Are There Problems on Onward?

[tgg]

 

Many of us with upcoming sailings on Onward are concerned with whether issues raised by earlier passengers  have been addressed.

 

So if you've sailed on Onward in the last few month, could you comment on whether you feel things have been taken care of - or if we should be concerned.  It would be great if you can be as specific as possible. Thanks.

[Belfastman]

Many of the issues have been sorted out however a few minor things are still needing attention. Eg. The rail in the elevators are going to be replaced soon as they are very poor and the rail along balconies need varnishing. Staffing is now full complement. The Atlas bar is lovely and  great addition.

[Nippy Sweetie]

Currently onboard. We mentioned a few things on the survey we were sent and by golly did we get a response! Very prompt and courteous managers from various staff groups were in touch immediately and action taken to resolve any issues. 

The ship looks good, the food is nice in all the restaurants. I can't comment on the entertainment as we haven't been to more that the lecturer on locations. The talk by female staff about their careers and life on board was interesting..

[tgg]

57 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Currently onboard. We mentioned a few things on the survey we were sent and by golly did we get a response! Very prompt and courteous managers from various staff groups were in touch immediately and action taken to resolve any issues. 

The ship looks good, the food is nice in all the restaurants. I can't comment on the entertainment as we haven't been to more that the lecturer on locations. The talk by female staff about their careers and life on board was interesting..

 

The prompt response to survey items is the Azamara we're used to. Good to hear.

[norn iron]

2 hours ago, Belfastman said:

Many of the issues have been sorted out however a few minor things are still needing attention. Eg. The rail in the elevators are going to be replaced soon as they are very poor and the rail along balconies need varnishing. Staffing is now full complement. The Atlas bar is lovely and  great addition.

Belfastman, check the forward port and starboard corners (ceiling) of the Living Room. They were in need of a real tidy and upgrade of paint etc when we onboard earlier in the year.

If they are fixed and tidied that's a good sign of ongoing repairs and maintenance.

[takemewithyou]

How is the air conditioning in the cabins?

I have read reports of either freezing cold or too hot.

Thanks.

[Nippy Sweetie]

It is pretty cold but it's so hot outside that it's fine by us.

[neverseasick]

39 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

How is the air conditioning in the cabins?

I have read reports of either freezing cold or too hot.

Thanks.

Yes, thanks for raising this question. We are wondering as well since it was reported during very hot weather that some of the public rooms and deck 8 cabins had insufficient cooling. I’m not sure you can check on this now if you’re sailing in temperate weather?

[DS]

5 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

It is pretty cold but it's so hot outside that it's fine by us.

our cabin was frigid on boarding day... told steward... next day and since... as toasty as we wish... currently onboard ONWARD

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, neverseasick said:

Yes, thanks for raising this question. We are wondering as well since it was reported during very hot weather that some of the public rooms and deck 8 cabins had insufficient cooling. I’m not sure you can check on this now if you’re sailing in temperate weather?

We will be in the Caribbean in Dec.

[KevintheIrishDJ]

4 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

We will be in the Caribbean in Dec.

So will we (Dec. 22)

 

[takemewithyou]

42 minutes ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

So will we (Dec. 22)

 

On cruise before yours. 

[Belfastman]

19 hours ago, norn iron said:

Belfastman, check the forward port and starboard corners (ceiling) of the Living Room. They were in need of a real tidy and upgrade of paint etc when we onboard earlier in the year.

If they are fixed and tidied that's a good sign of ongoing repairs and maintenance.

Just checked living room ceiling and they look very neat and freshly painted.

[mwf7501]

23 hours ago, tgg said:

 

Many of us with upcoming sailings on Onward are concerned with whether issues raised by earlier passengers  have been addressed.

 

So if you've sailed on Onward in the last few month, could you comment on whether you feel things have been taken care of - or if we should be concerned.  It would be great if you can be as specific as possible. Thanks.

Currently on board; fortunate to have a suite.   All surfaces, cabinets, and furniture seem brand new.  Air conditioning is fine, both heating and cooling to desired temp.  First day or so it made a loud thrumming noise on heat, called guest relations and it was fixed within a few hours.

 

As Belfast man mentioned the railings need refinished on the balconies; they're quite serviceable, just showing wear.  It appears they have been refinished in public areas (eg deck 10).   I don't think the balcony sliding doors have been replaced, but they are in very good shape and work well.  

 

Minor quibble -- we only have European outlets next to the bed, and there are no USB ports either.   If you like to keep your phone by your bed, bring a couple of adaptors.   There are plenty of US outlets elsewhere in the cabin (no USB ports though).

 

To our eye all the public areas seem new -- furniture, flooring, etc.   It certainly does not feel like an "old" ship.  Some of the deck doors in public areas are showing wear and should be refinished or replaced, but they get hard duty in a salty environment.

 

All service has been excellent.  We have encountered zero staff who are not cheerful, responsive, and helpful in the extreme.  And staff seems plentiful in all public venues as well as for our cabin.  We are infrequent cruisers, our last ones being Viking river in 2015 and Windstar (Star Pride) in 2017.     My wife feels the service level is similar to Viking and Windstar; I feel Azamara may be a slight step ahead.  One anecdote:  on arrival we had a loose toilet seat; meant to mention it but never did.  Yesterday I noticed it was magically fixed, no doubt on initiative of cabin staff.

 

We have eaten in every venue, all have been excellent (and my wife is a picky cook).  We prefer the specialty venues, primarily because they are quieter.   We are both on the ultimate bev package, and we go to Atlas every evening.   It is excellent; the staff (usually Budi and Mike) are outstanding.  Design comment -- the gold upholstered sofas at each end of Atlas are very pretty, but way, way, too narrow; anyone over the age of about 10 could not sit comfortably.   Poor choice for a bar, but there is plenty of other seating.

 

Binoculars are not available.  Pack some compact ones if you want a better look at the neighborhood.

 

Only one really significant complaint, and we have not yet made the effort to bring it up to senior staff.   The designated smoking area is immediately adjacent to the pool bar.  Depending on wind the pool bar can really stink, especially with one or two cigar smokers.   If I had my druthers I would move the smoking area to deck 12.   But at the very least it should be moved to the other end of the pool deck (opposite of where the patio is).    People routinely visit the pool bar,  there would be no similar impact at the other end of pool deck.  If I had a spa suite I would be particularly unhappy with the smoking proximity. 

 

That's my 2 cents for now.   Now off to the pool bar to get my daily dose of nicotine.

 

Mark

[Riocca]

We were on Onwards maiden and return to the ship in a couple of weeks so it couldn’t have been that bad. Regarding the deck rails they were being finished with teak oil not varnish, this is a longer job as they have to be stripped right back but long term maintenance should be easier. We preferred the matt finish looked much better than high gloss varnish in our opinion.

We were in a CC suite and the USB ports were on the bottom of the bedside light fittings and easily overlooked.

[lisiamc]

3 minutes ago, Riocca said:

We were on Onwards maiden and return to the ship in a couple of weeks so it couldn’t have been that bad. Regarding the deck rails they were being finished with teak oil not varnish, this is a longer job as they have to be stripped right back but long term maintenance should be easier. We preferred the matt finish looked much better than high gloss varnish in our opinion.

We were in a CC suite and the USB ports were on the bottom of the bedside light fittings and easily overlooked.

I think I remember reading about one suite which, because of a fluke, has lights without the USB fittings. @mwf7501might have that one!

[tgg]

Thanks mwf7501 for taking the time to reassure those of us with upcoming Onward cruises that the problems highlighted during the inaugural cruise have been addressed. I look forward to our December cruise knowing that the Azamara we know and love is back.

[aliaschief]

@mwf7501Thanks for your detailed report. Looking forward to our January cruise.

[paf225]

1 hour ago, mwf7501 said:

Currently on board; fortunate to have a suite.   All surfaces, cabinets, and furniture seem brand new.  Air conditioning is fine, both heating and cooling to desired temp.  First day or so it made a loud thrumming noise on heat, called guest relations and it was fixed within a few hours.

 

As Belfast man mentioned the railings need refinished on the balconies; they're quite serviceable, just showing wear.  It appears they have been refinished in public areas (eg deck 10).   I don't think the balcony sliding doors have been replaced, but they are in very good shape and work well.  

 

Minor quibble -- we only have European outlets next to the bed, and there are no USB ports either.   If you like to keep your phone by your bed, bring a couple of adaptors.   There are plenty of US outlets elsewhere in the cabin (no USB ports though).

 

To our eye all the public areas seem new -- furniture, flooring, etc.   It certainly does not feel like an "old" ship.  Some of the deck doors in public areas are showing wear and should be refinished or replaced, but they get hard duty in a salty environment.

 

All service has been excellent.  We have encountered zero staff who are not cheerful, responsive, and helpful in the extreme.  And staff seems plentiful in all public venues as well as for our cabin.  We are infrequent cruisers, our last ones being Viking river in 2015 and Windstar (Star Pride) in 2017.     My wife feels the service level is similar to Viking and Windstar; I feel Azamara may be a slight step ahead.  One anecdote:  on arrival we had a loose toilet seat; meant to mention it but never did.  Yesterday I noticed it was magically fixed, no doubt on initiative of cabin staff.

 

We have eaten in every venue, all have been excellent (and my wife is a picky cook).  We prefer the specialty venues, primarily because they are quieter.   We are both on the ultimate bev package, and we go to Atlas every evening.   It is excellent; the staff (usually Budi and Mike) are outstanding.  Design comment -- the gold upholstered sofas at each end of Atlas are very pretty, but way, way, too narrow; anyone over the age of about 10 could not sit comfortably.   Poor choice for a bar, but there is plenty of other seating.

 

Binoculars are not available.  Pack some compact ones if you want a better look at the neighborhood.

 

Only one really significant complaint, and we have not yet made the effort to bring it up to senior staff.   The designated smoking area is immediately adjacent to the pool bar.  Depending on wind the pool bar can really stink, especially with one or two cigar smokers.   If I had my druthers I would move the smoking area to deck 12.   But at the very least it should be moved to the other end of the pool deck (opposite of where the patio is).    People routinely visit the pool bar,  there would be no similar impact at the other end of pool deck.  If I had a spa suite I would be particularly unhappy with the smoking proximity. 

 

That's my 2 cents for now.   Now off to the pool bar to get my daily dose of nicotine.

 

Mark

Hi Mark, I too am currently onboard Onward and have developed a taste for the Atlas Bar.  Great staff, service and drinks.  There are about 15 guests here right now for a pre-dinner drink.

 

With regards to the electrical receptacles next to the bed; I’m not in a suite but like the other Azamara ships my stateroom has a receptacle on either side of the bed that accepts my Canadian/U..S. plug and it looks like it can also accept another type as well.  The light fixtures on either side of the bed also have a USB port on the underside.

 

I also don’t appreciate the occasional waft of smoke that drifts over from the smoking area to the pool bar but in my experience it doesn’t happen often.  I think it’s a little harsh suggesting moving the smoking area to deck 12 on a ship that only has 11 decks 😁.

 

All in all my first experience on Onward has been as wonderful as all my previous Azamara cruises have been.

 

Regards,  Paul

[mwf7501]

3 minutes ago, paf225 said:

Hi Mark, I too am currently onboard Onward and have developed a taste for the Atlas Bar.  Great staff, service and drinks.  There are about 15 guests here right now for a pre-dinner drink.

 

With regards to the electrical receptacles next to the bed; I’m not in a suite but like the other Azamara ships my stateroom has a receptacle on either side of the bed that accepts my Canadian/U..S. plug and it looks like it can also accept another type as well.  The light fixtures on either side of the bed also have a USB port on the underside.

 

I also don’t appreciate the occasional waft of smoke that drifts over from the smoking area to the pool bar but in my experience it doesn’t happen often.  I think it’s a little harsh suggesting moving the smoking area to deck 12 on a ship that only has 11 decks 😁.

 

All in all my first experience on Onward has been as wonderful as all my previous Azamara cruises have been.

 

Regards,  Paul

Hi Paul, I suspect we’ll see you after dinner.   I admit my wife and I are both somewhat irrationally aggravated by smoke.  But I really think moving it to the back of the pool deck would be a reasonable compromise.  
 

We’re in an owners suite, courtesy of COVID and the fire sale AZ was running last year on our final lift and shift.   Our lights are mounted on the wall, no usb.  
 

Other thoughts — there has been no piped music on the pool deck, which we think is good.   Also, the internet speed has been mostly good, not fast but much better than no internet. 
 

Happy travels to all. 

[beatnix]

1 hour ago, mwf7501 said:

 Our lights are mounted on the on the wall, no USB.

Do have a look or more feel on the bottom of the lamp. This is a bit tricky. 

[norn iron]

7 hours ago, Belfastman said:

Just checked living room ceiling and they look very neat and freshly painted.

@Belfastman thanks for the update. In June the corners of the Living Room just hadn't been touched during the refit.

It's reassuring that Azamara are addressing the few issues that there were, and doing a good job of it.

[Belfastman]

Definitely no USB!!!

[beatnix]

Yes, they are quit different to those I am used to. 

[Jerry987654321]

hey mwf7501 a few people including us have been curious about the condition and refurbishment of the owners suites on onward.  There are currently no videos of that cabin category and we have not seen any comments about the cabin.  If you have a moment could you describe what was refurbished and what was not?  We are really also hoping someone has time to post a video of an owners suite.  We have an owners suite booked for April, so curiosity abounds.  Thx.