Cruise Ship Reviews : Azamara Reviews
GBarker saw things this way:
Discovering the West Indies on the Azamara Quest, April 4, 2013
Reviewer: GBarker
Pros: Ship size; great service; great food; relaxed atomsphere
Cons: Not the best choice for the physically challenged or kids
Date of cruise: March 1, 2023
Departure port: Maimi
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 6012
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
Review: Azamara Quest, Virgins Islands and Frenchmen Voyage, March, 2013. As newbies to Azamara Club Cruises (and there were a decent number of first-timers joining us), here is an overall summary of our experience: The Ship: The size is just right if you seek a more intimate, personalized setting for your cruise vacation. You can pretty much get to any place you want to go in short order. It isnt adults only; children are certainly welcome. But it clearly caters to adults, which is a positive for several we spoke with. As noted earlier, there was one child on this voyage and outside the pool and ice cream, not a whole lot kids would find interesting. Attire. Its pretty much all resort casual, all the time. Of course the ladies enjoy dressing up for the evening meals, as do many of the gents. But guys, you dont have to pack your tux for this ship. There are no formal nights, and speaking for myself, I found the laid back dress code a real bonus. It added to the relaxed vibe for the whole trip. The Staterooms. You will find them on a smaller side, as you might expect, but with very comfortable bedding and serviceable balconies on most. There are suites as well. A word to the wise: If you have personal electronics or other devices that require plugs, throw in an extension cord or two. We have yet to go on any cruise where the staterooms had a sufficient number of plugs conveniently located. The Food. Uniformly very good or excellent. Whether you opt for the main dining room, Discoveries, or the more casual Windows Caf for the buffet, we found everything to be high quality. There are also the two specialty restaurants: Aqualina and Prime C. We tried both and were impressed by the level of food and service. Another good option is the Mosaic Caf on 5, a boutique sandwich, dessert and coffee bar with a more upscale motif. The Guests. Definitely mostly an older demographic of well-seasoned travelers, many making return visits to Azamara (for one couple, their 10th trip). Again, its very much a family vibe among guests and crew. Relaxed, quiet and maybe a throwback of sorts to old-school cruising back in the day. The Entertainment. The main show room is the Cabaret Lounge on deck 5, adjacent to the casino. The Azamara singers and dancers perform there as an ensemble and individually, along with a few other select acts. Not flashy or Las Vegas, but certainly enjoyable and well suited for the various venues around the ship. The Amenities. On Azamara, the price of the cruise includes all gratuities, red and white house wines (which change every day and are very good, by the way) at lunch and dinner, bottled water, sodas and the self-serve laundry. No doubt in the end the cost is comparable with other cruises that charge a la carte for these things, but just having everything included makes life so much simpler, without that feeling of being nickeled and dimed. Getting Around. As we noted in earlier posts, expect the stairways to be narrow and the elevators smaller. But its almost just as easy to walk if you are located anywhere mid-ship. One thing to note if you are physically challenged: The ship is probably not as wheelchair-friendly as you would find on newer, larger vessels. The Spa. It has one, along with a fitness center and a jogging track. The Pool. There is a small heated pool and adjacent hot tubs. But the headline here are the wonderfully luxuriant and comfortable deck chairs, which seem brand new. They also enforce the rules for not reserving lounges when the occupant is gone longer than 30 minutes. Random Notes. Room service is available 24/7, and during lunch and dinner, they note you can order anything served in the dining rooms for your stateroom. We didnt test it, but thats a nice touch My wife fell in love with their hi-tech coffeemaker with creates a Cappuccino in a flash, as well as other assorted coffees the gelato in Windows is more my style new flavors every day our two favorite spots were Looking Glass on deck 10, with its panoramic views and dance floor at night, and the Sunset Bar on deck 9 (where Danijel from Brazil took good care of us), a great place to enjoy a drink or a meal any time of day there is E-Connections if you want to hook into the Internet, or you can connect and use the ships Wi-Fi with your own devices at the published rates. The connection was surprisingly good throughout our voyage -- a shout-out to Errol in Land Discoveries, whose soothing admonitions to walk with love and care sent us out on our shore excursions kudos to Nathalia in Guest Relations and Philip, the hotel manager, for all their help and kindnesses praise for Tanja from Macedonia in the Casino Luxe Bar for her martini mastery best on the ship and special thanks to Capt. Stig, who expertly guided us through the choppy seas to calmer waters. Overall: We had an wonderful time, and particularly enjoyed the scaled down size of the ship, the friendly, efficient service, the variety in the ports of call, meeting new friends and the camaraderie between crew and guests. Not to mention the five-star meals and wines. If you are looking for more relaxation, more quiet and a more personal cruise experience, Azamara Club Cruises will more than meet your expectations.
EHoover saw things this way:
You're going to love Azamara Club Cruises!, August 2, 2010
Reviewer: EHoover
Pros: A small intimate ship, exotic destinations and affordable prices
Cons: Can't think of anything.
Date of cruise: June 11, 2023
Departure port: Athens Greece
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Balcony
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: Yes
A small intimate ship, exotic destinations and affordable prices are not terms that usually go together when describing a cruise line. Then along came Azamara Club Cruises and the new line, established two years ago, broke that mold. My wife and I took our first small ship cruise vacation this past June aboard the Azamara Quest. We have cruised many times before with the large lines that tout their mega-ships the size of small countries afloat. We had always wanted to try the small cruise ship experience, especially to one of our dream locations the Greek Isles, but the price tag was always the deterrent. Then we stumbled upon Azamara and it had everything we had been looking for, a small ship (694 guests), a great itinerary to Greece and Turkey and a fantastic price tag for the ten day excursion. We were going to find out if they could fulfill their tagline, ?You?ll Love Where We Take You!? We knew from the minute we boarded the ship in Athens that we had made the right decision. The intimacy of the embarkation area on board and the friendliness of the staff were impressive. No need to have an escort through a maze of corridors to our state room. The smaller size elevator (no need for a freight-sized one) arrived almost as soon as we pressed the button. A fresh bowl of fruit greeted us on arrival as did our very attentive cabin steward. We decided to explore what would be our home for the next ten days and, surprise surprise, there was no need to pack a lunch to make the trek from our midships state room to the furthest point aft. The d?cor of the stairways, main dining room and lounges was reminiscent of a fine club with the wood accents, lighting, art work and draperies. We immediately felt at home and made our way to the casual dining room where a sumptuous buffet dinner awaited us. They kept the dining room open for late arrivals like us, a much appreciated welcoming touch. I could go on and on but let me simply recite the major differences we experienced. The staff were very attentive, as they should be, but the lounge staff made a sincere effort to get to know each guest?s name. This is especially impressive given the fact that gratuities are included in the cruise price. The open seating dining was always a gracious affair and a table for two always awaited us. The meals were nothing short of spectacular. We selected the Aqualina specialty restaurant for one evening. The menu, food quality and our waitress were all outstanding. Oh, and I didn?t mention yet that complimentary wine is included with lunch and dinner in all the dining rooms. Resort casual dress is expected at dinner and even though the environment says ?high end cruising? the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. It is impressive how Azamara Club Cruises has managed to magnificently blend top of the line elegance with non-pretentious enjoyment. The pool is small but more than adequate, as are the two hot tubs, for the limited number of guests. Fresh terry cloth covers are placed on the chaise lounges each day. Two highlights of the ten days were the surprise special cook-out dining nights under the stars by the pool with great entertainment. The first featured a steak barbecue and the second an array of grilled seafood and, believe it or not, all of us on board were seated on the pool deck and mezzanine surrounding it. Just a word about entertainment. As with everything else it was top drawer and with the intimacy of the show lounge featuring a small stage and chairs, not a gigantic theatre, it was up close and personal. We were privileged to be joined at breakfast one morning by our very personable and approachable Captain. He shared that he decided to join Azamara when they started because he believed in what they wanted to accomplish ? a small ship experience to great destinations and affordable prices. Amazing! That?s exactly what we found. He commented that he couldn?t help but love his job being around such happy people both staff and guests. We loved where Azamara Club Cruises and our ship, the Azamara Quest, took us. Promise fulfilled! Ed Hoover, Orland Park, IL
Azamara Quest reviews
Average customer rating:
4.8 / 5
4.8 / 5Average Rating based on 2 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
5.00
4.50
4.50
5.00
5.00
4.50
5.00
5.00
5.00
4.50
4.50
5.00
5.00
4.50
5.00
5.00
5.00
GBarker saw things this way:
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
4
4
5
4
5
5
4
5
4
5
5
Discovering the West Indies on the Azamara Quest, April 4, 2013
Reviewer: GBarker
Pros: Ship size; great service; great food; relaxed atomsphere
Cons: Not the best choice for the physically challenged or kids
Date of cruise: March 1, 2023
Departure port: Maimi
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 6012
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
Review: Azamara Quest, Virgins Islands and Frenchmen Voyage, March, 2013. As newbies to Azamara Club Cruises (and there were a decent number of first-timers joining us), here is an overall summary of our experience: The Ship: The size is just right if you seek a more intimate, personalized setting for your cruise vacation. You can pretty much get to any place you want to go in short order. It isnt adults only; children are certainly welcome. But it clearly caters to adults, which is a positive for several we spoke with. As noted earlier, there was one child on this voyage and outside the pool and ice cream, not a whole lot kids would find interesting. Attire. Its pretty much all resort casual, all the time. Of course the ladies enjoy dressing up for the evening meals, as do many of the gents. But guys, you dont have to pack your tux for this ship. There are no formal nights, and speaking for myself, I found the laid back dress code a real bonus. It added to the relaxed vibe for the whole trip. The Staterooms. You will find them on a smaller side, as you might expect, but with very comfortable bedding and serviceable balconies on most. There are suites as well. A word to the wise: If you have personal electronics or other devices that require plugs, throw in an extension cord or two. We have yet to go on any cruise where the staterooms had a sufficient number of plugs conveniently located. The Food. Uniformly very good or excellent. Whether you opt for the main dining room, Discoveries, or the more casual Windows Caf for the buffet, we found everything to be high quality. There are also the two specialty restaurants: Aqualina and Prime C. We tried both and were impressed by the level of food and service. Another good option is the Mosaic Caf on 5, a boutique sandwich, dessert and coffee bar with a more upscale motif. The Guests. Definitely mostly an older demographic of well-seasoned travelers, many making return visits to Azamara (for one couple, their 10th trip). Again, its very much a family vibe among guests and crew. Relaxed, quiet and maybe a throwback of sorts to old-school cruising back in the day. The Entertainment. The main show room is the Cabaret Lounge on deck 5, adjacent to the casino. The Azamara singers and dancers perform there as an ensemble and individually, along with a few other select acts. Not flashy or Las Vegas, but certainly enjoyable and well suited for the various venues around the ship. The Amenities. On Azamara, the price of the cruise includes all gratuities, red and white house wines (which change every day and are very good, by the way) at lunch and dinner, bottled water, sodas and the self-serve laundry. No doubt in the end the cost is comparable with other cruises that charge a la carte for these things, but just having everything included makes life so much simpler, without that feeling of being nickeled and dimed. Getting Around. As we noted in earlier posts, expect the stairways to be narrow and the elevators smaller. But its almost just as easy to walk if you are located anywhere mid-ship. One thing to note if you are physically challenged: The ship is probably not as wheelchair-friendly as you would find on newer, larger vessels. The Spa. It has one, along with a fitness center and a jogging track. The Pool. There is a small heated pool and adjacent hot tubs. But the headline here are the wonderfully luxuriant and comfortable deck chairs, which seem brand new. They also enforce the rules for not reserving lounges when the occupant is gone longer than 30 minutes. Random Notes. Room service is available 24/7, and during lunch and dinner, they note you can order anything served in the dining rooms for your stateroom. We didnt test it, but thats a nice touch My wife fell in love with their hi-tech coffeemaker with creates a Cappuccino in a flash, as well as other assorted coffees the gelato in Windows is more my style new flavors every day our two favorite spots were Looking Glass on deck 10, with its panoramic views and dance floor at night, and the Sunset Bar on deck 9 (where Danijel from Brazil took good care of us), a great place to enjoy a drink or a meal any time of day there is E-Connections if you want to hook into the Internet, or you can connect and use the ships Wi-Fi with your own devices at the published rates. The connection was surprisingly good throughout our voyage -- a shout-out to Errol in Land Discoveries, whose soothing admonitions to walk with love and care sent us out on our shore excursions kudos to Nathalia in Guest Relations and Philip, the hotel manager, for all their help and kindnesses praise for Tanja from Macedonia in the Casino Luxe Bar for her martini mastery best on the ship and special thanks to Capt. Stig, who expertly guided us through the choppy seas to calmer waters. Overall: We had an wonderful time, and particularly enjoyed the scaled down size of the ship, the friendly, efficient service, the variety in the ports of call, meeting new friends and the camaraderie between crew and guests. Not to mention the five-star meals and wines. If you are looking for more relaxation, more quiet and a more personal cruise experience, Azamara Club Cruises will more than meet your expectations.
EHoover saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
You're going to love Azamara Club Cruises!, August 2, 2010
Reviewer: EHoover
Pros: A small intimate ship, exotic destinations and affordable prices
Cons: Can't think of anything.
Date of cruise: June 11, 2023
Departure port: Athens Greece
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Balcony
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: Yes
A small intimate ship, exotic destinations and affordable prices are not terms that usually go together when describing a cruise line. Then along came Azamara Club Cruises and the new line, established two years ago, broke that mold. My wife and I took our first small ship cruise vacation this past June aboard the Azamara Quest. We have cruised many times before with the large lines that tout their mega-ships the size of small countries afloat. We had always wanted to try the small cruise ship experience, especially to one of our dream locations the Greek Isles, but the price tag was always the deterrent. Then we stumbled upon Azamara and it had everything we had been looking for, a small ship (694 guests), a great itinerary to Greece and Turkey and a fantastic price tag for the ten day excursion. We were going to find out if they could fulfill their tagline, ?You?ll Love Where We Take You!? We knew from the minute we boarded the ship in Athens that we had made the right decision. The intimacy of the embarkation area on board and the friendliness of the staff were impressive. No need to have an escort through a maze of corridors to our state room. The smaller size elevator (no need for a freight-sized one) arrived almost as soon as we pressed the button. A fresh bowl of fruit greeted us on arrival as did our very attentive cabin steward. We decided to explore what would be our home for the next ten days and, surprise surprise, there was no need to pack a lunch to make the trek from our midships state room to the furthest point aft. The d?cor of the stairways, main dining room and lounges was reminiscent of a fine club with the wood accents, lighting, art work and draperies. We immediately felt at home and made our way to the casual dining room where a sumptuous buffet dinner awaited us. They kept the dining room open for late arrivals like us, a much appreciated welcoming touch. I could go on and on but let me simply recite the major differences we experienced. The staff were very attentive, as they should be, but the lounge staff made a sincere effort to get to know each guest?s name. This is especially impressive given the fact that gratuities are included in the cruise price. The open seating dining was always a gracious affair and a table for two always awaited us. The meals were nothing short of spectacular. We selected the Aqualina specialty restaurant for one evening. The menu, food quality and our waitress were all outstanding. Oh, and I didn?t mention yet that complimentary wine is included with lunch and dinner in all the dining rooms. Resort casual dress is expected at dinner and even though the environment says ?high end cruising? the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. It is impressive how Azamara Club Cruises has managed to magnificently blend top of the line elegance with non-pretentious enjoyment. The pool is small but more than adequate, as are the two hot tubs, for the limited number of guests. Fresh terry cloth covers are placed on the chaise lounges each day. Two highlights of the ten days were the surprise special cook-out dining nights under the stars by the pool with great entertainment. The first featured a steak barbecue and the second an array of grilled seafood and, believe it or not, all of us on board were seated on the pool deck and mezzanine surrounding it. Just a word about entertainment. As with everything else it was top drawer and with the intimacy of the show lounge featuring a small stage and chairs, not a gigantic theatre, it was up close and personal. We were privileged to be joined at breakfast one morning by our very personable and approachable Captain. He shared that he decided to join Azamara when they started because he believed in what they wanted to accomplish ? a small ship experience to great destinations and affordable prices. Amazing! That?s exactly what we found. He commented that he couldn?t help but love his job being around such happy people both staff and guests. We loved where Azamara Club Cruises and our ship, the Azamara Quest, took us. Promise fulfilled! Ed Hoover, Orland Park, IL
