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Azamara

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Azamara Pursuit

Azamara Quest

Azamara Journey

Food quality

Excellent cruise from Rio to Lisbon. Very friendly staff. Atmosphere is upscale-casual: Few men wore sport jackets at any time. Ship was about 3/4 full, with almost all passengers being in their fifties and up. There were no children. Large mix of nationalities (US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc.). It got a bit rocky towards the end of the cruise and the captain chose to skip the Madeira port of call. Cabins are nice and clean, but on the small side, especially the shower. Balconies are nice, with a table and two comfortable chairs. Entertainment was exellent considering the small size of the ship.

Food was excellent. Azamara cruise fares include gratuities, a variety of house wines at all dining rooms and bars, beer, and a variety of drinks. The prices for upper alcohol packages were recently increased. The premium package sticks with house wines but adds several brands of beer and spirits. Not worth it unless you are picky about your brands and both cabin mates drink enough of it on a daily basis. Few passengers seemed to be on this package. The ultimate package makes more sense for serious wine drinkers as it includes name brand wines and higher-level spirits.

Excellent Transatlantic Cruise

Another superb cruise on the Azamara Quest, we were in a club continent suite this time as the bathroom in a veranda room is very small , our suite was very nice lots of storage and we were able to put the suitcases under the bed. The company has changed hands since our last voyage and it is noticeable in the cuts they are making considering the guests on board we’re 54% return cruisers they should be mindful off this as there were conversations to the difference. That being said the crew are the backbone of this ship a big thanks to Robert and Amal for there wonderful service and the rest of the crew for there dedication. Food choice are very good but noticed a few items have been deleted . All in all no complaints so much so we have booked another cruise this time Cape Town to Gran Canaria.

Superb Cruise.

San Francisco

There were 591 on this cruise (ship accommodates about 675) with a crew of about 400. This is considered an upscale line and ship and it is. The ship and crew did a fine job. The food was excellent and much better than most of their competitors, but they could use some menu additions and modifications. We love azamara and love the quest and you will too. This ship was apparently overhauled about 2021 and is in very good condition. This was our third azamara cruise and second on the quest. There were no kids on board but they are apparently allowed. The passengers were largely younger retirees but some working adults were cruising. Food is aft. The windows cafe is on 9 aft and is a buffet format for all three meals. The discoveries restaurant is more formal on 5 aft but does not require reservations. There are several specialty restaurants on board available for additional $$. Price c was quite good. Azamazing evening was wonderful as was white night. There is a self-serve laundry on 7 but it stays busy so find a time when others are off the ship to use it.

Really excellent ship with wonderful crew

We wanted to see parts of South America. We enjoyed the food and service.  The excursions were pricey so we did most touring on our own in ports.  In Ponte Del Este, we obtained a private driver and toured the whole area including a visit to casa Pueblo, which was amazing.  We took the ship’s excursion to see Christ the Redeemer and the beaches.  On the way back to the ship.  The bus driver lost consciousness (had an heart attack) and hit a traffic light and a pedestrian.  No passengers appeared injured.  We were a party of 4 and we were really shook up emotionally.  We obtained an Uber to return to the ship and the other passengers waited with tour guide for another bus.  We were surprised no one followed up with us to see if we were ok.  White night was fun and the show in Montevideo was entertaining.

Bus crash in Rio

This was our third cruise with Azamara and it reconfirmed how much we like the brand (which doesn't seem any different since the change in ownership).  

Our cabin was on deck 8, which was handy for the buffet restaurant, Living Room and outside decks on 9 and for the main entertainment areas/dining room on 5.  No need to use the lift as the ship is small enough to easily get around.  Our cabin was underneath the gym but we never heard any noise from it.  Sockets worked for US and European plugs but not UK.  USB port in the bedside light.  A hairdryer, robes and slippers are provided, as are shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap and body lotion.  

As others have commented, the bathroom and shower area are small, although there is plenty of storage space for toiletries.  The cabin is a decent size with enough storage for a shortish cruise.  Balcony had two upright chairs and a large table.  There was never a problem finding a sunlounger on deck and I think the crew did remove items if someone was reserving a lounger but not using it.

We found the majority of the crew very efficient and the service in the bars and on deck was very quick.  Good choice of drink included in the price, including bottles of Diet Coke rather than the weak on-tap stuff.  We enjoyed the food, of which there was plenty.  We ate dinner at The Patio on a couple of occasions, on deck for White Night, Prime C once and the rest in the dining room.  We found Quest a very friendly ship and got chatting to a lot of people from different countries (particular thanks to our international quiz team!).    Shows were OK for a ship of that size but certainly not big production numbers (which we were not expecting).  The Azamazing evening at the Teatro Solis in Montevideo lived up to its name.

Embarkation was somewhat shambolic, involving three different bus trips, which we had not been warned about.  Disembarking in each port was pretty smooth, though, as were the tender ports and a lot easier than on the larger ships.

We enjoyed most of the ports except Santos which was rather a waste of time, unless you wanted the long bus tour to Sao Paolo.  Unfortunately we were involved in a nasty bus crash on a Rio de Janeiro tour and were surprised by how badly this was handled by the ship (but full credit to the onshore tour guide).

All in all it was a great cruise and we appreciated the two sea days, which seem a rarity on a lot of itineraries these days.

Hopefully not our last Azamara cruise

We booked this cruise while we were on an Azamara Journey sailing in October.  Antarctica had long been on our bucket list and the deal that was offered was too good to pass up.  We had debated doing an expedition cruise, but had done one in the Arctic and ended up being totally disappointed.  While we didn't step foot on Antarctica during the cruise, we were able to see an amazing array of wildlife.  The Captain did an amazing job of positioning the ship to maximize viewing and regular announcements were made about whales and dolphins in the ship's vicinity.  The 17 night cruise meant a lot of sea days (12) but for many of those days, scanning the sea and sky made the days pass quickly.  There were a number of guest speakers on board discussing the wildlife of Antarctica, geography and global warming impacts.  The ship's excursions included trips that would take you to various penguin colonies.  We were lucky to make it to the Falkland Islands as it seems only about 50% of ships are able to get in due to weather and winds.  

Our Azamazing evening in Montevideo was spectacular.  We didn't think anything would come close to the evening we spent at Ephesus, but this was definitely in that same category.  The Carnival show that was performed at Teatro Solis was incredible from start to finish .  The fact that this was developed just for Azamara passengers was remarkable. 

As usual for Azamara, food on board was very good.  The only thing they could do better is make sure the actual dining room menu was what was shown on the stateroom TV.  We were disappointed more than once when we planned our meal based on the TV menu, only to find what we planned to order wasn't available.  

Our other disappointment was that White Night had to moved indoors.  It is not the same as being able to party on deck.  It was originally planned for the night we were in Puerto Madryn where we had perfect weather.  It was decided to delay it by a day in order to accommodate a comedian's performance - really!  So rather than have a performer go on two nights in row, the decision was made to penalize the 470 passengers and have White Night the following windy and rainy night. So dinner was served in the buffet which was packed and the party was moved to theater which was packed. Definitely not the normal White Night experience.  

One other thing that could have gone more easily was to let people know that once they got to the terminal in Buenos Aires, they would need to be bused to another location to drop off their luggage.  It seems that the normal cruise terminal was damaged in a storm and that the temporary terminal at the port could not accommodate luggage.  Since we had only carry on luggage, we did not have to jump through the additional hoops, but other people were clearly annoyed.  Had they known they could have gone to the luggage drop off point directly and then taken a bus back to the temporary terminal.  

While I recognize this a minor annoyance, it could have been handled better.

Amazing Wildlife Sightings

My expectations for this cruise were very low based on the terrible Azamara website, incorrect embarkation directions and poor pre-trip customer service from the "home" office.  I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent crew, captain and cabin.  On this cruise we went from Buenos Aires to Rio for two nights of Carnaval.  The Quest was the only cruise ship that docked in Rio for two nights of Carnaval, which is why we selected this ship.  We were supposed to overnight in Montevideo, but it was cancelled at the last minute so we had an extra day at sea. 

Our cabin attendant, Matt, was terrific.  A room with a balcony was most appreciated because we had many days at sea in nice weather.  Most days we had room service breakfast on the balcony.  The cabin bathroom needs an upgrade because the shower is very small.

The restaurant staff were attentive and friendly.  The food was plentiful, but not gourmet. The captain was present and communicative.  The excursions were good, but over-priced.  

Azamara must improve its back office and website or its brand will suffer.

Better than expected 

This is our 2nd Azamara in 2 months. Previous Onward Med. Was exactly the same food experience. 

 In Windows Cafe very ordinary buffet type food offering. Unappetizing display with partly full serving dishes in reach until empty when replaced by the full one behind  out of reach . Resembling a school canteen. 

Discovery main restaurant has very well organised impeccable service by numerous friendly wait staff. Food on the November Onward cruise was . Drab. Lacking in flavour and taste. Cooked from poor quality ingredients.  No fish except Salmon and a sliver 70g of tasteless Sole.

As the Executive chef was working the Quest kitchen I hoped for superior results. Sadly it was worse.   Apologising waiters explained that  a container of food failed to arrive for departure Buenos  Aires with herbs and some vegetables. No fish either. Despite that important lack of ingredients.  The chef couldnt be bothered to buy them in any of the many ports en route.  

Imagine sailing thru zillions of the best fish on the planet, sold in tons at every single port, and not one sardine was bought for the disappointed pax!

We were obliged to forget lunch and dine in the 2 speciality restaurants every night.  Where good food was found with marvellous service , but from limited menus. The Aqualane misnamed Italian lacks flair.   Obviously a problem transmitted by the executive chef. 

As usual on ships. The Sommeliers are  pointless knowing very little, but probably serve a commercial purpose selling wines off the list.  

Off subject.  The Aaamazing Azamara night off ship in a Montevideo was absolutely superb. Transport perfectly organized like a well oiled machine..AND FREE. Bravo

Ilulissat

We chose this cruise for the Panama Canal experience and the size of the ship. Embarkation was quicker than anticipated as we hit a lull in the arrival of passengers. 

The disembarkation did not go as well due to an unavoidable delay in tying up. 

Also, there seemed to be no urgency in getting the luggage off the ship by the longshoremen; there was a lack of signage directing us to the airport transport and once we were loaded onto the coaches, there seemed to be no concern in getting us to the airport quickly although we were running +/- 1 1/2 hour late, with the result that we almost missed our departure.

We have completed 10 cruises to date. This is the first cruise that I felt we should book another trip on this ship due to the friendliness and personalities of the crew we encountered.

We felt that the night-time entertainment was only a 5/10. Pianist Sasha and Russ were the exceptions. Give them top marks.

We have never encountered a ship's master like Captain Jose. Very personable and likeable. We'd gladly cruise with him again.

We felt that the ports of call were too close together. It would have been nicer to have a sea day between a few of them.

Great Azamara Quest Staff

This 17 day trip was a great experience that was made special with our first time going through the Panama Canal.

We took our first cruise with Azamara in June 2016 on the Journey out of Athens and enjoyed every moment of it and booked this one while onboard.

We have done 9 cruises and are not as experienced as others but we have a daughter who worked on a cruise for a year when she finished college and we gained a lot of information on how hard these people work when we joined her on a back to cruise in 2009 and got to go behind the scenes.

We are 56 ( me) and 54 years old and consider ourselves young at heart and very athletic but the relaxed atmosphere is what we love about Azamara along with the sea days followed by longer port stays.

We enjoy the mature clientele and look forward to quiet days on the pool deck ( some light music being sung.....actually really good) along with the some wine and cheese on our balcony around 5:00 then on to drinks at the Discovery's Bar and then to supper followed by dancing or a show.

The staff from Captain Jose down to those that fold the towels would always have a smile and were more than accommodating when necessary.

Cruise Director Russ is a machine and I always thought that I had a lot of energy but I was amazed at how he made every event top notch.

Hotel Director  Philip Herbert along with all the Management were always visible and any concern that arose was handled promptly and professionally. 

The folks who looked after our room along with the service we received at Prime C to Windows Café was 5 star.

Getting on and off the boat at every port was smooth and well organized along with the tours that were well run.

The first drink on this cruise was served by the same gentleman who served us our  FIRST drink on our first cruise......and he remembered that.....thank you for remembering us.

If you are looking for an intimate setting / great service / 5 star food / top notch entertainment and plenty of things to do / hands on Captain and Officers and friendly staff then give Azamara a shot, you won't be disappointed.

We have always had the attitude that we never let minor things get in the way of a good vacation and that is why we are never concerned about a bit of rust on the side of the boat or if there is too much mayonnaise in the salad.

We are looking forward to our next trip on the Pursuit in March 2019 out of Rio.

February 2018 Panama Canal

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