Our take. Azamara suites vs Celebrity suites

[uktog]

We have just returned from a seven night cruise on Azamara in a Club Owners Suite. At the end of May we did an eleven night cruise on Celebrity in a Royal Suite dining in Luminae and enjoying Michael's Club. Both were excellent cruises in their own way and what I hope to do here is compare the similarities and differences. I will cross post on the two relevant boards and am happy to expand on any points made. Although written from the suite experience perspective, I hope others can read through as many of the differences are more fundamental than just being in a suite or not.

 

Embarkation

 

On Celebrity in a top suite you are personally escorted onboard to your own place (Michaels Club) whereas on Azamara, whilst you have all suites have their own check in line, you are not escorted onboard. We found the Azamara boarding experience far more relaxed and enjoyable because the presence of the escort on Celebrity still does not (and rightly so) speed you through security. It does speed you past other lines but can get you muttered comments from other guests. On Azamara, the whole process is calmer for all guests not just suites and includes the helpful checking in and delivery of hand luggage to your room once you are onboard.

 

Michael's Club and Concierge Services

 

Michael's Club is a very nice perk on Celebrity, you do not have such a place on Azamara. However, I did not miss it on Azamara, but considered it a very important bolt hole on Celebrity when the boom boom music got going. The Concierge on Celebrity was far better informed relating to shore related issues than the gentleman on Azamara who is available to all guests, however I put this down to the different personalities of the two individuals.

 

On Celebrity we had to use the Concierge for other shipboard arrangements like dining times in Luminae and to resolve some room related issues, there was no need for such help on Azamara, had there been issues, our butler would have handled it.

 

I felt on Celebrity there was too much who does what overlap/confusion between the butler, concierge and others, that was not so on Azamara.

 

Butler standards

 

On both cruises we had very good butlers whom we knew from previous cruises. Both were very good at knowing our likes and dislikes. However, we felt Sooriachand on Azamara was much more spontaneous and had more flexibility to react, Wilfred also reacted but had often to refer to supervisors or work through various chains of command to get things done eg resolve maintenance issues. I think therefore the two individuals were equally well trained and skilled but Celebrity's systems limited the response of one.

 

Food, Bars and Coffee

 

Let's go in the bear pit now!

 

Food

 

We thought on Celebrity Luminae's food was very good indeed and better than anything we have had in any Celebrity restaurant before. However, the choice was limited. On Azamara, we ate most nights in one of the Speciality Restaurants. The choice was far wider, the service was better than Specialities on Celebrity and far better than Luminae and the daily specials were a really welcome additional choice so whereas on Celebrity we would perhaps find we liked just one item for a given course, on Azamara the range was far wider. (We are not fussy eaters by the way)

 

Comparing the wine by the glass (premium package Celebrity) with Azamara wine of the day we very much enjoyed the Azamara options and over the cruise found this much less boring and repetitive than on Celebrity where the by the glass wine list in Luminae is poor even on the upgraded package.

 

The lunch buffet selection on Azamara is less than Celebrity but is of a higher quality and is served in more pleasant surroundings.

 

The dining room on Azamara is only open on sea days whereas Luminae opens daily but with a very restricted menu.

 

The day time room service menu on Azamara (which is available to all guests) is extremely good with a wide range of choices. They also managed to always serve it at the right temperature, something that challenged Celebrity.

 

Both ships had grill bars, again on offer to all. Azamara is far superior in terms of the range of food (only discovered the lamb skewers this cruise, how have I missed them before), service (you order to a waiter and once cooked the food is brought to you, no queueing etc) and quality of food. It is not that Celebrity was bad in any way, just Azamara was better.

 

Breakfast room service choices on Azamara were more extensive. If you want a restaurant experience this is an option open to you and all other guests. The breakfast buffet on Azamara is better, a calmer experience than on Celebrity (no trays ;))highlight is the smoothies, the fact the Azamara chef knows how to cook bacon and like the pool grill, you order eggs and they are brought to you a real bonus. Juice and coffee top ups are brought to the table.

 

Bars

 

So you have no private room in Azamara for socialising with other top suite guests. If this is something you like, you might miss it though there is plenty places around the ship for a drink. If you like a more lively bar, Azamara is quieter, however, if like us you hate loud background music, Azamara is excellent with very good piano bar entertainment in the casino bar. Whilst this is always seen as a strange location by some, we were late in port virtually every night so there was no casino sound vs piano bar conflict.

 

As we prefer to generally socialise but in surroundings that are not noisy, we preferred the Azamara set up but absolutely need Michael's in the louder larger ship.

 

Coffee

 

Again an observation, much prefer the coffee and pastries on Azamara, but like the layout of the coffee area on Celebrity better, but they have more room to play with there.

 

Suite

 

In many ways on an age basis, we were comparing like with like - M class to Azamara. The suites in Azamara have had a furnishings and decor upgrade and will have further modifications at dry dock, Celebrity suites were as they were 5 years ago. Without a doubt, we found the Azamara room far better maintained, nicer furnishings and a more comfortable bed and bedding than on Celebrity. Storage was more extensive and better laid out on Azamara. Also on Azamara the balcony was much more spacious and better furnished, partly because of no hot tub (not an issue for us). The biggest complaint we had re Azamara room was no walk in shower and we would happily have traded the second powder room for this. We believe dry dock may be looking to address this issue.

 

Staff

 

We found on Celebrity staff treated you differently in a suite - but for all the wrong reasons. Several times we encountered indifferent service, particularly in bars that then changed when you handed over a suite card to pay for something. Other staff it made no difference and we came across a lot of bickering and complaining, negativity that we even overheard in Michael's and Luminae. On Azamara, you get the same service from bar and wait staff wherever you are sleeping, we only encountered one lady who was not a good ambassador for the brand, interestingly others had a similar issue with her. I put it down to one isolated individual.

 

Officers

 

I do not cruise to interact with officers, but when I do I enjoy it. On Celebrity the interaction was staged - officers in Michael's one night for drinks was the main one. On Azamara it happens all over and for everyone. What I did notice was on Celebrity I had forgotten what the hotel director looked like mid cruise, on Azamara, he was everywhere addressing many guests (not just suite guests) by name. Although this visibility was undoubtedly supervision and monitoring at times, it was not always the case.

 

Likewise, the Captain on Azamara is everywhere including attending the evening entertainment and saying farewell to guests after it and no doubt getting feedback all the time from all guest, Celebrity captains only seem to be wired in to the feedback from a select few.

I believe the management style of the two brands are very different and much of what I see as differences in how guests experience their cruise between the two are as a direct result of this, much may now be unconscious rather than conscious actions by those involved such is the difference in cultures.

 

Perks

 

A question was asked a while back about what does Azamara do to make top suite guests feel even more special. From our perspective we identified three events that were for the large suites, one perk for all suites and some invites that came to us as a room number not named so we considered them to be room based.

 

The three events, in chronological order were: a private drinks party on the spa deck for sail away attended by senior officers (though thankfully not our designated driver who was in his rightful place!), the Best of the Best dinner which was absolutely outstanding- the delicacy of the food was such a joy, seven paired wine courses, everyone commented how at the end they had loved it all but not come away over full. The hosting by the top team was just great. And finally at the Azamazing evening we had a drinks reception beforehand and were taken on an earlier bus (though this does then mean sitting waiting for the start which some, not us, had issue with)

 

The invites were to the Bridge, Engine Room and Galley, I know non suites were also able to request these tours. As they were on a busy sea day we did not attend so we are not aware if they differed from the ones we had as Luminae invites on Celebrity which were "suite only tours" with enhanced refreshments and officer interaction.

 

All suites enjoy access to the private spa deck, a big perk on Azamara for some. A limited number of passes to the deck are sold to non suite guests so it is not "exclusive" but it is generally quieter. That said even on our sea day, seats around the pool were available.

 

 

Conclusions

 

So the $64,000 question, Azamara suite or Celebrity suite?

 

First, we are lucky to have that conundrum but here is our conclusion

 

Many of the niceties you need a suite for on Celebrity are available to all on Azamara

Celebrity top end suites and Azamara top end suites are getting closer in pricing

Our decision is if it is similar destinations and equally convenient dates, Azamara wins hands down but as our signature shows, because of a destination choice we will be back on Celebrity as well and will be very happy with that experience for that trip.

[travelinjudy]

Thank you for your thorough comparison and review. I have not sailed in a Celebrity suite, but found some of your assessments to apply to my recent experience with Celebrity, as well. Your assessment just reinforces my belief that Azamara shines in comparison to most cruises out there, regardless of hype.

Looking forward to meeting you on our Dec. cruise.

 

Judy

[nordski]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post such a thoughtful comparison.

 

Two questions:

 

Your statement about the ACC mdr being only open on sea days. Is that for both breakfast and lunch?

 

Is it relevant as to which "M" ship you were on? Or is the comparison typical of the experience on that class of ship?

[uktog]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post such a thoughtful comparison.

 

Two questions:

 

Your statement about the ACC mdr being only open on sea days. Is that for both breakfast and lunch?

 

Is it relevant as to which "M" ship you were on? Or is the comparison typical of the experience on that class of ship?

 

As I recall MDR breakfast was every day, lunch was the sea day. But I will check the dailies again to be sure

We were on Infinity a ship we are also very fond of

[Zouave]

Celebrity - your butler escorts you to evening shows on formal night and you have prime view reserved seating. No need to beat the crowds and sit for 45 minutes before hand. Azamara - nope.

 

Boarding - Celebrity suite passengers have their own lane for preboard - no waiting.

 

Azamara aft OS cabins on deck eight hear a lot of noise from the outdoor cafe above (chairs). This drove us to distraction every evening and morning. In fact the outside seating area was blocked off from 0600-0730 just to try to mitigate the problem. The refurb next year will hopefully change this.

 

On Celebrity being invited to dine with Captain is almost a shoe-in. No such luck on Azamara.

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks for a very well reasoned comparison. I enjoyed reading it.

 

Phil

[nordski]

As I recall MDR breakfast was every day, lunch was the sea day. But I will check the dailies again to be sure

We were on Infinity a ship we are also very fond of

 

Thanks

 

I ask because we've never used the ACC MDR except for dinner. Really enjoy the buffet.

 

However, having recently been on the Constellation, we would seriously consider the Suite Class just to avoid the buffet on that ship. Luminae looks like an attractive alternative.

 

Really appreciate reading your perspective on the two experiences.

[marinaro44]

Thanks

 

I ask because we've never used the ACC MDR except for dinner. Really enjoy the buffet.

 

However, having recently been on the Constellation, we would seriously consider the Suite Class just to avoid the buffet on that ship. Luminae looks like an attractive alternative.

 

Really appreciate reading your perspective on the two experiences.

Azamara MDR is open every day for breakfast.

[nordski]

Azamara MDR is open every day for breakfast.

 

 

Thanks. It seems odd we've never noticed or utilized it for breakfast.

[Grandma Gilly]

Thanks Uktog for your comparison. We have just booked a Celebrity cruise because it fitted our itinerary. The only available suite was a Sky suite, and there was only one so no choice of position. We sail in a CC on Azamara.

I am looking forward to Luminae but very concerned that we won't have access to Michaels Club.

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks. It seems odd we've never noticed or utilized it for breakfast.

 

It's very civilised. We mix it up. If it's a sea day and we have noticed the buffet is busy on them we often go to the MDR.

 

Phil

[Sanatee]

Thanks Uktog for your comparison. We have just booked a Celebrity cruise because it fitted our itinerary. The only available suite was a Sky suite, and there was only one so no choice of position. We sail in a CC on Azamara.

I am looking forward to Luminae but very concerned that we won't have access to Michaels Club.

 

We've always done CC suites on Az, mostly for the extra room (with one lucky upgrade to Owners Suite. We usually do Aqua class on Celebrity, mostly for access to Blu. But on our Alaska cruise on Millie last month we used a regular veranda cabin because we had daughter and 3 grandkids in a huge family veranda cabin without access to Blu or Luminae....so we just used the MDR and Q-Sine. But we to say that the Millie MDR was 1000% better than our last Celeb cruise. Portions were smaller and much, much better than before. Maybe it was having fresh Alaska salmon and/or halibut on the menu every night! I would have put the Millie MDR food right up there with the Az MDRs. Don't know if this is true Celeb-wide or not, but it sure was on Millie. We had several interactions with the Millie Food and Bev manager, and he was extremely personable and knowledgeable so maybe that has made a difference. We did look at Luminae menus, and agree that they seem limited. And throughout the cruise, we never saw anyone using Michael's Club. Seemed like a shame to lose that always enjoyable and quiet pub for all guests.

[excitedofharpenden]

Celebrity - your butler escorts you to evening shows on formal night and you have prime view reserved seating. No need to beat the crowds and sit for 45 minutes before hand. Azamara - nope.

 

Boarding - Celebrity suite passengers have their own lane for preboard - no waiting.

 

Azamara aft OS cabins on deck eight hear a lot of noise from the outdoor cafe above (chairs). This drove us to distraction every evening and morning. In fact the outside seating area was blocked off from 0600-0730 just to try to mitigate the problem. The refurb next year will hopefully change this.

 

On Celebrity being invited to dine with Captain is almost a shoe-in. No such luck on Azamara.

I have never found I needed to get to the show lounge early to get a good seat. Obviously some performances are more popular than others, but you give the impression that if you don't show up very early and because your butler doesn't escort you to a seat you are out of luck. That from what I have seen isn't true. Oh and no formal nights on Azamara.

 

As for boarding, well I'll admit I'm a higher tier of the loyalty club and can use another lane, but my observations of everyone boarding has been there aren't the queues you may get on Celebrity. I'm on a two week cruise. To me it doesn't warrant worrying about waiting five or ten minutes to get on the ship. In the grand scheme of things at least.

 

Phil

Edited August 8, 2015 by excitedofharpenden

[uktog]

Boarding - Celebrity suite passengers have their own lane for preboard - no waiting.

 

 

As I said in my original post suite passengers do have their own lane for boarding, it is just they are not then escorted onboard which is as I said no big deal at all when it is 695 max vs 2200-3000 boarding

[Zouave]

I have never found I needed to get to the show lounge early to get a good seat. Obviously some performances are more popular than others, but you give the impression that if you don't show up very early and because your butler doesn't escort you to a seat you are out of luck. That from what I have seen isn't true. Oh and no formal nights on Azamara.

 

As for boarding, well I'll admit I'm a higher tier of the loyalty club and can use another lane, but my observations of everyone boarding has been there aren't the queues you may get on Celebrity. I'm on a two week cruise. To me it doesn't warrant worrying about waiting five or ten minutes to get on the ship. In the grand scheme of things at least.

 

Phil

 

Phil - have been shut out of shows on three occasions. Be early for a good seat.

[nordski]

It's very civilised. We mix it up. If it's a sea day and we have noticed the buffet is busy on them we often go to the MDR.

 

 

 

Phil

 

 

Appreciate your response.

 

Looks like we should be much more flexible in the daytime.

[Bobal]

Phil - have been shut out of shows on three occasions. Be early for a good seat.

 

Well we've only sailed on Azamara twice and both times on full ships Both cruises we never turned up until the show was about to start - or had already started - and we always managed to get very good seats. I find it hard to believe that people were shut out of shows :eek:

[Phxazzcruisers]

Phil - have been shut out of shows on three occasions. Be early for a good seat.

 

We have been on Azamara 13 times and have never been shut out of a show. We have been to some very busy shows, where seats were few, but have never seen anyone been shut out.

[ellbon]

We have been on Azamara 13 times and have never been shut out of a show. We have been to some very busy shows, where seats were few, but have never seen anyone been shut out.

 

U can always get one but sometimes i stand as i can see the feet fro dancing numbers

[tv24]

Very well-analyzed and well-written comparison. Enjoyable reading.

[excitedofharpenden]

Phil - have been shut out of shows on three occasions. Be early for a good seat.

 

I was doing a rough count. I reckon I've been to probably 40 shows on Azamara and have never been shut out (well there aren't doors to the Cabaret Lounge so you can't be literally shut out), so I think you may have just been unlucky or didn't walk right in. Usually the bar servers will help you to find a seat. Might not be near the front if you are late, but the room is much more intimate than one of the Celebrity Theatres so even if you are near the back on one of the stools it's not too bad.

 

Phil

[Leo_On_Geo]

(well there aren't doors to the Cabaret Lounge so you can't be literally shut out),

 

Phil

 

There are doors to the Cabaret that are often shut during rehersals, not sure if the poster was being litteral. However, I agree the others about always having seats available. I have seen the port door sometimes for certain shows, (noise from the casino ?) but the other door always remains open. One time I questioned a staff member about the other entrance being shut and they quickly reopened it (they had just forgotten to open it).

[Andy]

Hi Uktog,

 

Thank you for your comparison. I enjoyed your insights very much. Welcome home !

[Lottie A]

Thanks for a very well balanced review uktog. Very interesting.

[LabGuy64]

Not sure about the "muttering" you were hearing during your escort. I don't know if it was actual or you may have been feeling guilty for your special treatment. I can say that I have never heard anyone else ever mention a like occurrence.

I wanted to ask you about the "BOOM BOOM" music what is your age?...because I have never heard anyone describe Celebrity ships as party boats with pounding music ....especially one you would need a bolt hole too escape from.

In your comparison of food you mention not liking some of the offerings in Luminae and having more options on Azamara....also that you used the specialty restaurants on Azamara....it should be noted that you can also, order Items from the MDR in Luminae and that in a Royal suite you have unlimited access to ALL the specialty venues at no additional charge.

 

You don't mention the entertainment at all.....no comparison on quality or quantity of entertainment available.

 

What is your feeling about the complimentary minibar and bottles of spirits during your stay in the suite? the convenience of the butlers pantry? And how were the bathrooms in comparison overall?...you backhandedly compliment the fact that Celebrity had a walk in shower that you preferred...how do the bathrooms compare overall?

 

What about shopping? which ship had better offerings and which had more available?....what about your opinion of the decor and appearance of the common areas?

 

And how do the Spas compare?....

Edited August 12, 2015 by LabGuy64