September 1 Azamara Journey

[Jancruz]

Hi all,

My daughters and I were on the red eye flight from LAX to EWR last night and had a wonderful smooth flight.

Flight was full and I slept for about 3 hours.

Took taxis this morning to the Marriott where we met other clients and had a nice breakfast..If you do this do not take taxis, Marriott runs a free shuttle every 10 minutes from the airport to the hotel much better way to go. We are being picked up by limo in about an hour to go to the ship..looking forward to seeing what changes Azamara has made..

More from the ship..

Jan

*****

[scaaty]

Hi,

 

I look forward to your live reports, but also remember to enjoy your vacation!

[Druke I]

Yes.

 

Enjoy first, write second.

[blambition]

Jan,

I really look forward to your post. I have read that you have been on these ships quite a bit so I would like your opinion. Hopefully you will be able to get a nap in this afternoon before the muster drill. Have a great cruise with your daughters and a wonderful time in Bermuda. You are not missing anything with the 100 plus heat here.

Vicki

[Andy]

Hi Jan !

 

Have a great time. Bon Voyage !

[nlvc12]

Jan -

 

You have been so helpful, to me and, I've seen, to many others. We appreciate it and hope you have a fabulous time.

 

I, like those above, look forward to your reports!!

 

nlvc

[Jancruz]

These reports come to you with the specific intent of a direct comparison between Azamara and Oceania.

 

This being said, I will do my best to be unbiased.

 

We(Shari, Marcy and I) arrived at the port at 11:00AM for embarkation. Check in went very smoothly, and we found everyone extremely friendly. Getting on to the ship at this port, was difficult due to the fact that there were steep stairs going to deck 4, which made it hard for those with carry on luggage, or a physical disability. Once aboard, we were served champagne and juices, which was a very nice touch. We proceeded to Windows Cafe, and had lunch. At lunch, we found no one available to take care of getting drinks. It seemed as if they were very short staffed. Shari went to get ice tea for the table, and found it a challenge to find a clean glass among all that were there. The food was marginal at best. The decor in the Windows Cafe was red, white, and blue carpet, already stained with beige and gray chairs. Not a great combination.

 

After lunch we took the time to walk the ship, and found the ship was not in top notch condition. The floors were dirty, the wood was chipped and scratched in many areas. There were places that pictures had been taken off the wall, and new pictures hung, with the original holes still visible, to many other maintenance issues to mention.

 

Entered our staterooms at 1:00PM, the typical A-1 stateroom on deck 7. The bedding and linens were very nice. The staterooms have flat screen TV's, with extremely poor placement with no way to change the angle to view comfortably.

 

We did have the opportunity to see the Sky Suites on deck 8, which we were very impressed. They were laid out extremely well with attractive decor, and the bathrooms were beautiful.

 

After the muster, we went back to unpack at 4:30pm, and found no luggage yet delivered. Delivery of luggage seemed incredibly disorganized for a simple boarding. Marcy did not receive her luggage until 6:00PM.

 

We chose to eat in Discoveries restaurant at 7:00PM. There was no wait for a table of 8. Dinner was excellent, and the service was adequate.

 

The show was typical of a small ship, and very enjoyable.

 

This morning(September 2nd), we had a cruise critic meeting at 11:00AM, in the Looking Glass Lounge. Everyone who attended, were very pleasant, and we all enjoyed meeting.

 

Typical day at sea...lovely weather, and many people were out at the pool participating in the activities.

 

We had dinner this evening in Prime C. We were extremely impressed with the food and the service. The waiter's were fun, and very attentive.

 

Here are our main concerns, as of today...

 

1. Dirty dishes found throughout the ship that had not been picked up within several hours.

 

2. In Prime C the new carpet was not laid properly, and may cause someone to fall.

 

3. There does not seem to be any staff cleaning around the ship, and it tends to show the lack of care.

 

4. As TA's we had ordered gifts for our clients who are sailing with us. Had we not been on board and able to speak with the hotel manager, we are certain they would have never received them. This was very disappointing.

 

5. For an "Ultra Premium" ship, the service does not meet the expectations, for the price paid.

 

We will post again after we reach Bermuda.

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my experience with you.

 

Regards,

 

Jan

*****

[mringenoldus]

This sounds a bit disappointing. I thought most of the other posters had stated that the ship was in great condition.

 

Jan - have you been able to tell what may be causing the difference in cleanliness?

 

I hope they aren't short staffing the Journey in order to moved staff to the Quest.

 

We leave in a month - get them to fix things up, Jan!!

[cruiseyguy]

I suppose staffing/service issues would be the biggest problem in suddenly starting a new line. If you staff Journey primarily with the best employees from Celebrity, who is staffing Celebrity? If you staff Quest with the best employees from Journey, who is staffing Journey? Realistically, it could take two years to hire and train the necessary staff. How did Oceania staff up initially? Were there significant service problems the first couple of years?

[bigmjh]

Jan - I hope you will be passing your comments on to the Hotel Manager and other top echelon (both on board and in the main office). Perhaps it might rattle a few cages and start getting things in shape. :rolleyes:

[WCAB]

Jan,

 

Thanks for the update. Please let the staff know that they need to pick up the pace on making this a quality ship. Will be on the 09/15/07 sailing and will keep an open mind, hoping for the best.

 

Carol

[ocngypz]

Hi Jan:

 

So, I wasn't imaginingthings after all!

 

Be glad you have a table for 8! Sitting at the two-tops was brutal.

[Jancruz]

Hi All,

 

FYI...if this is the first time someone has been on an R ship, they look at it differently than I do. The overall picture is very nice. However, when you get down to specifics, it needs a lot of help.

 

Marcy and Shari have spent a lot of time with Patricia(Hotel Manager), working out kinks. We are hoping we can help get things straightened out for all of your upcoming sailings--:-)

 

Ocngypz..you are absolutely correct, which I didn't doubt for a moment.

 

Two things we forgot to mention..

 

1. There is a definite smell of smoke on several decks, which we have reported.

 

2. On the bright side, the fresh juices are terrific. Breakfast in my stateroom arrived on time, piping hot, and delicious. Everything I ordered was on the tray, which doesn't always happen on O.

 

Off to spend a beautiful day in Bermuda.

 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask away.

 

Back to you later,

 

Jan

*****

[cruiseyguy]

Jan-Another poster ("Mr. Bill-CEO) said Niyazi Korkmaz is the Hotel Manager and you mentioned "Patricia." Have they changed Hotel Managers again?

[Mr. Bill CEO]

Jan,

 

It almost sounds as if you are on entirely different ship than the one we sailed on last week.

 

First, there was an alternate gangway for the disabled as we embarked in Bayonne and I noticed a staff member carrying luggage onboard for an older woman who was having difficulty. We boarded at 10:55 AM and like yourself found the boarding process easy. We were on the ship within minutes of our arrival.

 

As our stateroom was not available yet, we dropped off our carry on pieces with our Butler/room steward who graciously permitted us to store them until she finished cleaning our room. We then made our way up to the Window Cafe. The staff was still cleaning and preparing the Window Cafe for lunch so we sat at one of the tables and almost imediately a staff member approached us with a big welcome smile and asked if he could get us anyting. We asked for some fresh coffee and a bagel and creamcheese. He was back in two minutes flat. I went up to the juice bar to get some orange juice and found all of the glasses were damp, but clean. For lunch, I had the carving turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. all of which was fabulous. My wife had a salad from the salad bar which was quite full and offered a wide variety of fresh veggies. Our friends who were traveling with us (who only sail 6-star ships) also commented on how good the food was as well as the variety.

 

As Jan indicated, the carpet in the Window Cafe was stained in various places and I agree that the beige and gray chairs do not really fit the overall decor. We did notice many of the staff cleaning rugs, dusting pictures and furniture as we walked throughout the ship. I believe that any lack of cleanliness is due to the fact that the entire staff is running around trying to prepare the ship for the next voyage while disembarking previous guests and embarking new ones. This was only apparent on day one of the cruise.

 

As for Jan's observation of the ship being dirty and not in top notche condition, I respectfully disagree. Sure there were a few chips and scratches, but then again I have found this to be the case on Ocenaia, Celebrity, Regent, Crystal and other ships. I have to assume that management is aware of these problems and addresses them promptly unless the corrections can not be made until the next overhaul. Some of the floors were dirty but being cleaned as we boarded the ship. By day two, we really did not notice any major problems with cleanliness...something my wife would note since she is a cleaning maven! As for the holes where pictures were, I too noticed these and was informed that many of the pictures had recently been replaced with new art and that repairs to the walls was scheduled.

 

As for the placement of the flat screen TV's, at our meeting with the hotel director he told us that all of the mounting systems for the 23" LCD flat screen TV's would be replaced once the Bermuda schedules were over. New mounting hardware had been ordered which will permit the easy rotation and angling of the TV's. AS it is now, if you lay in bed, you have to look at the TV at an angle and the screens are blurred since they can not be angled down.

 

As for the luggage, ours was delivered immediately following the muster drill. Our friends who were on deck six received theirs a few minutes later than we did.

 

As Jan did, we also had dinner in Discoveries at 7:00 PM however there was a lot of confusion for the seating as there were two large wedding parties onboard who wanted to be seated together making our seating somewhat delayed. I think if Azimara permitted large groups to reserve tables in advance this would help the flow of traffic and seating in general.

 

When we were in Primce C, part of the restaurant was closed for construction and replacement of carpets so I guess it is possible that the carpets wre not laid properly. I hope you brought this to the attention of management since no one would want to see anyone hurt by falling.

 

We too had guests sailing on our voyage who we had arranged for delivery of special gifts and had no problem. I agree with Jan that delivery of gifts is important to T/A's and is very frustrating when we hear they are not delivered.

 

So to sum it all up, it almost sounds as if Jan is on a different ship than the one we sailed on last week. Hopefully Jan's voyage will improve. In our opinion, the Journey did meet our expectations. To each his/her own. That's why postings to these boards should be considred by looking at the whole picture, not just one posting. If I had a dollar for every negative posting made on these boards over the years, there would be no ships to sail. We simply sail with a positive attitude that we are gong to have a great time regardless of any imperfections and it seems to work for us.

 

Jan, I still owe you a drink. Hopefully I will see you on the T/A inaugural cruise and events in October. Have a happy.

 

Mr. Bill CEO

[Mr. Bill CEO]

Cruiseyguy,

 

Patricia Chang is the Front Office Manager, not the hotel mangage unless they made the change over the weekend.

 

Mr. Bill CEO

[jjb415]

Jan,

 

It almost sounds as if you are on entirely different ship than the one we sailed on last week.Mr. Bill CEO

 

I agree with you Mr. Bill. I was on the August 25, 2007, sailing also and did not encounter any of the housekeeping or maintenance issues that the OP reported. One small issue with the carpet in our cabin was resolved right away.

[owl61]

I will be sailing on the Azamara Journey on its 11/29 departure from Santos, Brasil. I hope that the flaws reported on by Jancruz1 and Mr Bill CEO will be corrected by then. I was particularly concerned with the latter's comment about the unusual vibration in the dining room. Yikes! Is that unusual vibration limited to the dining room? (I have an aft deck #7 cabin). Not so sure I would have booked Journey over a local Insignia voyage had I known what I now know. I'm happy to hear that at least the TV problem will be corrected.

 

These type of postings are extremely informative and helpful so I want to join with the others who have expressed thanks to Jancruz1 and Mr Bill CEO for taking the time to write such detailed reviews. The important thing to note is that these two "pros" recite plenty of details and reasons to support their opinions. Consequently, readers can ascertain whether a negative comment, while justified at the time, might be an anomaly or of such minor importance as to be personally irrelevant or even have been corrected (or not) . It's the details that make these opinions so credible and helpful. Hopefully, others who give opinions here will be encouraged to copy this style.

Gee, these two might even get me to change my opinion about the value of travel agents in general.

[smdubowsky]

The vibration noted in the Discoveries dining room is not unlike the vibration felt on M ships when the ship is underway. The dining room is located on the aft of the ship. While it was noticeable, it was not distracting to me or my DW.

 

Our cabin was amidships on deck 7 and we felt no vibration in our stateroom.

[NINAVMD]

These reports come to you with the specific intent of a direct comparison between Azamara and Oceania.

 

This being said, I will do my best to be unbiased.

 

We(Shari, Marcy and I) arrived at the port at 11:00AM for embarkation. Check in went very smoothly, and we found everyone extremely friendly. Getting on to the ship at this port, was difficult due to the fact that there were steep stairs going to deck 4, which made it hard for those with carry on luggage, or a physical disability. Once aboard, we were served champagne and juices, which was a very nice touch. We proceeded to Windows Cafe, and had lunch. At lunch, we found no one available to take care of getting drinks. It seemed as if they were very short staffed. Shari went to get ice tea for the table, and found it a challenge to find a clean glass among all that were there. The food was marginal at best. The decor in the Windows Cafe was red, white, and blue carpet, already stained with beige and gray chairs. Not a great combination.

 

After lunch we took the time to walk the ship, and found the ship was not in top notch condition. The floors were dirty, the wood was chipped and scratched in many areas. There were places that pictures had been taken off the wall, and new pictures hung, with the original holes still visible, to many other maintenance issues to mention.

 

Entered our staterooms at 1:00PM, the typical A-1 stateroom on deck 7. The bedding and linens were very nice. The staterooms have flat screen TV's, with extremely poor placement with no way to change the angle to view comfortably.

 

We did have the opportunity to see the Sky Suites on deck 8, which we were very impressed. They were laid out extremely well with attractive decor, and the bathrooms were beautiful.

 

After the muster, we went back to unpack at 4:30pm, and found no luggage yet delivered. Delivery of luggage seemed incredibly disorganized for a simple boarding. Marcy did not receive her luggage until 6:00PM.

 

We chose to eat in Discoveries restaurant at 7:00PM. There was no wait for a table of 8. Dinner was excellent, and the service was adequate.

 

The show was typical of a small ship, and very enjoyable.

 

This morning(September 2nd), we had a cruise critic meeting at 11:00AM, in the Looking Glass Lounge. Everyone who attended, were very pleasant, and we all enjoyed meeting.

 

Typical day at sea...lovely weather, and many people were out at the pool participating in the activities.

 

We had dinner this evening in Prime C. We were extremely impressed with the food and the service. The waiter's were fun, and very attentive.

 

Here are our main concerns, as of today...

 

1. Dirty dishes found throughout the ship that had not been picked up within several hours.

 

2. In Prime C the new carpet was not laid properly, and may cause someone to fall.

 

3. There does not seem to be any staff cleaning around the ship, and it tends to show the lack of care.

 

4. As TA's we had ordered gifts for our clients who are sailing with us. Had we not been on board and able to speak with the hotel manager, we are certain they would have never received them. This was very disappointing.

 

5. For an "Ultra Premium" ship, the service does not meet the expectations, for the price paid.

 

We will post again after we reach Bermuda.

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my experience with you.

 

Regards,

 

Jan

*****

 

 

Dear Jan,

Thanks so much for your review. I soooo agree with you.. I wrote the same thing you did, but people didn't believe me and find me credible. I thank you for pointing out the same things that i did.. CHECK OUT THE POOL>>>>> PLEASE>>>>> you will find hair in the ducts, and hair around hte showers... take pictures.....so that these people see what is going on w/this not so luxury ship!! THANKS AGAIN!!!

[blambition]

Jan,

Now that the ship has been sailing for a few days does it seem they have be doing a better job of keeping her clean?

Do you think they might get the problem fixed with the TV mountings in the next month. We sail in early Oct. and I would love to have some of these things taken care of while they are still in Bermuda.

Same question really in regards to the new menu...will they be trying out the new menu during the Oct. run or are they going to wait until the Bermuda season is truly over with to start the new concept? I would like to experience some of the future they plan on offering to clients. I also wonder how much it will effect Journey's staffing flow when they take crew from them to staff the Quest. I am not sure they have had a long enough training time to now pull these people off and try to put new ones on Journey all over again.

Thank you for your updates. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions.

I do hope you are enjoying your time on board and are not working the whole time.

Vicki

[WCAB]

Jan,

Now that the ship has been sailing for a few days does it seem they have be doing a better job of keeping her clean?

Do you think they might get the problem fixed with the TV mountings in the next month. We sail in early Oct. and I would love to have some of these things taken care of while they are still in Bermuda.

Same question really in regards to the new menu...will they be trying out the new menu during the Oct. run or are they going to wait until the Bermuda season is truly over with to start the new concept? I would like to experience some of the future they plan on offering to clients. I also wonder how much it will effect Journey's staffing flow when they take crew from them to staff the Quest. I am not sure they have had a long enough training time to now pull these people off and try to put new ones on Journey all over again.

Thank you for your updates. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions.

I do hope you are enjoying your time on board and are not working the whole time.

Vicki

 

I too am hoping some of these things are resolved prior to the end of the Bermuda run. Some of the posts have hinted that all efforts are to resolve the problems by the end of the Bermuda runs and prior to the more exotic destinations. It made me ask "what are we chopped liver"? yes we are doing the Bermuda run for seven days but paid above average for the trip, so it would be nice to know that any problems are being fixed as they come up or as soon as they can be scheduled.

[Jancruz]

I will repeat what I started with on my last post

I am doing these posts as a direct comparison to Oceania Cruises

 

Mr. Bill I do believe you were on the cruise with about 7 executives from Azamara and if your cruise wasnt the best..I would have been very surprised!!

There are a lot more than a few scratches on the wood..if you look closely as we did..it is in every area! Looking forward to that drink..get ready!!! LOL

I stand by my comments on the cleanliness..someone on this ship needs to take a VERY large bottle of windex and a mop to clean up the ship..I was on the pre-inaugural and the inaugural of Regatta and it was in much better shape(though to be truthful it was a few years newer) ..I know FDR would not have let his ship sail looking like this.

The art hanging on the ship looks like a child picked it out there is no thought behind the pieces at all and on top of that they are ugly..Azamara should hire Frank Delrio to shop for them..:-)

 

For the last 3 days the 2 spas have not worked (not hot and no jets)

 

The smell of smoke is still permeating deck 7..

 

That being said..on the really good side..the food is good, presentation lovely not too fancy but really nice and tasty (I dont like spicy food, so maybe that is why I like it so much)...

We had a party for clients last night and it was wonderful..The service was outstanding and all the help was funny and nice ..

We have been working with Patricia front office manager and she is extremely helpful..

We have an appointment Friday with the hotel manager and I will bring up all of my concerns and yours and also ask about when all these gliches should be fixed.I too feel if you are paying for "ultra Premium " the ship should be finished and not a work in progress which I have been it is told over and over..

 

On the flip side we are having a great time..I find many more activities on this ship than Oceania and you can be busy all day even when we are in port.

I am still having breakfast in my cabin and enjoying it although this morning they did forget my orange juice..since I had ordered a large breakfast I didnt ask about the oversight..I find the staff on the ship to be wonderful..happy, laughing pleasant and we really have been having fun with them.

 

I told you that the front office had not sent gifts to my clients..well they finally did..THREE TIMES..and said from Mary instead of Marcy..little things but isnt it the little things that make the trip?

 

It is raining here so I am about to high tail it back to Front Street to shop..

 

I want to reiterate, we are having a wonderful time (as we always do) and I would come back on the ship..when all the problems are corrected..if for nothing else for the wonderful people we have met!!

 

Last comments:

I love Cova Cafe

I hate what they did to the library.

I love the waffles and Pizza

I hate what they did to the lobby with another jeweley shop

I love the desserts

I hate the coffee

 

Thats it for now..more tomorrow!!

Regards,

Jan

*****

[cruiseyguy]

Jan-I imagine many of the nicks and scratches happened during the renovation of the ship and the notorious quick turn around for the Bermuda cruises left no time to repair them. Hopefully, there will be greater attention to detail when the Quest gets its facelift.

[orchestrapal]

Jan:

Thanks for your reports. I've been waiting for someone to really make the comparison to Oceania. So far it sounds like there is still a long way to go for them to bring the ship up to that level and for us to be making a change. From the online pictures is does not appear that the refurbishment, even in the soft goods catagory, are up to O.

Does this ship offer REAL butler service to the equivalent of the OS and VS or is it the house-keeping, so called butler, as on the rest of the ship?

Keep enjoying and thanks for your information.:)