Azamara Journey Nordic-Iceland August 17-29

[meow!]

Continued from above …

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

The following had been selectively copied from a data sheet supplied by Azamara to all passengers on this voyage:

 

Nautical miles travelled starting at Copenhagen

Bergen 437

Geiranger 224

Lerwick 312

Akureyri 685

Reykjavic 325

Torshavn 519

Dublin 567

Total 3078

 

Azamara Journey Mechanical Specifications

Stabilizers 2 x 9.9 sq.metres. folding fins ACH CN/ACHe NG-10-06

Water makers: Flash Vacuum Evaporators, Clark 2 x 250 metric tonnes/day

Air conditioning system: 3 x 3,000 KW, York Water Chiller Units MWCCJI

Main Engines: 4 x 4,650 Wartsila Vasa 12V 32LN, 720 r.p.m.

Electro Propulsion Synchronous Motors: 2 x 6.75 MW, 1,100 V, 2306 A, Cegelec Alstom

Generators: 4 x 4,650 kW, 6,500 V, 60 Hz, Cegelac Alstom

Emergency Generator: 400 kW, Detroit Diesel

Bow thrusters: 2 x UNEX CHB-8000 oil fired boiler and 4 x UNEX G-226 exhaust gas boiler

Deck 10: 13laps around the deck = 1 nautical mile (1852 metres)

 

Ship Specification:

Tonnage 30,277 tons [one gross tonne = 100 cu. ft. of usable space]

Length 592 ft

Beam 93 ft

Draught 19 ft

Cruising speed 18.5 knots [that is a maximum, and usually it cruises slower than that]

Electric current 110/220 volts AC

Guest capacity at double occupancy 710

Crew size 407

Data within [ .. ] are our added comments

 

… to be continued

[meow!]

Continued from above …

 

DISCUSSION

 

It all started a little over a dozen years ago with Renaissance Cruises, the line which had the original R ships built. That line was cheap, good, and favoured by many passengers who loved good value and good itinerary through direct sales, without “middleman” profits of travel agencies. It had been very successful for a couple of years, but the innate character flaw for many businessmen – the desire to over-expand led to its demise. In the short span of just several years, it expanded to eight ships, more berths than it could sell, and it had to further cut fares as a consequence of “self competition” in its own market niche, and the burden of paying for all those R ships was just too much to bear. The tragedy of 9-11 was just the last straw, and Renaissance went under, how sad.

 

The R sister ships were then dispersed, on liquidation sales at rock bottom prices. Oceania took three of them, and formed a very good cruise line by upgrading the “soft ware” (good bedding, good food and good service) at a good price at the beginning in 2004 (it was fantastic at the time). But then Oceania was too successful in fare increases, at about double the industry rate (10+% per annum compounded) , making it very expensive through the years, and on many itineraries (especially the Caribbean) even more expensive than Silversea. (Many Oceania supporters were willing to pay higher than Silversea fares for the no smoking, no formal, no children policy, and Oceania ships for a few years were nearly always full, with increasing fare levels closer to sailing dates). Several years back, Celebrity (a division of Royal Caribbean) bought a couple of the remaining R ships and started Azamara. At its beginning, its fares were much lower than Oceania, and somehow, despite this, it had problems filling its two ships. A year or so ago, Azamara decided that it would raise fares and quality (what was included like drinks, tips, etc.) and rebranded itself Azamara Club cruises. The above was history as we remember, and we welcome corrections from other readers.

 

In its bid for expansion, recently, Oceania built two large new ships and had a third on order, tripling its capacity, and as the market dwindled, they siphoned off one R ship and cancelled the third large ship, but still doubled its berths. Unable to sell out its cabins anymore, Oceania finally broke its own “50% off” bottom line and had two-thirds off (and a few even three quarters off) fares for some sailings. As time goes on, Oceania has become less full, while Azamara has become more occupied (though still seldom full), on what appears to be a converging trend. As sea tides have a mid level over the course of a day, markets tend to level over the long run too.

 

At present, from what we can surmise based on information on the web (and this is necessarily based on “intuitive approximation” as it is far too complex to gather all the data and estimate the effects of the vast number of variables), Azamara is perhaps on the whole 15% cheaper than Oceania. Both cruise lines have their own pluses and minuses. Oceania calls itself “upper premium” and is in our opinion, a shade more refined in its food (regular restaurants) and bedding. Presumably, it has also introduced limited free drinks (soft drinks, bottled water) and included tips. Azamara has better orange juice, and provides free shuttles in many ports (presumably also a new development). Both cruise lines are casual (no formal nights), with Azamara passengers being even more so than Oceania; have restricted smoking, few children on board and emphasize the itinerary. They are still the closest competitors for the niche market for those who want a comparatively small ship atmosphere. Our feeling is that for those who are happy to pay the extra 15% and are used to Oceania, it is a worthwhile product, but for those who would like to save 15% for other things (such as land excursions, souvenirs, etc.), Azamara is plenty good enough and enjoyable. The deciding factor should be the itinerary you want and the time slot you want, between the two lines.

 

The world has not been kind in the last few years. The economy has been dismal, from Iceland to Ireland, from Greece to Portugal, Spain, Italy and especially Japan, it has been bad news. The United States has gone from the sole superpower to the greatest debtor in barely a decade. The worry now is that this may well be world “structural” (permanent) recession, unlikely to return to the good days at the turn of the millennium in the lifetimes for most of us. Cruising, and leisure travel on the whole, are discretionary spending, which necessarily must be behind keeping food on the table, paying for your roof and keeping your car. As the economy tumbles, those who work for income may lose their jobs, while those who have investment may lose their assets. It is an ugly picture for everybody, though the divide between the rich and poor has been deepening in the last decade, with the less fortunate suffering more.

 

We have a question to which we have no answer, but it may be worthwhile to raise just for brainstorming. The whole world economy, cruising included, seems to be predicated on growth. We remember someone telling us that if the Earth is the size of a basketball, and with its core being molten rocks and iron, its crust (the sea beds and mountains, perhaps tens of miles in total thickness) would be like an eggshell’s thickness, and humans will be the size of viruses. So imagine a basketball with eggshell thickness covered with viruses, and with an ever increasing population and demands on raw materials, is this forever sustainable? So cruise lines build ever larger ships, more of them with even more passengers, can ports, sea lanes, airports, air space and the supply chain indefinitely absorb everything we want to do forever? In short, is growth perpetual?

 

In any case, the coming decade will likely be a shake-up decade, with limited if not (more than likely) dwindling market, each cruise line will have to find its own way of sustenance. Some have stronger backing than others, and some are more willing to make sacrifices than others. We have no crystal ball on what is going to happen. As for ourselves, since we have very limited means, we have no plans for cruises in the foreseeable future. We just have to let fate direct us, perhaps there may be a voyage particularly cheap and enticing, something that pops up and “grabs” us, some surprises, we don’t know for now. However, having been on this board for a decade and posted many times (both before and after 2004 when this board had a change of server and lost previous postings), we will continue to post regularly, to share news which we happen to read, our ideas and opinions, and whether on land (usually) and at sea (relatively rarely) we will still be around!

 

… to be continued

[meow!]

Continued from above …

 

CONCLUSION

 

This had been an interesting, informative, enjoyable and memorable voyage. We revisited the Danish capital, saw the Norwegian coast and the beautiful fjords, stopped at two lovely little islands in the North Sea, went across the Arctic Circle, finally landed on Iceland which we had been hoping for, and revisited the Irish capital. On the whole, Azamara had satisfied all our needs and provided a comfortable journey. Its food, cabin, shore transportation (shuttle buses) and service in general had been plenty good enough (of course, individual service also depended on whom one happened to meet). Under the circumstances, it was the most desirable and complete sampler voyage for such a vast distance covered that we could afford. We are grateful that despite our very limited resources, we have been able to have taken quite a few voyages on different ships to different lands through the years.

 

Nobody really knows the future, but as sages through the centuries had said, “Hope for the best and be prepared for the worse”. While this is easier said than done, for anyone of us on this cruise critic board, it is still healthier to have hope, which is a positive state of mind regardless of circumstances. Let all of us hope that we will always be able to cope with tomorrow, whatever fate has in store for us. Thank you all kindly for taking the time to read this lengthy thread, and we welcome your comments.

 

APPENDIX

 

Some of the reports we have posted on this cruise critic board in previous years:

 

Barcelona to Venice – Oceania Regatta April 2004

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16812 (Part I)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16814 (Part II)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16815 (Part III)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16817 (Part IV)

 

Mexican Riviera – Silversea Shadow December 2004

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=112474 (Part I)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=112477 (Part II)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=112585 (Part III)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=112815 (Part IV)

 

Panama Canal – Silversea Shadow December 2007

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=680435

 

British Isles – Celebrity Century May 2008

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=785601

 

Eastern Mediterranean – Oceania Nautica October 2008

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=869685

 

Caribbean – Silver Spirit November 2010

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1317609

[Bill Leiber]

Dear Meow –

 

If I were a cat, I’d be purring after reading your comprehensive synopsis of your thoughts, feelings and emotions during your vacation on the Azamara Journey’s Nordic-Iceland voyage, August 17-29, 2011.

 

I salute you for sharing your positive outlook and mind-set with the Cruise Critic members on how you manage your life with the power of positive thinking.

 

I hope that we’ll have the opportunity to welcome you onboard again!

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[portofrome]

I really enjoyed your review. It will help me for my Iceland cruise next year. Thank you for posting.

[meow!]

Bill Leiber and portofrome

 

Thank you both kindly for your compliments.

[CintiPam]

Meow, thanks so much for supplying the link to your recent Azamara cruise review on the Oceania thread for my benefit. I just have read through it all, and it is very helpful in describing what I should expect if I book on Azamara after only having cruised previously on Oceania.

[Nuka]

Yes, I booked my first Azamara cruise last wee. The itinerary and price was the tipping points for us.