Azamara Newbie No More...and Everyone Was Correct!

We are back home after our first Azamara cruise on the Quest, from Venice to Barcelona and everyone on CC was correct! The cruise was wonderful! I was apprehensive at first because the lack of information from AZ was disconcerting (as I posted in another thread), but any apprehension disappeared after we boarded.

So many things were positive about the Quest, I'd like to share some with you:

SIZE - The size of the Quest, and number of passengers, was perfect. We never felt crowded, there were always empty chairs available in the cabaret, and we never had to wait for meals or dinner even when we wanted to dine in our favorite waiter's section. We docked in Monaco, where we had the White Party, and our size enabled us to secure convenient berths in various ports.

VIBE - This was the best mix of passengers of any cruise so far. We loved the casual, laid back vibe of the ship. Other passengers were from a large number of countries. We never sensed any pretense from anyone. They were all friendly, engaging, and appreciative of the smart casual dress code.

SERVICE - Here is where Azamara excels! Outstanding service from everyone! Even the maintenance workers smile and say hello. Staff knew our names on day 2. Our favorite bartender knew our favorite drinks after one visit. The performers would come over and chat after the performance. My favorite story is about our assistant steward... On day 3, I developed a toothache and my cheek swelled to the size of an orange. He noticed and asked if I was okay. When I told him, he offered to bring ice to help the swelling. He brought ice every day and when I returned to the room in the evenings, he would leave bagged ice for me to use as an ice pack.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE - The variety and quality of the food and meal presentation was great. At dinner, nothing repeated on our 10 night cruise. Plenty of choices (sometimes hard to pick one), and everything tasted fresh. Oftentimes on other cruises, I ordered prime rib cooked medium and it came well done from being held too long. On the Quest, a prime rib ordered medium came out pink just as our waiter described. Oh, our waiter and assistant waiter were delights. They smiled, were engaging, helpful, and went back to find a bottle of a previous night's favorite wine. The menu choices on the Patio were plentiful. Room service was also excellent with lots of choices for breakfast (steak and eggs for breakfast? no problem). Just in case anyone still has questions about the complimentary, premium and ultimate packages, one can request a mixed cocktail to be made with the spirit included in your package. We had the premium package and requested cocktails made with Ketel One vodka with no problems.

ENTERTAINMENT - Above par and accessible. We could always find a seat for the entertainment. We had great singers on our cruise and the tenor and soprano were excellent. One of the tenor's selection was "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables and he gave goosebumps to everyone in the room. We also enjoyed the pianist in Spirits who had an excellent repertoire and interacted with her audience. We chatted with her and she told us that Azamara kept extending her contract (for good reasons, I'm sure).

SHIP - Although the Quest is a former Renaissance line ship, she was recently refurbished and looked sophisticated and modern. Decor is subtle with lots of grays and browns. There are plenty of seating areas and we could always find a seat at Mosaics for a coffee or even a lounge on the pool deck. Oftentimes, the Drawing Room was empty. We liked that the retail space is minimal, as is the Casino. The art gallery is not intimidating, as can be on other ships.

STATEROOM - We had an aft located verandah room on deck 6. The rooms are small but surprisingly useful. Plenty of storage with closets, shelves and drawers. Bed is comfortable but the duvet is far too heavy and gets too hot. Decor is a calming grayish tone. Bathroom was small and the shower...well all past Azamara cruisers are well aware of the minuscule shower and the dreaded "curtain". Our room was very quiet and we never heard any sounds from the dining room below or during any tender operations. I would love to try a suite and we will see if we can secure an upgrade on some future cruise. ;)

SHORE EXCURSIONS - The excursions offered by Azamara have the advantage of traveling in smaller groups. On most of the excursions, we were fewer than 25 on a coach which held 55 so it never felt crowded. We booked a last minute excursion for Monaco and while the excursion was sold out, another couple had requested a cancellation. The shore excursion desk made a substitution and ended up with four happy passengers. Again, this is reflective of the service levels and attitude throughout the ship.

OVERALL - Yes, we're sold... We will definitely book another Azamara cruise but maybe not exclusively in the future. We were spoiled by the service on this cruise. Visibility of officers was a big plus; they were everywhere and easily approachable. We met so many nice people on the Quest. There were a few young children but they were hardly seen. Our neighbors on deck six had a son who was a typical four year old but he was fun, engaging, and polite. The pre-cruise information and website leave something to be desired, but the onboard experience negates any shortcomings. It was a great experience and we are looking forward to another in the near future.

Hi CapeCodFlyer,

Glad you enjoyed the experience. Azamara is our "go to" for cruising and has been for many years because of almost all you have noted and more . . .

We also found the duvets too heavy and requested a blanket . . . no problem. :)

Knowing how busy "changeover day" is, we email the ship requesting this a few days before the cruise start date so the room can be made up as we prefer it, rather than cause our stateroom attendants to turn around and re-make the bed after we board.

I am considering an Alaskan cruise on the Azamara. so will probably have more questions after I read more.

CapeCodFlyer so glad your first experience with the Azamara we so love was positive. Service onboard is so very hard to beat. You’ll also be surprised at when you return how many will remember you. With the size of the ship we have made good friends amongst the guests and have kept in touch (now it’s not uncommon to travel together). After 15 cruises (with another 5 booked) we often chance upon someone we’ve met before. We’ve rarely found pretentious travelers inboard. We’ve formed some amazing friendships with people all over the world. In fact this afternoon were catching up with people who live near our beachside home that our family met on the Christmas journey cruise nearly two years ago. We well and truly have an extended Azamara family we cherish!

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Enjoyed your thoughts. I’m getting excited for my first Azamara cruise, a TA on Pursuit, in 8 weeks!

Laura

Thank you CapeCodFlyer! We are SO glad you enjoyed the cruise. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Really pleased that you enjoyed your cruise and found the experience as positive as we have always done.

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I was on this same cruise and echo your positive thoughts! Hope we can return someday soon. Will post a proper review as soon as I can.

Hi CapeCodFlyer,

 

Glad you enjoyed the experience. Azamara is our "go to" for cruising and has been for many years because of almost all you have noted and more . . .

 

We also found the duvets too heavy and requested a blanket . . . no problem. :)

 

Knowing how busy "changeover day" is, we email the ship requesting this a few days before the cruise start date so the room can be made up as we prefer it, rather than cause our stateroom attendants to turn around and re-make the bed after we board.

How do you email the ship? I know we'd like a blanket rather than the duvet....

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We just ask for a blanket once on board. The blanket in the closet is usually a twin so they have to find a bigger one.

Thank you so much for telling us about your wonderful experience on Quest. We are back today from the Journey and loved every minute, except sleeping! Although we turned the air con down and opened the balcony door, we woke in the middle of every night absolutely cooking. Now I realise from your post that we could have asked for a blanket instead of the duvet (which we never use at home). Also found the down pillows too hot. I suppose we could have asked for different pillows too. Hopefully, there will be a next time and we will know to ask. Glad that you had such a great time, just as we did.

Lynne:D

How do you email the ship? I know we'd like a blanket rather than the duvet....

 

 

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Lots of contact avenues on this page :

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/contact-us

Good review. Glad to read all the positive comments!