M&PGermany

I hope this wasn't a surprise to you, as it should be pretty obvious that any cruise ship specialty restaurant would be superior in these regards to a much larger main dining room. I think it's a better comparison to look at other ships of comparable size and compare main dining rooms, and our experience is that Azamara's are at least the equal of Regent's. I can't speak to Crystal as I have no interest in that cruise line, or Seabourn for that matter.

 

If you're saying dessert items like cakes or pies or the like are baked beforehand, that also is no revelation. What I would say is that I often order an appetizer portion of the pasta of the day and often mix side dishes from different main course dishes so I doubt if those dishes are prepared in bulk and carried up to the main dining room on large trays. In fact, I like to watch the waiters do their thing and I always see our dishes brought up together, usually by the assistant waiter, and then served to us

 

Sorry, but our experiences in the main dining room (at least 150 to 175 dinners) are very different from what you've described, and I'm always concerned when others accept the few negative descriptions as being the norm and are therefore turned off to a cruise line.

 

Your description of the Club Continent Suite is quite misleading and I have to correct it. True, it is no more a suite of rooms than any one room stateroom on Regent, where all staterooms are rather grandiosely called "suites." But a Club Continent Suite is exactly 50% larger than a veranda stateroom, not just "a bit" larger. That is, two Club Continent Suites take up exactly the space of three veranda staterooms. In my opinion, that would justify a 50% increase in price, as you could put 50% more passengers in that space, but the price difference is rarely (though perhaps sometimes, depending on stateroom availability close to departure date) close to that.

 

I'm sorry you didn't care for some aspects of your Azamara cruise, but I don't think that justifies misleading others about the cruise line.

Hi, Marinaro,

thanks for stating the obvious once more and yes, I am aware that in general the specialty restaurants are superior to MDR food.

Also, I am in no way trying to mislead anyone, I am choosing to post MY opinion on certain topics here in this forum. It is nothing else than my opinion and I do appreciate very much that you accept that other people may have views that differ from yours. I think anyone should be able to take both positive and negative comments into consideration and then come to his or her own conclusion.

Also, I think it is rather amusing how you try to defend Azamara against all evil. Azamara is a modern company, they can deal with (and encourage cruisers to give) feedback. The "free" feedback they receive here in this forum is worth good money for the company adjusting the product to the market and the customers. Or why, in your opinion, do you think they pay somebody to engage in forums?

Finally, I think Azamara is a VERY GOOD and SOLID cruise line. I would recommend Azamara to anyone who isn't quite sure whether to book it or not and I would not hesitate to choose another Azamara cruise again.

But I will always continue to say what I liked and didn't like about my cruise and not even you will stop me from doing it

I

Hi Marinaro44,

 

Many thanks for your helpful comments.

 

I am so confused as there are so so many conflicting reviews

 

A much as I would like to try an Azamara cruise I feel hesitant to spend 14 days on board a ship being unhappy for one reason or another - it would be so so pointless and a total waste of money. I'm lost !!

Don't base your decision on the restaurant thing alone. Azamara is a very good (yet quite a pricey) product. I really liked the fellow passengers factor. The people on the boat are very talkative, friendly and well travelled. For me THAT is a major selling point. I spent much more time with other people than I ever did on an Oceania cruise.

I think grandma was referring to the difference between the HAL ship and the Azamara ship, not between the two Azamara ships.

 

And I'm with grandma: Azamara's main dining room food has always been fine, and it is brought to the dining room individually by your wait team, and not "mass-produced and brought out in bulk on large trays."

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Of course MDR food (appetizers, desserts) is always prepared beforehand, otherwise serving a few hundred passengers at almost the same time would be impossible. And of course they bring out food orders on larger trays. What other way would there be to handle the many orders.

What I found problematic was that the dishes weren't very creative. It was a very standard cuisine and, to be honest, I was expecting more. Prime C, Aqualina and Windows were much, much better regarding atmosphere, food presentation, food quality and service.

Hi M&P Germany,

 

Truly interested to learn of your experience and read your full review.

 

Have you per chance seen or traveled in a Club Continent Suite?

The Club Continent rooms are lovely designed deluxe staterooms with extra perks but nowhere close to a "suite". They are a bit larger than the regular rooms but I'd say the only thing that is really bigger is the bathroom. HOWEVER, I don't think that justifies the huge price difference.

We are considering taking this cruise in November as we would love to see some of India.

 

However there are so many conflicting reviews of the ship - from small cabins - to inferior food - most notable example of big ship processes was in the main dining room where entrees arrived soggy from spending too much time under the "dome" after being plated. Although they seat you at tables for two, meals seemed to be mass produced and brought out in bulk on large trays, just like on the mega ships. Of the seven nights, three dinners in the main dining room and none were excellent.

 

On to the specialty restaurants. After reading Cruise Critic's recommendation of Aqualina, we booked two dinners there and one at Prime C. Big mistake. Aqualina was mediocre at best with a somewhat limited menu. However, Prime C was actually excellent. If sailing Azamara, be sure to book dinner at Prime C as much as possible.

 

As to service - Service was good, but not fabulous. And much less personalized than on a true small ship. If you want over the top service and a true small-ship experience, don't expect it here.

 

On our day at sea all loungers on the pool and sun decks were taken (and most were occupied). There was some space for additional loungers.

 

My daughter has just returned from a Cruise on the Oceania Riviera and everything from the size of the cabin and balcony to service and the food was simply par excellence.

 

We are thinking of booking a Club Continent Suite - anyone who has recently been on board - please enlighten me as to your thoughts

 

Would welcome and appreciate all views and recommendations

Hi Kidson,

I absolutely agree with every thing you have mentioned above. It is exactly the impression I got on my Aza Journey cruise. The MDR was a total letdown twice so we didn't bother going there again. Windows had very good food at all times. So even though I would have prefered to be served at dinner time we chose to use the buffet much more than we would normally have.

The pool deck is just not a very good layout. I think they could do much better there. Nothing for claustrophobic people.

Service was very good (and I always like to point out how hard working the staff is !!) but not personalized.

I look forward to your review in due course. We are going on 3 night taster cruise in August and I have one very quick question. I appreciate that drinks are included but they only ever seem to mention wines, beers and spirits; are cocktails included?:)

 

Thanks.

Hi,

they provide a list of all the cocktails which are included at every bar. Just turn to the last page. While the presentation of the cocktails itself is not very luxurious, you will surely find a cocktail you like. Cognacs etc. are all extra, though.

Question from us, going on Journey for first time at the end of August. Are there sauna and/or steam rooms available anywhere? If so is there charge to use?

 

Many thanks.

 

Woodards.

Hey Woodards,

there is a steam room available within the SANCTUM spa and gym facilities on deck 9 forward. The steam rooms are seperate for men & women in the changing rooms but there is no sauna. There is no charge but if you want to use the exclusive SANCTUM spa deck in front of the ship (with a hot tub and loungers) there is an extra fee if you're not staying in a suite.

Good morning, im looking forward to your review when you have time to post. Triona

Hi Triona,

it was almost 2 weeks from Venice to Barcelona, so quite a bit to write about ;)

... and willing to answer any questions. :cool:

My review will also be online shortly.

Same on QE just recently.

We got PG menus in our room folder and you could order room service from it as well. Also, the breakfast forms for PG&QG have a different colour than the ones in Britannia. Maybe other items on it...

Why are you sailing with Cunard in the first place?

You could book a cruise line (especially in the Med) which offers bathtubs in all categories and are similarly priced, eg. Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania (Marina/Riviera class), compared to Queens Grill.

Booking a guarantee cabin with a price reduction INCLUDES restricted flexibility and choice. There has to be some justification to those paying full-fare. You can't have both.

After all it's your holiday, you should be able to relax, not having to fight for your rights...

My advice: Change the brand and be happy.:cool:

To be fair to Port Royal his answer was comparing Cunard to P&O. I'm not a fan of buffets so I couldn't tell you how Cunard's compare.

 

We have only travelled with P&O once and we do find Cunard "classier" - better food, service and the dress code is better adhered to - it includes most of the ship, not just a few areas.

I can't comment on P&O as they're not on the German market, yet.

If I had to decide between Celebrity and Cunard, however, it would always be Cunard. No question about that. I'm just commenting on parts of the Cunard product which need a little improvement ;)

Good afternoon M.

 

While I can understand your initial disappointment I feel your final paragraph is somewhat unfair.

 

As Taz has stated above, Cunard advised that passengers embarking at Southampton that day delay their arrival by 2 hours. That appears to me to be pretty generous delay considering that you stated the ship arrived almost 6 hours late.

 

We all recognise that staterooms have to be prepared and that task is as important to the embarking passengers as is disembarkation for those leaving.

 

As it was I was happy to witness from my humble abode the ship leaving almost on time. Surely in the great scheme of things it's better not to have two sailings inconvenienced.

 

Let's put it that way: The passengers on the Kiel-Southampton leg got disappointed twice, once at the beginning, once at the end.

Posting from Germany I would have thought you'd know that it's now the end of the poor QM2 Kings Court which I believe you are referring too ? ...Nothing wrong with the Lido on the two Vista class ships.

Sorry, but I disagree. There is a lot wrong with Cunard's Lido. I was just on QE and my impressions from my last cruise on QE were exactly the same. Sometimes it helps to be able to compare. And from all the ships I have been on (see below), Cunards Buffet was and still is the worst when it comes to presentation, freshness and variety of products as well as service. If Cunard would want to improve, they should look over to Oceania or TUI Cruises, which is about in the same price category. I am not comparing Cunard to Europa2 or Seabourn. The food & service in the Grills however is on the same high level as any of the luxury lines, imo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueFrankuk View Post

would we get any benefits on Cunard?

Sue

 

The benefits are:

The accommodation

The Service

The Food (including the superb buffet)

The drinks

(a Long Island Iced Tea is actually a Long Island Iced Tea, not an 'interpretation')

The Dancing (balls)

The entertainment

The quality talks

The daytime activities

The total lack of pomposity, snobbery, arrogance and bad manners

Last but in no way least are "The Cunarders"

 

To précis the Cunard benefits in one word, it would be "Class"

 

Book and you will discover there is no going back.

... The "Superb BUFFET" ??? :eek:

I agree that the food on Cunard is top notch in the Grills, BUT the Lido Buffet is the worst buffet restaurant I have seen in the industry!

Even the buffet on AIDA Cruises (and I absolutely hate AIDA) is much, much better.

The atmosphere in Lido is that of a school cafeteria, the food looks boring and tastes boring (worst Pizza I have ever had on a cruise ship, horrible desserts and don't even get me started on the fruit selection).

But, once again, the Grills food is from a different planet.

:)

for your detailed information on what happened in St. Petersburg. Whilst it may have been a pleasant surprise for you to have one more day on the ship it was a major disappointment for all of us who had booked a 4 day trip which then had been reduced to only 2 nights on board.

In my case I had to find a hotel for one night in Hamburg on short notice which was expensive and of course my rental car had to be extended also. Even though I was informed a few hours before I left for Hamburg/Kiel I felt that the form of apology via a simple Cunard email was not enough.

I was expecting some sort of acknowledgement on board (letter from the captain, cruise director, whatever), but nothing.

Also the delay led to a delayed arrival in Southampton, 12 noon instead of 6am. But the most annoying thing was that Cunard wanted us out of the staterooms and suites by 8.30am, so everyone had to find a place to sit around the ship for 4 hours !!! That was just unacceptable and led to a total chaotic disembarkation when evryone wanted to finally get off the ship as fast as possible at the same time. Very, very poor perfomance by the ship management ! :mad:

... there is nothing you can do about the weather it is interesting to know that MSC MUSICA left St.Petersburg as scheduled on the same day that QE should have left... Talking about evaluating the weather situation and planning ahead ;)

Due to storms in St. Petersburg QE will arrive 24hours (!) later in Kiel than scheduled. The stop in Skagen on 12/6 will be canceled.

:mad:

..for the replies posted so far!

I think that Azamara seems to be very much on a par with Oceania which I really like.

And of course, free BECKS is an impressive selling point :p

I will go ahead and book it...

Good day ladies and gentlemen in this forum!

I have never done Azamara before but I am thinking of going for a med cruise on Azamara Journey...

What's the good and the bad of Azamara?

Can you recommend it to mid-aged Germans like us? ;)

Thanks for any comments!!!

Yes, absolutely...

But still, I am quite amused by the fact that people at Seabourn with a university degree (hopefully) and experience in the industry can come up with an idea like that, knowing that this changes totally how the Seabourn product is seen from the customer`s side.

:confused:

Probably one of the most idiotic ideas Seabourn could come up with - to CHARGE for deck space!

The whole idea of luxury cruising is NOT having to pay for extras whilst moving around the ship, having the freedom of choice especially when it's about public spaces. Dear Seabourn product management, might I suggest an internship at Hapag Lloyd Cruises?! What's next? Specialty dining with extra fees? A charge for the sauna? What a joke...

Hey Tom,

how was your trip on Wind Surf ?

P

Thanks for the review....interesting. Based on your cruise history (ships sailed) I can understand your comments and observations.

To hear the ship needs work does not surprise me; I only hope it is clean.

As for lack of activities at night, I can live with this. I prefer to have my after dinner drinks outside and do some star gazing or sit and speak with fellow guests about their previous cruise experiences.

Nothing like an Amaretto on the rocks after dinner.....followed by a Baileys up right before bed to end a perfect day.

I will truly consider this cruise (Canary Islands) for late 2017 unless I opt for the Costa Rica itinerary.

If Wind Star has nice service and good food.....and hot water I will be a happy sailor.

One last question....in the spa what is the sauna and or steam room set up? Are the facilities COED or separate for men and ladies? I ask this because I found out the hard way on the Deutchsland...thinking it was men only till a group of ladies walked in. When they found I was an American they asked me if I wanted them to cover up.....I said no...my German heritage kicked in and I wasn't bothered in the least.

I look forward to the Surf next week......if only my Dachshund could come along.......sigh.

Thanks again

Tom

Hey Tom,

I finally found the time to respond to your posting.

Well, I guess that Europa 2 is definately the most modern luxury product out there with a focus on fine details. There is a Youtuber who does lots of cruise ship testing. Matthias Morr with his „Schiffstester“ site. He did a 1hour video walk around on Europa 2 which is very interesting. The video is in German but the pictures tell the story.

He’s got extra videos on the suites, on the food (food porn!) and all. Check it out. For me, the Europa 2 is on my list. However, I still think that the prizing is still a bit over the top when you think that not even soft drinks are included in the fare (still, minibar is included and many free drinks, ice tea and juices are provided all over the ship). I really like the design of the public spaces though, esp. the spa.

Oceania is at the moment my favourite product. The ships I sailed on were the best kept and best designed ships I have ever seen. The cabins & suites are HUGE and the staff is excellent. If you don’t need entertainment ,Oceania must be the choice.

Your question about MSC: I wouldn’t want to be seen dead on one of their ships. They are full of Italian families with thousands of screaming children, the quality is probably on a par with Costa Cruises. MSC are considered very low key in Europe. The cheap prizing tells a lot.

And about AIDA: AIDA used to be good a couple of years ago, but is very mass market nowadays, lots of nickle and diming and very focused on a German speaking clientele, mainly families or retirees. I don’t like that the food onboard is only buffet style. If you want service you have to pay. The crews work too many hours to be able to smile (see crew-pax ratio!!!) Entertainment, gym and spa however, has always been their strong side. This is probably why the Germans love it. Would I cruise on AIDA again? Probably not!

The much, much better and more expensive product for the German speaking market is TUI Cruises. Check out the MEIN SCHIFF (1,2,3,4,5) fleet if you get the chance. It’s all inclusive cruising, very creative ship design with a very good onboard service

If you have any more questions let me know.

Cheers, P

Hey Tom,

being a good European I of course walk into the saunas bar-naked. But in Germany we at least SIT on towels in there. Explain that to a fin guy... ;)

Because of the reasons I explained in my review I didn't even bother to use the spa on Windsurf even though I'm a big spa fan. I guess since there is only one sauna room (no steam room!) that it is a shared space.

I attached pictures of the spa facilities rooms onboard TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff), Europa2 and Oceania... Just keep these pictures in mind when you see the "spa" on the Windsurf. :D

Enjoy! P