I have just returned from an eight night cruise on Azamara Quest starting on the 22nd April I boarded the ship in Nice and disembarked in Rome.
The itinerary included Mont e Carlo, Livorno, Porto Vecchio (Italy), Sardinia, Elba and Corsica.
As in common with all smaller ships the itineraries alter greatly so for anybody wishing to consider a trip on this line – a review of the destinations would be of no interest so I’ll say no more on the ports of call.
The flights and transfers to the ship were arranged by Azamara and were on scheduled flights with Air France with changes in Paris (CDG) and all went smoothly.
Cabin The upgrade fairy has not been very kind to me over the years but on my last two cruises he/she has weaved their magic spell and in both cases have been upgraded from a guaranteed inside cabin to a high deck balcony cabin.
The cabin was of a reasonable size with quality furnishings and fittings and kept spotlessly clean but the efficient cabin staff.
In contrast both the balcony area and the bathrooms were both exceptionally small (the shower cubicle was minute).
Dining The food onboard was of a very standard.
As I always do I have breakfast in the serviceCafeand the choice was of the usual cruise ship variety (the exception was that one morning pear crumble was on the menu which was strange and not surprising I didn’t have this dish).
At lunch time I ate either ashore or again in the self-service dining restaurant but on one occasion I had a cheese burger and fries in the pool grill bar (not bad but not great).
In the evenings I ate mainly in the Discovery Dining Room.
The dining is open seating you just turn up ask for the table size you require and are efficiently escorted to the appropriate table.
The food was of a high standard, portions are geared to European appetites rather than the USA extra large calorie busting ones served on many American lines.
On one occasion to ate in the self-service buffet in the evening (each night as a different theme) and I fancied the Asian Night.
There are two speciality restaurants onboard each with a cover charge ($25) Prime C (steak) and Aqualina’s (Mediterranean inspired fare) I only ate at Prime C (fillet mignon) and I enjoyed the experience.
I have eaten at both on previous cruises with Azamara and I have not been disappointed by either.
Entertainment The daytime entertainment was limited but since Azamara Cruise lines are port intensive (we had no sea days on our cruise) this is not a problem.
It was a mixture of quizzes, and lectures usually from the spa which I didn’t attend but I assume were aimed promoting the use of their ‘expensive’ treatments.
The ship held evening entertainment involved the ship’s company (three shows), a solo singer (Tony, he is also the Cruise Director), a female comic/violinist (two shows and very good) as well as a deck party.
Azamara as many of you will already know have introduced a land based entertainment evening and named One Amazing Evening.
Ours consisted of a private visit to the Oceanographer Museum in Monaco to observe the exhibits while served drinks and canap??s and entertained with a group of dancers, mime artists/circus performers and musicians.
It was fun and most of the passengers enjoyed the experience.
My Impressions of the Downgrading of this line by Berlitz The most recent guide has moved this line down from 4.5 stars to a 4 star line.
I last sailed on this line around 15 months ago and really thought it was worth its 4.5 star rating.
How did I rate the the two cruises? As far I could tell there is no change in the quality of the dining or entertainment in fact with the introduction of the Amazing Evening I believe it has slightly improved.
Since the last time I cruised with the introduction of an ‘all inclusive’ beverage package is for the better (previously beer/wine was only available as a ‘free’ items during meals.
However, upper brands of drinks Champagne.
Malt Whisky, Cognac are excluded from this offer and carry additional payment.
The quality of serve offered onboard hasn’t changed (and well above that offered on the standard lines, as part of RCI mission statement the dining and service offered by this line was to be better than that provided by Royal Caribbean or Celebrity).
I assume that Berlitz may have changed their ratings criteria and placed more emphasis of day/night entertainment and dining options which leave the smaller ships at a rating’s disadvantage compared to larger vessels.
In summary on a personal level I certainly don’t think the quality of Azamara has changed greatly and indeed many of the changes made in the past 15 months have been for the better.
