Azamara vs. Oceania

[quivet c]

I have been on Oceania a few times and love it but do to cost and lack of availability in September in Europe we are looking at trying Azamara. How do the cruise lines compare (besides having nearly identical ships) is the food, average traveler etc comparable? Why does Oceania have no problem selling out their ships out while Azamara does?

[comcox]

We did two Azamara's cruises before the new CEO made changes, increasing their fares significantly, marketing more to non-U.S. markets, and shortening the itineraries. The first cruise was absolutely fantastic, but the second less so primarily because with the economic downturn/lower prices they attracted quite different passengers--less cultured, more international. We found their food very good especially in the speciality restaurants but service in the main dining room is slow. Service overall was good to excellent both cruises. Wi-fi in cabins is very good and packages offer reasonable rates (something I hear that Oceania fails to deliver).

 

We are about to head off on our first Oceania cruise so I'm going to be interested in the differences myself. I think Oceania sells out quickly because they've been marketing the same "product" consistently for some time now and developed a loyal following; whereas Azamara has been in a state of flux leaving many of us past passengers weary of what we might experience.

[suec12]

You might want to read my recent review on the Journey - in May 2009 we sailed on Oceania (our first time) then in May 2010 we sailed on Azamara. In my review I do some comparisons of the two products. After sailing on both, IMO they are very similar although now Azamara has pre-paid gratuities, table wine at lunch and dinner and some other included extras. Some Oceania cheerleaders find their product to be classier but I found the differences to be quite minor. But for the most part the price differential has narrowed, at least for now. As to why O sells out and A struggles, it is somewhat of a mystery to me. I see advertisements for both in the travel and food publications. But perhaps this provides a clue - I booked my first cruise on O after getting an unsolicited brochure in the mail several years ago - between the itineraries and the food promotion, I called to get a price and eventually booked a sailing. Now as for A, I called for a brochure three times and never got one - had to research the trip options and details online. Their website is good, but I do think a brochure can be very valuable.

 

If you see an Azamara itinerary you like, go for it! In the end you may prefer Oceania but I highly doubt you will regret your trip with Azamara.

[wripro]

Please do a search. There must literally be hundreds of threads on comparing these two lines.

[MightyQuinn]

How do the cruise lines compare (besides having nearly identical ships) is the food, average traveler etc comparable?

Azamara vs Oceania has been discussed at length here on CC. If you do a search, you’ll be rewarded with numerous threads. We recently completed 14-nite transAtlantic sailings on both Oceania & Azamara so we could form our own first-hand impressions. Here’s a summary of how the on-board experience rated for us:

 

DINING Food on O was consistently better than A in every dining venue.

 

CABINS Identical layout for identical categories. Beds, linens, towels, deck furniture were superior on O.

 

PUBLIC ROOMS Very similar public spaces but some different uses. Both well maintained though O had better attention to detail.

 

ENTERTAINMENT Both have cabaret-styled low-key shows. A offered a bit more variety while O relied heavily on ship staff to perform.

 

ACTIVITIES Both offered similar activities. Cruise Directors were superb on both, but the guy on A seemed more genuine. Activities staff on O was unbeatable. CC meet & mingles were hosted on A but not on O.

 

SPA & FITNESS Small physical spaces with similar offerings on both.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS Shorex team on A was outstanding while O was disorganized & unhelpful. Shorex on A were excellent value-for-money.

 

OVERALL SERVICE Both excellent & very customer-focused. O service slightly more reserved than A. Officers & senior staff on A were very accessible & gregarious.

 

BOTTOM LINE We preferred O. We would consider sailing A again if the itinerary & price was right.

 

Here’s my reviews of both cruises:http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=members&MemberName=MightyQuinn

So that's how we saw it. YMMV. No matter how many reviews you read, it still isn't quite the same as getting aboard & experiencing things for yourself. Hope this helps.

[pier]

We just returned from an Azamara cruise (the Quest). Our previous cruises have been on Oceania. There were two essential differences to us: the food and the entertainment. Oceania's food is far superior, whether it is in the main dining room or one of the specialty restaurants, both in the quality of food and in the menu selections. Also, Oceania's afternoon tea is sumptuous. Azamara's afternoon tea was a skimpy affair, really disappointing after one has been on Oceania. Azamara's entertainment, however, was better than Oceania's, especially the theme evenings by the pool. Oceania makes little effort to provide evening entertainment, and it shows.

 

We chose the Azamara cruise because of the itinerary; the ship was sparkling clean and the service was excellent. But after our experience, if Oceania and Azamara offered the same itineraries, we'd go with Oceania. As you have probably guessed, a ship's food is really important to us!

 

The "free" wine at lunch and dinner on Azamara is nice, but you're paying for it. We did appreciate the free use of the laundry. Oceania could take a lesson there.

 

Many people have debated the differences between the two lines. What works for one person doesn't always work for another. In the end, you probably have to experience the difference yourself.

[suec12]

I know that food is very subjective but IMO I would not say the food was far superior on O - now I do think they tended to have a few more menu items with a "gourmet" factor, like foie-gras but I am not a foie-gras fan, but the majority of menus and menu items in the MDR's on both ships were similar in quality to me. I liked that on Az the waiters would recommend the best items for the evening. But A does not have the additional sides on the menu each evening and I missed that. For the lunch and dinner buffets, again just about a tie but O does have those wonderful berries - A has fresh made waffles every morning tho, I did not see that on O. As to the speciality restaurants, again very similar in quality - I thought the lobster in Polo was very disappointing and the olive oil menu a bit over the top. But O does take the afternoon tea, hands down. So in the end, to me, I was very happy on both ships - I would describe myself as a foodie, not a gourmet. I did enjoy the table wines on the A sailing.

 

And the demographics were different - younger and more diverse on Azamara. That it was a 7 night sail might have contributed to that. We found pleasant (and a few unpleasant) on both ships.

[Jade13]

We did two Azamara's cruises before the new CEO made changes, increasing their fares significantly, marketing more to non-U.S. markets, and shortening the itineraries. The first cruise was absolutely fantastic, but the second less so primarily because with the economic downturn/lower prices they attracted quite different passengers--less cultured, more international. We found their food very good especially in the speciality restaurants but service in the main dining room is slow. Service overall was good to excellent both cruises. Wi-fi in cabins is very good and packages offer reasonable rates (something I hear that Oceania fails to deliver).

 

We are about to head off on our first Oceania cruise so I'm going to be interested in the differences myself. I think Oceania sells out quickly because they've been marketing the same "product" consistently for some time now and developed a loyal following; whereas Azamara has been in a state of flux leaving many of us past passengers weary of what we might experience.

 

That is interesting that you have two Oceania cruises booked even though you have not tried them yet. I will be interested to hear your comparison with Azamara.

[Jade13]

We just returned from an Azamara cruise (the Quest). Our previous cruises have been on Oceania. There were two essential differences to us: the food and the entertainment.

Also, Oceania's afternoon tea is sumptuous. Azamara's afternoon tea was a skimpy affair, really disappointing after one has been on Oceania.

.

 

I wish Azamara would read this and do something more with their afternoon tea, especially considering our next cruise has something like 9 sea days!

 

It seems more of the same like on Celebrity (who on our two short cruises did not even offer an afternoon tea). So far our best tea has been on HAL.

[quivet c]

Thanks, for all the information and I will do some additional searches on the cc boards. I have to admit it is a little disappointing to hear the food is not as good on Azamara (from numerous people) and the lack of gourmet menu items which is one of the primary reasons I love Oceania so much. To me there is no such thing as too much foie gras or french style food on the menu. Most likely we will still try Azamara since it is a good itinerary but at the price point I expect food that is significantly better and more sophisticated than Celebrity or Princess which I hope Azamara has.

[Jade13]

We recently completed 14-nite transAtlantic sailings on both Oceania & Azamara so we could form our own first-hand impressions.

 

DINING Food on O was consistently better than A in every dining venue.

 

OVERALL SERVICE Both excellent & very customer-focused. O service slightly more reserved than A. Officers & senior staff on A were very accessible & gregarious.

 

BOTTOM LINE We preferred O. We would consider sailing A again if the itinerary & price was right.

 

Here’s my reviews of both cruises:http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=members&MemberName=MightyQuinn

 

I hope Azamara works on their Chefs and food in the same way they have hand picked their Captains.

 

It seems food will be the deciding factor for many on whether they cruise on Azamara or Oceania.

 

I am curious if you have any plans to cruise with HAL again?

[MightyQuinn]

I am curious if you have any plans to cruise with HAL again?

We have Future Cruise Deposits that are ticking towards expiry, so we'll definitely sail HAL again. Our issue is timing. We're already committed to major land trips for 2010 & we've booked other cruises for 2011. But things can change so we keep looking. HAL has excellent itineraries & longer cruises, which works for us.

[Paulchili]

I am in situation more like yours - I have sailed on O 4 times and will be sailing on A for the first time this September.

I picked it for the itinerary (and by good fortune at the old prices with new amenities).

I will go with an open mind (as much as I can) and will not expect a carbon copy of O - will take it for what it is; much like I do every time I cruise with a new line.

Please do an Oceania vs Azamara (and v.v.) searches on both boards - lots of different views - the more you read the better your base for comparison will be.

PS I agree that the biggest difference why O is fully booked while A is not, is that O has been around longer and has a very loyal following. A has been struggling with how to present itself lately; the sudden increase in prices (justified or not) did not help to fill its ships either. People enjoyed getting an O-like cruise at half the price - that is no more.

JMO

[Redtravel]

Just got mailing with new promos. Oceania is fighting back with new promos. Sorry Azamra, Oceania is beating you on many prices.

[MightyQuinn]

Why does Oceania have no problem selling out their ships out while Azamara does?

Oceania does an expert job at marketing. Their brochures are visually stunning & really entice you to cruise. Oceania stays in regular e-mail and snail mail contact with clients (and prospects). Their website is easily navigated with hyperlinks to various marketing videos. The folks at Oceania home office are capable & helpful. And the Oceania Forum on CC is full of enthusiastic loyalists. Several posters are indistinguishable from company PR staff in that they do an amazing job of telling or reframing the Oceania story. And FDR makes the occasional appearance to let all know that he’s listening!

 

But Oceania also has an excellent product & are clear about what it is. They deliver on the marketing hype. As a result, they have an exceptional repeat clientele. Past clients know that Oceania offers the best deals to those who book early. Clients have been trained to book far in advance to get their desired cabin. In fact, Oceania seems to have an opposite problem of Azamara – overbooking. I’ve read many an account of folks being offered pretty sweet deals to jump ship off an Oceania cruise because they had oversold the ship.

 

Oceania has found the magic formula of consistent product + effective marketing + right price. Azamara is still looking for it. JMO.

[Photogirl]

After someone on another thread started talking about how AZ was heavily discounting cruises to travel industry employees, I did a little research. One site shows AZ cruises with up to an 86% discount for airline employees. Ouch, for the rest of us.

 

The most interesting thing I just found is that the same site shows discounts on a number of Oceania cruises, around the same time, of 88%. Maybe Oceania doesn't quite fill up their ships either.

 

PG's Hubby

[tgg]

After someone on another thread started talking about how AZ was heavily discounting cruises to travel industry employees, I did a little research. One site shows AZ cruises with up to an 86% discount for airline employees. Ouch, for the rest of us.

 

The most interesting thing I just found is that the same site shows discounts on a number of Oceania cruises, around the same time, of 88%. Maybe Oceania doesn't quite fill up their ships either.

 

PG's Hubby

 

Interline rates have been around for years. Right now there are great interline rates on Silversea and Seabourn as well. For those in the travel industry (not me, unfortunately) they're a great deal. But, yes, Oceania offers them. The cheerleaders on the Oceania board might not mention them but they're out there.:)

 

As far as "Ouch for the rest of us": My next door neighbor, a GM engineer, can buy his GM cars for less than I can. People who work at department stores can buy things for less than I can. I'm sure there are others. I'm just happy that I can afford to take cruises. Sure I want the biggest discount and largest OBC I can get. But if airline employees can get a great deal on a cruise, good for them. I'm not paying any more because they're paying less.

[Emdee]

I will be on Azamara for the first time in October. The main reason why we are on is so that we can make sure our Celebrity status is carried over for the future.

However, I am hoping that we will like A and cruise her more.

I tried O but didnt care for it. Found the food boring and found O to be a very restrictive cruise line with no special orders etc. I also found that O clientele are much older and they are very loyal. They didnt like it one bit when I said that I much prefered Regent and wouldnt repeat my O experience unless the itinerary was spectacular. The Marina may be the exception that may make me change my mind.

 

There is no question that the afternoon tea on O is wonderful.

 

I am looking forward to my October cruise on the Quest.

[Paulchili]

I will be on Azamara for the first time in October. The main reason why we are on is so that we can make sure our Celebrity status is carried over for the future.

However, I am hoping that we will like A and cruise her more.

I tried O but didnt care for it. Found the food boring and found O to be a very restrictive cruise line with no special orders etc. I also found that O clientele are much older and they are very loyal. They didnt like it one bit when I said that I much prefered Regent and wouldnt repeat my O experience unless the itinerary was spectacular. The Marina may be the exception that may make me change my mind.

 

There is no question that the afternoon tea on O is wonderful.

 

I am looking forward to my October cruise on the Quest.

 

Emdee,

I think you'd better go with a very open mind and fairly low expectations.

It's not so much that Azamara is not nice - it's more the fact that Azamara is much more likely to be like Oceania than Regent - and,well, you said the rest.

Would like to hear what you have to say after your cruise.

Cheers

BTW We will be on the Quest just before your cruise - I promise to keep her nice & clean :)

[pier]

I know that food is very subjective but IMO I would not say the food was far superior on O - now I do think they tended to have a few more menu items with a "gourmet" factor, like foie-gras but I am not a foie-gras fan, but the majority of menus and menu items in the MDR's on both ships were similar in quality to me. I liked that on Az the waiters would recommend the best items for the evening. But A does not have the additional sides on the menu each evening and I missed that. For the lunch and dinner buffets, again just about a tie but O does have those wonderful berries - A has fresh made waffles every morning tho, I did not see that on O. As to the speciality restaurants, again very similar in quality - I thought the lobster in Polo was very disappointing and the olive oil menu a bit over the top. But O does take the afternoon tea, hands down. So in the end, to me, I was very happy on both ships - I would describe myself as a foodie, not a gourmet. I did enjoy the table wines on the A sailing.

 

 

 

And the demographics were different - younger and more diverse on Azamara. That it was a 7 night sail might have contributed to that. We found pleasant (and a few unpleasant) on both ships.

 

I ordered fish twice in the MDR that was so poorly cooked that the person who was waiting on our table noticed that I wasn't eating and offered to bring me something else. The offer was also made to the fellow sitting next to me who wasn't enjoying his fish, either. The sea bass in the specialty restaurant was disappointing. These are examples. I'm not a gourmet, but I appreciate good quality food that is well prepared. There weren't any disappointing meals on the Oceania cruises we've taken.

[Ship's Wake]

Thanks, for all the information and I will do some additional searches on the cc boards. I have to admit it is a little disappointing to hear the food is not as good on Azamara (from numerous people) and the lack of gourmet menu items which is one of the primary reasons I love Oceania so much. To me there is no such thing as too much foie gras or french style food on the menu. Most likely we will still try Azamara since it is a good itinerary but at the price point I expect food that is significantly better and more sophisticated than Celebrity or Princess which I hope Azamara has.

 

You should also temper your expectations about the ship. We were on the Journey this past January and, for us, the ship did not have a wow factor at all. You are going from one extreme to the other, Solstice to a 10 year old ship that Azamara has not maintained to the best of their abilities.

 

We love the smaller ships, and have cruised on the Oceania Regatta and the Azamara Journey. We found the overall ambience and decor on the Regatta to be better than the Journey. Just an opinion, for what it's worth.

 

Azamara has it's strong points, for sure, and you'll have a lovely cruise no doubt. Azamara is not in the same class as Oceania, even though the hardware is similar.

[Emdee]

Paulchili,

 

I am going on A with a totally open mind. I know its no Regent but the prices are more than half of Regent. When I went on O I hoped it would be a nice second fiddle for me. It didnt work out so hope A will be correct.

 

One of my main problems with O was the demograpics. Judging from the A target market as stated I should fit in. I did go on a longer Far east cruise on O so I gather the ages were higher than normal.

 

I had several bad experiences with the O food - frozen tuna melt and well grilled romaine lettuce so it was totally burnt in a chicken caesar salad to name a few. Other than in the speciality restaurants I did not care for the service at all. Also encountered some rudeness from the staff.

 

I shall do my comparison on my return.

[tgg]

Other than in the speciality restaurants I did not care for the service at all. Also encountered some rudeness from the staff. I shall do my comparison on my return.

 

I've been on 3 Oceania cruises and 6 on Azamara. I find the biggest difference in the attitude of the staff. We've had problems on Oceania that could have been taken care of cordially and efficiently - but weren't. On Azamara the staff is both friendly and efficient. We have been welcomed back on board by hotel managers and waiters, cruise directors and cabin stewards. One Azamara hotel director had a policy of having his staff respond to comment cards in half an hour. Things got addressed by people who seemed to care whether the passengers were satisfied. Passengers are greeted with smiles. I would trade the afternoon tea on Oceania for the attitudes on Azamara any day. In fact, I guess I have. Our next Azamara cruise is in September and we can't wait to be back on board.

[Emdee]

Thanks so much TGG.

 

This is what I was hoping to hear. I like to cruise about three times a year but cannot afford more than 1 on Regent which I love. I didnt take to Oceania so hope that A will fit the bill for the second or third. I have to admit that I still enjoyed Oasis of the seas and am booked on Allure in a year or two. Nothing beats their big shows and their casinos.

[quivet c]

You should also temper your expectations about the ship. We were on the Journey this past January and, for us, the ship did not have a wow factor at all. You are going from one extreme to the other, Solstice to a 10 year old ship that Azamara has not maintained to the best of their abilities.

 

We love the smaller ships, and have cruised on the Oceania Regatta and the Azamara Journey. We found the overall ambience and decor on the Regatta to be better than the Journey. Just an opinion, for what it's worth.

 

Azamara has it's strong points, for sure, and you'll have a lovely cruise no doubt. Azamara is not in the same class as Oceania, even though the hardware is similar.

 

Thanks for the information and setting realistic expectations.

 

Solstice to me was a beautiful new ship that had amenities that were nice but we are more about the food, wine and service than the entertainment, nightlife, fancy bars, shops, huge casino etc. To me the Solstice lacked the personal service (partly due to size, partly do to some unprofessional staff) and the quality of food in the MDR we like and are used to but we expected that at Celebrity's price point.

 

The Regatta is a great ship that is a great size, well maintained and offers all the amenities we require so we are hoping that the Quest (if we do decide to cruise on it) offers the same quality and amenities that the Regatta offers.

 

That said we go into all of our cruises with an open mind so it will be interesting to see what it is like.