Azamara Club Cruises Reveals Extensive Changes for its Two Ships

[Unitedflyier]

I'm so glad to hear the outside cafe will still be open until 5pm. That is my favorite place to eat daytime. Is there a fee for the new Asian restaurant? If there is why not combine the Italian and steakhouse restaurants and move the Asian restaurant in one of those.

Will they change the main staircase? The plastic sides with paint looks so cheap.

 

Lastly the new bathrooms I heard will have heavier curtains to try and stop them sticking to you. My friend told me she keeps the curtain open and uses the whole bathroom as a wet room. That would be less claustrophobic.

 

Any new ships on the horizon? If so please don't go bigger like Seaborn. I like love the smaller ships with great parking in port and making so many new friends. So much easier on a small ship.

[excitedofharpenden]

We all have our own views on what the ideal cruise ship should have. No ship offers everything for everyone ; we wouldn't want them to. Azamara are certainly in my opinion moving forward admirably with these plans. They will be marketing and attracting a wider audience; perhaps younger guests in the 40-55 yrs age range who are travel adventurous and with these changes will help secure their future repeat cruisers long term. Their ships are looking quite old fashioned and dated, although I like the way they feel like a ship and not a floating resort.

Only thing I would dearly love to see returning to the product is the 50% Shore excursion discount.

I don't think I have seen any negative comments on this board about Azamara's plans to update their ships. I think it looks amazing (or is that Azamazing?). For sure it needs to be done and makes me very happy indeed that RCCL as parent have seen the success of the line and are prepared to invest.

 

The main thing highlighted on this and other threads is the change to the aft seating outside Windows and the apparent reduction in capacity. I'm excited about plans for an Asian restaurant, but its existence in planned form seems to compromise such a lovely part of the ship. Those of us who have cruised a few times on Azamara know how popular that area is. At the least it would be remiss of us not to mention it. I've been heartened in the past that Azamara do listen to the opinions of their guests. Who knows? The plans may be too advanced now to change, but we can try!

 

Phil

[procter]

How very true Phil,

My Only concern (apart from seating capacity and possible change of seats)is what happens when weather is inclement.

Do you cancel (for free?) or do they reserve part of Windows inside for Kibo customers.

If the latter then why not allow other customers to use outside tables at any time if available on STRICT understanding that if paying reservations arrive for later booking i.e 8.30pm perhaps? then they may be asked to move inside.

That would satisfy all customers

Paying guests get their Asian cuisine and if space available then others can use it.

I doubt if there will be much available space as I am sure it will be popular initially at least.

[procter]

Also on Dubai runs no doubt it will be closed from sunset.

[excitedofharpenden]

Procter, those are good points. They've moved the bar area and stools out further. Those and the seats on the end of the line to the left of the picture are very exposed if it's wet. The more I look at the proposed seats and bench the more I dislike it:( Stylistically it looks great. Practically, no.

 

 

Phil

[marinaro44]

Ocean Princess has awnings that can be extended over the exposed area nearest the stern but they are so torn and shredded from wind that they are never extended.

[excitedofharpenden]

A view from the other direction. I kept having to go and look for the link, so I am linking them directly in this thread for ease.

 

 

Phil

[jollyjoyce]

Procter, those are good points. They've moved the bar area and stools out further. Those and the seats on the end of the line to the left of the picture are very exposed if it's wet. The more I look at the proposed seats and bench the more I dislike it:( Stylistically it looks great. Practically, no.

 

 

Phil

 

Do not want to be negative but the bar area looks HUGE for the number of tables in this new venue. I know it will be used during the daytime but surely there will not be any more tables then either.

Sad that the nicest place on the ship to just sit and enjoy is being changed but not improved.

[excitedofharpenden]

Now the picture is a bit bigger I have noticed that there are stools on the other side of the bar area as well as they've moved it all forward. You can see the top of two stools. Behind them and the screen there are stairs IIRC. It looks like there are two lines of seats each side of the bar too. Still don't like the look of the seating though.

 

Phil

[hubofhockey]

How very true Phil,

My Only concern (apart from seating capacity and possible change of seats)is what happens when weather is inclement.

Do you cancel (for free?) or do they reserve part of Windows inside for Kibo customers.

If the latter then why not allow other customers to use outside tables at any time if available on STRICT understanding that if paying reservations arrive for later booking i.e 8.30pm perhaps? then they may be asked to move inside.

That would satisfy all customers

Paying guests get their Asian cuisine and if space available then others can use it.

I doubt if there will be much available space as I am sure it will be popular initially at least.

 

I don't know how they could charge for cancellations when pricing is a la carte. It's possible they could make it like Izumi on Royal Caribbean and charge a cover and when what you order goes over that cover, they charge you more. If I had reservations for Kibo for 7:30 and tables were taken by those using the buffet, I would be upset. As a new Azamara cruiser, I would be furious. Either do this concept the way it's planned, find another location, or just don't do it at all. Mixing a nice restaurant setting with people getting up and down for trips to the buffet with a nice restaurant setting won't work.

 

The new venue looks beautiful, at least with those pictures posted on this thread. I hope nobody is disagreeing on that. I would imagine on days at sea, it would be very tough to get a spot there for lunch.

[tiggertom]

I wonder if the bar is also a food preparation area like the Tepanyaki restaurants have?

[Phxazzcruisers]

Please do keep in mind that the drawings are just that, an artists rendering. Very seldom, if ever, does the finial finished product exactly resemble the artists rendering....... There will be a LOT of final tweaks before the finished product is that, finished.....I will wait and see before I pass judgement

[AJCM]

I have a lot of sympathy for those who love dining outside Windows at present. It is clearly a loss of a great facility. I think the new restaurant could have been located either in the apparently under-utilized library area or a re-modelled Prime C / Aquilina area.

 

However, at least Bonnie has confirmed that the Sunset Bar area will be available for breakfast, lunch and drinks until 5.00pm. I like to not have to drink out of a plastic glass and in late afternoon, Sunset was the only place available to drink from glass, so it's good we can use it till 5.00pm. Hopefully, Looking Glass will now open a bit earlier (on our last cruise it didn't open until 5.30pm).

 

I would prefer that area be left as is, even though we personally never used it for dinner. However, we will book into the new restaurant, which looks very appealing, wherever it is located.

 

It sounds like the Pool Grill area will be significantly improved. One improvement in this area would be to get rid of the new chairs they recently brought in. In my opinion, they are far too deep for dining purposes and thus take up too much room. I suggest Azamara bring in standard sized chairs to allow for a couple more tables (to compensate for the presumedly reduced seating in the Sunset Bar area for breakfast and lunch).

[Redtravel]

Each time I sail on Azamara, it is very different. I was very impressed with my first cruise on the Journey in 2009. It was fabulous. Each time after that, the cruise changed......less fabulous each time. While I really am behind renovating the cabins and worn venues, I am not behind new specialty restaurants. Changing the menus in all the restaurants would be a good thing. For frequent cruisers, old menus can get rather dull.

[wangeling gal]

It's disappointing to think that we might be losing the Sunset Bar and the outdoor area of Windows, to a specialty restaurant. It takes away the last place you can dine a little more casually,(other than your cabin) and is making me feel Azamara is turning more up market. That's one of the things that has made Azamara special for us, the fact we could come back latish from a long day sightseeing and not have to worry about dressing up to grab some tucker and a coldie.

Have enjoyed what was supposed to be a quick drink with a fellow tourer @ the Sunset Bar, which turned into a long dinner, that turned into a wonderful friendship thanks to being able to sit and relax out there. (G'day Derby St :D)

Sailaways from here are truly fabulous, and this for us, is the best area on both Journey & Quest which has given us some fabulous memories.

[Familygoboston]

Thank you very much for your comments and insights on the plans we released this week for our Reimagine Azamara project. As Larry Pimentel has noted on another thread, we do read your posts carefully on this forum and history shows we listen and make changes where appropriate from the input you give us. Throughout the rest of the year we will share more information about the project with you, so please stay engaged with us.

 

We wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some information about these new additions.

 

Our brand new Asian-fusion restaurant outside Windows Café was conceived because of a love of Asian food by almost every nationality. We feel it is a terrific addition to the onboard dining experience.

 

Guests dining in Windows Café will still be able to dine outdoors in this area for breakfast, lunch, and drinks until 5pm, however, as you have gathered, at that point we’ll get ready to re-open for the evening’s Asian dining.

 

 

In addition, because we appreciate your input and we’re listening to your concerns, we are looking in to adding tables to deck 10, so guests can dine and drink while enjoying a beautiful open-air sunset by the sea.

This all means more seating, an expanded outdoor space, and a new Asian dining experience for those wanting to enjoy a full meal or just a snack and drinks. We hope that once you board your next voyage (after drydock), you’ll love the enhanced Deck 9. And all of our other enhanced decks for that matter. Stay tuned for more updates!

 

I'm very pleased to hear passengers will be able to dine for breakfast and lunch in that location. The outdoor space on this ship was a SIGNIFICANT reason we chose it over Windstars new (acquired) cruise ships. We very much like to have breakfast and lunch outside whenever possible in port. I do feel we are more likely to go to the Asian restaurant over the current offerings.

 

I have another question about spa suites- are these cabins to stay in for the length of the cruise or suites for day rental with included spa or ala carte spa services?

[BBMacLaird]

I'm very pleased to hear passengers will be able to dine for breakfast and lunch in that location. The outdoor space on this ship was a SIGNIFICANT reason we chose it over Windstars new (acquired) cruise ships. We very much like to have breakfast and lunch outside whenever possible in port. I do feel we are more likely to go to the Asian restaurant over the current offerings.

 

I have another question about spa suites- are these cabins to stay in for the length of the cruise or suites for day rental with included spa or ala carte spa services?

 

I believe the spa suites will be booked for the entire voyage. We will all know more when the team releases more information in July. But if I hear any reliable scuttlebutt I'll post it for you :)

[tiggertom]

I believe the spa suites will be booked for the entire voyage. We will all know more when the team releases more information in July. But if I hear any reliable scuttlebutt I'll post it for you :)

Thanks Bonnie, look forward to getting the updates as and when. :)

[Leo_On_Geo]

I am concerned about using the pool bar in the evenings due to the close proximity of the smokers area. That was nice about the sunset bar no smokers (only the smoke stacks). I will wait to make judgement, but I have liked other past improvements.

[excitedofharpenden]

I am concerned about using the pool bar in the evenings due to the close proximity of the smokers area. That was nice about the sunset bar no smokers (only the smoke stacks). I will wait to make judgement, but I have liked other past improvements.

 

You raise a very good point. Smoke can be pervasive at the Pool Bar, particularly cigars. If they are going to use that area more for sitting and eating then that would be a problem. I hate the smell of smoke when I'm eating.

 

Phil

Edited June 15, 2015 by excitedofharpenden

[Grandma Cruising]

I am concerned about using the pool bar in the evenings due to the close proximity of the smokers area. That was nice about the sunset bar no smokers (only the smoke stacks). I will wait to make judgement, but I have liked other past improvements

Edited June 15, 2015 by grandma cruising

[auntiemjo]

does this eliminate the casual buffet dining dinner choice at Windows or will it be available with indoor seating being the only option?

 

we are frequent Azamara cruisers who have come to love dining al fresco, especially at dinner. we will sorely miss this option and it will factor into our future cruising choices. I am assuming that since the product we purchased for our July '16 cruise no longer exists, we will have no problem canceling without penalty. would like clarification on that point too.

[rallydave]

does this eliminate the casual buffet dining dinner choice at Windows or will it be available with indoor seating being the only option?

 

we are frequent Azamara cruisers who have come to love dining al fresco, especially at dinner. we will sorely miss this option and it will factor into our future cruising choices. I am assuming that since the product we purchased for our July '16 cruise no longer exists, we will have no problem canceling without penalty. would like clarification on that point too.

 

While I hope this answer is incorrect, am pretty sure the terms and conditions allow cruise line changes other than cancellations at the will of the cruise line without the ability of the customer to make changes outside of what is allowed which is pretty much no changes without the listed penalties.

[Spursgirl]

does this eliminate the casual buffet dining dinner choice at Windows or will it be available with indoor seating being the only option?

 

we are frequent Azamara cruisers who have come to love dining al fresco, especially at dinner. we will sorely miss this option and it will factor into our future cruising choices. I am assuming that since the product we purchased for our July '16 cruise no longer exists, we will have no problem canceling without penalty. would like clarification on that point too.

 

Auntiemjo,

 

I believe guests will still be able to enjoy a buffet dinner inside at Windows.

 

This is good news for us because the food is very good there and we usually enjoy a buffet dinner a couple of times each cruise.

[JVilleGal]

does this eliminate the casual buffet dining dinner choice at Windows or will it be available with indoor seating being the only option?

 

we are frequent Azamara cruisers who have come to love dining al fresco, especially at dinner. we will sorely miss this option and it will factor into our future cruising choices. I am assuming that since the product we purchased for our July '16 cruise no longer exists, we will have no problem canceling without penalty. would like clarification on that point too.

 

 

Cancellation penalty is $25 per person.

 

In fact the entire ship will be almost brand new when you board her! So many many changes since you booked :)