A different part of the world, a different culture and parts of the unknown brought us to Azamara's cruise from Singapore to the ports in Indonesia. Our journey was not only a first for us, but also a first for Azamara's Journey.

My wife and I had sailed on the Journey just before it headed to the dockyard for it's reimagination makeover. As many people have written, we were pleased with the new look in several of the 'main' areas; the Living Room was quite nice, relaxed atmosphere with the addition of the 'Mosaic benefits' at the bar as well as the Discoveries dinning area was brighter and a little more contemporary. The Cabaret Lounge appeared be the much the same, but given the small area and low ceilings, it is probably difficult to incorporate anything major. The staterooms are still 'small', compared to the other cruise line, but manageable. The only changes to the casino were its dealers. But we love a small ship and Azamara always lives up to our expectations: The staff (everyone from servers and attendants to the officers) are personable, friendly and always want to please.

We can never say we've never had a bad meal, or the cut of meat was not what was expected. However, the selection, including the nightly specials and the often 'themed cuisine' buffets are excellent in variety and freshness making the eating experience very pleasing. The Aqualina specialty restaurant was our favorite of the two since the filet mignon was as good as Prime C and my wife enjoyed her lobster. Read more