Azamara Journey Review
4.5 / 5.0
Small Ship, but Not Too Small; Friendly, but Not Obtrusive
Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Azamara Journey
blingbling
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s
Rating by category
Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Additional details
Sail Date: Sep 2015
Cabin: Club Veranda Stateroom
THE SHIP
We picked a 9 port-intensive itinerary for a 9 day cruise: Athens RT, Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, & Santorini in Greece, with Bodrum, Kas, Fethiye, and Marmaris along Turkey's Turquoise coast. Because we enjoyed the ship's activities, food, and entertainment so much, I would definitely look for a voyage with some sea days! It is great the ship is almost entirely no smoking, reserving only a small seating section on the pool deck for smokers. And I never saw more than a dozen smokers anytime I passed by this area, even though the ship carries a bit over 650 guests.
Given that the ship will be refurbished entirely (and yes the renderings look cool and sophisticated) I was delighted the Journey is still a looker. I found the Mosaic Cafe a great place for complimentary Nespresso coffee & tea with snacks mid-day. And The Drawing Room/Library was a richly appointed room like an old fashioned English club room. An excellent getaway for privacy as it seemed rarely used. I borrowed a book to read but never had the time to do so. The Discoveries Lounge outside of the main dining room also an intimate "living room" setting.
Cabin Review
Club Veranda Stateroom
Cabin V3
THE VERANDA CABIN
I found the layout of the cabin to be spacious with lots of nooks and crannies to stow clothing and accessories. The 2 closets and ample dress hangers were more than adequate. With the large vanity mirror & mirror wall across from the bed, the natural light was magnified. At night the vanity lights, over head recessed lights, & bedside table lamps were sufficient for mood or reading light. The bathroom upgrades will give that quality finish, and I hope they retain a corner mirrored medicine chest storage as well as the open glass shelves. The mini-frig was filled with the complimentary beverage of our choice, but we rarely used it as we were either in port, at a shipboard activity, or dining.
The balcony isn't deep, but a large square table takes up 1/3 of the space, allowing for ample room for dining set-up and two chairs. I wonder if a 30" square table wouldn't suffice, allowing for more standing room and space to move the chairs around. A table for 4 isn't needed when you can't fit 4 chairs around it. I loved the veranda cabin, but could be equally as happy with the ocean view (identical in size with picture window) where the itinerary isn't in the calm warm waters of the Med or Caribbean.
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