Just back from Aza Journey...

[BBMacLaird]

We are considering taking this cruise in November as we would love to see some of India.

 

However there are so many conflicting reviews of the ship - from small cabins - to inferior food - most notable example of big ship processes was in the main dining room where entrees arrived soggy from spending too much time under the "dome" after being plated. Although they seat you at tables for two, meals seemed to be mass produced and brought out in bulk on large trays, just like on the mega ships. Of the seven nights, three dinners in the main dining room and none were excellent.

 

On to the specialty restaurants. After reading Cruise Critic's recommendation of Aqualina, we booked two dinners there and one at Prime C. Big mistake. Aqualina was mediocre at best with a somewhat limited menu. However, Prime C was actually excellent. If sailing Azamara, be sure to book dinner at Prime C as much as possible.

 

As to service - Service was good, but not fabulous. And much less personalized than on a true small ship. If you want over the top service and a true small-ship experience, don't expect it here.

 

On our day at sea all loungers on the pool and sun decks were taken (and most were occupied). There was some space for additional loungers.

 

My daughter has just returned from a Cruise on the Oceania Riviera and everything from the size of the cabin and balcony to service and the food was simply par excellence.

 

We are thinking of booking a Club Continent Suite - anyone who has recently been on board - please enlighten me as to your thoughts

 

Would welcome and appreciate all views and recommendations

 

Hello Kidson,

since I see you posted this on another thread, I am posting my reply to you from that other thread as well. As an aside, my husband and I were on the Dubai-Singapore sailing in 2015 and loved it!

-------------------------

Hello Kidson,

I'm confused if the review part of your post is from your own experience or if you've cut & pasted it from elsewhere? Since it sounds like you've not sailed with us before I have to assume the latter.

The criticisms you've posted of our food, dining and service and availability of loungers I say are utterly untrue.

Of course I'm biased but others will tell you the same. Plus it's not just my opinion and our past guests' testimonials!

Herewith I'm attaching a picture of an award just received this week - Global Travelers "Best Cruise Line Dining" AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES - 2016!

[ellbon]

The Club Continent rooms are lovely designed deluxe staterooms with extra perks but nowhere close to a "suite". They are a bit larger than the regular rooms but I'd say the only thing that is really bigger is the bathroom. HOWEVER, I don't think that justifies the huge price difference.

 

I really should look this up- a normal cabin is 175 sq feet. a CC cabin is 250 plus balcony. after the redo they change the closet design and drawer/storage space. the bathroom is very nice.

[aussie travel bird]

I concur with Bonnie. We were recently on the Singapore/Dubai/Athens transit (32 nights) and I commented to my husband on the food in all venues being the best we've ever had. I never had a bad meal or a poor choice. We were in a newly refurbished CC suite and found all the food venues, MDR, Buffet (and specialty nights), Prime C, Aquilina, the Patio to be outstanding. Don't get me started on how brilliant the Chefs table (French) was. Even our room service breakfast, 'healthy omlette' was stunning.:)

Edited August 2, 2016 by aussie travel bird

[Grandma Cruising]

Hi Kidson,

 

 

 

I absolutely agree with every thing you have mentioned above. It is exactly the impression I got on my Aza Journey cruise. The MDR was a total letdown twice so we didn't bother going there again. Windows had very good food at all times. So even though I would have prefered to be served at dinner time we chose to use the buffet much more than we would normally have.

 

 

 

The pool deck is just not a very good layout. I think they could do much better there. Nothing for claustrophobic people.

 

 

 

Service was very good (and I always like to point out how hard working the staff is !!) but not personalized.

 

 

Not our experience at all. If you feel claustrophobic on the pool deck, then go up onto the sun deck.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

Hi Marinaro44,

 

Many thanks for your helpful comments.

 

I am so confused as there are so so many conflicting reviews

 

A much as I would like to try an Azamara cruise I feel hesitant to spend 14 days on board a ship being unhappy for one reason or another - it would be so so pointless and a total waste of money. I'm lost !!

 

 

You will not be unhappy - Azamara are the friendliest ships I've been on - both crew and passengers - as well as serving excellent food with a very good range of options. Give it a try, you'll love it. Note that although there are one or two negative reviews the vast majority of reviewers are very happy with Azamara. Often when you look closely at the negative reviews you find that something went wrong on their cruise and it coloured their view of the whole cruise.

 

 

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[genineh]

The amount of passengers who return over and over again should tell you how good Azamara are .We've taken 3 cruises 2 on the journey and 1 on the quest and a b2b booked this month . The passengers,crew and size of the ship makes it much more relaxing than the bigger cruise lines.

[M&PGermany]

I hope this wasn't a surprise to you, as it should be pretty obvious that any cruise ship specialty restaurant would be superior in these regards to a much larger main dining room. I think it's a better comparison to look at other ships of comparable size and compare main dining rooms, and our experience is that Azamara's are at least the equal of Regent's. I can't speak to Crystal as I have no interest in that cruise line, or Seabourn for that matter.

 

If you're saying dessert items like cakes or pies or the like are baked beforehand, that also is no revelation. What I would say is that I often order an appetizer portion of the pasta of the day and often mix side dishes from different main course dishes so I doubt if those dishes are prepared in bulk and carried up to the main dining room on large trays. In fact, I like to watch the waiters do their thing and I always see our dishes brought up together, usually by the assistant waiter, and then served to us

 

Sorry, but our experiences in the main dining room (at least 150 to 175 dinners) are very different from what you've described, and I'm always concerned when others accept the few negative descriptions as being the norm and are therefore turned off to a cruise line.

 

Your description of the Club Continent Suite is quite misleading and I have to correct it. True, it is no more a suite of rooms than any one room stateroom on Regent, where all staterooms are rather grandiosely called "suites." But a Club Continent Suite is exactly 50% larger than a veranda stateroom, not just "a bit" larger. That is, two Club Continent Suites take up exactly the space of three veranda staterooms. In my opinion, that would justify a 50% increase in price, as you could put 50% more passengers in that space, but the price difference is rarely (though perhaps sometimes, depending on stateroom availability close to departure date) close to that.

 

I'm sorry you didn't care for some aspects of your Azamara cruise, but I don't think that justifies misleading others about the cruise line.

 

 

Hi, Marinaro,

 

thanks for stating the obvious once more and yes, I am aware that in general the specialty restaurants are superior to MDR food.

 

Also, I am in no way trying to mislead anyone, I am choosing to post MY opinion on certain topics here in this forum. It is nothing else than my opinion and I do appreciate very much that you accept that other people may have views that differ from yours. I think anyone should be able to take both positive and negative comments into consideration and then come to his or her own conclusion.

 

Also, I think it is rather amusing how you try to defend Azamara against all evil. Azamara is a modern company, they can deal with (and encourage cruisers to give) feedback. The "free" feedback they receive here in this forum is worth good money for the company adjusting the product to the market and the customers. Or why, in your opinion, do you think they pay somebody to engage in forums?

 

Finally, I think Azamara is a VERY GOOD and SOLID cruise line. I would recommend Azamara to anyone who isn't quite sure whether to book it or not and I would not hesitate to choose another Azamara cruise again.

But I will always continue to say what I liked and didn't like about my cruise and not even you will stop me from doing it

I

[marinaro44]

Hi, Marinaro,

 

thanks for stating the obvious once more and yes, I am aware that in general the specialty restaurants are superior to MDR food.

 

Also, I am in no way trying to mislead anyone, I am choosing to post MY opinion on certain topics here in this forum. It is nothing else than my opinion and I do appreciate very much that you accept that other people may have views that differ from yours. I think anyone should be able to take both positive and negative comments into consideration and then come to his or her own conclusion.

 

Also, I think it is rather amusing how you try to defend Azamara against all evil. Azamara is a modern company, they can deal with (and encourage cruisers to give) feedback. The "free" feedback they receive here in this forum is worth good money for the company adjusting the product to the market and the customers. Or why, in your opinion, do you think they pay somebody to engage in forums?

 

Finally, I think Azamara is a VERY GOOD and SOLID cruise line. I would recommend Azamara to anyone who isn't quite sure whether to book it or not and I would not hesitate to choose another Azamara cruise again.

But I will always continue to say what I liked and didn't like about my cruise and not even you will stop me from doing it

I

I have no problem with your saying what you like and didn't like but correcting inaccurate statements like the size of Club Continent suites (50% bigger than veranda staterooms, not just "a bit") and that main dining room meals are "brought up in bulk on large trays" I will continue to do.

[M&PGermany]

I have no problem with your saying what you like and didn't like but correcting inaccurate statements like the size of Club Continent suites (50% bigger than veranda staterooms, not just "a bit") and that main dining room meals are "brought up in bulk on large trays" I will continue to do.

 

Hi Marinaro,

 

thank you for the update on Club Continent suite sizes. I shall take a note, that 50% more of something that is not very big (e.g. a room which is 175 sq ft.) does make it huge. ;)

 

On a different note: Let me correct you as well. I never said that "main dining room meals are brought up in bulk on large trays". In contrast, I tried to state that it is quite natural that staff bring out more than one plate at a time.

 

Enjoy your day.

[excitedofharpenden]

The Club Continent rooms are lovely designed deluxe staterooms with extra perks but nowhere close to a "suite". They are a bit larger than the regular rooms but I'd say the only thing that is really bigger is the bathroom. HOWEVER, I don't think that justifies the huge price difference.

 

Food opinions aside because they are so subjective (I don't have an issue with the MDR, but nowadays probably only eat there once or twice a cruise) I have to comment on the above and having stayed in standard sized balcony cabins and Club Continent Suites a number of times would give the advice that if you can pay the extra and want a bit more space it's well worth upgrading to a suite. 50% larger doesn't sound a lot, but it makes a big difference in the cabin, particularly in the bathroom and space at the foot of the bed. Of course the balcony is a third wider too. Plus free dining in the specialties, use of the pool and private terrace at the front of the ship and if it's important to you, having a butler.

 

Phil

Edited August 2, 2016 by excitedofharpenden

[gskimmel]

 

 

My daughter has just returned from a Cruise on the Oceania Riviera and everything from the size of the cabin and balcony to service and the food was simply par excellence.

 

 

I've been on the Oceania Riviera (concierge) and Azamara Quest (balcony). Although the Rivera cabin was larger, we thought the Quest was well designed where we had more storage space but also did not feel cramped. For food, it was inconsistent on Oceania (ranging from OK to excellent). On Azamara, it was consistently very good. We did the chef's table on both ships and preferred Azamara.

 

We found the service on the Azamara to be better than Oceania, which was a surprise because you need to pay gratuities on Oceania (gratuities are included in the Azamara fare). When we were on the Quest, we met many new staff members that recently came from Oceania. I was told since Oceania became part of the NCL family, employees are not happy and are leaving. It seems many are going to Azamara. The Quest's executive chef recently moved over from Oceania, too.

 

With this said, I think both Oceania and Azamara are two good brands. You can't go wrong by choosing one over the other. For the time being, we will stick solely to Azamara and Oceania for our future cruises.

 

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[ellbon]

I've been on the Oceania Riviera (concierge) and Azamara Quest (balcony). Although the Rivera cabin was larger, we thought the Quest was well designed where we had more storage space but also did not feel cramped. For food, it was inconsistent on Oceania (ranging from OK to excellent). On Azamara, it was consistently very good. We did the chef's table on both ships and preferred Azamara.

 

We found the service on the Azamara to be better than Oceania, which was a surprise because you need to pay gratuities on Oceania (gratuities are included in the Azamara fare). When we were on the Quest, we met many new staff members that recently came from Oceania. I was told since Oceania became part of the NCL family, employees are not happy and are leaving. It seems many are going to Azamara. The Quest's executive chef recently moved over from Oceania, too.

 

With this said, I think both Oceania and Azamara are two good brands. You can't go wrong by choosing one over the other. For the time being, we will stick solely to Azamara and Oceania for our future cruises.

 

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find this all intersting. Oceania boards have people raving the the food. Plus I have not heard of a newly hired chef. many have been with us for a 2 years or more. Ivan is the newest one I think. Not met a lot of new crew but i am not all over the ship.

[Kidson]

I've been on the Oceania Riviera (concierge) and Azamara Quest (balcony). Although the Rivera cabin was larger, we thought the Quest was well designed where we had more storage space but also did not feel cramped. For food, it was inconsistent on Oceania (ranging from OK to excellent). On Azamara, it was consistently very good. We did the chef's table on both ships and preferred Azamara.

 

We found the service on the Azamara to be better than Oceania, which was a surprise because you need to pay gratuities on Oceania (gratuities are included in the Azamara fare). When we were on the Quest, we met many new staff members that recently came from Oceania. I was told since Oceania became part of the NCL family, employees are not happy and are leaving. It seems many are going to Azamara. The Quest's executive chef recently moved over from Oceania, too.

 

With this said, I think both Oceania and Azamara are two good brands. You can't go wrong by choosing one over the other. For the time being, we will stick solely to Azamara and Oceania for our future cruises.

 

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The balcony cabins on the Oceania are substantially larger than on the Azamara but interesting to note you found them to have more storage space than on the Oceania - whilst gratuities are not per se included you are given more than sufficient on board credit to take care of all the gratuities as well as to cover either for a number of excursions or for your alcoholic drinks with the meals.

[gskimmel]

The balcony cabins on the Oceania are substantially larger than on the Azamara but interesting to note you found them to have more storage space than on the Oceania - whilst gratuities are not per se included you are given more than sufficient on board credit to take care of all the gratuities as well as to cover either for a number of excursions or for your alcoholic drinks with the meals.

 

can the on board credit be used for gratuities? I didn't think it could.

 

 

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[gskimmel]

find this all intersting. Oceania boards have people raving the the food. Plus I have not heard of a newly hired chef. many have been with us for a 2 years or more. Ivan is the newest one I think. Not met a lot of new crew but i am not all over the ship.

 

We found the quality to be inconsistent on Oceania. For the most part, the food was quite good. However, the same food in the same restaurant on a different night differed. For example, the first time we ate at the Asian restaurant we thought the food was just ok. When we returned to that restaurant later in the week, the food was fabulous. My point in my post was the inconsistency. When we were on the quest, the food was consistently very good. Nothing we ate on the Quest would be considered fabulous.

 

We met the executive chef when he visited our table during the chef's table. That's when he mentioned he is new to Azamara and recently came from Oceania.

 

 

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[gskimmel]

The balcony cabins on the Oceania are substantially larger than on the Azamara but interesting to note you found them to have more storage space than on the Oceania - whilst gratuities are not per se included you are given more than sufficient on board credit to take care of all the gratuities as well as to cover either for a number of excursions or for your alcoholic drinks with the meals.

 

can the on board credit be used for gratuities? I didn't think it could but I read about too many cruise lines and can be confusing cruise lines. Also, my point about gratuities and service is that I would have thought service would be better in the situation gratuities are not part of the fare. That is why I was pleasantly surprised how great the service was on the Quest. This is not saying service was bad on the Riviera but there were more smiling staff members on the Quest than the Riviera.

 

When I initially booked our May Azamara cruise, I seriously considered canceling it because I did not think we would like it. Except for the concierge cabin we had on the Riviera, we usually book suites (mainstream cruises) so the Azamara cabin was our smallest cabin. We needed to live out of our suitcases on the Riviera. We are two guys so we don't pack a lot of things. I'm not disputing the Riviera cabin size because it is much larger than Azamara. Azamara just has a more efficient layout. I did prefer the bathroom on the Riviera, though.

 

Bottom line is both cruise lines are great. I am not a cheerleader for one over the other and am just stating our observations. They each have their own pros and cons. I'm just happy to be away from the office so I just enjoy what I have. We currently have two future cruises booked: one with Azamara and one with Oceania. Price and itinerary will determine which cruise line we will pick for our other future cruises.

 

 

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[Kidson]

can the on board credit be used for gratuities? I didn't think it could.

 

 

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Yes it can - my daughter used her on board credit for gratuities