Azamara v Oceania

[Guernseycruiser]

We are seasoned cruisers (Celebrity mainly, but also HAL, RCCL & Princess) and also took our 1st Oceania cruises last year on the Riviera.  We really enjoyed the Riviera, the size of ship, the food and the service.  We have seen an offer on the Journey as a B2B, 16 night + 9 night, which is significantly cheaper (when including grats etc) than a 10 night + 10 night on the Riviera.  The itineraries are not the same, but we like these on both, also looking at balconies on both ships.

 

My concern about the Journey is the size of the ship and cabins compared to previous cruises.  25 nights is a long time to spend onboard if you don't like your cabin etc.  There are a number of days at sea, not a port intensive cruise.  Whilst not a foodie, we really enjoyed the food on Oceania, and do not wish to be disappointed on Azamara.  With the saving, we could eat at speciality restaurants if these are considered a step up from the MDR.

 

I will be posting this topic on both boards.  Appreciate feedback from those who have cruised both Azamara and either Riviera or Marina on Oceania.

[sailco]

We will be following along.

[Belfastman]

I have cruised quite a few times on both Azamara and Oceania (Marina and Riveria) and both have positive points. On Oceania there are four speciality restaurants while on Azamara there are two (complimentary on O while you have to pay $30 pp if not in a suite). In my view the speciality restaurants on O are superior in food quality and variety. Service on both lines is about the same. 

The Azamara ships are smaller and are destination focused while there is more public space on the Oceania ships (O ships) meaning there is more sitting places on wet sea days when it can be difficult to get a seat on Azamara. The one area that the O ships win hands down over Azamara is the guest staterooms - they are much bigger on O, have better storage space and have bathrooms that are much better throughout all categories.

Azamara crew are generally more friendly than Oceania and the officers are more visible throughout the ship especially when they get to know you.

[hiccups]

We've sailed once on Riviera, and twice on Azamara, with another Azamara cruise coming up in the fall.  I prefer basically everything about Riviera compared to the Azamara ships.  Riviera is a nicer ship, and the food is much better than on Azamara, with better variety IMO.  Cabin size is much better on the O class ships.  We found service to be the same on both cruise lines, with Oceania being a bit more solicitous.

 

However, we continue to sail with Azamara for two reasons, PerryGolf, and the value on the particular cruises we've taken.  I like that more is included with Azamara (basic alcohol and gratuities, but you have to pay for internet).  I also like that often Azamara stays in port longer than Oceania.  However, we have a price point for Azamara that we won't go above.  Well, to be fair, we have that for all cruise lines, but because our first Azamara cruise was (for us) expensive, given our cruise experience on that trip, we won't pay that amount for Azamara again.

For us, we consider the destinations and the price, but as you'll be on such a long trip, comfort is pretty important, too, so you're right to consider cabin size.  Also, I'm not sure if this is still the case, but we liked that Oceania had the DVD library and we could borrow movies to watch in our cabin.  Azamara has the Azamazing Evening, which can be a unique experience.  Azamara also has the White Nights party, but that's something we haven't enjoyed so it's not a plus for us.

Assuming you book with a travel agent, don't forget to factor in the OBC or rebate to the price of both trips.  And I'm sure you know Oceania has three pricing options--base cruise, O Life with air, and O Life without air.  Depending on the cruise, for us sometimes O Life without air is the best deal.

Both cruise lines have their advantages and you'd probably enjoy either one--you just might have to put some more time into weighing what's most important to you.  Not much help, I know  🙂 

Edited July 19, 2019 by hiccups

[caripoo]

You WILL NEED a suite.....The showers in the regular rooms are to small for a 10 day, let alone 25 days.

[hiccups]

7 minutes ago, caripoo said:

You WILL NEED a suite.....The showers in the regular rooms are to small for a 10 day, let alone 25 days.

One advantage to Riviera/Marina--balcony and I believe OV cabins have a tub/shower combo.

[caripoo]

1 minute ago, hiccups said:

One advantage to Riviera/Marina--balcony and I believe OV cabins have a tub/shower combo.

Yes, I believe you are correct!!

[Grandma Cruising]

We’ve just done 17 days on Azamara Journey in a standard verandah cabin. We’re both tall & my DH is not thin, but we found the bathroom adequate. Yes it could be bigger, but we were happy with it.

[Bloodaxe]

4 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

We are seasoned cruisers (Celebrity mainly, but also HAL, RCCL & Princess) and also took our 1st Oceania cruises last year on the Riviera.  We really enjoyed the Riviera, the size of ship, the food and the service.  We have seen an offer on the Journey as a B2B, 16 night + 9 night, which is significantly cheaper (when including grats etc) than a 10 night + 10 night on the Riviera.  The itineraries are not the same, but we like these on both, also looking at balconies on both ships.

 

My concern about the Journey is the size of the ship and cabins compared to previous cruises.  25 nights is a long time to spend onboard if you don't like your cabin etc.  There are a number of days at sea, not a port intensive cruise.  Whilst not a foodie, we really enjoyed the food on Oceania, and do not wish to be disappointed on Azamara.  With the saving, we could eat at speciality restaurants if these are considered a step up from the MDR.

 

I will be posting this topic on both boards.  Appreciate feedback from those who have cruised both Azamara and either Riviera or Marina on Oceania.

 

This subject has been discussed many times over. if you scroll down the pages you will find many previous posts.

[SoBaycruiser]

As a seasoned traveler of Celebrity, don’t forget to include any loyalty club benefits that you might have when comparing with Oceania.  Azamara has reciprocity with Celebrity.

 

 

[Ladys Mom]

We have cruised both lines several times.  For the last few years we have cruised on Regent, which we love for a variety of reasons, but we are trying Azamara again in four weeks.  If you compare the cabins on Azamara with Oceania's Marina and Riviera, you are talking apples and oranges.  Both of these ships were new builds so they fixed many of the problems.  The cabins, and especially the baths, are larger and more luxurious.  The tradeoff is that there are more passengers on the ship by almost double.  If you compare the other Oceania ships with Azamara you are comparing apples with apples.  They were all originally Renaissance ships and even with repeated updates they are what they are.  To solve the problem we are traveling in a suite on our upcoming cruise.

We feel the quality of the food on Oceania is better, but since we haven't cruised with Azamara for many years we are reserving judgement.  We love Azamara's itineraries and their more inclusive pricing.  However, we like that Oceania includes air, although we did upgrade to premium economy.  It is really a matter of preference.

[Charlies Aunt]

I have travelled on both Oceania and Azamara and enjoyed both but I have been back to Azamara several times and for me Oceania just did not have the atmosphere that I found with Azamara. I like the fun vibe on these ships and the friendly atmosphere  from both the passengers and the crew. That is the defining difference for me.

[Floridiana]

3 hours ago, hiccups said:

I prefer basically everything about Riviera compared to the Azamara ships.

 

I concur.

 

We have cruised on Oceania's Regatta which is the same size as Azamara's ships and on the Riviera. Our most recent ocean cruise was with Azamara: The first sea day was rainy, ship's public areas were VERY crowded. I hated the cabin because of the curtain in the shower and the small balcony cluttered with a large table and two dining chairs. We never eat on the balcony but use it to relax. That's why I prefer a comfortable chair with a  small side table. I would never book such a cabin again, certainly not for a long cruise with sea days. 

 

More: Azamara officers couldn't care less whether we were on the ship or not. Service was fine but not extraordinary. I didn't feel any warmth in the atmosphere, maybe because everybody was out on our port intensive cruise.

Destination intensive: The lecturer had no clue about Japan, made 3 errors in the first 30 minutes. The excursion team was inexperienced. The Japanese ambassador with her maps and advice was great.

Positive: The food was really good and on par with Oceania's food. We only ate in the dining room and sometimes in the buffet.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Floridiana

[Grandma Cruising]

It’s amazing how different people’s experience can be.  We find the officers to be very interested in whether we are having a good time, and in making sure we are. On our last cruise the Hotel Director, Heike, was everywhere, talking to people, making sure everything was right. We saw her at the gangway, on Deck, on the dock-side - everywhere. 

[uktog]

11 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

It’s amazing how different people’s experience can be.  We find the officers to be very interested in whether we are having a good time, and in making sure we are. On our last cruise the Hotel Director, Heike, was everywhere, talking to people, making sure everything was right. We saw her at the gangway, on Deck, on the dock-side - everywhere. 

I think on some cruises and with some officers you see them more times than on others.  Visibility of officers is not a key consideration for me, it is the quality of service.  However there is a connection between these two.

[Bloodaxe]

22 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

It’s amazing how different people’s experience can be.  We find the officers to be very interested in whether we are having a good time, and in making sure we are. On our last cruise the Hotel Director, Heike, was everywhere, talking to people, making sure everything was right. We saw her at the gangway, on Deck, on the dock-side - everywhere. 

 

Heike has always been a class act, ever since the very early days of Azamara.

[hiccups]

1 hour ago, Floridiana said:

 

More: Azamara officers couldn't care less whether we were on the ship or not. Service was fine but not extraordinary. I didn't feel any warmth in the atmosphere, maybe because everybody was out on our port intensive cruise.

Destination intensive: The lecturer had no clue about Japan, made 3 errors in the first 30 minutes. The excursion team was inexperienced. The Japanese ambassador with her maps and advice was great.

 

That was our experience with the officers on Azamara as well.  Personally, I don't care as I don't choose a cruise line based on whether an officer is visible, or says hello to me.  If that were the case, our most recent cruise on Celebrity Equinox, of all ships, would win hands down.

 

I honestly can't recall if we had any lecturers on our two Azamara cruises.  I'll have to pay attention on the next one.

One plus for Azamara is I appreciate that in a lot of ports, they have someone come onboard with maps and other information.

[florisdekort]

15 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

We’ve just done 17 days on Azamara Journey in a standard verandah cabin. We’re both tall & my DH is not thin, but we found the bathroom adequate. Yes it could be bigger, but we were happy with it.

 

I do not understand how anyone can speak positively about Azamara’s showers, sorry. 

[florisdekort]

11 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

It’s amazing how different people’s experience can be.  We find the officers to be very interested in whether we are having a good time, and in making sure we are. On our last cruise the Hotel Director, Heike, was everywhere, talking to people, making sure everything was right. We saw her at the gangway, on Deck, on the dock-side - everywhere. 

 

Thats because they know you and because they know you’re a host on Cruise Critic that will post nice things if they’re all over you. It’s very different for first time cruisers. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

Thats because they know you and because they know you’re a host on Cruise Critic that will post nice things if they’re all over you. It’s very different for first time cruisers. 

 

I don't think so.  It was completely the same for us on our first (and second) Azamara cruise, and I'm pretty sure they didn't know I was a Cruise Critic Host [at least on the first one].

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

I do not understand how anyone can speak positively about Azamara’s showers, sorry. 

I’m not saying they’re fabulous, they’re definitely not, but they do the job. Perfectly acceptable to us.

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

Thats because they know you and because they know you’re a host on Cruise Critic that will post nice things if they’re all over you. It’s very different for first time cruisers. 

Actually they don’t know me or my Cruise Critic roll. Friends of our were on the Captains table & mentioned me and the Captain had never heard of me & didn’t know who I was. CDs know who I am, from the Meet & Mingle.

I don’t get any acknowledgement or special treatment on the ship.

[Guernseycruiser]

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback, which is very interesting and helpful.  I guess with anything, unless you try it for yourself, you are never going to be able to make your own opinion.

 

It is so nice to have the opportunity to decide between both wonderful cruise lines, and either taking 20 or 25 night cruises.  

[excitedofharpenden]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

Thats because they know you and because they know you’re a host on Cruise Critic that will post nice things if they’re all over you. It’s very different for first time cruisers. 

Sorry Floris. I think that is a very unfair thing to say and surprising given the nature of your postings here in the past which were very often supportive of Azamara.  Did they upset you in some way?  

 

You appear to have moved on to luxury lines.  I don't understand why you would come back to this board and continue to take pot shots at Azamara and more so, to posters here. Very odd. 

 

Phil 

[rallydave]

Some observations from previous posts.  In comparing Azamara ships to Oceania ships, Oceania has two different classes of ships.  Many people were only comparing Azamara to the Oceania O ships which are very different.  On the other hand Oceania has R ships identical to all of the Azamara ships so difficult to compare Azamara to Oceania unless you compare by ship type with Oceania.as their R ships are identical while the O ships carry about double the capacity of the R ships and are very new.

 

And hiccups stated there were 3 ways to book on Oceania.  Actually there are 4 ways to book Oceania.and they are:

 

Cruise Only

Cruise with Air

O Life only

O Life with air 

 

As hiccups stated, depending on your situation you have to do the math to see what the best deal is.  air or no air, basic or O live.  And have to be careful with O Life as if you take the OBC option, you are simply paying in advance for your OBC with the same dollars as the OBC is and the OBC is non-refundable so better to never take O Life with OBC.  It's not simple just like air is dependent on a lot of things and everyone has different needs and wants.