The Azamara H.R. department must have stumbled on the failsafe personality test. The staff and crew aren't just nice to the customers, they're even nice to each other! I have heard the Quest referred to as "the happiest ship at sea" and that might not be hyperbole. On this cruise from Puerto Caldera Costa Rica to L.A., the majority of the passengers have sailed with Azamara before. It isn't uncommon to find folks who have sailed with Az five, ten, fifteen times and more. . . and the company hasn't been around all that long. It might not be Cheers where everybody knows your name, but with 600 passengers you aren't the anonymous digit you are on one of the mega ships.

If you're looking for rock climbing walls, or ice skating rinks or big name entertainment, you're in the wrong boat. But there's still plenty to keep you entertained. Every cruise features a "White Night." The cruisers dress in white for a gorgeous banquet on the pool deck. This White Night was in Huatulco Mexico and the entertainment was a folkloric dance troupe--highly preferable to one more second string comedian, one more hokey magician. The officers make crepe suzettes and then everyone dances to old time rock n roll under the stars--invariably a fun evening. You'll see the Hotel Manager serving gelato and the matre d' bussing a table--a factor, I think, in the happy ship equation. The egalitarian attitude is refreshing. The nightly entertainment in the Caberet Lounge is sometimes mediocre and sometimes quite good. And there's always the little casino. I'm partial to the penny slots. You can't win much but you can't lose much and it's a fun way to while away an hour or two on a sea day.

The last cruise we were on featured an "Azamazing Evening" on the Yorktown in Charleston Harbor. I thought it was okay, but my military buff husband was ecstatic. I was the ecstatic one on this cruise. A caravan made its way into the foothills of the Sierra Madres from Puerta Vallarta. The show included indigenous people performing in fantastic costumes--feathers to rival any Las Vegas showgirl, a mariachi band, a dancing horse and fireworks in a wonderful setting unusual and exotic. It was exceptional. I'm 67 years, I've been there, done that and I'm not easily impressed. I was impressed. Events like this take tremendous coordination and planning and they brought it off without a hitch. Read more