Azamara Quest Review

4.0 / 5.0
726 reviews

Nice cruise- too small for us

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Azamara Quest
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travelers07
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Aug 2008

We returned about a week and a half ago from our sailing on the Quest. We had a wonderful time- especially meeting everyone. However, I doubt that we will sail Azamara again, mostly due to its size. We missed the small, out-of-the way spots on board for a drink or just a quiet sitting place in the afternoon. Because the ship is so small, the bars were open only limited hours, and any open space had activities going on. Guess we just need more variety! Following are our thoughts- and we give them because we always like to read others' opinions of cruises we are considering so we want to return the favor. Azamara has a very good product- and the officers and crew are doing a wonderful job catering to passengers' requests. Boarding in Athens- a piece of cake. We stayed at the Marriott Ledra- a wonderful choice if you need a hotel. And be sure to ask about upgrading to the club floor. They charged us an extra 49 Euros and it included free internet in our room or in the club plus very good breakfast, lots of appetizers, and free wine and beer in the evening. The rate to upgrade may differ by your room rate, but we thought it was a great value. We took a cab from the hotel to the ship- about 6 miles- for 15 Euros. The city was very quiet for a holiday so that amount could rise at other times. Embarkation was smooth. Passport control did not open until 11am, but that was the only wait. You could check your carry-on bags once you got onboard because the rooms were not ready yet. We had a nice lunch in Windows cafe and there was an announcement when the rooms were ready. We were asked at check-in what dining time we would like in Discoveries that evening. That worked very well and probably kept lines to a minimum the first night. We had a small informal gathering of Cruise Critic friends at the Looking Glass Lounge right after the drill and that was very nice. Day 2- Kusadasi- Ephesus, Turkey. We took the Highlights of Ephesus tour done by Azamara. We had an excellent guide and enjoyed the tour. The site at Ephesus was extremely hot- and just when you thought you might actually melt, frozen towels (or hats) were handed out. I think these were just for the people on the Azamara tours, and they were wonderful. Our last stop was at a rug shop where we had a demonstration and refreshments. And, yes, as many people on board know, we were the ones who bought a rug. However, we meant to do that and had researched the rugs before we left home. We felt no pressure and could have walked away at any time- but we purchased a beautiful small rug at what we think is a fair price. We also bought some decorated pottery in the afternoon. There was lots of bargaining- which we usually do not like- but it was done in a good-natured way and we were happy with the prices. Day 3- Chios, Greece. We docked at this port right downtown. We did not take a tour and just walked around town. It is a very busy seaport with lots of shops, not especially catering to the tourist. It was our first taste of dodging traffic this trip. Day 4- Santorini, Greece- We tendered in- we were on the first tender after the shore excursions departed. There was no line for the cable cars and the donkeys had not started yet. In fact we saw the donkeys up close as they were being led to their starting place for the day. Cute animals but they do leave a smell. Be warned of that if you decide to ride the donkeys up the hill. If you walk, you will be on the same trail with the donkeys. We stopped first for frappes- a wonderful cold coffee drink served everywhere in Greece. They are made with Nescafe- different from the US-and taste even better than Starbucks. We actually picked up a can of Nescafe to take home. You can also have one with ice cream which really makes a treat. We walked around some more and climbed up towards the left as you look at Santorini from the bottom of the hill. Our next stop was for lunch at Casablanca Lounge Restaurant overlooking everything. It was wonderful place with padded loungers, a swimming pool (we didn't ask to use it, but it looked great), and very good food. We had Greek salads with wonderful bread, and stuffed grape leaves ("wine leaves" here) and also had a frappe and a beer. Came to about 30 Euros with tip- not bad for all the pictures we took from there. We took the cable cars back down about 2:30 or so and again there was no line. We were probably lucky on the lines- there was only one other cruise ship in port so it was not over-crowded. Day 5- Nauplion, Greece- A wonderful town. We tendered in again with no problem. The dock is very near the old part of town with lots of good restaurants and shops. We took a small train tour around town- think Disney World tram from the parking lot. Cost was 4 Euros each and lasted about half an hour. It was a nice way to see part of the town and sit for awhile. We had frappes again- and homemade donuts, which seem to be a specialty. Day 6- Gythion, Greece- I know others did not like this stop, but it did show us that there are some real towns in Greece. There were a couple of souvenir shops and a grocery store. We did not do the caves- although we heard that people really liked the ship's tour. We had frappes again and wandered around the waterfront. This was a quiet stop and did remind us that not all towns want tourists, which is not a bad thing. Day 7- Itea and Delphi, Greece- Finally docked again- right downtown. We had a ship's tour- 4 and half hours of Archaeological site and museum. This was probably the worst shore excursion we have ever had. The guide was very good on the drive to the site- pointing out olive trees and views. At the site, she said we would have 35 minutes in the museum first, then free time for a break before going to the site. An hour and a half later, we were still in the museum- having listened to her talk about I'm not sure what. Several of us ditched this part because we needed to find a bathroom- and get away from her rambling. We would have had a better and more instructive time being left on our own here and reading the signs. We were on Bus 1- and were eventually passed by every other group- who were "shushed" by our guide as they walked by. We then had about a 15 minute break and then walked up to the site together. We were told where the bus would meet us and when, and entered the site together. She went to the first stone wall under a shade tree and proceeded to sit and start talking again. She said that nothing really happened at this particular location, but it was cooler there so she would tell us about the site. At that point, we left and started walking up the hill to take pictures. When I came back past her about a half hour later, she was still sitting under the first shade tree and talking. She did hand out something to each of us at some point- a packaged wet wipe and a brochure for a travel agency in Athens. I can only assume it is her travel agency and I did not ask. There were no comment cards given out at the end of the tour as there had been in Ephesus. Day 8- Finally a day at sea. Day 9- Taormina, Sicily- A very nice town. A shuttle was offered for $8 each and this was a good deal. The town is quite a distance from the port- and not walkable because of the motorways up the hill. The bus drops off at a parking garage and you take the elevator up to the beginning of the old town area. This was a Sunday, but lots of shops were open. Be warned that shops do close about 1 or 1:30 every day and don't open again until about 4. This was true of all of our stops in Greece. The amphitheater is quite a hike, but it is through town and well worth the view when you get there. Day 10- Sorrento, Italy- Near Pompeii. We took the ship's tour to Pompeii- something everyone should see. This is a wonderfully preserved area and something that we have always wanted to visit- and it was worth it. The first stop there is a cameo shop, but this is really only a bathroom stop (they are downstairs) so watch the demo if you want to- it is short. There are food stands just outside before you start into the site, so make sure you have water. It is very hot in August! After the tour, we were dropped off in downtown Sorrento- there is a shuttle bus back to the ship from downtown. We had a very nice lunch and then walked around town. We thought about taking the hydrofoil to Capri, but since we had never been to Sorrento we just stayed there. Others went to Capri for the day and loved it. Day 11- Our second day at sea. Day 12- Monte Carlo, Monaco- A wonderful stop. The ship tenders here, unless you are lucky enough to get the one docking spot. From where you get off the tender, there is a shuttle boat across the inlet that drops you off near the bottom of the casino. Just follow the steps up and around and you will end up at the Casino. We had lunch reservations in Eze (small town up the hill above Monte Carlo) so we made our way to the bus stop. This is a block up the hill from the main tourist information office- just ask where you see people waiting for the bus which one goes to Eze. The fare is only one Euro- buy on the bus- but the buses only run every hour and a half or so, so check the schedule online before you plan this. Eze is an amazing medieval French village built around a hilltop and we really enjoyed exploring the town. Days 12 and 13- Livorno, Italy. From this port we visited Pisa (make a reservation online if you want to climb the tower) and Florence. We walked about 5 blocks into town and caught a bus to the train station. Buy bus tickets at newsstands in this area. The bus stop was in the first large plaza you come to from the ship- across the street from McDonalds. Buy a ticket and they will point you to the stop to get to the train station. At the train station, buy a round trip ticket to Florence- you can get off at Pisa and then get back on after you tour this area. Make sure to validate all train tickets in the boxes before you board the train- we heard of others getting a fine. We took the bus at the Pisa train station to the Tower of Pisa area. Again buy the bus ticket at the newsstand- there is one at the train station. The bus stop is across the street from the train station in front of the Jolly hotel. After Pisa, we continued on to Florence. This is a great walking city so no bus required! We had a very nice lunch in the square overlooking the Duomo- what a great view! We then followed our map seeing the sites before taking the train back to Livorno. The second day in port, we toured the control room- ask at the front desk to be added to a request list. We were also invited to tour the bridge- this was great but don't know how we got on the list to be invited. We also spent the day packing as this was our last day onboard. Day 14- Rome and disembarkation. We took the ship's bus to town- our hotel was near the Spanish Steps which was in the same area as the hotel for the post-cruise tour guests. It took about an hour and a half with no traffic and we were the last group off the ship at about 9 am. We did keep all our luggage with us- we travelled light and could easily carry everything down the short gangway ourselves. The internet is pricey but we all know that. We brought a laptop and used the wireless in our cabin- works great. We also have blackberries- also usually work great onboard. Seems the shipboard carrier does not support data (email) service because we could not use email when only the ship's carrier was available, but we picked up lots of local carriers because we were so close to land. The ship is very nice and the crew cannot do enough for you. We had a very nice official party and had half a dozen officers attend. All were very nice-and seemed very approachable. The food was very good to good. And if you have any special request, the staff seemed to be happy to take care of it. We are inclined to take what is offered, but several tablemates were very pleased when requests were made. The cabin was very well kept- could not be better. I will say that is does seem a bit smaller by comparison with other balcony cabins we've had on other ships, and the bathroom seems a little smaller. But this was obviously something done when the ship was first built so can't really be fixed now. My other small concern is the TV. We had CNN regularly, and a few other channels- which is really all you can expect on a cruise ship. There was also a channel with the map of where we were located, and one with the information (temperature, location, miles travelled, sea conditions.) Now I may be a cruise geek, but I have heard several others comment too- the info is not kept up-to-date. The miles travelled showed over 1600 when we first left Athens and was not corrected. And several times the map placement of the ship was not accurate. At one point it said we were doing over 6 knots, and we were docked- and the only temperature for the entire cruise was 26 degrees C. Bottom line- we were not the only cruise geeks on board and we do check these channels for current weather, seas, miles traveled, speed, and position. The good- the account information on the TV is excellent as you can see immediately what has been added to your shipboard account. No surprises the last day! We ate at Aqualina twice. The food was good, but I guess we were expecting more. The second time was our anniversary. Our travel agent had added this event to our record, and I had told Azamara on the phone when I made the reservation at the restaurant before we sailed. I went to the restaurant once on board to reconfirm- and make sure they knew it was our anniversary- and they said the information was in the reservation. When we arrived that evening we were offered a choice of 2 tables- one was in the rear area with the other table being a party of 18, and the other was by the door to the kitchen. We took the one by the kitchen and were glad we did because the noise from the party of 18 in the back was still very loud. Nothing was ever mentioned about it being our anniversary- and the food was mediocre. My salad was lots of stems instead of leaves- which the waiter noticed when I was finished and offered to replace. I declined. My steak was just ok. My dessert was supposed to be a selection of sorbets, but turned out to be ice cream. By that point, I was ready to be finished so let it go with no comment. We were very surprised to not at least have an anniversary greeting from someone on board- can't really figure out what happened.

Conclusion- I know this a long review- and we offer it to make other travelers' plans easier. We find that the more we know ahead of time, the better time we have. And this itinerary requires lots of planning- especially if you do not want to just take the ship's excursions. This port-intensive cruise is great as long as you have your days planned ahead because there is not much free time to plan while on board. Bottom line- we had a great cruise and would probably not sail Azamara again, but you never know. This is no fault of Azamara- they have small ships which lots of people love, but may not be for us.

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