Absolutely brilliant time had by all. Cabin great, a lot bigger than I was expecting and we were well looked after by our room attendant, sometimes to the point where it became a little bit irritating as he was ALWAYS there, nonetheless cannot fault his work and cabin was always clean and tidy each day. Food was amazing, lots of choice and catered to all tastes. If you couldn’t find something you liked then you have a problem - and this is coming from a very fussy eater myself!! Loved the outside areas and abundance of sun loungers available. The only thing that really let this cruise down was the entertainment which was shockingly BAD. The AzAmazing night was a complete waste of an evening, performances were very mediocre at best and did not seem as though the dancers had rehearsed at all. We spent more time getting on and off ship / coaches than anything else so really not worth the hassle. Spoke with several people after thus event and all were of the same opinion!! Other entertainment shows were awful - I have heard better kareoke singers in my local town than anyone actually employed on Pursuit. And as for the so called DJ - an absolutely awful human being, very rude and not at all friendly towards our party on the nights that we did venture into his domain. Said NO to every song request we asked for and was very abrupt- he actually ruined our night!!! The entertainment aspect definitely needs to be looked into and said DJ to be replaced by someone who actually knows how to do a disco and accommodate all people present and be able to converse in a friendly manner with all guests. Read Less

Hi there, we are Jorge (40) & Stian (42) (a.K.a the arctic husbands) from Norway, this will be our 20th cruise; second with Azamara. This is the first leg of a B2B2B. This first week we had a Club Ocean Suite stateroom. We booked these cruises to celebrate our 10th years marriage anniversary and because after meny RCCL and Celebrity we wanted to experience Azamara again and the ports of call in the meditterannean where the big Ships cannot go PRE-CRUISE: Barcelona... One night stay in the Eurostar’s Grand Marina, next to the port where Azamara starts... so the check out, walk to the ship was a decisive factor... we have been several times in Barcelona and sightseeing was not something we needed this time around. The Hotel is OK, nice but dated rooms, a reception staff that smiles but doesn’t do their job, the best of the stay is the small restaurant offering a Gourmet dinner experience and this was a highlight of the trip... the food and the wine pairings were PERFECT... do we recommend this hotel... yes for a stay next to the port. EMBARKATION: very easy... just five minutes and then we were on board. SHIP: Pursuit is a beautiful ship. The newest of their kind... elegant, sophisticated and the color palette makes you feel happy. CABIN: for this first leg of the back to back we upgraded (at last minute) to a Club continental suite, we got 8039, perfect location and the only suite I have ever said OMG WAO when opening the door... the colours, the decoration, the style and the light. No noise problems, at least for us. SUITE CLASS PERKS: Internett: 235 minutes per guest, which is OK but slowly but after all you´re on holiday and IT works for reading emails if you ned it. Butler service: our butler Roy has been outstanding, amazing level of service when we have requested our breakfast in the suite, our tea service in the afternoon. I will post a picture of the letter in the stateroom with all of the suite perks you can get DINING: This week we just have ate dinner in Aqualina or Prime C, given that is included in the suite perks. Once we had dinner in the buffet (before the Azamazing evening) and once with the White party buffet that was AMAZING. Aqualina and Prime C quality of food and service has been really on point. Room service: we had breakfast in the rom almost everyday and it was very very very nice to have the extra space the suite provides and the balcony breakfast when it was not so cold in the early hours. BARS: For this first week we decided to buy the ultimate drinking package and it worked well for us this week. We got to try most of the included wines when having dinner, and some of the premium drinks we enjoy when on a cruise. For the second week, we decided not to buy it so we can compare the experience.... Our favorite place for drinks so far is The Den... it is just a very nice place, with some piano music on the evenings and the best bartenders and waiters. ENTERTAINMENT: This week we attended all the Signature Singers shows (3 shows) and they were good. These guys can sing and dance and keep you entertained for the 45 minutes signing along. We loved the intimacy of the cabaret lounge shows, if you´re expecting but productions shows, this is not the case and it works for Azamara. Azamazing Evening in Marseilles, Palais du Pharo. Was very entertaining, a kind of cabaret show with very french music, dancers and two great vocalists. White Evening party: we are not party people so we didn´t stay long after the White Evening Buffett ended but the party looked nice and people was enjoying themselves. All the staff makes a great effort for this event and you should not miss it. SERVICE: In general the service level around the ship is very good. Of course there are some that are just good and there are some people that just go above and beyond. SHORE EXCURSIONS & Ports of call: * Port Vendres: small, charming village, we just walked around and then found a hiking path that takes you to the other small town Collioure (or something like it). The Wall in the green areas around the Coast line is just very very very nice and easy with some amazing views. Breathtaking * Sanary Sur Mer: Beautiful town, the marina, the restaurants and cafes, it was very beautiful. We just walked around and enjoyed perplekse watching here and there. * Marseille: a vibrant city, we walked around, did some shopping and visited the Cathedral. It was great to be docked just in the center of town (or very very close) * St. Tropez: we took and organized excursion from Azamara and loved every minute; we visited Gassin and Ramatuelle and the Bertaud Bellieu wineyard for wine tasting. The guide we had has to be the most amazing guy we ever had AS a guide. We actually think we got a lecture on wine making, all about the process and the technology and traditional methods. The wine was so good we bought three bottles to take with us to the ship and enjoy in the stateroom. Also the small towns Gassins and Ramatuelle were beautiful and we got to learn about the history of the places. In Ramatuelle we enjoyed some free time that we used eating cheese and hams with a cold bottle of Rose wine from a local wine yard. It was an amazing day. The port of St. Tropez by itself, was not as expected, it was crowded and just a marina with amazing yachts, the best was the local artists selling their paintings around the marina. Beautiful paints and interesting people. * Cannes: we have been in Cannes several times so we decided to go for the Excursion of the ship to Grasse with a perfume factory visit and to St. Paul de Vence. And again we got a great guide, the visit to the perfume factory: Fragonard; this was very enriching and we could resist and bought two new Eau de Colognes with shower gels... Then we visited St. Paul de Vence and OMG this small hilltop village is just amazing, it breathes art from everywhere. The local artist and small galleries in the very narrow streets, the views from the wall of the town, the small restaurants... once again we learned about the local history with our guide and in the free time we just walked around and decided to have a very French lunch, we found a little place where they make sandwiches, so we bought a baguette with local produced cheese and ham, and sat on the wall and had our small French sandwich picnic there... just beautiful. * Monaco: Last minute changes out of Azamara control, The port authorities closed the port in Monaco so we got diverted to Nice... for the last night and day of this first cruise. We will explore a little bit of Nice today. NEXT CRUISE OFFICE: So far they have made a good job and we booked a cruise for 2021, Western Africa sailing from Cape Town to Lisboa. The benefits of booking on board make sense for us coming from the Nordic market. Read Less

Having been on over 20 cruises with MSC, NCL, Royal Caribbean, P&O, and Cunard, we were not sure what to expect on this, our first, cruise on Azamara. We have always enjoyed every cruise, sometimes this has of course meant focusing on the positives, and so we were looking forward to cruising on the Azamara. Our main concern, because we like to socialize and party, was that the demographic would be different and maybe the atmosphere a tad "stuffy". However, we thought the service and food would be excellent, the cabin comfortable, and the itinerary was great - as a student 40 years ago I spent a summer hitch-hiking around Southern France and hadn't been back since to that region. Well the food and the service was indeed excellent and the ship immaculately clean - a credit to all the hard working and friendly staff on board. The cabin was tastefully decorated and the bed extremely comfortable with bed linen of the highest quality. Our cabin attendants worked very hard to ensure the highest of standards too. As expected, the itinerary was also well planned, and particularly for me, fascinating. It was awesome to be able to visit small coastal ports and towns that the bigger ships can't reach. Everything was really well organised. The "Azamazing" experience - I believe there is one on every cruise - was also well planned and I enjoyed the evening's entertainment provided at a venue in Marseille. I heard one or two comments from a few other guests, who had travelled Azamara before, saying it was not as well organised as usual and the show a little short, however we felt it all went smoothly enough (quite a manoeuvre getting 600 or so passengers off a ship on coaches to the venue and back again!) We also thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment put on for us - an excellent experience! The real surprise on this cruise however were our fellow passengers - a great range of ages and characters and not at all "stuffy" as feared. We met lots of friends from the US, Australia, Norway, Germany and the UK, and every night in the Living Room our group got larger and more enveloping as we had fun listening and dancing to the DJ and sharing stories of our travels and other life experiences! Just a few other points - embarkation and disembarkation was easy and efficient, Prime C, one of the speciality restaurants, was excellent and very good value, and the gym well equipped and spacious for a smaller ship. Overall we had an absolute blast - we loved this cruise, the ship, what Azamara provides and we would definitely recommend this ship. We look forward to our next cruise on board an Azamara ship. Read Less

Found a deal on the transatlantic cruise and boarded in Barcelona. Boarding was easy and quick. Our suitcases were at the door before we were! Due to approaching we weather we skipped Gibraltar and Madeira and went to Santa Cruz de Tenerife instead - a worthwhile visit. We got credit for the skipped port charges. Kudos to Captain Antonio for outrunning the storm, we had a a couple of days of rolling seas but overall it was as smooth crossing. The food was fabulous (as usual) and the speciality restaurants did not disappoint. The wines offered were all very good except for the whites which were to heavy on Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. But when asked, there was always an alternative. Despite this being a transatlantic cruise the entertainment was the best we had ever had on Azamara. The shore excursion in Tenerife was wonderful as was the behind the scenes tour on the ship. The White Night was also fabulous. The service overall was slightly below par, probably due to new staff not quite embracing the Azamara spirit. There were a few familiar faces to welcome us back. Trivia is a big thing and one of the hosts was not up to par as he could not pronounce words properly. That led to some angry outbursts. The senior staff is all great, visible and accessible. Looking forward to going back next March. Read Less

We sailed on Azamara Journey from Barcelona 29-Sept-18 to Rome 6-Oct-18. Cabin 7121. This was our first sailing with Azamara, our 15th cruise overall. Anxious to try out the smaller ship we were looking forward to this itinerary and stopping in some smaller ports the itinerary offered. Embarkation was incredibly easy, only issue was finding the ship location as it differed from the address listed on embarkation documents. We boarded the ship with no lines. Upon boarding the ship we were a bit surprised to see the electronic blackjack and roulette machines in the casino which is located immediately upon embarkation. We immediately booked our specialty restaurants and signed up for the ultimate beverage package. Doing our homework prior to sailing, we knew exactly what we wanted to do. The rooms were ready immediately as promised (1:30 PM) and our luggage was waiting for us. We unpacked and found the room to be adequate for our 7-day journey. We really had no space complaints. The bathroom shower curtain and caulking throughout the bottom of the shower was a little unsettling, but really, this was our only negative review of the room. Everything else was positive. We loved our ports of call. The best part was the Captain making a game-time decision to leave our first port early so that we could safely arrive in Marseille before the wind storm scheduled to arrive the next day. The crew and Captain were wonderful keeping us all informed. Meals were good. We ate at Prime C, Aquafina, Discoveries & Chef Table. Our favorite was Aquafina. We learned upon embarkation that our White Night was in Monte Carlo which was a little disappointing as we had dinner reservations in port that night. We cancelled our dinner reservations to attend White Night party. We arrived a little later as we wanted to spend more time in port only to discover there was no seating and we were rushed to hurry and get some food prior to food stations closing. The staff on the cruise were all very nice. I do say that we miss the evening entertainment of Celebrity martini bar and real dealers in the casino. Its our understanding that the Journey recently replaced dealers with electronic machines. This is too bad and a huge disappointment. The machines even broke down while we were playing them. We hear this isn't the case on the Quest and really hope that Azamara reconsiders the decision to get rid of the live dealers. For the most part we had a great experience on Azamara and plan to return for a 2019 Asian cruise. Read Less

I choose this cruise since it was a small ship (only 700 passengers), late in summer season departure of sept 12 and ports of call - italy & athens . I was surpised at how crowded italy was despite being late in tourist season and how warm it was. ports at florence and rome were so far away. it made for a very long day to get there, tour and return to ship. food on ship was good , shows were ok and I was happy casino was removed since this would be one less chance to spend money on board. staff was helpful, but not overbearing this was an expensive cruise so I had high expectations and there were mostly meet I booked several shore excursions that I thought were ok , but a little pricey the best one was the tour of the fresh food market in sicily with tour of mt etna , wine tasting and finally a dinner especially prepared for us with food bought at the food market this tour was $300 per person , so for us two was $600 Read Less

We have done 17 cruises in the past 12 years & this was our favourite by far. To set the scene, we are a couple mid 30s, no children. Looking for a destination intensive itinerary with like minded travelers & longer stays in ports. No wheelchairs, or walkers - just great people enjoying a wonderful European Summer. For starters, and slightly with smugness I loved the fact that the Quest ported everywhere it went, whilst the other luxury boats (Silverseas etc) ported. They also left by 4-5pm, and we were still in port until 10pm, even once overnight which was fantastic!! We got to watch a sunset in every city we visited. Azamazing Event was spectacular and so well organised - I could not fault it. It was in beautiful surroundings and we were all taken very well care of. I also loved the White Night - the fact they do it on every voyage means it runs like clockwork - but it was unique and wonderful watching the staff come out with their 44 flags & the captain was incredibly engaging... In fact, a standout for me was getting off the boat in Livorno at 8.00am to be greeted by the captain, and then when we returned at 4.30pm he was there to welcome us back. I mean, I'm no fool to believe he stood there all day - but incredibly exceptional and certainly something I've never experienced on any other cruise. The entertainment... Well I didn't have any real experience with it. But I did hear a few people say it was a bit average... I guess, if you need grand stage shows to keep entertained then it probably was underwhelming, but for me.. After a long day of exploring I'd much prefer to curl up with a good book or movie then head out on the town. Our cabin 6014 was brilliant. The bed was huge & faced the TV which I really enjoyed cause after a long day of exploring I like to come back and relax with a movie. Not only that, but it was the most comfortable bed I've had at sea fluffy and warm - the shower is substantially smaller than any I've seen before, but it wasn't a great inconvenience. I'd rather have more room space then bathroom anyway. There was ample storage for our luggage. There is a coffee table.. I've noticed it on a few other ships, I'd rather not have that to be honest - - seems a waste of space. Perhaps it is for those that love to eat in their room but I find the dining rooms serve enough food not to warrant eating any more. Speaking of food - - - DELICIOUS!! Everything was fresh and delicious. My husband has dietary requirements and they were a little difficult to navigate. I often find that if you notify your wait staff they remember and allow you to pre-order, however as there is no structured dining on Azamara you don't have the same waiter, they don't remember and every night was slightly awkward and embarrassing having to reiterate his order.. But it didn't affect our voyage. Might just be food for thought, to have something better in place. As we disembarked, I felt very teary.. My husband asked me why and I said I didn't know.. I just felt like this was our most wonderful voyage yet. I cannot wait to go again... I'm hoping to do another port intensive voyage around Africa or somewhere similar. Azamara... you really can't go wrong!! Read Less

We thoroughly enjoyed our 8 day cruise from Barcelona to Rome on the Quest. This was our 1st cruise on Azamara, and we will definitely consider Azamara again for a future trip. We met several fellow passengers who had been on over 10 Azamara cruises, so this is a good testament. The size of the ship (~700 passengers) and the itinerary were the main reason for choosing this trip along with a reco from our travel agent who has booked many happy clients on Azamara. We never had to wait in line or worry about not getting a seat in the cabaret lounge for any of the shows or a lounge chair by the pool. No children running around also made for a pleasant trip. Everyone on the crew was so nice and accomodating. Our cabin was kept spotless. We were fine with the alcohol and wine selection included in the fare. The food was excellent - great variety with the buffets based on different cuisines each night - seafood, Greek, Italian, etc. each night. The White Night party on the deck overlooking Monaco was amazing. The huge buffet and entertaining evening filled with music and dancing was fantastic. The Ahmazing evening event in Valencia was like a Spanish mini-Cirque du Soleil in a fantastic venue. This event is what differentiates Azamara from other cruise lines in that this event was on shore and so well organized with 16 busloads from the ship, but didn't cost anything extra. Read Less

This was our first Cruise with Azamara. Unfortunately our expectations were not met. We knew that the “Quest” was an older ship but did expect that the service, food etc. would compensate for that. The cabin - as for the ship itself - really needs a refurbishment. Especially the bathrooms, carpets etc. The cabin size is on the small side, which we knew though. The bathroom is very small and the including shower very tiny.. The service on embarkation day was really bad. We found our cabin to be without bathrobes, slippers, fresh flowers and some of the ameneties in the bathroom were missing. Dirty mirrows in the cabin and messages regarding on board credits to former cruisers had not been removed from the desk. On top of that we received one of our suitcases broken during the embarkation process.. Not really an issue but when it is said that you are to expect a high service then these things are not good enough. The first night we went to the main dining room where we found the service and the food to be very poor. The staff did it’s utmost but being very few persons to serve many guests that meant that we had to ask for water, wine when we wanted a fill up. We had bought the Ultimate beverage package due to a wider selection of wines and sparkling waters. However we had to sit waiting a long time (more than 10-15 minutes) for i.e. a Perrier as the staff had to go a long way to get hold of it. Furthermore we were told in the main dining room (and later) in Angelina and Prime C that portwine (Fonseca) was not included even though we had it in writing. Not comfortable to have to discuss this. We have never experienced such a bad service on our prior 6 cruises(Celebrity and Norwegian). To summit itnup: GOOD: Very nicely decorated “Windows Cafe” - the most stylish we have seen on the ships we have been cruising on. The food in the windows cafe was delicious although the selection was quite limited. The service and the food from “In room dining” - the best we have ever experienced. Being on a small ship means the possibility to get to places that bigger ships cannot go to. The itinerary was really nice - Menorca, Corsico and Elba being our favorites BAD: The service (compared to what was to be expected on a ship that should be luxury). The need of the staterooms, bathrooms, carpets i.e. to be refurbishment. The team spirit between the staff did not seem to be the best. We had a waiter in one of the speciality restaurant that - in our opinion - did not match the job. We was really trying but he seemed to be placed wrong. I.e. his comment when we ordered lobster was a “wow” so to say he was too smart for the job and needed som training how to “behave towards guests”. The food in the Main Dining room was poor - cold and lacked in taste. On “White Night” there were no possibilities to dine outside or sit in a bar if you did not want to attend the “White Night”. The intertainment was so bad. Really missed the productions shows on prior Cruises. Value for money - not worth paying the double price compared to Celebrity. In the future we will choose Celebrity Aqua Class instead. It is important to mention that we are not the only ones who were dissapointed. We spoke to various people on board - first timers on Azamara Quest as well as people who have cruised on Quest before. There was in particular one person who had been on Quest earlier this Year in the Carribean and he could not believe that he was on the same ship this time - so different was it. We do believe that the staff did it’s utmost to give us the service that was to be expected BUT even if they do what is in their power they cannot compensate for CUTS in general made from the persons/managements in charge. We think that Azamara should be profiling themselves as a Cruise Company that can go to small places where big ships cannot go and don’t profile them as being a luxury Line. Read Less

First off I should say I do love Azamara. The combo of relaxed and yet slightly luxurious vibe is a winner for me. But after a couple of years away, previous experiences with Azamara seemed much more luxurious than they do now. On embarking, it immediately felt different as there were a number of noisy children dominating the pool. Azamara is kind of billed as an adult ship, so this was disappointing and set the tone a bit. The cabin service also seems less good than previously - eg., favourite soft drinks not topped up in cabin fridge, despite asking cabin steward for this. Food was good, but a lack of lobster in main restaurant. What happened to the regular ‘surf and turf’? I should say that restaurant service was superb and friendly, as ever. Officers also seem a bit more distant/less friendly than in previous years. They used to walk the decks much more. Except for the Captain. In this case, Captain José, who is always very approachable. On my cruise the Azamazing evening trip to a Majorcan cathedral was pretty poor. On the plus side, the White Night was very good - except for the queue to eat which was just silly. My advice would be to eat in the Discoveries Restaurant and then go up to that event, but not rely on it for your evening meal. I will return, but probably only for an itinerary that really appeals. Read Less