4.5/5
- Elegent and refined entertainment and enrichment activities on the ship.
- The crew on the Quest were amazing and were an absolute standout part of the trip.
- Focusing on what makes a cruise great has served this smaller line well.
Cruises are a wonderful vacation. You get to see different places around the world with each trip and you don’t have to change hotels every day while you do it. One of the problems that many people have with cruises, though, is how many people you share the ship with. These days, there’s ships that have more than 7,000 passengers on them, which is quite a few people to have afloat at once. The desire for something less than a floating city, then, is why we’ve seen more lines offering smaller ships over the last few decades. These more specialized cruise lines have been slowly growing their numbers and attracting loyal customers. That’s why we booked a cruise on one of them, so we could bring you an Azamara review.
Please take note that this is a Review. That means that we booked a full fare price and received no special benefits from being travel agents. The only discounts or bonuses we received were from publicly available promotions. The staff was not aware beforehand that we were travel agents and, to the best of our knowledge, we did not receive any special treatment because of that. Further, I normally would have hours of footage and pictures from the trip, but it was lost. There was significant data corruption that ruined the majority of our Azamara files. Please forgive the lack of our usual, illuminating media.
Azamara’s Reputation
Azamara, as a line, is made up of smaller ships with fewer passengers on them. Their reputation is for moderate luxury. Not quite as gilded as Regent Seven Seas, but above the experiences typically found on lines like Celebrity or Virgin Voyages. Azamara also tends towards longer itineraries, which is to say 7 days or more. This puts them in a similar pricing and experience category to Viking’s ocean cruises.
The onboard experience with Azamara is reputed to be a quieter one. This is a common, but not universal, trait of longer itineraries. The reality is that the person who has 7 or more days, in a row, to vacation is often going to be older and will typically prefer a calm and relaxed atmosphere. It’s often said that the line has excellent cuisine and staff; it’s quite common to see people online raving about the crew on the ships.
Finally, Azamara’s reputation is to make guests comfortable from start to end. That means that from the moment you begin the boarding process to the last few seconds of your disembarkation, they try to help ease the way.
What We Booked
When we decided to make an Azamara review, we ended up taking a sailing that was advantageous for us. Our son lives on the other side of the Atlantic from us, and when we visit him it’s often cheaper to take a cruise than to take a flight. That’s why we booked a trans-Atlantic sailing on the Azamara Quest from Miami to Lisbon. Although it only stopped in two ports along the way, it would give us a great deal of time to experience the ship and what it had to offer. It also meant that we could really see how good Azamara’s staff are.
Azamara, like most cruise lines, offers a variety of staterooms and suites. We booked a Veranda Plus category stateroom, which is Azamara’s top tier Stateroom. Here’s a look at the broad categories.
Across Azamara’s fleet there is some variation in specific room design and amenities, which comes as no surprise. That chart should be viewed as a general overview rather than anything all encompassing. Since Azamara gears itself toward a more luxurious market, there are even more suite options than stateroom options. We did not experience or personally see any of the ship’s suites, though.
First Impressions
Our first experience, before we boarded, was very positive. Embarking from Miami, we arrived about 45 minutes before the earliest boarding time. On many other lines, we would have been left standing in the Florida sun, not on Azamara. When our driver dropped us off, several staff came up to take our luggage and direct us into the terminal. To my surprise, there was no waiting. We breezed through security and had, maybe, a 4-minute wait in line to check-in. After check-in, we boarded immediately. Very relaxed, and a great first impression.
From the first step onboard, we found the ship to be clean and stylish. One of the main draws of Azamara is that they have much smaller ships than what you might find outside of the very high-end cruise lines. For example, the Quest typically tops out at about 700 guests, whereas most cruise ships will carry from 1,500 to 3,000.
Well, it may have been a bit chaotic when we boarded the Quest for our Azamara review, but a stiff drink always helps smooth things out.
Quickly it became clear that Azamara’s design teams have a great eye for art and décor that fits their refined image. Each hall, stairwell, and common area is adorned with elegant embellishments. We were also struck at just how clean everything was. There’s a certain amount of wear and tear that one anticipates in a space like a cruise ship or hotel, but we strained to see anything. Even the carpets in the halls looked pristine and the ship was consistently extremely clean throughout the entire voyage.
Given our early arrival, our cabins were not ready, nor did we expect them to be. Nearly everyone who boarded ended up at the buffet as little else was open. Consequently, the area was extremely crowded. We took note that the staff worked valiantly to keep up with demand, despite the mass of early guests hungry for a bite. However, the impression that the scene gave was less luxurious than I imagine the line hopes for. So, high marks for letting people board early, but it may be necessary to have another dining venue available.
The Cabin
I prefer to sail in the aft of ships, so we chose a room in the rear. Many people prefer the center, which is why cruise companies often charge more for those cabins, so I am aware that in this regard I am a bit of an odd duck. Nonetheless, I enjoy watching the wake of the ship fall away behind us. Our choice was cabin 6093, which has a big balcony. Further, this cabin is a P1 category, which includes additional amenities highlighted in the earlier chart.
Our favorite part of the room was the balcony. Typically, we find that ship balconies are often less comfortable than you’d like. The chairs are usually hard and the tables are small. That was not true of this cabin. The chairs were plush, at least for outdoor seating, and the large table was great for a room service meal. We loved it so much that we ordered room service multiple times on our voyage, when we typically never do.
This is a promotional image from Azamara, but it is very representative of the cabin that I stayed in for my Azamara Review.
We found the bed to be reasonably comfortable, not as good as the beds on Princess Cruises, but better than the typical cruise sleeping arrangements. The desk and workspace was sufficient for taking care of things on a laptop without feeling too crowded. Since I work when I travel, being able to set up comfortably is a big deal and not something many cruise line staterooms allow for. They had the typical flat-screen TV with entertainment streaming on it. The ship’s menus for lunch and dinner were available through the “infotainment” system.
One particularly important element for modern travelers, we didn’t have any issues with the availability of electrical outlets like we have had on many other lines, especially on older ships. Outlets were plentiful with access locations everywhere you would want them. Storage space for bags, clothes, to-be-washed laundry and toiletries was all completely fine.
Reading online before our sailing had lead me to believe that the bathrooms, namely the shower, were going to be an issue. If I am to be entirely truthful, this detail had me fairly worried in the week or two leading up to our departure, but I shouldn’t have. The shower was fine. Yes, it was a small bathroom and a small shower, but it was no smaller than other cruise ship bathrooms we have been in. We had no problem with the arrangement. There weren’t any real innovations or highlights to discuss, but neither were there any downsides that don’t exist in other staterooms on other lines.
This is a promotional image from Azamara, but this is very similar to what I stayed in for my Azamara Review.
The included self-service laundry was a nice touch. That’s something that I always appreciate having. The ability to do a quick wash if something gets a stain on it or if you get soaked with rain on an excursion is always good to have. Even better, Azamara provides the detergent. I cannot say if the detergent met any specific allergen needs, so if that’s a concern, you may still want to bring a supply for your own use.
Overall, I would say that the cabin layout and design was fairly typical, but well done. The clean lines and modern sophisticated décor give a sense of elegance without feeling stuffy. It was spacious enough that I never felt cramped, whether I was working or relaxing. Even with a coffee table in the seating area, we had plenty of room, which speaks to the intelligent use of space. Given that most of Azamara’s itineraries are longer ones, they must have put some considerable thought into how their rooms were arranged for guests and it pays off.
Food and Drink
Like most cruise lines, you’ll never want for food. The main dining room was open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with no reservations required. We never had more than a 10-minute wait to be seated, likely a benefit of the lower passenger capacity.
Regarding taste, we found the food was well prepared but tended to be a bit under-seasoned. On the occasions when they played a little more with the seasoning, it was quite enjoyable, especially a Thai soup. The variety of dishes offered was par for the course, in our estimation, for cruising. Neither adventurous nor boring yet well presented.
If you’re the type of diner that prefers steak, chicken, pork, or pasta when you eat, you’ll be just fine. There are mainstays to the main dining room’s menu that do not change each night that cater to those dishes. In fact, my husband lavished praise on the lemon chicken and I appreciated the tenderloin and their eggs benedict at the breakfast. There are, of course, a variety of dining options on the ship other than the main dining room.
Some of the images that survived are of dishes I had. As you can see, the plates are picturesque, but the flavor was muted.
The Patio Grill which, as the name implies, is outdoors and provides burgers and a daily special, e.g. nachos, as well as sandwiches and hot dogs. You will also find soft-serve ice cream here. The burgers were a standout as they grind their own beef onboard, rather than use pre-made frozen patties. That’s not something I expected to find on a cruise ship and was pleasantly surprised by it. In good weather, this is a great place for a casual lunch.
As for the buffet, we generally avoided it. We don’t like buffets, so if that’s a part of cruising that you love, I am not the authority on buffet quality. However, we did eat there a couple times to sample the quality and we thought they did admirably. I quite enjoyed the sushi and thought they prepared it well (considering that it is a cruise ship and not a dedicated sushi restaurant on land). The pizza was also above average, certainly better than most cruise lines, but not as good as Virgin’s. The highlight that did continue to draw us back to the buffet was the gelato, which we would take away quite often.
Although this is a promotional image from Azamara, it is the buffet on the ship. Even though I am not a buffet lover, I made sure to stop by a few times for my Azamara Review.
If you’re looking for a latte or tea, the Mosaic Café produced lovely, caffeinated brews and always had a selection of small pastries available. I fancy myself as a coffee snob and usually pass on cruise ship coffees, but Azamara was meeting that luxury standard they set for themselves with the quality of the café. I happily consumed the drip and the espresso here.
The two specialty restaurants offered onboard, Prime C and Aqualina were standouts, especially the chateaubriand and the souffle. Dining at either place is an upcharge, but was included in the cabin category and onboard package we purchased. As such, there were limits to the number of reservations we could make for them. These reservations can either be done beforehand online, or with staff when you board.
The Mosaic Cafe was one of the most lovely spaces on the ship for a quick bite. Even though this is an Azamara Promotional image, this is what the place looks like.
Additionally, Azamara provided some special event dining options. On White Night, a themed dress night, they had a beautiful buffet, including lobster. We saw one table that had managed to eat 7 lobster tails in one sitting! Another day brought an on-deck barbecue lunch that we loved. Complete with ribs, sausage, pulled pork, corn on the cob, beans, and potato salad, it was by far the most delicious barbecue we’ve had on any cruise line.
Regardless of your fare, some beers, wines, and cocktails are generally included. As I mentioned, we purchased a package which included some amenities like dining and premium drinks. The cocktails we ordered exceeded expectations at each turn. Servers and bartenders were all attentive and diligent, but not wooden, each of them checking on details like allergies or drink preparation preferences. They were all lovely to chat with whenever we sat down to order, and it was quickly apparent why so many customers love the Azamara crew.
White Night was a lot of fun on the ship and I’m glad I went, even though I’m not the most social person. My Azamara review wouldn’t be complete if I hadn’t at least spent a little time at the party.
Overall, the cuisine on Azamara was nice, but fell short of the top-tier in cruise lines. There were standouts at every venue, but for my taste, the dishes lacked flavor and creativity. There’s a boldness that I’ve seen in other cruise line meals that isn’t present here. I don’t doubt that the kitchen could make such dishes and I wish they would.
Onboard Experience
Smaller ships, like the kind Azamara built their small fleet around, afford passengers a chance to become familiar with the crew. To the last, every member of the Quest’s crew was polite, attentive, and kind. Every positive moment we had on the ship was enhanced by the graciousness of the crew. On the rare moment something negative happened, the deftness of Azamara’s team softened the situation. Truly, I can’t say enough good things about the crew.
On the ship tour – which we recommend you take because it’s fascinating – it was clear that the crew took great pride in their assignments and work areas, no matter the area they worked in. The tour included the bridge, engineering, laundry, galley, and even the freezers.
The spaces throughout the ship were immaculate. It brought to mind a saying from the restaurant industry, “you can tell how much a restaurant cares by how clean their bathrooms are.” If I apply that to Azamara, they care a great deal. Nary a speck of dust was to be found anywhere we went.
Everywhere we went on the ship it was beautiful and spotless. Impressive art and impressive cleaning were not something I was expecting to find together for the Azamara Review.
We adored the library for some quiet time. While the pool was fairly small, it was more than enough for the number of passengers aboard. Admittedly, though, it was not heavily used in the mid-Atlantic in early April. Even walking the halls can be an enjoyable pastime as they are lined with prints by famous artists.
Because it’s a small ship, there were no big, Broadway style productions that you will find on larger vessels. Instead, there were six extremely talented singers and dancers that did different performances most nights of the cruise. They would run duets, solos, and the like, and would also run trivia as well as other events around the ship. We had a lot of fun at each event we took part in.
One thing we loved is that Azamara dispenses with some things that other major cruise lines will often push on you. There was no casino taking up a large portion of one of the decks, no art auctions haranguing you to empty your pockets. They had regular speakers providing entertaining and educational events most days on the sailing.
Like some other cruise lines, they have the occasional theme nights. Azamara’s main themed evening is the “White Night,” where everyone is expected to dress in white. It was fairly fun, but we ended up ducking out early for a dinner at Prime C. While they are famed for their “AzAmazing nights” which are culturally inspired parties associated with their over-night port visits we unfortunately didn’t have one offered on this sailing because it was a trans-Atlantic.
Sometimes, all you really want is a drink by the pool. The relaxed atmosphere made it all the better during my Azamara review.
Something I’ve never seen on any other line was the “EXPO”, which is an event where a representative from each of the ship’s departments has a place to talk about what they do on the ship, and the thought process behind what they do. While I have heard online that it can be a little sales-y, that was not our experience at all. We had a great time learning about the variety of behind-the-scenes sort of things that we love about cruise ship tours. The food service got a lot of attention, but one could also inspect a spare piston. Surprisingly, the housekeeping department was very interesting and helped explain how they were able to keep the ship in such top-notch condition.
On-Ship Amenities
Even though it was a small ship, Azamara didn’t skimp on the amenities that you often find on larger vessels. They had a well-equipped, clean gym with ocean views, and group fitness classes available for free. As I mentioned, the pool wasn’t large but was very nice.
I also touched on the included, self-service laundry with detergent provided earlier on. As much as I do appreciate these facilities, your experience with them depends heavily on the courtesy of the other guests. On a longer sailing, like we did, it was convenient and reassuring, even if it sometimes brought out the baser instincts of other guests.
The general vibe of the ship is “resort casual” so there’s no pressure to feel overdressed, which was nice. Many of the other guests we met seemed to be long-time Azamara cruisers. There were plenty of public spaces that were just nice to be in, like the forward panoramic lounge and the library. The smaller card room adjacent to it was consistently filled with the mahjong and bridge players, so if that’s your thing, you might find some new friends!
There was regular live music, shows, talks, trivia, and other events happening all over the ship, so we never felt like there wasn’t enough to do, even on a longer voyage with very few stops.
Conclusion
Who is Azamara for? What I found on Azamara was a classic, but elevated, cruise experience. It was the sort of vibe that you can find on lines like Princess or Celebrity, but better. Since everything was on a smaller scale, it felt more intimate. Because there are under a thousand guests, you get to know everyone a little more, and the staff were particularly wonderful. Crew morale can make or break a cruise line in my opinion. If the staff aren’t energized and happy, that bleeds over into every aspect of the ship. Every crew member we talked to seemed to enjoy working for Azamara, which is not the case on some other lines that we have been on.
There are many lessons that the other lines could learn from Azamara. No, they shouldn’t simply copy it, but they could learn a bit from their dedication to refining what they are as a brand.
There are more inclusions than you might find than in the typical cruise as well. Self-service laundry, gratuities, some alcohol, and special events tailored to the locations that you are visiting. No, they aren’t breaking any conventions, or trying something exciting and experimental, but what Azamara is doing is taking what people have loved about cruising for decades and perfecting it. It’s not going to be a party boat, a floating casino, or a theme park at sea. It’s simply going to be a cruise ship in all the best ways.
Azamara is similar to my experiences on Cunard or Viking, and on that smaller scale which I really love. If that sounds at all appealing to you, I strongly recommend giving Azamara a try.
If this review got you excited to do just that and sail on Azamara, as you might have guessed we are a travel agency and if you are looking to book a trip to a resort, take a cruise, or just get away for a few days we can help with that! Each year we book hundreds of vacations for individuals, families, and large groups. We’ve got years of experience and firsthand knowledge to make sure you get the best trip possible with support all along the way. Our team of travel professionals can help find and book the best rates and discounts for your trip because it’s our job. So don’t book on your own, use our expertise and book with us so we can help get you, far far away.
