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It’s a chic space that has passengers on board buzzing (literally and figuratively). The look of public areas is Old World, with mahogany wood furnishings, colorful carpeting, brass fixtures, and an elegance you might find on one of the original ocean liners. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t contemporary spaces, too, like the dining rooms and the pool deck with live music. Windows Cafe is the line's free buffet venue, which appears on all ships and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The ultimate guide to Azamara cruise ships and itineraries
Each ship offers a variety of shore excursions, ranging from cultural tours to active adventures. Azamara also offers longer stays in port, with many itineraries featuring overnight stays and evening tours, allowing guests to experience the local nightlife and culture. That could be a big advantage compared with some of the larger cruise lines, where port departure times are often as early as 4PM. Dining is a highlight of the Azamara experience, with a focus on fresh and locally-sourced ingredients.
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Moving aft on this deck, you'll find the ship's library in the Drawing Room and Prime C and Aqualina, Azamara Quest's two specialty restaurants. Azamara recommends a "resort casual" style of dress, which prohibits bare feet, baseball caps, tank tops, torn or distressed jeans, bathing suits and shorts in the main dining room and all specialty restaurants. More casual wear is allowed in the Windows Cafe buffet, but shoes are required, and cruisers must wear cover-ups over their bathing suits. At the main dining room, Discoveries, guests can enjoy a la carte dishes throughout the day, from a menu that often takes inspiration from specialties from the destination. The dining room is open seating, and all meals come with complimentary wine, beer, and spirits. Impressively, there is a rotating vegetarian and vegan menu that mirrors many of the locally inspired dishes on the main menu.
Azamara Quest Deck Plan is Classy and Compact
Guests are encouraged to don all white and dance the night away. Since my sailing, Azamara has announced they want to do more of these events on every sailing, including bringing local performers on board while the ships are in port. It's worth looking into if you love taking a deep dive into the cultures in your ports of call, especially some of the events and experiences that are only available after sunset. Azamara misses a lot of the must-haves for many vacationers, but it's still a cruise line we can wholeheartedly recommend if it checks the boxes for you. Azamara's ships are smaller than some luxury cruise ships, with a capacity of around 700 guests each. This allows for a more intimate and personalized experience, with a high staff-to-guest ratio ensuring exceptional service.
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The shore team never even bothered to call us or apologize. As its name suggests, it is wrapped with windows on one of the top decks, and there is an outdoor dining area. Buffets include fresh salads, pizza, sandwiches made to order, a carving station, and local and international choices. Each evening, the menu carries a different theme, from Thai to Mexican to Indian. This is a more casual way to enjoy dinner at your own pace, and you have great views from almost every seat. There’s also a pool grill making burgers and grilled dishes in addition to a salad bar.
Where does Azamara Journey sail from?
The price for a suite on the same sailing was $3,349 per person. Currently, due to COVID-19 restrictions, AzAmazing Evenings have been replaced by Destination Celebrations, which involve the ship staying late in port and bringing local talent onboard to perform outdoors. Apart from shuffleboard and a jogging track, there's not much on the outer decks of Azamara's vessels if you're not a sun-worshipper. There's ample deck space with loungers, and a main pool with two hot tubs where passengers can go to cool off -- or warm up. There's a second pool for thalassotherapy near the Sanctum Spa, but it's open only to cruisers staying in suites or those who book passes to use it.
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Both have a modest surcharge, but it’s nice to have additional options on a longer cruise. There is also a charge for the premium beverage package, but there is always complimentary wine, beer, and select spirits on offer. That seemed to be enough for most of the people I chatted with during my sailing. The first is the down-to-earth friendliness of its passengers and crew.
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The staff takes extra care to ensure you’re making the most of your time on board and will go out of their way to do what they can to make you comfortable. Azamara’s emphasis focuses on the crew and passenger relationship where lifelong friendships are built, which is a draw for many of its repeat cruisers. Azamara’s biggest draw (and largest activation) is its AzAmazing Evenings or Day.
It also took us three days to get extra hangers despite asking several times. But ice buckets were always filled, towels rehung in the bathroom and the cabin kept clean overall. At this time, the line does not offer any cabins for solo cruisers, which means the already pricey fares for Azamara's sailings double if you're traveling alone. We have an upcoming cruise booked with them.Unfortunately they have been sold to another company, and this is where the problem lies. We tried to find our booking on their website, it said you have no bookings! Finally our booking showed up missing our pre-booked excursions, and the free on board credit we had, was missing.Getting an answer from them is nigh impossible, their customer service is just to ignore you.
Passengers are well off, well-travelled and interested in exploring the ports (whether that be touring, shopping, hitting the beach or eating). We also found the ship to be extremely friendly, with passengers striking up conversations everywhere. Accessible cabins are available, but these have limited functionality compared to similar cabins on newer ships. The culmination of Azamara's destination focus is the complimentary AzAmazing Evening that's held at least once per voyage.
While the cabins aren’t the most modern at sea, they offer everything you need. If you’re looking for the maximum amount of space, book the Club World Owner's Suites, which have separate living and sleeping areas. Act fast as they book up months—and sometimes years—in advance. Deck 10 is home to the Living Room with its comfortable lounge and bar area that doubles as a venue for live music and presentations. There's an adjacent wine-tasting bar offering for-a-fee tasting events with the ships sommeliers.
Service is also friendly, as well as efficient, especially in the restaurants. If you find wait staff you like and return to them on a regular basis, they'll get to know your favorite drink order, how you like your coffee and, if you're like certain reviewers, which gelato flavor you need to cap off every day. There are no scheduled formal nights onboard, but passengers are welcome to dress up. They are also advised to bring a white outfit for the line's signature White Night Party, held once per voyage. All Azamara ships have self-service laundry rooms onboard.
As far as theater happenings, you might spot a movie screening on the daily schedule or turn up after dinner to find that there's a boy band performing Justin Bieber hits while dressing like they're part of a doo-wop group. Azamara has rounded up the ships -- including the most recent, which it acquired from Princess Cruises during the pandemic -- over the years and refurbished them to add the line's signature upscale furnishings. In fact, it did such an impressive job that you'd hardly be able to guess that the vessels are more than 20 years old. Where is the best place to get photo books out there today? Photo books are a fantastic way to keep our special memories in a tangible, beautiful format instead of just storing pictures on ...
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The sun deck and large outdoor lounge area on Deck 11 is the highest point on the ship and has great 180 degree views. On all sailings -- except for those departing from North America, where the drinking age is the legal minimum age for alcohol consumption is 18. Additionally, the line has added USB ports near the beds so you can charge your devices as you're curled up in bed scanning Instagram reels or catching up on the latest episode of "Stranger Things" (Wi-Fi permitting, of course). Spa services will automatically have an 18% gratuity added. There's also a number of unhosted activities, such as ping-pong, darts, crossword and sudoku puzzles, board games, book swaps, knitting get-togethers, shuffleboard and LGBTQ, singles and Friends of Bill W.
There, sandwiches and pastries are offered in the afternoons, and tapas are available during dinner hours. Due to its price point, popularity in Europe and lack of short voyages, Azamara appeals to older, more affluent travelers with a surplus of vacation time. The average age can fluctuate from sailing to sailing, but it's common to find most passengers in their 60s and 70s. One of the line's most notable hallmarks is its focus on longer, later stays in port. Coupled with its AzAmazing Evenings program, which takes cruisers ashore to experience cultural performances in jaw-dropping locations, the experience is a little less superficial-feeling than other cruise excursions.
One of the most appealing things about Azamara Quest is its size and intimacy. With just over 700 passengers and only 9 decks to navigate, it is compact and stylish. Because the ship has no set homeport, the passenger makeup changes on every cruise. Expect to see an equal number of Americans and Brits when Journey is in Europe or the Americas, with Australians becoming predominant when the ship moves to Asia. The ships across the fleet will be familiar to you after just a sailing or two, and their elegant-but-relaxed vibe will leave you feeling like you're simply enjoying a drink in a friend's living room.
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