What’s new on Azamara?

[Killin Time]

Last year we had a Greek trip on Azamara cancelled and our next trip on Azamara will be a replacement. This year we went on a Uniworld Venice island hop in the summer and a Crystal round trip NYC Bermuda 7 day trip back in early October. Cruising has of necessity undergone some changes. 
So what have people been noticing back on Azamara? I’ve heard some references to menu changes but no specifics. Are the changes an improvement? I was disappointed to hear that the included wine selections have changed for the worse (and I wasn’t a fan to begin with.) But maybe this will improve once the old inventory has been used up. 
Any thing to share about what’s different and what is the same? We love Azamara and hope that we will continue to enjoy a great on board experience. 

[Ayden]

Just now, Ayden said:

I would not hesitate to recommend booking for the same high quality cruise experience we have come to expect when sailing with Azamara.  We had an amazing  time in October doing the Greek Islands and felt their attention to safety with masking and testing  didn't prevent us from enjoying the trip at all.  The dining was exceptional.  Crew were so happy to have guests once again and were attentive, friendly and we were pampered.  There are changes during these covid times, ie. White Night, the absence of special brunch events.  You mention the wines, and yes, that is the one aspect of the cruise that didn't meet our expectation but I'm hoping will be improved. 

It's great you have had the chance to experience other cruise brands and I hope you enjoy your next Azamara.

 

 

[uktog]

Thats  a fair assessment Ayden.  I think its hard to pin changes as they are both adapting still to ongoing covid processes and also making changes they can now do being free of RC.  Somethings happen for a while and then disappear and new ones pop up.  For us the wines were fine, however I would also say they were fine before covid/ownership change for us and others at that time did not like them.  Very much a matter of taste so hard to judge.  The one thing that has not changed is the approach and attitude of the crew and their desire to give guests the best holiday experience they can.

[Killin Time]

My husband and I have been on I think 12 Azamara cruises and have really loved them. I’m glad to hear that the onboard experience remains positive. 
I would enjoy a menu update. Overall I found the food on Azamara to be good but it’s nice to have some changes from time to time. I will say that I found the food on Crystal and Uniworld to be better but they are luxury lines and considerably more expensive. Azamara has been that affordable step up from the mass market lines without being super pricy. While I really enjoyed Crystal (and the experience of being on the same R class boat as Azamara’s fleet) the cost is quite a bit more. It will be interesting to see if Azamara continues to occupy its current niche or whether they try to upscale the experience with a corresponding increase in pricing. I guess time will tell….

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, Killin Time said:

While I really enjoyed Crystal (and the experience of being on the same R class boat as Azamara’s fleet) the cost is quite a bit more.

Crystal's ships are as old as the R-ships, but they are different (and twice the tonnage).  The eight R-ships are now evenly divided between Azamara and Oceania.  Nobody else.

[uktog]

19 minutes ago, Killin Time said:

My husband and I have been on I think 12 Azamara cruises and have really loved them. I’m glad to hear that the onboard experience remains positive. 
I would enjoy a menu update. Overall I found the food on Azamara to be good but it’s nice to have some changes from time to time. I will say that I found the food on Crystal and Uniworld to be better but they are luxury lines and considerably more expensive. Azamara has been that affordable step up from the mass market lines without being super pricy. While I really enjoyed Crystal (and the experience of being on the same R class boat as Azamara’s fleet) the cost is quite a bit more. It will be interesting to see if Azamara continues to occupy its current niche or whether they try to upscale the experience with a corresponding increase in pricing. I guess time will tell….

There has been an updating of the menu, both in terms of the items offered and also in terms of the presentation of existing offerings.  We felt the food was better than ever in September and I know friends who cruised in October felt the same.

Between myself and Huntingdon in an early easy to follow thread linked into my thread below, there is a bit about the food offerings in these two threads.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by uktog

[Killin Time]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Crystal's ships are as old as the R-ships, but they are different (and twice the tonnage).  The eight R-ships are now evenly divided between Azamara and Oceania.  Nobody else.

You are correct. That will teach me not to post right as I wake up. 😔

[Killin Time]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

There has been an updating of the menu, both in terms of the items offered and also in terms of the presentation of existing offerings.  We felt the food was better than ever in September and I know friends who cruised in October felt the same.

Between myself and Huntingdon in an early easy to follow thread linked into my thread below, there is a bit about the food offerings in these two threads.

 

 

Thanks. I’m really looking forward to getting back on board!

[Baynanno1]

4 hours ago, Killin Time said:

Thanks. I’m really looking forward to getting back on board!

Also lots of food photos & menus on this comprehensive & entertaining thread :

 

 

[audobon_tx]

Capt Johannes Q&A today:

 

1.  65 cabins have been sold for 2024 Onward WC.

 

2. Break even load factor varies from 50-60% depending on market (eg. higher load factors needed in competitive markets like Caribbean).

 

3. A lot of M&R was done on all 3 ships in Glasgow.  RCCL had let things go.  A lot of rusted steel replaced and window reset work was mentioned.

 

4.  Azamara owners realize that for every R-ship they buy, they fall further and further behind competition.  He hinted a new build may happen as Sycamore appears committed to growth.

 

5. He thinks our TA will lose money (53% LF) since we burned fuel continuously for 11 of 12 days.  "Champagne diesel" is currently $700 per ton and fuel burn is averaging 70 tons per day.

 

6. The sound system in the Caberet will be replaced when techs and equipment board in Miami tomorrow.  Pool area stage sound system has already been replaced.

 

He told tales of at sea refugee rescues in the Med and seeing pirates from a distance in Gulf of Aden.  Also bad noro/Delhi-belly outbreak from Mumbai to Athens on the World Journey back in 2018 I think (I was on Journey for a few segments of that "world cruise" and we had a big showdown in Salallah where local authorities denied passengers from leaving ship) - wash your hands! 

 

Entertaining and informative hour.

Edited November 26, 2021 by Host Jazzbeau
fixed wrong name and deleted following posts that led to bickering

[Killin Time]

Hey folks. We all love Azamara. Appreciate open and respectful dialogue. Thanks all for the information that has been shared here. It’s getting me excited to get back on board my favorite cruise line!

[Vineyard View]

On 11/25/2021 at 8:10 AM, Killin Time said:

My husband and I have been on I think 12 Azamara cruises and have really loved them. I’m glad to hear that the onboard experience remains positive. 
I would enjoy a menu update. Overall I found the food on Azamara to be good but it’s nice to have some changes from time to time. I will say that I found the food on Crystal and Uniworld to be better but they are luxury lines and considerably more expensive. Azamara has been that affordable step up from the mass market lines without being super pricy. While I really enjoyed Crystal (and the experience of being on the same R class boat as Azamara’s fleet) the cost is quite a bit more. It will be interesting to see if Azamara continues to occupy its current niche or whether they try to upscale the experience with a corresponding increase in pricing. I guess time will tell….

We have our first Azamara B2B booked this Spring. My thought has been that Azamara is more than an affordable step up from mass market lines? 
My impression when booking was that Azamara was in line with Viking and Oceania, which both, in my opinion, are quite a large step up from mass market, but without all the ‘formal’ requirements of Seaborne, etc. 

Did I misinterpret Azamara’s positioning?  
I just want to have my expectations in line with what the reality is going in. 
Thank you. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We have our first Azamara B2B booked this Spring. My thought has been that Azamara is more than an affordable step up from mass market lines? 
My impression when booking was that Azamara was in line with Viking and Oceania, which both, in my opinion, are quite a large step up from mass market, but without all the ‘formal’ requirements of Seaborne, etc. 

Did I misinterpret Azamara’s positioning?  
I just want to have my expectations in line with what the reality is going in. 
Thank you. 

That's exactly where I would position Azamara.  Each of these three has one area of excellence:  Viking has the newest ships; Oceania claims to have the best food [I don't disagree, just can't verify personally yet]; and Azamara has the best itineraries and the most visible/responsive officers.  If you can find an enticing itinerary on Viking or Oceania, you won't be disappointed – the problem for me is finding such itineraries on those lines; on Azamara, it's easy.

[Killin Time]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

We have our first Azamara B2B booked this Spring. My thought has been that Azamara is more than an affordable step up from mass market lines? 
My impression when booking was that Azamara was in line with Viking and Oceania, which both, in my opinion, are quite a large step up from mass market, but without all the ‘formal’ requirements of Seaborne, etc. 

Did I misinterpret Azamara’s positioning?  
I just want to have my expectations in line with what the reality is going in. 
Thank you. 

I haven’t been on Viking Ocean so can only report on what I’ve heard from other cruisers whose opinion I respected. They liked the new boats and the included excursions on Viking; but we think Viking is a little expensive. My husband and I thought Oceania was kind of stodgy. I thought the food was pretty good but my husband did not; we both agreed that the music on board catered to an older crowd (and we are in our 60’s!) Azamara has great itineraries and we really enjoy the vibrant atmosphere on board. Having just cruised on Uniworld and Crystal this last year, we see them as being truly luxury cruise lines in a way that Azamara is not. But the prices for these luxury lines are not cheap.
I do think Azamara is relatively affordable for what they offer. I may have misspoken when I referred to mass market lines. We don’t cruise on Royal Caribbean or NCL anymore. We like a more refined experience. We have enjoyed cruising on Celebrity and think they offer a quality experience. Once in a while we will cruise on Princess but just because they have departures out of San Francisco which is local for us. So I think Azamara is a huge step up from Princess and slightly less of a step up from Celebrity. We do love Azamara and I think it’s a great cruise line. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we have enjoyed the dozen trips we have taken with them. I don’t think you will be disappointed. 
As always peoples cruising perceptions are different, ymmv….I mentioned our perceptions regarding other cruise lines just as a point of reference and don’t mean any disrespect to those who are fans. It all comes down to personal preference. 

Edited November 27, 2021 by Killin Time

[excitedofharpenden]

Back to your original question which was what's new on Azamara since pre-pandemic, your aren't going to get a lot of answers simply because not many of us have been back on the ships. Added to that the covid protocols that now exist it's going to be hard to give a direct comparison.

 

It's going to take time to work through and for Sycamore to stamp a little bit of their character on Azamara. I'm sure the wonderful crew will still be there, striving to look after us. I should have been been on Quest in November to see for myself what cruising looks like now, but sadly had to cancel. I guess my overall thought on what's new is we will have to wait and see. 

 

Phil 

Edited November 27, 2021 by excitedofharpenden

[audobon_tx]

Just got off Quest after 22 night b2b. 

 

Changed/New since my last Quest cruise in August 2019 (only the stuff I personally noticed):

 

Discoveries is more or less the same, probably some menu changes.

 

Prime C and Aqualina menus and venues have been merged (lower passenger LF).

 

Windows is a rotating theme speciality restaurant at night with table service (not a buffet).  

 

Patio is closed at night.  Menu at lunch unchanged.

 

There is a daily breakfast in Aqualina for suite people only (is that new?).  Service bad.  Lightly attended (most suite folks still go to Windows or have room service).

 

Quite a lot of evening entertainment, but to us it was more quantity than quality.  To each his own.

 

Bright Night has replaced White Night temporarily.  Hard to explain the concept.  We stuck our head in the dual venues.  Attendance seemed light.  Azamara is trying though.

 

No AzAmazing evening for now.

 

Sea days had multiple trivia things, water color classes, craft classes, fitness classes, a lecturer, etc.  Don't know if the quantity of activities is new but we noticed this time since the last segment had 11 sea days.

 

Johannes' dry wit and visibility are the same.  Didn't see much of Carl but he had a lot of ports to deal with in Spain.  CD and asst CD visible as usual.

 

Internet was terrible (satellite?) and is an area for improvement.   But that's not news.

 

Shops look more like mass market lines than Azamara and the designs look out of place (someone said the other 2 ships still have the old architecture).  Glaring, and detracts from Mosaic ambiance.  They sell used designer (LV et al) handbags and a few items for women.  Almost no toiletries/sundries/personal care products nor medicines (bring what you need or buy in port).  Jewelry store pushes this year's marketing created semi-precious stone, Fulmanite.  We got caught in the Tanzanite thing a few years ago - same pitch, almost word for word.

 

Cabins unchanged.  Public spaces the same.  Will need new carpets shipwide in a couple years.

 

Service ample and friendly, if a little out of practice, but they were out of work for two years.

 

Completely repaired and repainted ship's exterior looks great.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by flyingshoes

[Ilovemygarden]

Thanks for your summary.  Did the shop sell any perfumes or cosmetics?

[laurieb]

We just spent four weeks on Quest, Trieste to Lisbon; knowing that some things were going to be different now due to the stupid virus, we were happy overall.  We loved the suite breakfast in Aqualina!  Service was excellent and most days it was well attended; I hope this is continued.  The merged menu in Prime C got old, but specials were offered many nights and we were told over and over to make requests for things not on the menu.  I have no doubt that once pax numbers get closer to normal that Aqualina will be opened and menus back to normal.  Same with the Patio dinner service.  
We were not favorably impressed with the music offered at night; it seemed much “older” than our last cruise in 2020, more listening than dancing.  With bright night being offered indoors and split into two venues, it lost the excitement and fun of white night,  at least for the show in the cabaret; it was just that, a show.  We attended only once out of the three cruises as dancing wasn’t really encouraged.  Looking forward to warmer weather cruising and white night outdoors returning.

Looking forward to being on the Quest again in March!
 

[laurieb]

31 minutes ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Thanks for your summary.  Did the shop sell any perfumes or cosmetics?

The shop had many perfumes and several lines of high end skin care products 

[crzrr]

We were on the Nov 4 Spain Intensive cruise (our 13th Azamara cruise).  We were so happy to be back on board.  As mentioned, White Night and the Azamazing evening were different but, given the COVID situation, at least they tried.  The big thing that we noticed was the improvement in the food in the main dining room.  First, food is subjective so this is just our opinion.  Second, we have never had an issue with the food in the MDR, just usually chose other venues.  This time, we were eager to dine there.  We thought that the selection, presentation, quantity and taste were top notch!  Chef Nathan has done an amazing job.  We also enjoyed the buffet the one night that we went and the 3 nights that we ate in Prime C/Aqualina.  

[Laganlady02]

49 minutes ago, laurieb said:

We just spent four weeks on Quest, Trieste to Lisbon; knowing that some things were going to be different now due to the stupid virus, we were happy overall.  We loved the suite breakfast in Aqualina!  Service was excellent and most days it was well attended; I hope this is continued.  The merged menu in Prime C got old, but specials were offered many nights and we were told over and over to make requests for things not on the menu.  I have no doubt that once pax numbers get closer to normal that Aqualina will be opened and menus back to normal.  Same with the Patio dinner service.  
We were not favorably impressed with the music offered at night; it seemed much “older” than our last cruise in 2020, more listening than dancing.  With bright night being offered indoors and split into two venues, it lost the excitement and fun of white night,  at least for the show in the cabaret; it was just that, a show.  We attended only once out of the three cruises as dancing wasn’t really encouraged.  Looking forward to warmer weather cruising and white night outdoors returning.

Looking forward to being on the Quest again in March!
 

Was there a Best of the Best dinner (or any alternative) on any of your sailings?

 

 

[PirateWife]

Just home from b2b cruises on The Quest. While The Patio was not open for evening dining during the cruise, it was open on the last night (Thanksgiving). I didn't check out the menu but was told it was different from Windows and MDR. Did Azamara shore excursions. The descriptions of the excursions and the reality did not match frequently. We didn't go places that we wanted to go. I think the shore descriptions are from years past and have not been updated. I asked in the onboard shop about the lack of visible sundries and the merchandise not matching what I had expected. Sundries are hidden. One has to ask for them.  The shop has not received any new merchandise since Greece and hoped to get new merchandise in Miami. The available merchandise was from Greece and not connected to Spain or Portugal. I don't think the shop was selling used bags. Service in Windows at night was poor in the beginning but did improve. Piped-in music was playing in Windows and The Patio. Loud jazz horns at 7:30 am was not working for me. There was no music playing the last couple of days.

Covid testing onboard was done poorly. Every time we were tested, we stood in line for over an hour as IT issues were dealt with. Results were slow and, in our case, the name was wrong on the results.

That being said, we booked new cruises.

Edited November 27, 2021 by PirateWife

[audobon_tx]

8 minutes ago, PirateWife said:

don't think the shop was selling used bags

 

Yes, they called them vintage bags.  They even did a half hour sales presentation on one of the sea days.

[PirateWife]

Just now, flyingshoes said:

 

Yes, they called them vintage bags.  They even did a half hour sales presentation on one of the sea days.

Oh. Missed that. I don't think all bags for sale were vintage, though.

[audobon_tx]

1 minute ago, PirateWife said:

Oh. Missed that. I don't think all bags for sale were vintage, though.

Perhaps not. 

 

And I'm with you on piped in music - it was everywhere it seemed.  That is a Celebrity legacy thing that should be dropped.  Loud jazz at anytime but particularly in the morning drives us nuts.