Azamara Pursuit Review

Nicely Renovated Ship - Service Not Quite Up To Speed Yet

Review for South America Cruise on Azamara Pursuit
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TRAVELSHIP57
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2018
Cabin: Club Interior Stateroom
Pool area.
Thanksgiving day was celebrated in the Windows Cafe
Cabin 7003 upon our arrival
Crew member going through the Equator Crossing ceremony
Crew members serving guests out on the deck on a nice, steamy night near Pa
White Night celebration off of Panama City, Panama

We chose this cruise based upon the itinerary. The price was right and being that we had never cruised on a smaller ship we thought we'd give it a go. No disappointments overall. The ship was indeed reflective of a recent overhaul. Interior appointments appeared as-new. However, the staffing appeared new as well. Several volunteered that this cruise was their first on this ship - and as such they couldn't always answer our questions. Alarmingly, this was also the case at the Guest Relations Desk! When embarking, the process went very smoothly and quickly - however, they neglected to put a sticker on our card which indicated we had the upgraded drink package. So naturally, the first issue encountered on our cruise was only a few minutes after boarding when we sat down and ordered our very first drink - and found out that we didn't have the drink package (due to no sticker). The sever let us have upgraded drink after we showed him our invoice. He said we needed to go to Guest Relations to get our sticker ASAP - then he commented that "this happens all the time" - not a good way to make a first impression. We also noticed that in the Windows Café none of the staff behind the counter are wearing gloves, despite their touching the food from time to time - not good. We also noticed that at breakfast time there is a back-up of guests waiting to get toast - it seems like this should be addressed. My wife also got a great looking cup of very fresh berries one morning, however she found a one inch long coarse black hair in it. Lastly, regarding the Windows Café, on a number of occasions we had to go get our own coffee and juice in the morning after waiting for 5 minutes (or slightly more) with no table service; even though there seemed to be enough wait staff in the area. Overall the food quality was good with a reasonable amount of variety in the Windows Café. The main dining room however was flawless - great furnishings - well arranged - and more importantly the food was excellent, as was the wait staff. Absolutely nothing but praise for the main dining room staff - they are definitely "dialed in". We found the pool area to be very comfortable, with excellent deck chairs (firm padding with an attached pillow and plenty of nice towels and blankets). The deck service was excellent. The cabin staff was flawless; A+. They were always friendly, and addressed us by our names. The room was kept spotless, with plenty of clean towels. The cabin itself was nothing extraordinary - other than it did present as new. The mattress was very comfortable - cabin lighting was good. The bathroom was tight but clean and efficiently laid out. Toilets worked perfectly. We never ran out of hot water. The TV was good, with a fairly good selection of channels. The internet speed was adequate at 430kbs - seems slow but email and apps worked fine. The Mosaic Coffee staff was always smiling - friendly and welcoming. The Fitness room was surprisingly equipped given the small size of the ship - and the on-staff trainer was very knowledgeable an professional. Maybe more classes (especially on sea days) would be a nice bonus. Shore Excursions were expensive (no surprise) but they would benefit by eliminating any shopping opportunities - since they were seen as an annoyance to everyone on the tours we were on. No one wants their limited/expensive shore time eaten away at by a forced shopping trip to an emerald store or T-Shirt bazars. On sea days we were treated to two talks by a woman from the World Wildlife Fund and also by talks by a UC professor regarding our various ports of call. They were all very well received. The Livingroom is exceptionally relaxing (they have some nice chaise lounge chairs along the front of the living room) - very cozy and comfortable furniture lending itself to striking up memorable conversations with fellow travelers, reading a good book in a sun-soaked area of the room, or tasting some free hors d'oeuvres with a nice coctail or wine. Live music is available later in the day as well. There is a game area dedicated to scrabble, cards, etc. which was constantly used by guests. In closing my comments, this last example sums up our review. Upon crossing the equator Azamara had a very fun filled ceremony involving the crew dressing up and fullfilling a ceremony involving kissing of a large fish, bowing before King Neptune and then getting smeared with multi-colored goo (while in uniform) and pushed into the swimming pool. Loads of fun. They then followed up with nicely printed individualized certificates which we found in our cabins that evening certifying exactly where we were when we crossed the equator. I noticed upon returing home that the coordinates on this official certificate were incorrect (they had us crossing near Singapore instead of off the coast of Ecuador). So my point is that Azamara has high asprirations - which they generally meet - but they need just a little more attention relative to their execution. As always, the devil is in the details.

Response from BonnieM, CBO - Azamara Club Cruises

Thank you for the cruise review. We appreciate it!...

Cabin Review

Club Interior Stateroom

Cabin 09

Perfect staff. Cabin kept spotless. Newly renovated cabin looked - well - newly renovated!

Port Reviews

Fuerte Amador (Balboa)

We enjoyed see a little of Panama while traveling on bus to Agua Clara. The second stop was at a museum and movie that gave a very good overview of the history/construction of the Panama Canal.

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