Thoughts on our first Oceania cruise by Azamara fans

[mara01]

As promised, some views on our first Oceania cruise after 9 on Azamara. The cruise was from Istanbul to Athens on the Riviera. As far as the ship itself is concerned, as Mrs Miggins on our Roll Call has said, you can't really make a true comparison between the Oceania Riviera and Azamara's 'R' ships. We need to try one of Oceania's 'R' ships to achieve that. Any comments are, of course, just personal opinions and not intended to be criticisms of either ship. So much is down to personal taste. We found our way around the ship quite easily as the layout is on the whole similar to the 'R' ships but on a larger scale (i.e. Horizons/Looking Glass, Terrace Cafe/Windows, swimming pool area).

 

We thought the Riviera was a beautiful ship, opulent in decor, clean and in very good condition throughout. We particularly loved the crystal chandeliers! Some of the modern artwork wasn't to our personal taste. The public areas were lovely, particularly the Grand Dining Room and it's beautiful circular crystal chandelier, the Grand Bar with it's high gloss marble floor and comfy sofas and the atrium which were all very elegant and tastefully decorated. One of our favourite places to sit with a cocktail was in the Grand Bar listening to the string quartet (nothing like this on Azamara now they have dispensed with the harpist). We sampled the tea up in Horizons twice which was a delightful experience with a fabulous selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes - hard to exercise some restraint so as not to spoil dinner! We haven't actually partaken of the tea in the Looking Glass on Azamara but have tried the scones delivered by our butler on the one occasion we had a suite on Azamara and thought they were better than those on the Riviera (our personal preference).

 

On Riviera we were in a verandah cabin, Room 7108 with a very large, open corner balcony. Our cabin steward kindly obtained two loungers for us and it would have been lovely to spend more time out there if a) the weather had been better (no one's fault!) and b) had there not been an almost constant smell of cigarette smoke out there, stronger sometimes than others. This was reported to the Reception desk who were very appreciative of being informed and said that another cabin nearby had reported the same thing. A security man came up and had a look round outside but it is obviously difficult to pinpoint the origin. Can't help thinking it must have been escaping from a vent somewhere or being carried round the ship by the wind as it happened too often to be someone smoking illicitly on their balcony.

 

The room was lovely, a little wider than an Azamara verandah cabin and the bathroom was much larger than on Azamara with a separate shower cubicle and bath tub (which you only get in a suite on Azamara). Not wishing to go into too much detail (and being rather 'picky' here) we did find the loo roll a bit hard to reach as you had to twist backwards slightly to reach it! We don't think there is much to choose between the beds on both ships. Both are extremely comfortable although the mattress topper on Oceania adds a little softness.

 

We ate in each of the four speciality restaurants and decided that Toscana and the Polo Grill were our favourites, the food comparable in quality to Aquilina and Prime C on Azamara. We ate dinner in the Grand Dining Room twice and in the Terrace Cafe once. We found the food in all venues very good with a wide selection in the Terrace Cafe, probably a little more choice than on Azamara. The salmon en croute at lunchtime was delicious, as was the caramelised lemon tart but there were no mini fruit tarts, lemon meringue tarts etc. which we love on Azamara. Ice creams on both ships are very good. Our only criticism of the Terrace Cafe was that the food was not hot enough, probably because the plates were either cold or barely warm. We did miss the freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast that you get on Azamara - although it is "100% freshly squeezed orange juice" from a machine on Riviera, it isn't the same as having the juice from oranges squeezed freshly that morning. We thought the food in Oceania's Grand Dining Room is on a par with the food in Discoveries on Azamara, perhaps very slightly better (just our opinion!) and the steak in the Grand Dining Room was as good as that in the Polo Grill. The Grand Marnier soufflé in Oceania's Grand Dining Room, however, was not as good as the one served in Aquilina on Azamara, which is cooked to order. On both ships we love to eat breakfast and lunch out on the terrace and we found on Oceania that it was always very easy to get a table, but this could be more to do with the time of year. It can sometimes be hard to get a table outside on Azamara. We did like the fact that there were several tables for two in the Grand Dining Room, including by the window. There are not so many in the Discoveries dining room on Azamara and none at all on Windows deck. In summary, we liked different things on both ships and it's good to have a change now and again.

 

One other thing we missed was a coffee lounge like the Mosaic Cafe on Azamara to relax with a cup of coffee after dinner. The coffee in Baristas was very good but the ambience isn't the same. We did ask for a coffee in the Grand Bar or Martinis Bar but apparently their coffee machine was out of order.

 

We had the Prestige Drinks Package included so enjoyed some excellent cocktails which were probably better than the 'standard' ones included on Azamara. However, we have always thought the standard ones perfectly acceptable and the wines on Azamara very good so would not pay extra for 'premium' drinks normally.

 

We cannot really comment on the entertainment as we only attended two shows, both with the singers and dancers, which were ok. One of them was near the end of the cruise and was followed by the introduction of the crew and presentation of the Employee of the Month Award which was a nice touch. This was the first time we had seen the Cruise Director and the Captain but as mentioned, we only went to two shows and they may well have been at other events. Personally we prefer the ambience of the Cabaret Lounge on Azamara and the guest entertainers we have seen are mostly very good indeed. The shows by the Cruise Director on Azamara are also well worth seeing.

 

Turning to the crew and officers, we found every crew member to be very friendly and helpful, from waiters to Reception, cabin stewards and security staff. However, we missed the friendly 'welcome home' whenever we boarded the ship and were also surprised there was no 'welcome' glass of sparkling wine when we first boarded in Istanbul. We hardly saw any officers, which to us is definitely a plus on Azamara - they are always around the ship and happy to chat, there are always one or two officers or the Cruise Director, sometimes even the Captain, waiting at the gangway or at the tender platform to wish you a nice day when you get off the ship. Of course this may be different on their smaller ships and perhaps an experienced Oceania cruiser can clarify this. Although Azamara do not have constant announcements, we do enjoy the midday announcement by the Captain and the way they keep you informed of progress and sea conditions etc.

 

One main difference is the lack of social events laid on for the passengers on Oceania. We find on Azamara that there seems to be something to go to on several evenings/days, starting from the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle on the first evening hosted by the Cruise Director and attended by any officers who are available. Drinks and canapés are provided in abundance and it is a good way to start the cruise. There are also officers BBQs, a Captain's cocktail party, Le Club Voyage party and the ever popular White Nights Party held on deck (weather permitting!).

 

We did not take any ship's tours as we felt they were very expensive. In two places we hired rental cars and visited the same places as the ship's tours at a fraction of the cost. This is easy to do on an itinerary such as this but on an Asian cruise, for example, we would prefer to take ship's tours, as we will be doing on our Burma cruise in January on Azamara. Of course the Azamara tours are more expensive now that they have stopped giving any pre-booking discount but seem reasonable value for the type of excursion.

 

The tender process was understandably not as quick and easy as on Azamara because of the size of the ship and number of passengers and this again is probably different on the 'R' ships. The passengers going on ship's tours were tendered off first as well as those with independent tours booked and they had to go to the Riviera Lounge to get tender tickets. We were told that 'open tendering' would be announced after these passengers had all disembarked but we never heard an announcement to this effect at either of the places we tendered so were waiting around to get off for much longer than necessary. We decided to go into the lounge to find out what was happening and found it deserted apart from just one crew member who gave us a ticket which we immediately handed in and boarded a tender. Rather an unnecessary process in our opinion at this stage of the proceedings.

 

We found our fellow passengers to be as friendly as those on Azamara and the age demographic similar - which varies anyway according to itinerary in our experience. Didn't notice any particular difference in dress code.

 

So, would we go on Oceania again? Most definitely yes, if another offer came along that was as good as our recent cruise, with included gratuities and Prestige Drinks Package. We would also like to try one of Oceania's 'R' ships to get a more accurate comparison with Azamara but if there were a choice between the two with the same itinerary at the same price, we would probably opt for Azamara for the ambience and social interaction with officers and crew and the feeling of being 'at home' when on board.

[Robyn2]

Hi mara01 and thank you for that very very detailed account of your first Oceania Cruise on Riviera. As we are also taking our first Oceania, I found it very informative and now have a clear picture of what to expect. You got a good deal, drinks included..........now hope I can work that :). Any tips? Well done!

[Ronniewales]

Thank you for your review and as I have sailed on both its a very fair reflection of what I found. I like you sailed on A's 'R' ship and then on O's Marina, I am leaving tomorrow for 21 days on O's Nautica , lets hope it lives up to our Marina experience.

[mara01]

Thank you for your review and as I have sailed on both its a very fair reflection of what I found. I like you sailed on A's 'R' ship and then on O's Marina, I am leaving tomorrow for 21 days on O's Nautica , lets hope it lives up to our Marina experience.

 

Do let us know how you get on and how the 'R' ships compare.

Have a great time!

[Lottie A]

Mara, how nice to see such a well balanced and honest comparison of Oceania and Azamara. Each cruise line has it's pro's and con's and you have discussed them so well.

I have sailed on Marina too and agree that she is a beautiful ship but, like you, Azamara is my preference.

[mara01]

Hi mara01 and thank you for that very very detailed account of your first Oceania Cruise on Riviera. As we are also taking our first Oceania, I found it very informative and now have a clear picture of what to expect. You got a good deal, drinks included..........now hope I can work that :). Any tips? Well done!

 

It was the free gratuities and drinks package that enticed us to try Oceania in the first place - just a deal Oceania happened to be doing at the time. Certainly the Prestige Drinks Package was a good deal as it's worth £39.99 pp per day I think. Great not having to sign for anything too or wonder how much the bill would be at the end. Our total account was about $15 for the small amount of Internet we used!

[edgee]

Thank you for the comparison. One correction to the information you provided: Fresh orange juice is indeed available in the Terrace Cafe for breakfast on Riviera. However, it is on request only. We found that it was delivered reasonably promptly, although a few times I have had to wait for more than five minutes. This was on occasions when it was not in the upstairs kitchen and they had to send a waiter to the dining room for it.

[mara01]

Thank you for the comparison. One correction to the information you provided: Fresh orange juice is indeed available in the Terrace Cafe for breakfast on Riviera. However, it is on request only. We found that it was delivered reasonably promptly, although a few times I have had to wait for more than five minutes. This was on occasions when it was not in the upstairs kitchen and they had to send a waiter to the dining room for it.

 

Thanks very much for that information - we'll know for next time. It was certainly a well kept secret!

[Cruise Junky]

Great review. Thank you. We have this itinerary booked for 2016. How did you enjoy the ports ?

 

 

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[mara01]

Great review. Thank you. We have this itinerary booked for 2016. How did you enjoy the ports ?

 

 

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We loved the ports, some of which we had done before. We had an overnight on the ship in Istanbul to start with. We had done the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace last year so this time we just crossed the Galata Bridge and visited the Spice Market before going up the Galata Tower which was well worth the visit for the views from the top. The next day was Kavala in Greece and here we walked up to see the aquaduct and then up to the castle before taking a walk along the seafront. The next day was Mykonos. We had been here twice before when we hired a car and drove round the island so this time we just walked to the windmills and strolled round the town - and this time we saw the pelican! Had a drink in a cafe along the seafront. Rhodes was the next stop and here we hired a car for the day, drove through 'olive' country to Lindos where we walked down to the beach and had a coffee sitting in the sunshine at a little cafe on the beach. Then we walked up to the Acropolis - again, well worth the climb for the views and to see the ruins. Kusadasi was our next stop and having previously been to Ephesus, we decided to wander round the town - avoiding the shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar - and walked along the seafront to yet another cafe near the Marina. In the afternoon we walked in the other direction to Pigeon Island where we intended to visit the fortress but found it closed for renovation so went back to the ship and lazed by the pool (hot and sunny here and we actually went in the pool!). Next day was Santorini - our 4th visit here so hired a car and took a nice drive to Akritiri where we had a look at the beach then went to the excavated village which we didn't realise was all under cover and very well presented and interesting. The depth of the ash layers was amazing to see. As it was a public holiday, entrance was free so was a cheap day out! We then drove up the mountain towards the monastery - a very high and winding road ending in spectacular views. Came back down and went to Kamari Beach where we had caught a bus to last year on an Azamara cruise and been swimming in the sea, off the black sand beach. Stopped at a cafe for a drink and a crepe for late lunch before driving back to Fira and walking down the donkey path to get the tender back to the ship. The next day was Athens and disembarkation!😟

 

Sorry, probably more information than you wanted but just to give you an idea of things to do .........

[Cruise Junky]

Sounds marvellous. We have Patmos instead of the overnight in Istanbul, but otherwise the same. Thanks for the info.

 

 

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[Jancruz]

Mara01

Thanks so much for the well balanced review..I heartily agree with most of it, in a few places we feel differently but a very fair review..which I really enjoyed reading..I have been on Oceania and Azamara many times..I consider Phillip (hotel director) a good friend..

Jancruz1

[mara01]

Sounds marvellous. We have Patmos instead of the overnight in Istanbul, but otherwise the same. Thanks for the info.

 

 

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If you haven't been to Patmos before, I would recommend catching the local bus (only a few yards from the ship) up to the monastery then walk back down the hill via the Cave of St John the Apostle. Quite an easy walk with lovely views on the way (you can tell we love views!).

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review and comparison.

[mara01]

Mara01

Thanks so much for the well balanced review..I heartily agree with most of it, in a few places we feel differently but a very fair review..which I really enjoyed reading..I have been on Oceania and Azamara many times..I consider Phillip (hotel director) a good friend..

Jancruz1

 

Thank you Jancruz. We're looking forward to our cruise on the Quest in January when Phillip will be the hotel director (and Russ is CD) but on the Journey we we are always pleased when Heike is on board. It's lovely to be greeted like old friends and one of the reasons we keep going back!

[Mrs Miggins]

We were on the same cruise. Have just posted on the Azamara board regarding the comparison. My comments are based only on our experience of this cruise on a different class of ship.

I would agree with most of this very fair and comprehensive review.

Our experience of the food was that, on the night we went, Polo was a disaster,

One hour gap between starter and main course. When it eventually arrived my prime rib was raw, nothing like medium rare, it was taken back, I presume thrown on the grill and returned by then like leather. DH's steak, ordered medium rare, was very well done. Waiter nearly dropped lobster on our table companion. Wine waiter had to be asked to refill glasses each time. We were all on same premium package. This was done in a rather surly and unsmiling manner. Obviously they were having a bad night.

Red ginger was superb! And we enjoyed Toscana and Jacques.

We disliked MDR, we must have made poor choices, but food was, in my opinion, not as good as on Azamara MDR which we love. I thought the lighting was too bright, the room decor rather too gold.

Liked the Terrace Grill and Cafe. Very good service in both.

Liked afternoon tea (but cream should be clotted not whipped).

Didn't like Baristas location and choice.

Liked the shows, young and enthusiastic cast. Missed the Azamara CD's who perform and are always in evidence.

The CD onboard did however read a moving tribute to the WW1 dead on Anzac Day as we sailed through the straits of Dardenelles. Largely ignored and talked through by many. He told us when we would see the Gallipoli memorials at 12.30 that night, but there was no written mention and many would have been unaware of this memorable sight.

I felt the demographic was the oldest on any of our previous cruises. There were a couple of younger groups (one with clients from a US bank) who livened up the late night scene in Horizons.

Liked the amount of live music onboard.

Loved the bathrooms.

Liked the veranda stateroom but my 21 year old was with us and when the sofa bed was down we could not access the veranda or desk.

Our US fellow cruisers were offered upsells, but we were told both by our TA and Oceania direct that only full price upgrades were available to us.

We thought there was less fun on this ship than on Azamara, we particularly missed White Night, the Azamazing evening, and a general happy atmosphere.

Also missed the welcome champagne and the welcome home drinks and smiles.

I agree that the tender service was annoying, but since we had DD with us, the delayed departure did not affect us this time.

Reception was unsmiling and curt.

I missed the daily Captain and CD interaction. We had some bad weather with many feeling seasick, but there was no information from the captain about the severity or likely length of the bad weather.

Incidentally our cruise at the same time of year in the Western Med had much better weather and friends in Spain said that they were basking in hot sunshine whilst Athens was flooding. I would not cruise this late in the year again.

I again agree with Mara and would cruise with Oceania again, especially to try the smaller ships, if the price and itinerary was tempting. However given similar itinerary and price I would choose Azamara.

[TrulyBlonde]

A very nice and long review and in fairness I see you put it on both AZ and O board. I have taken 2 on AZ and 2 on O (although O was on Riviera which is larger). I will consider AZ again, but only if they go into drydock for much needed

upgrading. I do like their itineraries. To be fair about fellow passengers on each, my DH and I are private people and do not socialize much. Therefore, O suits us as we feel the passengers are more reserved and very much like members of an affluent country club. We are also very active and have enjoyed paddle tennis, working on golf swing and putting on the green for fun on O. We love the Terrace and being able to sit outside and enjoy a casual dinner after a long day of touring. The grill station with the lobster tails, shrimp, steak etc. cannot be beat on any cruise line we have been on. We have now decided that O is closest to "Luxury" and that is where we are headed in terms of cruise choices. We are also trying Regent for this purpose and another O to Alaska this May. We are far from stuffy, just quiet and reserved and much younger than most.

[Paulchili]

mara01,

Thank you for your very balanced review.

We just got off from a B2B Azamara cruise - our 3rd on Azamara vs 10+ on Oceania. My opinion confirms the old addage - different strokes for different folks.

While the cruise was perfectly fine (second segment was essentially the reverse of your itinerary), our conclusion was that we would take another Azamara cruise only if the itinerary was unique to them.

Granted, the second segment had over 500 people traveling as a group, which changed the demographics and the overall ambiance of the cruise. However, the first segment was a "normal" cruise.

While we enjoyed some things on Azamara (Mosaics Cafe, Captain Carl & HD Phillip, White Nights, to name a few), the staff was not as friendly as we remembered from our first Azamara cruise. The biggest difference by far for us was the food (I know, this is very subjective). The extreme example of this was that on the last night I truly could not find anything that I could really enjoy in either the MDR or the Cafe. This could never happen on Oceania. However, I'll be the first to admit that I am a picky eater.

Overall, the Azamara cruise was just fine but we prefer Oceania.

As always, to each their own. The best thing is that we all have so many choices - enough to please everyone. :)

[TrulyBlonde]

It has been recently noted on the AZ Boards that they are now chartering "Swingers" cruises. I do not think Oceania offers this and it would be very disappointing to DH and I if we booked a cruise not knowing the primary group were "Swingers". Can anyone confirm if O has ever done this sort of thing? The OP was discussing differences between the two lines and this may be something to consider.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It has been recently noted on the AZ Boards that they are now chartering "Swingers" cruises. I do not think Oceania offers this and it would be very disappointing to DH and I if we booked a cruise not knowing the primary group were "Swingers". Can anyone confirm if O has ever done this sort of thing? The OP was discussing differences between the two lines and this may be something to consider.

 

All "swingers" cruises I have seen are full-boat charters. No chance you would inadvertently find yourself on one.

[LHT28]

It has been recently noted on the AZ Boards that they are now chartering "Swingers" cruises. I do not think Oceania offers this and it would be very disappointing to DH and I if we booked a cruise not knowing the primary group were "Swingers". Can anyone confirm if O has ever done this sort of thing? The OP was discussing differences between the two lines and this may be something to consider.

 

Oceania has done a few charters but usually the ship is booked by a group

So unless you book through the organizing company you would not be on such a cruise by accident :)

 

Lyn

[Mura]

I have heard of cruises on O where a large number of passengers were with one particular group. But this was quite a while ago and I don't know if this has happened in recent years. (They weren't "Swingers".)

 

The problem there was that some of these groups could be difficult and think they had special privileges.

 

So I do hope this isn't happening nowadays. Certainly on our 14 cruises since 2004 we haven't run into any such groups. And I hope not to do so in the future.

 

The problem is that on any cruise where many cabins are booked by ONE group, well you probably won't know about it in advance. And if they constitute a very large percentage of passengers, you could encounter a problem. Hope for a group of librarians!

 

Mura

[pthjudy]

I have heard of cruises on O where a large number of passengers were with one particular group. But this was quite a while ago and I don't know if this has happened in recent years. (They weren't "Swingers".)

 

The problem there was that some of these groups could be difficult and think they had special privileges.

 

So I do hope this isn't happening nowadays. Certainly on our 14 cruises since 2004 we haven't run into any such groups. And I hope not to do so in the future.

 

The problem is that on any cruise where many cabins are booked by ONE group, well you probably won't know about it in advance. And if they constitute a very large percentage of passengers, you could encounter a problem. Hope for a group of librarians!

 

Mura

This retired school librarian loved your "hope for" comment. We leave on our second Oceania cruise on Monday. My belief has always been you can have a wonderful time without letting the whole ship know. You don't have to laugh the loudest, drink the most, stay up to the early morning hours or attend every activity to enjoy yourself. Making a few friends is so much more meaningful than making sure you are known by the majority of passengers. From our first Oceania cruise last February (30 other past cruises) I feel that most who sail Oceania feel similarly!

[Mura]

Judy,

 

I just want to say that some of my best friends are librarians!

 

But I also know they tend to be quiet, polite, etc ...

 

I would love to cruise with you sometime!

 

Mura

[canuck.qc]

I have heard of cruises on O where a large number of passengers were with one particular group. But this was quite a while ago and I don't know if this has happened in recent years. (They weren't "Swingers".)

 

The problem there was that some of these groups could be difficult and think they had special privileges.

 

So I do hope this isn't happening nowadays. Certainly on our 14 cruises since 2004 we haven't run into any such groups. And I hope not to do so in the future.

 

The problem is that on any cruise where many cabins are booked by ONE group, well you probably won't know about it in advance. And if they constitute a very large percentage of passengers, you could encounter a problem. Hope for a group of librarians!

 

Mura

We were on Marina this past March and there were several groups onboard consisting of Alumnis, a large Convention and a few other small groups. We were not aware of this before booking, and we DEFINITELY felt a very different vibe on the ship. We found the atmosphere on the ship more boisterous & casual than our previous O cruises. Less 'serious' travelers and more party types. This was our first tropical destination and I got the impression that tropical itineraries attract a different crowd than example European, Asian, Eastern itineraries:confused: