Azamara Onward vs. Celestyal Experience

[bcaha]

Which ship to choose? Same dates, similar itinerary.

thanks very much!

[CruiserBruce]

Guessing this is a Greek cruise, so you are asking here. 

 

Have you read the reviews on the ships? On the boards for the cruise lines to see the types of cruise lines and what they feature? That is what I would be doing if I knew nothing about a ship or cruise line. I know what DW and I seek in a cruise line, so we research and make the choice. We don't know your tastes or interests in a cruise line.

[cruisemom42]

As the previous poster says, you'll need to do some legwork. 

 

I've sailed on Azamara -- their specialty is smaller ships and they are itinerary-focused. They have a fair number of what they call "in depth" cruises, so the Greek cruise will mainly feature Greek ports of call and so on. Whereas many other lines try to provide a "sampler" of ports.

 

I've never sailed on Celestyal but I get the impression from reviews that they are perhaps a "star" below Azamara in terms of onboard experience, cabins, decor, food, etc.  Here on CC, for example, Celestyal has a rating of 3.8 (out of 5), while Azamara gets 4.3. However, I consistently also read that Celestyal delivers "good value for money" -- one way of saying they are less expensive but the experience can still be good given proper expectations.

 

All things being equal (cost, timing, itinerary), I'd pick Azamara. But do note Azamara have new owners and they are anxious to get bookings at the moment. 

[bcaha]

Yes, a Greek cruise. We were supposed to go on the Journey at the start of the pandemic. So I'm trying to figure out if Azamara is still a good choice for us since I noticed the Celestyal ship had a similar intinerary. Thanks.