We were on the Onward Christmas cruise.
PirateWife: “We could have sat for hours listening to the other special interest lecturer. We would love to take a class from him.”
This observation is spot on, We usually cruise on Crystal or Regent where we have heard the “spy guy” lecture many times. He is excellent - knowledgeable, engaging, fascinating. His lectures are diverse and extremely informative. We especially appreciate that he includes positive references to the UK, Canada, Israel, Poland, and others in his lectures, He is also very approachable. He is a gifted presenter - precisely what we expect on a luxury line. Azamara should hire him often.
Overall Aramara was only slightly below Crystal standards. The ship is beautiful and well designed. The food was good, especially in the MDR. The specialty restaurants were also good, but perhaps not worth the extra cost. The entertainment was good, but we would have preferred more live music throughout the day - particularly earlier in the evening.
The ship was essentially full. This delayed some service in the bar areas, but the service was good - even if a little slow. The spa and store prices were high compared to other lines. The cabins are small.
Most of the complaints we heard, both aboard and here, were trivial.
