In a nutshell: Friendliest staff we've met on any cruise. It's a small, comfortable, elegant ship in the classic style. Room size was adequate, but storage was limited. Bathroom was incredibly small. Think of it as a floating boutique hotel. Multiple days in some ports make it an ideal way to travel Europe. They have worked hard to improve their service to this niche market and it shows. Overall excellent value!

Updates (Things Azamara has fixed from previous reviews) Bedside lamps. Glued tight to the table tops, they will not fall over. The light seemed adequate to us. Alarm clock. Small, battery-powered, digital clock provided in each room. Hangers. Closet was full of hangers. Bathroom storage. Very limited. Get a toiletry kit that hangs and it will help. - Ship Review - Embarkation. Luggage check-in was confusing and slower than it should be. Azamara did not send out pre-printed luggage tags, we had to fill them out when we arrived. That needlessly slowed down the process. When we checked in there were only a few other people arriving so it was manageable, but I expect it was a mess when crowds of people started arriving. Azamara needs to send out luggage tags in advance. Even if they don't want to pre-print or color code them, they could send out the generic tags for us to complete in advance. We beat the embarkation rush, so the line was short. Processing was quick. They solved the "rush on the dining room" problem of open seating by having you select a time slot for dinner on the first night. That seemed to work pretty well. We were seated near the entrance to the dining room on the first night and didn't see anybody wait more than about five minutes to be seated. Note to Captain's Club members: Immediately after check-in, there was a table to make reservations at Prime C or Aqualina if you want to eat there instead for the first night. After boarding the ship, we enjoyed our glass of champagne, a great lunch, and some quiet time before the cabins were ready at 2:00 pm.

Service. From our arrival onboard, we immediately noticed a difference in the staff and level of service. For example, they were serving champagne upon entering the ship, but they did not have cranberry juice available for our underage niece. Shortly after making ourselves comfortable upstairs at the Cova Cafe, a waiter showed up with a glass of cranberry juice for her. We were shocked that they tracked us to our seats and followed up with delivering juice we had simply asked about. The service level at the buffet was also quite impressive. A smoothie bar for breakfast, a panini maker for lunch, and waiters who were carrying and delivering drinks to each table it was all a step above most other lines. However, here's an example of what really impressed us. My wife mentioned to me that she was going to return to the buffet to get an English muffin. A staff member overheard her say that and immediately offered to get it for her. He later came back to say that they were out on the buffet, but that it was on its way from the stores downstairs. Shortly thereafter he delivered it toasted and with butter just as my wife wanted! Read more