Good, but not as good as I was expecting

We booked this cruise because of the PerryGolf option. I did a lot of reading about Azamara on Cruise Critic beforehand, and perhaps based on its enthusiasts, my expectations were too high.

The service was good, but not what I would consider outstanding; it was about the same as we received on other lines. We did not experience the extra interaction or friendliness I read about on the Azamara board. Sometimes service in the dining venues was lacking. Service in the Patio was slow. I always requested lemon for my tea and/or water, and only received it about half the time. My water glass was often empty for 5-10 minutes before being refilled. However, after noting the last two deficiencies on our mid-cruise survey, they were corrected. I appreciate that Azamara takes the surveys to heart and works to correct any issues--I was contacted by staff in both food service and housekeeping after completing my survey.

Food was average, and again, based on CC posts, I was expecting better. Discoveries had the best meals, and I enjoyed their fresh fruit selection in the mornings. I had nothing at the Patio that I would ever order again. In general, I found the bread and dessert selections below average compared to other cruise lines. I don't eat seafood so sometimes felt my selections in Discoveries and on the White Nights evening were limited.

We made a poor choice in our cabin selection in 4005. We could hear the shows in the evening, and because we are "early to bed" people, it was extremely annoying to have noise from above until 10:45 or so. When docking/tendering, noise and vibration started between 6:15 and 6:30 AM and continued for about half an hour. I would not choose a forward cabin again. In-room selection of entertainment like on-demand movies could be much, much better.

I appreciated the port representatives that were onboard at each stop--lots of useful information. The smaller ship was great for leaving and returning to the ship on port days.

The complimentary laundry was also very nice, although as one would expect, it can get busy.

Included drinks were fine for our needs, although my husband would have liked a nice Scotch in the selections.

We liked Azamara well enough that we have booked another PerryGolf cruise, but that was also based on the price of a comparable itinerary on other lines. For the upcoming itinerary, Azamara offered a good price. We paid a premium on this cruise and IMO, did not receive good value for the money.