Azamara Quest Cabins

Azamara Quest has seven categories of staterooms. Inside cabins (158 square ft.), outside cabins (170 square ft.), verandah cabins (175 square ft. with 40-square-ft. balconies) and sunset verandah cabins (same size cabin with larger, 46- to 64-square-ft. balconies) have more or less the same layout, each featuring a bed, desk, closet and sitting area with a loveseat and small table. All are decorated in blue and white and feature dark wooden furnishings.

Beds are comfortable but are nothing special. Between the two regular pillows and two decorative pillows on each bed, as well as the loveseat's throw pillows, the small cabins can often feel overwhelmed with them. Outside and balcony cabins that sleep three will typically have pullout sofas, while inside cabins have beds that pull down from the ceiling. Balconies are each furnished with two chairs and a table -- great for eating, bad for lounging. Storage is adequate, but there are no extra cupboards under the beds or over the couches.

Bathrooms are smaller than average with toilets facing at odd angles into the rooms and tiny showers with the dreaded clingy curtains. Bathrooms come with bottles of Elemis spa brand shampoo, conditioner and body lotion (in larger-than-travel-size containers), and there's a hairdryer in one of the desk cabinets. Safes and mini-fridges can be found in the closets -- in addition to the typical sodas and alcoholic beverages for purchase, there's also a basket of pocket-sized games for sale. Flat-screen TV's offer interactive features that allow passengers to view their bills or order room service on screen.

At 266 square ft. with 60-square-ft. verandahs, Sky Suites are extra-spacious verandah cabins. The color scheme is red and beige. These staterooms have extra-large sitting areas with sofas and chairs, as well as larger closets. Bathrooms are huge, compared to those in regular cabins, and feature tubs and extra amenities like shower gel and a bath mitt.

For true luxury, Azamara Quest offers Royal and Penthouse Suites. The Royal Suites, ranging from 440 to 501 square ft., each feature a separate living/dining room and master bedroom, a master bath with whirlpool tub and shower, passenger bathroom and a 105- to 156-square-ft. verandah. The Penthouse Suite, at 560 square ft., has a separate living/dining room and master bedroom, walk-in closet, dressing room with vanity, master bathroom with marble features and a whirlpool tub, passenger bathroom and a 233-square-ft. verandah.

Suite passengers receive priority check-in, luggage delivery and priority debarkation; free garment-pressing of two items per person; in-suite spa services (for a fee); a private portrait sitting; priority tendering; a welcome bottle of Champagne; specialty in-suite coffee and complimentary sodas and bottled water.

All cabins on Azamara Quest receive fruit baskets, replenished daily; free bottles of water; fresh-cut flowers; turn-down sweets; afternoon canapes (you must request them); shoe-shine service; personal stationery; and complimentary use of bathrobes, binoculars and umbrellas. Passengers can choose from a selection of pillows: Swedish Isotonic, hypo-allergenic, a body pillow or a Conformance pillow. (Editor's note: I neither saw a pillow menu in my cabin nor heard about the choice from the butler, so apparently you have to know to ask for the menu.)

In addition, all cabins come with butler service. In reality, this means there's a staff member who you can ask to unpack and re-pack your luggage, make restaurant and spa reservations and bring you afternoon snacks -- but it's more like a cabin steward with extra responsibilities (when asked), rather than a personal butler who makes his presence felt and goes out of his way to enhance your cruise experience. Azamara claims to be working on improving the butler service, but it's not clear to me whether the butlers will ever be a real service or just a marketing ploy.

Next: Azamara Quest Dining

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