X Cruisers considering an Azamara

[BOB AND PINKIE]

We are healthy, young at heart Chicago grandparents, long time X cruisers.

Mostly Carribean, with one cruise in the Med .

Thinking about Jounrney Baltic cruise in Summer of 2010.

TA recommended because of extra day in St. Petersburg.

Any tips, comments advice, etc. etc.

Thanks in advance for your help

[LuAnn]

We love AZ and have cruised on Journey twice. The staff and crew are excellent and very personable. And I think you will enjoy the Baltic cruise...it is one of our favorites. And having as much time in St. Petes as possible is a real plus. Some of the best food we have ever had on a cruise ship has been on AZ and we like the size of the ship! LuAnn

[Susan-M]

I think your TA has made an excellent recommendation ... we loved our Baltic cruise (with Cunard), have been very pleased with Celebrity, but feel that Azamara is a better fit for us.

 

Some of the things we really enjoyed with Azamara:

 

• The port intensive itinerary.
  
• No formal nights, but people were dressed nicely in 'country club casual' attire.
  
• Anytime dining, and 4 excellent choices for dining at dinner time (including two specialty restaurants that only have a $5./pp suggested gratuity ... i.e. not the $30. charge that Celebrity has.) Food was delicious in all restaurants!
  
• Almost completely non-smoking ship (there are designated areas on the ship where smoking is permitted).
  
• Ours was an 'adults only' cruise (there are no childen's programs.)
  
• The small size of the ship and ease of disembarking with less than 700 passengers.
  
• Very nice decor throughout the ship, and in the staterooms.
  
• Friendly staff, and very good service.
  

[BOB AND PINKIE]

Thanx for all of your help so far

BTW ,usually take a balcony, but thinking about just an outside cabin due to nature of the trip. Rather spend the money in the ports.

[lisiamc]

I think your TA has made an excellent recommendation ... we loved our Baltic cruise (with Cunard), have been very pleased with Celebrity, but feel that Azamara is a better fit for us.

 

Some of the things we really enjoyed with Azamara:

 

• The port intensive itinerary.
  
• No formal nights, but people were dressed nicely in 'country club casual' attire.
  
• Anytime dining, and 4 excellent choices for dining at dinner time (including two specialty restaurants that only have a $5./pp suggested gratuity ... i.e. not the $30. charge that Celebrity has.) Food was delicious in all restaurants!
  
• Almost completely non-smoking ship (there are designated areas on the ship where smoking is permitted).
  
• Ours was an 'adults only' cruise (there are no childen's programs.)
  
• The small size of the ship and ease of disembarking with less than 700 passengers.
  
• Very nice decor throughout the ship, and in the staterooms.
  
• Friendly staff, and very good service.

Children are not actually barred, just not actively catered for, so you may have some children on your cruise. There were two on our cruise in November.

 

Lisa

[alidor]

Look at Regent cruises also. This is an upscale line, more so than Azamara, but also country club casual. Their prices include prepaid gratuities, free shore excursions, complimentary wines, beers, etc. It's pretty much an all-inclusive price. Considering shore excursions in St. Petersburg are costly, and these are included, it's a pretty good deal.

[Andy]

Hi Bob & Pinkie !

 

I feel our Cruise Critic Members gave some excellent responses, so I do not have much to add. I was on Azamara Quest a while ago, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. The food, service, and the ship were outstanding. I am confident you will enjoy Azamara as much as we did.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy your Cruise.

 

(By the way, I fixed the duplicate question/thread issue for you)

[JennAngel9]

I just wanted to specifically comment that when we did the Baltic cruise on Constellation last year, we might have used our balcony a total of 4 hours of two weeks (granted, we were on a May sailing, so the weather was a bit chilly)-- so I think the lack of balcony is not a huge deal-- on the other hand, it was sometimes very nice to be able to step out quickly and snap a shot of small coastline villages as we cruised by-- so I might suggest a cabin w/ easy access to a promenade deck or something of that sort.

 

The other main thing I would mention, after noting that I have been on the R-class ships with Princess but not yet Azamara, is that I think the switch to the smaller ships is really best for people who are capable of entertaining themselves (with things like conversation and reading) and who enjoy a bit of a quieter environment (as opposed to constantly have options of several ship run activities).

[Susan-M]

Children are not actually barred, just not actively catered for, so you may have some children on your cruise. There were two on our cruise in November.

 

Lisa

 

Lisa, thanks for clarifying that point. I did not mean to imply that it was an adult only cruise line, but rather that on our cruise, it was all adults.

[Project_gal]

I think the switch to the smaller ships is really best for people who are capable of entertaining themselves (with things like conversation ...

 

Yes, that's true. On the smaller ship, we found you made friends more quickly and were more likely to meet up with them by chance so you do spend more time in conversation. We really enjoyed this aspect.

 

Sue

[clivep]

Lisa, thanks for clarifying that point. I did not mean to imply that it was an adult only cruise line, but rather that on our cruise, it was all adults.

 

Our cruise on the Journey in April was indeed advertised as being adults only.

[Susan-M]

Our cruise on the Journey in April was indeed advertised as being adults only.

 

Was it a private charter?

 

As per Azamara's website, FAQ section:

 

 

Azamara Cruises welcomes guests of all ages, however, no formal children's programming, youth staff, or dedicated youth facility are available onboard.

[BOB AND PINKIE]

Thanx for all of you help, folks

Really appreciate it.

Sounds like it will worth the additional cost as opposed to X

Any further comments would, of course , be welcomed.

[clivep]

Was it a private charter?

 

As per Azamara's website, FAQ section:

 

My apologies, please disregard my post. Last month I was looking at a cruise on the P&O Arcadia and I now realize that it is this ship that is adults only and not the cruise we had on the Journey.

 

However, it is true to say that I cannot remember there being any children on board but of course it was outside of the school holidays.