Azamara, Greenwich to Lisbon: Pirouette’s observations

"On the positive side, they held our favourite table".

I am very disappointed that Azamara should do this.

They don’t routinely do this, but I suppose “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”!

"On the positive side, they held our favourite table".

I am very disappointed that Azamara should do this.

Never knew they even think to do this! Not AZ style in MDR.

"On the positive side, they held our favourite table".

I am very disappointed that Azamara should do this.

I think it somewhat depends on the issues involved and when you arrive at Discoveries.

In an earlier post, it seemed that the OP was arriving around 8:00 and that to me seems problematic.

Thanks to all who have followed along with me. It takes a long time to travel from Lisbon to the west coast of North America. Jet lag has set in and I am back at work tomorrow. I will post my final thoughts in a couple of days, once I am able to sleep through the night and put together a coherent paragraph.

I should clarify one thing: we never ever asked to have a specific table held for us. In the latter part of the cruise we were always seated in a particular server’s section. I expect this was due to service issues identified earlier in the cruise with some of the less experienced servers.

We would arrive sometime between 8:00-8:30. We waited for a table frequently, but were usually escorted to a particular location. Squeaky wheel? Maybe....or maybe just a traveller who expects the level of service represented in Azamara’s promotional materials and whose perspective is informed by past cruises on Azamara’s competitors.

More soon....Back to reality tomorrow morning!

I should clarify one thing: we never ever asked to have a specific table held for us. In the latter part of the cruise we were always seated in a particular server’s section. I expect this was due to service issues identified earlier in the cruise with some of the less experienced servers.

I enjoyed reading your posts.

To add to your comment - we were on Journey in early August in the Baltics. We had abyssmal service in Discoveries on the first night. We were essentially ignored for 20 minutes to begin with, offered no bread until we asked after seeing it being delivered to tables all around us, more inattentive service, and then topped off by my receiving an overcooked, dried out veal chop. As it had been a drawn out affair at that point, I didn't want to send it back and request another dish. Major disappointment. So my husband went the next day to speak to the F&B manager. They played phone tag for 2 days, but finally spoke in person. After that, they knew our name, and service was super attentive. So, like you, I expect it was due to the service issues identified earlier in the cruise.

We had hoped our discussion would have prompted better service to all, so sorry you had to experience some service lapses on your cruise.

The difficulty with mobility access was in plain view again today. We watched a gentleman in a wheelchair struggle to open the door to the mens’ room And negotiate the threshold. We helped through the door- there was no automatic door opener and the threshold truly presents a barrier for easy wheelchair access in this area. Given the age and mobility challenges of some of the passengers, this issue needs to be addressed.

We did not find the ship as refined as Oceania Sirena. Perhaps this is not a fair comparison as Sirena had only been introduced three months before were sailed her and she was fresh from a serious refurbishment.

Did Oceania Sirena have the push-button doors or any other mobility features that Azamara's ships lack? Since both lines feature the same ex-Renaissance ships dating from 1998-2001, they were all built without today's mobility standards in view.

"On the positive side, they held our favourite table".

I am very disappointed that Azamara should do this.

I agree. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to select an empty table. Not just the squeaky wheels.

could you give us a summary of it Tarwood. Maybe it was a gremlin in the system!

It was lengthy , so I dont really feel like writing it again..lol

Guess if I had to summarize my post , it’s that Azamara isn’t ultra luxury all inclusive like SS, SB, Regent etc...and dont go in expecting the same level of service or amenities. Its the little things that make those a bit nice than AZ. We love Az...loved our cruises, we have done SS, SB.... All cruise lines have their own flavor. Felt like OP wanted same experience in AZ as Regent and SS...and that’s not reality. After reading the whole thread last night from beginning to end, it seemed to just focus on their wine list woes..I’m not a wine drinker. It seems like they let their wine list issues shape their enjoyment of the cruise....seems like a real first world problem.

My other point was about the cabins. IN short, cruise lines publish the sizes, pics and layout of each cabin class. One cant be surprised by a small cabin, you know what you are getting when you select it. Either pick a bigger cabin or if thats out of your budget, find a different line that offers something in your budget. We only do Club Continent Suite on AZ as thats comparable to veranda suites on SS and SB. Research....

Did Oceania Sirena have the push-button doors or any other mobility features that Azamara's ships lack? Since both lines feature the same ex-Renaissance ships dating from 1998-2001, they were all built without today's mobility standards in view.

The answer is No! Been on that ship under two companies.

Only seen that on Celebrity S class ships.

Did Oceania Sirena have the push-button doors or any other mobility features that Azamara's ships lack? Since both lines feature the same ex-Renaissance ships dating from 1998-2001, they were all built without today's mobility standards in view.

I've had one of the accessible cat 05 oceanviews on deck 4 of Journey and that definitely had an automatic door. The two of them were however added using three OVs when the ship was reimagined.

Phil

Just a little reminder that Cruise Critic doesn’t allow “discussion of our management policies and procedures, including post deletions”. (Quoting from the Guidelines).

I’d also like to say how much I welcome members spending their precious holiday time sharing their experiences with us - it’s great for all of us to hear how it was for them - so thank you Pirouette for doing so.

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Thank you Host Grandma!

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Sorry that the premium wine pkg. did not have a fine selection. I have sailed all the premium and luxury cruise lines. I have always thought wines included were about $10. or less on land on all of these lines. ( we live in California and can find many good wines at about $12 - $15. ) I just came off of the Celebrity Solstice last week. The Classic beverage pkg. was included as a perk with our booking. We did not upgrade to premium pkg. I enjoyed every wine we tried and saw no need to upgrade. I know Celebrity is a Mass Cruise line but their wines were better than the luxury lines IMHO. Cheers, Heather

It has been a week since our return. Time for a summary of final thoughts. Again, thank you to all who have read and contributed to this thread. I take the time to blog each cruise and provide my observations,both positive and negative, to fellow cruisers. I am not loyal to any one cruise line. I appreciate that we all have differing priorities and that no one cruise or cruise line is perfect. I have done my best to set out the strengths and weaknesses of this cruise based on my own experiences and observations. Some may disagree with them.

From our perspective, there is a lot that Azamara does well: the White Night party, the Azamazing evening, comprehensive port shuttles, excellent gym facilities to name a few. We found the food to be as good or better than other cruise lines: Oceania, Regent and Silversea. What we found to be lacking was pre-cruise communication, on board service, the quality of the wine selections, and other than the captain, we did not find the crew to be especially friendly. The internet package is also expensive for those of us that must remain connected to home.

The embarkation in Greenwich was well-organized. It is unfortunate that we did not receive our cruise booklet with embarkation information until the day before our departure, and only after contacting Azamara to request it. I initially thought it was the fault of our TA. He had not received it either. Some passengers had not carefully read the itinerary and believed there were two days in London. Not so-the ship departed at 2 am the morning after embarkation and it was a sea day. We were aware and happy with that, others were not. Bottom line: always check the docking and departure times when considering an itinerary.

For us the itinerary was wonderful. We had three full days in London prior to the cruise then two sea days before arriving in Bordeaux for an overnight stop. The vineyards were bursting with ripe fruit-harvest was scheduled for the following week in the places we visited. The weather was warm and sunny.

We did not do any tours offered by the ship. We knew we wanted to do two days of wine tasting and touring in Bordeaux and we booked it independently through a local tour operator. It was less expensive than the ship's tour and our group was only 8 people, most also from the ship. We have an aversion to large tour groups and booking independently or rambling about on our own suits us better.

We missed one port due to dock work in St.Jean de Luz. Instead we had an overnight in Bilbao. This allowed us a half day to explore the outside of the Guggenheim museum and return the next day for the inside. We would have been rushed seeing the outside and the inside in one day-so much to see! Again, regular modern shuttle buses were available from the ship to the center of town.

We knew nothing about our next two ports, Gijon or A Coruna: they were both lovely cities on the Bay of Biscay with considerable history.

Porto was delightfuland again there was a shuttle bus provided. We had been to Lisbon before and it is also a beautiful historic city. Too bad about the taxi strike! Apparently similar strikes have been occuring in many European cities as a protest against UBER and other ride sharing services. We were happy to have booked an independent transfer for our early morning flight on departure day.

Now that life has returned to its normal cadence, it almost as if we have never been away! We enjoyed our cruise for the itinerary, the food and the relaxation. The outdoor spaces on the pool and sun decks are lovely and well maintained. That being said, but for the itinerary, the on board experience was not on the same level as several other cruises we have enjoyed in the last few years. That is not to suggest that it was bad, only that we had higher expectations based on Azamara's promotional materials and reviews on this board.

As I have said elsewhere, the quality of the wines and spirits on the Ultimate Beverage package is less varied and inferior to those offered on the Premium Beverage Package on our last Oceania cruise, on Regent and on Silversea. Bar staff still struggle with which items are included and which items attract a surcharge. Azamara has other better wines available, but they are not included and this is unfortunate. Again, this would not prevent us from chosing Azamara again, but if fine wines and spirits are important to you, be prepared to pay extra or bring your own.

We liked the informality, the variety and quality of the food and the itinerary. We also enjoyed being able to dance late into the night at the disco. We missed the proper "afternoon tea" (not the self serve option in the Living Room), hot and cold hors d'oeuvres with our pre-dinner drink (yes, they are available, self serve in the Living Room) and the attentive service we have experienced on other ships.

Would we chose Azamara again? Yes, if the itinerary is interesting and fits within our schedules. We would likely choose a larger cabin next time. Last minute booking on this occasion did not afford a choice. Holidays for us are about couple time and for that, the cruise was enjoyable.

Sorry that the premium wine pkg. did not have a fine selection. I have sailed all the premium and luxury cruise lines. I have always thought wines included were about $10. or less on land on all of these lines. ( we live in California and can find many good wines at about $12 - $15. ) I just came off of the Celebrity Solstice last week. The Classic beverage pkg. was included as a perk with our booking. We did not upgrade to premium pkg. I enjoyed every wine we tried and saw no need to upgrade. I know Celebrity is a Mass Cruise line but their wines were better than the luxury lines IMHO. Cheers, Heather

Our luxury experience is limited to one Regent cruise (have several others booked including an Azamara ) and our experience was the same. On Celebrity multiple offerings were available, all bottles were in the mdr, some of the sommeliers were knowledgeable... whereas on Regent they were truly put out if you wanted anything other than that days red or white (have read the same experiences on Seabourn) this is hardly all inclusive.

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Thanks for your detailed and well balanced review. We are looking forward to trying Azamara next year.

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Thanks for the detail of your review. I chuckled when you mentioned you are from California. You are fortunate to enjoy good wines so cheaply and explains your concerns with wine perhaps. Your $15 bottles of wine can cost us $50 here in Canada. It is funny to watch guests from many countries weigh in on different foods and drinks - Canadians on maple syrup, Brits on tonic and scones. Perhaps that’s one of the fun aspects of cruising is to meet all these different people and travel to new locales. Thanks again.

Not from California. The west coast of North America includes Canada. . I will take Blue Mountain or Burrowing Owl any day......

We use an App called Vivino that lets you take photos of the labels on wine bottles and then shows you reviews, ratings and the average retail price. On both our most recent Azamara and Seabourn cruise we ‘Vivinoed’ all *included* wines and found that the average wine on Azamara retails for approx. $14. On Seabourn it’s roughly double, $28. That’s the (unsurprising) difference between a deluxe line and a luxury line. That said - Azamara’s prices have crept up so much over time that we now find that it’s sometimes cheaper to cruise Seabourn on a similar itinerary, and therein lies the real problem in my opinion.

PS. In addition Azamara has 6 included wines (2 white, 2 red, 1 sparkling and 1 rose) where Seabourn has approx. 30 incl. French Champagne as well as a lovely Sauternes dessert wine.

Floris

My apologies Pirouette; I also read Maggie1008 and jumbled the comments. I remain appreciative of your dedication to posting and stick by my belief that each corner of the world has their own cache of lucky home foods and drinks, yet benefits from meeting others on their travels. Azamara makes it easy to meet people

Just a quick comment on wine. I don’t think that price necessarily determines the quality of wine. We have a friend who is a qualified Wine Master. On his recommendation we have bought quite a few wines from Aldi (for those not in the U.K. this is a discount supermarket). They’ve all been between £5 & £6 a bottle and all have been great. Their Exquisite range includes a lovely Muscadet and a nice Sauvignon Blanc. They also sell a gorgeous Pinot Gris in a different range.

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I agree. Price isn’t always the best indicator of quality when it comes to wine. For us in the UK we are very fortunate to be able to access a wide geographical variety at very reasonable prices. And we can source it from many suppliers unfettered by draconian laws. I can’t imagine having to use a state dedicated liquor store like our Canadian friends!

My experience is that if you go New world rather than Old, you get better bang for your buck. Sadly this doesn’t seem to include California though. For me Azamara just doesn’t seem to alter there wine choice enough. We have had the same wines for years! This is unnecessary whatever the budget. Next time around I am considering a package to upgrade my wine choices. Maybe this is the intended tactic? Pirouettes commentary has me worried though that even this is not sufficient? $20+ per day on top of what has already been forked out for the cruise is not to be sniffed at.

My question therefore is this, is the Ultimate package worth paying for just for the extra wine choices? For me the option of Champagne is attractive as well as an included port. The still wine looks better too. To Pirouette I ask, what was your take on the wines, which were your favourites and what was your experience of being served your wine in the different venues? For this question I’m looking for answers specifically wrt Ultimate package wines. I appreciate any help you can offer with this, I know you covered aspects of this in your Blog mainly wrt the MDR.

I also thank you for your review. I have to say having cruised mainly on Silversea and Seabourn I broadly find myself nodding in agreement at most of it. Where I do disagree is your food comment. Azamara is very good, but not at the same standard as the other two. Discoveries can be very hit and miss. For me though, the point that maybe has been missed, is that Azamara has a certain feeling that can’t be quantified by a tick box exercise. I arrive feeling somewhat underwhelmed, but leave feeling like I’m leaving a very comfortable home, that is to say the whole experience grows on you as you go along. Let’s hope Pursuit lives up to her billing! Oh, and to bang my drum once more, hurry up Azamara with those cushions!!

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Just a quick comment on wine. I don’t think that price necessarily determines the quality of wine.

Of course it doesn’t “necessarily” / always determine the quality of the wine. There are always exceptions. It’s a pretty damn good indicator however.

Of course it doesn’t “necessarily” / always determine the quality of the wine. There are always exceptions. It’s a pretty damn good indicator however.

Sorry, don’t agree at all - neither does our Wine Master friend.

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Sorry, don’t agree at all - neither does our Wine Master friend.

 

 

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He should get a job advising Azamara, it's about time they upgraded the included wines and spirits.