Azamara Journey |
| Reviewed By: Freedland, Glasgow on 23rd Apr 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Azamara Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Azamara Journey |
Sailed:
March,
2008 |
| Destination: South America |
Age: 56-65 |
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My husband and I (64 and 59 respectively) have cruised fairly extensively, but always on the large "super" ships, so when Celebrity brought out their new Azamara brand with ships holding just 700 passengers, we decided to give it a try.
We were somewhat apprehensive as we felt we might miss some of the facilities of the larger vessels. We need not have worried; the Journey was WONDERFUL!
We were on an 18 night cruise from Sao Paulo in Brazil, sailing up the coast of Brazil, through the Caribbean and on to Miami.
CHECK IN We boarded in the early afternoon in Santos, the port for Sao Paulo. Check in was speedy, efficient and friendly with no lines to wait in. Our welcome on board was so friendly and extremely welcoming. With a complementary glass of champagne in our hands, we were escorted to our cabin.
CABIN We had a balcony cabin midships on deck 7. The cabin itself was newly decorated; the bedding was beautiful and the bed extremely comfortable. The cabin was slightly smaller than on previous ships, but perfectly adequate. There was not quite enough hanging space in the wardrobe as we were on an 18 night cruise, but would have been fine for fewer days. There could have been more shelf and drawer space. There was a flat screen TV, a safe and a fridge. The choice of television stations was somewhat limited and there were no recordings of the shows and lectures as on previous ships. The balcony was small with a good sized table and 2 chairs.
The bathroom was typically laid out, but the shower was the narrowest I have ever used! Full sized complementary Elemis toiletries were provided and the thickest, most luxurious robes.
BUTLER SERVICE I feel that the marketing of the Azamara with butler service did not correctly manage customer expectations. Yes, there was a butler, but as far as we could tell, it was a glorified cabin steward in a butler uniform. Our butler had 16 cabins to look after, so it was hardly personal service.
She ensured that we had fresh fruit daily in our cabin, brought us our newspaper and would have made reservations for us in the specialty restaurants if we so wished.
DINING I can honestly say that the food on the Azamara Journey was the best we have ever had on a cruise ship. There was an extensive menu and the food not only arrived hot, but was so beautifully presented that it seemed a shame to eat it! The service was second to none; from the restaurant manager down to the assistant waiter we could not fault anything. There is open seating in the dining room and, although this has its advantages, we prefer to be at a set table. From about the fourth night we requested this and we and our 4 dining companions who we had met on the ship had the same table and waiter each night at 7.30, an arrangement that we found most suitable.
We also dined in the each of the 2 specialty restaurants. Azamara, unlike other cruise lines, does not charge for the specialty restaurants, although a tip of $5 per person is suggested. Because the food and service was so good in the main dining room, we did not feel that the specialty restaurants were any better and as the menus were the same each night, we felt the need only to dine once in each.
The buffet restaurant on the pool deck also had a very good standard of food, and although we did not eat there on any evening, we heard from other passengers that it was very good.
ENTERTAINMENT We knew not to expect the glitzy Broadway type shows of the larger ships and the cruise director, Paul Grant, certainly put on some great entertainment in the cabaret lounge. There were a couple of nights when we didn't enjoy it that much, but on the whole, the standard was good.
There was piano entertainment every night in the Cova cafe and dance lessons and disco music in the looking glass lounge. During the day, there was the usual round of port lectures, enrichment lectures, trivia, games etc. One thing that was noticeable was the lack of announcements during the day; the Captain and the cruise director came on the loudspeakers at noon each day and that was it - a very welcome change as far as we were concerned!
POOL FACILITIES The was one fairly small salt water pool and 2 hot tubs. The loungers were the most comfortable I have ever seen, but there was never quite enough on sea days. Thankfully, there were no knobbly knees competitions and the like. We did have some fun with a "crossing the line" ceremony as we crossed the Equator on this journey. The Captain was a really good sport and was happy? to be thrown in the pool by King Neptune!
SHIP'S OFFICERS This was one of the happiest ships we have ever sailed and it came from the top. The officers, including the Captain were regularly seen about the ship chatting to passengers and the rest of the staff were so motivated; it was obvious that they enjoyed their jobs and worked as a team. This made it a pleasure to be on such a happy ship. The only let down was the guest relations desk who always seemed to have to be asked several times before anything got done.
OVERALL Would we sail again on the Azamara? In a heartbeat. We loved the size of the ship - the fact that it did not take 20 minutes to get to an activity - particularly if you didn't know your fore from your aft! We were made to feel part of a large family the minute we stepped on the ship, so if you are hesitating about booking the Azamara Journey, go ahead, you won't regret it!
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Weate mainly in the Discoveries dining room | | Entertainment |  |
| There were some excellent singers, dancers and musicians. The comedian was very poor. | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| Our favourite excursion was to Rio, but we did our own excursions as we feel the ship's excursions to be over priced | | Staff | |
| They were all extremely well traine, friendly and motivated. The service was excellent | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| There was something for everyone every day and the activities staff were excellent | | Cabins |  |
| Slightly smaller than expected | | Overall Rating | |
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