Jay19

That I don't recall hearing about. Here's a link to a compilation of ship charters:

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/full-cruise-ship-charters.html

Thanks for the link, it was very interesting. I certainly have no problem with ships doing charters, obviously it is very good business for them, it is more about when these charters are announced and how people are treated afterwards that concerns me.

There was a thread about the massive itinerary changes when Oceania got permission to sail to Cuba [sound familiar?]. And the pattern has been mentioned by veteran Oceania cruisers, e.g.:

Obviously I didn't go far enough through the threads. :) Do you know if cancellations due to charters are also an issue on Oceania?

I agree with you that food is subjective but it was strange to us that the experience varied so much with the venue on board. And it wasn't just us....even loyal Oceania cruisers (with whom we shared tables) said some of their meals had been pretty bad. So maybe something was going on on this particular cruise. I do wholeheartedly agree with you on the buffet....it was terrific, especially at night. We only occasionally eat at the buffet on Azamara but we ate almost every night there on Oceania. And Toscana was fantastic. Ditto your remarks on the shore excursions...we were pleasantly surprised how good they were.

 

You will love Iceland and Greenland and if Oceania is offering the pre-cruise land tour, I can highly recommend it.

 

We can't fit any other cruises into our schedule (with the two Azamara we've already booked and some land trips) before 2020 but Oceania is definitely on our radar.

I must admit we only ate in the MDR on Oceania a couple of times once we discovered the buffet! :)

We also have some Azamara cruises booked (including Japan) but are finding that Oceania has some itineraries that are new to us, the Iceland/Greenland one, another that goes to ports in Norway and Russia that Azamara doesn't do and Tahiti is also of interest. Azamara is still our first choice but we do feel that Oceania is giving us some other options for new places to visit, easier for them of course with 6 ships.

Sadly, if you check older recent threads on Cruise Critic you'll find that Oceania doesn't treat their passengers any better than this. There have been recurring complaints that they eliminate ports -- after final payment -- and refuse to make any adjustments or allow cancellations.

Haven't most of these changes been fairly minor though? For example, swapping Catalina Island for Ensenada? Disappointing and annoying I'm sure, but not as bad as having your whole cruise cancelled.

Uktog, we also sailed on Oceania for the first time last year. I wrote a short review at the time but just briefly, we did enjoy the cruise very much, the itinerary was good, cabin attendants were excellent, the ship was well maintained and we found the crew to be very pleasant. Food is so subjective but we actually preferred Oceania, particularly the buffet where we were able to have lamb, fish, steak, shrimps or lobster fresh cooked each night. The biggest downside for us was the cost of the drinks which we thought were very expensive. The shore excursions we did were very good, well organised and some bit different choices than I've seen before for these ports.

There were things that we missed about Azamara, but we were sufficiently happy with our experience on Oceania that we now have two more cruises booked and are planning on booking at least one more when we are on board again later next month. One of the itineraries is an Iceland/Greenland one so I was happy to read that you liked the ports, mare s. Thanks very much for your review.

The start date is the same, 27APR19.

Thank you Bonnie.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give that a try.

We have also not received any email about changes to the Circle Japan cruise, however if all that is happening is the itinerary change shown above then that seems relatively minor. It does make me wonder though why the itinerary has been gone from the website for several days if it is just a question of changing a couple of arrival/departure times. Bonnie, could you possibly confirm for us that there will be no changes to the actual start date of the cruise? I know the end date is the same as the cruise from Tokyo to Alaska is still on the website. Thanks!

Thanks very much for your reply. I looked at the tour options you mention and they would have been really good except unfortunately they get to Heathrow too late for our flight. I think realistically the best I can hope for would be 3 or 4 hours stop along the way with an arrival at Heathrow mid afternoon. I thought perhaps Oceania would do a transfer with a stop at Windsor that might work out. We do usually like to organise our own tours but by the end of the cruise I am sometimes looking for the easy option.:) Thanks again for your help.

Our cruise also arrives at Southampton about 8am and we will be leaving from Heathrow around 5pm. We have been in London many times and have no interest in staying overnight but neither do we want to spend most of the day at the airport. Some cruise lines we have been on have had the option of transfers to the airport that include a half day tour for people whose flights leave late in the day. Just out of curiosity, do Oceania offer that option from Southampton to Heathrow and, if so, what does the tour usually include?

Thank you Bonnie. I have looked at other transport options but hopefully a shuttle will be available, so much easier!

Bonnie, Do you know if there is a shuttle from White Bay into the city centre?

Thanks!!

That's really good to know, thanks!

We are trying one of the deck 8 cabins next year and hope it will be OK. My only concern is comments from both Ellbon and ExcitedofHarpenden (and also one comment in the cabin spreadsheet) about noise coming down from joggers on Deck 10. I have no idea how potentially annoying this might be, neither do I know if Azamara restricts the hours that people can use the jogging track as a courtesy to guests on deck 8. I just wish they had left at least a few sofa beds on deck 6 and 7 midship to give a bit more flexibility and choice.

I spoke with Azamara representatives fairly extensively earlier this year in order to try and find out whether it was possible to have a rollaway in a balcony cabin. I was told it was not possible as there would not be room. The cabins that do have convertible sofa beds tend to be either connecting rooms or at the stern of the ship, we could find only two on deck 8 that were roughly midships. I mention this only in case noise or motion are an issue for you, in which case you might want to take this into consideration when choosing which cabin to book.

Procter, thanks for your review. It was interesting for us as we were just about to go on our first Oceania cruise, booked because the original Azamara itinerary we were interested in was changed because of the charter.

We were on one of the R ships and were delighted with virtually all aspects of the cruise.

Embarkation was a breeze and when our cabin was ready the bags were already waiting for us so we were able to unpack very quickly. We had a concierge level balcony cabin and layout was pretty much the same as Azamara except that the mini bar fridge was in the desk cupboard by the window. Wardrobe and cupboards were the same dark wood as Azamara but the colour scheme was blue and gold, we actually liked it better than the new Azamara colours which we find rather cold looking. All the other furnishings and curtains, including the sofa bed, looked quite new and were in excellent condition. Our cabin attendant was very good, everything we asked for was provided very quickly and he was very pleasant and efficient.

The highlight for us was the food which we personally felt was superior to Azamara. We ate at Polo Grill and Toscana and they were both excellent, also the main dining room which, like Azamara, is any time dining. We had no trouble getting the time and size table that we wanted. The best for us though was the Terrace Café (Windows equivalent). They have a grill area where it is possible to have lobster, jumbo shrimp, baby lamb chops, fish of the day or steak cooked to order each evening. There was also sushi each night, a salad bar, soup, a carvery and choices of vegetables, as well as pasta. I particularly liked the way the food was presented, in serving dishes rather than the more utilitarian stainless steel trays that Azamara uses. Breakfast and lunch were also good but we did miss the Azamara fresh made sandwiches. We were able to sit outside most nights and it was a very popular area as the weather was mostly good and we were often still in port. We found that people were happy to share tables and we met some very pleasant people.

We missed Mosaic as there didn't seem to be an equivalent. That space was used by the Future Cruise consultant.

Afternoon tea was lovely, held daily in Horizons with live music. Tea was in nice pots with a selection of cakes and sandwiches.

The crew were overall excellent, very professional and efficient but also very friendly and helpful. The Cruise Director was also very good and very visible around the ship. We didn't see much of the Captain or officers and the only time we saw the Hotel Director was when we were disembarking, so that was very different to Azamara.

We used the Shore Excursions department quite a bit as we had free tours included with our booking. One of the tours we had booked was from St. Jean de Luz but that port was cancelled because the seas were quite rough and so it was not possible to tender. The Captain decided to go to Bilbao instead which was the next port, so we had an extra half day there instead. The Shore Excursions staff could not have been more helpful in swapping tours for us. We felt that they were actually more organised in getting tours away as well, we never had to wait long once we had checked in. I had read on the Oceania board that most people do private tours but in fact we found the ship's tours to be well utilised and they had some excellent choices that were more interesting than the usual offerings we have seen in these ports before.

The laundry room was well used, they had 5 stacking washers/dryers and while it did get busy sometimes, I never had any issues getting machines when I wanted them. I did find it a bit annoying that we had to get tokens from Reception for the machines, they were $2 each which seemed rather nickel and diming to me.

The only real downside to us was the cost of the drinks. We actually don't mind paying for them but when a bottle of wine that I bought from a supermarket in the UK for about US$12 cost US$48 on the ship (including the gratuity) then that seems to us to be excessive. We had intended buying the 7 bottle wine package but there were no wines on there that we liked so instead we usually opted for a NZ sauvignon blanc that could be bought by the glass or bottle. Unfortunately this ran out a few days before the end of the cruise as it seemed to be very popular. Soft drinks, teas, coffees and water were free (including Pellegrino and Perrier) and they had water available at the gangway when you got off the ship.

On a per person per day cost basis Oceania was a bit more expensive than Azamara, but the included benefits that we got with our booking helped quite a bit. We had unlimited free wifi and found it to be about the same speed as Azamara, it was certainly nice not to worry about how much time was spent online.

While Azamara still remains our favourite, we are finding it increasingly difficult to find itineraries that we haven't already done, particularly with the ongoing charters that usually seem to occur in the spring and autumn, our favoured times for cruising. We now see Oceania as a very good alternative for itineraries that Azamara doesn't do and we will definitely be booking with them again.

Hi Josie,

The laundry on Quest has 4 washers and dryers and they are free to use. There is laundry detergent but not softener. They can get very busy, especially on sea days, but you will not have any problem doing your laundry so long as you can sometimes be patient and wait for a machine to become available. You don't have to wait in the laundry for it to finish but be aware that if you are not back when the machine finishes then your laundry will probably be removed and put in a basket by the next person in line. (This bothers some people but not others :) )There are two irons and ironing boards in the laundry - you are not allowed to have irons in the cabins. You can get your laundry done by the ship, usually you put it out one day and get it back the next. The charges are on the form that you put in the bag. They do usually have a special once a cruise where it is a flat rate for your bag of laundry to be washed but not ironed. Hope this helps.

Hi Ann,

It's one reason I love the small ships - less distance to go before I figure out I've gone the wrong way!! :)

Just go to the "sticky" at the top of the page called Azamara Cabins Thread. The latest version of the spreadsheet is on page 18 about half way down. Hope this helps.

Thanks. We like deck 7 too!!

Thanks everyone for your comments. I was a little concerned as a couple of people had mentioned a humming noise in that area but I wasn't sure if it was in the corridor or the cabins. I don't particularly care in the day but wondered if it was bothersome at night when it is otherwise quiet. Anyway it is good to know that this seems like a good location. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Last year on Quest we were tendered and a bigger ship was at the dock. Tendering was quick and easy though.

We are considering booking an upcoming cruise in one of the above cabins but have not sailed in this area of the ship before. I looked on uktog's excellent spreadsheet to see if there were any noise or other issues, there was one comment for 7094 but nothing for the others. If anyone has sailed in any of these cabins and could give me any advice it would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Andy, great news about the new menus and I hope you enjoy trying them out! Do you know if Quest will get them at the same time or not until after their drydock?

With the greatest respect Bonnie I think if this policy of substituting other wines from previous days were to change then many Azamara afficionados may vote with their feet. As has been said before, we are not consuming any more wine....just a different wine of the day. I once asked a HD how they knew which wine to order in which quantity and they said it was simple. Most people prefer the Merlot/Shiraz type in the Reds and Sauvignon Blanc in the Whites. Less people drink the Rose. They go with what they know from a lot of past experience. Nobody thinks you are an "all inclusive cruiseline" and we are aware of the wine packages on offer.

 

The issue is whether the crew onboard can continue to use their legendary customer relation skills in knowing what the customers want and value as part of the special Azamara experience. If Miami start micromanaging more than they already do then that will be lost....along with a fair few of devoted Azamara fans who are beginning to be discontented with some of the seeming cost savings, decline in food quality etc. You only have to look at some of the recent threads to see that a lot of Azamara fans are becoming uncomfortable with some of the perceived cost cutting. The price of an Azamara cruise is now usually higher than similar premium lines and fast approaching Silversea/Seabourn/Crystal prices. I don't think Silversea would tell us that we would have to drink a Portuguese Red if we preferred a Merlot from the previous night.....they would just go and get us a bottle... And an unopened one at that! Until now, the excellent waiters, bar servers and maitre d's on Azamara have also understood the importance of great customer service and do just that. Long may it continue.

I totally agree with you Lottie. The current system has been working just fine so far and customers are happy that they are able to get an alternative wine if the day's choice does not appeal. I can't see that Azamara has anything at all to gain from changing this but I do think they risk losing goodwill by refusing to allow the substitution.

As other recent cruisers have reported this was not the case on our November Journey voyage.

 

If true this would irritate me intensely because it is a petty penny pinching measure.

Also agree with you, this would be very irritating if it does turn out to be correct.