise was the oldest we've ever experienced. We felt young on that cruise!

 

Azamara is really not for teenagers or children...there is nothing for them to do.

Thank you I must admit we where in the younger crowd on the Royal Princess but we met some really interesting and fun people with some great life stories.

The particular cruise we where looking at only had a couple of sea days and our son is an older teen who really does not need entertaining .

We have had a great deal of trouble identifying an option for future cruise holidays as we like to book suites and travel on interesting port intensive intineries .Windstar was another option we were looking at .

Thank You for the replies it looks like Azamara is not going to work ,we will keep looking .It is a shame as the larger ship mainstream product just does not offer the higher level of amenities we prefer.

If you have the money, look at Crystal. Ships are larger, about a 1000 passengers, all inclusive, have amenities for teens and younger as many travel with their wealthy grandparents, and have excellent service and food. Crystal is not cheap but for luxury lines they seem to be the most youth/kid friendly. And they have a reputation of being awake late since Crystal is not port intensive.

For a lower price point, Celebrity is worth a look.

We're booked on a Crystal Cruise from Beijing to Hong Kong in 2015. We picked it because it's port intensive and the 3 day precruise tour in Beijing. It's our first cruise on Crystal.

The Diamond Princess also sails in Asia. We sailed the Diamond from Auckland to Sydney....love Sydney!! Enjoyed the ship.

Thank you I must admit we where in the younger crowd on the Royal Princess but we met some really interesting and fun people with some great life stories.

 

The particular cruise we where looking at only had a couple of sea days and our son is an older teen who really does not need entertaining .

 

We have had a great deal of trouble identifying an option for future cruise holidays as we like to book suites and travel on interesting port intensive intineries .Windstar was another option we were looking at .

Hmmm....I must have mistakenly interpreted that you were looking for a high end ship but larger than Azamara and with youth facilities. Crystal fits that bill but if what you are mainly looking for is reasonably luxurious with friendly passengers Azamara can fit that as well; just no facilities for teens and people go to bed by 10 pm. If you want high end suite style cruises with many ports Seabourn new ships may also fit your style. Windstar ships are relatively tiny by comparison to all these. If you want younger demographics you are back to the mega ships, Celebrity being my preference. Guess it depends on your priorities.

Thanks I will have a look at Crystal ,cost is not really an issue the time of year maybe a problem as we can only really travel in Jan due to work and my sons schooling.The Caribbean is not an area we have considered as it is difficult to access from Australia so our destinations are somewhat limited.

If you have the money, look at Crystal. Ships are larger, about a 1000 passengers, all inclusive, have amenities for teens and younger as many travel with their wealthy grandparents, and have excellent service and food. Crystal is not cheap but for luxury lines they seem to be the most youth/kid friendly. And they have a reputation of being awake late since Crystal is not port intensive.

 

For a lower price point, Celebrity is worth a look.

We're booked on a Crystal Cruise from Beijing to Hong Kong in 2015. We picked it because it's port intensive and the 3 day precruise tour in Beijing. It's our first cruise on Crystal.

The Diamond Princess also sails in Asia. We sailed the Diamond from Auckland to Sydney....love Sydney!! Enjoyed the ship.

I am booked on Symphony for the July 2014 Norway cruise. Also port intensive, although there are few true ports in Norway. But if you read the Crystal boards it is obvious that Crystal regulars prefer the onboard experience to trekking about. My wife likes ports, I like being taken care of. Different strokes.

Thanks I will have a look at Crystal ,cost is not really an issue the time of year maybe a problem as we can only really travel in Jan due to work and my sons schooling.The Caribbean is not an area we have considered as it is difficult to access from Australia so our destinations are somewhat limited.

Azamara is popular with your fellow Aussies. If your son doesn't require entertainment it might work. Don't expect a party boat but every cruise I have had has had friendly passengers, officers, and crew. But the demographics do trend upward with 60 being my guess as a median age.

We were on the Quest in July 2012 for a Mediterranean cruise. There were some teenagers with families on board. Saw them around the pool a few times and in the MDR. Always well behaved. If your son doesn't need constant entertainment and is comfortable in an adult setting, then I would encourage you to consider Azamara.

I am booked on Symphony for the July 2014 Norway cruise. Also port intensive, although there are few true ports in Norway. But if you read the Crystal boards it is obvious that Crystal regulars prefer the onboard experience to trekking about. My wife likes ports, I like being taken care of. Different strokes.

We were fortunate to have lived in Stavanger, Norway in the late 70's and 90's. We love Norway!! We have taken 4 or 5 cruises there since we left.

We were on Azamara last April. We too are in our late 40's and were worried about the 'older' demographic that we might encounter, but really wanted to do the itinerary that was offered. Don't get me wrong we love our more senior people, but as I work in aged care, I wanted a break. There was absolutely no problem with the fabulous mix of passengers on the Journey. There were quite a few younger than us 30 - 40 and those who were more mature, but there was never any problem mixing or finding someone to have a drink with or a meal, or a chat in the pool.

Thanks to the anytime dining, we tended to stay at the pool bar till it closed, then head to dinner a bit later. This way we had missed the initial rush, but still had the chance to dine with fellow guests or just ourselves.

As we like to have 'later' nights we did find that it was a bit quiet, at times, but on other nights the 'boat really rocked'!! As for your son, I am sure he will find enough to keep him happy. There was table tennis and dart competitions.

The crew is young and really friendly, and will always be looking out to make sure he is enjoying himself. That's the beauty of a small ship, they care, and they notice. And I'm sure your fellow passengers will welcome and include him

as there didn't seem to be that 'snobby this is adults only' thing going on........

or at least that's the vibe I got. And Asia is a fabulous place for the young and the young at heart!!

There were many fellow countrymen on our cruise, and we have made some great friendships with some of those we met.

Whatever you choose, may you have an enjoyable cruise.

Happy Christmas

Thank You for the replies it looks like Azamara is not going to work ,we will keep looking .It is a shame as the larger ship mainstream product just does not offer the higher level of amenities we prefer.

If your son is interested in the itinerary, suggest you reconsider. If he's most interested in younger on-board entertainment then you'll need to look at larger ships. We did the Discover Vietnam and Thailand on Journey this past Feb. We were actually surprised that it was a good mix of demographics from 40s on up. Lots of Oz passengers. But an active passenger group due to the interesting ports. Another consideration is that the large ships can't get close to places like Saigon and Bangkok. The smaller ones can sail right up the rivers and dock in the cities. The Az officers and crews really do set it apart from the rest!

Thank you this was the particular cruise we had in mind as had an interesting itinerary and we have avoided Asia in the past as we are not into resort based holidays and land travel was a hassle with my work contact requirements .

If your son is interested in the itinerary, suggest you reconsider. If he's most interested in younger on-board entertainment then you'll need to look at larger ships. We did the Discover Vietnam and Thailand on Journey this past Feb. We were actually surprised that it was a good mix of demographics from 40s on up. Lots of Oz passengers. But an active passenger group due to the interesting ports. Another consideration is that the large ships can't get close to places like Saigon and Bangkok. The smaller ones can sail right up the rivers and dock in the cities. The Az officers and crews really do set it apart from the rest!

Hi All

We have tried to find something else in our desired timeline but all the other cruise product in Asia at this time is well below the normal quality standard we would book .Crystal had a couple of cruises but we wanted a Hong to Singapore or reverse so we could have a couple of days in each city

Thank you this was the particular cruise we had in mind as had an interesting itinerary and we have avoided Asia in the past as we are not into resort based holidays and land travel was a hassle with my work contact requirements .

Have you considered the Paul Gauguin?

While I agree that it is unlikely that your son will meet companions of a similar age on Azamara, I believe you would still all have a memorable holiday.

We almost booked a Crystal cruise recently but held back because we felt it might be a little stuffy for us.

The relaxed atmosphere and friendliness and dedication of the Azamara crew is exceptional IMO.

Hi

We did look at it but we have done this area a couple of times already and the weather is not that great in Jan

Have you considered the Paul Gauguin?

Based on two TA trips on Azamara, IMO, your teenager will be quite bored. There really isn't much for young people other than table tennis and the fitness center. And even for younger adults, it's a pretty sleepy experience. On one crossing, a small group of 40-somethings went to the disco each night, but only a dozen max, and they were all alone. Daytime activities are mostly trivia games, and nighttime, mostly eating. If the itinerary and ports are attractive to your family, you could make this work. Otherwise I would recommend a line with a younger demographic.

Seems to me it depends on the itinerary. A trans-Atlantic or repositioning cruise with few ports would not be a good choice. For a port-intensive cruise, the ship is a place to eat and sleep when not on shore exploring new and exciting places. I would have loved a Mediterranean or Baltic or Black Sea or Southeast Asia cruise as a teen.

Hi

The cruise we are looking at is port intensive Asia ,even I could not cope with a TA a couple of sea days and I am done with the ship I need to get ashore and explore

Based on two TA trips on Azamara, IMO, your teenager will be quite bored. There really isn't much for young people other than table tennis and the fitness center. And even for younger adults, it's a pretty sleepy experience. On one crossing, a small group of 40-somethings went to the disco each night, but only a dozen max, and they were all alone. Daytime activities are mostly trivia games, and nighttime, mostly eating. If the itinerary and ports are attractive to your family, you could make this work. Otherwise I would recommend a line with a younger demographic.