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Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara #237539 05/05/13 02:43 PM
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Fogmalkin Offline OP
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Mark and I have just returned from our first cruise with Azamara. We were 14 days on the Journey from Singapore to Mumbai. The ports were very similar to Regent's TAJ cruise with stops in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cochin, and Goa. We used mileage to fly Cathay Pacific biz on our way over and Asiana biz on the return. We overnighted on our own at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai post cruise opting NOT do the Taj this trip but to return when it was cooler. It was stinking hot...

This is not meant to be a full review, but more passing thoughts and some comparisons to past cruises. Very happy to answer questions.

The ship is one of two in the line, both former "R" class ships (the R6 and R7) built in 2000 and 2001. They carry 694 guests are are roughly the size of the Regent Navigator. We sailed with about 570 pax. There was talk on board that Azamara is to add another ship in the nearish future.

I had originally booked TAJ MAHAL on the Voyager, but cancelled for a number of reasons and was looking for a similar itinerary. I had heard good things about Azamara so this seemed to fit the bill. As a "test" I booked a veranda stateroom at 175 square feet with a 40 sq. foot veranda as opposed to a suite at 266 sq. feet with a 60 foot veranda. Mark and I are rarely in the stateroom so I thought I would try something smaller to see if we could manage. There was plenty of room for us. Ample storage under the bed for luggage, two large sized closets with drawers, the usual love seat, chair and vanity and most things we are used to finding in a suite. The bathroom was small and probably not designed for two people to be using it at a time. We did not have a bathtub just a shower (with curtain) which could be a tad small for some people (think Song of Flower). We were quite satisfied with the space as it's easy to adjust to whatever you have. I won't compare our per diem of $250 with that of TAJ as it's apples to oranges, but we felt it was exceedingly good value.

Azamara was going "more inclusive" alcohol-wise two cruises after ours, so we were on the old plan which was wine included with lunch and dinner. Drink packages were being pushed the first day which was mildly annoying. There were at least two daily pouring wines and you could request one from a previous service. The pours were generous and our glasses were rarely empty for long. Before dinner we like a couple glasses of bubbly so we popped for that and maybe a glass of vino after dinner when we were dancing.

For the most part we found the food in Discoveries, the main dining room, to be on a par with Regent, Silversea and Seabourn quality and choice-wise. We've had highs and lows on all cruises. Breakfast and lunch could be in Windows the buffet or Discoveries. Windows is the casual evening option in addition to two specialty restaurants which charge a $25 fee if you are not in one of the suites. We tried both, Aqualina is the Mediterranean inspired restaurant and Prime C the steakhouse. Mark kept calling it Prime 7 to everyones confusion. We both had the best rack of lamb of our life at Prime C. Superb presentation and taste. There were also three special themed dinners (French, Italian and Californian) offered at $95 for 7 courses with paired wines which were limited to 12 people in an intimate setting at a special table in Prime C. We attended the French and Calif one. Each course was introduced by the chef and wines explained by the head Sommelier and had an officer in attendance. They were truly fit for foodies and lasted 3 plus hours which included a couple of flutes of Perrier Jouet before we sat down. Not something for everyone, but we enjoyed them.

Our fellow passengers were quite well traveled and about the same age bracket we are used to on previous cruises. There was a large group of Canadian physicians doing a continuing education class onboard and over 100 Australians and as many Brits. I felt like we were in the minority as Americans. Many of our fellow travelers were university educators. Most were avid cruisers with a large number of repeat pax.

We tend to dine late (and long) and missed every show so cannot comment on the main stage entertainment. There was a guitarist and a pianist who played before and after dinner, but sadly no vocalists outside the show. I noted that as a negative on my comment card. The band made two appearances outside of the shows, one at a jazz brunch and the other at a sailaway. They could be utilized more. There was a DJ in the evenings until late. There were tons of onboard activities in the day time even in port. If you like trivia this was heaven! Morning trivia, afternoon trivia, name that song, visual trivia (from national flags to being shown the label on a bottle of beer and having to guess what country it's from), tri-bond (figure out what three things all have in common) and lots of other games. I'd move from activity to activity while Mark read a book in the library. There seemed to be lots of events for past passengers.

The general decor of the ship is quite different from the "usual" luxe lines. It was more intimate and clubby with richer colors and number of faux fireplaces. It was not glitzy. There was quite a nice library with big comfy chairs. The casino was larger than I expected. The shops were managed by the same company that is currently handling Regent's boutiques as I recognized the same "stuff". There was a photographer onboard but no art auctions. Mosaic cafe was a larger equivalent of the coffee corner.

We met some very nice people and will keep in touch with a number of them. I often started the conversation with "This is our first cruise with Azamara" and was asked how I was enjoying it. For the most part it appeared that people had moved "up" from RCC or Celebrity to Azamara. We only met a few people who had done Regent, Silversea or Seabourn. When they heard we had a number of cruises with all three we were asked how they compared. It took me a couple days to figure out the immediate differences other than price. The bathrooms are not as large and plush (no granite/marble) and do not have designer bath products. I did not see any caviar or foie gras on menus though there was a caviar bar for a price. Rack of lamb was not served as often in the main dining room. Stuff like that. For once my bags were not over-weight with bath goodies on my return flights. You do pay for those differences.

Sadly, Regent is no longer my cruise line of choice as the included excursions just do not work for us. We either like to do our own thing, arrange private excursions in favor of the large coaches or at least like to have a choice. Azamara had a program where excursions were 50% off if paid for at least four days before boarding (it will become 25% off shortly). We took three ship's excursions and I'm sure they were handled by the same companies that did the ones on TAJ MAHAL. They were "fine", but large coach tours. We also had five private excursions. In Sri Lanka we visited the elephant orphanage, Kandy, and a few other sites all in one day combining three ship's tours. It was VERY long (from 8am returning to the ship at midnight) but it was designed by us to maximize our time. We knew what we were getting into. Sure we had to pay for our entrances and meals separately but the tour for that day with air conditioned van, driver and guide was $40 per person. We saw things no one on the ship saw. Staying late in Kandy we entered the Temple of the Tooth just before it was closed for worshipers only. There was drumming and horns and pilgrims bringing offering and almost no tourists. There was a folkloric show on the ship but we had the real deal with fire-walking. Doubt they had that out on deck. The next day was to Galle and Colombo. Five of us for $40 each from 9 to about 7 (because we took a very long and leisurely lunch by our choice). In Cochin there were eight of us for our walking tour of Fort Kochi and a four hour houseboat cruise on the back waters with lunch at $85 per person. The guides called us by name. When we wanted a "rest stop" we asked. No waiting for someone in the gift shop. ATM stop? Sure! When we wanted to linger we stayed, when we wanted to move on we did.

Service on board the ship was spectacular!! On a par with and often superior to any I've experienced. The friendly crew went out of their way to please and couldn't do enough for you. It reminded me of the Song of Flower. Service in the dining room was much better than my last few Regent cruises due to better training and simply more staff. Our room steward and his assistant were delightful. Officers were quite visible and stopped to chat. Everyone seemed relaxed and happy.

A negative in my mind is that although all gratuities are included there was a line on the tab on our purchased drinks for "additional" gratuity. It made me feel like I was stiffing the server if I didn't leave anything. With the new alcohol policy that may go away if there's no bill. We tried to list the people who offered outstanding service on our comment cards as we always do.

Would we cruise Azamara again? I did an onboard booking on a spring crossing in 2014. Very flexible policy. There was a current special of book an inside stateroom and get a veranda stateroom (a real 2 category upgrade) as well as 50% less deposit. We paid a total of $550 for both of us which gives us $400 off. We can bump it to any other cruise as many times as we want and if we want to cancel outright at least 91 days before sailing we get our deposit back less a fee of $25 per person. That policy will not keep me awake at night, kind of a no-brainer.

Will Azamara become our line of choice? Who knows. Most likely I will stay with the smaller luxe lines and I will always book by itinerary and price but it's nice to have more choices. Azamara is going up in price, but isn't everyone? Seabourn has great sales. Since Mark retired we can take advantage of last minute deals.

Sorry to be so verbose. This became much wordier than I had planned. Questions??


Suzanne
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237540 05/05/13 03:25 PM
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Thanks Suzanne for the very thorough and interesting review and comparison.

Suzanne, you mentioned the relatively low per diem for the suite that you booked. Do you know roughly how much the per diem would have been for the more comparable (to Regent) suite with a verandah? I assume that suite is similar to the PH suites on Oceania's R-class ships.

-----------------

Eugene

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237541 05/05/13 03:34 PM
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Wow, Suzanne. Great review. Boy did you hit our buttons on included excursions. We're with you too on choice of cruise lines and we do so hope to be with you, literally, on a future cruise.

Pat

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237542 05/05/13 03:55 PM
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Fogmalkin Offline OP
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Eugene,

As I recall the per diem for the suites was roughly about $100 more a day, so under $350. (The per diem I quoted was before our B&K discount so it was more like $235). The suites included an in-room bar set up and various other perks including unlimited (and free) reservations at the specialty restaurants, and butler service with afternoon hors d', etc. Yes, similar, if not exactly the same as the PH suites Oceania's R-class ships.

Yes, Pat!! We've got to find an itinerary that works for us!


Suzanne
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Island Cruiser] #237543 05/05/13 03:57 PM
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Suzanne, great insight. Probably, to me, the most important, was the description of your private tour to Kandy. Regent did not even offer a tour to Kandy (at least not in advance) which, to me, is a great negative of included excursions (i.e., your only choices are the ones that are given to you).

We will try Azamara some day as we, too, have found we can live with a little less space.

Marc



Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237544 05/05/13 04:19 PM
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Thanks Suzanne for the great comparison. We got terribly bored with the included excursions. As great a time as we had on Taj, the organization around the excursions was awful and made it seem like a mass line with lots of waiting. We bit the bullet and paid for our own private days a couple of times and it was so much better. As much as we love Regent (everything else was fine) we are also now looking for alternatives.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: sedona] #237545 05/05/13 04:20 PM
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Hi Suzanne, as you told us a week ago, you would provide some comments on LCT about Mark and your first Azamara voyage. Boy, did you--thanks so much for a superb overview. Azamara, along with Silversea is now on our radar for 2015. Alas, Regent with its 2013/2014 multiple nickle and dime policies in place, now sails without us for good this year and beyond (esp with Mark Conroy's end of January departure (IMO, involuntary). Again thanks for taking the time--also loved Mark and your Azamara facebook pix

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237546 05/05/13 04:32 PM
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I sure hope Regent is reading these comments and listening to the almost universal dislike of the included excursions.

Azamara will definitely get an try from us at some point.


Arlene
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Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237548 05/05/13 05:06 PM
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Fogmalkin Offline OP
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Marc,

The suites on Azamara are a little larger than Mariner's entry level deluxe suite, so you don't have to down-size to save $$.

I agree with whoever grades the ships. Azamara is a 5.5 and Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Crystal are a 6. It is nice to have choices!!


Suzanne
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237549 05/05/13 05:15 PM
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Arlene, I do so wish you were correct on the included excursions issue. But it is my impression that included excursions has attracted lots of new business to Regent. Those of us who are long-timers may not like it because we have experienced the difference in the total Regent experience, but the newcomers, I fear, love included excursions. Pat

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237550 05/05/13 05:33 PM
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Thanks Suzanne for that Great Review. I have had questions about Azamara for quite a while now. I am in total agreement with the included excursions that Regent does now, our tab was over $1k when we were in Australia and everything was a tiresome bus tour so we like other options as well.

Regent and Azamara have similar ports in the Med in October, but we are leaning towards Azamara because they have overnights in great ports like Sorrento and Capri.

We have been Very happy with our past two Silversea cruises and look forward to trying Azamara at some point.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237551 05/05/13 09:22 PM
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Thanks Suzanne, We've done 2 Azamara cruises, the first in a window cabin and the second in a suite. The window cabin had enough room for us, but it is nice to have a balcony, The suite was nice, but the extra $1000.00 for a 14 day cruise is more than we would spend on the specialty restaurants and we don't need the butler, so we opted for a standard balcony cabin on the 2014 crossing to Nice. Is that the one you booked? We agree with your opinions on Azamara and we also missed the all inclusive which began on the cruise after we debarked. The all inclusive is for more like well drinks but upgrades such as Grey Goose will be only around $4.00. We also agree that the food & service was equal to or better than Regent. We special ordered steak tartar 3 times (in different restaurants) and it was wonderful. We're done with Regent unless they make some significant changes and Azamara is definitely going to be one of our main lines.
Jim & Pat

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237552 05/06/13 01:38 AM
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Marc, I think that in the end Regent did offer a tour to Kandy, but I'm not 100% sure because it was a very long excursion and we didn't pursue it. However, as Andi mentioned, the organization (or lack of it) around the way excursions was handled was terrible. Almost every day--and TAJ was a port-intensive cruise--the procedure was a little different, and almost all the passengers were grumbling about the waste of time and poor logistics. The excursions themselves were almost uniformly good despite the coaches. But it's hard to beat private tours if you don't mind arranging them.

--------------------

Eugene

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237553 05/06/13 01:49 AM
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Thanks Suzanne, I always appreciate reviews of different cruising options. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but after our last cruise on Regent, I find I'm just not as satisfied as I use to be with their product. Even though I had a great time, the same old itineraries, the bus excursions, limited restaurant options, ship wide 6pm dress codes, and so-so entertainment just doesn't seem to live up to the cost. In my humble opinion, Regent seems to be catering to a generation that doesn't seem to include people who also wants first class, luxury experiences but with some restaurant and after hour entertainment options with a more casual/fun attitude that may attract more passenger participation. Surely there must be more than trivia that passengers can enjoy. Right now, we are sticking to land trips until we can find a cruising option that fits our desires.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237554 05/06/13 03:20 AM
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Great review Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to post your observations. We too are starting to think of other options, and Azamara has been on our radar too. Regent is just starting to get a little out of our price range, and they haven't come up with much new in the way of itineraries.

Since Azamara can be booked thru BK, maybe at some point a group could organize and cruise together, which means we still have the advantage of cruising with the LCT group, but get to try some new lines. I keep looking at Seabourn and SilverSea as well, even Oceania.


JoAnn
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237555 05/06/13 04:15 AM
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Great, comprehensive review, Suzanne.

Regent didn't offer a tour to Kandy as far as I know - probably due to the time in each port, but since we couldn't tender in Galle and they moved on to Columbo maybe it would have been possible. I see you did have Galle as a stop - another reason to take a smaller ship, or maybe you had calmer seas.

I'm with you on the private excursions - we were all looking longingly at those Kerala houseboats while we were perched on our plastic chairs!


Leslie

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237556 05/06/13 04:18 AM
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Thanks Suzanne!

Have to agree about the included tours. While, for the most part, they are as good as big bus tours can be, they still are big bus tours. Not my cup of tea.

Sadly, I believe that Pat is correct. The all included tour is a great marketing thing. It is clearly putting butts in the bunks. So, I doubt that the policy will be changed any time soon.

Doug

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237558 05/06/13 05:36 AM
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Great review Suzanne. It's good to know we now have another line to choose from. It's nice to be able to choose based on price and itinerary and know that we won't be making big compromises on service. I've said it before, we didn't leave Regent; Regent left us when they went Super All Inclusive. We just cannot justify the big increase in prices when most of the increase is for the excursions that we have little desire to take.

Maybe we will have to check out the 2014 crossing.


John aka FFMilesJunkie
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Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237559 05/06/13 05:50 AM
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Great review Suzanne! So glad you enjoyed the cruise & found the service to be great. I really thought it was hyperbole when I heard the Journey had the friendliest crew at sea, but it's really true!

The special they have until the end of May book an inside & get a balcony guarantee is a great one. Hopefully more people can take advantage of it!

Royal Caribbean/Celebrity cruisers have an advantage here too as their past sailings can give you a good bump into Azamara's loyalty program. I received 4 hrs free Internet & 2 bags of free laundry on my cruise in February. There were other benefits but those are the ones I really remember!

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237560 05/06/13 05:56 AM
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Along with the above options, we also have our eye on Sea Dream Yacht club. Mainly for the on board activities, eg., nighttime movies on deck, outside on deck dinners, sleeping outside under the stars on balinese beds, small ships and different variety of ports. People I know that have taken it give it rave reviews. Cabins are smaller (we are not ones to stay in our cabins anyhow), but I am so willing to sacrifice cabin space for a better experience. Just waiting for the right itinerary to come along.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237561 05/06/13 06:01 AM
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I so hope the powers that be at Regent are reading this thread.

I love Regent but I am starting to look elsewhere. For me, the biggest issue is the included excursions, but it sure seems that unfortunately that probably won't be changed anytime soon and that is VERY disappointing to me. .


Arlene
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Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237562 05/06/13 08:45 AM
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I would agree with your statement Arlene:

I also agree with John B that we didn't leave Regent, Regent left us, and my last two disappointing cruises would support that.

As I have said in the past its great to have a travel Agent that books so many other Luxury lines and I for one are willing to give up the small perks I have obtained on Regent to save thousands of dollars and receive what I feel is far better value and service..

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237563 05/06/13 08:45 AM
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Love Sea Dream. Actually considered a cruise with them instead of the cruise I'm on now but this itinerary won out. It's like your own private yacht, especially if you enjoy time by the pool. You are usually only 2 decks away from being outside. The service is also outstanding.

Arlene, Betty will tell you we skipped more excursions than ones we did. I absolutely hated having to go & wait in the lounge for my tour to be called. Half the time you had to wait to even turn in your tour ticket.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237564 05/06/13 09:35 AM
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As I intimated earlier, the situation in the Constellation Theater for the excursions was the worst we have ever experienced. Regent was using a relatively new system. Instead of letting you obtain coach tickets for your excursion (no matter which it was), one had to wait until their specific excursion was called. Then you were supposed to get in line and get your coach tickets and then return to your seats and wait some more. I think that Regent was using this procedure in an effort to avoid people going to the coaches prematurely.

A major problem was that when you arrived at the Theater, you had no idea which excursions had been already called, so you ended up getting in line even if you weren't supposed to yet. They needed a system to let people know the minute they entered the Theater where things were at--perhaps using an overhead projector. Apparently, they also needed to allow more time for staggering the excursions. The bottom line was that it took much longer than usual to finally get on your coach to begin your excursion. There were a couple of times that I think our coach didn't actually leave until about an hour after the time listed on our ticket for arrival at the Theater. This was no way to run a luxury line. People woke up early, rushed breakfast, only to waste a lot of time waiting around for the excursions to begin. (And this wasn't because of any clearance issues with the ship.)

I realize that the ship was full and that the excursions were popular, but the process was a disaster. This was too bad because as I've said, the excursions themselves were pretty high quality with many very good guides. And I will reiterate that the post-cruise to the Taj Mahal was handled extremely well, given that more than two-thirds of the ship went on it. (Of course, the fact that Ngaire had arranged our own bus and we had a fantastic guide contributed a lot to this outcome.)

---------------------

Eugene

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237565 05/06/13 02:26 PM
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Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse here. But one of our several beefs about included excursions is the hastle they create at times at lunch hour. Almost everyone takes a morning excursion because they have paid for them. And most of the busses arrive back at the ship at the same time, usually just as CR is closing. So several hundred people converge on LV at the same time creating an impossible mess. We've seen it happen several times. The worst part of it, for us, is watching the poor LV crew running in duress to try keep up with the press. Simply awful. Did this happen on Taj?

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237566 05/06/13 03:02 PM
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It wasn't that bad on TAJ. If necessary, LV stayed open. Sometimes we actually didn't arrive in a port until an afternoon excursion was the only feasible one and they would open LV early. Despite a full ship, we never really had bad lines to contend with though a few breakfasts or lunches may have been somewhat rushed.

--------------------

Eugene

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237567 05/06/13 04:35 PM
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I think Eugene hit it right on the nose with all of his comments. We, too, found much better timing flexibility with regard to LV than on past cruises and no issues with crowds or lines. There were all sorts of special outdoor lunches, in addition, and these opened early or stayed open longer. It wasn't just hamburgers for the late arrivals from tours. The included tour lunches were also excellent. We had absolutely delicious meals at the beach resorts and others said that their non resort lunches were tasty too. The beach resort tours were top drawer and a real delight.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237568 05/06/13 09:00 PM
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Another negative change with Regent is shorter stays in port than in the past. Last fall when we spent 72 days on the Mariner, more often than not the all on board time was 3:30. They seem to becoming more port intensive with shorter cruises and many 4 hour excursions only visit 2 places for a short while and then have some time to shop.
With the new "free internet" and other incentives, it seems that we long time guests are being set aside in favor of newbies.
Jim

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237569 05/07/13 01:57 AM
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I think I am going to look into that special that is available through May 31st. Looks like a really good deal.

With a lot of you having top or close to top tier status with Regent its a shame to hear these complaints.

But I think one of the old sayings says it all, "People Vote With there FEET!!

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: FDV72] #237571 05/07/13 05:19 AM
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Thanks Suzanne for taking the time. We had a very similar opinion of our cruise on Azamara Quest from Venice to Athens a couple of years ago. We overnighted in Venice and Dubrovnik, I think Azamara is a great product and value on a par with Oceania. Regent has priced itself out of consideration for us. We have three trips booked on silver sea for not very much more than 2 would cost on Regent, kind of a no-brainer IMHO
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Helen

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237573 05/07/13 02:38 PM
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Suzanne, I really enjoyed reading your great review. It's so nice to know of other options out there. Your trip sounds like it was great....we too have been to the elephant sanctuary in Sri Lanka witha private guide, such a special day friends

Thanks again for taking the time to share great info with us!


Marcie

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237618 05/10/13 04:02 PM
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Suzanne, thanks so much for your great review, it was very informative.


Julie
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #237825 05/22/13 03:08 PM
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Again, Thanks for the great review.. Looking forward to trying Azamara in October..

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #238577 08/17/13 04:59 AM
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Good afternoon from the UK.

I had the privilege of a day visit on board Azamara Quest at Southampton yesterday. It was only researching information on the ship that I found this delightful site - every cloud has a silver lining.

I was certainly attracted to the thought of a cruise with Azamara Club Cruises having recently cruised RSS Navigator and Oceania Nautica.

We live on the Solent waterfront and watched the ship sail past yesterday evening heading for Guernsey and France.

[Linked Image]


PS. The tower above Quest's bow is that of Osborne House, Queen Victoria's favourite home.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #238773 09/03/13 11:57 AM
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Thanks for the great photo.. We will be sailing Azamara Quest for the first time Oct 16th out of Nice. We are longtime Regent and recently Silversea cruisers.. Looking for another option and hopefully we have found it..

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239723 11/16/13 04:16 PM
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Suzanne, I enjoyed reading your review as your experience nearly mirrored ours on the Quest we took last April. Ours was the first of the "More Inclusive" cruises onboard the Quest. Loved the longer times in port and we had the friendliest staff we've ever experienced before. Captain Carl Smith was everywhere and out front. You could just tell that he loved his job and the people under him enjoyed being there as well.

Yes, the standard Club Veranda staterooms are a bit smaller and we did find the shower a bit small and the curtain a little too friendly, but found the trick was to place the curtain outside of the shower. However, we had a very large onboard credit due to a previous cruise being canceled for drydock reasons, so we upgraded while onboard to the Club Continent Suite, which is similar to the suites on Silversea and Seabourn and included butler services, bar setup, and included Prime C and Aqualina at no charge.

Overall, it was a solid 5.5 star experience and we too found it to be a very good value. Nice to have another option.

We also took advantage of the onboard booking and the special promotion of two category upgrade from an inside to a Club Veranda stateroom. The pricing and $1000 in air credit, along with the additional onboard booking savings made it as you said. "A No Brainer".

We are chose the 11 night Memories of WWII cruise on the Journey in June 2014, which is also a Presidents Voyage. We sail from Lisbon and end up in Hamburg and have 3 days in Normandy June 6-8 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day with a special D-Day Liberation Party the evening of the 6th in Cherbourg.


Don
Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: FDV72] #239740 11/18/13 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by FDV72
Thanks for the great photo.. We will be sailing Azamara Quest for the first time Oct 16th out of Nice. We are longtime Regent and recently Silversea cruisers.. Looking for another option and hopefully we have found it..


Frank, would love to hear about your Azamara cruise as well!

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239802 11/24/13 05:50 PM
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I agree with Don's review completely.. our sailing NIce to Rome we found the Balcony cabin was fine for us, we were only on the ship six nights since we got off in Sorrento. Funny regarding the shower curtain, I found that to be the only drawback of the stateroom.

In my opinion Azamara provides one of the best values in the cruise industry today for someone looking for an AI experience at a better price than some other lines.

Late night in amazing ports, two stateroom attendants making sure you have everything you need, everyone so friendly and helpful, and the one thing I noticed most of all at dinner is the staff was NOT stressed out and running around like crazy..

Food was excellent in all venues, we ate in alt dining venues three nights it was totally amazing and they could not do enough for you.

Amex $300 credit plus a choice of champagne or wines.. I chose a Super Tuscan Gaja which was amazing, they also offered free tours of galley and bridge which I was not interested in.

Funny point, Checking out on the last night in Sorrento the reception desk gave me back in cash the remainder of my Amex shipboard credit, thought that was strange but $40 sounds ok to me when I didnt expect anything..

One of the best things I liked was at Dinner is your waiter can actually pour wine, WOW what a concept, no waiting or flagging the guy down across the room to get a glass of wine before I order, Totally makes sense..

We initially chose Azamara as a way to get us to Positano with also having a few days on a cruise ship at a couple ports we had not been too, but to our pleasant surprise it was one of the best short cruises we have ever taken with regards to service and ports, and quality of food..

Looking forward to trying Azamara again in the future.

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239803 11/24/13 09:10 PM
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I also thought Don's review was wonderful, and so was yours, and both confirmed Suzanne's detailed comments. Thank you both for posting!

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239805 11/24/13 10:16 PM
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Thanks Olivia:

Wish I had taken advantage of the double upgrade offer they were running while we were onboard but we were so busy just could not lock down something we wanted to commit too. Hopefully they run another special so many can take advantage of it..

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239806 11/25/13 09:48 AM
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I also agree that AZ is an exceptional value esp IMHO compared to the very high prices Regent is now asking. We did get the double upgrade recently and are booked next November for Mumbai to chennai. First time to India!
--------------------------
Helen

Re: Reflections on our first cruise on Azamara [Re: Fogmalkin] #239808 11/25/13 12:36 PM
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Totally Agree Helen: we were happy to get the double upgrade on our last sailing.. I miss Regent, actually I take that back, I miss all my wonderful friends that I have sailed with many times on Regent, and are totally happy the product still works for them.. My new thing is if a cruise is over $1k per day for two people I will not sail on it, what I know about travel these days, and my hotel points and FF miles and the deals out their and knowing how to travel thats a budget I am not willing to breach anymore, not that I cannot I just dont want too. AZ is one of the lines that has provided me a way that if I want to still have an AI experience and have a $200 dinner on shore I can, and the budget I have in my head is still under by plenty.. JMO!!

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