Azamara cruisers trying Celebrity

[tiggertom]

We are frequent Azamara passengers who want to go to Hawaii. Azamara are visiting Hawaii for the first time in January next year but dates don’t suit us. Celebrity have a few trips to Hawaii so we are looking at some of the itineraries. My question is - can anyone who has been on both lines tell me what the differences are between the two cruises lines please? The size of the ships is the obvious difference and the reason whe have not tried Celebrity before. We are looking at an Aqua cabin on Solstice on 17/9/2020 but would appreciate any advise on the various cabins. We have loyalty points that makes us Elite on Celebrity, if that makes any difference. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[lovecruzin]

We have been on Azamara 5 times, 2 in the last year, our X cruises are over 20. Here are some random thoughts...

 

The Elite benefits on X are better, example, laundry benefit is per person, not per cabin! But then again there are no washers and the clothes are only washed and folded then stuffed in a bag! More internet minutes on X as well.

 

On Azamara, the bartenders and barista generally knew our usual drink after a couple of days, not always on X unless we happened to go to the same bar everyday.

 

Gratuities are included on Azamara, they will be added to your fare on X.

 

Cabins on Azamara are a bit smaller, but storage is better. The shower in Aqua on X will feel so much larger than the standard shower on Azamara and no clingy shower curtain!  The A2 cabins on Solstice are generally in better locations (not under the pool) than the A1

 

We usually sail in Aqua and enjoy Blu dining room. I think coming from Azamara Aqua class is a good choice. There are not as many menu choices in Blu or in the MDR on X as there are on Azamara. We also prefer the table service and menu at the patio on Azamara compared to the mast grill on Azamara. Specialty dining in X for Tuscan and Murano is, I think $20 more pp than Prime C and Aqualina, but you can often get a deal...

 

The theatre on Solstice is much larger and more comfortable, imo than the table and chair setup on Azamara. There is no lawn on Azamara! There is also no sunset bar on Pursuit but there is on X.

 

I would say service and friendliness of the crew is about equal. Officers are quite visible on X as well. Maybe some slight differences due to the size of the ship...

 

The ships are laid out much the same, so Solstice will feel familiar but just larger. I have never felt any of the X ships are crowded, except some of venues may be more busy than on Azamara.

 

Lastly, and maybe I should have started with this. Brent Nixon, the naturalist on Solstice is absolutely amazing, very passionate. I believe he will be on board for the itinerary you are considering.

 

I haven’t  figured out how to “preview” my post on the new cc so excuse any typos, etc!

 

 

[BrendaJ]

We have sailed Azamara a few times and Celebrity many times, as well as a few other random cruise lines over the years.   The biggest differences to me are the following:

 

• cabins are generally bigger on Celebrity and, as the other reviewer said, no annoying shower curtain
• there is a much bigger variety of entertainment on Celebrity - the shows on Azamara are pretty low key in comparison
• The atmosphere on Celebrity is not as intimate - with so many more cruisers, you don’t run into the same people every day
• you will notice what some call nickel and diming - regular requests to book specialty dining, enter jewellery stores, purchase spa services
• without a drink package, you will likely need to spend money on beverages; Azamara is more inclusive
• dining in the main dining room is a little less special - presentation and quality are a bit better on Azamara.   Aqua class provides a quieter experience than the main dining room
• the buffet on Celebrity is quite good - lots of variety and a good layout on the S-class ships

I generally prefer Celebrity on an intinerary with a lot of sea days, as there is more to do, but Azamara is great for getting into little ports and socializing with the smaller number of passengers.   I think you will enjoy Celebrity, particularly on the sea days, and will likely find that the crew and staff are very similar.  The ships are really beautiful and a bit more up-to-date than the old R-class ships.   We currently have 14 days booked on Celebrity and 21 on Azamara, so we enjoy both.

[lovecruzin]

BrendaJ...how could I forget about the beverage packages vs drinks included on Azamara!

Your reply is so well put together, long replies on my ipad are a pain and never pretty!

[jelayne]

We sailed on Azamara for the first time in December.  While we would consider AZ again we prefer Celebrity.  We normally sail in Aqua Class as we like having Blu as our dining room.

 

what we found disappointing with Azamara as we compared it to Celebrity:

-Discoveries was crowded, noisy and we had a wait of 15-30 minutes every night.

-food in Discoveries was ok but we had to return our meals 2 of of 8 nights as the food was cold.

- entertainment and theater on the Journey aren’t equal to X.

-included wines & spirits were not to our liking, prefer the Classic beverage package   which is often included in the X fare, 

- ship was dead except for White Night party both pre and post dinner.

-bathroom

 

what we felt was better on AZ

-the Patio many more choices than the Mast Grill

-no waits for elevators

-lots of available loungers at the pool

-Azamazing Evening

 

I would recommend a Aqua Class cabin which gives you Blu as your dining room and access to the PersianGarden.   We prefer the Aqua 2 cabins just aft of the mid-ship elevators.

[agathasmum]

We were on Azamara in Nov. we thought the basic included drink package was fine. I am a wine drinker and enjoyed their white and rose selections. Husband liked the included reds. He thought the beer choices were limited but made do! We didn’t like that premium sparkling water wasn’t included but it was better to have to pay for water than wine 🙂

 

we we thought the food in the dining room on Azamara was excellent. Better than on Celebrity. 

 

The downside as an introvert is that people on Azamara want to chat. It’s easier to be anonymous on Celebrity!

[tiggertom]

Thanks for your responses. It so good to hear from people that know Azamara and can give a real comparison and to get information on the best position for cabins, and  it is a long time since we had a great choice of entertainment in the evenings.  

I wonder if you cou,d tell me what kind of menu Blu has, and what facilities are available for Aqua passengers at the Persian Gardens. 

Thank you

[minnchick]

On 2/3/2019 at 3:34 AM, tiggertom said:

We are frequent Azamara passengers who want to go to Hawaii. Azamara are visiting Hawaii for the first time in January next year but dates don’t suit us. Celebrity have a few trips to Hawaii so we are looking at some of the itineraries. My question is - can anyone who has been on both lines tell me what the differences are between the two cruises lines please? The size of the ships is the obvious difference and the reason whe have not tried Celebrity before. We are looking at an Aqua cabin on Solstice on 17/9/2020 but would appreciate any advise on the various cabins. We have loyalty points that makes us Elite on Celebrity, if that makes any difference. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Having been to Hawaii many times....I can't imagine doing a cruise there, vs. a hotel or condo oceanfront.  It's so easy to rent a car and explore on your own, or book a guide for a personal tour.  Multi-island stays are easy to do, too.  Hubby and I prefer the Big Island and Kauai, because  we like a more laid back vibe than Maui or Oahu.  (I know this is a cruise site, but I thought an opinion of another sort might be appreciated).  Whatever you decide, aloha and mahalo!

Minn, aka Sally P

[lovecruzin]

2 hours ago, minnchick said:

Having been to Hawaii many times....I can't imagine doing a cruise there, vs. a hotel or condo oceanfront.  It's so easy to rent a car and explore on your own, or book a guide for a personal tour.  Multi-island stays are easy to do, too.  Hubby and I prefer the Big Island and Kauai, because  we like a more laid back vibe than Maui or Oahu.  (I know this is a cruise site, but I thought an opinion of another sort might be appreciated).  Whatever you decide, aloha and mahalo!

Minn, aka Sally P

 

We have done many land trips and 2 cruises to Hawaii, and have both planned for this year as well. I think a cruise is a great way to get a taste of the islands for those who enjoy cruising. The one way itinerary also offers the opportunity to extend the stay as well.

We enjoy the sea days and convenience of a cruise. It can also can be a more economical choice if you are comparing an oceanfront 4* hotel/condo and the expenses of a land vacation to a cruise on X. For someone living outside the US, as I think the OP does, it should be a wonderful experience. 

[minnchick]

12 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

 

We have done many land trips and 2 cruises to Hawaii, and have both planned for this year as well. I think a cruise is a great way to get a taste of the islands for those who enjoy cruising. The one way itinerary also offers the opportunity to extend the stay as well.

We enjoy the sea days and convenience of a cruise. It can also can be a more economical choice if you are comparing an oceanfront 4* hotel/condo and the expenses of a land vacation to a cruise on X. For someone living outside the US, as I think the OP does, it should be a wonderful experience. 

Enjoy your trip!   It's all good, right?  😀