After using Azamara previously, we were delighted to sail with them again. The voyage covered Barcelona (where we boarded the ship); Marseille, Monaco, Livorno, Rome, Sorrento; Amalfi and Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia ending up in 'Chioggia' (Venice) - a great selection of destinations. We had booked a Balcony Plus room right at the back of the ship and whereas the cabin was fine, it was a little smaller than we are used to. The shower particularly so but a great tip I picked up is to put the shower curtain behind the door handle and treat the bathroom as a 'Wet Room', it works. We had onboard credit and it worked a treat enabling us to upgrade to the Ultimate drinks package; get full voyage wifi for a second device; book an additional specialist meal (two were included in our original package); pay for our transfers to the airport and even enable my wife to spend $140 in the shops. For the price we paid for the overall cruise, we thought it great value. The Ultimate drinks package was well worth the upgrade - we were well pleased. There was a very wide variety of drinks in the package but those were our preferred go to drinks.

The entertainment team led by Stephen the Cruise Director was excellent, giving high octane shows which we thoroughly enjoyed. Due to the weather the Azamazing evening had to be held on the ship but the Slovenian Choir were excellent. We had three specialists meals. 'Prime C' we found OK but liked the atmosphere is 'Aqualina' but the menu choice was a little limited and the food again OK. The overall experience however and service in 'Aqualina' was first class. Discoveries Restaurant is a pleasant main dining room and the service without exception was exemplary and our wine glasses rarely went empty. Compared to out last Azamara cruise I thought the food had gone down a notch, whether this is due to cutbacks or the menus on our cruise were not inspired I don't know but in fairness, we never went hungry and the food at all evening outlets was certainly acceptable. The lunch buffet, sat out in the sun on the rear Sunset deck was varied and good quality. We never went for breakfast so I can't comment, we just ordered coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice to our cabin. We didn't go on any organised excursions so I can't comment but they did look to be expensive for what they were, we preferred just to pick up the local flavour of the ports we visited. The ship never felt crowded even though it was full and the Captain was very much in evidence giving three broadcasts a day to keep us informed. We upgraded the drinks package and internet during the first hour once on board the ship and I preferred this than booking it in advance.

Embarkation and debarkation were a piece of cake and made the whole process easy and stress free. If you are sailing into 'Chioggia' to disembark, during the cruise they offer the chance to book a transfer to Marco Polo airport and this was very reasonable at $30 a head rather than booking a private transfer. All in all, we had a great cruise and really like the Azamara Journey. I don't understand some of the negative comments but each to their own. On the strength of our two voyages with Azamara we would certainly travel with them again which is more than I can say from our recent experiences in the last 12 months with both Princess and Norwegian. For us a small ship is worth the compromises and the easy navigation around the ship, coupled with the fact that nothing is very far away suited us perfectly! The Azamara Journey has a Country House feel, is relaxed and offers overall quality which is what we like and there wasn't one evening where we didn't get a window table in the restaurant if we were prepared to wait. What is there not to like!