Going on my first Azamara Cruise in November with a few questions

HI,

My wife and I will be on the Journey in November for a cruise to mainly Cuba. We are experienced cruisers having cruised on Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, Princess and Seabourn and a few others (see my signature for details). We are Elite on Celebrity so will start on Azamara with some points. We have booked one of the n1 suites on deck 8.

I have joined the roll call for the cruise but so far there aren't a lot of people signed up. We were hoping for more as we prefer smaller private tours as opposed to ship sponsored big bus ones.

From what I understand we will get "free" wine with lunches and dinners as well as some free before dinner cocktails using house liquors. I also see mentioned that there will be free bottles of liquor in the cabin for our use. Can a passenger request what is put in the cabin before the cruise?

I also seen where suite passengers can dine in the specialty restaurants for no charge. Is this correct?

I know there are 2 special dinner nights that people say you should attend. Can anyone explain what these are and how to find out what nights they will be on during a 10 night cruise?

I also saw where tips are included in your cruise fare which I like. If I get good service I will probably still tip especially my cabin steward or butler whatever they call who takes care of our cabin.

I have been on "R" class ships before on Princess twice and loved the size and feel of the ships. We also enjoyed our two Seabourn cruises again on smaller ships. So we are looking forward to the Azamara experience.

Thanks for any answers anyone can give on my questions and have a great next cruise.

Greetings first time Azamara cruisers!:D

I will provide my replies to your questions, but there are so many experienced Azamara cruisers, others will add more and even more detailed perspectives.

We first sailed on Azamara in 2008 and never forgot that experience. We have sailed three more times in the last years and LOVE their service, quality of food, port experiences etc. etc!!

I have joined the roll call for the cruise but so far there aren't a lot of people signed up. We were hoping for more as we prefer smaller private tours as opposed to ship sponsored big bus ones.

I hear you! Last 2017 holiday season we sailed on Quest and our board was so slow to begin and then to have passengers continue to post. Yet, in 2015, we had the most wonderful group of about 12 and we did amazing tours and did not use the Azamara excursions. Give it time and I suggest start with one port and ask others to join in with their experiences.

I did alot of the research and offered ideas as well as others. It was fun as it attracted more posting and interest. We were fortunate to meet so many special people. You are experienced, so I do not need to tell you about the port boards.

From what I understand we will get "free" wine with lunches and dinners as well as some free before dinner cocktails using house liquors. I also see mentioned that there will be free bottles of liquor in the cabin for our use. Can a passenger request what is put in the cabin before the cruise?

Azamara provides a daily and changing menu of wines not only at meals, you can have a glass of wine (or more) anytime during the day. Same for house liquors. Prior to dining, the Living Room is a lovely area serving many types of drinks and tapas. The view is forward and spectacular. Watching sunsets from the Living Room can be a special experience.

As a suite passenger, you are always welcome to call and ask for your favorites .

I also seen where suite passengers can dine in the specialty restaurants for no charge. Is this correct?

Suite passengers can dine every night in the ship's specialty restaurants. My suggestion is also to look for variety to be found in their cafe. They do an interesting array of ethinic nights. Some are great and others OK. This is just my opinion, but 7+ nights of specialty dining is limiting. We are foodies so the greater the options, the more choices we have.

I know there are 2 special dinner nights that people say you should attend. Can anyone explain what these are and how to find out what nights they will be on during a 10 night cruise?

One would be White Night. Azamara outdoes itself here. The clear the pool deck and it is covered in round tables all with white cloths. They do a variety of menus; all buffets on my sailings and the food is excellent. Be sure to wear white! Entertainment was great. I understand there may be changes so cannot comment on recent 2018 sailings.

The other is the Azamazing Evening. There is no telling what this night would focus on. It will be dependent on where you are sailing and the choices open to entertain the passengers. You will need to register and Azamara will tell you where you are going. It is planned post dinner.

I also saw where tips are included in your cruise fare which I like. If I get good service I will probably still tip especially my cabin steward or butler whatever they call who takes care of our cabin.

The service is more than good from the Officers to all departments across the ship.

Enjoy your sailing!!

Wine and included spirits are available from any open bar.

Four half bottles (scotch, vodka, gin, and rum) will be in your suite. Your butler will switch one for another to suit your preference.

Specialty dining is no charge for suite passengers but reservations are first-come, first-reserved, so reserve early.

The two special nights are the Azamazing Evening, an off-ship event included in your fare, and White Night, a deck party with special buffet menu (steaks, ribs, lobster tails, etc.), singing, dancing, crew parade.

Regarding the included drinks, here is a link to the list https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

The wine is two white and two red which change every day (if you don’t like todays wines you can ask if they can get you one of the previous ones) plus a rose and a sparkling wine. The list of complimentary cocktails is a ‘suggested’ list. You can ask for any cocktail to be made with the included spirits.

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Thanks to everyone for the great answers to my questions. It sounds like my wife and I are going to have a great cruise experience. Have a great next cruise.:)

Regarding the specialty dining: don't assume that you will need this as a step up from the main dining room, because the food there is already very very good. As mentioned above the buffet has a special theme most nights – and one entree in the MDR also reflects that theme. Food on Azamara is great everywhere. Also if you don't like the wine being poured that day, ask for another – they will happily find one of the included wines that suits you.

HI,

 

 

My wife and I will be on the Journey in November for a cruise to mainly Cuba. We are experienced cruisers having cruised on Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, Princess and Seabourn and a few others (see my signature for details). We are Elite on Celebrity so will start on Azamara with some points. We have booked one of the n1 suites on deck 8.

 

 

 

I have joined the roll call for the cruise but so far there aren't a lot of people signed up. We were hoping for more as we prefer smaller private tours as opposed to ship sponsored big bus ones.

 

some roll calls are bigger than others. If you find a tour you like put your email in the roll call. you will find more people that way. if they want info they email you. put the name of he tour company, price and time in roll call. plus general info and people will come out to say they are interested.

 

 

From what I understand we will get "free" wine with lunches and dinners as well as some free before dinner cocktails using house liquors. I also see mentioned that there will be free bottles of liquor in the cabin for our use. Can a passenger request what is put in the cabin before the cruise?

 

you can drink all day long from breakfast to you go to sleep. once a bar open there is booze.

 

I also seen where suite passengers can dine in the specialty restaurants for no charge. Is this correct?

 

are you in a suite/ then it is free. But you still have to book on ship. also look at the chefs table.

 

 

I know there are 2 special dinner nights that people say you should attend. Can anyone explain what these are and how to find out what nights they will be on during a 10 night cruise?

 

White nights has huge buffet outside under the stars. No idea what nigt- a night you sail 10 or later. thee no other special dinner. there is a bunch and a chocolate buffet at night. that is great- so smalldinner.

 

I also saw where tips are included in your cruise fare which I like. If I get good service I will probably still tip especially my cabin steward or butler whatever they call who takes care of our cabin.

 

you have two cabin attendants and a butler dependign if a suite or not. i also tip extra some others.

 

 

I have been on "R" class ships before on Princess twice and loved the size and feel of the ships. We also enjoyed our two Seabourn cruises again on smaller ships. So we are looking forward to the Azamara experience.

 

 

Thanks for any answers anyone can give on my questions and have a great next cruise.

well, if yuo knew the old princess ships you ahve an idea what these look like but with more modern furniture.

As regards additional tips, Guest Services will take a contribution to be applied to the ship's Crew Fund. We did this following our last B2B, thinking of all the non-front-of-house folks who labor to create Azamara's smooth sailing ambiance.

I see this posted on the cruise critic review and just wanted confirmation - no formal nights? How are people dressed. We are going to Cuba next Jan. Thanks! First time on Azamara.

Azamara Journey Dress Code

Azamara calls its dress code "resort casual"; there are no formal nights. The line does ask passengers to refrain from wearing blue jeans in the main dining room and specialty restaurants after 6 p.m., and tank tops, ball caps, bathing suits and shorts are also not permitted.

In general, most women wear sundresses and capri pants during the day, changing to nicer maxi-dresses or pants in the evening. While you'll see men wearing T-shirts during the day, collared shirts are the rule at night.

Azamara Journey Gratuity

Tips are included in your fare, a factor that makes the line particularly popular with passengers from non-tipping cultures like Europe and Australia. An 18 percent service charge is levied on spa treatments; no additional gratuity is added to the cost of any extra-fee beverages. The U.S. dollar is the onboard currency.

Other onboard items included in the overall fare are nonalcoholic drinks, select standard spirits and beers, house wines (a selection of one red and one white that changes daily) by the glass, DIY laundry and one AzAmazing evening excursion per cruise.

You'll see a mix of everything. I generally wear a pair of trousers and short or long sleeved shirt. I also take a suit to wear with shirt and tie. I never feel out of place with whatever I wear which is part of the appeal for me with Azamara.

BTW that dress code description you copy and pasted is slightly out of date. Jeans can be worn in the dining venues after 6pm as long as they aren't distressed or ripped.

Phil

...BTW that dress code description you copy and pasted is slightly out of date. Jeans can be worn in the dining venues after 6pm as long as they aren't distressed or ripped.

Phil

That's good to know, thanks.

The list of included drinks is on the Azamara website at https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages.

Note that as well as the list of included cocktails, you can ask for any cocktail, so long as it can be made from the included spirits.

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this is our first time on azamara as well. we love the smaller ships and have cruised with oceania, windstar, and star clipper several times each. these were great questions and answers as all these cruise lines offer different things included or not included. this was all very helpful.

Hello fellow cruisers,

My husband & I are considering the "new" Azamara Pursuit for a 7-day Mediterranean next summer. We've never sailed the line before but have sailed on Princess & Crystal. Our TA quoted us prices for the Club Veranda & Club Continent Suite. I'm asking for feedback on those types of accommodations as well as on the line in general. The veranda stateroom is 175 sq. ft. which seems pretty tight. Our Princess balcony staterooms were in the 220 sq. ft. range. Any thoughts? The suite is significantly higher priced but comes in at 266 sq. ft.

We like the idea of a smaller ship having enjoyed the Crystal Serenity California Coastal cruise. Our on board pursuits include reading, relaxing & eating! :-) I'd appreciate any feedback you can provide & many thanks!

If you enjoy eating, you will enjoy Azamara. The food is great. Discoveries (MDR) serves great food. Windows(buffet) does too. In the evenings the tables in Windows have tablecloths & candle lights & they have themed dinners with love cooking stations. There’s also the Patio, which is lovely for lunch & dinner, and if you want to splash out there’s the 2 speciality restaurants - Prime C (steak house) & Aqualina (Italian/Mediterranean). On our last cruise which finished just over a week or so ago we didn’t have one bad meal - all were excellent.

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Hello fellow cruisers,

 

My husband & I are considering the "new" Azamara Pursuit for a 7-day Mediterranean next summer. We've never sailed the line before but have sailed on Princess & Crystal. Our TA quoted us prices for the Club Veranda & Club Continent Suite. I'm asking for feedback on those types of accommodations as well as on the line in general. The veranda stateroom is 175 sq. ft. which seems pretty tight. Our Princess balcony staterooms were in the 220 sq. ft. range. Any thoughts? The suite is significantly higher priced but comes in at 266 sq. ft.

 

We like the idea of a smaller ship having enjoyed the Crystal Serenity California Coastal cruise. Our on board pursuits include reading, relaxing & eating! :-) I'd appreciate any feedback you can provide & many thanks!

We too are considering our first Azamara cruise next year. The itinerary looks good which ticks a big box, but we are getting concerned about the cabin size, in particular the bathroom and specifically the shower. We're waiting for the first Pursuit reviews so any advice on this topic would be most welcome.

We too are considering our first Azamara cruise next year. The itinerary looks good which ticks a big box, but we are getting concerned about the cabin size, in particular the bathroom and specifically the shower. We're waiting for the first Pursuit reviews so any advice on this topic would be most welcome.

I know people say how small the shower is but we recently sailed on Sapphire Princess, in a standard balcony room, and the shower there was much smaller than Azamara showers. Maybe they are smaller than some other luxury lines but I have never had a problem at all.:)

Lynne

I know people say how small the shower is but we recently sailed on Sapphire Princess, in a standard balcony room, and the shower there was much smaller than Azamara showers. Maybe they are smaller than some other luxury lines but I have never had a problem at all.:)

Lynne

Right. The shower and bathroom size are non-issues...unless you insist on making them issues.

I agree. The shower is fine - yes it’s on the small side, but perfectly functional. Same with bathroom as a whole, enough room for one person, you wouldn’t want to be in there with someone else, but you get used to it very quickly.

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