Prices: more than Seabourn? How do they compare?

We love Azamara, but are considering Seabourn. Can anybody compare the two? Costs on Azamara seem to be increasing. Just checked out a cruise for $1,000 per person, per day in a standard balcony. Ouch!!! More often, I'm seeing rates in the ~$500 per person per day. I'm finding cruises on Seabourn for less and what appears to be a much nicer cabin. Any comparisons would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

At the moment Azamara have an offer for bookings made until 31st March; the second passenger in the cabin pays half price. Free internet for one device is included.

Check the "Thinking of Azamara" thread on the Seabourn forum.

Cheers,

Floris

Costs on Azamara seem to be increasing. Just checked out a cruise for $1,000 per person, per day in a standard balcony.

I'm curious as to which cruise this is. We've just booked four cruises in a veranda and all are in the $300 -325 per person per night range.

I went back and tried to find the pricing on what I mentioned above. Of course... now I can't. I swear I saw it during one of my searches. Regardless, seems costs of Azamara are increasing to a point that makes trying A luxury line tempting. Just hoping someone could compare their experience on both.

I looked again, and still cannot find what I mentioned in my post. I'd like to delete it. If I can't back something up, then it shouldn't be here. Should have taken a screen shot. Or perhaps I simply misinterpreted. My bad!

Sam, I looked at three of the most popular Azamara cruises for 2018 (fjords, British Open, Grand Prix of Monaco) and verandas were in the $500 per night per person range. That's not cheap, but I can't think of another that would cost twice that.

I've tried one of those so-called "luxury" lines, Regent, twice, and won't go back. The others still seem to be hung up on dress up silliness, sorry to say, and I did enough of that during my business days.

We have cruised Seabourn 7 times and Azamara once. We have cruises booked for the future with both! We really enjoyed Azamara but it wasn't as good as Seabourn in a lot of ways, but was, then, much cheaper. The cabins on Seabourn are huge. And they are all the same, apart from the very expensive ones. You get a walk in closet, a large bathroom with twin sinks, bath and separate shoer cubicle with a DOOR, not a curtain! The room is big too with a separate sitting area with sofa and table. You have a fridge with two litre bottles of spirits and beer and soft drinks, all at no extra charge. Champagne flows freely too. You can have what you want when you want!!

Azamara had lovely staff, good food, friendly passengers and we thoroughly enjoyed it but we don't like the "class system" with priority this and that for suite passengers. There is none of that on Seabourn.

If the prices are similar I would give Seabourn a try!

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Azamara had lovely staff, good food, friendly passengers and we thoroughly enjoyed it but we don't like the "class system" with priority this and that for suite passengers. There is none of that on Seabourn.

Having just spent eighteen nights in a World Ocean Suite on Azamara, I'm curious as to just what "priority this and that for suite passengers" it is to which you are referring. The only "priority" I found was in leaving the ship first for the Azamazing Evening, and, with 600+ passengers attending, someone has to go first or the gangway would be a madhouse. Whom else would you suggest?

If you are referring to perquisites for suite passengers, of course there are some: butler, complimentary dining in specialty restaurants (but no priority in booking; you stand on line or hope your butler gets in the queue early enough to get what you want), more internet minutes and a free laundry bag each week.

Compare that with Seabourn's perquisites for those in higher level suites, akin to the 44 Azamara suites:

• An invitation from the Master for a bridge visit when the ship is in port.
  
• A personal visit from the Hotel Director.
  
• Fresh orchids or potpourri in your bathroom.
  
• All-natural Molton Brown bath and beauty products including Pure Pampering bath oils.
  
• A large basket of succulent tropical fruits.
  
• High-quality bathrobes, soft and luxurious.
  
• Complimentary Internet service.
  
• A large bouquet of fresh flowers when you embark.
  
• A convenient espresso machine with a variety of coffees in your suite.
  
• Complimentary private car transfers between airport and ship.*
  
• A choice of daily newspapers delivered to your suite.**
  
• Wellness Bag exercise kit containing easy-to-carry workout gear available upon request.**
  

Seems to me there really is more than a bit of a "class system" on Seabourn, wouldn't you say?

By the way, any Azamara passenger--not just suite passengers--can go to the guest reception desk and request a bridge, galley, or engine control room tour. And, with the visibility of senior officers on both Azamara ships, from the Captain on down, a "personal visit from the Hotel Director" is hardly necessary for any passenger.

Lastly, I'm not impressed by potpourri in my bathroom, although I believe there may have been some in our World Ocean Suite.

We have cruised with Silversea, Oceania , Azamara (mostly) and, recently, Celebrity.

We find Azamara the most egalitarian of all.

Other than the obvious benefits for those in suites I have felt that, on Azamara, we have always been treated equally to other guests.

We have cruised with Silversea, Oceania , Azamara (mostly) and, recently, Celebrity.

We find Azamara the most egalitarian of all.

Other than the obvious benefits for those in suites I have felt that, on Azamara, we have always been treated equally to other guests.

Agreed, and I have NEVER noticed 'The Class System' on Azamara, with plenty of other cruise lines to compare with and number 10 Azamara coming up!

We love Azamara, but are considering Seabourn. Can anybody compare the two? Costs on Azamara seem to be increasing. Just checked out a cruise for $1,000 per person, per day in a standard balcony. Ouch!!! More often, I'm seeing rates in the ~$500 per person per day. I'm finding cruises on Seabourn for less and what appears to be a much nicer cabin. Any comparisons would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

We have cruised both lines on a number of occasions, however our last Azamara cruise was 2013, the main reason being the ever increasing cost.

We choose our preferred itinerary first and then look around for our preferred cruise line and more often than not Seabourn is a better overall deal. We do choose the cheapest cabin as even those are large with excellent bathrooms and due to the size of the ship you are never far from the open deck spaces, so no need for a verandah. The standard Seabourn cabins are far superior to Azamara.

Food on both lines is excellent as is the interface with the staff.

We will sail Azamara again, at the right price for the product as and when we find what we are looking for, as a final thought I will say that we are trying Viking Ocean as they look to be a similar product.

I agree with Margbern's post. I dearly love both lines and will return to both when the time is right. You do get much more on Seabourn than Azamara, but usually the price point on Seabourn is higher, and reflects the larger suites and far greater array of activities on board. If you can get a lower price on Seabourn, go for it!

Thanks for the information. My biggest concern about Seabourn is the impression I get about formality and dress. While we're not slobs, we're also not into designer clothes, expensive designer bags.... We prefer a more casual atmosphere. My husband prefers khaki pants and nice shirt. He can and will wear a sport coat or even a tux. But that's pushin' it.

Thanks for the information. My biggest concern about Seabourn is the impression I get about formality and dress. While we're not slobs, we're also not into designer clothes, expensive designer bags.... We prefer a more casual atmosphere. My husband prefers khaki pants and nice shirt. He can and will wear a sport coat or even a tux. But that's pushin' it.

While we were on Seabourn for 68 days, there were a number of dress-up nights, but the code was not super-conservative. We wore coats and ties, but we have a dear friend who had some silly fun with this concept. Kinda costumes. And there is the alternative of dining in the Colonnade on the dress-up nights, wth no formal requirements. No restrictions elsewhere on board, as I remember, for those who choose to not be formal.

We have cruised with Silversea, Oceania , Azamara (mostly) and, recently, Celebrity.

We find Azamara the most egalitarian of all.

Other than the obvious benefits for those in suites I have felt that, on Azamara, we have always been treated equally to other guests.

Completely agree with you workingtocruise. Everyone is treated the same on Azamara and that's the way I like it.

Going off topic slightly (apologies OP) hope you enjoyed your recent Celebrity cruise as I know you had some reservations

We have cruised both lines on a number of occasions, however our last Azamara cruise was 2013, the main reason being the ever increasing cost.

 

We choose our preferred itinerary first and then look around for our preferred cruise line and more often than not Seabourn is a better overall deal. We do choose the cheapest cabin as even those are large with excellent bathrooms and due to the size of the ship you are never far from the open deck spaces, so no need for a verandah. The standard Seabourn cabins are far superior to Azamara.

 

Food on both lines is excellent as is the interface with the staff.

 

We will sail Azamara again, at the right price for the product as and when we find what we are looking for, as a final thought I will say that we are trying Viking Ocean as they look to be a similar product.

Haworth,

We returned from a Viking Ocean cruise last weekend. I think you will like it - a stunningly beautiful new ship, lovely crew akin to Azamara's and excellent food. It was a little quiet in the evening but it is a very good product.

Thanks for the information. My biggest concern about Seabourn is the impression I get about formality and dress. While we're not slobs, we're also not into designer clothes, expensive designer bags.... We prefer a more casual atmosphere. My husband prefers khaki pants and nice shirt. He can and will wear a sport coat or even a tux. But that's pushin' it.

I do not bother with a Tux on Seabourn, I am quite happy to comply with the "formal optional" dress code, a nice jacket and open neck shirt, no tie, never experienced any problems.

We enjoy the alternative dining options, Colonade/Patio Grill as we like to eat outside when we can, having said that if we want to eat in the main dining room on formal optional night (dressed as above) we will. A quiet word with the Maitre D at breakfast and a quiet table for 2 away from the crowds will be available.

In my view be yourselves and enjoy the experience.

Yes! Yes! We are booked for a 22 nighter with Viking Oceans next December. We don't do shows, casino or drink (well... a glass or two of wine for me). Love the Scandinavian interior, 2 pools.... Looking forward to trying this line - I'm not the type that sticks with 1 hairdresser either ;-) Keeps me from getting stuck in a rut. And we're sure as heck looking forward to our February, Azamara Cruise. :-)

We spent our Easter 2016 holiday on Az and summer 2016 holiday on Seabourn, standard verandah cabin for both.

Seabourn food was spectacularly better than the Az main dining room, we didn't have great food at Easter, the steaks for example were terrible.

The service on Seabourn was also better by a huge margin. The service in the dining room, our preferences were remembered really quickly, the drinks waiters were fabulous, right there and ready, with a huge range of wines to choose from and they were so keen to find something to meet your taste. Again, at Easter, we felt we had to beg for attention at times and wine waiters were hard to come by. Service in bars too was far superior, for example we were in the top front bar (can't recall the name, the Living Room on Az), transpired the bar wasn't due to be open at that time, but getting a cocktail was no problem at all, anything we wanted. The service, drinks and food were amazing.

The cabin was also better than Az by a huge margin, the size, the bathroom, the wardrobe, all lovely.

There were downsides though, there was a real lack of entertainment and anything going on. For example, there wasn't even a quiz held daily, as soon as something else was going on, quiz cancelled. We missed dining in R2 because the booking rules were not clear, possibly had changed, we missed out anyway. I love the specialities on Az. The water sports day was daft, the only opened it for a tiny amount of time and it was therefore v crowded.

We would sail on either line again happily if price/itinerary was right, though will call it a day with Az if their MDR steaks are as inedible as they were last Easter!

You must have had some bad steaks. Was Filet Mignonette not on the menu at all. We had it several times in Oct/Nov and it was fantastic, every bit as good as the steaks in Prime C, just a bit smaller.

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Meant Filet Mignon - blooming predictive spelling!

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The filet mignon was on once (in 10 days), and was great, agree. It was the New York strip (from the menu that's available every day) that was poor.

Completely agree with you workingtocruise. Everyone is treated the same on Azamara and that's the way I like it.

 

Going off topic slightly (apologies OP) hope you enjoyed your recent Celebrity cruise as I know you had some reservations

Apologies again to the OP .. Yes, thank you for remembering, we had a most enjoyable cruise on Celebrity ( it wasn't Azamara but, then again, we knew it wouldn't be!)

I should probably do a "compare and contrast" review but, at the moment, we're busy planning for our Azamara cruise next month (and trying to fit in working somewhere along the way!)

We have cruised with Silversea, Oceania , Azamara (mostly) and, recently, Celebrity.

We find Azamara the most egalitarian of all.

Other than the obvious benefits for those in suites I have felt that, on Azamara, we have always been treated equally to other guests.

Just want to say that I absolutely agree with you, having also sailed on those lines. Azamara is still our favourite although I would readily go on any of the others if the itinerary was right.