As someone who has edited some videos for work, I am awed by the number of shots Gary uses in a single video and the amount of care that must go into stitching them together.
I've started working with Azamara this year as a singer and I enjoy this video. You are very thorough and fair with your comparisons and investigation. We DO use those surveys to help improve our operations so we thank each and every person that comes aboard to cruise to these incredible locations with us. If you find yourself on the Azamara Journey before February, I'll see you around!
I am on the 21 day Azamara Journey Africa to Lisbon. My only regret is that after 36 cruises,10cruise lines from Crystal to Carnival, this is only my first on Azamara! They are GREAT!!! Perfect 10
Jim, my wife and I feel the same way. We've noticed Gary's presentations are so well thought out there is value in every word he shares. Often we will watch twice.
We have sailed 10 times on Azamara and have b2b booked in November. Can't wait! Have sailed on other lines but we are drawn back to Azamara because of its size, food and staff. Love their Azamazing evenings and White Nights. I will give you my detailed comments when I return.
Went on Azamara to Caribbean in February 2022 . Normally a Celebrity cruiser but decided to try. We all really enjoyed and loved how the Captain was always out and about. Found staff to be excellent and quality of food. Booked again to Croatia in 2023 .
I've always thought that Azamara were much more expensive than they actually are right now. I'd like to try them but for now all my Azamara knowledge comes from you. 😎💕
Who are the people who are saying Azamara is going downhill fast? The apparently are commenting to you and not on Azamara Facebook pages. With the exception of expected adjustments due to Covid-19, my cruise on the Journey last fall matched my high expectations that were based on my four previous Azamara cruises. The food was wonderful, as was the entertainment. The officers’ Q & As were informative and candid. The excursions were excellent and I was ‘welcomed home’ by name every time I went ashore. Service everywhere was always top-notch. I’ll be on the new Onward in a week and expect there could be some hiccups due to the supply chain issues that we’re all facing everywhere and possibly new staff, but I’m confident it will be a great cruise. I really think the title of this video is misleading and doesn’t honestly even reflect your experience.
We just returned from the Ireland intensive,our first sailing with Azamara. I felt the level of service , food quality and overall experience met or exceeded our expectations in every way.
We went on our first Azamara this year (only being Seabourners before) in Ocean Suite and it was overall good running at 50% capacity. I think the staff recognition comments are, as you say, entirely due to having an additional ship plus the post Covid environment. We knew none of the staff so it was quite amusing when staff started every sentence with ‘nice to see you again’! We would book again.
As a solo traveller, I really hope the ‘small ship’ segment finds a way to lower solo supplements, as they’re currently out pricing themselves for me (and I’d imagine so many others). The Azamara ships were docked in Glasgow (my home city) for the entire duration of the shutdown, and seeing them from the motorway really peaked my curiosity with them, so it was great to see a bit of what’s onboard in this video!
I'm glad you pointed out that smaller ships can dock closer to the city centers and can stop at smaller venues that couldn't cope with the thousands from a big ship.
I don't think they're "small things", Gary. I think the issues you mentioned make the difference between a positive experience and a not so positive experience. You're a great observer. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
Exactly. Specially at that price point. This is the key thing. You charge top $€£ then you expect a standard higher than just the ordinary. Otherwise just save the money and go a regular line.
The very next night of dinner, the bar server immediately brought me a Diet Coke without me even asking on our Carnival cruise. You just can’t help but remember stuff like that.
Gary, My wife and I have never been on a cruise. 2025 is our 50th Wedding Anniversary and we decided to celebrate it by doing a cruise of Italy. We wanted a cruise that was Italy intensive. We wanted a small luxury ship. Azamara was the closest we could find to match our ship and itinerary criteria. We booked a 12 night Azamara Italy intensive cruise. Your videos and guidance really helped us in our decision making process. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
I was recently on my first Azamara cruise, and having watched this video, I was quite worried to be going on a line that was “going downhill fast”. I need not have worried. The personal service and attention to detail was superb. I suspect that Gary’s observations reflect the temporary effects of disruptive change that we have seen across every industry following the pandemic. I don’t know how guests could expect to be recognized by new staff who have never met them before. The issue this year has been the incompetent rollout of a new computer system, which meant that many guests could not access their bookings or benefits. I will definitely plan to travel with Azamara again, but I’ll wait till they have the computer system sorted out.
Computer systems are *always* pain to roll out. Trust me, I've been on the implementing side more than once. One of the problems is that systems like that has to be designed in such a way that they can be replaced, and that costs money to do. And software is very, very expensive.
Hello! Since you have cruised with Azamara recently... What is the music like? Not the entertainment, but the music in restaurants and at the pool and throughout the ship. I prefer classical, jazz, and music from the region of the cruise. Loud pop songs could ruin the experience for me. Thank you if you can answer!
@@barbmiller9285 There was a jazz pianist at the bar most evenings. There was a group playing contemporary and retro favourites in one of the lounges most evenings. We were cruising around Iceland, so I only swam once, but I do not recall any music being played at the pool. This might be different on a warm weather cruise. No music was played while I ate in the restaurants, as far as I can recall.
completely agree! We had a fantastic experience on Azamara Pursuit 2 months ago and will definitely travel with them again. Once on board, none of the computer access issues mattered in the slightest. (By the way, we found a work-around for the mildly frustrating booking glitches. In fact, what appeared to be glitching actually was working.)
We just got back from Azamara Onward. We did the Intensive Croatia that left on May 13, 2022. We were new to Azamara and have cruised on a wide variety including Seabourn, Norwegien and Celebrity. We tend to pick itineraries over cruise lines. We enjoyed our stay on board and thought it was good. We never went to the specialty dining but ate at Discoveries and Windows. We knew the cruise was new and just getting started again after COVID. I think a lot of people were negative because they felt it wasn't PERFECT. We had a few issues with service but understood they were a new crew and getting used to the routine. A few items were missing but there was plenty of substitutes, such as Salmon. Over all we enjoyed it and would go again.
We were on Quest's last trip of 2020 (cut short) and were looked after so well by the crew. We joined Pursuit for its return to service this year (after Azamara were bought over) and it really did feel like coming home. We were recognised by a few crew who had been on Quest. One of the bar staff even remembered my moustache from 2 years previously even though I was wearing my mask this time! We are very much looking forward to being back with Azamara in December, and again in 2024. The ships may be small but, for us, they are perfectly formed.
Having just disembarked from a Carnival cruise, we witnessed the removal of tea and coffee making facilities in cabin plus now charging for what used to be free room service continental breakfasts, which we used to enjoy. Add to that the ever present sewer smells throughout the ship and seasickness, we're out of there for good. Landbased holidays from now on.
There are a lot of us about, but I wonder how many can afford to pay 2 x the couple's fare? I gave up Saga when the average cruise of about 2 weeks was £6000 for a single.
This is the main reason I haven't booked anything ... I want a small ship experience, high end (I'm thinking Viking), but paying twice the shared room price is just too much.
First off, I always enjoy your very detailed and almost scientific approach to your analysis of cruise experiences. We went on an Azamara before the pandemic and I remember the Azamazing evening in Taormina where we were treated to some really good opera - the Mezzo was just outstanding and got several standing ovations - but there wasn't enough to eat and there was a mad dash back to the ship to fill up. Thankfully, the staff had either been warned or knew better and were ready for everyone and as we boarded, we were told, please go to the dining rooms now. I did so enjoy that cruise with the attention to detail and also the wonderful, funny, friendly passengers and crew who really made the experience so memorable. The relaunches of everything are challenging and hopefully once things settle - though, sadly, I don't ever see things returning to what they were - we can get some semblance of the cruising experience we'd all enjoyed before.
We loved our Azamara cruise prepandemic. We have booked a December Azamara cruise and are so very excited to return our floating 5 star hotel! Great food, great service and a wonderful environment.
We’re just back from our first Azamara cruise and I’ll be honest we found, other than the included drinks package as good if not better than our experiences on Silversea (at a much higher price). We found many staff who had spent years on Pursuit and while of course the the pandemic will have effected things they seemed to be more on the ball than our last Silversea cruise in March where there were so many shortages. I don’t think it’s a line going downhill it’s a line like all the others still coming back from a torrid time. We even booked another cruise with them while onboard!
That's a little more encouraging. We were looking forward to our first Azamara cruise next year but started to feel a little dispirited after hearing Gary's comments.
My beef with Princess started when they sold the Pacific Princess. It had been my favorite of the line. Of course, they have slipped in my estimation many times since. So many things have changed for all the lines since the restart, and I fear things will never be the same again. Oceania is now on our list to try.
I am totally confused about some of these comments regarding the “ horror” of these reactions. It sounds like the only real difference is that staff might need some training - doesn’t recognize you. When I saw headline I became frightened as am booked for next May. I don’t know price of Oceania but Viking is MUCH more expensive. I am on a Facebook sight for people going on Azamara and except for some issues on initial Onwood ship - and any season traveler knows to avoid first few cruises on a new ship or one just reconditioned - most have been very happy. I think those saying Going downhill fast” were either on new ship due to obvious issues until up to snuff or just complainers. Your evaluation was very fair so I don’t understand the comments after.
Really interesting. Thanks for the input. My wife and i are about to embark on a cruise on Seabourn. Our first time on Seabourn -- we are cruising novices with just one other cruise on Oceania which we enjoyed greatly. After I booked the cruise I read depressing news that Carnival was trying to unload Seabourn and the articles said long time Seabourn passengers thought Seabourn's quality had declined greatly. I hope that in fact Seabourn has maintained its standards but I'll know more in a few weeks.
Gary, I've come to trust you enormously, you can't begin to know how much we have learned from you about cruising. DW and I have been Azamara regulars since 2010, until that little ripple in 2020 into 2021. We love Azamara. We had 5 consecutive B2B cruises with them beginning in October 2021, shortly after they resumed operations, plus a Transatlantic crossing and an un trip into Morocco this past March. Yes there were changes. But you are wrong about the attentiveness of the staff. The warmth and sincerity cannot be faked, and it is there consistently with Azamara. This past week, by sheer accident of price, DW and I jumped ship, went over to the competition which is something we've never done, and took a 7 day Alaska cruise with Celebrity. HUGE difference between the two lines, and for all sense and purpose, new owners not withstanding, they are both Royal Caribbean products. We were greeted by about 50% of the staff when passing in a hallway, ignored by the others. Only our cabin steward knew out names, we never got to know hers. That absolutely NEVER happens on Azamara. Ever! Service was perfectly adequate, but it was cold, as was the food 90% of the time in the dining room. You don't drink, I can go through a martini a day, plus a glass of wine with dinner. With the exception of one bartender, those folks on Celebrity were clueless as to how to mix a martini, gin and tonic, old fashion. They just weren't worth drinking. That NEVER happened on Azamara. Food quality on Azamara. The fall cruises, there was a huge jump in the quality of the food in MDR, NOT matched in the specialty restaurants. Nor did that correct by March. I spoke to the staff, they agreed that changes were coming, but there was no need to dine in the specialty restaurants, at an up charge, on Azamara. Food on Celebrity Millennium went from just plain mediocre to excellent, with no rhyme or reason. It was NOT Azamara quality, by a long shot. Exceptions: breakfast buffet was better on Celebrity, baked goods much better on Celeb, and they are excellent on Azamara, variety was better on Celebrity. Pool grill on Celeb doesn't hold a candle to Azamara, we are talking apples and oranges. Wait staff, my wife came away with the feeling that on Celebrity, they were all still in training. No, no one spilled the soup or delivered an incorrect meal. But there were delays and bumbling, daily. That never happens on Azamara. As an aside, back in 2018, prior to the acquisition of Pursuit by Azamara (ship #3), I was chatting with Heike Berdos, their Head Hotel Director, about changes we'd seen since 2010, The woman is incredible (3 years after our first cruise, on our return she looked at me quizzically, recognizing me but not knowing my name, and said flat out, "I don't remember your name, but you're from Atlanta." Yep we were sold on the line, hook, line and sinker. She wasn't the only one, either). She had many people she wanted to promote and retain, but couldn't without expansion. The new ship gave her that opportunity, but she was very concerned about retaining the Azamara quality with the new people she would have to hire. So that may segue into your story here. My conclusion, is that Azamara changes were minimal, minor, and are all being corrected. No White Night in March, apparently it's returned. I never saw oysters on the menu (lobster yes, oysters,no) I'm an oyster lover. Staff attention, everyone knows us by name on Aza, Celebrity was a dud. We came away with the impression that Celebrity provides excellent value for our dollar, but we wouldn't seek it out, otherwise. It simply lacked the warmth and gestalt of Azamara. Azamara, minor bumps in coming back from the dead, all is being smoothed out, and we have nothing, absolutely nothing but praise for the line and its people. Downside, they are very, very pricey, and you failed to mention that in most of your room vids, you booked an Azamara suite, and even higher level of service, or at least a larger room, strawberries daily, and the Aqualina breakfast that we poor peasants cannot attend. Great, great video, as always, and you hit a nerve. Thanks for bearing with me! Dr H (as I'm known on another BB)
It's not that he is wrong, but it's that your experience wasn't his experience and both of these experiences are valid and that's important to understand. Everyone will have a different experience on a cruise, especially when you are dealing with people who are regularly ostracized in society like those that are disabled, gay, and/or a different race. That isn't to say that Gary's experience was impacted by this, but his experience is just as valid as yours is.
Oh dear. You expect every staff member to greet you as you walk along hallways?? Wow just wow. And you compare a 2,000+ passenger ship with a 650 one. Seriously?
David, thank you for your detailed information. We've never sailed on Azamara (yet!). Because of Covid, we've missed two previous booked sailings with them, so we are hoping the cruise we just booked for January 2024 will truly happen for us. Oceania is our favorite line, but the price difference between Azamara and Oceania on a 16 or 17-day cruise to Australia/NZ was dramatic. Azamara was many thousands cheaper and included much more. Thanks for providing reassurance that Azamara is still offering a special experience to its cruisers.😀
I was just on the Quest for an eleven-night Spain-intensive sailing. Much of what you echoed I would agree with. I chalk some of these up to new ownership coupled with the long-term effects of the pandemic impacting staffing, logistics, and supply issues. Regarding new ownership I have high confidence in leadership’s willingness to learn, grow, and adapt at creating an independent cruise line essentially from scratch. I expect the back office, WiFi, and even the soft product to evolve for the better in the next 1-2 years.
Azamara sound like a cruise line I should be considering. We prefer river cruises but on the two occasions we have done ocean cruises (Baltic and Istanbul to Athens) we have gone with Viking. We've just got back from the Istanbul to Athens and like you we found a lot of inexperienced staff, they were trying their best I'm sure but overall it meant the cruise was not as good as our Baltic cruise a few years ago.
If you are a fan of river cruises then Azamara will not disappoint. The vessels are small enough they can sail right into the center of Seville, as I just did with them a couple weeks ago. It’s very surreal to see such a large vessel so easily traverse a river. The journey from the Atlantic 60+ miles up the Guadalquivir River into Seville was spectacular.
Last time I was on the Quest, the waiter from Eastern Europe at the coffee shop was so rude I almost fight with him. Never saw that at sea. All the rest was excellent and I find the food better then before the Covid. I cruise with them some 6-7 time. I spend a month with Windstar this Winter and I find the service even better there. 🚢
Prior to covid, I've been on Azamara 3 times , it's my favourite precisely because of it's size, and the inclusions, tips, laundry and drinks. Everything you said about this is true, and I don't think they are a drawback, except maybe the entertainment which is not up to the standards of the larger ships. The headline of your posting is so negative and doesn't match the most of your comments which aren't so negative . It all depends what the guests are looking for , if you want water slides and rock climbing, Azamara is certainly not for you. Ditto for music venues, there is only one or two plus the main stage. It will be a while before I risk sailing again, but I will probably go on Azamara again when Covid is over and done with.
I can see how free good quality WI-FI is important to you as you have a UA-cam channel. Although I have yet to take a cruise, I'd be willing to try dropping the electronic master for a while just to see if I am truly addicted.
Good balanced and considered content Gary, thank you. We will be on Azamara Onward next month and also have a Regent & Princess cruise within the next 12 months. When reviewing all 3 lines recent reviews, shortfalls in the onboard experience are rife. I suspect other lines are also struggling to hit pre Covid top form.
Thank you for this video, Gary. You have answered many of our questions regarding the current state of Azamara. Mangala and I are looking at this cruise line for 2023, but will also expand our options to Oceana, Viking and Windstar. Cheers!
Thank you! We are heading for our first cruise ever at the end of July on Azamara and your video really helped assuage some fears about how the trip would be.
I think people are shortsighted when it comes to the recognition thing. Covid likely had a huge effect in keeping/maintaining and rehiring their staff. To complain that new staff doesn't recognize them is just looking for something to complain about.
I understand that you say that these are not "big things" that you have highlighted .............. But in fact they are, if you are used to other cruise lines. Thank you so much for your thorough and articulate
Azamara keeps on being my favourite👍. Since the coronavirus the White nights are less spectacular and there’s less interaction between guests but that’s no fault of Azamara. Hope to have an Azamara experience again real soon😍.
We did our 12th Aza cruise in February. Food definitely not as good as last year, all ships are showing signs of age/poor maintenance but the crew as great as ever.
Hi Gary. Nice to "meet" you at the Q&A today and thanks for signposting me to this video. Hubby and I listened in and were pleased to hear that your summation matched our expectations. We sail early August from Istanbul so I'm hoping to receive the joining pack soon so I can see what the Covid testing requirements are. Testing is no longer a requirement for flying so just the cruise element. Thanks again for the video. Keep on sailing!
We have sailed Azamara both prior to the pandemic as well as last November on back to back sailings as they were returning to service. While we definitely took notice of the temporary changes you mentioned such as the Azamazing Evenings, we enjoyed the sailings greatly. There was a lot of seasoned Azamara staff on our sailings that we recognized. The staff was greeting us by name by day 2 or 3. Service was really good and food was excellent and on par with our past sailings. We have also sailed Celebrity a lot and enjoy the reciprocity of status and points in their loyalty programs. We are sailing them again on back to backs this December and are looking forward to it. We love the small ship advantages like prime docking locations, overnights, and late departures you noted.
Princess FB groups are reporting that standards are going downhill. Staff are great and very willing but overall, Princess is not what it use to be. Have you had any reports Gary?
Perfect answers for our 2023 family cruise! By then, many of these glitches may be corrected!!! Thanks for the extremely timely video! We will know what to expect.
Great video Gary! We've got our first Azamara cruise in October - Croatia Intensive and we're really looking forward to it. It's cost as less for a 7 night balcony cabin all inclusive with two excursions each than it costs for a 7 night a walking holiday in Croatia for B&B in a 3* hotel so a no brainer for us.
Thank you Gary..my wife and I are going on our third Azamara cruise in October with Olivia Travel. We’re doing the Greece, Cyprus and Israel itinerary and are so looking forward to it. Our last cruise with them was October 2019 and it was fabulous..when we went to dinner every evening with our friends (8 of us) our server would know what we liked, what we drank and would bring our pre dinner cocktails without even asking. He just knew what we liked. That personalized service was very special. So if we don’t get that on this trip it’ll be disappointing. So, I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks again
Thanks for this review. We watched a lot of your videos prior to going on our first ever cruise in May with Aramara. It was wonderful, but the White night food was very underwhelming and the AzAmazing evening was a non-event - was supposed to be hosted on board rather than at a location (very disappointing). The crew were wonderful and eager to please and the food was generally very good. Very good cruise but not exceptional value for the price we paid.
Great video, as always, Gary. Thank you for what you do so I well. Though I’m certainly not an “upscale” person at all, we are scheduled for an Oceania cruise in Fall, 2024. I look forward to finding your presentation on it. Though Amazaria isn’t on my Bucket List, it looks like those who sail them can endure the hiccups in service for better days ahead.
Gary, We didn't follow your advice about not sailing on an inaugural voyage of a ship. But, we saw that video after I booked the Azamara Onward's inaugural voyage. The itinerary was perfect, sailing around Italy--from Monaco to (almost) Venice. But, the ship was not ready for "prime time". The common areas were well appointed ready for passengers, but my veranda cabin was not. The bed was new but all other furnishing were probably the same as initially installed 22 years ago. The cabinetry still had the space and connections for an old cathode ray tube TV. Azamara "sold" the ship as their "new ship" implying something that was recently built--not a 22 year old ship. Azamaa has a lot to fix on the Onward and I hope that happens sooner than later. We will probably take another Azamara trip as the voyage around Japan is very appealing.
I LOVE the price match resulting in a full refund of the price drop, good for Azamara for doing the right thing...By contrast, Norwegian only offers future cruise credits instead of partial refunds or onboard spending credits for the cruise you're already booked on. Future cruise credits suck because there's a mountain of stipulations that come with them so that you're really only receiving a mild discount ($4800 was issued because that was the actual, enormous price drop...but I was only able to actually use $1200 of the future cruise credits) for a cruise you had no intention of going on before the cruise credits were issued. Since you only have a year to use them, they are actually a stealth upsell into an entirely different cruise you probably wouldn't have booked at all.
Great review as always and I'm actually sitting looking at that ship now from my hotel in Kavala. I don't really understand the clickbait style title though which doesn't reflect the video at all (I'm glad to say)
Hi Gary, when I'm rating any holiday, I particularly look for the smaller things like you have just explained as I believe that that is what separates the great from the good to the mediocre. Very rarely do I give a 10/10
Gary thank you for that, we did a lot of cruises with the old Azamara and loved it. This is really helpful. I will also look at Oceania, looks interesting.
Gary, I am considering the intensive Iceland cruise with Azamara this July…. What can I expect to see as the price range for excurions on that cruise? Additionally what does Azamara charge for wifi. Love your videos! Thanks
Great video review! We recently sailed on Onward round trip from Venice with an overnight in Venice. This means our itinerary was Venice for three of the eight days. Unfortunately, this was changed to Bologna (Ravenna). I say unfortunately because no complementary transportation was provided to Bologna nor Venice. We were left with a bad taste in our mouths because of this change with no apology nor accommodation. We do agree with all of Gary’s comments. We likely will seek another cruise line since the new ownership did not address our issues like when Royal Caribbean did in previous Azamara voyages.
Just returned from Greek cruise on Azamara Onward. I have now been on all four Azamara ships. I have not noticed a decline in many standards but was disappointed by some of the public areas such as public toilets. They weren’t as clean as they have been and considering Onward is a newly refurbished ship, the “finish” was poor in places, such as cracked tiles, poor decor/fittings on toilet doors etc. We also had very noisy air conditioning in our cabin which was quickly remedied. The ship was probably rushed into service when not fully finished.I still think Azamara offers great value for money. The food is still very, very good.
The small trivial things matter more, they are easy to get right and sometimes it’s inexcusable to get them wrong, we can all understand that the big things like carpets, lifts etc are major things and not easy to fix? But not getting an order right or missing towels etc is frustrating to me as it makes a huge difference to the experience.
Really enjoy your channel. What would be your suggestions for a good single person cruise line? Haven’t cruised before and am curious what you suggest for solo travelers.
I'm guessing difficulties in getting staff because of Covid. Perhaps visa problems for staff from poorer countries? The U.S., for one, banned travel from quite a few Asian countries. And perhaps some of the pre-Covid staff managed to find other jobs during the shut-down period and don't think crew conditions on cruise ships are good enough to make returning appealing. And some of the pool of workers may, unfortunately, have died in the pandemic or now have long Covid and so be unable to work.
We just came back from an Azamara cruise from Rome to Venice last month. We were very happy and satisfied overall with the cruise and service. Mind you we have never been on Viking or Oceania but have been on Celebrity and Princess mostly. Everyone working was super friendly and helpful. The amenities were super nice. The food was awesome. We really appreciated the free self laundry and the Mosaic Cafe be available all the time. We loved never having to wait for a table in the dining room. If we had any complaints is was just the lack of communication sometimes...ie. the announcements never came thru into our room at all and there was not a daily brochure with lots of info about the port we were entering. Of course the big complaint, especially since it was the main reason we booked this cruise, was the last minute change from Venice to Ravenna. I'm not sure how much that is Azamara's fault. I knew ships with more than 700 passengers were no longer allowed in Venice but per my research it seemed like our small ship would be accepted. But for whatever reason about two weeks before the cruise began they informed us we would have to go to Ravenna instead. That was a huge two hour drive and major hassle that means we will never book a cruise going to Venice again. We only had once instance of bad service and that was in the Discoveries dining room when they seemed to just drop the service altogether. No one came to pick up our appetizer plates for about 30 minutes or of course deliver the main course. There were no apologies either for the wait. My companion really felt it was a homophobic thing as we were the only two men alone together. For the rest of the cruise when we arrived at the dining room we would ask them not to seat us in that section again and told them the service was bad. I wish we had received the mid cruise evaluation you mentioned. WE did however have the fantastic chocolate bar one evening.
Great video, we are booked on the Baltic out of CPH on Pursuit. It all seems to be down to the current post covid situation with staff shortages etc. Our cruise seems to be one half booked due to the St Petersburg cancellation
My wife and I have been on 14 cruises so far. About half on Azamara plus Crystal, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. Our last was a Christmas/New Year cruise on the new Rotterdam. I was unimpressed with that cruise. I like Azamara because of the small ships and where they go (as you correctly noted). Three days in the middle Saint Petersburg Russia. Three days in Miramar (Burma). Falkland Islands. Rounding Cape Horn. Panama Canal transit and small ports on the way. Our biggest complaint is their removal of the casinos. We will be looking for some new out-of-the-way place on one of the other cruise lines.
We took our first Regent cruise trip in April. The entire staff seemed off. The food was not hot in most restaurants, service was very slow. We had to ask for coffee and water refills every day. They would fill one of ours then walk away. We expected and paid top dollar for food and service and got neither. A disappointing two week trip. So back to Viking where it’s done right.
Ours was in February. We didn’t have this experience on the Explorer. Our butler was extremely attentive, housekeeping was top notch, food hot and mom and I enjoyed our birthday cake immensely. I always suggest telling management about anything that is off the minute it happens on Regent. They are extremely responsive and will fix everything quickly.
@@KateandBree we felt the Regent’s Splendor was definitely off. We will likely give Regent another go in the future. The Explorer is the ship we would love to try!
@@texasboy5117 The Splendor just came off dry dock and repairs in January so I'm guessing things were still a wee rusty. The Explorer is fabulous. If you love that James Bond 60s but with a modern twist vibe (and look!), the Explorer is for you. We had a lot of fun on it. I ate WAY too much food. (Don't get me started about Prime7. I could eat there every night.) It's going into dry dock for the 2023/2024 seasons. The Grandeur is the one my mom and I are dying to try out as it's brand spanking new for 2023 and the entire boat is based around the 30s/40s with a paler color palette. I cried looking at the Grandeur catalog. The prices though. SO EXPENSIVE. I think I'll look at one of their older options. LOL.
@@KateandBree you are so right about the price. Regent is going to cost you several dollars!! Regarding price, when you look at the total cost and business class tickets they are not much more then the premium lines. Our favorite place was Pacific Rim and Seti Mari. When we were at Prim 7 I had Dover Sole which came out dry and just warm. The Suite has outstanding and had excellent service staff. We are off for a 29 day cruise with Viking on the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. We will depart in about two weeks.
i see that at the 3:44 mark you are in the "handicapped" cabin. It's a well kept secret that it is clearly more spacious than the other Deluxe Ocean View and Veranda cabins per the wider entry foyer, large bathroom and lots of additional storage space cabinets and closet. You only sacrifice the little couch but still have two comfortable chairs (on the four Oceania R Class ships but don't see them here on Azamara). So did you actually move to this cabin and were you pleased enough with it?
My husband and I just came back from the Monaco Grand Prix 5 night cruise on Azamara Pursuit in late May 2023 and we really enjoyed it! Crew were all very courteous and there were some very well experienced crew members since before Azamara changed ownership. One waiter in particular in the Discoveries dining hall, Tyrone, regaled us with his stories about Azamara, his favourite places to visit and he provided the most excellent service I have ever experienced at any high end restaurants I have ever visited! We both loved the high quality and very well presented food in Discoveries. It was so high quality that my husband was convinced it was not included in our fare! I only wished we could have dined there every day and every meal. The buffet is not bad. I liked getting the eggs benedict, fresh grilled fish and pastries. Dining on the veranda outside at the rear of the ship next to the buffet “Windows Cafe” was a lovely way to enjoy breakfasts and lunch. Neither of us ever felt seasick and had good nights sleep. The one sea day we had was unfortunately more hectic and crowded on the pool deck, but we found a nice quiet and shaded lounge area on deck 5 where you can look out at the sea, watch for dolphins and whales and listen to the waves peacefully. Trying to do my own laundry on the sea day was a huge mistake. I should have just washed my things in the sink or paid for laundry service. The laundry room is very small with only 6 washers and 6 dryers. Passengers queue in line to get next access to a machine to wait for a load cycle to finish. One of the irons wasn’t working and a woman took over the ironing board I was about to use because she felt it was still her turn! It really wasn’t worth the hassle to save a few dollars for laundry service by the crew instead. The White Night Party was a lot of fun with really good band playing live, with a wide variety of BBQ foods, buffet sides and tons of desserts, including a crepe station! It was held on the last evening we were in Monaco and we all enjoyed the beautiful view of the seaside cliffs, royal palace and the harbours filled with luxury yachts. I think being a passenger on Azamara was a much better way to party in Monaco than in any of the much smaller yachts. In summary, great service, excellent food (considering we only had the included food and drinks package) and comfortable stateroom! We just stayed in an oceanview obstructed view stateroom and it was a bit smaller than the standard oceanview stateroom, but we still found it quite comfortable and roomy enough. We just wouldn’t have been able have room service food, because there was no sofa and table to eat on, besides the desk. But that was fine, since we wanted to spend more time enjoying the rest of the ship and going out on excursions in ports. We would definitely go back!
Sailed the majestic princess last year and grand princess this year and the majestic seemed to have a veteran crew compared to the grand. While still nice and helpful it definitely shows.
The new owner is likley using a contract hotel operator.They may be having financial trouble as they used borrowed money to buy the line.Perhaps cut backs in maintenance?
As someone who has edited some videos for work, I am awed by the number of shots Gary uses in a single video and the amount of care that must go into stitching them together.
Thanks 😀😀😀
I've started working with Azamara this year as a singer and I enjoy this video. You are very thorough and fair with your comparisons and investigation. We DO use those surveys to help improve our operations so we thank each and every person that comes aboard to cruise to these incredible locations with us. If you find yourself on the Azamara Journey before February, I'll see you around!
I am on the 21 day Azamara Journey Africa to Lisbon. My only regret is that after 36 cruises,10cruise lines from Crystal to Carnival, this is only my first on Azamara! They are GREAT!!! Perfect 10
You are so good at this, Gary. You're our (my wife and I) number one "go to" for detailed, objective information.
Thanks! Really appreciate you watching and glad you found this interesting
He's really fair, and doesn't drag just for clicks and giggles.
Love yah Gary!👍
Thanks 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Jim, my wife and I feel the same way.
We've noticed Gary's presentations are so well thought out there is value in every word he shares. Often we will watch twice.
We have sailed 10 times on Azamara and have b2b booked in November. Can't wait! Have sailed on other lines but we are drawn back to Azamara because of its size, food and staff.
Love their Azamazing evenings and White Nights. I will give you my detailed comments when I return.
Went on Azamara to Caribbean in February 2022 . Normally a Celebrity cruiser but decided to try. We all really enjoyed and loved how the Captain was always out and about. Found staff to be excellent and quality of food. Booked again to Croatia in 2023 .
I've always thought that Azamara were much more expensive than they actually are right now. I'd like to try them but for now all my Azamara knowledge comes from you. 😎💕
They’re slashing prices like crazy right now !!!!
Just booked!! 😅❤️
Who are the people who are saying Azamara is going downhill fast? The apparently are commenting to you and not on Azamara Facebook pages. With the exception of expected adjustments due to Covid-19, my cruise on the Journey last fall matched my high expectations that were based on my four previous Azamara cruises. The food was wonderful, as was the entertainment. The officers’ Q & As were informative and candid. The excursions were excellent and I was ‘welcomed home’ by name every time I went ashore. Service everywhere was always top-notch. I’ll be on the new Onward in a week and expect there could be some hiccups due to the supply chain issues that we’re all facing everywhere and possibly new staff, but I’m confident it will be a great cruise. I really think the title of this video is misleading and doesn’t honestly even reflect your experience.
I had a bad experience, read my comment above. Never again will I cruise with them!!!
Just got back from a 9 night Mediterranean cruise on the Journey and we were blown away. Can't wait to sail with Azamara again.
We just returned from the Ireland intensive,our first sailing with Azamara.
I felt the level of service , food quality and overall experience met or exceeded our expectations in every way.
Cheers! I am interested in completing this Voyage with my family either summer of 2024 or 2025.
Not getting the right breakfast order is not a small thing. Thanks for great video. Great job!
We went on our first Azamara this year (only being Seabourners before) in Ocean Suite and it was overall good running at 50% capacity. I think the staff recognition comments are, as you say, entirely due to having an additional ship plus the post Covid environment. We knew none of the staff so it was quite amusing when staff started every sentence with ‘nice to see you again’! We would book again.
This is a nice detailed critical review that gets to the point and also compares what is on offer to other lines, so good job.
As a solo traveller, I really hope the ‘small ship’ segment finds a way to lower solo supplements, as they’re currently out pricing themselves for me (and I’d imagine so many others).
The Azamara ships were docked in Glasgow (my home city) for the entire duration of the shutdown, and seeing them from the motorway really peaked my curiosity with them, so it was great to see a bit of what’s onboard in this video!
I'm glad you pointed out that smaller ships can dock closer to the city centers and can stop at smaller venues that couldn't cope with the thousands from a big ship.
I don't think they're "small things", Gary. I think the issues you mentioned make the difference between a positive experience and a not so positive experience. You're a great observer. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
Exactly. Specially at that price point. This is the key thing. You charge top $€£ then you expect a standard higher than just the ordinary. Otherwise just save the money and go a regular line.
The very next night of dinner, the bar server immediately brought me a Diet Coke without me even asking on our Carnival cruise. You just can’t help but remember stuff like that.
Gary, My wife and I have never been on a cruise. 2025 is our 50th Wedding Anniversary and we decided to celebrate it by doing a cruise of Italy. We wanted a cruise that was Italy intensive. We wanted a small luxury ship. Azamara was the closest we could find to match our ship and itinerary criteria. We booked a 12 night Azamara Italy intensive cruise. Your videos and guidance really helped us in our decision making process. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
I was recently on my first Azamara cruise, and having watched this video, I was quite worried to be going on a line that was “going downhill fast”. I need not have worried. The personal service and attention to detail was superb. I suspect that Gary’s observations reflect the temporary effects of disruptive change that we have seen across every industry following the pandemic. I don’t know how guests could expect to be recognized by new staff who have never met them before. The issue this year has been the incompetent rollout of a new computer system, which meant that many guests could not access their bookings or benefits. I will definitely plan to travel with Azamara again, but I’ll wait till they have the computer system sorted out.
Computer systems are *always* pain to roll out. Trust me, I've been on the implementing side more than once.
One of the problems is that systems like that has to be designed in such a way that they can be replaced, and that costs money to do. And software is very, very expensive.
Hello! Since you have cruised with Azamara recently... What is the music like? Not the entertainment, but the music in restaurants and at the pool and throughout the ship. I prefer classical, jazz, and music from the region of the cruise. Loud pop songs could ruin the experience for me. Thank you if you can answer!
@@barbmiller9285 There was a jazz pianist at the bar most evenings. There was a group playing contemporary and retro favourites in one of the lounges most evenings. We were cruising around Iceland, so I only swam once, but I do not recall any music being played at the pool. This might be different on a warm weather cruise. No music was played while I ate in the restaurants, as far as I can recall.
Thank you! @@gerardacronin334
completely agree! We had a fantastic experience on Azamara Pursuit 2 months ago and will definitely travel with them again. Once on board, none of the computer access issues mattered in the slightest. (By the way, we found a work-around for the mildly frustrating booking glitches. In fact, what appeared to be glitching actually was working.)
I was on the Quest after you Rome to Lisbon. The staff definitely knew my name. Bartender, Waiters, Butler and Room Attendants.
We just got back from Azamara Onward. We did the Intensive Croatia that left on May 13, 2022. We were new to Azamara and have cruised on a wide variety including Seabourn, Norwegien and Celebrity. We tend to pick itineraries over cruise lines. We enjoyed our stay on board and thought it was good. We never went to the specialty dining but ate at Discoveries and Windows. We knew the cruise was new and just getting started again after COVID. I think a lot of people were negative because they felt it wasn't PERFECT. We had a few issues with service but understood they were a new crew and getting used to the routine. A few items were missing but there was plenty of substitutes, such as Salmon. Over all we enjoyed it and would go again.
We were on Quest's last trip of 2020 (cut short) and were looked after so well by the crew. We joined Pursuit for its return to service this year (after Azamara were bought over) and it really did feel like coming home. We were recognised by a few crew who had been on Quest. One of the bar staff even remembered my moustache from 2 years previously even though I was wearing my mask this time! We are very much looking forward to being back with Azamara in December, and again in 2024. The ships may be small but, for us, they are perfectly formed.
Having just disembarked from a Carnival cruise, we witnessed the removal of tea and coffee making facilities in cabin plus now charging for what used to be free room service continental breakfasts, which we used to enjoy. Add to that the ever present sewer smells throughout the ship and seasickness, we're out of there for good. Landbased holidays from now on.
With many cruises on many cruise lines Azamara is my go to cruise line. Have sailed with them over the past 2 years and just fantastic.
Attention to detail and useful information is impressive as usual Gary.
I wish some more cruise lines would pay attention to solo travelers. It isn't like I can run out and get a partner at the drop of a hat!
I agree!!!!
Norwegian Cruises line is the only one which caters to solo travellers
Check some Holland America ships. They too have some spots for singles.
There are a lot of us about, but I wonder how many can afford to pay 2 x the couple's fare? I gave up Saga when the average cruise of about 2 weeks was £6000 for a single.
This is the main reason I haven't booked anything ... I want a small ship experience, high end (I'm thinking Viking), but paying twice the shared room price is just too much.
First off, I always enjoy your very detailed and almost scientific approach to your analysis of cruise experiences. We went on an Azamara before the pandemic and I remember the Azamazing evening in Taormina where we were treated to some really good opera - the Mezzo was just outstanding and got several standing ovations - but there wasn't enough to eat and there was a mad dash back to the ship to fill up. Thankfully, the staff had either been warned or knew better and were ready for everyone and as we boarded, we were told, please go to the dining rooms now. I did so enjoy that cruise with the attention to detail and also the wonderful, funny, friendly passengers and crew who really made the experience so memorable. The relaunches of everything are challenging and hopefully once things settle - though, sadly, I don't ever see things returning to what they were - we can get some semblance of the cruising experience we'd all enjoyed before.
We loved our Azamara cruise prepandemic. We have booked a December Azamara cruise and are so very excited to return our floating 5 star hotel! Great food, great service and a wonderful environment.
We’re just back from our first Azamara cruise and I’ll be honest we found, other than the included drinks package as good if not better than our experiences on Silversea (at a much higher price). We found many staff who had spent years on Pursuit and while of course the the pandemic will have effected things they seemed to be more on the ball than our last Silversea cruise in March where there were so many shortages. I don’t think it’s a line going downhill it’s a line like all the others still coming back from a torrid time. We even booked another cruise with them while onboard!
That's a little more encouraging. We were looking forward to our first Azamara cruise next year but started to feel a little dispirited after hearing Gary's comments.
My beef with Princess started when they sold the Pacific Princess. It had been my favorite of the line. Of course, they have slipped in my estimation many times since. So many things have changed for all the lines since the restart, and I fear things will never be the same again. Oceania is now on our list to try.
I am totally confused about some of these comments regarding the “ horror” of these reactions. It sounds like the only real difference is that staff might need some training - doesn’t recognize you. When I saw headline I became frightened as am booked for next May. I don’t know price of Oceania but Viking is MUCH more expensive. I am on a Facebook sight for people going on Azamara and except for some issues on initial Onwood ship - and any season traveler knows to avoid first few cruises on a new ship or one just reconditioned - most have been very happy. I think those saying Going downhill fast” were either on new ship due to obvious issues until up to snuff or just complainers. Your evaluation was very fair so I don’t understand the comments after.
Wow their itineraries and excursions on the West African Coast look amazing and unparalleled!
Really interesting. Thanks for the input.
My wife and i are about to embark on a cruise on Seabourn. Our first time on Seabourn -- we are cruising novices with just one other cruise on Oceania which we enjoyed greatly. After I booked the cruise I read depressing news that Carnival was trying to unload Seabourn and the articles said long time Seabourn passengers thought Seabourn's quality had declined greatly. I hope that in fact Seabourn has maintained its standards but I'll know more in a few weeks.
I’m sure many would be interested in a trip report when you return!
I do like the fact that they stay overnight in ports, giving you more time to explore
This is the first of your videos I've seen. Just about to watch more! Great attention to detail - thank you!
Your food clips in this video made me so hungry! Thanks for this video. :)
Gary, I've come to trust you enormously, you can't begin to know how much we have learned from you about cruising. DW and I have been Azamara regulars since 2010, until that little ripple in 2020 into 2021. We love Azamara. We had 5 consecutive B2B cruises with them beginning in October 2021, shortly after they resumed operations, plus a Transatlantic crossing and an un trip into Morocco this past March. Yes there were changes. But you are wrong about the attentiveness of the staff. The warmth and sincerity cannot be faked, and it is there consistently with Azamara. This past week, by sheer accident of price, DW and I jumped ship, went over to the competition which is something we've never done, and took a 7 day Alaska cruise with Celebrity. HUGE difference between the two lines, and for all sense and purpose, new owners not withstanding, they are both Royal Caribbean products. We were greeted by about 50% of the staff when passing in a hallway, ignored by the others. Only our cabin steward knew out names, we never got to know hers. That absolutely NEVER happens on Azamara. Ever! Service was perfectly adequate, but it was cold, as was the food 90% of the time in the dining room. You don't drink, I can go through a martini a day, plus a glass of wine with dinner. With the exception of one bartender, those folks on Celebrity were clueless as to how to mix a martini, gin and tonic, old fashion. They just weren't worth drinking. That NEVER happened on Azamara. Food quality on Azamara. The fall cruises, there was a huge jump in the quality of the food in MDR, NOT matched in the specialty restaurants. Nor did that correct by March. I spoke to the staff, they agreed that changes were coming, but there was no need to dine in the specialty restaurants, at an up charge, on Azamara. Food on Celebrity Millennium went from just plain mediocre to excellent, with no rhyme or reason. It was NOT Azamara quality, by a long shot. Exceptions: breakfast buffet was better on Celebrity, baked goods much better on Celeb, and they are excellent on Azamara, variety was better on Celebrity. Pool grill on Celeb doesn't hold a candle to Azamara, we are talking apples and oranges. Wait staff, my wife came away with the feeling that on Celebrity, they were all still in training. No, no one spilled the soup or delivered an incorrect meal. But there were delays and bumbling, daily. That never happens on Azamara. As an aside, back in 2018, prior to the acquisition of Pursuit by Azamara (ship #3), I was chatting with Heike Berdos, their Head Hotel Director, about changes we'd seen since 2010, The woman is incredible (3 years after our first cruise, on our return she looked at me quizzically, recognizing me but not knowing my name, and said flat out, "I don't remember your name, but you're from Atlanta." Yep we were sold on the line, hook, line and sinker. She wasn't the only one, either). She had many people she wanted to promote and retain, but couldn't without expansion. The new ship gave her that opportunity, but she was very concerned about retaining the Azamara quality with the new people she would have to hire. So that may segue into your story here. My conclusion, is that Azamara changes were minimal, minor, and are all being corrected. No White Night in March, apparently it's returned. I never saw oysters on the menu (lobster yes, oysters,no) I'm an oyster lover. Staff attention, everyone knows us by name on Aza, Celebrity was a dud. We came away with the impression that Celebrity provides excellent value for our dollar, but we wouldn't seek it out, otherwise. It simply lacked the warmth and gestalt of Azamara. Azamara, minor bumps in coming back from the dead, all is being smoothed out, and we have nothing, absolutely nothing but praise for the line and its people. Downside, they are very, very pricey, and you failed to mention that in most of your room vids, you booked an Azamara suite, and even higher level of service, or at least a larger room, strawberries daily, and the Aqualina breakfast that we poor peasants cannot attend. Great, great video, as always, and you hit a nerve. Thanks for bearing with me! Dr H (as I'm known on another BB)
It's not that he is wrong, but it's that your experience wasn't his experience and both of these experiences are valid and that's important to understand. Everyone will have a different experience on a cruise, especially when you are dealing with people who are regularly ostracized in society like those that are disabled, gay, and/or a different race. That isn't to say that Gary's experience was impacted by this, but his experience is just as valid as yours is.
Oh dear. You expect every staff member to greet you as you walk along hallways?? Wow just wow. And you compare a 2,000+ passenger ship with a 650 one. Seriously?
Please consider using paragraphs.
David, thank you for your detailed information. We've never sailed on Azamara (yet!). Because of Covid, we've missed two previous booked sailings with them, so we are hoping the cruise we just booked for January 2024 will truly happen for us. Oceania is our favorite line, but the price difference between Azamara and Oceania on a 16 or 17-day cruise to Australia/NZ was dramatic. Azamara was many thousands cheaper and included much more. Thanks for providing reassurance that Azamara is still offering a special experience to its cruisers.😀
This was very helpful. My husband and I want to take our almost 80 year old mothers to Italy and Croatia and are strongly considering Azamara.
I was just on the Quest for an eleven-night Spain-intensive sailing. Much of what you echoed I would agree with. I chalk some of these up to new ownership coupled with the long-term effects of the pandemic impacting staffing, logistics, and supply issues. Regarding new ownership I have high confidence in leadership’s willingness to learn, grow, and adapt at creating an independent cruise line essentially from scratch. I expect the back office, WiFi, and even the soft product to evolve for the better in the next 1-2 years.
Thanks for adding your experience. Agree!
Azamara sound like a cruise line I should be considering. We prefer river cruises but on the two occasions we have done ocean cruises (Baltic and Istanbul to Athens) we have gone with Viking. We've just got back from the Istanbul to Athens and like you we found a lot of inexperienced staff, they were trying their best I'm sure but overall it meant the cruise was not as good as our Baltic cruise a few years ago.
If you are a fan of river cruises then Azamara will not disappoint. The vessels are small enough they can sail right into the center of Seville, as I just did with them a couple weeks ago. It’s very surreal to see such a large vessel so easily traverse a river. The journey from the Atlantic 60+ miles up the Guadalquivir River into Seville was spectacular.
Thanks for the update. I’ve yet to cruise on Azamara and it’s on my bucket list
I appreciate your perspective Gary. Thank you for the in depth info. Stay safe 💚
Last time I was on the Quest, the waiter from Eastern Europe at the coffee shop was so rude I almost fight with him. Never saw that at sea. All the rest was excellent and I find the food better then before the Covid. I cruise with them some 6-7 time. I spend a month with Windstar this Winter and I find the service even better there. 🚢
Prior to covid, I've been on Azamara 3 times , it's my favourite precisely because of it's size, and the inclusions, tips, laundry and drinks. Everything you said about this is true, and I don't think they are a drawback, except maybe the entertainment which is not up to the standards of the larger ships. The headline of your posting is so negative and doesn't match the most of your comments which aren't so negative . It all depends what the guests are looking for , if you want water slides and rock climbing, Azamara is certainly not for you. Ditto for music venues, there is only one or two plus the main stage. It will be a while before I risk sailing again, but I will probably go on Azamara again when Covid is over and done with.
I can see how free good quality WI-FI is important to you as you have a UA-cam channel. Although I have yet to take a cruise, I'd be willing to try dropping the electronic master for a while just to see if I am truly addicted.
Oh go on then, you’ve charmed me… BOOKED! (For my usual £100 per night budget. That was unthinkable for Azamara a while ago). 😀👏🏼
100% correct about staff service. However, the guest relations director was excellent on Onward resolved all our teething problem
Good balanced and considered content Gary, thank you. We will be on Azamara Onward next month and also have a Regent & Princess cruise within the next 12 months. When reviewing all 3 lines recent reviews, shortfalls in the onboard experience are rife. I suspect other lines are also struggling to hit pre Covid top form.
Sailed Quest in February and it was first class. This guy simply overreacted with this videoand has done a great disservice to a terrific cruise line.
completely agree! I usually enjoy this channel but this was just off.
Your itinerary was fantastic and your food on board sounded really good.
Thank you for this video, Gary. You have answered many of our questions regarding the current state of Azamara. Mangala and I are looking at this cruise line for 2023, but will also expand our options to Oceana, Viking and Windstar. Cheers!
Appreciate you watching and glad it helped!
Try Oceania. We've tried many lines and settled finally on Oceania as our hands down favourite.
@@portaltwo in total agreement...Oceania is in the price/quality sweet spot
Thank you! We are heading for our first cruise ever at the end of July on Azamara and your video really helped assuage some fears about how the trip would be.
I think people are shortsighted when it comes to the recognition thing. Covid likely had a huge effect in keeping/maintaining and rehiring their staff. To complain that new staff doesn't recognize them is just looking for something to complain about.
I understand that you say that these are not "big things" that you have highlighted .............. But in fact they are, if you are used to other cruise lines. Thank you so much for your thorough and articulate
Yes, you are right. They sound small but are significant....
Azamara keeps on being my favourite👍. Since the coronavirus the White nights are less spectacular and there’s less interaction between guests but that’s no fault of Azamara.
Hope to have an Azamara experience again real soon😍.
Another excellent, objective, informative, honest review. Thank you Gary! ❤🛳
As a young cruise goer, I never heard of this company. Looks pretty nice.
We did our 12th Aza cruise in February.
Food definitely not as good as last year, all ships are showing signs of age/poor maintenance but the crew as great as ever.
Hi Gary. Nice to "meet" you at the Q&A today and thanks for signposting me to this video. Hubby and I listened in and were pleased to hear that your summation matched our expectations. We sail early August from Istanbul so I'm hoping to receive the joining pack soon so I can see what the Covid testing requirements are. Testing is no longer a requirement for flying so just the cruise element. Thanks again for the video. Keep on sailing!
Thanks for joining the live and good to hear this helped 👍🏻
We have sailed Azamara both prior to the pandemic as well as last November on back to back sailings as they were returning to service. While we definitely took notice of the temporary changes you mentioned such as the Azamazing Evenings, we enjoyed the sailings greatly. There was a lot of seasoned Azamara staff on our sailings that we recognized. The staff was greeting us by name by day 2 or 3. Service was really good and food was excellent and on par with our past sailings. We have also sailed Celebrity a lot and enjoy the reciprocity of status and points in their loyalty programs. We are sailing them again on back to backs this December and are looking forward to it. We love the small ship advantages like prime docking locations, overnights, and late departures you noted.
Princess FB groups are reporting that standards are going downhill. Staff are great and very willing but overall, Princess is not what it use to be. Have you had any reports Gary?
Booked azamara 2 days ago, cancelled it today and booked the new Oceania vista 😬
I have no desire to go on any cruise. Thank you for the video. I found it informative.
Perfect answers for our 2023 family cruise! By then, many of these glitches may be corrected!!! Thanks for the extremely timely video! We will know what to expect.
Great video Gary! We've got our first Azamara cruise in October - Croatia Intensive and we're really looking forward to it. It's cost as less for a 7 night balcony cabin all inclusive with two excursions each than it costs for a 7 night a walking holiday in Croatia for B&B in a 3* hotel so a no brainer for us.
Thank you Gary..my wife and I are going on our third Azamara cruise in October with Olivia Travel. We’re doing the Greece, Cyprus and Israel itinerary and are so looking forward to it. Our last cruise with them was October 2019 and it was fabulous..when we went to dinner every evening with our friends (8 of us) our server would know what we liked, what we drank and would bring our pre dinner cocktails without even asking. He just knew what we liked. That personalized service was very special. So if we don’t get that on this trip it’ll be disappointing. So, I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks again
I love love love Azamara can’t wait to sail on her again
The details were all on the Reflection! That being said I am likely to try this line :)
Thanks for this review. We watched a lot of your videos prior to going on our first ever cruise in May with Aramara. It was wonderful, but the White night food was very underwhelming and the AzAmazing evening was a non-event - was supposed to be hosted on board rather than at a location (very disappointing). The crew were wonderful and eager to please and the food was generally very good. Very good cruise but not exceptional value for the price we paid.
Great video, as always, Gary. Thank you for what you do so I well.
Though I’m certainly not an “upscale” person at all, we are scheduled for an Oceania cruise in Fall, 2024. I look forward to finding your presentation on it. Though Amazaria isn’t on my Bucket List, it looks like those who sail them can endure the hiccups in service for better days ahead.
Gary, We didn't follow your advice about not sailing on an inaugural voyage of a ship. But, we saw that video after I booked the Azamara Onward's inaugural voyage. The itinerary was perfect, sailing around Italy--from Monaco to (almost) Venice. But, the ship was not ready for "prime time". The common areas were well appointed ready for passengers, but my veranda cabin was not. The bed was new but all other furnishing were probably the same as initially installed 22 years ago. The cabinetry still had the space and connections for an old cathode ray tube TV. Azamara "sold" the ship as their "new ship" implying something that was recently built--not a 22 year old ship. Azamaa has a lot to fix on the Onward and I hope that happens sooner than later. We will probably take another Azamara trip as the voyage around Japan is very appealing.
Excellent and informative video.
My wife and I did the Quest years ago in the Eastern Mediterranian. Glad to hear that they're still about the same as before.
One thing I love about ncl, they know my name. They be screaming it while I'm running around the ship with the glass of wine in my hand 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hi Gary…awesome UNBIASED content 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Am planning a Greek Island focused high end cruise. Who would you recommend ?
Excellent content, as usual. I just love your "ship wall" as your background.
I LOVE the price match resulting in a full refund of the price drop, good for Azamara for doing the right thing...By contrast, Norwegian only offers future cruise credits instead of partial refunds or onboard spending credits for the cruise you're already booked on. Future cruise credits suck because there's a mountain of stipulations that come with them so that you're really only receiving a mild discount ($4800 was issued because that was the actual, enormous price drop...but I was only able to actually use $1200 of the future cruise credits) for a cruise you had no intention of going on before the cruise credits were issued. Since you only have a year to use them, they are actually a stealth upsell into an entirely different cruise you probably wouldn't have booked at all.
Great review as always and I'm actually sitting looking at that ship now from my hotel in Kavala. I don't really understand the clickbait style title though which doesn't reflect the video at all (I'm glad to say)
We have enjoyed two Cruises with Azamara and have booked a third.
Hi Gary, when I'm rating any holiday, I particularly look for the smaller things like you have just explained as I believe that that is what separates the great from the good to the mediocre. Very rarely do I give a 10/10
Gary thank you for that, we did a lot of cruises with the old Azamara and loved it. This is really helpful. I will also look at Oceania, looks interesting.
Gary, I am considering the intensive Iceland cruise with Azamara this July…. What can I expect to see as the price range for excurions on that cruise? Additionally what does Azamara charge for wifi. Love your videos! Thanks
As usual, great content. Thank you for this. My parents were thinking of sailing with them over Saga. I’ll direct them to your video.
Great video review! We recently sailed on Onward round trip from Venice with an overnight in Venice. This means our itinerary was Venice for three of the eight days. Unfortunately, this was changed to Bologna (Ravenna). I say unfortunately because no complementary transportation was provided to Bologna nor Venice. We were left with a bad taste in our mouths because of this change with no apology nor accommodation. We do agree with all of Gary’s comments. We likely will seek another cruise line since the new ownership did not address our issues like when Royal Caribbean did in previous Azamara voyages.
Just returned from Greek cruise on Azamara Onward. I have now been on all four Azamara ships. I have not noticed a decline in many standards but was disappointed by some of the public areas such as public toilets. They weren’t as clean as they have been and considering Onward is a newly refurbished ship, the “finish” was poor in places, such as cracked tiles, poor decor/fittings on toilet doors etc. We also had very noisy air conditioning in our cabin which was quickly remedied. The ship was probably rushed into service when not fully finished.I still think Azamara offers great value for money. The food is still very, very good.
Awesome information, thank you for sharing, greetings from Orlando Florida
The small trivial things matter more, they are easy to get right and sometimes it’s inexcusable to get them wrong, we can all understand that the big things like carpets, lifts etc are major things and not easy to fix? But not getting an order right or missing towels etc is frustrating to me as it makes a huge difference to the experience.
Really enjoy your channel. What would be your suggestions for a good single person cruise line? Haven’t cruised before and am curious what you suggest for solo travelers.
As someone who just had a disappointing Windstar cruise I wonder if there has been a general degradation in service overall
That seems to be true from my experience of Viking before and after covid.
In what ways did it disappoint Jarrod?
I'm guessing difficulties in getting staff because of Covid. Perhaps visa problems for staff from poorer countries? The U.S., for one, banned travel from quite a few Asian countries. And perhaps some of the pre-Covid staff managed to find other jobs during the shut-down period and don't think crew conditions on cruise ships are good enough to make returning appealing. And some of the pool of workers may, unfortunately, have died in the pandemic or now have long Covid and so be unable to work.
We just came back from an Azamara cruise from Rome to Venice last month. We were very happy and satisfied overall with the cruise and service. Mind you we have never been on Viking or Oceania but have been on Celebrity and Princess mostly. Everyone working was super friendly and helpful. The amenities were super nice. The food was awesome. We really appreciated the free self laundry and the Mosaic Cafe be available all the time. We loved never having to wait for a table in the dining room. If we had any complaints is was just the lack of communication sometimes...ie. the announcements never came thru into our room at all and there was not a daily brochure with lots of info about the port we were entering. Of course the big complaint, especially since it was the main reason we booked this cruise, was the last minute change from Venice to Ravenna. I'm not sure how much that is Azamara's fault. I knew ships with more than 700 passengers were no longer allowed in Venice but per my research it seemed like our small ship would be accepted. But for whatever reason about two weeks before the cruise began they informed us we would have to go to Ravenna instead. That was a huge two hour drive and major hassle that means we will never book a cruise going to Venice again. We only had once instance of bad service and that was in the Discoveries dining room when they seemed to just drop the service altogether. No one came to pick up our appetizer plates for about 30 minutes or of course deliver the main course. There were no apologies either for the wait. My companion really felt it was a homophobic thing as we were the only two men alone together. For the rest of the cruise when we arrived at the dining room we would ask them not to seat us in that section again and told them the service was bad. I wish we had received the mid cruise evaluation you mentioned. WE did however have the fantastic chocolate bar one evening.
Thanks for the update Gary. We’ll continue to sail on Oceania based on your review.
Great video, we are booked on the Baltic out of CPH on Pursuit. It all seems to be down to the current post covid situation with staff shortages etc. Our cruise seems to be one half booked due to the St Petersburg cancellation
My wife and I have been on 14 cruises so far. About half on Azamara plus Crystal, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. Our last was a Christmas/New Year cruise on the new Rotterdam. I was unimpressed with that cruise. I like Azamara because of the small ships and where they go (as you correctly noted). Three days in the middle Saint Petersburg Russia. Three days in Miramar (Burma). Falkland Islands. Rounding Cape Horn. Panama Canal transit and small ports on the way. Our biggest complaint is their removal of the casinos. We will be looking for some new out-of-the-way place on one of the other cruise lines.
We took our first Regent cruise trip in April. The entire staff seemed off. The food was not hot in most restaurants, service was very slow. We had to ask for coffee and water refills every day. They would fill one of ours then walk away.
We expected and paid top dollar for food and service and got neither. A disappointing two week trip. So back to Viking where it’s done right.
I would suggest trying Seabourn- far superior to Regent IMO
Ours was in February. We didn’t have this experience on the Explorer. Our butler was extremely attentive, housekeeping was top notch, food hot and mom and I enjoyed our birthday cake immensely. I always suggest telling management about anything that is off the minute it happens on Regent. They are extremely responsive and will fix everything quickly.
@@KateandBree we felt the Regent’s Splendor was definitely off. We will likely give Regent another go in the future. The Explorer is the ship we would love to try!
@@texasboy5117 The Splendor just came off dry dock and repairs in January so I'm guessing things were still a wee rusty. The Explorer is fabulous. If you love that James Bond 60s but with a modern twist vibe (and look!), the Explorer is for you. We had a lot of fun on it. I ate WAY too much food. (Don't get me started about Prime7. I could eat there every night.) It's going into dry dock for the 2023/2024 seasons. The Grandeur is the one my mom and I are dying to try out as it's brand spanking new for 2023 and the entire boat is based around the 30s/40s with a paler color palette. I cried looking at the Grandeur catalog. The prices though. SO EXPENSIVE. I think I'll look at one of their older options. LOL.
@@KateandBree you are so right about the price. Regent is going to cost you several dollars!! Regarding price, when you look at the total cost and business class tickets they are not much more then the premium lines. Our favorite place was Pacific Rim and Seti Mari. When we were at Prim 7 I had Dover Sole which came out dry and just warm.
The Suite has outstanding and had excellent service staff.
We are off for a 29 day cruise with Viking on the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. We will depart in about two weeks.
Great video and very informative. Petros
i see that at the 3:44 mark you are in the "handicapped" cabin. It's a well kept secret that it is clearly more spacious than the other Deluxe Ocean View and Veranda cabins per the wider entry foyer, large bathroom and lots of additional storage space cabinets and closet. You only sacrifice the little couch but still have two comfortable chairs (on the four Oceania R Class ships but don't see them here on Azamara). So did you actually move to this cabin and were you pleased enough with it?
Thank you for a great video! I always learn something so well researched.
While I agree with much of what you said, Oceania is a lot more expensive. A suite being almost double the price (at least for a Canadian).
My husband and I just came back from the Monaco Grand Prix 5 night cruise on Azamara Pursuit in late May 2023 and we really enjoyed it! Crew were all very courteous and there were some very well experienced crew members since before Azamara changed ownership. One waiter in particular in the Discoveries dining hall, Tyrone, regaled us with his stories about Azamara, his favourite places to visit and he provided the most excellent service I have ever experienced at any high end restaurants I have ever visited! We both loved the high quality and very well presented food in Discoveries. It was so high quality that my husband was convinced it was not included in our fare! I only wished we could have dined there every day and every meal. The buffet is not bad. I liked getting the eggs benedict, fresh grilled fish and pastries. Dining on the veranda outside at the rear of the ship next to the buffet “Windows Cafe” was a lovely way to enjoy breakfasts and lunch. Neither of us ever felt seasick and had good nights sleep. The one sea day we had was unfortunately more hectic and crowded on the pool deck, but we found a nice quiet and shaded lounge area on deck 5 where you can look out at the sea, watch for dolphins and whales and listen to the waves peacefully. Trying to do my own laundry on the sea day was a huge mistake. I should have just washed my things in the sink or paid for laundry service. The laundry room is very small with only 6 washers and 6 dryers. Passengers queue in line to get next access to a machine to wait for a load cycle to finish. One of the irons wasn’t working and a woman took over the ironing board I was about to use because she felt it was still her turn! It really wasn’t worth the hassle to save a few dollars for laundry service by the crew instead. The White Night Party was a lot of fun with really good band playing live, with a wide variety of BBQ foods, buffet sides and tons of desserts, including a crepe station! It was held on the last evening we were in Monaco and we all enjoyed the beautiful view of the seaside cliffs, royal palace and the harbours filled with luxury yachts. I think being a passenger on Azamara was a much better way to party in Monaco than in any of the much smaller yachts. In summary, great service, excellent food (considering we only had the included food and drinks package) and comfortable stateroom! We just stayed in an oceanview obstructed view stateroom and it was a bit smaller than the standard oceanview stateroom, but we still found it quite comfortable and roomy enough. We just wouldn’t have been able have room service food, because there was no sofa and table to eat on, besides the desk. But that was fine, since we wanted to spend more time enjoying the rest of the ship and going out on excursions in ports. We would definitely go back!
Worked on both the journey and onward as a cadet.
Sailed the majestic princess last year and grand princess this year and the majestic seemed to have a veteran crew compared to the grand. While still nice and helpful it definitely shows.
The new owner is likley using a contract hotel operator.They may be having financial trouble as they used borrowed money to buy the line.Perhaps cut backs in maintenance?