Azamara vs celebrity

[Redtravel]

Maybe I will look at Azamara after the renovations are in place. Meanwhile, Azamara cruises are still using the original furnishings in cabins. Cabins are shabby....not chic. I have no problem with older ships as long as they are well maintained and know when to replace or fix. For example, Windstar original ships are old ( originally Club Med ). Ships have been completely redone in the past 2 years with new beautiful furnishings. Windstar newest additions( from Seabourn) have been redone. I will certainly explore Azamara after the renovations take place. I will miss the open aft deck by the buffet. I loved eating breakfast out on the aft deck.

[Christine Frances]

Maybe I will look at Azamara after the renovations are in place. Meanwhile, Azamara cruises are still using the original furnishings in cabins. Cabins are shabby....not chic. I have no problem with older ships as long as they are well maintained and know when to replace or fix. For example, Windstar original ships are old ( originally Club Med ). Ships have been completely redone in the past 2 years with new beautiful furnishings. Windstar newest additions( from Seabourn) have been redone. I will certainly explore Azamara after the renovations take place. I will miss the open aft deck by the buffet. I loved eating breakfast out on the aft deck.

 

 

The aft deck will still be open for breakfast and lunch.

[luv2cruisecats]

We have never cruised in a suite but have booked a Penthouse a few times on NCL which is somewhat "middle of the road" between their cabins. I was intrigued by the per diem numbers listed by a previous poster ("The average per diem cost for the 6 Celebrity cruises is $338 p/p. For the 7 Azamara cruises it is $330 p/p.") all for suites. We have 7 future X cruises booked thru April 2017, all in Aqua, and the average per diem for these is $207 p/p. Cruises are all over the world including some high cost Baltic and Panama Canal ones and tally up to 90 days on the water.

 

For each of these cruises the perks include UBP, prepaid grats, and OBC's from $300 to $600 which allows us to do some specialty restaurants and internet (over and above what Elite provides us). I offer this as a data point only to compare what the suite life runs and what a mid-tier AQ runs. Since retiring 2 years ago we love cruising and have averaged 3 to 4 per year; our preference is more cruises vs. fewer in a higher perceived level of luxury.

 

The lesson is we all have the luxury of choice when we cruise. We happen to love Celebrity both S and M class ships (S maybe a tad more). Not precisely on topic but presents an opportunity for comparison.

Edited July 18, 2015 by luv2cruisecats
A bit off topic