Azamara regular has a cruise on Viking

[oddjob16]

2 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Thanks for sharing your comments.  We like Azamara and Viking.  Both do a good cruise. Viking is a much larger operation than Azamara. Viking trips are usually extremely well planned.  On one Viking trip, cruise director got sick.  The sub was excellent. He knew his stuff.  Azamara is great when things go as scheduled. Viking has better resources to recover when things go astray.  Viking ships are beautiful.  Cabins are spacious.  Amenities are excellent. Azamara ships are old. Even with renovations, the cabins are small. Bathrooms are tiny.  When picking a trip, Azamara often is not chosen if a similar itinerary is offered on Viking. We also like Oceania’s larger ships. Oceania does a great cruise.  
 

Never tried Viking, but would not say that Azamara does not have recourses to recover from unusual situations or events. If that is a statement you should back it up with facts. The OPs experience with Viking cutting two ports and giving them four sea days at the end of the cruise does not seem to fit your description of «Viking having better recources when things go astray», - on the contrary I would say. Azamara would replace missed ports if it was possible.

Viking has had Bodø in their itineraries for all the «Northern Lights» cruises this winter and I know for a fact that they have skipped 9 out of 11 planned visits this year. This indicates that they should be able to at least have a back up plan when missing this port, but it seems they don’t care to put in that effort.

[DS]

On 3/27/2022 at 6:19 PM, uktog said:

 

As someone who has taken a lot of Azamara cruises, we recently embarked on a Viking cruise in Bergen. This thread is my reflection of the experience compared to Azamara.  I am not going to cross post but I will shortly be doing a review of the itinerary and ports of call that I will put on the Viking board and will cross reference here (just as I will signpost this comparison thread on the Viking board) – So one thread for each board each one with a different focus!

 

We had selected an itinerary – Search for the Northern Lights – a voyage we had always wished Azamara would offer.  We have seen Norway several times, particularly under Captain Johannes direction, but it was lovely to see places in the winter.

 

So to the comparisons:

 

Pre departure: - Throughout our interactions with Viking we have kept coming up against a common theme - that Viking have far superior technology support and this gives you a superior customer experience.  Pre departure there was a wealth of very high quality resources and information was easily accessed in one place.  However Viking also does still have the same curse as Azamara – the absence of a proof reader which gave us issues when trying to track down exactly what covid test results we had to bring as we had page 1 saying one thing and page 2 another.  Not good!

 

Boarding process – Having boarded on Azamara post covid this was a like for like experience.  We found the Viking process way more stressful.  Viking require you to produce quite an amount of saliva in a tube in an open terminal having not drank anything in the previous hour.  You then board, after a brief drill you go straight to your room for quarantine pending your hopefully negative result which takes 5+ hours to come through.  Compared to Azamara’s test and result in the terminal in 20 minutes we did not find the Viking process a positive experience.  Viking continue to test you every day (no wake up coffee from the lovely little nespresso machine in your room, you have to produce your saliva first.)  Also no lie in, the attendant knocks at 8 to collect the sample.  We feel Azamara is now living with Covid, Viking is still trying to eliminate it, and our personal preference is to live with Covid.

 

The ship- Its not fair to compare a 20 year old ship with a ship less than a year old.  If only Azamara could be able to have new ships.  Whilst Viking has 30% more passengers, there is so much more space onboard to sit and relax.  Space is so flexible – for example the deck with sliding roof gave us a lovely venue to lie and read in the warmth as we floated past snow scenes.  The pool deck has a role come rain or shine.  Likewise, whilst there are three shops, they are discretely tucked away and therefore the focus is on space for comfort not space for revenue.  

Of course, the en suite is nicer than Azamara but maybe one day Azamara’s could be as good if only they had new ship investment.  Some simple things Azamara could do now, like their bathroom products – Viking give you more sizeable tubes of each item which reduces waste but what is really helpful for those of us showering without the help of their glasses, each of the four tubes has very distinctive colourings so its easy for the attendant to top you up with what you need as well as for you to use the right one which you cant read the label.

All the ship is accessible to everyone – you have no suite only areas and there is no real focus on loyalty.  So apart from an increase in square footage and earlier access to excursion bookings pre cruise, once outside your room, your type of room is absolutely irrelevant.  We liked this. There are no butlers, everyone gets on and makes their own arrangements agin we liked that.

Having been excited pre cruise about technology I found the wifi a let down – I was expecting better than Azamara but to be honest it was about the same (slow) speed as we have had on Azamara in Norway.

 

The itinerary – as I said, we went because Azamara did not offer it.  On paper, it was a good itinerary but sadly it was not delivered.  There were some weather related issues which are beyond Viking’s control but at the end of the cruise two ports were cancelled and we did not feel, unlike what would happen on Azamara, that Viking made any real effort to find alternatives.  So we had an unplanned four consecutive sea days at the end of the cruise.  Communication of the change was poor – we were out on an excursion when the announcement was made and there was no follow up.  Only by chance another guest told us what was happening several hours later.  No letter was issued to guests as Azamara would have done, and the ship would not put into writing that the ports were missed which is making it very difficult now to claim on our insurance policy which has missed port cover.  So Azamara wins here as even if we had exceptionally lost two ports they would have immediately issued the required papers.

 

The food – ok a very subjective issue!  We decided although both are very good, Viking was better.  For us, that was because there is such a range of options all included in the price (Main Dining room does breakfast, lunch and dinner every day as does the World Café upstairs, a Pool Grill that has a more innovative menu, Mamsens a Norwegian style place, waffles, open sandwiches, late night snacks, Chefs Table – four menus over the cruise and Manfredis, a much more genuine Italian than Aqualina.  All food is served piping hot, nicer presentation and (our big preference) slightly smaller helpings.  The crockery is also nicer (slightly finer and with a modern twist) than Azamara. I was however surprised to see that despite their test test test paranoia, they allowed all guests to serve themselves in the Café.  

 

The service – this is a really inconsistent area and particularly in the Main Dining room and Pool Grill, a very big disappointment on Viking.  We discussed this with officers on board because of issues we had.  We all agreed it’s a training issue, the staff do not seem to communicate with each other so you will either be offered things multiple times by lots of staff or not at all.  Unlike the resturants, the bar service was consistent and very good.  All over the vessel, staff do try hard but some just lack the skills (Or English) to address issues. Officers are accessible though not as visible as on Azamara.  Viking is not a cruise that you will have long conversations with different officers or get the opportunity to get to know them.  Talking to other guests, this is the Viking way of doing things its not a Covid related issue. It did not bother us one bit.  

 

Entertainment – a very mixed bag.  You can immediately see a difference in the shows as they are surprisingly less well resourced,  The orchestra/band is a four piece activity – you really can see the impact on the music they made, no wind/brass section means the sound is weak.  Likewise production shows involve only three singers (they were very average in our mind) and no dancers.  So the shows have good scores (Beatles based, Abba based and one generic 60s show) but the delivery was not as Azamara singers and dancers, with far less staging options would have achieved.  That said the Cruise Director did a good show and the Assistant Cruise Director’s show was exceptional – better than what we have seen from some CDs/ACDs on Azamara.  There was a band who played in the nightclub who were awful but you had a good guitar playing, a piano player and a string and piano ensemble who were great playing in various lounges.

Activities are not a Viking thing and there is only one trivia each day.  Did not bother us but others might have had issues on this.  

 

Enrichment Lectures – all were outstanding (four speakers all excellent on Astronomy/Lights, History, Culture and Photography – the latter gave balanced talks covering both “cameras” and Smartphones and then, as a former Fleet Street picture editor gave two excellent talks about photographing the British Royal Family).  All talks started to the minute and were a strict 45 minutes in length. The port talks were very good and were held in conjunction with the shore excursion brief for the port in question.  These talks were brutally honest, telling us what people were and were not liking about each excursion which was helpful and very refreshing.  So this was an area Viking hit Azamara out of the park.  

 

Shore Excursions – another area where we felt Viking we far better.  Each port includes one free excursion which on this cruise tended to be local drive arounds with photo stops and/or museum visits.  They were very well organised and we were impressed by their operations in this area.  The staff were far more knowledgeable than on Azamara.  As an example the other week there was a discussion on this board about finding out about restroom availability pre tour.  Viking have exactly this information for every tour and you can check it out at the desk if that is important to you, so it can be done.

 

So where does this leave us with Viking.  Well they are certainly an excellent option for cruising, but they do need to sort out the service issues in their restaurant venues.  No amount of good food or attractive ship layouts will get the credit it deserves if the service is poor.  We hope to board Azamara next week for a short trip so will be able to test out our perceptions of the relative strengths of the two brands in more depth then.  But we have booked a trip to Greenland on Viking so you can see we are already ready to commit to more cruising day with them.  

 

I hope this helps those wondering if Viking is for them.

 

(and one simple photo to set you off!)

 

Thanks uktog.   Most interesting and informative write up.   We are currently on the AZ Quest ( for the past 15 days or so) and wanted to comment on your comment on portion sizes at meals.   We have long noted that there is 'too much."   My wife even suggested they offer "1/2 plates."  However, NOW,  we both noted that the sizes of portions have been reduced.  While it may visually seem to be a big cut back, eating wise it is welcomed!   So if it is for cost cutting reasons, or listening to passengers, fine by us!

[MamaFej]

I've enjoyed reading this thread. We have our first Azamara Cruises: B2B in May and June, as well as wour first Viking Cruise in July/August this year. I appreciate the input from experienced cruisers on both lines. 

 

We've only done one small ship cruise (Windstar in French Polynesia in December, with only 113 passengers on a 330 passenger ship). I know that this experience was highly unusual. Since the startup, we've also had one Celebrity cruise at 30% capacity and two on Princess at 40-50%. I am looking forward to small ships' ability to dock "up the river" and closer to the action. 

 

Our booked Viking cruise is a Viking Homelands one, with a very altered itinerary, due to the Ukraine invasion. We are disappointed to lose Talinn and Helsinki, but understand why.

 

I can't comment on the onboard experiences yet, but I can say that I have "met" several kind, helpful people on both lines' message boards. For that, I am also grateful.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, MamaFej said:

We are disappointed to lose Talinn and Helsinki, but understand why.

I don't understand why – other cruise lines in the Baltic are dropping St. Petersburg, but not Tallinn or Helsinki.  My Noble Caledonia cruise has kept both those ports and added a second Estonia stop (Parvu) and a second Finland stop (Mariehamn).  We are boycotting Russia, and supporting its threatened neighbors.

[MamaFej]

50 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't understand why – other cruise lines in the Baltic are dropping St. Petersburg, but not Tallinn or Helsinki.  My Noble Caledonia cruise has kept both those ports and added a second Estonia stop (Parvu) and a second Finland stop (Mariehamn).  We are boycotting Russia, and supporting its threatened neighbors.

I get what you are saying, and I am very disappointed. At the time Viking made the decision, Finland and Estonia (as well as the other Baltic States) were being threatened. I am guessing that's why Viking decided what they did. I was truly looking forward to visiting these two lovely cities again. 

Gdansk is still on the itinerary, and I hope it remains so. 

[uktog]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't understand why – other cruise lines in the Baltic are dropping St. Petersburg, but not Tallinn or Helsinki.  My Noble Caledonia cruise has kept both those ports and added a second Estonia stop (Parvu) and a second Finland stop (Mariehamn).  We are boycotting Russia, and supporting its threatened neighbors.

I think this illustrates what some see as a Viking strength their “abundance of caution”.
 

Odd has already illustrated the alternate Azamara view and I know from great local knowledge last week he could see alternative ports for us.  

 

The caution extends to their paranoia about testing (needing expensive pcr tests to travel even when the airline and country don’t ask for it, quarantining you in your room for at least 6 hours when boarding pending test results- makes that nervous 20 minutes pierside with Azamara seem a walk in the park - and daily testing for everyone). For many Viking guests we met this extremely cautious approach to everything was why they went with Viking.  

 

For us it was a drawback.  Interesting maybe there were no port taxes but we have had not a cent back for the itinerary change, but given how slowly we moved the final two days it sure was a fuel budget saver 😂

[Mrs Miggins]

I would add that Viking's approach to problems has secured them regular docking in Marghera port Venice whilst Azamara's negotiations appear to have failed and with no notice it is now Ravenna.

[takemewithyou]

I am going into my next Viking cruise with an open mind.  It will be interesting to see the comparison with Viking and Azamara.  I will post my thoughts.  It may not be as thorough as @uktog!  We were just on Quest in Dec., so it will be a pretty current comparison.

 

I will add that we had weather related issues on our one and only cruise with Oceania, missing 2 ports.  We returned from a late evening excursion in Belfast to find out that 2 ports were being cancelled and Dublin was being extended.  We felt like they were overly cautious, but who knows?  It did leave a bad taste in our mouths.  It was also at the end of the cruise.  We couldn’t go to Holyhead Wales but yet we sat and watched the ferry go back and forth between Dublin and Holyhead.

[takemewithyou]

@uktogDid you find there was a lot of seafood onboard Viking?  I am seeing pictures being posted from current Viking cruises of crab legs, shrimp,etc that are offered on the World Cafe buffet throughout the cruise.  If that happens, I will be very happy!  You mention halibut on the chef table menu.  Also have heard they will grill fresh tuna for you at the pool grill.
 

My last cruise on Quest I was disappointed that they did not do a seafood buffet the first night onboard in Windows, as they frequently used to do.  And we were sailing out of Miami.  I didn’t see much seafood the whole cruise!  Have never seen crab legs or halibut on Azamara.

 

I have concerns over how their food, wine and Liqour are being provisioned since the switch over from RCCL to V ships.  I hope there is more consistency eventually.  

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by takemewithyou

[uktog]

11 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

@uktogDid you find there was a lot of seafood onboard Viking?  I am seeing pictures being posted from current Viking cruises of crab legs, shrimp,etc that are offered on the World Cafe buffet throughout the cruise.  If that happens, I will be very happy!  You mention halibut on the chef table menu.  Also have heard they will grill fresh tuna for you at the pool grill.
 

My last cruise on Quest I was disappointed that they did not do a seafood buffet the first night onboard in Windows, as they frequently used to do.  And we were sailing out of Miami.  I didn’t see much seafood the whole cruise!  Have never seen crab legs or halibut on Azamara.

 

I have concerns over how their food, wine and Liqour are being provisioned since the switch over from RCCL to V ships.  I hope there is more consistency eventually.  

 

Lots of really well cooked seafood and yes tuna is available at the pool grill.  I ate mainly fish onboard as it was such a treat - several salmon gave up their lives for me 🙂  I loved that each morning it was a different gravlax that was offered all were delicious

[gasman489]

On 3/30/2022 at 10:15 AM, Redtravel said:

Thanks for sharing your comments.  We like Azamara and Viking.  Both do a good cruise. Viking is a much larger operation than Azamara. Viking trips are usually extremely well planned.  On one Viking trip, cruise director got sick.  The sub was excellent. He knew his stuff.  Azamara is great when things go as scheduled. Viking has better resources to recover when things go astray.  Viking ships are beautiful.  Cabins are spacious.  Amenities are excellent. Azamara ships are old. Even with renovations, the cabins are small. Bathrooms are tiny.  When picking a trip, Azamara often is not chosen if a similar itinerary is offered on Viking. We also like Oceania’s larger ships. Oceania does a great cruise.  
 

Hi!  I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on Oceania - good and bad.  Have never cruised with them before, but thinking that they might be a good step forward after Celebrity (although we're also sticking with them as well, as we got a fantastic deal for next year on one of our bucket list trips, Galapagos and Macchu Picchu).  We really wanted  to try Azamara, but after being dropped on our heads for 2 cruises, my significant other is not so keen on it.  We were stuck with thousands of dollars worth of airline tickets, despite the fact we had insurance - didn't cover the cost, due to the fact the airlines both gave us a credit.  So I guess I consider us lucky vs the poor people who booked on Crystal who may never see any of their $$ again!  We're actually going to Turkey and Greece in 2 weeks, and have made our own arrangements there, as a substitute for the Greek Isles cruise we were supposed to be on that was cancelled.  We'll be on an ultra luxury ship - aka the "ferry!"  LOL.  I guess I can also cruise on over to the Oceania boards to see what people are saying there!

[gasman489]

On 3/31/2022 at 11:01 AM, takemewithyou said:

@uktogDid you find there was a lot of seafood onboard Viking?  I am seeing pictures being posted from current Viking cruises of crab legs, shrimp,etc that are offered on the World Cafe buffet throughout the cruise.  If that happens, I will be very happy!  You mention halibut on the chef table menu.  Also have heard they will grill fresh tuna for you at the pool grill.
 

My last cruise on Quest I was disappointed that they did not do a seafood buffet the first night onboard in Windows, as they frequently used to do.  And we were sailing out of Miami.  I didn’t see much seafood the whole cruise!  Have never seen crab legs or halibut on Azamara.

 

I have concerns over how their food, wine and Liqour are being provisioned since the switch over from RCCL to V ships.  I hope there is more consistency eventually.  

 

Azamara is now owned by a hedge fund.  Hedge funds are in the business of making money for their investors.  Doesn't matter what type of business they buy  - that's the bottom line.  I also wonder what their purchasing power is now that they are no longer under the RCCL umbrella?  Couple that with Covid and supply chain shortages, and you realize it will be difficult for the foreseeable future.  With that having been said, Azamara has some of the most interesting itineraries out there.  So I do hope they can ultimately get it together!

[marinaro44]

20 minutes ago, gasman489 said:

Azamara is now owned by a hedge fund.  Hedge funds are in the business of making money for their investors.  Doesn't matter what type of business they buy  - that's the bottom line.  I also wonder what their purchasing power is now that they are no longer under the RCCL umbrella?  Couple that with Covid and supply chain shortages, and you realize it will be difficult for the foreseeable future.  With that having been said, Azamara has some of the most interesting itineraries out there.  So I do hope they can ultimately get it together!

Sycamore Partners had the "purchasing power" to buy and refurbish a ship for Azamara before any of its ships had sailed under the new ownership.  I don't understand your concern.

[gasman489]

2 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Sycamore Partners had the "purchasing power" to buy and refurbish a ship for Azamara before any of its ships had sailed under the new ownership.  I don't understand your concern.

I'm speaking about purchasing power for provisions, not the ship itself.  When they were under the RCCL umbrella, it was strength in numbers.  So my question is - do they have the same purchasing power now.  And my question really wasn't my question to begin with.  If you read some of the other posts, you'll see that posters who have recently taken cruises on Azamara, speak about the lack of certain items onboard (have read posts about the food, wine, liquor etc).

[takemewithyou]

9 minutes ago, gasman489 said:

I'm speaking about purchasing power for provisions, not the ship itself.  When they were under the RCCL umbrella, it was strength in numbers.  So my question is - do they have the same purchasing power now.  And my question really wasn't my question to begin with.  If you read some of the other posts, you'll see that posters who have recently taken cruises on Azamara, speak about the lack of certain items onboard (have read posts about the food, wine, liquor etc).

I have those concerns.  It is now V Ships who is doing the provisioning, I believe.  

[gasman489]

1 hour ago, takemewithyou said:

I have those concerns.  It is now V Ships who is doing the provisioning, I believe.  

There is a lot to be sorted out in the cruise industry right now.  I don’t think any of it is specific to Azamara.  They need to figure out how to start luring the younger passenger demographic, many of whom are anti-cruise ship for environmental reasons, whether valid or not.  The older passenger demographic is shrinking, and many of the cruise loyalists who are able to cruise are not doing so right now, due to health concerns related to Covid or not wanting to get vaccinated.  And then add in a scathing review like the one of the Silversea cruise (yikes!), and it all portends for some stormy sailing ahead. 

[les37b]

Interesting thread.

 

What sailing were you on? I booked what was possibly the sailing before yours but cancelled as it was booked onboard in June as a replacement for a South American cruise I expected was never going to sail. Red lists disappeared, I sailed Silver Moon and wife caught COVID on the ship! My thoughts at the time, was "if only they were doing what Viking do".

 

On comparison with pre embarkation on Silver Moon in fort Lauderdale, Viking in Valletta was simple and very quick.

 

I share your frustration on what you describe, but I've a feeling you were misinformed. We too, thought we had to wait in our room for the results to be released, but you don't. I made the same mistake, but on phoning, was eventually told there is no need to isolate and if there are any problems, we'd be in touch. That's how it was every day once on board as you know. I suspect your views on their processes may have been different had you been told. That said, maybe the info I was given was wrong.

 

I'm unable to compare Viking with Azamara as I've only sailed Viking once (but impressed enough to make 2 future bookings) and sailing Azamara for the first time in June.

 

What I am able to compare though is dealing with sales and customer care. I had to cancel a same sailing a month before on what was a bargain "welcome back" fare. You probably remember we had a "no international cruises advised" so no insurance. Viking not only allowed us to cancel without loss, but happy to move to a future date where the price was 100% more. My dealings with Azamara with the flights (I posted a thread), the differences are immense. 

 

Food I thought was very good and enjoyed the free "specialities".... And my daily gelato at the pool.

 

Entertainment, I can't pass comment on as it's something we never bother with. I much prefer to meet and chat with other guests and crew in the bar.

 

We were also fortunate that Croatia was open and DIY was ok to do. The free tours were ok, but nothing exciting.

 

We also had an itinerary change. Montenegro was still red, so they rearranged Dubrovnik with an overnight. That happened on ours and the previous, but after, they effectively cancelled Brits cruises, but as before, they were allowed to move without penalty.

 

I'm surprised you never mentioned the spa, which we spent several hours relaxing in. Best we've seen on any ship we've sailed.

 

When I sailed, I was making comparisons to Silversea and in many aspects I thought were on a par. We have no need of a butler, but we certainly enjoyed a suite that's near double the size.

 

I've sailed several lines and optimistic I will enjoy Pursuit in June. To date the only CL I'd never sail with again is Virgin who seem to go out of the way to be controversial, but it was catching them out over charging bar bills on more than a couple of occasions that really narked. I hate nasty surprises which is why I'd always chose Al Inclusive which you can't do on Virgin and need to buy sailors loot instead. I'm not into Heidi Hi, sorry! lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

7 hours ago, gasman489 said:

I'm speaking about purchasing power for provisions, not the ship itself.  When they were under the RCCL umbrella, it was strength in numbers.  So my question is - do they have the same purchasing power now.  And my question really wasn't my question to begin with.  If you read some of the other posts, you'll see that posters who have recently taken cruises on Azamara, speak about the lack of certain items onboard (have read posts about the food, wine, liquor etc).

Actually IMO, I felt the some of the same thing on Quest in December.  I almost cancelled our Greek Isle cruise in May '23 booked in an Onward upper suite or at least downgraded.  I'm hoping they too get it together.  Being optimistic for now.

[uktog]

I was not able to test the Viking spa as you had to book your slots and the ones I wanted weren’t available 

[Mrs Miggins]

In normal times you do not have to book but nevertheless the Spa was often quiet.  It is a significant bonus - luxurious and relaxing (apart from the cold bucket (optional). They have tried to do the same thing on the new Saga ships, also very good but not quite up to the Viking standard.

[les37b]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I was not able to test the Viking spa as you had to book your slots and the ones I wanted weren’t available 

 

That's a pity. I did think it was exceptional. There were limitations on numbers, but guess we got lucky with our slots. There are a lot of ships out there - but I'd say the Viking Spa would be very difficult to beat, particularly as its free. (Apart from treatments of course.)

 

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

In normal times you do not have to book but nevertheless the Spa was often quiet.  It is a significant bonus - luxurious and relaxing (apart from the cold bucket (optional). They have tried to do the same thing on the new Saga ships, also very good but not quite up to the Viking standard.

 

I probably went 5 times on my 10 day voyage. Admittedly we only had 400 PAX on board. Most of the time we just turned up expecting to need to book for later because of the restrictions in place, but just walked straight in with available slots unbooked. We did also book in advance and never had an issue. 

 

I do agree its a significant bonus - and also agree "just say no to the plunge pool". lol

[caripoo]

Great review as we have sailed on both lines a few times. We are doing the Norwegian Fjords next year and thought for sure we would go with Viking. But it seems their Fjords has changed. We found a better itinerary on Silversea. And am not really a fan of Viking payment policy.

[excitedofharpenden]

On 4/3/2022 at 3:36 PM, gasman489 said:

Azamara is now owned by a hedge fund.  Hedge funds are in the business of making money for their investors.  Doesn't matter what type of business they buy  - that's the bottom line.  I also wonder what their purchasing power is now that they are no longer under the RCCL umbrella?  Couple that with Covid and supply chain shortages, and you realize it will be difficult for the foreseeable future.  With that having been said, Azamara has some of the most interesting itineraries out there.  So I do hope they can ultimately get it together!

I’m not sure what your qualifications are for these and your other observations, but in my opinion you are talking out of the top of your hat and worrying people unnecessarily. 

 

Phil

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 3/31/2022 at 2:33 AM, uktog said:

I think this illustrates what some see as a Viking strength their “abundance of caution”.

Sorry for the late reply, but I just read this again and was struck by the incongruity between Viking and caution.  They would never have terrorized the British Isles and Europe if their raiding parties had used an "abundance of caution"!  🤣

 

[spw1947]

Thank you, Anne, for the interesting comparison.

 

As Australians our comparison is based on our pre-Covid experience, many cruises on Quest and a 17 night one on Viking from Bali to Sydney. 

 

The beauty of the Viking ship was readily apparent: so light and airy compared with Azamara, and the bathrooms...heaven!!! Afternoon teas in the Wintergarden were also stunning. On the other hand, keeping the roof closed in hot, humid tropical weather because there was a chance of rain was dangerous to health. Perhaps a partial closure would be better, allowing heat out/air in and able to be quickly closed, if necessary.

 

We loved availability of an abundance of seafood but felt many of the other offerings were patchy and that the service varied greatly.

 

The itinerary meant that there were many Australians and Americans on board with only a smattering of other nationalities. We found though, that was little mingling and the opportunity to make new cruising friends was not what we have experienced on Azamara. The general atmosphere was very restrained, especially considering it was a Christmas cruise.

 

Apart from a Christmas service conducted by the cruise director, and tasteful decorations around the ship, the only acknowledgement of Christmas was publicised officers and crew leading Christmas Carols which translated as the entertainment group leading a selection of Yuletide songs about snow, not a traditional carol to be heard, and not an officer in sight!

 

Excursions were, as Anne said, well run and led, with, for example, much warning of the heat and difficult, unsealed terrain on the one on Komodo to see the dragons. Nevertheless, many passengers took no notice of the warnings and were stricken, and vociferous in their complaints about the experience for days. It seems many people do not understand that the tropics are hot and humid, and that summer in the southern hemisphere occurs from December through to March, and cannot be protected from themselves.

 

We are delighted that we'll be back on Quest when she sails from Sydney to, hopefully, Hong Kong in February next year. If you are sailing along with us, please note it will be summer, and will be in tropical areas for part of the time. And the Roaring 40s across the Great Australian Bight can stir things up!

 

We would also be happy to sail with Viking again, although cost, as always, can be a factor.