trade off from silversea ?

[billcrooz]

hope you can help me; new to azamara and would like to know more about azamara; how about dinner reservations? are you assigned a table at a certain time ? looking to go next year on the quest around italy; price is really attractive but a lot of trade offs;tipping ;liquor,accomodations? has anyone had similar experience ? also excursions :confused:

[palamoh]

Just returned from a 21 day Silversea cruise on the Shadow, in Feb we did a 12 day cruise on the Journey. To answer your question on dinning, all three Rest's on the Journey allowed you to dine at any time the Rest's were open and dine with whom you liked. Dress code for all their Rest's is casual. Silversea has the same policy, although their dress code is Formal, Informal and Casual, depending on which night it is.

 

Azamara has 2 specialty Rest's, both were excellent, both charged a $5.00 pp charge per meal. Silversea also has 2 specialty Rest's one of them charges $30.00 pp and additional fee if you select to drink wine, the other Italian Rest charges no fee. Both were outstanding.

 

Azamara charges extra for tipping, soft drinks, water (no charge for water or soft drinks in Cabins Sky Suite and up), Liquor, Wine plus a 15% tip for all liquor served anywhere on Board. Wines were from about $30.00 bttl up, mixed drinks I thought were expensive. They allow you to bing 2 bttl's on board at Embarkation, then nothing throughout the remaining cruise.

 

Silversea provides all beverages incl Wine and all Hard Liquor at no cost, they provide Liquor of your choice (all premium brands) throughout the ship at every meal if you wish and do stock your room with whatever brand you wish throughout the entire cruise, along w/water and soft drinks and any Juice you want. No tipping on the ship it is provided in your original cost. Premiuim wines are available at an extra cost, I found these to be priced very near retail.

 

Now to compare both ships, Well I can say we certainly enjoyed the Journey, we have booked the Quest on a 24 day Asian Cruise next year. The Silversea, well we have booked a 14 day TransAtlantic cruise on their new ship the "Spirit" next Oct. Silversea is much more expensive, but like anything else, I believe you get what you pay for. Everything about the Silversea ( I have taken 6 Cruises with them now) I have found to be outstanding. Their Service is the best I have found on any Cruise Ship I have ever been on. Their suite rooms are larger and furnished wonderfully. Food in my opinion is always 5 star, they offer many free options during the day that Azamara would charge you for.

 

Entertainment about the same on both ships. My thoughts again I think you will enjoy either ship, but my heads up personal choice is Silversea.

 

Keep one thing in mind, on any Cruise, I don't care what line you travel with, you will find a few Nit Pickie things to complain about, do not let these small things get in the way of your trip. I sincerely hope you enjoy whichever Ship you choose. Also keep in mind their are folks out there who would disagree with my thoughts to you, many have their favorite Ships as well

 

"Mitch":)

[billcrooz]

palomah; thanks for the review; i am very familiar with Silversea; will be taking my 7th trip on the spirit next year; the only reason i am even cosidering it is they have a 14 day cruise next year that is a price i can't refuse,thanks for the feedback !

[wripro]

billcrooz,

 

Why not just do the Azamara cruise for such a great price? It's an adventure and if you don't go expecting SS you'll have a great time.

[billcrooz]

you know you're right; i just can't seem to pull the trigger;especially getting charged for liquor,laundry, well you get the picture !and all our favorite bartenders !

[roberts2005]

It was mentioned above that in the Skysuite you get unlimited Bottled water and sodas. Is that correct?

[wripro]

Billcrooz,

 

I agree, I hate signing for things too. But you asked for the tradeoff and that's one of them. You might like it a lot though so if you're getting a great deal just grit your teeth and sign away. I did it once on Oceania and it wasn't bad at all.

[LHT28]

especially getting charged for liquor,laundry, well you get the picture !and all our favorite bartenders !

 

Don't you pay for all that and more with SS :rolleyes:

It is just a matter of paying up front or when you are served.

 

It is just a perception that you are getting your drinks for free;)

[Susan-M]

....especially getting charged for liquor,laundry, well you get the picture ...

 

You could have a similar all-inclusive experience with Azamara if you pay up front ... i.e. put money on your account prior to your cruise. It's even better if you overestimate, because there's the bonus of receiving a refund at the end of your cruise.;) But you'll still need to sign those chits with Az.

[wripro]

No one ever said drinks were free on Silversea. They are included. And you can put all the money you want upfront into your account you will still have to sign each time you rider something. Still it is not that big a deal if you know it upfront.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

While I have not sailed on Silver Sea it is my understanding that Silver Sea is in the ulta deluxe cruise line category. And therefore you can't really make a meaningful comparison between Azamara and Silver Sea.

 

The Azamara Quest is an excellent cruise ship with fine food, excellent service, nice entertainment and a wonderfully elegant "bed and breakfast" ambiance that is very appealing to my wife and me. It is a superior value because you get a lot for your money.

 

I am sure that Silver Sea is truly outstanding but frankly while I can afford it, my wife and I do not need Silver Sea's level of cruising.

[wripro]

You can't truly compare any line with another since each line is unique. Still people seem to want to do so all the time. It is unrealistic though to compare Azamara or Oceania to any of the luxury lines because the playing field is not level.

[Jade13]

Hello,

 

While I have not sailed on Silver Sea it is my understanding that Silver Sea is in the ulta deluxe cruise line category. And therefore you can't really make a meaningful comparison between Azamara and Silver Sea.

 

I am sure that Silver Sea is truly outstanding but frankly while I can afford it, my wife and I do not need Silver Sea's level of cruising.

 

We were on SilverSeas this summer and did not find it to be "Ultra Deluxe". Not better than HAL other than a smaller ship and all drinks included.

 

We are trying Azamara next year. They were offering pre-paid gratuities and OBC on our dates. By purchasing a Cola Card it will be pretty all inclusive for us.

[bar_20]

If you don't drink alcoholic beverages it sounds like it doesn't make since to book them. You would have to drink a lot of booze to make up for the price differences and tips arn't that much extra on the Azamara ships.

[Paulchili]

We were on SilverSeas this summer and did not find it to be "Ultra Deluxe". Not better than HAL other than a smaller ship and all drinks included.

.

 

You must have been on PA II. While owned by Silversea, it does not compare to any other of their ships.

To OP:

I think this question is foolish in the first place - how do you compare a Bentley to a Cadillac? You know exactly what each one is ahead of the time and you know you will get what you paid for. It's only fair that way - you cannot expect a Silversea cruise experience at Azamara prices. I can see maybe compaing HAL to Celebrity or Oceania to Azamara but not what OP is asking; each of those cruise lines delivers well what they promise at the price you pay -"you pays your money and ....."

Only you know if these trade offs are worth it to you .

[wripro]

There is a lot more difference between a true luxury line and Azamara then the included alcohol and gratuities. I am always amused when I see someone post that they couldn't drink enough to make up the difference in price. You don't have to drink anything to appreciate the atmosphere and feeling aboard a luxury ship. It's just different and I guess one has to experience it to appreciate it.

[Paulchili]

There is a lot more difference between a true luxury line and Azamara then the included alcohol and gratuities. I am always amused when I see someone post that they couldn't drink enough to make up the difference in price. You don't have to drink anything to appreciate the atmosphere and feeling aboard a luxury ship. It's just different and I guess one has to experience it to appreciate it.

 

I think you put more eloquently what I was trying to say. I appreciate and love Silversea for the luxurious experience it offers and I don't even drink at all.

Likewise, I hope to enjoy Azamara, knowing and expecting a different but still excellent experience, appropriate to the price I paid.

[wripro]

Exactly, Paulchili. One can sail and enjoy both. It's all about expectations.

[Jade13]

You must have been on PA II. While owned by Silversea, it does not compare to any other of their ships.

.

 

Yes we were. Have you been on PAII? It was good just not better than any of our other cruises. Btw, the dinning room staff was great. Food no better though.

[wripro]

PAII is an expedition ship, not a cruise ship. It is small, carries few people and meant to explore regions other ships cannot go. I applaud Silversea for trying to raise the bar for expedition ships but it's not fair to judge the line from that one experience.

[MightyQuinn]

PAII is an expedition ship, not a cruise ship. It is small, carries few people and meant to explore regions other ships cannot go. I applaud Silversea for trying to raise the bar for expedition ships but it's not fair to judge the line from that one experience.

Very true. PAII is the former World Discoverer, an expedition ship with an ice-hardened hull that was previously operated by Society Expeditions to Antarctica, Arctic & South Pacific Islands. Silverseas undertook a major refurb & launched the ship as PAII with the intent of bringing luxury to the expedition market. We traveled with Society Expeditions on their original World Discoverer to Antarctica & South Georgia, long before any luxuries were available.