We wanted to go to Cuba, and chose the Cuba Intensive sailing. For us, 2-days in Havana would have been ideal. Cienfuegos was nice enough but not much to see; Santiago was horrible. The Cubans we saw tended to swarm us looking for money, and we found it quite unpleasant. We were scammed by several taxi drivers. Air quality is poor and the poverty is ever present. Not Azamara’s failure by any means but I question why ships are going to Santiago at all, or why they’d spend more than a day or two in Havana. We found Cuba very overrated. The Quest seemed like an older ship and we saw ongoing maintenance like painting railings and other areas. We received a note that they planned to paint our state room during the trip and we’d have to store all personal belongings. This was not ok for such a small cabin and such a pricy vacation so we called to ‘opt out’. Is this common? If so, customers should be offered something in return for the inconvenience. We found the food options plentiful and good; we didn’t feel the need to try the 2 upscale restaurants. The staff was unfailingly nice. We never felt crowded, even on sailing days. There are plentiful common areas in which to relax. We enjoyed 4-5 nights of the onboard entertainment which was just right. Overall, this tone of the ship compared favorably to the other 2 cruises I’ve done on Regent and Royal Carribean: it was low key, fun, and our fellow passengers were generally friendly. My only complaint about Azamara is that it’s not all-inclusive - they have several packages they try to up sell, and it was annoying. I prefer Regent in that respect, which includes everything and isn’t constantly trying to sell you upgrades. Regent also includes excursions which Azamara does not - and they were expensive. Read Less

The itinerary was the reason for taking this cruise, e.g. circling the island of Cuba. The tours were good and we saw a lot of the Cuban countryside and how people live in both urban and rural areas. There were some differences in the places we visited (between buses) -- for the same tours - not just the order of places visited. We were somewhat bored toward the end of the cruise though. We felt the evening entertainment was weak. We didn't like their 'anytime dining' because we often had to wait for a table, unlike other lines with similar programs, but where reservations are taken. Azamara did survey some guests mid-cruise to see if improvements were warranted and they did follow up on the comments received. Staff was very pleasant, helpful and visible throughout the cruise. New captain was very personable and often seen around the ship. Embarkation and disembarkation was smooth and efficient for us. Read Less

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Travell with alan had low single supplement and i had never been to Cuba. entertainment could be better they use cruise director for half of the shows. great coffee stations and good coffee always available. morning smoothie bar was very good. any beef dish i had was excellent. specialty restaurants not worth the cost. Azamara night was a waste of 3.5 hours. disco only had rock and roll and there was no place to cabernet dance after 6PM. no bridge director on board. the ship is well laid out and with the small size it was easy to navigate around. As always activities conflicted. to many non hosted events, they publish solo get together and then there is no one to coordinate it. No one should have unroasted events. Read Less

We have recently returned from a 9 night cruise aboard the Azamara Quest sailing from Miami on 19 March 2018. This was our first cruise with Azamara (previously sailing with Celebrity) and our expectations of a 6 star cruise were high. First the positives. The ship is well appointed and the crew very attentive and extremely helpful and friendly. The food was excellent although we didn’t try the specialty restaurants. The ship carries approximately 670 passengers and there were always tables available in the dining room and the buffet restaurant. Sunbeds were also plentiful. The tariff included house wines, beers and certain spirits and cocktails together with gratuities. The not so positive matters relate to the entertainment on the ship and the off ship management. We were disappointed with the entertainment on board. There is a cabaret room as opposed to a theatre which is acceptable based on the size the ship. However they did not appear to make good use of the various entertainers on board and often there would be no entertainment during the day other than a trio of musicians who play by the pool at lunchtime. For those who are not particularly bothered about entertainment this would not be an issue. Our major complaint however relates to the management of Azamara. When we originally booked the cruise it was for a 9 night Cuba and Grand Cayman cruise. After making the final payment in January 2018 we subsequently received an email from Azamara indicating that the itinerary was changing to allow more time in Cuban ports and cutting Grand Cayman from the itinerary. However the changes were not what they appeared to be. On the original Itinerary we were to depart from Miami at 5 pm on 19th of March and arrive in Havana at 6 am the next morning. The revised itinerary meant we were leaving Miami at the same time but not arriving in Havana until 6 pm on the next day. The ship travelled at only 7 knots between the ports. We did stay berthed in Havana until 6am on 22 March but unless you are insomniac there is little point in being in port between midnight and 6am. How this squares with Azamara’s claim that the itinerary change was to allow more time in Cuban ports is beyond us. We suspect it is more to do with saving on berth costs in the various ports (including Grand Cayman) rather than trying to improve the experience for passengers. We did query this with staff on board and were told that the company had responded to customer demands to spend more time in Cuban ports. However why the company would choose to change the itinerary after people had already booked their cruise (and presumably being happy with the itinerary) is again somewhat baffling. We were also advised by fellow passengers that Azamara have a history of changing itineraries. A staff member also told us that Azamara had offered to refund the holiday cost after it had changed the itinerary. This proved to be untrue. No passengers appear to have had this offer. So, if you intend to book a cruise with Azamara please be aware that your plans may be altered without any warning. Read Less

This all-inclusive cruise offered chance to visit 3 ports in Cuba and the pricing in January seemed enticing. Why not? Ship is 18 years old and IS small by comparison to most mainline cruise ships out there. However, it is well maintained and all service staff, all areas, do an exceptional job! Cabins (outside and veranda) appear to be average in size, i.e. compact. Great bed linens, towels, (tiny shower), comfortable bed. Due to small size of ship, the public areas tend to be either small, limited, or few in number. Casino is small, rumor is it will become machines only in future. Only two shops, small gym with few machines limited lockers. No more stage productions rather a change over to mini-act show, or individual entertainers. The ships captain was the most personable, friendly, and walking among the passengers - ever. He loves to chat, smile, greet, or pose for selfies. Exceptional! Same can be said for the cruise director. He was friendly, approachable and interesting, mixing with all the passengers and talented. Great Brit-wit! And, he's a great singer at the White-Night Party! The food in general was OK, but nothing to rave about. We found a few good items in main dining room and the Prime C was great! But, one must reserve - fast and early - to be assured a place in specialty dining. We were greatly disappointed in Chef's Table on the night we tried it, but the menu varies per night, and we heard other nights were great. The average age of passengers is high, and Azamara appears to have a loyal following. The smaller ship size does allow smaller or more obscure ports - part of the allure. We'd sail with "her" again, but the itinerary would be the main attraction. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the Cuba intensive itinerary and because my Sister-in-Law loves Azamara. We were very disappointed. Although the size is perfect (less than 700 passengers) and we never felt crowded, the ship needs refurbishing. The cabin was small (even though it was a mid-range balcony stateroom). The furniture was very 70s style and when I moved a night stand to plug in something there were cobwebs. Tiny bathroom with a small shower with a shower curtain that clung to the person showering. The amenities were good quality and plentiful. We found the food to be average. We ordered tea service one afternoon and I swear the cookies were Keebler. No scones and clotted cream. No finger sandwiches. We are vegetarian but that has not been a problem on 20+ other cruises. Every evening there was one or two choices but they were almost all either eggplant (don't like) or potato based. No variety. The Indian dishes, usually a good choice on the buffets, was bland. Sorry, but even the creme brulee was blah. Usually a few days after a cruise we are still talking about some of the meals and lamenting we can't get that food locally. Not this time! There was almost no entertainment. I've never been on a Caribbean cruise that didn't have pool music. There was a decent destination lecturer who even added a lecture on request from the passengers but the theater and comedy was amateur. They did do an excellent Azamazing evening, although it was very last minute due to complications with Cuba. Otherwise the shore excursions were limited. I booked private tours in Cienfuegos and Havana. Otherwise there would have been nothing we wanted to do. Most of the excursions in Havana were to the nightclubs. Embarkation took a long time and had no accommodation for people with disabilities. Someone finally pulled my husband (who has Parkinson's) out of the line so he could sit (he looked like he was about to collapse) but it was so late that moving us to the suites line didn't really get us checked in faster (but at least we were where there was a chair for him while I waited). For a cruise with so many older people, many with mobility issues, the ship was not very handicapped friendly. Disembarking was very smooth. Maybe I was expecting too much but this didn't seem very luxurious, especially for the price. Read Less

This 10-day cruise focused on Cuba visiting three ports. The ship is older, pretty well maintained, but showing wear particularly in cabin bathroom. The cabin attendants were excellent and the dining room staff attentive and capable. The food was satisfactory. There were some significant disappointments. Azamara promises no more than 25 participants on shore excursions. We had four shore excursions in Cuba with 38 participants (all day tour), 38 participants (all day tour), 28 participants (part day) and 28 participants (part day). So, we never experienced a shore excursion with 25 or fewer participants. When I inquired, I was told that there were insufficient buses in Cuba. Surely, Azamara knew that before we booked but that limitation was not disclosed in any of its materials available before or on the cruise. Also, no wireless earphones were used making attention to the guide all the more difficult in the large tour group. One shore excursion to Trinidad, Cuba was not well planned with dead time, a drink in a place with no seating, and a buffet lunch with a line of 25 minutes to get to the food. Embarkation was delayed to permit a couple of hundred local travel agents onto the ship. Our balcony cabin was very small with the smallest bathroom we have experienced in 27 cruises. The toilet malfunctioned on three days. It was finally fixed when I brought the problem to the attention of the hotel manager who was helpful and conciliatory. We splurged one night for the Chef's table. Unfortunately, it was conducted in the less than atmospheric bar area of a specialty restaurant on a long high table with bar stools. We could only speak with the folks very close to us and the wine was not memorable in any sense, including its paucity. Read Less

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. Read Less

Great experiences with Azamara. Azamazing evening in Cabo was truly fantastic. The whole idea of no extra charges multiplies the value. An all inclusive at sea. When the captain knows your name by the 5th day, you KNOW you’re on a small ship journey. Our 5th voyage in a row out of 20+ total. Before we found Azamara, HAL had been line of choice. Now, we have done a transAtlantic, SE Asia, South America, and some random Caribbean Cruises with Azamara and are satisfied. There are leaks and tweaks on any cruise line and this is no different—just minimized because of the small ship and great service. The entertainment is not as strong as a big ship, but you don’t have to fight the crowds or sit in the third balcony. The time in port puts these cruises in a world of their own. Last year we did a week long cruise with another line and spent 18 hours total in ports. Our Azamara cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore spent 2 to 3 days in different ports allowing side trips to Angor Watt, Mekong Delta, Hanoi, etc. Read Less