Azamara or Oceania? Opinions please!

[soskalt1]

We are a retired couple who have cruised often but not on either of these lines. We enjoy transatlantic crossings because of the days at sea. Can't decide between an owners suite on the Azamara Journey or Oceania suite on the Oceania Marina. These ships have almost identical itineraries in Nov 2024 that we are considering. We like a casual atmosphere, don't gamble, maybe 1-2 cocktails a day, like good food but not necessarily fancy food, like some entertainment after dinner. Would love your thoughts!

[Grandma Cruising]

Never been on Oceania, but it certainly sounds as if Azamara would fit the bill for you.

[lisiamc]

Well, you know if you ask this question on the Azamara forum, you’re going to get a slightly biased answer! We love Azamara, and part of that is the slightly more spontaneous nature of Azamara compared to Oceania. Both lines are very good, and some of the ships (the R ships) are nearly identical, but there is a slight difference in the character of the two lines. For me, the friendliness and slightly lesser degree of formality gives Azamara the edge but this is very subjective. 

[travelberlin]

I have cruised with Oceania and with Azamara. I like both but I prefer Azamara. So if I would have your choice I would pick Azamara.

Ivi

[soskalt1]

Travelberlin, can you tell me why???

31 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

I have cruised with Oceania and with Azamara. I like both but I prefer Azamara. So if I would have your choice I would pick Azamara.

Ivi

 

[soskalt1]

43 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

Well, you know if you ask this question on the Azamara forum, you’re going to get a slightly biased answer! We love Azamara, and part of that is the slightly more spontaneous nature of Azamara compared to Oceania. Both lines are very good, and some of the ships (the R ships) are nearly identical, but there is a slight difference in the character of the two lines. For me, the friendliness and slightly lesser degree of formality gives Azamara the edge but this is very subjective. 

 

I asked the same question on both boards!

[travelberlin]

33 minutes ago, soskalt1 said:

Travelberlin, can you tell me why???

 

Your preferences, as mentioned in your first post, seem to fit well with Azamara. Besides that, you will get a more personalized service with accesible and friendly crew and officers, who will most likely make you feel at home. 

For you the age and size of the ship do not seem to be important for a transatlantic. For a transatlantic, I would pick a newer, larger ship with more entertainment on board because of the many sea days. But if my options were either Azamara or Oceania, I would choose Azamara.

Ivi

[Host Jazzbeau]

Oceania has casinos, Azamara doesn’t. On the R-ships this is a big win for Azamara (since you, like us, don’t want a casino). But Oceania’s newer O-ships have enough space that we didn’t feel the casino stole anything.  For a Transatlantic I would choose: a) Oceania O-class ship; b) Azamara; (distant)c Oceania R-class. 

[Mackdogmolly]

I think you would like Azamara, from your description of yourselves. I might add that Azamara passengers tend to be friendly and the crew can’t do enough for you. There won’t be an Azamara Evening on a transoceanic, but there will be a White Night, an on deck BBQ with music and dancing and lots of fun. 

[SkystheLimit]

Two different ships size wise.  We love Azamara but don't find the Owner's Suites to be in the best location particularly in rough seas. The few Club Spa Suites are quite nice. Have not sailed on the Marina.  We did enjoy the Riviera but the "vibe" is completely different on Oceania than Azamara.  You will not find a more genuinely caring staff and crew than on Azamara!

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by SkystheLimit

[Host Jazzbeau]

13 minutes ago, SkystheLimit said:

Two different ships size wise.  We love Azamara but don't find the Owner's Suites to be in the best location particularly in rough seas. The few Club Spa Suites are quite nice. Have not sailed on the Marina.  We did enjoy the Riviera but the "vibe" is completely different on Oceania than Azamara.  You will not find a more genuinely caring staff and crew than on Azamara!

 

Were you in a CO or a CW?  I would never book a CO, or any cabin forward of the front elevators.  The CW, on the other hand, is close enough to the center of gravity on these small ships that it rides pretty well in rough seas – especially those on deck 6.

[SkystheLimit]

Forward CO. 

 

[royallondon]

Firstly, it sounds like you will be very comfortable sailing on both lines.

We really like them both and overall, find very little to differentiate between the two.
 

However…..  The onboard ambiance on Azamara is superb and really adds to our experience and enjoyment.  We also find their  Captain’s, Officers & crew extra visible, approachable and engaging.  So for us, it’s Azamara in a photo finish.

 

That said, the Marina is a lovely ship with more choices of amenities (and the casino can easily be avoided!) and culinary offerings.  This would be a consideration for me on your particular sailing.

 

Looks like you’ve a double sided coin from my seat!  Whatever one you choose, have a great time.

 

Regards
 

 

[Marmaduke]

Azamara is my favourite cruise line and Oceania comes a close second.

I love the friendliness and relax atmosphere of Azamara.  The quality of the food on Oceania is slightly better although I find the variety is greater on Azamara.  The specialty restaurants are better on Oceania and there is no supplement.  The wines on the  Oceania included package are far superior to those offered by Azamara (unless you pay extra for the upgrade).

Oceania prices now seem a lot higher than Azamara, so value for money I would choose Azamara.

[hamrag]

17 hours ago, soskalt1 said:

We are a retired couple who have cruised often but not on either of these lines. We enjoy transatlantic crossings because of the days at sea. Can't decide between an owners suite on the Azamara Journey or Oceania suite on the Oceania Marina. These ships have almost identical itineraries in Nov 2024 that we are considering. We like a casual atmosphere, don't gamble, maybe 1-2 cocktails a day, like good food but not necessarily fancy food, like some entertainment after dinner. Would love your thoughts!

 

I note you said you had posted on both boards, so I have also posted this on Oceania.

 

Background....we are a retired couple mid-60s with 54 cruises on 16 different cruiselines. We have found the 'mass' cruiselines to have declined substantially in the quality of MDR food offerings in the past decade or so. A couple of years pre-Covid we decided to explore potential better experiences on the two so called premium lines, and also began dipping our toes in a couple of luxury lines/experiences also. Most cruisers on these boards recognise that the post-Covid return has and continues to present many challenges, and having cruised now 6 times post-Covid we accord with such opinion.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our first Oceania cruise, on Insignia about six months ago. It was 7 nights, to Bermuda, from NYC with 3 sea days. We have sailed once on B2B cruises with Azamara December 2019 on Journey. Both ships we understand to be 'R' class vessels and they are definitely identical in structure and most of layout.

 

The Oceania food experience is everything they claim, from buffet to MDR and the included specialty restaurants, the 'best culinary experience at sea'. We had 4 superb evening meals in the MDR, and one which was average. We ate once in each of the included Specialty restaurants which were a step up even from the MDR. The menus are extensive, imaginative, and the food exceptionally well presented. The quality of buffet food for breakfast and lunches was the best we have ever experienced at sea. In marketing terms, the food and service are its USP.

 

We did not find the Azamara food experience to be as good as many claim it to be, it wasn't much different from most other cruiselines and not quite as good as Cunard. On each of our 7 night cruises we were fortunate to purchase a 3 meal package (very fairly priced) in the specialty restaurants which were excellent. MDR fare is certainly a notch below Oceania, and it was the specialty restaurants and the White Night which made the overall culinary experience tolerable.

 

Azamara White Night is spectacular, and not to be missed, both in presentation and quality and this is when the senior officers really come to the fore and personally serve a high quality buffet on deck. Most cruiselines have a white night, we have walked through them all and departed after 15 minutes because they are awful. Azamara also have an Azamazing evening off ship on most cruises, not ours unfortunately, and by all accounts that too is a night to remember. In marketing terms White Night and Azamazing evenings seem to be its USP,

 

Everything else is broadly similar e.g. show lounge entertainment is limited and average at best. The pianists rolled out in bar areas are fine, and is done by 10.30 to 10.45pm as are most passengers! Stringed instrumentalists on both lines are good, but have a limited audience.

 

If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended! We would definitely sail Oceania again, and probably Azamara as it is itinerary that is of principal interest to us. Within reason, the cruiseline is secondary if the itinerary is right for us.

[Four21eyes]

We just returned two days ago from a cruise on Onward. This was our fifth Azamara cruise. Two pre-Covid and three post.

Cabin choice - The large suites are fore and aft. If the seas are rough… The suites are mid-ship and lovely. We had a stall shower which was very roomy compared with balcony bathrooms. Balcony is also about thirty per cent larger. We have been in one of the owners suites. It was very large. 

Food- The main dining room - Discoveries- seems to be struggling to resume its’ pre-Covid rigor. Food lukewarm and the delivery times could be up to 45 minutes. Windows (buffet) and the two specialty restaurants were much better. Wine and liquor choices continue to be what they were pre-Covid. You can BYOB on Azamara. 

Choices - The staff is helpful and friendly. We asked a lot of people what they thought. Many people were trying to use future cruise credits and there were many first time Azamara cruisers. Most people said Viking. Hands down. Second was Oceania for the food and service which they said was a notch above. However, their crew was standoffish. Third was Celebrity and then Azamara. Some people loved the experience and others said, for the money, one and done. There are pros and cons to each. Azamara has a laundry facility which is included. Many lines do not. They could take the entertainment up several notches. There was a lack of communication on this particular cruise. 

Lots to consider. Things have changed post Covid. Hopefully, Azamara will get back to what it used to be. 

 

[soskalt1]

17 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Your preferences, as mentioned in your first post, seem to fit well with Azamara. Besides that, you will get a more personalized service with accesible and friendly crew and officers, who will most likely make you feel at home. 

For you the age and size of the ship do not seem to be important for a transatlantic. For a transatlantic, I would pick a newer, larger ship with more entertainment on board because of the many sea days. But if my options were either Azamara or Oceania, I would choose Azamara.

Ivi

 

.....which is why I can't make up my mind! I like the idea of Azamara because it sounds friendlier, but the Oceania ship (Marina) is larger and will have been recently refurbished, I believe, so MAY have more to do on so many sea days.

 

[harrodsfan]

We liked Azamara a lot better than Oceania.  Friendlier crew. Better food. Better ports but then you are looking at a transatlantic so that isn’t important. We did have a forward suite and the one night it was rough it really rocked. Also it was over the anchor chain so when not docking there was a lot of noise when the anchor chain went down and up.  

[NewSalty]

1 hour ago, soskalt1 said:

 

.....which is why I can't make up my mind! I like the idea of Azamara because it sounds friendlier, but the Oceania ship (Marina) is larger and will have been recently refurbished, I believe, so MAY have more to do on so many sea days.

 

Not that it really makes a lot of difference, but the Marina refurb has been postponed without a new date.  There is much speculation on the Oceania board, but it seems fairly unlikely that it will happen before 2025.

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, soskalt1 said:

 

.....which is why I can't make up my mind! I like the idea of Azamara because it sounds friendlier, but the Oceania ship (Marina) is larger and will have been recently refurbished, I believe, so MAY have more to do on so many sea days.

 

OK you've now alluded to your preference in regard to daytime activity on board. There is very little to 'do' on the Az ships during daytime, and it was the same on Oceania Insignia. As I said on the Oceania board that is an 'R' class ship, same as all Az vessels.

 

I cannot comment on Oceanias' larger ships. 

[lisiamc]

2 hours ago, soskalt1 said:

 

.....which is why I can't make up my mind! I like the idea of Azamara because it sounds friendlier, but the Oceania ship (Marina) is larger and will have been recently refurbished, I believe, so MAY have more to do on so many sea days.

 

Well, the fact that Oceania ships have casinos could be a plus point if you like a little gambling. As a minus point, it also takes away some space that is sometimes used for other activities on Azamara. Azamara does put on extra activities on crossings or other cruises with many sea days. I have seen these offerings:

-progressive trivia, where points accumulate until the last day,

-matinee performances from entertainers,

-a passenger choir,

-bingo,

-lectures,

-wine tasting,

-a mixology class,

-a crew talent show,

-crew “Olympics” (much more fun than it sounds),

-the very interesting Azamara “expo” where each department has an exhibit showing what they do and how they do it,

-classes in such things as watercolour painting, jewellery making and even

-gingerbread house making on the autumn transatlantic.

Edited January 19, 2023 by lisiamc

[voyager1964]

Oceania suite would offer you a jacuzzi on the balcony, something you would appreciate on the TA cruise.

[annapolitan369]

Mary and I have multiple cruises on both Oceania and Azamara, the last two in the Owner's suite on Azamara Quest and Journey.  I agree with most above comments that the staff on Azamara is friendlier than O.  However, I would find the ship rather confining for a 2 week ocean crossing and would prefer the size of the Marina or it's sister ships.  If you go Azamara, do the aft owner's suite, not the forward one and try for deck 7, which is the quietest.  

[laurieb]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:52 AM, lisiamc said:

Well, the fact that Oceania ships have casinos could be a plus point if you like a little gambling. As a minus point, it also takes away some space that is sometimes used for other activities on Azamara. Azamara does put on extra activities on crossings or other cruises with many sea days. I have seen these offerings:

-progressive trivia, where points accumulate until the last day,

-matinee performances from entertainers,

-a passenger choir,

-bingo,

-lectures,

-wine tasting,

-a mixology class,

-a crew talent show,

-crew “Olympics” (much more fun than it sounds),

-the very interesting Azamara “expo” where each department has an exhibit showing what they do and how they do it,

-classes in such things as watercolour painting, jewellery making and even

-gingerbread house making on the autumn transatlantic.

And well done cooking demonstrations; we also had a wonderful cooking class held by the head chef.  We got to enjoy our self made meal afterwards.

[lisiamc]

7 hours ago, laurieb said:

And well done cooking demonstrations; we also had a wonderful cooking class held by the head chef.  We got to enjoy our self made meal afterwards.

Ooh yes, how could I forget those? For a small ship, I think Azamara offer a lot of things for entertainment on sea days.