SE Asia December 16th, 2008 Cruise Review (Long)

[crzfanatic]

December 16 – January 3rd SE Asia Cruise on Azamara Quest

Singapore to Hong Kong

 

We had booked this cruise while on the Journey to Bermuda in 2007 so had a long, long time to anticipate this trip.

 

We flew to Singapore and got in around midnight the first day of the cruise. The ship was staying overnight in Singapore so we really only missed the mass check-in and getting acquainted with the ship but since we had already been on Journey, we knew the ship well already.

 

Check-in in the middle of the night was somewhat confusing. There was some hassle in the security area of the port but we were finally escorted to the ship by a crew member who was coming back on board from being out on the town. We had no problem getting on the ship (they didn’t even screen our luggage) and we were shown to the reception desk. A not very friendly night-shift desk clerk checked us in and we were shown to our cabin, 7090, and unpacked.

 

Since we had been traveling for 24 hours (from Washington, DC), we were tired and soon went to bed. After only about 3 hours of sleep, I was awake and ready to start my day.

We had a nice tour of Singapore and soon it was ready for the actual sail away. Not really much of a to-do on sail away, the band was very low-key.

 

The ship is in great shape and looked much better to us than the Journey the year before. Either the Quest is in better shape or Azamara has had time to get things in good shape since then. I though that the Looking Glass lounge in particular looked a lot better than what I remembered on Journey, also the Cabaret Lounge.

 

The ship is a good size for such a long cruise and it was never any problem getting around. Being a smoker, it was a short walk to the smoking area where I immediately met many new friends. Since the make-up of this cruise was definitely mostly not Americans, there were plenty of smokers to keep me company although I never heard any complaints about the smoking policy.

 

I would say that the majority of the passengers were from the UK, probably at least 30%. There were about 20% Americans, maybe 10% Australians and the rest Europeans. There were almost no Asians aboard which surprised us because of the itinerary. I mean no disrespect to other Americans, but it was refreshing to us not to be in the majority, as the passengers were generally well behaved and dressed appropriately. That said, the make-up of the passengers did seem to cause some grumbling about tipping policies since almost all countries other than the US have tips included for most services.

 

The itinerary was fantastic and I felt that even though it was the first time in all the ports we went to, everything was handled well and went smoothly (I won’t get into the ports since that is very subjective, but we enjoyed them all). We only went on 4 ship-sponsored tours and they were typically not very good. We have finally learned our lesson and will take care of our own tours in the future.

 

One huge complaint from us, and almost everyone on board ,was that the ship was docked in container ports for the most part and you either weren’t allowed to walk out on your own or there was absolutely nothing near the ship that you would want to walk to. We certainly understood that most of these ports are not used to a lot of cruises but we, and everyone we talked to, seemed to feel that a complementary shuttle would have been nice and, indeed appropriate, for these out of the way ports. As it was, you needed to purchase shuttle tickets almost everywhere at $8.00 per guest per day. We ended up not using several of these pre-purchased tickets (you don’t need to pre-purchase) and they were non-refundable. This was a small annoyance however and at least the shuttles were there, even if they weren’t complementary.

 

One complaint worth mentioning about this though is when we were docked in Ha Long Bay, we had arranged our own overnight trip into Hanoi (at least 3 hours away) and had a car and driver from our hotel pick us up at the port. The car was not allowed into the port area (although plenty of non-ship sponsored tours were) and while that in itself was no big deal, we didn’t like having to walk about ½ mile to the port entrance to our waiting car. There was no shuttle even to the port entrance and many, many people had made their own arrangements. We also had to walk the ½ mile trek back to the ship upon our return from Hanoi. While this wasn’t a big deal for us as we are relatively mobile, it would have been a huge problem for anyone with mobility issues.

 

The restaurants and the food were incredible! The Discoveries dining room (the main dining room) was always excellent and had terrific service. We never had a problem getting a table right away and we dined between 7 and 8:30 pm. We had a table for 2 every night except for one when we dined with some friends and we were usually in and out within an hour (which we appreciated). Of course, when dining with our friends, it took over 2 hours but that is to be expected. We did hear many complaints from others who sat at large tables that it took too long though.

 

We only ate once in Aqualina and found it to be not as good as we remembered from our Journey cruise. We did have one excellent dinner in Prime C though but the general consensus was that the optional dining was really no better than Discoveries (really just a complement to Discoveries since the food was excellent everywhere). We ate several dinners at Breeza just to get away from the formality and enjoyed dining outside on these occasions. The breakfast and lunch buffets were uniformly good and all we can say on reflection is that 18 nights is too long to eat so well. We managed not to gain any weight but we felt we were eating at least twice as much as we do at home. What else are vacations for anyway!

 

The entertainment was a constant source of complaint from many passengers not familiar with the Celebrity style of entertainment. We found it to be OK and better than we had on Journey. The singers and dancers were all very good but lacked innovative material. They had a special Italian singer on board for part of the cruise and he was pretty good. They also had a pretty famous Pianist (his name escapes me at the moment) who was the highlight of the entertainment for us. The obligatory harpist was also present. We really didn’t like the cruise director (Tony) at all though; he seemed unbelievably fake and full of himself.

 

The service in the dining rooms was excellent, we never felt like they were treating us the least bit differently because of the open seating. Our cabin attendant and butler were fine, although I didn’t meet the butler until something like the 5th day and even then, he didn’t really introduce himself. The ships officers were always around and very friendly, most of them came to the Cruise Critic party on the second night of the cruise. This was a very nice affair with champagne and canapés. I have to say that the general staff that you would run into around the ship were not as friendly as I have experienced on other Celebrity cruises though.

 

I was disappointed in the Christmas decorations. The main staircase was a bit over-the-top, while the rest of the ship was somewhat pitiful. There wasn’t much made of Christmas itself other than a tired Christmas show and a free Azamara tote handed out to every cabin by the butlers. New Year’s eve was much more fun and since the ship was in the middle of a pretty bad Winter Monsoon, the ship was really rocking and rolling which only helped make it more fun. It was a riot watching people try to dance with this rough weather and you couldn’t tell who was drunk or not since everyone was weaving when they walked.

 

Unfortunately, almost the entire second half of the cruise was either cloudy, rainy or rough (or a combination of all three!). While this was certainly not Azamara’s fault, I wished that I had not put off lying in the sun more when I had the chance. Many people were sea-sick and we were very grateful that this is not something that affects us. There were also a few isolated incidences of Noro-virus on board but that seems to be the case on almost every cruise. It certainly was not out of hand.

 

We did use the ship’s self-serve laundry for one load during the cruise (it was right down the hall from our cabin) but some people seemed to spend a lot of time in there as it was always busy and the source of some unpleasantness between some passengers. We used the ship’s laundry service most of the time and although expensive, it was worth it not to have to fight for a washer and dryer.

 

Our balcony cabin was fine for the 18 nights and although the storage was a tad tight, we managed. We of course knew what the cabins were like from our previous Journey cruise but still feel that the cabins on the other Celebrity ships are much nicer, particularly the bathrooms.

 

I have to say that I prefer a larger ship and although we never felt cramped or particularly bored on this cruise, it would have been nice to have more options available on the ship. The size of the ship was a big plus in the ports we were able to access though. Sailing all the way up the river to Bangkok, and Saigon was great and we only had to tender at two ports.

 

The disembarkation was handled beautifully and I don’t think I have ever had a smoother one.

 

This cruise was all that we had hoped for with very few exceptions. Azamara has a fine product and we would happily sail with them anytime. I do think that the food is the only major difference between Azamara and Celebrity though with Azamara being a notch above. The ships themselves are not nearly as nice as any other Celebrity ship and although the size is nice, it certainly doesn’t feel more up-scale to me.

 

Although we were worried that 18 nights might be too long to be on a cruise, we were sad to leave once docked in Hong Kong. We met many wonderful new friends from around the world and will cherish the memory of this cruise the rest of our lives.

[Neefy]

Thank you for your coprehensive review. My wife and I are due to join the Quest in Singapore in April for her return voyageto Europe. You mention her having docked at several container ports: may we take it that this did not apply to Singapore?

[uktog]

Thanks for this very helpful review - we are doing this trip next week so your post was timely. We have some ships excursions booked - do you mind sharing which ones you went on and why they did not hit the mark as we still have time to cancel (the excursions that is not the cruise!!!!!!!!!)

[crzfanatic]

Thank you for your coprehensive review. My wife and I are due to join the Quest in Singapore in April for her return voyageto Europe. You mention her having docked at several container ports: may we take it that this did not apply to Singapore?

 

You are correct, in Singapore the port is next to a shopping mall (not a very nice one however) and you can get cabs where you need to go with no problem.

 

Andy

[crzfanatic]

Thanks for this very helpful review - we are doing this trip next week so your post was timely. We have some ships excursions booked - do you mind sharing which ones you went on and why they did not hit the mark as we still have time to cancel (the excursions that is not the cruise!!!!!!!!!)

 

Your sailing is very similar to ours with just a few less ports. Singapore, do on your own, the ship is very conveniently located. Bangkok we have been to many times so did that on our own, if you have never been there it might be worth booking a tour. Cambodia, they did have a free shuttle into town (not much to see there) and we just went to the Sokha Beach resort on our own (a beautiful spot). It looked like the Sokha had their own shuttle from the ship though so you could do that. In Saigon we took a half day tour that was OK but if we had to do over again would just take the shuttle into town (about a half hour ride) and see the sights from there. The only really interesting part (in my opinion) of Saigon is within walking distance of the shuttle drop-off at the Rex Hotel. In Danang, we took a tour to Hoi An, a spot I would highly recommend. The tour was fine but you would have no problem finding someone at the dock to take you and would probably enjoy it more. We spent the night in Hanoi at the Metropole Hotel, it was fabulous and made the 3 plus hours each way not so bad. The people who we talked to who took the all day tour didn't have much nice to say about it. Too far to go for one day. Hong Kong is really easy to get around on your own and was one of the highlights of the trip.

Hope this helps.

Andy

[critterchick]

Thank you for your review! We were on Journey for New Year's Eve, and the wind made everybody stagger, too!:)

[Susan-M]

Hi Andy,

Great review ... and glad to hear that you had such a good time!

 

When you were at Halong Bay, do you know why some non-ship tour vehicles were allowed into the port, but your driver was not?

 

I was surprised at your comment about Quest not being as nice as any Celebrity ships and guess that we've missed cruising on some of Celebrity's nicer ships... have only been on Millennium, Xpedition and Zenith. Our cabin (1A) on Quest had the nicest decor, bedding, drapes of any of the cruises we've taken (although we're only at 7 so far) and it was in the best condition also (no wear and tear). The dining rooms on Quest were also very elegant, the library beautiful, loved the padded lounge chairs by the pool ... I was pretty 'wowed' by how lovely it all was!

[crzfanatic]

Hi Andy,

Great review ... and glad to hear that you had such a good time!

 

When you were at Halong Bay, do you know why some non-ship tour vehicles were allowed into the port, but your driver was not?

 

I was surprised at your comment about Quest not being as nice as any Celebrity ships and guess that we've missed cruising on some of Celebrity's nicer ships... have only been on Millennium, Xpedition and Zenith. Our cabin (1A) on Quest had the nicest decor, bedding, drapes of any of the cruises we've taken (although we're only at 7 so far) and it was in the best condition also (no wear and tear). The dining rooms on Quest were also very elegant, the library beautiful, loved the padded lounge chairs by the pool ... I was pretty 'wowed' by how lovely it all was!

 

Susan, apparently the cars and vans allowed into the port at Halong Bay had to register beforehand. We can understand that but were confused as to why we were not allowed back in to be dropped off since we had our seapass cards and documentation. No big deal but it would have been nice if Azamara had some sort of shuttle since the entrance was so far away.

 

As far as my preference for the other Celebrity ships, I guess it is to each his own. I prefer a more modern, sophisticated decor and in fact, Millennium was my favorite so far! Of course the Azamara ships are elegant and beautiful, just a bit too traditional in decor for me. I'm sure many people would prefer them and I should have mentioned my preference in my review.

 

Thanks for the comments,

Andy

[Susan-M]

Susan, apparently the cars and vans allowed into the port at Halong Bay had to register beforehand. We can understand that but were confused as to why we were not allowed back in to be dropped off since we had our seapass cards and documentation. No big deal but it would have been nice if Azamara had some sort of shuttle since the entrance was so far away.

 

 

Hi Andy,

 

We had the same experience in Alexandria, but we didn't know that our driver couldn't come in ... we thought he was a 'no show', until another driver kindly called our guide for us. They could not bring us back into the port either ... about a 1/2 mile walk there as well.

[shoshona2]

We had the same experience when we started our cruise in Beijing several years ago. The only way our driver could get into the port area was to have a pass which cost us only about $8.00. Good thing we knew about it from some poster on Cruise Critic or we would have had to carry our bags from the gate to the ship.

 

Sheila

[Jayayeff]

Thank very much for posting your review and follow-up info, I too am on the Jan 17th sailing from Singapore to Hong Kong and as uktog already said - this info was exactly what we needed. I now have a much better idea of what to do where, etc. from having read your posts....

 

Anne

[tobes]

I also was on the 12/16 sailing. I agree with the above cruiser that the ship was no more up scale then any other and I also like some of the other Celebrity ships better. The butler is just another name for cabin steward. I thought the food was good everywhere EXCEPT the main dining room. I especially liked Prime C. There is no problem eating anywhere at pretty much any time you want. I did all ship excursions including the two overnights offered and loved every one of them. We had great guides with one exception. They were knowledgeable and spoke beautiful English. I found the staff to be attentive, friendly and helpful but agree that the cruise director was "not great." I also thought that the arrangements on the excursions could use some fine tuning i.e. staggering lunch times so that local restaurants were not overwhelmed with many buses arriving at the same time. It would have been nice if there were more laundry facilities especially since we had very hot, humid weather. Overall, I had a great time, loved the itinerary and am happy to answer any questions. Judy:)

[Neefy]

Andy,

Thanks forthe info. on Singapore.

Best wishes,

Peter (Neefy).

[uktog]

Judy

Thanks for your input

Which excursions did you go on? I am still working through my plans

A

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks for the review Jim. We will be doing this cruise next February and hope that Azamara learns some things from your comments and can fix them for next year. We have been on the Tahitian princess which is a sister to the Journey and Quest and enjoyed the smaller size and classic style; but we also loved the Solstice class. I guess we just love to be on a cruise ship. :)

 

I have been anxiously awaiting reviews from this years cruises, so I was thrilled to read yours. You provided me with some very good info that I will put to good use. Which port other than Halong Bay did you have to tender to?

[tobes]

I was with friends and we all chose different excursions but everyone enjoyed what they did so you probably can't go wrong. That being said, I will tell you the ones I particularly enjoyed. I'm not sure if your cruise hits the same ports as mine. I went to the Batu caves in Kuala Lumpur. Besides the fact that the caves are amazing, the climb up was an experience since the tourists share the stairs with the monkeys who love to grab hats, water bottles or anything else that might grab their attention. In Bangkok, I loved the water taxi in the canals to see the scenery, the Temple of Dawn and the Grand Palace. The overnight to Angkor Wat was the highlight of the trip for me. Just amazing! The traffic in all of the ports in Vietnam was an experience in itself. I probably took more pictures of the traffic then I did of the sights. I thought the Cu Chi tunnels were a fascinating, albeit painful, reminder of that time in history. Don't miss Hoi An in Da Nang, very charming. Some of the city tours were interesting, just not very exciting. All the tours I took included lunch at local restaurants and it was always fun to try the local cuisine. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Judy

Thanks for your input

Which excursions did you go on? I am still working through my plans

A

[larlmonkey]

My wife and I are flying to Singapore on Thursday 15th.Jan.to join Quest.

We could do with the actual ports names as we are trying to do our own thing but cannot get the information.

Also any info. on getting to Hanoi and a handy hotel there would be useful. Thanks-Stewart

[Shelly&Jack]

My wife and I are flying to Singapore on Thursday 15th.Jan.to join Quest.

We could do with the actual ports names as we are trying to do our own thing but cannot get the information.

Also any info. on getting to Hanoi and a handy hotel there would be useful. Thanks-Stewart

Stewart, Please join us on the 17 Jan. 2009 Azamara Quest Roll Call for S.E. Asia. The CC message board is at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=565788 . If you have any particular questions about our ports of call, feel free to ask them on that message board. One member is looking for another couple to share in the cost of a tour to Hanoi with an overnight in a hotel. She has already booked the tour service.

[Reneemia37]

Hello Stewart:

 

We are doing an overnight to Hanoi and would be happy to forward you the info or speak in person since time is of the essence. My number is 786 264 1982 . Will be home this evening, so if you are interested let me know. Renee

[Andy]

Hi Crzfanatic !

 

Thank you for your excellent review, and Welcome Home !

[tobes]

port kelang, malaysia

klong toey, bangkok

lotus port, ho chi minh city

 

fyi : the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo was a lot of fun and its much more than just a zoo and the Sheraton Hanoi was lovely:)

 

 

My wife and I are flying to Singapore on Thursday 15th.Jan.to join Quest.

We could do with the actual ports names as we are trying to do our own thing but cannot get the information.

Also any info. on getting to Hanoi and a handy hotel there would be useful. Thanks-Stewart

[uktog]

sill question I know tobes but could you avoid seeing the snakes at the night zoo??

[tobes]

I don't remember seeing snakes but we did watch people putting their feet in tanks of leeches to get rid of dry skin. Now that was a sight!

 

 

 

sill question I know tobes but could you avoid seeing the snakes at the night zoo??

[uktog]

Thanks a lot for the quick response - I wanted to go to the Night Zoo but have a very big fear of snakes

[larlmonkey]

Thanks Renee my e.mail is larlmonkey@yahoo.co.uk

 

Stewart