Azamara vs. Oceania

[nancycoop1]

Hi - we have long been great fans of Oceania. Does anyone know how Azamara compares with them?

 

Thanks

 

Nancy

[cruiseyguy]

Azamara is apparently closing in on Oceania but hasn't caught them yet. Many similarities between the two although Oceania manages to execute its product with more finesse.

[orchestrapal]

Read the most recent reviews on this board. It seems he gap ia narrowing very quickly. We to are Oceania cruisers and are looking for an alternative. Think we've found one.:) :) :)

[ScootRN2]

Hi - we have long been great fans of Oceania. Does anyone know how Azamara compares with them?

 

Thanks

 

Nancy

 

HI NANCY

JUST GOT OFF THE AMAZARA JOUNEY ON MARCH 22

I HAVE BEEN ON OCEANIA TWICE (REGATTA & NAUTICAL)

I THINK AMAZARA JOURNEY HAS ALREADY SURPASSED OCEANIA

TAKE CARE & HAPPY CRUISING

MYRA

[susiesan]

Go to the Oceania boards and read this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=726694

 

check this one too:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=607349

[nancycoop1]

Thanks for the info. I will check them out.

[alanmr]

We are considering Oceania's Regatta vs. Azamara's Journey for a Panama Canal cruises in January. Does anyone have an opinion?

[orchestrapal]

We have loved six Oceania cruises and are now booked on two Azamara for '09. From the recent reviews they seem to have gotten their act together and are offering some very interesting itineraries. To us one of the most important factors was the itinerary as well as being able to book the suite we wanted without any problems. On Oceania we have had difficulties booking certain suites even on the first day of the booking period. All that being said, we think the two will be neck-in-neck by the end of this year. Enjoy whichever you chose:) :)

[CruseKrazy]

My TA says Azamara is beating Oceania now on price and overall value for same ship size experience. Has anybody cruised both lines and if so can you comment?

 

We are trying Oceania in the Med. this fall but wondering if we could have saved $$ by booking Azamara.

 

Note that we are RCCL crusers to date so we are expecting a lot more from Oceania or Azamara. We want to get away from the crowded ship, buffet and all those kids. :D

[Gadgetguru]

We have not tried Oceania yet but have you read tgg's thread?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=756160

[CJcruzer]

We were on Oceania last year and it was fantastic - you will not be disappointed.

 

That being said, we booked Azamara for the fall - mostly because it was the itinerary we wanted (2 overnights in places we wanted) - and secondly, price. But I do not regret for one minute sailing with Oceania - it was the only itinerary at that time that offered 2 overnights in St. Petersburg.

 

CJcruzer

[Napi's Mom]

My TA says Azamara is beating Oceania now on price and overall value for same ship size experience. Has anybody cruised both lines and if so can you comment?

 

We are trying Oceania in the Med. this fall but wondering if we could have saved $$ by booking Azamara.

 

Note that we are RCCL cruisers to date so we are expecting a lot more from Oceania or Azamara. We want to get away from the crowded ship, buffet and all those kids. :D

We've been on both, and have to say they are both different from each other, yet also much the same. The Open Dining, Casual dress (Next cruise being on the Millennium with the horrible formal nights..3 of them yet!! price price price was the reason to leave our great "R" ships) BUT we had had a cheap upgrade to Concierge on "O", and got the same or better service, better amenities etc. on Quest, as did the inside cabins, at no extra charge. Those fab. towels (at least a foot thick when folded!!!) Even the Canapes or tea were for EVERYONE on Azamara. Sure the Suites got a little more but not much. Think the Summer cruises to the Med are a great deal this year,on "A" and some even have free air to compete with Oceania. I LOVED both of them . Can't believe on the Celebrity Forum they always compare ...Rccl... Celeb...Princess... HAL and never even consider comparing these great lines! Can't begin to compare, haad to get a CC cabin to get any sort of amenities on Celeb.:rolleyes:

[Susan-M]

We have not tried Oceania yet but have you read tgg's thread?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=756160

 

Thanks for the link!:) Oceania was on my list of lines to try, but when Azamara started up we decided to give them a try first because we found an itinerary that really interested us. Az's pricing this year is very attractive too! Just have to wait another 5 months.

[2Fltravelers]

We were on Oceania last year and it was fantastic - you will not be disappointed.

 

That being said, we booked Azamara for the fall - mostly because it was the itinerary we wanted (2 overnights in places we wanted) - and secondly, price. But I do not regret for one minute sailing with Oceania - it was the only itinerary at that time that offered 2 overnights in St. Petersburg.

 

CJcruzer

 

We were on Oceania with CJcruzer ( Hi there!) and we second the review. We booked Azamara back in April 2007 because we were intrigued by the itinerary. Since that time, our price has dropped $550pp and we went from a $300 OBC up to $800. We are pleased to see that the new reviews are better and better. We loved Oceania and would sail again.

[TERRIER1]

We just returned from our first time cruising and it was with Oceania. We loved it and looked into the Panama Canal cruise but the cabins we wanted are taken already. I looked into Azamara and the price point is great but I have reservations regarding their policy with bringing alcohol on board. We like to have a cocktail/wine in our stateroom and Azamara only allows you two bottles of wine for the entire cruise. I know that sounds petty but I like to relax on the verandah with a drink without having to go to the bar or calling room service. Also there is no "happy hour" as there is on Oceania. If Azamara would make the change I would jump ship.

[CruseKrazy]

Give it a try on Azamara. We recently boarded RCI Majesty of the Seas with 2 litres of duty free rum in a carryon. I fully expected them to confiscate it for the duration of the cruise....

 

They xrayed and waived us right through. :D I figured this saved us $200 in bar charges as well as all the inconvenience. We are in our late 50s so I guess we were old enough. :cool:

[phlewt]

We got quotes for both Az and O for our recent Panama Canal cruise. The cost for Az would have been several hundred dollars less, but would have been offset by the cost and time involved for us to get to Acapulco to start the cruise. Our O cruise started in San Pedro (Los Angeles). We also thought the ports for the O cruise met our interests better.

 

We are glad to see the positive reviews coming in for Az. We would not hesitate to book either line and would probably look at the same factors we did this last time to help us make the choice.

 

Az appears to be doing lots of marketing as of late -- they ran a full page ad in the Green Valley News a couple of days ago.

[LewiLewi]

We have just returned from a trip on the Oceania Insignia. It was outstanding in every way. The food was the best we have ever had on a cruise ship and the service was fantastic; they couldn't do enough for you. there was no extra charge to eat in the specialty restaurants, and we could order Maine lobster every nite if we wished to.

How does the Azamara measure up to Oceania. I know they both were once part of the Renaissance fleet. we are thinking of booking a cruise with Azamara.

Any information would be appreciated.

[Napi's Mom]

We have just returned from a trip on the Oceania Insignia. It was outstanding in every way. The food was the best we have ever had on a cruise ship and the service was fantastic; they couldn't do enough for you. there was no extra charge to eat in the specialty restaurants, and we could order Maine lobster every nite if we wished to.

How does the Azamara measure up to Oceania. I know they both were once part of the Renaissance fleet. we are thinking of booking a cruise with Azamara.

Any information would be appreciated.

In many ways they are very comparable, we've done both...Azamara last, and in ordinary cabins you get treated like the Concierge passengers on "O", you get those huge fluffy towels..(Nothing compare on "O", We loved both cruises and they are very much alike, especially if A is now providing air (tho it's still sometimes cheaper to take a discount and do own air, and those Hotel pkg. on "O" are outrageous!) For a new line it's really doing well....

[Jancruz]

I agree, I cant believe how much Azamara has improved and how open they are to new ideas..In fact, I will be going on Aza in July..I will join the roll call as soon as I decide which one..it would be fun if some of you would come with me and we might have a Q and A with the staff..

Jancruz1

[Napi's Mom]

I agree, I cant believe how much Azamara has improved and how open they are to new ideas..In fact, I will be going on Aza in July..I will join the roll call as soon as I decide which one..it would be fun if some of you would come with me and we might have a Q and A with the staff..

Jancruz1

We'd love to be on Aza for our New Z/Aus cruise Jan 09,(or "O") but cost was prohibitive for us on a fixed income, and had to settle for Millennium, that has the best prices and itinerary and seemingly superior service.Now also the no smoking policy! "Our TA Rickey" has done well for us, I've managed to get an aft Accessible room, I'm not in a wheelchair but definitely need a handicapped bath. Next cruise will hopefully be back on one of our favorite "R" ships.

[dabear]

We've been on both O and A (most recently on the Journey SA cruise 2/27/08), and both are very comparable. I thought the food was slightly more creative on O but my wife liked A's food better. I would book either based upon price and itinerary. PS both lines are over priced on the excusions.

[Napi's Mom]

We've been on both O and A (most recently on the Journey SA cruise 2/27/08), and both are very comparable. I thought the food was slightly more creative on O but my wife liked A's food better. I would book either based upon price and itinerary. PS both lines are over priced on the excusions.

You are completely correct about any of the extras for either line, except the transfers on Aza. were much more reasonable than"O". Shoretrips are really very out of line and not particularly good either on either line! As stated before, the Hotel Pkg. are so very far out of line, more pp than the same hotels charge (sometimes double) if you do your own reservations, for both persons at the same hotel.

[Mexfolkart]

Is there a library on the Journey? We have loved the library on the Insignia! Thanks for any info..

S&K

[LuAnn]

We just returned from our first time cruising and it was with Oceania. We loved it and looked into the Panama Canal cruise but the cabins we wanted are taken already. I looked into Azamara and the price point is great but I have reservations regarding their policy with bringing alcohol on board. We like to have a cocktail/wine in our stateroom and Azamara only allows you two bottles of wine for the entire cruise. I know that sounds petty but I like to relax on the verandah with a drink without having to go to the bar or calling room service. Also there is no "happy hour" as there is on Oceania. If Azamara would make the change I would jump ship.

 

 

We brought on 2 bottles of wine at each port and there were no questions and/or problems..there is no "happy hour" but they do have a drink of the day..which I believe is $6.00 plus the 18% tip...LuAnn