Onward's first voyage Question

[sattva]

We're thinking about going on the May 2022 first voyage on Azamara Onward.  We know it's likely to be a shake-down cruise, but the itinerary appeals.  Is it likely to be cancelled if rehab gets behind schedule?  Who is doing the rehab? Did Pacific Princess have a history of mechanical problems?  Is crew likely to be new to Azamara?   Any opinions on pros/cons on doing this trip would be helpful.

Thanks!

[Dr H]

Che sara, sara! It should be a great trip, because DW and I are booked on the reverse itinerary this October. Venice to Rome, and then on to Barcelona. We were on an Indonesia cruise back in 2013 out of Singapore. Journey was coming out of several months of refurbishment/overhaul in Singapore. We did lose a day of the cruise because of delays. The ship was stunning. Crew wise, you can probably expect a large number of upper echelon crew members having been newly promoted from the other ships, plus newbies elsewhere. Pursuit went through similar growing pains. As for the mechanics, I can't help you. Prior to the addition of Pursuit, we were informally advised that Azamara was looking at another R ship, but would only commit to purchase if it was in good working order. Apparently it was. I would strongly suspect that the same scrutiny will be given to the new/old ship. You should be in for a treat!

[uktog]

16 minutes ago, sattva said:

We're thinking about going on the May 2022 first voyage on Azamara Onward.  We know it's likely to be a shake-down cruise, but the itinerary appeals.  Is it likely to be cancelled if rehab gets behind schedule?  Who is doing the rehab? Did Pacific Princess have a history of mechanical problems?  Is crew likely to be new to Azamara?   Any opinions on pros/cons on doing this trip would be helpful.

Thanks!

The first cruise will include the christening which will be special.  There will have been a lot of shake down activity before you board and as they already have the ship and been working on it for a couple of months I would think their project plan has a lot of contingencies to make sure the May cruise happens.  Its not like the situation mentioned above which was a time tight dry dock for Journey between two cruises.

[Riocca]

We have just booked this cruise hopefully an element of normality will have returned to the cruising world by then. As to reliability of Pacific Princess in the past it might be better to ask the question on the Princess board, I believe it had a recent dry dock and refurb with Princess and know it had a loyal following.

Azamara’s reworking of the ship will be extensive but they have experience with the other 3 ships, the work is being done in Cadiz this time but they will have worked on the other ships by then. Given that the maiden cruise is 330 days away I wouldn’t envisage any problems getting the ship completed by then.

As regards staff I presume it will be the same as Pursuits introduction with about 20 - 30% of staff transferring from the other ships, senior staff were all experienced  Azamara people. 
Will there be issues, yes no doubt there will be, but that’s part of the fun of maiden cruises, we have done quite a few including Pursuits and have always had a great time.

 

[Werangels]

We have also booked it.  We know there might be a few hiccups but think a maiden voyage will be special.  We also liked the itinerary and are hoping that by the beginning of May everything will have calmed enough to just go, enjoy and appreciate every moment! 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

We sailed on the Pacific Princess several times.  There were minor problems, not while we we onboard.  I would never go on a shakedown cruise on a new ship; however, this is not a new ship.  Here is our last cruise on the Pacific Princess (Christmas 2018 and New Year).

[AllisonJames]

We were on Pursuit’s Maiden Voyage and they had only about four months to complete the extensive overhaul. I avidly followed along on social media and wow was I impressed by the execution of the entire operation and how EVERY crew member was helping with various tasks. It was completed on time and there were some missing items when we sailed (minor furniture pieces and pool chair cushions) but none of this was a big deal. And some kind of leak on our deck and hallway with minor AC issues but that got quickly fixed. And it was so exciting to be on the Maiden Voyage with everything brand-spanking new and little gifts we received. We also had struck up a friendship on a previous cruise with the HR Manager and she invited us to dinner and told us all they did to get the crew ready. First of all, they took many experienced crew from the other ships to help train in the AZ way and it was something like 40-50% or so…I remember thinking it was a high percentage. And the enthusiasm and energy was even higher than usual and they must have all been so exhausted because they had been working constantly to get ready. And I actually thought the service and food was BETTER than we had on previous cruises. And we LOVED all the upgrades they did that they later did also on Quest and Journey like The Den and changes to Living Room etc. You are going to have an incredible experience and I’d be going along but the timing doesn’t fit with my work schedule, darn it.

[sattva]

Thanks for all the helpful and encouraging reports.  We are going to go for it! 

[Rick&Jeannie]

We were on one of the last sailings of Pacific Princess before everything "went South" due to Covid.  It was a Panama Canal full transit.  It was the beginning leg of a 111 day World Cruise.  We got off in LA.  We followed along on the ships' progress when all of the bad news started rolling in about Covid.  Halfway through that cruise they had to turn around and make their way back "home".  So...in reality, we were on the last *full* cruise that the Pacific Princess made! 

 

We primarily cruise Princess...the Pacific IMMEDIATELY became our favorite ship!  We were so looking forward to many more sailings on her.  I realize we still can...but we've never cruised Azamara before!

 

We REALLY like the smaller ship experience!

[excitedofharpenden]

22 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We were on one of the last sailings of Pacific Princess before everything "went South" due to Covid.  It was a Panama Canal full transit.  It was the beginning leg of a 111 day World Cruise.  We got off in LA.  We followed along on the ships' progress when all of the bad news started rolling in about Covid.  Halfway through that cruise they had to turn around and make their way back "home".  So...in reality, we were on the last *full* cruise that the Pacific Princess made! 

 

We primarily cruise Princess...the Pacific IMMEDIATELY became our favorite ship!  We were so looking forward to many more sailings on her.  I realize we still can...but we've never cruised Azamara before!

 

We REALLY like the smaller ship experience!

I got on Azamara Journey on the 5th January 2020 and got off in Auckland on the 8th February and it started going south not long after. Maybe one more cruise. Journey had a very fraught trip (as did many ships) to what eventually became Glasgow.

 

I'm probably biased, but having seen what the original layout of the R Ships was prior to Azamara Journey and Quest being reimagined, Azamara have done a really good job of them, improving some key areas of the ship. I hope you get a chance to sail Onward. 

 

Phil 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We were on one of the last sailings of Pacific Princess before everything "went South" due to Covid.  It was a Panama Canal full transit.  It was the beginning leg of a 111 day World Cruise.  We got off in LA.  We followed along on the ships' progress when all of the bad news started rolling in about Covid.  Halfway through that cruise they had to turn around and make their way back "home".  So...in reality, we were on the last *full* cruise that the Pacific Princess made! 

 

We primarily cruise Princess...the Pacific IMMEDIATELY became our favorite ship!  We were so looking forward to many more sailings on her.  I realize we still can...but we've never cruised Azamara before!

 

We REALLY like the smaller ship experience!

DITTO!!!

[Vineyard View]

We haven’t sailed on Azamara yet. We are looking at doing a B2B directly following the inaugural in May. Does anyone know if cabins and general ship lay out were refurbished to be identical to other Azamara ships? 
thank you

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We haven’t sailed on Azamara yet. We are looking at doing a B2B directly following the inaugural in May. Does anyone know if cabins and general ship lay out were refurbished to be identical to other Azamara ships? 
thank you

From the plans that I saw, apart from minor details the ship looks to be the same layout as Pursuit. Not sure of cabin materials, but would guess that they will be the same as the other ships, save for tweaks here and there. 

 

Phil 

[sabbo55]

We are booked on this maiden voyage..we have never done one before and are excited.  I look forward to hearing about what can be expected.

 

We also just signed up for the roll-call.

[Vineyard View]

We have done a maiden voyage on Viking. It’s pretty cool to be on the first itineraries of a new build or in this case completely refurbished build. 
We are trying to decide between the V2 category of Verandah or the Club Continent. Having never sailed Azamara we aren’t really sure which way to go. Combine that with port intensive itineraries! 

[excitedofharpenden]

6 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We are trying to decide between the V2 category of Verandah or the Club Continent. Having never sailed Azamara we aren’t really sure which way to go. Combine that with port intensive itineraries! 

I would say that if the extra cost allows then do the suite. Even though the CC Suite is only one and a half times the size of a standard balcony cabin the difference is noticeable. It's also nice to have the added amenities like the unlimited specialty dining, use of the spa pool area and a butler. 

 

Phil 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you Phil for both of your responses. I am awaiting some pricing and available for the CC. The deck 9 configuration did concern me for the CC so good to know, as well as about quiet elevators.
We have sailed mostly on Viking the past number of years, and have not sailed Azamara so it’s really helpful to know these tips. We aren’t quite sure what differences to expect other than the frequently noted small bathrooms! 

[Riocca]

35 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you Phil for both of your responses. I am awaiting some pricing and available for the CC. The deck 9 configuration did concern me for the CC so good to know, as well as about quiet elevators.
We have sailed mostly on Viking the past number of years, and have not sailed Azamara so it’s really helpful to know these tips. We aren’t quite sure what differences to expect other than the frequently noted small bathrooms! 

It’s difficult working out what will be the best CC suites as the layout of deck 8 is different, we booked last week and there was much more to choose from than appears to be left now. Assuming Azamara aren’t holding back cabins there is only one with a walk in shower left 8010 it looks like the smoking area on deck 9  is close to this one so early morning noise is a possibility. There are a couple on starboard side with Bath tubs that could be a better bet.

We normally try to get 8056 on the other ships which due to the changed layout would be 8048 on Onward, we’ve ended up a bit forward of this but hopefully not in a high traffic area.

[Vineyard View]

11 hours ago, Riocca said:

It’s difficult working out what will be the best CC suites as the layout of deck 8 is different, we booked last week and there was much more to choose from than appears to be left now. Assuming Azamara aren’t holding back cabins there is only one with a walk in shower left 8010 it looks like the smoking area on deck 9  is close to this one so early morning noise is a possibility. There are a couple on starboard side with Bath tubs that could be a better bet.

We normally try to get 8056 on the other ships which due to the changed layout would be 8048 on Onward, we’ve ended up a bit forward of this but hopefully not in a high traffic area.

How in the world do you know If there is a walk in shower in the CC vs not?   How do you know which CC cabins might offer larger spaces? How do you know which CC cabins are going to be best on deck 8 other than trying for the quieter cabins below deck 9, such as forward with the spa above as suggested before? We received pricing, and are considering booking but we really have no experience with Azamara and would love some guidance. we would love to be repeat Azamara customers but are going in without any experience. Thank you n

[Host Jazzbeau]

Bathtubs are shown on the deck plans with a triangle.  All other CC suites have a walk-in shower the size of the former bathtub it replaces.

https://www.azamara.com/our-ships/azamara-onward/azamara-onward-deck-plans

 

[Grandma Cruising]

15 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you Phil for both of your responses. I am awaiting some pricing and available for the CC. The deck 9 configuration did concern me for the CC so good to know, as well as about quiet elevators.
We have sailed mostly on Viking the past number of years, and have not sailed Azamara so it’s really helpful to know these tips. We aren’t quite sure what differences to expect other than the frequently noted small bathrooms! 

Have you had a look at the ‘Tips for Azamara Newbies’ topic (although note that all of this was when Azamara was part of Celebrity/RCL, so there may be changes).

 

[excitedofharpenden]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

How in the world do you know If there is a walk in shower in the CC vs not?   How do you know which CC cabins might offer larger spaces? How do you know which CC cabins are going to be best on deck 8 other than trying for the quieter cabins below deck 9, such as forward with the spa above as suggested before? We received pricing, and are considering booking but we really have no experience with Azamara and would love some guidance. we would love to be repeat Azamara customers but are going in without any experience. Thank you n

All of the CC cabins on deck 8 will be the same size. Those cabins with tubs still have a shower over them. It's just you have to step into the bath to get to it. I don't have mobility issues and would take a suite with a tub in a place I feel is in a quieter spot than one with a walk in shower (the set up of which I do prefer)  under a noisier part. 

 

If you wanted to post the cabin numbers of the choice you have I'm sure some of us will give our opinion. I've walked deck 9 so many times that I know it like the back of my hand!

 

Phil 

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

All of the CC cabins on deck 8 will be the same size. Those cabins with tubs still have a shower over them. It's just you have to step into the bath to get to it. I don't have mobility issues and would take a suite with a tub in a place I feel is in a quieter spot than one with a walk in shower (the set up of which I do prefer)  under a noisier part. 

 

If you wanted to post the cabin numbers of the choice you have I'm sure some of us will give our opinion. I've walked deck 9 so many times that I know it like the back of my hand!

 

Phil 

Agree with one caveat, if you are tall (I’m 6ft 4ins) it can be a challenge to use the over bath shower. My head is pressed against the cabin ceiling when standing in the tub so I’ve found the only comfortable way to shower is to kneel in the tub which brings its own challenges. Hence the walk in shower is important to us (me😀)

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, Riocca said:

Agree with one caveat, if you are tall (I’m 6ft 4ins) it can be a challenge to use the over bath shower. My head is pressed against the cabin ceiling when standing in the tub so I’ve found the only comfortable way to shower is to kneel in the tub which brings its own challenges. Hence the walk in shower is important to us (me😀)

For me, too.  Same issue.

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, Riocca said:

Agree with one caveat, if you are tall (I’m 6ft 4ins) it can be a challenge to use the over bath shower. My head is pressed against the cabin ceiling when standing in the tub so I’ve found the only comfortable way to shower is to kneel in the tub which brings its own challenges. Hence the walk in shower is important to us (me😀)

I'm just a shorty! Lol  Well 6ft and it's ok for me, but yes, I can see the challenge if you are a bit taller. 

 

Phil