This was our second cruise on Azamara Quest. We had booked the cruise well over 12 months in advance through an on line agency (which had handled our first Azamara cruise) We thought our first cruise on the Quest was the best we had ever had...the size of the ship, the service from cabin attendant to captain, the great food. This cruise almost equaled it...but the operative word is "almost."

We flew into Rio a few days pre-cruise and stayed at the Mar Ipanema Hotel. We had planned to do the usual tourist things (Sugar Loaf, Corcovado, etc.) but the weather intervened. Heavy clouds and rain, rain, and more rain. We were fortunate to have a private guide who made adjustments and we ended up seeing more of Rio than we expected. The Botanical Garden was a long walk in the rain from our hotel, but well worth the trip. We met a friend (a native Carioca)one night at Porcao (a churrascaria) and ate so much meat that it actually put me off meat for the rest of the trip!

Embarkation at Rio was a bit confused. Porters wanted money to take our bags (since we had only carry-ons, we politely declined), lines were long, and it was warm. However, once the check in was accomplished we quickly boarded the Quest, were met with warm greetings and cold sparkling wine, and headed for our cabin, a veranda on the 7th floor. Read more