My view of Azamara after recent cruise Athens to Istanbul

[M109]

A little bit of background for you all.  My wife and I have enjoyed cruising for 20 years now and have tried most of the favourite cruise lines, several times at least and we have completed about 22 cruises and 2 river cruises.

 

We were lucky enough to sail with Azamara twice in the first 2 years of it's existence which we both enjoyed immensely.  Loved the small ship, crew and the food.  In these early days the speciality restaurants were included in the price and were top notch.  Sadly prices increased significantly as Azamara became popular and of course you now had to pay for the speciality restaurants unless you paid up for the larger rooms.  So we were back to Celebrity and Holland America for a few years and then we decided to try Oceania on their new ships.  We really liked that experience and sailed with them for three trips before they became too expensive.  More recently we have river cruised in Europe which we were great fun.

 

So I was delighted earlier this year to find Azamara in range again and so we were off again to the Quest which we had sailed on the previous two cruises.

 

We joined in Athens after a rather arduous journey with the flight delayed out of Gatwick by 41/2 hours which meant arriving at 2 o'clock in the morning,  but we where still met by the hotels driver with no fuss about us being late. Lunch time it was a lift back to the airport to catch the metro to Athens port which was about a 45 minute ride followed by a walk around the edge of the port to the cruise terminal where the Quest sat basking in the sun.  Of interest also along side was one of the new Scenic cruise ships that looked amazing, rather like a super yacht.

 

Due to the shenanigans with the new website I had not booked in on line and I am glad I didn't as it took us no more 5 minutes to book in with the group of people who were stood waiting for us.  All done on an Ipad including the photo, very clever and quick I must say.  Had to wait 10 mina on the bus to travel the 100m to the ship which was a bit daft as we were happy to walk and there were no port restrictions as the crew were walking out.  Any how we were quickly on board and greeted with a glass of bubbly and quickly ushered off to the theatre where we were given the lifeboat drill talk and film which lasted about 5 mins and then we were free to go.  A couple of the Americans had to be told quite sternly by a ships officer that no they could not wander off and that this was compulsory.  Much better than the old days of putting on the lifejacket and then standing in the sun on the deck I can tell you!

 

Our room was a normal veranda on deck 7 which had been changed up since our last voyage with them and I thought it well done and as a whole I thought the room looked really good.  There were a few things that need sorting like the wall paper was starting to come away at the edges where they joined strips and I was surprised there were no charging points for all the electricals we all now carry, however all in all very nice, although we has forgotten how small the bathroom are and yes that shower with the curtain is definitely a squeeze.

 

I am not going to take you through all the ports visited but will go through some of the good and some of the not so good.

 

The good

The crew are still very good and a pleasure to be around.

The ship as a whole is still in good nick with just the odd bit of rust showing up but nothing big and of course kept immaculate.

The free drinks on board were absolutely fine and the wine I thought was of a perfectly drinkable standard and I like my wine so most should be fine without having to pay more. 

The special Azamara night was put on for us at Ephesus and we were given on arrival possibly one of the worst mugs of wine I have tasted for a while but it was supplied by the firm who put on the  night on for Azamara so difficult to blame the ship.  The small amphitheatre where we sat was a delight but I would imagine whoever did the risk assessment must have run a mile at seeing it.  Steep uneven steps with 20/30ft drops off to the side was asking for 70/80 year olds to fall and badly hurt themselves.  However, 70/80 year old are from a generation made of sterner stuff and they all made it safety even if it meant going down on their bum's.  The only person to have a fall was a 50 year old fellow who slipped down 4/5 stairs in front of the 450 people attending and once everybody realised he was fine got a good cheer.  The ensemble was not my type of music however the setting was superb.  Personally I would have loved to walk down the main street of Ephesus in the dark when the building were lit up but sadly that was not allowed.

White night was put on as we were leaving a small Turkish port and was great fun although it was a bit of a bun fight to get to the food, dread to think what it would be like with a full ship, but great fun anyway and the combination of all the singers and bands on board played some great music that had us all up and dancing.

 

The not so good

Sadly as food lovers we were disappointed with the quality of the food.  It was difficult not to remember back to when we first cruised with Azamara when we thought the food was amazing.  The main dining room was good, especially breakfast which was exceptional.  The buffet was, however,  not that good.  Luch everyday had a large selection of Asian and Indian curries etc.  Now as a Brit I like my curries but curried boiled egg for breakfast was a bit to much.  I strongly suspect that the curries were a way of using up left over food from previous meals, but I may be wrong but anyway there was to much curry going on throughout the cruise. I did mention this on the mid cruise survey and the head chef sought me out the next night at supper which whilst I appreciated he came to chat finding me a supper sat with others was an unusual time to discuss matters.  Not that anything changed but hopefully Azamara will at least have a think on matters (PS seafood salad with seafood sticks chopped into it is not really my idea of good quality food). We ate in both speciality restaurants and the steakhouse meal was poor, the quality of my steak just was not there (it was the same with the steak I had in the dining room).  The Italian restaurant was brilliant  and was miles better, so we booked another meal there.  The squid ink pasta with lobster and seafood was just sublime. I know food is subjective but having watched the argument between Azamara fans and Oceania fans as to who has the better food in our view it's not close at the moment and Oceania wins hands down.  Hopefully Azamara can raise it's game again and compete once more because we enjoyed the overall experience.

 

Shore excursions were extremely expensive $150 average I would say.

 

Worrying 

 

The ship was about two thirds full at about 500 passengers but the next cruise back to Athens it was going to be less than half full before being full at the start of school holidays.  This must be a worry as these small ships need to be full to make money.  Azamara need to work out a way to get these ships full whilst providing a good level of cruising. 

 

Conclusion

 

Loved returning to the small ship experience and level of service Azamara provide

Food not so good.

 

Happy to answer ant sensible questions.          

[Ithikan]

Thanks for your succinct review of your Quest cruise, M109.  We are also early-era  Azamara cruisers, and have pretty much stuck with the brand for years.  One of your comments, however, left me puzzled.

You mention a "seafood salad with seafood sticks chopped into it."  I need to know:  what, precisely, is a seafood stick?  Are these also perhaps called fish sticks?  My experience with fish sticks is that they are breaded, previously frozen, of questionable texture and really dreadful.  Were these a feature of your seafood salad?

I appreciate you're taking the time to respond, and hope you consider this a sensible question : )

[Riocca]

28 minutes ago, Ithikan said:

Thanks for your succinct review of your Quest cruise, M109.  We are also early-era  Azamara cruisers, and have pretty much stuck with the brand for years.  One of your comments, however, left me puzzled.

You mention a "seafood salad with seafood sticks chopped into it."  I need to know:  what, precisely, is a seafood stick?  Are these also perhaps called fish sticks?  My experience with fish sticks is that they are breaded, previously frozen, of questionable texture and really dreadful.  Were these a feature of your seafood salad?

I appreciate you're taking the time to respond, and hope you consider this a sensible question : )

They used to be called Crab Sticks but as they don’t contain any crab, in the U.K. they are now called Seafood Sticks.

The fish sticks you described are called Fish Fingers in the U.K. much loved by children and great in sandwiches for lunch. But we do know that fish don’t actually have fingers 😂

[M109]

Hi Ithikan fish sticks are actually made of pollock but they are quite cheap and nasty.  Riocca is right they used to be called crab sticks but as no crab is involved they are now fish sticks.  I did not mention it but I found seafood night a disappointment as there was not much in the way of seafood eg big prawns, octopus, calamari etc.  Now I don't know if this is a recent thing or if I am forgetting the quality of the first trips.  I would put the quality of the food at Celebrity level after this trip, so I will need very good prices to come back again and certainly will not be prepared to pay over £3000 for a 12 day cruise. 

[Grandma Cruising]

Food is so subjective, isn’t it? We really like Prime C - never had a bad steak & the rack of lamb is always brilliant. On the other hand we have been very much underwhelmed with Aqualina the last twice we ate there. 
Sounds like you didn’t try the Patio at night - it’s now our favourite place to eat.

[TeaBag]

Very interested in your comments M109.  Welcome to Cruise Critic.  We left Quest in Athens May 28, so I wonder if you boarded then. We have only sailed twice with Azamara both sailings on Quest with Captain Johannes who is very personable.

We were a bit disappointed in the food also.  I ordered a tenderloin steak medium rare for my very first dinner on the ship last July.  It came looking like it had been boiled for a week.  Waiter never came back to check on us, so I said nothing.  Next night more steak too well done again.  On that cruise we never again ate in the dining room, choosing Windows with their ethnic themed dinners after that.

Our last cruise we thought the food was under seasoned in the MDR.  Maitre'D told me that if they put garlic in the food, people complain!

We had the best waiter last time that we have ever had in all our cruises.  We loved our aft cabin deck 7 and it was wonderful to see both sides of the Suez as we sailed along.

I agree with you Grandma Cruising about Prime C.  We were thrilled to get 3 complimentary speciality dinners with our cabin type (P1).  We chose Aqualina for 2 and Prime C for the third.  After our dinner in Aqualina, we cancelled the second one and went back to Prime C which we think is much better.

[Dr H]

I'm really, really surprised to hear about the food quality! Our first Azamara sailing was in 2010, and had my worst meal ever on Azamara on that one. A beef "stroganoff" in the MDR, and it is my understanding that the chef was subsequently executed, and justifiably. We rejoined Azamara in late October 2021, just after they resumed service. Yes there were some rust spots, service was off a bit. Food in the MDR was better than Prime C and Aqualina. We complained quietly to the higher ups, who were extremely apologetic, but still family as far as we are concerned. Flash forward a year, we boarded Quest in Dubai, on to Singapore, then on to Perth, Australia. The ship is definitely in need of a refurb, door knobs are a bit worn, wall paper frayed in spots. Food was dramatically better than previously, and definitely back to the old Azamara IMHO. Right now, we are counting down the days to our November 7 sailing out of Rome. I'm sorry you didn't have the greatest experience, and I suspect your complaints will be taken up with the powers that be.  Hope to meet you on board sometime in the future. We are definitely coming back.

[Xcelsior]

I first sailed on the Quest for its first ever Singapore to HK Christmas/NY cruise in 2008.  It was 18 nights then and added a few extra ports than what that itinerary has offered in recent years. That experience was unbelievable - the food quality, the service, the fantastic shore excursions.  Entertainment was still lousy...but everything else made up for it.  Agree that there is absolutely no comparison with the food they offer today.  I've been on 3 Celebrity cruises and 2 Azamara over the last year, and Celebrity on all 3 occasions had better food than Azamara hands-down.  We will see how the Onward food is next month.

[M109]

They need to put more money towards food, especially the buffet and if that meant no Amazing evening (which must have cost a fortune) then that’s the what I would do.  If you really had to you could also cut back to beer and wine at lunch and dinner only with other booze being paid for.

 

I am not sure what they really stand for at the moment and where they excel.  They have the small ships which a lot of people really like compared to the enormous ones around today. They have a good crew but then most lines have that going for them.  White night is a great night but it’s not enough to make people think I must come back. The Capt mentioned that he is always asked when are Azamara going to build a new ship and his answer was book more cruises with us which is a bit telling.  The R type ship is a lovely ship and for me a perfect size, I love what they have done with removing the casino, could have done with a slightly more upbeat piano player but he was okay for background music.  However, these R ships are getting very old and whilst they keep them looking good the maintenance cost must rise each year.  Let’s hope the new owners have a plan for the future.

[john1970]

I think the food is ok. Nothing special. I like the grill and buffet. I think a lot of people book Azamara as they like the small ships, good staff and port heavy itineraries. All lines have had to try and cope with vastly increased costs and food inflation. It's a balancing act. If they put the prices up people will think well I might as well go on Silversea. I guess the issue for Azamara comes when they look to the future and how long the ships will be in service without major maintenance.

[uktog]

I think the issue is the food used to be 100% great, now it’s generally acceptable with some less good days.  Trouble is there are instances of the service slightly dipping and I certainly don’t want to see that following the food trend (which I keep hoping is a temporary blip). 
I appreciate guests like variety but as @M109 highlighted they’ve let the predominantly Indian/Asian chefs go overboard so it’s curried or Asian everything. Azamara served far better balanced menus in the past (maybe the ingredients were more expensive) but I much preferred it when in addition to more highly spiced items, there were more delicate Mediterranean options on the main dining room menu.   Even Mediterranean wasn’t so good recently, Aqualina isn’t as it was and for a specialty Prime C didn’t used to be my preference anyway. The Patio is ok (actually the MDR was so disappointing I craved for the Patio to open last cruise, I believe it is now fully operating) but when I’m cruising I want an experience more akin to the MDR than a buffet for starters and a very limited dessert offering. The Patio is a twice a cruise max on longer trips for us. 
If they’re going to differentiate themselves I’d rather they increased the food budget so I get a good full cruise experience and review the Azamazing Evening and proportion of the cruise food budget that goes on White Night where there is a shocking volume of waste 

[Riocca]

For those wanting gourmet food and beer & wine with meals that’s Oceania’s USP. We’re not great foodies but felt the food on Onward in March was some of the best we’ve had on Azamara. No cruise line is going to be able to please everyone with food, we enjoy spicy food others hate it.

It’s Azamara’s balance of itineraries with good service and friendly engaging staff the brings us back, there are plenty of cruise lines with all sorts of offerings it’s just a matter of finding the right one.

[uktog]

11 minutes ago, Riocca said:

For those wanting gourmet food and beer & wine with meals that’s Oceania’s USP. We’re not great foodies but felt the food on Onward in March was some of the best we’ve had on Azamara. No cruise line is going to be able to please everyone with food, we enjoy spicy food others hate it.

It’s Azamara’s balance of itineraries with good service and friendly engaging staff the brings us back, there are plenty of cruise lines with all sorts of offerings it’s just a matter of finding the right one.

Don’t disagree, my point is Azamara used to be that one (we are not after gourmet just well seasoned, which includes spice for those that can take it and lighter choices for others). Now for us and some others not so though we still want it to be.
It’s very hard to get beyond what we experienced on Onward but maybe they pulled their socks up based on feedback and you benefitted. We were not alone in having issues in the MDR, every night all around items being sent back, invisible Senior managers leaving inadequately trained and supported staff to cope. It was a very expensive personal financial contribution to their service improvement analysis! 

Edited July 15, 2023 by uktog

[lisiamc]

21 hours ago, M109 said:

 There were a few things that need sorting like the wall paper was starting to come away at the edges where they joined strips and I was surprised there were no charging points for all the electricals we all now carry, however all in all very nice, although we has forgotten how small the bathroom are and yes that shower with the curtain is definitely a squeeze.

 

 

Possibly your steward didn’t point out the USB-A ports on either side of the bed? They are a bit subtle if you don’t know they are there. Two USB ports by the bed and four electrical outlets by the desk should go a long way toward coping with everyone’s electricals, surely.

Edited July 15, 2023 by lisiamc

[ChucktownSteve]

Food quality, properly prepared with variety are important to me as well as a port intensive itinerary we haven't experienced yet.  That is why we selected Azamara.  I wasn't impressed with the food and service on my December 2021 Quest cruise but realize it was just coming off Covid. There were supply chain issues and a lot of new crew who hadn't had a chance to be properly trained. I also felt that RCG was dropping the ball on caring which was later confirmed by them unloading Azamara

But the time for those excuses is past.  Now we will be sailing under the new owners. I waited to give them a change to get their feet wet... The time since AZ severed with RCG has not been impressive.  They are however getting better so I'm glad we waited.

 

I don't mind paying a premium price if I receive premium food and service.  I truly hope that is what we will be experiencing on our two upcoming Onward sailings. Otherwise we'll need to keep looking for a line that suits us better. Deep inside though I want our go to line to be Azamara.

 

I have optimism that Sycamore and the AZ head office are paying attention to what their base customers are telling them.  Please don't let us down by becoming another Celebrity.

Edited July 15, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[ChucktownSteve]

18 hours ago, M109 said:

 I would put the quality of the food at Celebrity level after this trip, so I will need very good prices to come back again and certainly will not be prepared to pay over £3000 for a 12 day cruise. 

 

So I can put your statement in perspective, is that £3000 per person or for two?  And which cabin level do you prefer for that price?

[Riocca]

There’s also been a change of Corporate Chef post pandemic in addition to being released from RC’s corporate control. Judging by the specials that were available in Prime C and Aqualina I suspect we are going to see a gradual revamp of menus across the board, no doubt evolution rather than revolution.

[M109]

ChucktownSteve we were in a club balcony on deck seven and the £3000 is for one person.  Currently advertised Azamara in the Med in Sept this year 11 days club balcony is £5000 each.  Under no circumstances would I pay anywhere near that amount for what I just enjoyed but had issues with.  We had no problems with service but then the ship was only just over half full, but the food was very average to say the least and at that sort of price I would want it to be top notch and would not be expecting to pay extra for the two restaurants.  Maybe my expectations are too high but Azamara food used to be amazing.

[M109]

41 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

Possibly your steward didn’t point out the USB-A ports on either side of the bed? They are a bit subtle if you don’t know they are there. Two USB ports by the bed and four electrical outlets by the desk should go a long way toward coping with everyone’s electricals, surely.

I looked long and hard for those outlets including by the bedside  are you sure they are on the Quest?

[lisiamc]

1 minute ago, M109 said:

I looked long and hard for those outlets including by the bedside  are you sure they are on the Quest?

Yes they are on Quest too. I believe there are a couple of suites (possibly on Onward?) that have different light fittings and don’t have USB ports. When we go back to our cabin after lunch, I’ll take a photo of ours. We are on Pursuit, but the location is the same, where present.

[ChucktownSteve]

35 minutes ago, M109 said:

ChucktownSteve we were in a club balcony on deck seven and the £3000 is for one person.  Currently advertised Azamara in the Med in Sept this year 11 days club balcony is £5000 each.  Under no circumstances would I pay anywhere near that amount for what I just enjoyed but had issues with.  We had no problems with service but then the ship was only just over half full, but the food was very average to say the least and at that sort of price I would want it to be top notch and would not be expecting to pay extra for the two restaurants.  Maybe my expectations are too high but Azamara food used to be amazing.

The closer you get to a sailing date, the higher the rate. Similar to hotels, as cabin inventory diminishes, the price increases.  If you want to get the best prices, you need to look at itineraries when they're first released and the ship is virtually empty.  I always do that. The down side is you need to wait a year or two to enjoy the cruise. 

 

No matter what sales the cruise lines have after that, I've never been able to get a lower price because they've raised that much.  That is unless a sale comes out just after booking.

 

As an example, you can get a 12 night med cruise in a club veranda V2 for £323.31 pp/pn Sept 2025 or £3880 total pp/pn.

Edited July 15, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[M109]

6 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

The closer you get to a sailing date, the higher the rate. Similar to hotels, as cabin inventory diminishes, the price increases.  If you want to get the best prices, you need to look at itineraries when they're first released and the ship is virtually empty.  I always do that. The down side is you need to wait a year or two to enjoy the cruise. 

 

No matter what sales the cruise lines have after that, I've never been able to get a lower price because they've raised that much.  That is unless a sale comes out just after booking.

Thanks Chuck but I am aware of how things work with regards to booking cruises after 20 odd years of cruising. It can work the other way as well as long as you are prepared to wait it out.  That last cruise was booked 2 months out and I got it hugely reduced because it was nowhere near full. Flights cost more but as we live in the UK it’s fairly easy to get a last minute flight. Funny enough the flight to Athens was quite expensive £200 odd one way but the flight back from Istanbul was only £85. It was still a big saving on what Azamara wanted to charge for a flight arranged by them.  PS the ship was offering people who could stay on board the next cruise back to Athens at £900.

[ChucktownSteve]

1 minute ago, M109 said:

Thanks Chuck but I am aware of how things work with regards to booking cruises after 20 odd years of cruising. It can work the other way as well as long as you are prepared to wait it out.  That last cruise was booked 2 months out and I got it hugely reduced because it was nowhere near full. Flights cost more but as we live in the UK it’s fairly easy to get a last minute flight. Funny enough the flight to Athens was quite expensive £200 odd one way but the flight back from Istanbul was only £85. It was still a big saving on what Azamara wanted to charge for a flight arranged by them.  PS the ship was offering people who could stay on board the next cruise back to Athens at £900.

Understand. Thankx.   From the U.S., flights a little less than 1 year out are outrageous so waiting to buy last minute flights make the cruise a non starter regardless of how cheap the cruise is. You have the advantage living closer.

I prefer grabbing a specific limited availability cabin, aft facing, which sell out quickly.  If you don't mind cabin position, then waiting until the last minute for a possible sharply cut rate makes sense for some..

[M109]

2 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Understand. Thankx.   From the U.S., flights a little less than 1 year out are outrageous so waiting to buy last minute flights make the cruise a non starter regardless of how cheap the cruise is. You have the advantage living closer.

I prefer grabbing a specific limited availability cabin, aft facing, which sell out quickly.  If you don't mind cabin position, then waiting until the last minute for a possible sharply cut rate makes sense for some..

 
Yes it’s a shame that flights have gone up so much in the last year or so. Used to be easy to get return flights to the major European cities for £60/70 now it’s at least double that before you start adding in paying for luggage.  The pandemic has a lot to answer for or at least the various Govts handling of it.  

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Riocca said:

There’s also been a change of Corporate Chef post pandemic in addition to being released from RC’s corporate control. Judging by the specials that were available in Prime C and Aqualina I suspect we are going to see a gradual revamp of menus across the board, no doubt evolution rather than revolution.

Fine if it happens- evolution in what direction?  I will wait to see what transpires. As their back office has not helped our agent they lose on all counts right now.