Azamara vs Regent, An Actual Comparison Based on Onboard Experience

[rallydave]

Was asked by some posters on this board to comment on our recent Norwegian Fjords cruise compared to Regent. Haven’t cruised Regent in about 3 years but, have kept current on their recent pluses and minuses since being acquired by NCLH and many of the cost savings changes put in place to increase profitability for what is now a public company as well as to provide bonuses to prior PCH stock holders

 

Our Azamara cruise was wonderful, so wonderful that for the first time in our cruising career we booked another cruise while onboard. To us Azamara is the exact luxury we have been looking for as in our opinions they provided what we wanted with a crew that met all and more of what we expected based on other customer comments on the Azamara Board. We were welcomed home every time we returned to the ship and home is what made it a luxury experience.

 

Never had to escalate any request to a higher level than the person we talked to unlike Regent where the home office appears to have to be consulted for any and all decisions. Not only were there no changes to reduce shore time, the Captain several times was able to arrive early at the next port or stay a bit later due to his observations. Norway is normally a very expensive cruising area but, we paid about half of what Regent is currently charging for Med cruises for a Club Continental Suite comparable to Penthouse on Regent.

 

Realize another thread is discussing comparisons of Regent to other cruise lines and Regent has used many extras to bring the cost up but, for our cruise, our onboard bill at the end was less than $100. As to included air vs. Azamara without included air. We were able to fly Business Class to the start of the cruise including a 5 nite pre cruise in Iceland for a very reasonable price and flew home on miles so no missing the included air. Some Regent posters have stated that issues need to be immediately escalated to the Matre d, Hotel Manager, their TA or even the CEO of the Holding Company. This is nonsense as Azamara has trained its’ staff to solve any issues right now without need for any escalation. The staff far exceeded our expectations and the re-imagined ship was just right.

 

Azamara was completely up front as the latest refurb progressed with pictures, descriptions and keeping up to date during and after the refurb compared to Regent almost complete lack of communications and responses for instance about the Navigator Refurb that were much less than accurate. The crew from top to bottom were visible but, not intrusive Pretty sure we have found our new cruise home an can only help they bring more ships on board to increase the number of cruises available.

 

Regarding communications, Azamara has an employee, CBO (Chief Blogging Officer) who participates on CC and goes straight to the home office to get answers while Regent seems to have missed this customer support. Luxury is much more than glittery ships, expensive china with a designer name on it and ugly artwork. Azamara needs to be considered Luxury and not near luxury and competes with Regent, Silveseas, Seabourn and Crystal for significant less money and therefore much better value for the customer. One thing seems to remain the same for most cruise lines including Azamara and Regent among many others and that is the problems in the home office and on the web. On Azamara, the onboard experience negates that issue but, on Regent, appears that the home office affects the on board experience negatively.

 

Until the penny pinching and ever increasing fares plus having to go to Miami stops on Regent, we won’t be back anytime soon. Think the recent stock plunge of NCLH is due to the continued home office reluctance to accept responsibility for problems on board their ships and provide solutions rather than silence. So glad we ignored the naysayers who put Azamara down and instead listened to unbiased on board reports from their board and will be back many times on this cruise line who values their customers and doesn’t look at them as cash cows.

[newlondon]

Rallydave, Glad you had a good time on Azamara, but your explanation for drop in NCLH stock doesn't hold water. All cruise lines have been weak recently and the +/- 30% drop in NCLH mirrors that in RCL. CCL has also dropped but not as much. It is worth noting that FDR recently put his money where is future lies by buying $3m of NCLH stock. While probably not his whole net worth it still says volumes.

Personally I would have a lot more faith in your comparison if you had been on a Regent ship more recently and if your bias about Regent were more neutral.

[newlondon]

BTW rd, Agree about ombudsman, but I think that is Mike Moore's job.

[Host Dan]

I posted a few years ago that I felt Azamara was worthy of the luxury line moniker. My cruise on Journey (with great CD Eric DeGray, previously with Seabourn) was outstanding.

[rallydave]

Mike Moore is there for computer issues only as I believe he has stated. Bonnie CBO for Azamara handles all questions and believe the previous Host for Azamara and Oceania has just this past week been hired by Crystal to perform the same duties plus other social media duties.

 

Mike does a great job and I worked with him about five years ago on IT issues but is nowhere near the same as Bonnie CBO

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[WesW]

Thanks Dave for sharing your Azamara review. Your very positive comments about Azamara are also now reflected by a long time Regent cruiser who is now on board Azamara's Quest and has started her thread, "I am loving the Quest."

 

Also, heard from a different but extraordinarily reliable source that Crystal will have a significant cruise critic/social media presence. Azamara led the way with a larger than life Azamara and cruise critic presence with Bill (he preceded Bonnie), now Crystal is following the leader. Would love to

see the other luxury lines/mass market lines also follow Azamara's example.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2398555

 

I know that in the months before I got on Quest, I voiced several uncertainties; some of them were more because this would be my first trip of any magnitude as a solo, and some because Azamara was a completely unknown product to me.

 

I love it. As much as Mark and I loved Regent Navigator, I'd put Quest up against it any day. The friendliness and availability of the staff far surpasses any ship I have sailed on Regent; they are apparently aware that I am alone, and are always approaching me to make sure my cruise is going well. That may be because I am in a suite, but I don't think so: CD Russ brought me a verbal message on the first day that Denise was looking for me, concerning our private tour to Berlin. I know that Denise isn't in a suite, but she felt comfortable in walking up to Russ and asking if he had "seen Pam".

 

The internet was abysmal the first few days, but we headed North from Amsterdam. Now that we are farther South in Belgium, it is more responsive.

 

The food-subjective. Some things have been really good, some things outstanding, some not so outstanding. But I am not a foodie, and I have found something to eat any time I was hungry.

 

The spa is amazing! And I have seen several ladies who got haircuts onboard, and they all look beautiful.

 

I haven't done a lot of Land Discoveries, because the aim of this cruise was to rest and destress , but the ones I have done were great. In Ghent yesterday, on the chocolate factory tour, they divided us into two groups of 15 so that everybody could hear the guide. I am looking forward to Paris, although I have been charged with finding something "Parisian but not touristy" for my youngest granddaughter.

 

I don't know when time will allow me to travel again, but if I can manage a cruise it will be on Azamara.

Edited September 5, 2016 by WesW

[ellbon]

The OP here had Captain Jose. All our captains seem to be famous fro getting us extra time in port when [possible and we seem to be early a lot. that has to do with the harbor master and pilot. I am going back to Norway next summer. But the OP had the best weather in years in all ports. the crew Always welcomes you home. have cold towels or warm for Norway. AZ drinks are well drinks but you can upgrade.

 

I do wonder what the OP thought of the new modern furniture on deck 5. I also liked the cabin space better pre- dry dock. now lack of storage. i am looking forward to how i am treated on Regent in 2018. I love it when a crew member knows my drink and knows i need a bottle of water without me asking.

[Travelcat2]

rallydave, I also read your review on the Azamara board. It was very detailed and interesting. In fairness, however, when you compare Regent to Azamara, perhaps you should state how long it has been since you sailed on Regent (guessing 5 years). While this does not have an effect on your Azamara experience, the Regent experience today is not what it was 5 years ago. In any case, I do have questions.

 

As many know, Azamara is in direct competition to Oceania. For us, the most positive aspect of Azamara is the friendliness of the crew. While I have seen this on Regent, it is not the same on Oceania.

 

Could you share information on the drink(s) and/or drink package(s) available on Azamara? I believe that wine is included at wine and dinner. It is available at no cost at any other times? And, could you give us an example of the brands offered. I read this morning that Azamara now offers two red and two white wines .... if you do not like the offering for that evening, can you ask for something you had previously?

 

Like Oceania, Azamara uses former Renaissance ships which have very small bathrooms. Were suite sizes and/or bathroom sizes redone during the recent major refurbishment?

 

Any details you could provide regarding excursions (cost and quality) would be appreciated.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Cruisermann]

At least in our case, we booked our business class air through Regent at a savings of at least $1400 per person over the same flight shown in Kayak. That is meaningful to me in any comparison analysis.

[rallydave]

The OP here had Captain Jose. All our captains seem to be famous fro getting us extra time in port when [possible and we seem to be early a lot. that has to do with the harbor master and pilot. I am going back to Norway next summer. But the OP had the best weather in years in all ports. the crew Always welcomes you home. have cold towels or warm for Norway. AZ drinks are well drinks but you can upgrade.

 

I do wonder what the OP thought of the new modern furniture on deck 5. I also liked the cabin space better pre- dry dock. now lack of storage. i am looking forward to how i am treated on Regent in 2018. I love it when a crew member knows my drink and knows i need a bottle of water without me asking.

 

Hi Robin, not having much of an idea of how the furniture was pre dry dock, we had no issues with the furniture on deck 5 and enjoyed it. As to our CC Suite, had lots of concerns about the refurb of the CC Suites as information came out about what was being done and how it would appear. The ship is just the right size and with the wonderful staff, it exceeds by far any other ship we have sailed. As we booked almost 2 years ago before any of the refurb was known we were initially extremely concerned over the refurb and whether we would get the shower or tub. We lucked out and got the shower and all of our concerns were gone almost from the moment we stepped into our suite. More than enough room, storage and the three chairs were more than comfortable. We were concerned over the strange design of the carpet and if we took the time to look at it, it was a bit strange but, in 15 days onboard we hardly noticed the dark portions as beautiful furniture overcame the small carpet designs. Would be nice if there were hooks in the suite in addition to those on the back of the door but, with the large closet it wasn't an issue. In fact we booked the exact suite for our next Azamara cruise as we really liked the location and the contents of the suite. Happy to answer any more of your questions.

[Johnthesailor]

I have not sailed Azamara in over 6 years. But I am considering other cruise lines although Regent seems to fill my needs the best. Still, open for a change. I will say that the staff was superb but found the ship was a bit cramped. Realizing that this could have changed in the interim, I have a few questions which I hope can be answered by the recent cruisers on Azamara:

 

The common spaces seemed to be a fewer, a bit cramped and the lounges would be at capacity before diner. Has this changed?

 

The dining room often had longish waits. Is that still the case?

 

The regular cabin (at least the one we were in) was small, not tiny but smaller than say the cabins on the Mariner, let alone the Voyager. Are most of them comparable or at what cabin designation does it become comparable?

 

As I remember it (but could be mistaken) the hallways were a bit narrower and when the service carts were there it was fairly tight. Did they correct this, maybe by using smaller carts or keeping them out of the halls?

 

Excursions were extra but that isn't a problem especially since we did some private tours. But, how much did the typical excursion through the ship cost? Were the buses filled to 100% or were they more like the 80-90% that Regent fills them (sometimes the extra space is useful and a few less people on a tour does make a difference). Useful to know since we don't always want to spend the effort to arrange private tours.

 

I don't remember if there were specialty restaurants? If there are, how much do they charge and are they easily available (reservations) and how much do they charge?

 

Any other info or insight you could give would be appreciated.

 

thanks,

John

[gnomie1]

I found the review by RallyDave most interesting because on our last Regent cruise we met a couple who raved about Azamara and have been encouraging us to try it - this couple are platinum with Regent and have felt very disappointed regarding their last few Regent cruises - this is not the first time we have heard people with extremely positive reviews about Azamara and the company as a whole.

 

Crystal had a big PR announcement last week that they had hired an individual to be in charge of all social media activities, including having a presence on CC to monitor and answer questions.

 

Regarding FDR buying almost $3M of stock - there was some discussions about this in the financial community - was it done because he believes there is great potential to make a nice profit or to prove to the board of directors that they should keep him - not many CEO's stay around long these days when the stock price tumbles as drastically as NCLH - true, the other cruise lines have also fallen, but not to the same extent as NCHL - since none of us have a crystal ball, only time will tell.

 

gnomie :)

[Suite Travels]

Dave, we have heard the same thing about Azamara. We have friends who have sailed Regent, Crystal and Seabourn and they absolutly loved Azamara. They did have a suite but said the service and attention was the best they have ever experienced in over 100 cruises.

 

Crystal has some growing pains since they are expanding in the luxury market. Regent has been inundating us with brochures almost every week with Free this and that...BS.

 

We are looking at Azamara for a test drive and Seabourn as well. Crystal has always been great but with Genting expanding it to so many choices some things have faltered. Our next cruise on Crystal is Antartica and we will be checking out lines we have not sailed that I mentioned.

 

I have been trying to get rid of the Regent mass mailers for years to no avail. Sounds like they are pretty desperate since NCLH took them over.

[Travelcat2]

Rallydave, Glad you had a good time on Azamara, but your explanation for drop in NCLH stock doesn't hold water. All cruise lines have been weak recently and the +/- 30% drop in NCLH mirrors that in RCL. CCL has also dropped but not as much. It is worth noting that FDR recently put his money where is future lies by buying $3m of NCLH stock. While probably not his whole net worth it still says volumes.

Personally I would have a lot more faith in your comparison if you had been on a Regent ship more recently and if your bias about Regent were more neutral.

 

Agree with you. Must say that I have also heard positive things about Azamara and wouldn't mind doing another premium cruise line but would not sail on a former Renaissance ship. I believe that you sailed on one of the Oceania ships that was also a former Renaissance ships (in a large suite). Many of the suites on the Quest are a bit tiny (according to the information provided on this link https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Azamara-Quest )

Edited September 5, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Suite Travels]

I have not sailed Azamara in over 6 years. But I am considering other cruise lines although Regent seems to fill my needs the best. Still, open for a change. I will say that the staff was superb but found the ship was a bit cramped. Realizing that this could have changed in the interim, I have a few questions which I hope can be answered by the recent cruisers on Azamara:

 

The common spaces seemed to be a fewer, a bit cramped and the lounges would be at capacity before diner. Has this changed?

 

The dining room often had longish waits. Is that still the case?

 

The regular cabin (at least the one we were in) was small, not tiny but smaller than say the cabins on the Mariner, let alone the Voyager. Are most of them comparable or at what cabin designation does it become comparable?

 

As I remember it (but could be mistaken) the hallways were a bit narrower and when the service carts were there it was fairly tight. Did they correct this, maybe by using smaller carts or keeping them out of the halls?

 

Excursions were extra but that isn't a problem especially since we did some private tours. But, how much did the typical excursion through the ship cost? Were the buses filled to 100% or were they more like the 80-90% that Regent fills them (sometimes the extra space is useful and a few less people on a tour does make a difference). Useful to know since we don't always want to spend the effort to arrange private tours.

 

I don't remember if there were specialty restaurants? If there are, how much do they charge and are they easily available (reservations) and how much do they charge?

 

Any other info or insight you could give would be appreciated.

 

thanks,

John

 

John, maybe the service carts are like Crystal's. Crystal has done away with the hotel like carts and are using large roller boards that are half the size and can be rolled into a suite or stateroom that contain everything the stewardess needs and they keep the corridors clear.

[CruisetheCs]

 

Regarding communications, Azamara has an employee, CBO (Chief Blogging Officer) who participates on CC and goes straight to the home office to get answers while Regent seems to have missed this customer support. Luxury is much more than glittery ships, expensive china with a designer name on it and ugly artwork. Azamara needs to be considered Luxury and not near luxury and competes with Regent, Silveseas, Seabourn and Crystal for significant less money and therefore much better value for the customer. One thing seems to remain the same for most cruise lines including Azamara and Regent among many others and that is the problems in the home office and on the web. On Azamara, the onboard experience negates that issue but, on Regent, appears that the home office affects the on board experience negatively.

Thanks for the review, rallydave.

 

I agree that Regent is often inept when it comes to modern day communication--well even last-century communication. You see on these boards all the contortions people have to go through to get a straight answer from Regent to a simple question. The website is a big problem. Management simply isn't doing a competent job in the realm of communication.

 

I am curious about internet charges and internet consistency and speed on your cruise. The internet functioning on Regent is quite poor in my view. They are always promising fixes to speed it up, etc., but frankly it was about as bad last February as it was over the past years.

 

Are inclusive drink packages available. One thing I do like about Regent is going anywhere on the ship and getting whatever I want to drink without have to sign chits for everything.

Edited September 5, 2016 by CruisetheCs

[diebroke]

In fairness, however, when you compare Regent to Azamara, perhaps you should state how long it has been since you sailed on Regent (guessing 5 years).

 

Did you read the second sentence of his original post?

 

Why do you want all your questions answered? Are you considering sailing on Azamara?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Rallydave, thanks so much for this. As you may remember, we're doing our Azamara "test drive" in about three weeks, on Journey, Rome to Rome.

 

I will post about it, but then I'll be able to compare it to our upcoming Mariner cruise in January, since we haven't been on Regent for over 4 years, so we're not qualified to compare, apparently (!) So I'll try to refrain from doing much of that until February, ahem.

[rallydave]

Thanks for the review, rallydave.

 

I agree that Regent is often inept when it comes to modern day communication--well even last-century communication. You see on these boards all the contortions people have to go through to get a straight answer from Regent to a simple question. The website is a big problem. Management simply isn't doing a competent job in the realm of communication.

 

I am curious about internet charges and internet consistency and speed on your cruise--also cost of internet. The internet functioning on Regent is quite poor in my view. They are always promising fixes to speed it up, etc., but frankly it was about as bad last February as it was over the past years.

 

Are inclusive drink packages available. One thing I do like about Regent is going anywhere on the ship and getting whatever I want to drink without have to sign chits for everything.

 

Can't comment on the cost of the internet as we each had 240 minutes included for being in a Suite and we had enough for the entire cruise without paying. As to the connectivity, based on talking to others on our cruise it can vary from location to location. In our suite we had no problems connecting whenever we wanted to. For a cruise as far north as we were, the speed, while not like at home was sufficient for our needs. When doing the refurbs of the two ships, saw pictures of a complete changing of all of the shipboard hardware. Sure there are spots better and spots worse, our suite was fine and one of the reasons we booked the same suite for our next cruise. Sure it would only take moving to another area to equal the connectivity and speed we had. Included for everyone is a drinks package that was satisfactory for us as well as most of the fellow passengers we talked to. Saw very little of people signing chits and wine was included throught the day as well as at meals. WE could and did ask for other included wines and almost everytime they were quickly provided. We only signed one chit when we ordered a bottle of wine for our Anniversary. We are not picky or status seeking and the included liquor was fine for us. This included liquor/beer is clearly called out on the website with the packages for more exclusive booze shown there as well. As I said, the included alcoholic is just fine unless you have to have more exclusive booze that most people are happy do do without. And the pours are more than generous. Never saw a bartender use a jigger or shot glass to measure the pour and drinks, if anything were a bit strong and the staff was everywhere taking orders. Nothing mizerly about Azamara.

[newlondon]

Gnomie, I am in the investment business and many CEO's survive stock declines. Ask Geoff Imelt at GE; 30+to 5+. He is still at the helm. My point is that I do not believe: a. there are many cost cutting changes at either R or O and b. that even if there were they would cause the stock to fall.

Rallydave made a comment and I disputed it.

Personally, in my experience, the CEO buying stock is usually (not always) a good sign of faith in the company's prospects.

[liptastic]

Dave thanks for your Azamara report. I have spoken to a lot of seasoned cruisers who all speak highly of Azamara and many also compare it to Regent. They seem to stay much longer times in port compared to Regent which can be a deal breaker for some passengers,giving you much more options in port.

We have often spoken about trying an Azamara cruise, and is good to hear different reports, thanks, Jean.

[Travelcat2]

Just found the information for wine, alcohol and "water" packages (almost choked when I saw that you had to pay for water). https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/booked-guests/onboard-packages/complimentary-beverages . The cost for the alcohol package is reasonable and most of the alcohol choices are okay - even though they are a lower level than on luxury lines. The only alcohol that I'd have to pay extra for is tequila - I don't drink it often but it has to be Don Julio or Patron.

 

For whomever asked about internet on Regent, it was upgraded closer to this summer - not earlier in the year. There are complaints on the Azamara board regarding internet but in fairness, internet access that far north is difficult for everyone - not only Azamara and Regent.

[DreamflightPat]

rallydave, I also read your review on the Azamara board. It was very detailed and interesting. In fairness, however, when you compare Regent to Azamara, perhaps you should state how long it has been since you sailed on Regent (guessing 5 years). While this does not have an effect on your Azamara experience, the Regent experience today is not what it was 5 years ago. In any case, I do have questions.

 

As many know, Azamara is in direct competition to Oceania. For us, the most positive aspect of Azamara is the friendliness of the crew. While I have seen this on Regent, it is not the same on Oceania.

 

Could you share information on the drink(s) and/or drink package(s) available on Azamara? I believe that wine is included at wine and dinner. It is available at no cost at any other times? And, could you give us an example of the brands offered. I read this morning that Azamara now offers two red and two white wines .... if you do not like the offering for that evening, can you ask for something you had previously?

 

Like Oceania, Azamara uses former Renaissance ships which have very small bathrooms. Were suite sizes and/or bathroom sizes redone during the recent major refurbishment?

 

Any details you could provide regarding excursions (cost and quality) would be appreciated.

Travelcat, you obviously didn't read the post properly. It actually states it is three years since he cruised on Regent. Why did you have to guess you thought it was probably five years.

[Suite Travels]

Gnomie, I am in the investment business and many CEO's survive stock declines. Ask Geoff Imelt at GE; 30+to 5+. He is still at the helm. My point is that I do not believe: a. there are many cost cutting changes at either R or O and b. that even if there were they would cause the stock to fall.

Rallydave made a comment and I disputed it.

Personally, in my experience, the CEO buying stock is usually (not always) a good sign of faith in the company's prospects.

 

And many CEO's buy back stock to artificially inflate the price of the stock depending on the how large the float is. It also depends if the stock is restricted or common stock. CEO's can also buy derivatives to insulate themselves from price drops. And furthermore many CEO's also can have a contract that says we will buy your stock back at xx price if you leave or the BOD's make a decision on your departure . Some use this as a golden parachute. Buying back stock in no way shows good faith in all cases.

[Travelcat2]

Gnomie, I am in the investment business and many CEO's survive stock declines. Ask Geoff Imelt at GE; 30+to 5+. He is still at the helm. My point is that I do not believe: a. there are many cost cutting changes at either R or O and b. that even if there were they would cause the stock to fall.

Rallydave made a comment and I disputed it.

Personally, in my experience, the CEO buying stock is usually (not always) a good sign of faith in the company's prospects.

 

I was posting when you were. Definitely agree with you but don't want to bring up the stock issue yet again as it is not on topic. I'm posting to strongly agree that there has not been cost cutting on Regent or Oceania. This has been said for 12 years (at least) and is still not true.

 

Also, it is interesting to see so much interest there is in Azamara from posters that seem less than happy with Regent. I look forward to reading reviews if/when they book an Azamara cruise.

 

Also, there are some very interesting threads on the Oceania board comparing Azamara and Oceania (and there are likely some on the Azamara board as well). If you do a search, you'll get even more detailed information.