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Considering Azamara--Some Questions


wishIweretravelling
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I have heard good things about Azamara, and am considering a cruise on this line. I've been looking at the Azamara website, as well as some of the reviews, and am left with some questions, primarily about the "inclusions"--I find that the inclusive term has different tricks to it on different lines, so want to be clear in my expectations. I'm seeing appealing itineraries on all 3 ships, so my questions are about the line in general, and not one ship in particular.

 

1. When it says that one excursion is included in each port, does that mean that one excursion is designated by Azamara as the included one, or that you pick from among the choices offered in each port?

 

2. Are the included wines and beers throughout the day and evening, or just at meals?

 

3. It looks like the included wines are one house white and one house red, and change daily. What is the quality of these wines? On other lines that I have sailed that include wines, the included wines tend to be decent everyday wines--the types that sell retail in the U.S. for somewhere between $10 and $20. Is this the case with the included wines on A?

 

4. If you don't like today's included wine, can you request one that was served on a previous day?

 

5. If you get a wine package, are the bottles available to you throughout the ship, or just in the dining room?

 

6. I see that the specialty restaurants have an upcharge (and don't appear to offer anything particularly interesting). Is the food in the main dining room such that one would be happy to eat there every night? Does it serve dishes from the region where the ship is sailing?

 

7. Is there dancing in the evening? I'm sure there are no "gentleman hosts," but if a couple would like to dance in the evening, is there a venue for it?

 

8. What am I not asking that I ought to know?

 

Thanks in advance!

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I have heard good things about Azamara, and am considering a cruise on this line. I've been looking at the Azamara website, as well as some of the reviews, and am left with some questions, primarily about the "inclusions"--I find that the inclusive term has different tricks to it on different lines, so want to be clear in my expectations. I'm seeing appealing itineraries on all 3 ships, so my questions are about the line in general, and not one ship in particular.

 

 

 

1. When it says that one excursion is included in each port, does that mean that one excursion is designated by Azamara as the included one, or that you pick from among the choices offered in each port?

 

 

 

2. Are the included wines and beers throughout the day and evening, or just at meals?

 

 

 

3. It looks like the included wines are one house white and one house red, and change daily. What is the quality of these wines? On other lines that I have sailed that include wines, the included wines tend to be decent everyday wines--the types that sell retail in the U.S. for somewhere between $10 and $20. Is this the case with the included wines on A?

 

 

 

4. If you don't like today's included wine, can you request one that was served on a previous day?

 

 

 

5. If you get a wine package, are the bottles available to you throughout the ship, or just in the dining room?

 

 

 

6. I see that the specialty restaurants have an upcharge (and don't appear to offer anything particularly interesting). Is the food in the main dining room such that one would be happy to eat there every night? Does it serve dishes from the region where the ship is sailing?

 

 

 

7. Is there dancing in the evening? I'm sure there are no "gentleman hosts," but if a couple would like to dance in the evening, is there a venue for it?

 

 

 

8. What am I not asking that I ought to know?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

1. All excursions except the Azamazing evening held one night on the cruise are at a charge. You can choose any of the pay for itineraries subject to availability

2. All included drinks are available all day

3. There are 2 whites 2 reds 1 rose and 1 sparkling always on offer. Yes Azamara wines would be at the $10 end of the spectrum it’s down to tastes whether you like them

4. You can usually get a previous days wine but it’s not guaranteed

5. Wines for the package are available around the ship but you might have a delay if they’ve to go and find a bottle

6. The Main dining room is good many never eat anywhere else. You don’t specifically get menus from the region but they will sometimes bring specials on eg cannoli in Italy. They do have a world cuisine dish each night reflecting the country in the themed buffet that night in Windows. A tip would be don’t discount an evening at the buffet the Indian one is legendary as is the White Night Deck party

7. There can be dancing in the Living Room to the trio or in the show lounge between shows. If you want dancing ask and they will do there best

8. Just keep asking as you think about things.

 

Hope you make that booking

 

 

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Also new to Azamara and wondering about internet packages....

 

 

Under prepaid packages, their website indicates you can purchase 60 minutes for $19.95. Is this a "prepaid" price, or can one purchase however many 60 minute packages they want for the same price once on board?

 

 

 

Somewhere along the way, I remember hearing it was the same price for the 60 minutes whether purchased on board or before sailing.

 

 

Thanks for any information you can provide.

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Also new to Azamara and wondering about internet packages....

 

 

 

 

 

Under prepaid packages, their website indicates you can purchase 60 minutes for $19.95. Is this a "prepaid" price, or can one purchase however many 60 minute packages they want for the same price once on board?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somewhere along the way, I remember hearing it was the same price for the 60 minutes whether purchased on board or before sailing.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

 

 

The price is the same onboard as buying beforehand. From memory I think there were packages of more than 60 minutes that worked out a little cheaper per minute.

The internet aboard is fairly slow, so 60 minutes won’t last long. Because we have sailed with Azamara a few times before we are Discovery level in Azamara’s loyalty club Le Club Voyage, so we get free minutes or a set amount off a full cruise package. We prefer to pay the $19.95 a day to have unlimited internet for the cruise.

 

 

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Regarding the inclusive drinks, here’s a link to the Azamara website that shows what drinks are included https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

 

There is also a disco every night in the Living Room if you like dancing to ‘pop’ music.

 

 

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But remember they may not have all these brands onboard it depends on local sourcing particularly re the beers and lagers. They will substitute brands from time to time so see anything on the website as indicative only

 

 

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The price is the same onboard as buying beforehand. From memory I think there were packages of more than 60 minutes that worked out a little cheaper per minute.

The internet aboard is fairly slow, so 60 minutes won’t last long. Because we have sailed with Azamara a few times before we are Discovery level in Azamara’s loyalty club Le Club Voyage, so we get free minutes or a set amount off a full cruise package. We prefer to pay the $19.95 a day to have unlimited internet for the cruise.

 

 

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I always purchase the unlimited internet package. Note that streaming videos and the like won't work well, if at all. The service is slow.

 

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Regarding the inclusive drinks, here’s a link to the Azamara website that shows what drinks are included https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages

 

There is also a disco every night in the Living Room if you like dancing to ‘pop’ music.

 

 

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According to a thread started by someone on the Journey the # of included drinks have reduced considerably and drink prices have increased. The website hasn’t been updated as yet.

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Thanks all for the info. Interesting that the only included beers are Bud and Beck. I'm not a beer drinker, but someone in my group is. I know he wouldn't touch either of those.

 

Sorry, I was confusing Azamara with Viking Ocean re the excursions. What are people's takes on the quality of the excursions? Worthwhile, or should we try to find our own?

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Thanks all for the info. Interesting that the only included beers are Bud and Beck. I'm not a beer drinker, but someone in my group is. I know he wouldn't touch either of those.

 

Sorry, I was confusing Azamara with Viking Ocean re the excursions. What are people's takes on the quality of the excursions? Worthwhile, or should we try to find our own?

 

 

Once in a while i buy a Red Stripe. I would not touch the included beer.

 

Tours- I use a mix of ships and private. In some ports i just use a map and walk.

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If you look at the thread entitled ‘New Drinks Menu’ you will see that Newcastle Draft has been added on the Journey (so presumably on the other ships too).

 

 

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Ah, Newkie Brown ----or 'dog'!

It's a move in the right direction -----but still a way to go before reaching craft ales.

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If you look at the thread entitled ‘New Drinks Menu’ you will see that Newcastle Draft has been added on the Journey (so presumably on the other ships too).

 

 

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Thanks. I just looked at that thread. Azamara's approach to alcohol seems unduly complicated.

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Haven't been on Celebrity in a while so I don't know what their sunset bar is like but there is a sunset bar off of Windows on AZ. You can enjoy lunch out here and dinner if you choose to eat at the buffet. Also, there is the Patio, in the evening, which is outside and covered. They have their own menu and you can supplement from the buffet (there was a thread about this a while ago debating whether or not you are able to take items from the buffet out to the patio). At lunchtime this area is called The Grill.

 

And, of course, White Night is fantastic alfresco dining!

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Anyone expecting to see "craft ales" on the included beer list is whistling Dixie. Adding Newcastle to the included list is a big step in the right direction and should be lauded.

The Newcastle addition is definitely a quality step forward for the included beers.

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Thanks all for the info. Interesting that the only included beers are Bud and Beck. I'm not a beer drinker, but someone in my group is. I know he wouldn't touch either of those.

 

Sorry, I was confusing Azamara with Viking Ocean re the excursions. What are people's takes on the quality of the excursions? Worthwhile, or should we try to find our own?

 

We've done a mix. We did 2 ship excursions on our most recent trip, one to the beach in Mykonos and one to a natural park in Turkey--they were efficient and the guides in Turkey were very good. They are small and personal, and as usual, a little more expensive than you would pay yourself. I thought they were a good value. I don't think they are always necessary but many feel more comfortable being under the auspices of the ship. We did a private guide in Santorini--these can be less expensive if you find someone to split the cost with, and my experience has been good here as well. And for the remainder of the ports we wandered with the help of a map and Trip Advisor

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Thanks all for the info. Interesting that the only included beers are Bud and Beck. I'm not a beer drinker, but someone in my group is. I know he wouldn't touch either of those.

 

Sorry, I was confusing Azamara with Viking Ocean re the excursions. What are people's takes on the quality of the excursions? Worthwhile, or should we try to find our own?

 

To misquote someone famous: I've had the best of excursions, I've had the worst of excursions. And both on Azamara.

Several years ago we experienced wide-ranging, eye-opening excursions out of Alexandria, Ashdod, and Antalya (that was a cruise!). We were educated, fascinated and fed and the cost was reasonable. Most recently in March out of Brisbane, we enjoyed a fabulous excursion across bridges and through parks, riding the ship's bicycles along the river with stops for photos, snacks, and exploring a community art center.

That cruise also found us on a tour out of Bali that I feared would never end. There was no "maximum of 25 guests:" we were 3 busloads of 32 each, stopping together so that each site was immediately filled with nearly 100 people. Our guide spent his time on his phone, and was nearly impossible to understand when he did speak. One vaunted sight (fishing village; some shopping) was skipped entirely, and an inordinate amount of time spent in a very large gift shop. I could go on.

We've had wonderful non-Azamara excursions (Natural Hvar, out of Croatia) and we've also been burned. (Our ToursByLocals in Dunedin was a no-show, leaving us to trudge back along the dock and take a ship's shuttle into town.)

Some of our favorite excursions have been with fellow cruisers, simply strolling through town - Syracuse - checking out the Caravaggio, drooling over window displays of marzipan, relaxing at a table in the square with an espresso and friends.

Ship's tour, or DIY? I wish I knew!

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Thanks, Ithikan and debcip, for the excursion info. Sounds like most other lines--you make you best guess based on info available and hope for the best. I'm used to doing a mix of on our own and ship's excursions based on that guesswork, amount of time in port, available alternatives, and others' recommendations.

 

Ithikan, your mention of "maximum of 25 guests" has me curious. Is this something that Azamara claims as a feature of its excursions? While I have been exploring its website, I haven't see this. I've been on a couple of cruise lines that try for this, but don't actually promise it.

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It appears in some promotional material but there is a caveat they may exceed that number- my recent experience is wherever a bus is used as part of the tour, the number is exceeded. All our Asia trips in buses had over 30 it was an issue particularly in India, Borneo and Myanmar where guides are only used to working with 2-4 guests so the kinds of issues that big groups need a guide to remember - like give your explanations to the whole group and not the people you are walking beside at the Temple, set clear time deadlines and meeting points - went out the window.

I do a mix of walking on my own with a good app or guidebook, ships tours (usually related to cooking classes) and private guides. My choice depends on how far from the action I can dock and how reliable do I think independent guides will be.

 

 

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Hello, wishIweretravelling,

 

When you book excursions online from the Voyage Planner, a blue box off to the side reads:

"No more than 25 guests for a uniquely personal experience." It's the very first declaration, an acknowledgment, I believe, of how important a "personal experience" is to those considering Azamara tours.

 

Teri

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