Azamara versus Oceania

[flydc]

We just returned from a 10 day Italian Escapade cruise on Oceania Marina. First time on O with our 2 previous cruises on Azamara. Here's our thoughts on how the 2 stack up.

 

Food: Winner Oceania

Oceania wins for more specialty restaurants and the fact they are included in the cruise fare. No extra charges (except for Privee and La Reserve). Red Ginger was amazing. Great food, great atmosphere. Loved the ability to select your tea from a long list (loved the white tea) and they present a box of chopsticks for you to choose your preference from a variety. Grand Dining Room was quite nice – but I actually prefer Azamara for their dining room menus. Oceania GDR was a bit too high style – although you can always get Steak Frites or a chicken dish. The Waves snack bar on Oceania has a much better selection than Azamara’s snack bar – but Azamara’s stays open longer and offers a changing menu with “sausage of the day” and offers hot pretzels for an afternoon snack. Waves has a great surf & turf sandwich with lobster and beef filet slices.

 

 

Ship: Winner Oceania

It’s hardly fair to compare the aged (although renovated) Azamara Journey to the practically new Oceania Marina. That being said, the Journey is much lighter and brighter after its renovation. The Marina is a beautiful ship and wins hands down. In addition to much larger cabins, the public spaces are well maintained and very, very comfortable. For example, there are cushions on all pool lounge chairs on Marina whereas on Azamara only those on the pool deck have cushions. Those on the upper deck do not.

 

 

Shore Services: Winner Azamara

Azamara wins this category hands down. On Oceania, we waited almost 2 hours one day for a tender to go ashore. Painful. Complete lack of organization. Never, ever waited on Azamara. In addition, Oceania didn’t provide nearly as many port shuttle buses. In a few ports, they were offered by the port and Oceania made it clear they had no control over the bus – although they seemed to take credit for offering them. Where they were offered made no sense. For example, they offered a free bus in Kotor where it was easy to get to town (and cheap if you wanted to take a cab) but in Taormina they did not offer a bus – even though it was very difficult (and expensive) to get to the town. Azamara offered shuttle busses almost everywhere and it was done flawlessly. Azamara also wins based on their “free” Azamazing Evening event. I’ve never seen 600+ people put on busses, brought to an amazing event, and then brought back so flawlessly. Oceania could learn a bit from Azamara here.

 

Excursions: Winner Azamara

The prices on Oceania’s excursions were crazy so we didn’t sign up for any. (Even the “on your own” excursions where they took you by bus to the city center were over $100 per city – NUTS!) On both Azamara cruises we took a few excursions. Good value for money and small groups – so quite enjoyable.

 

Cabins: Winner Oceania

Its hardly fair to compare the two – as Marina is only 2 years old compared to the aged Journey. The cabin storage space on Azamara was better (closet had a better layout) but the cabins on Marina are larger and more roomy. The bathroom on Marina was 1000% better than Journey. A nice sink and shower AND a bathtub! On Journey the shower curtain is rude!

 

Crew: Winner Azamara

While the crew on Oceania were quite nice, they weren’t nearly as friendly as Azamara. From the cabin steward to waiters, they did a fine job but didn’t really get to know you. The bar staff on Oceania was exceptional. Would rank the bar staff on Azamara and Oceania the same high level. The officers on Azamara wouldn’t walk by you without a hello or starting a conversation. Officers on Oceania (all levels) were standoffish and even announcements from the Captain were awkward.

 

 

Entertainment: Tie

Both equally poor. Oceania had a larger, nicer theater but the shows were of similar quality to Azamara.

 

Spa: Tie

Both had a nice spa. Oceania offers Canyon Ranch while Azamara is “no-name”. Both were quite good. I think Oceania was a bit too expensive – but it was also a nicer facility.

 

Amenities: Winner Azamara

I don’t recall the brand of in room amenities on Azamara but they were very nice and were branded. On Oceania we were in a concierge level room, which offered Bulgari green tea amenities. They were nice. Azamara wins this category based on one simple fact. Oceania advertises “signature Belgian chocolates” with turndown service. These ‘signature chocolates’ are like the mints you would find at a standard Marriott or Hyatt. In other words, nothing special and certainly nothing to call out in a brochure. On Azamara, everyone gets chocolate truffles or similar each night presented on a china plate in your cabin. (Should also mention that only suites and above on Oceania get evening canapés upon request – where everyone can get them on Azamara. Same thing with hot breakfast – suites/concierge only on Oceania – everyone on Azamara.) Finally, Azamara offers free laundry where its $4 per load ($2 wash/ $2 dry) on Oceania. Even though this is inexpensive, it’s the point that they even bother to charge that pushes my buttons.

 

Overall: Winner Azamara

While we enjoyed Oceania, we would choose Azamara over Oceania if the price was similar. That being said, for the deal we got – we would definitely sail with Oceania again.

[Mrs Miggins]

Thanks for this excellent comparison. Have been searching the websites for an early summer 2014 cruise and was shocked by the very high Azamara prices, which would be my first choice. Oceania seem to have better deals at the moment. However I do not know if the additional cost of wine, cocktails etc would account for the difference. DH loves his wine! I could manage on a couple of glasses per day plus one or two cocktails. Did you buy a package?

[nordski]

Thanks for the thoughtful comparison.

 

Were there any discernible differences between the cruisers onboard Oceania vs. those you've met on ACC, or was it a similar demographic with comparable values?

[Texed]

Fly,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[marinaro44]

Another consideration is that Marina and Riviera have 70% more passengers. Rules 'em out for me on that alone.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your comparison.

[little britain]

Fabulous comparison.....now waiting for your SilverSeas -v-Azamara one!!!

Hugs to you both x

Edited November 11, 2013 by little britain

[MrMojoRisin]

Thanks for this excellent comparison. Have been searching the websites for an early summer 2014 cruise and was shocked by the very high Azamara prices, which would be my first choice. Oceania seem to have better deals at the moment. However I do not know if the additional cost of wine, cocktails etc would account for the difference. DH loves his wine! I could manage on a couple of glasses per day plus one or two cocktails. Did you buy a package?

 

 

I have considered trying Oceania but , even allowing for the Azamara price hikes, have never found the prices on Oceania - when you include all the additional costs - to be better than Azamara. In fact, doing price comparisons on a like for like basis, Oceania is often more expensive than Regent.

 

I suppose if you don't drink and never take shore excursions and don't mind having to show your sea pass in bars and restaurants then Oceania might make sense.

[English Tim]

Thanks for this excellent comparison. Have been searching the websites for an early summer 2014 cruise and was shocked by the very high Azamara prices, which would be my first choice.

 

Prices are unsustainable. We'll book when the bargains appear.

[CintiPam]

Thanks for posting your perceptions. IMO they are spot on.

 

I personally do not really have a winner. I think that both Oceania and Azamara offer a great product, and I have enjoyed my cruises on both lines, with itinerary being my major motivator.

 

In response to marinaro44's comment on the difference in size between the new larger "O" ships (Marina and Riviera) and the two Azamara ships, one of the neat and very surprising to me things about Marina was that due to its design, it really never felt much larger than the old "R" ships which I had sailed on previously (Regatta and Nautica), which are the same ships as the two Azamara ships. Therefore, I did not hesitate to book our next Med cruise on the new Riviera.

Edited November 11, 2013 by CintiPam

[shedridt]

I've sailed twice on Oceania & once on Az, with our next cruise scheduled for Journey Jan 6 2014. Our Oceania cruises were on the same smaller ships as Az.

 

While I'd like to try Oceania's larger ships, I just do not perceive them to be a greater value than Azamara on a per diem basis much less a side-by-side comparison.

 

There is nothing 'free' in cruising - there is no such thing as two-for-one, nor is airfare 'free', nor is liquor all-inclusive - it's all built into the basic price of your cruise & parsing it out is difficult. I've come to the conclusion that Az is a better bargain for us in many ways (particularly with respect to airfare as we book through points...). We feel that quality on these two lines is quite comparable (although the service is much more personal on Az...& we don't see a lot of difference in food service although some perceive it to be better on Oceania).

 

Why we will book again with Az if the itinerary is right is (1) the crew from Captain to busboy; (2) the quality & price of excursions; & (3) the general satisfaction we have with every aspect of the experience on Azamara.

 

NOW...if only Az had an Asian restaurant.....that would put them way over the top....

[Mrs Miggins]

Prices are unsustainable. We'll book when the bargains appear.

 

Thanks Tim,

I'll keep looking. Incidentally on our recent cruise over 100 people were booked with on TA based on the West Coast of the US, on really low prices. I made contact but their reply said that due to "cruise line policy they were only able to offer cruises to residents of the US and Canada"

[TERRIER1]

Thank you for the excellent and informative comparison. We are booked on our first Azamara cruise in 2014 after six Oceania. Looking forward to our new experiences.

[kikki21]

Thanks for the comparison, we are already looking for our 2015 cruise so that was an interesting read! :)

[kiawahdon]

The competition will go up markedly as O just announced details of the $50 million renovation to their R ships. It is really a challenge to A to either upgrade or fade away.

See this post from the O boards:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=40745687#post40745687

Edited November 21, 2013 by kiawahdon

[pacheco18]

The competition will go up markedly as O just announced details of the $50 million renovation to their R ships. It is really a challenge to A to either upgrade or fade away.

See this post from the O boards:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=40745687#post40745687

 

You beat me to it. Azamara had better do something with its ships if it wants to be competetive.

[150edmiston]

Thank you flydc for your insights.

 

I would be interested to hear about your pre-cruise experience.

 

Azamara has gone to hell in an hand-basket over the last 18 months IMO (in my opinion) and whilst the service on board is consistent, and excellent, the shore side is laughable at times, and gets as much airtime on this board as anything else.

 

Your views would be appreciated as we are considering defecting to the other side. Thanks.

 

David

Edited November 21, 2013 by 150edmiston

[Willow1686]

You beat me to it. Azamara had better do something with its ships if it wants to be competetive.

 

I was really surprised to see that Azamara had raised prices to the point where a 14 night Asian cruise for a solo traveller was around the same level as a similar voyage on Europa 2; it is difficult to see how its ships could be upgraded to anything remotely like that.

 

The reductions Bill has announced would no doubt help but they apparently apply only to US bookings; if I'm going to spend £8000 for 14 night cruise I'm certainly not going to be tempted to do so for a tiny cabin on an old ship.

 

They could easily solve the piano problem by having two pianos and two pianists, which would not be expensive; if they can't afford to do that then I doubt they can afford to pay $33,333,000 to upgrade the ships to to the planned new Oceania standards, which are still below Europa 2...

Edited November 21, 2013 by Willow1686

[pacheco18]

I am concerned that Azamara won't be around for my cruise in late 2015

 

There does not seem to be a plan to move forwArd and be competitive. They are floundering , endlessly making changes. They don't seem to understand branding and certainly do not understand their realistic target market or what they want to be.

 

Very sad IMO

[audobon_tx]

I am concerned that Azamara won't be around for my cruise in late 2015

 

There does not seem to be a plan to move forwArd and be competitive. They are floundering , endlessly making changes. They don't seem to understand branding and certainly do not understand their realistic target market or what they want to be.

 

Very sad IMO

 

Hard to judge whether there is a plan or not. ACC/RCCL management are no doubt deciding what to do. But, judging anyway, what strikes me is the apparent strategic direction of the parent company (huge capital commitments to mega ships across the board), its unwillingness to properly fund the last Quest and Journey dry docks (change of strategy per PR), and the departure of its marketing exec VP (albeit for what sounds to be a much higher hay point job), one could conclude that Azamara is a distraction to RCCL top brass and probably not worth their time. Such things usually lead to spin offs if they can survive on their own (doubtful), or sales to competitors (if a buyer exists). None of these options make me happy. But life will go on.

Edited November 22, 2013 by flyingshoes

[kikki21]

Reading this thread and others, it definitely seems that Azamara need to do something to remain competitive and upgrading their existing ships should be cheaper than building a new ship but then if they do build a new ship, I can imagine that everyone will want to sail on her and the Quest and Journey will go out more on charters, maybe that is the direction for Azamara?

[excitedofharpenden]

Azamara gives me the same warm, fuzzy feeling every time I step onto their ships and I will continue to pay a premium to sail with them because I always have such a darn good time and feel cared for. There is of course a limit to how much premium I'll pay. I feel the large scaling back of the refurbs of both Journey and Quest was a real shame and the bigging up of what they'd actually done a real mistake. There are only so many times you can look at a "new" picture of the blue hull. I can't compare Oceania because I haven't sailed with them, but certainly I don't feel Azamara have gone downhill. The lack of investment in hardware worries me though. It worries me because I care about the brand and its crew and want it to survive.

 

Phil

[pacheco18]

IMO the warm and fuzzy feeling is not going to be enough -- and believe me, I understand it.

 

The reality, as I see it:

 

They have priced some regulars out of the market

 

Their itineraries are lacking and with so much time taken up by charters in high season, they are "forcing" some who might choose Azamara to look elsewhere.

 

Luxury cruisers are NOT going to opt for Azamara -- they care less about warm and fuzzy and more about the ship and the amenities. Many have moved to O's new large ships and others MAY gravitate to the Oceania R ships after the refurb.

 

The regular O cruisers like myself, who have tried Azamara and like it, may ultimately find the ships too "shabby" compared with the refurbished O R ships.

 

I would like to see a "sign" that Azamara is doing something to protect and improve its position in the market. So far, I have seen the opposite.

[nordski]

Azamara gives me the same warm, fuzzy feeling every time I step onto their ships and I will continue to pay a premium to sail with them because I always have such a darn good time and feel cared for. There is of course a limit to how much premium I'll pay. I feel the large scaling back of the refurbs of both Journey and Quest was a real shame and the bigging up of what they'd actually done a real mistake. There are only so many times you can look at a "new" picture of the blue hull. I can't compare Oceania because I haven't sailed with them, but certainly I don't feel Azamara have gone downhill. The lack of investment in hardware worries me though. It worries me because I care about the brand and its crew and want it to survive.

 

Phil

 

Your comment reflects our assessment, although perhaps with less of the worry, and flyingshoes provided an excellent reminder that ACC exists within a larger corporate structure. In our view a structure that may provide benefits (such as transferrable loyalty awards) and limitations (how does ACC provide the ROI that the parent company expects.

 

Based upon others' comments and reviews, it seems that Larry P. has turned around a cruise line that lacked both identity and loyalty prior to 2009.

 

Also, given his background at Seabourn and Seadream, it would also be a surprise, as some suggest, that he doesn't understand the market he's trying to attract. However, as stated above, there may be corporate constraints upon how much he can implement, witness the scaled back drydock refurbishment. Perhaps RCI is waiting for further evaluation.

 

Regardless of my speculation there are two lessons I've learned:

 

1/ Occasionally some posters on the River Cruise Forum, based upon Viking River Cruises' early payment plan, suggest that they are/were in cash flow difficulties and might soon encounter deeper issues. As of yet, that hasn't proven prescient.

 

2/ When I'm onboard Azamara, their business plan is about the last thing on my mind, and, even if I did have ideas, they would be instantly dismissed since I have none of the responsibility to make the cruise line a success.

[Willow1686]

I think the important qualifier is "realistic"; there is more and more competition in all sectors of the cruising market, and as brand new and/or refurbished luxury ships become increasingly available I see little prospect of Azamara managing to command the prices it is asking.

 

Aggressive marketing of extras to new cruisers, as outlined in Bill's post, is unlikely to build goodwill; people end up feeling ripped off and there's nothing warm and fuzzy about that. Equally, same old, same old itineraries are not going to attract people in the income brackets capable of paying the level of prices Azamara is asking.

 

Businesses vary, of course, but sacrificing goodwill for short term cash flow does not look like management which is in it for the long haul; of course, if they intend to sell then it makes excellent commercial sense...