We have cruised many times with Celebrity, Princess and P & O but this was the first time we had sailed with Azamara and in such a small ship. First and foremost, we had no problems with size. The Quest has all the facilities we enjoy on larger ships, but with the advantage of everything being within a short walk of our stateroom - four dining venues, two cabaret lounges, a well equipped gym, spa and library, a self-service laundry, shops, and a range of bars located on each of the main decks. If, however, you are looking for abseiling frames, mini golf, tennis courts, big musical productions, movies "under the stars", etc, etc, then this is not the ship for you!

Here are the plus points we felt Azamara offered over other ships:

* Faultless service with over 400 staff to 694 passengers. Not sure how our stateroom butler's job differed from that of the attendant, but we will not complain about having two people looking after us! We worried that paying our gratuities up front might mean service would not be as good, but without exception staff were helpful, smiling, and unfailingly courteous. The in-room dining service was extensive and exemplary with breakfast arriving punctually every day at the time requested. And it was refreshing not to have staff hanging about on the last morning clearly angling for tips. It was also unusual to see the officers turn out in force to greet us at the two cocktail parties we attended where, incidentally, proper full-strength drinks were served! Read more