Upgraded Club Continental Suite

[Andy]

It looks like they had spilled something (potted plant/dirt?) on the carpet but decided to go ahead and take a picture anyway.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think that's the case. There's another photo out there, which shows another rendering, with the same "stained" looking carpet. I made mention of it a couple of weeks ago. I think that's how it's going to look, IF they go with this carpet. Maybe it looks better in person, but based on the photos - I think they could have made a better carpet choice.

 

Agree with the last post, about too many corners etc. If it weren't a cruise ship, I'd say it's fine. I worry about the potential for injuries.

 

Overall, I like most of it, but I hope some changes will be made.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Host Andy

[Pam]

Well, to me that is one *ugly* floor! It doesn't even look like there is a carpet there, it looks like they have ripped up a carpet and spilled dirt on a mottled, bare floor. The cabin looks much smaller than I thought the suite would look, with uncomfortable furniture, and the bathroom looks awkward.

 

Opinionated much, Pam?

[mare s.]

I love the style :-). Azamara.... If you are taking inputs...,

- it would be great if the sink cabinet was placed against the wall so items will not fall off. Is there any bath storage?

- we like to sit size by side.... Prefer a love seat.

- sharp looking corners on the glass tops and drawers may cause cuts and bruises.

 

I'm afraid all I can say is "meh" Don't like the metal chairs and really don't like the sharp corners on the dresser. All that is needed is a little rough weather or low light and some nasty injuries are in store! And I do hope that is dirt on the carpet!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here you go Jazz, learned how to do this last post. Not sure how to biggerize so perhaps Phil can do that. Enjoy

 

Not really a lot to see and hopefully better pictures coming soon. And Jacksonville Gal, looks like dirty to me but, DW thinks may be a pattern in the carpet but, I don't agree.

 

Thanks Dave (and Phil for the biggerizing!). I think that is a pattern on the carpet, but it definitely looks like blood stains from the grisly murder of a child and a dog! I have long thought that there should be a law that architects and designers should have to live in their designs for some period of time -- either a reward or a punishment, as just desserts!

[bob278]

Hard to consider this an upgrade to the furniture. I tried to make sense of the deck plan symbols for sofa beds but got confused. I wonder if there is a difference between a love seat and a sofa bed. Are there any CC suites that have only a couple of chairs now?

 

We were in 8054 on the Quest this past March/April and it had a 2-person love seat and a nice chair. 8054 has no symbol for a sofa bed. 8061 also has no symbol. Does it then follow that the cabins that cannot sleep more than 2 people would have the furniture as in this example? Good Lord I hope not. It will make our 45 days on Quest next August and 34 days on Journey in 2017 much less appealing. I'm not sure we would cancel, but it would have to be a consideration as neither one of us would want to spend a lot of time in a metal chair or sitting on the bed on cruises that long. And of course, we really have no idea what things will actually look like after the retrofit.

 

If my analysis is correct, it is a bad, bad idea!

 

But I am not going to stress out too much as we have plenty of time before final payment to either find cabins that have comfortable seating for two people or cancel (and I really hate including the words cancel and cruise in the same sentence). But I am going to be watching for on board reports following the retrofits closely.

[JVilleGal]

No second comfortable seating means someone gets the chair and the only other place to be comfortable is the bed..... I'm afraid I did not pay for a cabin like this to be forced to either sit on an office chair or lay on the bed.

If this is truly what is happening then I will be paying my $25 cancellation fee and moving on. Just never occurred that a lovely remodel could impact us... But 15 days with no where to sit may do it for us!

Rethinking this entire booking.

[teriwinkle]

I'm disappointed. When ship cabin "designers" feel the need to reflect the latest minimalist trends in land-based hotel upgrades (sharp corners, utilitarian seating, disturbing carpet designs, etc), rather than provide the comfort and aesthetics required in small quarters on a moving conveyance, the whole experience of cruising is lessened, in my humble opinion. As somewhat of an ocean liner aficionado, I'm constantly seeking ships that offer at least reminders of the size, traditions, and experiences once enjoyed at sea in days gone by. These pictures are frankly stark and unappealing. Oh, I will continue with my plans to visit the Holy Land on the Journey, but am not impressed with the "improvements" if these photos are indicative of what is to be expected in my cabin.

[bob278]

No second comfortable seating means someone gets the chair and the only other place to be comfortable is the bed..... I'm afraid I did not pay for a cabin like this to be forced to either sit on an office chair or lay on the bed.

If this is truly what is happening then I will be paying my $25 cancellation fee and moving on. Just never occurred that a lovely remodel could impact us... But 15 days with no where to sit may do it for us!

Rethinking this entire booking.

Kathleen,

 

I totally agree with you. I tried to do an analysis based on some assumptions (knowing full well what assuming does :eek:):

 

1) Cabins marked on deck plans with sofa beds can sleep up to 4 people and would have to have a sofa bed (and maybe the metal chair plus desk chair?)

2) Cabins that have that capability now would also have it after the retrofit

 

The Journey deck plans indicate that your cabin does NOT have a sofa bed now so that might indicate that your cabin would look like this sample. We, on the other hand lucked out and our cabin does have it (today - who knows what it will be in 2017?).

 

But as I said, I will wait until the first reports on the retrofit start coming out before doing anything drastic. I THINK the Journey drydock is still January 2016 so there should be time for reports to come out before we have to make flight reservations.

Edited July 17, 2015 by bob278

[pvkatmom]

Thank you to those that posted and enlarged the photos. My primary concern is that there still be a bathtub in a Club Continent Suite-- that's our main reason for booking it. That said, I agree with others and wonder if the mandate to the interior designer was to make things as ugly and non-user friendly as possible? If so-- Azamara has succeeded. As to the bathroom, no tub is pretty much a deal killer, but the gap space on either side of the sink vanity is just stupid (as others said, things will fall off it and storage space for one's toiletries is vastly decreased, a situation made worse by the raised sink and shelf, rather than a cabinet below it). And yes, lots of sharp corners everywhere, not just in the bathroom. Agree that there are WAY too many chairs, many of which look very uncomfortable and like cheesy office furniture, It's cluttered... a nice sofa or love seat and one, max 2 chairs is much nicer. Lastly, I'm floored (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) by the rug choice. It looks as though the spots are either giant bloodstains or someone dropped/sprinkled a lot of red wine on the floor that dried. Bleh! We don't spend a ton of time in our cabin other than to sleep and get ready for things, but the bathroom changes look like they're going to make it harder to do one's ablutions/get ready. A response from Bonnie regarding bathtubs in Club Continent Suites would be appreciated. This a MUST KNOW item for me before a December 2016 planned trip.

[pvkatmom]

I'm rarely such a negative poster, so I did want to say we loved the Azamara staff and whole experience on our Dec 2015-Jan 2016 South America cruise on Journey. The food, special events, etc. were great. I posted a very favorable review for this cruise on CC. Also, the new Prime C menu looks wonderful. I really need to know about the bathtub situation for Club Continent Suites though. Happy cruising, everyone!

[Spursgirl]

From these pictures not sure I'll be shelling out extra money to book a Club Continent Suite any time soon.

 

Think the carpet is horrible. Really think it is the pattern rather than dirt. Who selects this stuff? The office chair is unattractive and looks very uncomfortable. And is it just me or does the table on the balcony look small?

 

And where is the storage for toiletries in the bathroom. Like many women I take a lot of stuff on holiday and previously have put lots of things on the side of the sink.

 

This is not a deal breaker for me because my cabin is not the reason I sail Azamara but this is a bit disappointing

[Grandma Gilly]

The cabins look miserable not modern and funky. A bright coloured chair would look much better.

Has the lighting over the desk area been improved?

Also hate the colour of the carpet. A subtle stripe would be practical and look good.

Agree about the sink top in the bathroom, take it to the wall.

 

Big difference between drawing and reality.

Let's hope someone is listening!!

 

All our comments are easily remedied without additional expenditure.

[marinaro44]

There are shelves in the bathroom for toiletries. The veranda furniture is the same as before. The suite is all in light colors so very bright. The carpet is patterned as shown and is not to my taste. Storage drawers for clothes are my #1 issue. Only three deep drawers down at floor level. Walk-in shower is lovely for those of us who feel tubs are dangerous to climb in and out of. Smaller chair is much too low for typical Azamara passenger (like me).

[Spursgirl]

Thanks for clarifying Marinaro44.

 

Must be the angle the pic was taken that made the veranda table look smaller.

 

It's great news that the suite is brighter but agree with you lots of the design features are not to my taste either.

 

But as said before it won't preclude me from booking future Azamara cruises.

[T&T]

Interesting to see the renderings come to life but like others a few questions definitely pop up.

 

For the seating, I remember that Crystal went with the big dramatic chair in one of their refits and the response was so negative to loosing the love seat that they ended up adding the love seats back. I definitely prefer a love seat and chair. I also don't see a place for in room dining. The current suites have a nice coffee table that will fit a tray of food but these new little round tables barely accommodate a champagne bucket. It seems the only option for in room dining is on the veranda. I also agree with everyone's comments about the sink area.

 

I think it's great that Azamara is investing in upgrades to their fleet and one of the reasons we're making the switch from a suite on Celebrity to Azamara. That being said it doesn't seem that many of the design choices for this suite were well thought out or took function into consideration. We realize how lucky we are that these are the concerns we have in life now and are still looking forward to our upcoming cruise and the other upgrades but can't not scratch our heads on some of their choices.

[Pam]

Well, I found the rendering of what they were aiming for, in the thread where they announced the upcoming changes. Yes, that carpet is splotched randomly. It looks like we are losing the bathtubs, and the shelf in the shower is where the shower head should be. Shampooing your hair is going to be a one-handed thing, because you have to hold the shower head with the other hand? Which isn't all a bad thing, unless you need that other hand to balance in choppy seas.

 

I have upgraded once to get a bath tub, now the bath tub is going away. I don't think I want to upgrade again. I have almost a year to watch and decide whether or not I can handle 14 days with no bath tub.

 

And I also hate the office chairs.

 

It's too bad Azamara is spending this kind of money and getting such negative feedback. I'm new to Azamara, did they ask for opinions about some of this before they plunged in?

[JVilleGal]

I guess I will try and be patient for a while.... My short list prior to booking with Azamara had been Antarticia and I may just start looking as final pmt and flights are a long time off still. If the one chair sticks, our sailing is just too long to not have comfortable seating for 2. And a metal office chair is just not going to cut it for me. So disappointed !!

 

 

PS very grateful to the posters of the pictures. Thanks for the heads up.

[Wacktle]

It looks as if the mismatched chairs have been sourced from a junk shop. The look isn't at all inspiring.

[TxnAquarian]

Sorry to hear that everyone is so unhappy with everything that Azamara is trying to do to update these ships. I, for one, am just excited to see a more contemporary design onboard next summer. I don't think I have ever sat around the room on any of my cruises on a couch, but I understand that people cruise for different reasons. I am hoping since there doesn't seem to be a lot of positive feedback, that Azamara will be able to correct the areas that will be more to everyone's liking. I know when Crystal renovated the Symphony a few years ago, there was negative feedback about some design decisions in the rooms, and they went back and changed the items that people complained about. I think the rooms look really great (except for the carpet) and I can't wait to see the rest of the ship next year. I just compared the pic I took of our Club Continent Suite over Christmas with the new update, and it's a world of difference. But I hope that Azamara can tweak things here and there that will be to everyone's liking. If Crystal listened to their guests, I am sure Azamara will too.

 

 

 

Michael

[rallydave]

Just found another picture of the Suite from a different view and still the same issues plus confirmation that the carpet isn't dirty, it is ugly.

 

Enjoy and hope Phil can biggerize the photo

[JVilleGal]

Just found another picture of the Suite from a different view and still the same issues plus confirmation that the carpet isn't dirty, it is ugly.

 

Enjoy and hope Phil can biggerize the photo

 

 

"Biggerize" :) only on Cruise Critic! Call the folks at Webster I think we have a winner!

[BBMacLaird]

Thank you to those that posted and enlarged the photos. My primary concern is that there still be a bathtub in a Club Continent Suite-- that's our main reason for booking it.

 

I've inquired about the bathtubs in the Club Continent Suite.

[rallydave]

"Biggerize" :) only on Cruise Critic! Call the folks at Webster I think we have a winner!

 

All credit for that new word goes to my DW who invented that word several years ago. Hopefully we can meet on a Azamara Cruise and can tell you the whole story.

[JVilleGal]

I've inquired about the bathtubs in the Club Continent Suite.

 

 

Tell your Management to rethink the cabin redo! For gods sake don't buy the "special order" carpet, it looks moldy and put the Metal Office Chairs back on Craigslist where you found them :(

[bob278]

Here is a larger version.