A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 #1 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Azamara Quest. 8 days Los Angeles-Los Angeles. February 10-18 California coast; Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco and Ensenada. First time travel with our TA and we were excited. This California Coast cruise was a surprise for my husband for Valentines and he thought we were going to a conference in long Beach. I had packed extra clothes, undies, etc. He found out 20 minutes before we arrived at Port. His early Valentines Card contained his passport and itinerary. When we arrived in San Pedro I was expecting to see the majestic look of the Oceania Fleet. The Quest is Blue Black/White as compared to the beauty of Oceania white ships. Visually I was expecting something similar. Boarding was a smooth move. Cabins were ready when we boarded at 1:00 and within 10 minutes, our luggage was there. That doesn't happen on O. Even with a PH, I either get it just before we sail or go looking for it so that was a plus. Our TA hosted a cocktail party for 16 of us and the Captain stopped by to say Hi. In November we were on a bridge tour on the Marina and the Captain failed to acknowledge our group even though he was seen by all on the bridge. Unlike Oceania, Azamara has hot breakfast for suites and below. Another plus since we did not do a PH for this trip. We were in cabin 7086 near the elevator which at first I wanted to change but we heard no outside noise from those passengers coming off the elevator. It worked out even better because Paul was recovering from an Osteotomy and was wearing a moon boot so it was convenient for him. We thought the all inclusive alcohol was nice and like Oceania you are able to bring alcohol aboard. Paul likes Fosters beer so we could being some for his consumption in the room. The all-inclusive is not a deal breaker for me at least. Brands that I like such as Hendricks Gin and Grey Goose Vodka were extra. I can certainly drink what they were serving and only my observations. Bud Lite and two others were complimentary. Corona and Heineken were an extra charge. It was a breath of fresh air to see 35-50 year olds aboard. I agree with Laraine, Pacheco18 with her previous review of Azamara. The crew is always around and makes it a point to personally greet the passengers whenever possible. My magnifying mirror that I suction to the mirror broke away from its frame and reception offered to have maintenance glue it back for me. The Captain is seen about the ship and saw us in the elevator, stuck his head in and asked which floor we wanted. Really liked the interaction between the Officers and passengers. Even Security was pleasant. Customer service an A+ at the Reception Desk and Captain Jose Vilarintto-Neves was awesome. Steward and assistant quite nice but they were strictly business. We explained that we would prefer an early turn down as we retire following early dinner. This was addressed to our steward on our first day. It appeared they (steward) explained to us on the first day how things would be rather than ask us what we would like. It was almost like he was telling us what the rules would be; when they would bring ice, turn down the room. Out of 8 days, we received a early turn down 3 days and had to request it the other days by looking for the Steward. Room was kept clean and no complaints there but attitudes needed adjustments. We normally tip extra but not this time. Service in this area was totally different from O although other passengers indicated their stewards were outstanding. Never had repeat our requests on O. We forgot to remove our "do not disturb" sign when we went into Port at Ensenada. Paul returned to the cabin early and found complimentary munchies in the room which means they had entered even though the sign was out there. Fitness Center similar to Oceania's R ships. I did not use the spa. Had breakfast at the buffet on deck 9. No crowds and to prevent lines at the omelette station you are given a number to give to a waiter who brings your order. I did not see tempers get out of hand as seen on the Regatta and Marina in recent trips. I was disappointed in the Looking Glass Lounge Deck 10 which is equivalent to Horizons Instead of pastries, coffee etc. that area is a game room. Prefer Horizons on Oceania for that reason. Its nice to grab one of those chocolate croissants and coffee while relaxing on a sea day. Day 3 and still no children or teenagers aboard. Self Laundry free on Azamara as opposed to Oceania 2 bucks each token. Oceania should also do the same. That is a nice perk and they should take note. Unfortunately, Paul got a stomach bug and ended at the medical office and was quarantined for a few days. Consultation was free along with Imodium and an anti-nausea injection. Dr. Jason Wolfe was very personable. Medical staff was awesome. Food is subjective for all but it was all edible and very similar to Oceania. I like the Mosaic cafe on Deck 5, however there aren't enough tables and chairs to accommodate the passengers plus the crowd around the shops. It becomes a mob at times. Aquafina specialty restaurant was excellent. The lobster thermidor was succulent. Everything we ate there was super. Prime C was outstanding. Food cooked exactly as ordered. Service superb!!!! There is a $25.00 P/P which we take for granted on Oceania. IMO, the specialty restaurants on Azamara were better. There is a photographer onboard for your convenience. He does not annoy the guests with a camera in your face. I like that concept. I hardly noticed the art auction. Again, these services are for your convenience. Comparing Azamara and Oceania is tough. They each have their pros and cons and I would sail Azamara again, however I do prefer to continue with Oceania. My biggest disappointment was a onboard purchase at the Quest Shop. We made a jewelry purchase and advised by the shop manager that it was duty free but we should declare it which we would have done anyway. (That was clue #1). One item had to be a special order but the other item went to her happy home. The day we disembarked while having breakfast, I was paged to see customs agent at Looking Glass lounge. We were informed by guest relations that I was one of three passengers who had randomly been picked to provide my receipt and the item to show to the agent. (Clue #2). We approached the agent who advised us we had to pay duty above the $1,600 allowed. We explained that we were told by the Quest Manager that since it was made in the US we were good to go. Customs begged to differ since there was nothing on the invoice to confirm this. We then asked the guest relations person to get the Shop Manager up to our location. At first she said the Manager was unavailable, but then paged her when my voice went into high octave mode. We realized that we had been set up. I do not believe we were randomly chosen but I do believe the Quest shop provides a list of those who made purchases over the allowed duty free amount. The Manager arrived and explained to Customs they had never had this problem before and they would have to contact their office in the UK. After waiting almost 45 minutes, it was confirmed that we did not have to pay duty since the items were brought onto the ship from US and not overseas. We could hear the other two passengers also summoned explaining the very same thing. I seldom purchase fine jewelry onboard any ship because my Jeweler can get or make anything but this is a lesson learned. If you do make purchase it has to indicate the origin of the item. While waiting I could not have had a nicer Customs Agent. We happened to attend training at Glynco, Georgia 30 years apart of course. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 20, 2014 #2 Share Posted February 20, 2014 A Wonderful Review!!! A great range of topics and loads of apples to apples comparisons! Well done, Maria :D Tell us more, when you have caught your breath (and have gotten that contentious piece of jewelry in the safe! :eek: ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 20, 2014 #3 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks Maria Glad you pulled off the surprise for Paul Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted February 20, 2014 #4 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Great review Maria. We pretty much saw it same way. Azamara is certainly an option for r ship lovers In cairo. See u next month in pd. with yarn. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #5 Share Posted February 20, 2014 A Wonderful Review!!! A great range of topics and loads of apples to apples comparisons! Well done, Maria :D Tell us more, when you have caught your breath (and have gotten that contentious piece of jewelry in the safe! :eek: ) She is safe and sound. It is really a wash between the ships. Both O and A are a lot similiar but there are obvious differences. Is the free self laundry a big deal, no! but after you get to a certain loyalty level on O, it should be. Another observation was the mini bar on A. They had a selection of wines, champagne and beer that were not complimentary. If you can bring on alcohol onboard for your consumption, why on earth would you spend $19.00 for a taste of sonoma chardonnay? I always check off what is on the list in Hotels and did the same for this cruise. All were present and accounted the first day until I did a recheck the day before we disembarked and put them back in the refrigerator. One wine bottle had jumped ship. Advised reception and she didnt seem to be concerned, so where did it go? :eek: We did have maintenance check our fridge because the cokes were not cold. (This has happened on O too so no big deal). We were advised that they cleaned the dirt from the condenser unit while we were in Port one day , sooo maybe he was thirsty or used the wine to clean. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted February 20, 2014 #6 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks so much for the review. We will be sailing Azamara for the first time in June and have never sailed any cruise line but Oceania. I am looking forward to the change. You comparison was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #7 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks Maria Glad you pulled off the surprise for Paul Lyn Thanks Lyn. Me too! Even his doctor was in on the surprise because it was only three weeks out after the surgery. I tried to get Paul to reschedule but he was insistent and wanted to be completely healed for our Israel trip on the Insignia. in June. We are doing 5 days in Jerusalem before sailing to Haifa. Lots of walking. Great review Maria. We pretty much saw it same way. Azamara is certainly an option for r ship lovers In cairo. See u next month in pd. with yarn. Lol Be safe in Cairo. See you in the Desert soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPR Posted February 20, 2014 #8 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Maybe Ocrania's R ships are comparable. But as others have concluded, Riviera and Marina blow Azamara away with their food and other superior amenities. Edited February 20, 2014 by JPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted February 20, 2014 #9 Share Posted February 20, 2014 My biggest disappointment was a onboard purchase at the Quest Shop. We made a jewelry purchase and advised by the shop manager that it was duty free but we should declare it which we would have done anyway. (That was clue #1). One item had to be a special order but the other item went to her happy home. The day we disembarked while having breakfast, I was paged to see customs agent at Looking Glass lounge. We were informed by guest relations that I was one of three passengers who had randomly been picked to provide my receipt and the item to show to the agent. (Clue #2). We approached the agent who advised us we had to pay duty above the $1,600 allowed. We explained that we were told by the Quest Manager that since it was made in the US we were good to go. Customs begged to differ since there was nothing on the invoice to confirm this. We then asked the guest relations person to get the Shop Manager up to our location. At first she said the Manager was unavailable, but then paged her when my voice went into high octave mode. We realized that we had been set up. I do not believe we were randomly chosen but I do believe the Quest shop provides a list of those who made purchases over the allowed duty free amount. The Manager arrived and explained to Customs they had never had this problem before and they would have to contact their office in the UK. After waiting almost 45 minutes, it was confirmed that we did not have to pay duty since the items were brought onto the ship from US and not overseas. We could hear the other two passengers also summoned explaining the very same thing. I seldom purchase fine jewelry onboard any ship because my Jeweler can get or make anything but this is a lesson learned. If you do make purchase it has to indicate the origin of the item. While waiting I could not have had a nicer Customs Agent. We happened to attend training at Glynco, Georgia 30 years apart of course. Lol. That is a very standard practice to report purchases to US Customs those passengers with bigger purchases from the ships Duty Free. Bought a TAG watch on HAL for a Caribbean cruise and had a puched hole on my customs form... (surprise).. Sent to a special customs line -- and fortunately it was declared and on my way. The person next to me did not and was given the strip shirt treatment... Secondly I highly doubt that anything you buy there is made in USA. Most gold is done in Israel or Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted February 20, 2014 That is a very standard practice to report purchases to US Customs those passengers with bigger purchases from the ships Duty Free. Bought a TAG watch on HAL for a Caribbean cruise and had a puched hole on my customs form... (surprise).. Sent to a special customs line -- and fortunately it was declared and on my way. The person next to me did not and was given the strip shirt treatment... Secondly I highly doubt that anything you buy there is made in USA. Most gold is done in Israel or Italy. Well, this was my first and if we spend that kind of money in the future, Knowledge is Power. As I mentioned and was correct in my assumption, the shop reports who spent in excess of their duty free. What I did not like was the guest relations bending the truth as to why we were summoned. Randomly chosen was not the reason for the season. From what we were told the items from this collection were brought onto Azamara in the US and duty should have already been paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #11 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Thanks so much for the review. We will be sailing Azamara for the first time in June and have never sailed any cruise line but Oceania. I am looking forward to the change. You comparison was great. I didn't want to be critical but after reading other reviews comparing the two, my observations were slightly different. You will enjoy the ship! Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 20, 2014 #12 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I didn't want to be critical but after reading other reviews comparing the two, my observations were slightly different. You will enjoy the ship! Have fun! Two quick questions if I may, were they using plastic utensils on deck? (that is a pet peeve of mine, and they were when we last cruised Azamara). Also, what was going on with the Library? Is it still a Piano Lounge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #13 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Two quick questions if I may, were they using plastic utensils on deck? (that is a pet peeve of mine, and they were when we last cruised Azamara). Also, what was going on with the Library? Is it still a Piano Lounge? I did not eat at the pool deck. Just drank. Lol. We did eat at the pool grill and it was silverware. Hopefully soneone can address that question for You. The library is called the "drawing room". I kept looking for drawings or quick draw but they only had books. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jancruz Posted February 20, 2014 #14 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Silverware only...and books only..although they do sometimes use the Drawing Room for meetings or cocktail parties.. Jancruz1 Edited February 20, 2014 by Jancruz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 20, 2014 #15 Share Posted February 20, 2014 ...and books only.. As in "the piano is gone from the room?".......one hopes :D I always thought that it crowded the room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Knitter Posted February 20, 2014 Author #16 Share Posted February 20, 2014 As in "the piano is gone from the room?".......one hopes :D I always thought that it crowded the room It doesn't even look like the same room but YES! It is gone! Glad Jan could answer. We were with her on this sailing and since we have sunshine daily, currently 81, we stay out of the sun and enjoyed the cool weather along the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzAbroad Posted February 21, 2014 #17 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) The piano is still there (at least it was on Journey in January - but not in quite the same dominating position and the decor is different). At first I thought that a little odd but on one afternoon another guest hopped up and played quite beautifully for a short time. It was then I decided that the room had a definite drawing room feel. Another group was playing a quiet game of chess at the same time. As a reader I didnt find this at all disturbing, but then I have been serenaded by snoring in the O library on many occasions. The reading selection on A is not as good. But then I never really use the ship library selection. My experience otherwise was that the two lines are very similar on the R ships (I agree there is no comparison to Riviera or Marina). A is a little more relaxed in ambience and decor, and the staff were as wonderful as on O. I felt very at home on Journey. The food was excellent, and I thought better in the dining room than O. O had the edge in the Terrace, although the A lunch selection appealed to me more. Waves cant be beat. The specialty restaurants were good but the selection was not as extensive as O. I didnt mind paying for them, as it made it easier to dine there when we wanted to. I liked that some wine was included. I missed the wine courses that O have and the afternoon tea. A did do afternoon tea but in one restaurant and on sea days. Looking Glass looks alot like Horizons but we spent much less time there, and it seemed less of a lounge and more of a bar. Still pleasant enough. Mosaics is great and well positioned. Baristas should be similarly situated on the R ships. The enrichment speakers were good, the pool deck looked much the same and the staff there were very attentive and much more likely to ask if you needed something or just wander over with something that might tempt you. The fitness centre has better equipment on A (but not better than Riviera or Marina). The big plus for A in my view is that they put a lot more effort into mixing things up a bit. We dined twice on the pool deck under the stars. The effort in setting it up must have been huge and it was well done with well set tables and an attractive atmosphere. Both nights were well attended. They also held a brunch and a grill event in the main dining room which were well done. They also have an Azamazing evening on shore. That was fun but not really my thing, but it was another option. A are much cheaper on excursions, and the internet is just as disastrous. All in all if you like O you will like A. There are differences but they are not profound. They are a very similar product. Whether that remains the position is uncertain after the O R ship refurb. I sense the gap might widen. The A ships have been refurbed in a minimal way but are a little tired. I like the blue hulls, but I am keen to get back on board Insignia in June. Edited February 21, 2014 by OzAbroad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 21, 2014 #18 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I like the blue hulls, but I am keen to get back on board Insignia in June. As a guy who grew up in New York City during the swansong of the classic ocean liners, I had high hopes that the darker, blue hulls would be an improvement for the Quest and the Journey. but enough with the name of the Line AND the Logo, already! at a certain point, these people who push branding, need to know when to stop.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted February 21, 2014 #19 Share Posted February 21, 2014 This may surprise some of you but the color of the hull and the use of the logo has no impact whatsoever on the enjoyment of my cruise. Lolol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 21, 2014 #20 Share Posted February 21, 2014 This may surprise some of you but the color of the hull and the use of the logo has no impact whatsoever on the enjoyment of my cruise. Lolol I'm not surprised at all, most people are oblivious to the way that the ship looks from the outside.... That is how this happens :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arusha Posted February 21, 2014 #21 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I'm not surprised at all, most people are oblivious to the way that the ship looks from the outside.... That is how this happens :eek: Or this... An AIDA ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 21, 2014 #22 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Or this... An AIDA ship. Aren't we lucky? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted February 21, 2014 #23 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Aren't we lucky? :D Class wins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTemple212 Posted February 21, 2014 #24 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Aren't we lucky? :D Now really, does it bother you that much?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 21, 2014 #25 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Now really, does it bother you that much?? "A Girl being Pretty is like a Man being Rich. You might not marry a man just because he is rich, but my goodness, it helps! ...and some are so bad that you need a few drinks just to climb on :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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