Did the changes Azamara has made matter to us?

[uktog]

We have just returned from a two cruise five week adventure on Journey taking in Borneo, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India before disembarking in Dubai. Our adventure was completed against a background of changing personal circumstances for me (which will give more time and flexibility for cruising but with a closer eye on budget) and concrete evidence found by him that the future deals on Azamara may not represent best value for us. Just before cruising, this came into sharp focus with a massive price drop on another future booking that Azamara could not give us. So as we board, the little voice in the head is asking is Azamara really for us?

 

Our conclusion is a combination of yes, maybe and no, not without some changes. Here is why we say that:

 

Absolutely Yes, it’s really for us when we think about the onboard service from many staff at all levels. There is a genuine desire still to get things right sometimes despite the cards dealt to them from elsewhere (both internally and externally). Take White Nights on Cruise 2 - the weather gods dealt the bad hand for the first planned night, they had to go ahead on the second night, at sea, with winds. But servers and musicians gave it their best and it was a far livelier night than we have seen in many ports. They could so easily have said let’s make it easier for ourselves and go indoors but they didn’t. To us, that’s thinking about what matters to the guests.

 

The food continues to match our tastes and even though we have been onboard a lot, we found new touches. We never like to ask for off menu items to be made for us, probably our upbringing of if it’s not on the list you don’t ask. So it was great to find old favourites like goats cheese soufflé and the filo wrapped Brie appearing as extra appetisers some nights in Aqualina. We are of the view Azamara should work more with these nightly specials in all the restaurants as they are doing rather than revamp the menus wholesale. So food, an important part of any cruise is still a hit on Azamara.

 

This was our first cruise with so many new staff and it’s clear some are missing old friends who have gone to Pursuits or are on leave ahead of going to Pursuits or Quest - we found more we talked to were following Magnus to Quest than going to Pursuits but our sample is not scientific. The new hires are still learning, some are very good, some probably aren’t going to get to second contract. Generally we would say in the bars and restaurants the service overall was about 5% below its previous very high standard, but still on average hitting the top spot. Our second cruise did involve heightened sanitation and everyone was working so hard and I suspect those not used to that level of intensity were feeling it. But to those worried about service overall with the coming of Pursuits our view is yes it’s a little different, but then so is what is now being offered (more on that in a minute) but it’s still at a level which ticks the right box for us.

 

OK let’s jump to the “no” Azamara has lost its place as our line of choice and we say here, it’s not a permanent loss (yet....). We recognise commercial reality, prices move, but we’ve found it impossible to identify pricing that feels right to us for the extras we were looking for in 2019. We have done the per day maths and suddenly we see we can be on Seabourn, Crystal etc on some cruises Azamara is now costing more not less or on a par with these other lines. That in itself doesn’t force us to jump ship, it’s that plus other factors combined that have created the inertia to look wider.

 

The two big things for us, we’ve talked about on other threads. Firstly, our two cruises were spoilt and it was a real downer, by the entertainment changes. The quality of most of the guest acts (except Kym Purling) were town hall vaudeville level and below and the overall ambience in the evening has been ruined. The opera, though lovely people isn’t appealing to most so even if you did enjoy it (and they’ve got to get the sound balance right in all the lounge and not just the select few seats on the upper level) sitting in an almost empty lounge is uncomfortable and awkward. It’s so far nor working for the majority.

Whilst the Living Room had a good act in Riviera Sounds, we like a piano bar type venue for part of the evening and that has gone. We are not looking for big show entertainment but entertainment that fits our tastes is important to us, Azamara used to deliver that. They made changes, we agree change was needed we are NOT resisting that, but the change made does not work for us. We were told onboard that feedback was being listened to and that is our glimmer of hope but once bitten twice shy, we need to see what any modifications look like before we commit to Azamara again (we do have 8 more booked and will keep them at present, it’s beyond that that’s not happening as originally planned).

 

The second change is that the ambience in Aqualina and Prime C was ruined on changeover day to cruise 2 with the introduction of new tables and chairs designed to increase the capacity of the restaurants. Dining for 2 is now a cramped experience potentially rather close to other guests on tables the same size as the main dining room. A friend currently onboard summed up the ambience and table size correctly when he messaged to say he had just had dinner in “Windows on 10”. Actually the chairs in Windows are more comfortable. We hope the decision makers on the change listen to the feedback quickly from staff onboard and recent guests and don’t bask in the comfort of historical feedback scores for the Specialities. We do like several special evenings onboard, Cruise 2 we relied on the excellent chefs table for the memory moments but with competitors offering genuine speciality experiences often at no cost to all guests and not just suites, this change also contributes to us looking elsewhere. We are clinging to the hope that the new furniture makes its way to an appropriate charity venue at a port of call and normal ambience is restored very soon.

 

The maybes- well we know we are not big ship people and we like the docking positions Azamara gets. We like that shuttles are available at no cost wherever local taxi unions allow. We like the lower key attitude to upselling (though we note this might be changing with far more electronic marketing boards and crew upselling on Day 1.). All easy to ignore or deflect but will it spill over if staff become seriously incentivised to generate more onboard revenue? We like the general ambience of the ships and the fellow guests are generally like minded folks.

 

The trouble is, these maybes are not USPs to Azamara. Our biggest nagging doubt (other than pricing) is our recent experiences of the changes and that they are all changes that are taking the onboard experience in a different direction. Someone is signing off these changes so the direction must align to their vision. Maybe it’s just because we are getting older but we don’t buy into or align with that vision.

 

Time will tell, never say never, we hope we can in due course commit further to Azamara. Those with upcoming bookings, do not be alarmed, the big yes for us was food and service, these will be great. And you may find some more changes that rebalances the ship, we hope you do!

 

 

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[Azamarajunkie]

A thoroughly balanced review Ann, as you know, we were only on your first cruise so haven’t experienced the new furniture in Aqualina yet. We join the Quest on Saturday, and I’m not aware of any changes to their furniture, if not, I Look forward to the ‘old’ style!

 

Agree that the staff interacti9ns and the food and service make the cruise enjoyable, like you I found the entertainment very poor, with the exception of Eric’s show which was wonderful. I expect we may be experiencing the short plays next week, that’ll be interesting.

 

We loved the Borneo cruise, lots of great experiences on both ships and private tours and we were able to cap the cruise off with a trip to Angkor Wat after the cruise which was simply stunning. My only caveat being never to fly Air Asia again!

[TheRampantSnail]

I agree with much of what has been said. Azamara is our favourite cruise line for a whole host of reasons. We always look first at Azamara to see if there is an itinerary we want to do.

 

When we saw Azamara were doing a round Japan cruise next year we were very excited and looked to book. However, when we saw the prices we were put off.

 

We have now booked a Silversea cruise round Japan at the same time (April 2019) although the itinerary is a little different. For less than we were quoted on Azamara (flight and cruise, verandah cabin) we are getting flights, pre-cruise hotel, cruise, post-cruise hotel and shore excursions.

 

Admittedly we are getting a Vista Suite - no balcony but cabin is almost twice the size of an Azamara balcony cabin. It is a smaller ship and there are 8 different restaurants (two are extra charge). And, of course, the drinks included are much more comprehensive. It is also fair to say that we have had to pay in full to get the best discount (although the total package with Silversea would still work out as better value without it).

 

Much as we love Azamara, the pricing is now too expensive to be good value.

[nordski]

Thanks for taking the time to post your usual detailed and thoughtful assessment.

 

Moving forward, we hope that Azamara considers your critique.

[tompeter]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[TravelBugM]

uktog - Excellent overview. We were with you on the first leg (sorry we missed you) - Singapore to Singapore - and we were the last diners to enjoy the beautiful setting in Aqualina. We agree with your assessment of the entertainment - probably a little harsher regarding Riviera Sounds and the new female keyboardist. Completely agree with your feelings about the service - our cabin attendants were amazing - what we have previously experienced on Azamara. The wait staff were mostly the same wonderful standard, but there are cracks beginning to show.

 

We are in your camp regarding another cruise with Azamara - never say never. It has been a wonderful experience, but we think it's time to seriously consider something else.

[lizboyle]

Thanks for sharing your opinion. The prices on Azamara are making it increasingly prohibitive for us to continue sailing with them and have us looking elsewhere for our next cruise. We are on quest in June so I will make my mind up after that. I do hope "the powers that be" at Azamara take note of a valued clients opinions.

[Lottie A]

Ann, once again thanks very much for taking the time to give us such a comprehensive and experienced review. As such a loyal and experienced Azamara cruiser the whole of the Azamara Forum listens when you post.

 

I find it worrying when your recent experiences on JR coincide with my thoughts on what we may find on my June Quest B3B cruise. I want to love our cruise just like I always have done, but I am concerned that all these changes are not for the better. I am hoping that what has always been that "indefinable"Azamara difference onboard has not been lost. I hope not because I will be so sad for the wonderful onboard officers and crews who have worked so hard to give us an incredible onboard experience over the years.

 

We all know that changes are necessary and life moves on but....change should be for the better and not spoil what was, to me anyway, a pretty perfect cruise experience and was always my first "go to" cruise line every time. Not the case anymore and I'm very sad about that.

 

I'm really hoping that a lot of these issues will be sorted out soon and I can get back to my longstanding love affair with Azamara!

[oddjob16]

Thank you for the review, Ann. It is strange times when things that worked well is changing for no apparent reason other than nickle and diming. We will check out the Quest next week. Hopefully she has not changed as much as Journey.

[travelberlin]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can identify with your observations in relation to food, service and pricing. I have not made my experience with the new entertainment yet. Have I understood your post properly and there is an Opera performance on board?

Ivi

[uktog]

On Journey there is a group of 5 - 4 singers and an accompanist who do three opera based shows.

 

 

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[josumello]

On Journey there is a group of 5 - 4 singers and an accompanist who do three opera based shows.

 

 

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I still feel that opera has a very supportive but very small group of loyalists. Even if they entertainers are quite good the theater will be most likely be pretty empty. Probably time to rethink this direction.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

I think opera could work, but needs to have a programme that includes lots of well known songs such as Nessum Dorma etc.

 

 

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[travelberlin]

We love Opera songs. So I guess for us it will work very nice. We did not like the previous entertainers who although probably talented danced and sang pieces, which we could not recognize.

Now 3 of those shows? How long was the cruise? In a cruise that is 14 days I would find two of the performances enough.

We just came off of an MSC ship. It was a voyage of 21 nights. They had very talented tenor, soprano, mezzo soprano and pianist performing. They have performed 3 times, but only once were Opera songs. The other nights were lighter songs like Granada, but still very much adequate for their voices. Standing ovations each night of their performance.

Ivi

[uktog]

Ivi the opera group have replaced the former singers and dancers (they do the trivia etc as well). So as I understand it, it could even be three shows in 7 nights.

Sounds like MSC have it right and that’s exactly the feedback we gave Azamara it needs to be only one “heavy Opera” and the remaining shows should be recognisable lighter opera- there are a wealth of composers who would hit that spot. Unfortunately currently the second show they do - When opera meets Broadway- which is a great idea needs changing to deliver more of the recognisable Broadway shows. Talking about this onboard it seems because of sourcing and clearing the copyright etc of backing tracks this is not as straightforward or quick a fix as you might think.

 

The keyboard player mentioned in another reply is Tina the leader of the orchestra. The orchestra are hired for their ability to adapt in a group, particularly being able to sight read and perform complex arrangements with little rehearsal. Tina fulfils that role really well but is not so skilled at doing a lounge based one person show. But I thank her for stepping in during her supposed free time and giving something. It was above and beyond her remit so we made allowances but it can’t be a permanent solution.

 

 

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[TravelBugM]

Popera would be more ideal. Popular opera songs which are preceded by setting the stage with a short anecdote of what's been going on thus far. Easy props to accompany. Toss in some good broadway tunes and you could have a total different (good) show.

[travelberlin]

Uktog this was the program of one of the performances at the MSC Preziosa.

 

 

 

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[TravelBugM]

All should be recognizable. I would still, in order to reacher a wider audience, toss in some broadway tunes.

[Mrs Miggins]

All of the listed arias will be recognisable and are not obscure. However I do think they should widen the repertoire to include songs from musicals etc. All the major opera stars sing a variety of songs from musicals etc when in concert.

[ellbon]

I know most of the above music. I like Verdi but not as familiar with his songs in Opera.

 

If I;wanted to go to an Opera I would go not sure if I want 45 minutes on a ship. If all Carman or Madame Butterfky I would feel a connection vs just music. I can see why there a dis connect between all this.

[Baynanno1]

An excellent, comprehensive review Ann. Thank you!

 

Like you, Azamara's staff at all levels both "out front" and "behind the scenes" are winners for us and have thus far kept us returning.

 

We have been thinking along similar lines both before and after our February cruise on Journey which saw the introduction of some new staff as well as the new entertainment. We had hoped that some changes to entertainment may have been made prior to June, but are now hoping that will happen before October.

 

As you wrote in a recent post on June 17 Roll Call, it is frustrating to see cruises selling close to their sail date for about half the figure paid by us to "lock in" the cruise many months earlier. We have six cruises booked at this stage, but are comparing prices with those of other "small ships" for subsequent cruises.

 

Time will tell which way we go . . . TheRampantSnail appears to have more for less with Silversea, however IMHO the price comparison should have been done on the same cabin type.

 

Meanwhile, thinking about packing and the long haul from "down under" to Lisbon before boarding, seeing familiar faces and relaxing. :) :)