? for those who have sailed on both X and Azamara

[Tony UK]

We have cruised many times with Celebrity and only once on Azamara. Azamara is nice, but the ships are to small. Just not much to do on the ships. The staff onboard seem very nice, but disingenuous. So my vote is Celebrity.

 

Glad you posted this. I also felt this about the staff. There seemed to be a clique with the staff having been together a long time. I thought that would be a good thing but felt tail wagging dog applied. In fact we were told that a manager who had come from Celebrity had gone back because he hadn't fitted in with the staff. We had a suite and the butler was so awkward about some things we had to complete an attention to detail card and a senior officer came to see us to put things right!

We found officers were not as visible as on Celebrity except for staged events.

Food was kind of equivalent. Definitely not a step up as we had expected.

Loved the azamazing evening

Staterooms were much smaller, verandahs tiny even for suites.

Drinks not served with the style and panache as Celebrity

Included wine was poor quality and drinks included were standard classic level on Celebrity.

Advantages are smaller ships so smaller lines everywhere

Able to get closer in to some ports

Able to go to some destinations the larger ships cant.

Entertainment was limited and very old hat

Would I do it again......not sure. We prefer Celebrity. We would look at other small ship options and whats included before we booked Azamara again.

 

That said many people love Azamara and sail with them again and again. We are all different. I haven't covered the ship, décor etc as much has changed with the refit.

[excitedofharpenden]

Tony, your post about the visibility of the Azamara officers surprises me. I have found they are much more out there than on Celebrity and not forced. They do seem genuinely happy to be with the guests. The odd cruise I've found they are less visible. That might have something to do with the individual cruise and pressures they have for that particular trip. I totally agree about the cabins and balconies. They are quite a bit smaller. This was my biggest concern before trying them, but I decided that I didn't actually spend that much time in my accomdation and it was never far to the outside decks which are much calmer and more relaxed on Azamara. Don't get me started on the absence of piped music. It's a real positive for me, but as you rightly say we are all different. For sure the Azamara ships even after refit lack the wow factor of Celebrity, especially the S-Class.

Edited August 12, 2016 by excitedofharpenden

[El Crucero]

We have been shopping Azamara, looking for the right itinerary at the right price, but haven't found anything yet. I am apprehensive about trying Azamara because of fewer activities, smaller staterooms, and dining not significantly better than Celebrity. Proximity to ports is not a high priority for us. We usually cruise in Aqua with the beverage package which is about equal in cost to the best price I can find for an Azamara veranda stateroom. We really like Aqua bathrooms and Blu.

 

After reading this thread, I don't think Azamara would be a good fit for us. We will continue to shop Azamara, but for the time being we are very happy on Celebrity. We're off to Hawai'i on the Solstice in less than a month! YEA!

[tonyd285]

We have sailed twice on Azamara and 10 times on Celebrity. We usually pick the cruise for the itinerary but like to splurge once in awhile. The great thing about Azamara is that the crew really get to know you after a day or two. There is a cocktail area just outside the main dining room and on both cruises I ordered a Manhattan and my wife a Pino Grigio the first night, before dinner. The second night the waiter looked at us and said "oh, a Manhattan and a Pino." You don't get that kind of service on Celebrity. Another big draw are the Azamazing evenings. They are spectacular. The main downside is that the cabins and balconies are indeed smaller than either M or S class Celebrity ships. Both lines are worthwhile for their ambiance and quality.

[Redtravel]

I like Azamara and Celebrity. I pick Azamara for a port intensive cruise. I pick Celebrity for relaxation and family get togethers. On Celebrity I dread tendering. Azamara is better with tendering. Azamara has no lines or crowds. They have smaller ships that can get into ports that the big ships cannot visit. For example going to Paris: Azamara can get to Rouen when Celebrity docks at Le Harve. While both towns are nice. Rouen is much closer to Paris. Food is similar. Celebrity has a better buffet. Celebrity has better entertainment. Cost can be a deciding factor too. Service is good on both. Cabins including most suites are small. Azamara bathrooms are tiny. Celebrity Solstice class bathrooms are very good. Would like to see Azamara build new ships with bigger cabins.

[Hlitner]

The problem with new small ships is that they do not offer the economies of scale of a large ship or mega ship. For example, you have to pay a Captain and Chief Engineer no matter what size ship. So nearly all small new builds are only for the ultra luxury lines (i.e. Seabourn, Silverseas, Sea Dream, etc) while the lower cost lines keep building huge ships. The Azamara Quest and Journey are both old "R" ships...of which only 8 (and they were all identical when built) exist...all of which are spoken for. HAL has a similar issue with its very popular Prinsendam....which is getting very old (for a cruise ship) and cannot reasonably be replaced with a new build.

 

So perhaps Azamara will decide to invest in somewhat larger ships (similar to the Oceania new build) perhaps in the 1200 passenger range. But it would be likely that the cruise fares would increase to pay for such vessels.

 

Hank

Edited August 15, 2016 by Hlitner

[maggie.1008]

Oceania`s 2 new builds are the right fit for me. Azamara cabins are too small. X has become too crowed, lots of kids, and no peace and quiet to enjoy the pool area, crew are over worked, ect. My next Oceania cruise in Nov. Balcony cabin and air included costs less than my last Pacific Coastal AQ on the Infinity and no air.

[El Crucero]

Oceania`s 2 new builds are the right fit for me. Azamara cabins are too small. X has become too crowed, lots of kids, and no peace and quiet to enjoy the pool area, crew are over worked, ect. My next Oceania cruise in Nov. Balcony cabin and air included costs less than my last Pacific Coastal AQ on the Infinity and no air.

 

We were on that Pacific Coastal on Infinity in Aqua in May. We saw no children, we got excellent service from the staff, and some of the pax complained that the ship was too quiet.

 

But I would be interested in trying Oceania. I am having trouble finding the Oceania cruise you are referencing. The least expensive balcony cruise in November is a 12 day Caribbean from Miami. That itinerary is 50% more than our Aqua stateroom on Infinity (including beverage package, gratuities, and OBC) and no air is included with Oceania fare. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

[maggie.1008]

Our May cruise on Infinity did not have a lot of children on board. How ever over the last 16 yrs that I have been cruising with X more and more families are on board. I did not book our Nov. cruise on O Riviera through Oceania. I booked with a TA that is in Las Vegas. I am not allowed to give out that info here on Cruise Critic. We have a extended Balcony cabin, Prem.Econ. Air (RT Europe), free internet and $600. OBC. Again, for less than I paid for AQ 1 on our Infinity cruise. I am leaving this Friday to sail to Alaska on the Solstice. I am not saying I will not enjoy X on this cruise. In the future I will be considering Oceania as my first choice. After 25 cruises with X I am not seeing the value in the AQ and suites that we book. This Friday I will be in a regular balcony cabin as AQ and Suites were not worth the extra money. X is still a wonderful Mass Cruise line and I am glad they are meeting your expectations. Cheers and happy sailing.

[El Crucero]

Our May cruise on Infinity did not have a lot of children on board.

 

I see.

 

How ever over the last 16 yrs that I have been cruising with X more and more families are on board.

 

That is not our experience, at least on the itineraries and dates we select.

 

I did not book our Nov. cruise on O Riviera through Oceania. I booked with a TA that is in Las Vegas. I am not allowed to give out that info here on Cruise Critic.

 

I see. Your itinerary on O would not include parts of Europe or the Middle East would it? All of those itineraries are currently being discounted heavily right now by all cruise lines, for obvious reasons.

 

This Friday I will be in a regular balcony cabin as AQ and Suites were not worth the extra money.

 

Maybe the TA in Las Vegas could have gotten a better deal on your Celebrity cruise too.

Edited August 17, 2016 by El Crucero

[Nashna]

We just got off The Summit and it was not our best experience. The ship sailed full with many large family groups with lots of children in third and forth berths. The ship was terribly crowded. Long lines to get pizza, children hanging out on the hot tubs and pool, chairs saved by 800am by the pools and crowded conditions at the entertainment venues. If we weren't in Aqua class and had access to Blu, we would have been miserable. Our experience on Azamara was fantastic. The ship also sailed full. However, the ship never felt crowded. Azamara offers a complimentary Azamara event on each sailing. Ours was in Greece where we had an amazing evening which stands out as a highlight event in all of our 38 cruises. The food on Azamara was great. However, the service in Celebrity's Blu was outstanding. Our Summit cruise sailed to Bermuda while our Azamara cruise sailed the Med.

 

 

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[Azulann]

Having sailed only Celebrity since 2008, I am now booked on a Viking Ocean Cruise.

Want to try a smaller ship with a different focus. All verandas, no casino,art auctions, no children...etc .

Unlike Celebrity, more inclusive in their price,which covers, all restaurants, beer, wine, soda at lunch and dinner, specialty coffees bottled water all the time, one shore excurison in each port of call and free wifi internet.

Plus it is a gorgeous ship.

Doing a transatlantic from San Juan to Barcelona. The Viking Star will be doing salings in the US and Caribbean this fall and winter.

In 2017, they will have three ships build.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Azulann

[Texed]

I am now booked on a Viking Ocean Cruise.

All verandas, no casino,art auctions, no children...etc .

 

Thanks for letting us know. I was unaware of that.

[gskimmel]

I find it interesting in how different people rate food. It's been a few years since we were on Celebrity and thought the food in Blu and the specialty restaurants were good. We ate in the MDR with friends a couple of times and thought it was the worst thing I ever ate. On O, we had food that was excellent and food not so good. There definitely was a consistency issue on O. In May, we went on Azamara and thought the food was consistently very good. We didn't eat anything that was superb but we also didn't eat anything that was not good. Overall, we think that Azamara's food far surpasses Celebrity and just a notch below O. As other posters have said, Azamara is great for destination.