WATCH THIS BEFORE CRUISING WITH AZAMARA 2024! Things you MUST know - What's included, tips & tricks!

[@richardaustwick4400]

Thanks Beth and others who've commented all fair pounts raised. I have sailed with Azamara 5 times since October '22 and have another 3 cruises booked with them. First thing to say is that they now seem to have got to grips with their website, I have a cruise booked in early '25, all pertinent information is available and I can easily see and book excursions. The reason I use Azamara is actually the price point which I find much more competitive than their near rivals such as Oceania. I enjoy the small ship experience, hardly any kids, easy to tender where necessary, great food, decent included drinks packages, crew interactions are really positive, a happy ship, like minded guests, longer port stays, brilliant enrichment speakers (no exaggeration here I promise), also checking in with lots of staff available to point you in the right direction is excellent. Downsides - bit of a bun fight at buffet breakfast, small showers with dodgy shower curtains. I went on a Seabourn cruise recently where food and cabin were brilliant but I thought crew service was nowhere near Azamara standards. Hope this is helpful.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Agree with everything you’ve said, thanks for the input. We’re looking at another Azamara because of the price point - premium quality for not too much more than you’d pay for a big ship with much lower quality. Check out the Panache website as they have the best Azamara deals - David is a cruise connoisseur there so if any take your fancy you can email [e-mail] for further quotes. And you’re right - breakfast was always a bit crazy! They struggled to keep up with us drinking their ginger and carrot shots 🤣

[@terencedarby8905]

I have cruised with Azamara many times and been on all 4 of their ships. There are some fairly important points you have missed. Firstly, the four ships are essentially identical and carry about 680 guests. It hardly matters which one you book, although it has to be said that the initial introduction of the Onward did not go well as we came out of the pandemic. The ships are now about 25 years old, and although refurbished are ‘old style’. In particular, the size of the bathrooms is an issue for many people, and something that cannot be resolved. But the overall design means you never feel crowded and the overall feel is very relaxed and comfortable. The service level on board all 4 is very good, especially compared to service experienced on larger ships with a lower staff to guest ratio. There is no casino and no children's facilities, which helps to make the experience very calm. This is not a cruise to be recommended for families with children, although children are welcome. The food quality is good, but not nearly as good as it used to be. In the post pandemic restart several ‘luxury’ items have been withdrawn. The entertainment offered is enthusiastic but not nearly as good as the larger ships. Don’t book Azamara if you like to see theatre shows such as those Royal Caribbean can do, but do book if you are happy with a few drinks in a comfortable bar for your evening. But the biggest issue by far is the IT platform and the customer service. Azamara had to build their own IT platform once they became independent from Royal Caribbean, and it’s inadequate testing was a disaster for them. During the post pandemic restart in 2022 there was a complete absence of staff to resolve the consequential customer issues, and even today this is not fully resolved. For example, when booking online using their web site you cannot now select a specific cabin. The hold times on the phone are epic. If you are booking via an agent, you will often find that the prices offered change because the correct price has not been downloaded from the Azamara system. The agent then has the right to cancel your booking, and that ‘special offer’ you were pleased with has disappeared. Their new system managed to lose all the loyalty points of previous guests, simply because the transfer of previous booking data from Royal Caribbean was inadequate. Not a major issue in the wider context, but just very annoying. I had reason to complain about some issues regarding missing OBC recently whilst on board. It took almost the entire cruise to resolve while they referred to an understaffed head office. Result was a very poor cruise experience, besides all the good work of the crew. We are back on Azamara again in 90 days time, but for that sailing they are yet to publish any shore excursions. Another example of lack of head office resource? We expect it will be possible to book on board, but guess what, they are then a higher price. Azamara is a good product if their style of cruise suits you. But there is much scope for improvement.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Fair points I agree with, I had heard a lot of the negatives before cruising but hadn’t experienced them myself so didn’t mention. I booked through Panache Cruises travel agency and they were fantastic changing things for us so I never experienced the online or call issues! I highly recommend them if this has been an issue for anyone as they shoulder that negative experience for you! As a couple in our mid-20s some points slipped off our radar as to what we found important - well summarised on not being a family cruise. I was surprised at how great the entertainment was, but yes it’s definitely no theatre show, but for a small ship they did brilliantly and the ships are refurbished beautifully. Great summary to add on points to the video! And good luck with your return to Azamara - hopefully they’ve smoothed out a lot of issues by then.

[@terencedarby8905]

Unfortunately we already know the issues are ongoing. But we feel forewarned and maybe somewhat prepared if things go wrong again. As an example, if you have a question on a booking you can attempt to raise a customer service question on their web site. This was introduced to deflect the phone traffic. Try it, and see how long a reply takes. Typically you wait weeks and then get a standard reply that just says ‘thanks for your contact and we hope you have reached out another way and that your issue is now resolved’. A hopeless waste of time. This is in sharp contrast to other cruise lines, and Azamara are trying to compete in the premium market. To give another entertaining example, we cruised from Venice with them last year, and they failed to send guests their final confirmations, including detail of the actual departure point. As we know, Venice itself is now closed to cruise ships, but Azamara still advertised it as such whereas the actual departure was from Chioggia, 50km away. Many experienced but confused guests went to the old terminal, resulting in some expensive last minute taxi rides. Not exactly how you want to start your holiday. Many people do say avoid Azamara until they sort out these service issues. We tried Viking. The difference was simply incredible.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@terencedarby8905 oh dear, doesn’t sound ideal. We didn’t encounter any of these issues, but our original voyage was meant to go to Israel and the war broke out just 2 weeks before, perhaps they focused more resolving that because of the chaotic nature! Perhaps it’s a luck of the draw as it often is on other lines too. Sounds like they definitely have some teething issues to resolve, and can’t be compared to the luxury lines, but I still think they fit the premium badge and are appropriately priced for what they are (when all goes well). Hopefully you have a non-problematic trip next time! Fingers crossed.

[@terencedarby8905]

@@BethandDavidCruise Azamara can actually be very well priced indeed if you watch carefully for special offers. Our next 7 days in a balcony is just £1056pp, with some OBC too. This was a Black Friday offer straight off their web site, and agents could not better it. They most certainly can compete very well on price so long as your are time flexible. Unless you have the budget for a suite, then the best option is usually a Deck 6 balcony. The small size of the ship means location is not too important. We also find their offering quite well balanced - I cant eat really fancy food at every meal for a week and the menu in their main dining room is actually quite good. The buffet can be excellent when they do a theme night, as is the brunch and the white night BBQ. And the range of bars on board is very good for the number of guests. We stick with the included drinks for a couple of days and then go for the upgrade to the premium package using OBC. So it feels like it was included in the cost all along. I would never use a casino or art gallery myself, so pleased they are not offered. I have noticed their marketing team has been very active recently with several 'offers', but you do need to examine them to pick the best. If you get emailed the Quarterly Savings offers, they are also a genuine 10% off. You also do need to be a fan of the small ship experience. You don't need to be using a smart phone app all day for everything. But we also enjoy the Celebrity Edge class ships which are a whole different ball game in terms of modern design and entertainment. We have also tried using their airfair service with poor results. If its a Europe cruise, book your own flights and go a couple of days early to enjoy a city break. This will give you a much better price and more flexibility. It may be a different story if the flight is long haul. We live in hope that the Azamara IT issues and customer service will improve; they simply have too because it has been appalling. In the meantime, people are best advised to book via an agent and let them take the grief. Where does Azamara go in future? The ships are old, and will slowly lose there fanbase and ability to claim to be premium. To keep the brand going, new ships will be required. Will the owners invest?? Anyway, I hope this has added to 'things you must know before booking'. If you are not a big party animal, and want to be away from children, and enjoy a good level of service, then find a good offer and book it.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@terencedarby8905 agree, a very comprehensive and honest review of it which speaks to the truth. And I’m with you on the new Celebrity ships - fantastic! Thanks for adding to the content.

[@Nick_Stock]

I tend to only watch Emma's and some of Gary's videos in the cruise blogger world, but since finding your pursuit tour video I've been waiting for another to come out! Your pacing is very good at holding engagment and info provided is helpful too. Keep it up!

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Thank you Nick! I always think when I watch them back how I sound a bit like Emma, being one of the few British female cruise bloggers 🤣 thanks for your kind words, I have more Azamara content planned so keep a watch out 👀

[@BritsAbroadTravelCruise]

Totally echo the comments of Nick. Your 'down the lens' delivery is very much like a conversation you're having with all of us, in which we get to hear your very well thought out ideas on what you experienced. And that's a natural talent that few people have.@@BethandDavidCruise

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@BritsAbroadTravelCruise thank you that’s very kind! Have subscribed to your channel also 🫶

[@mandyshanesy3405]

David- your mom sent her work friends here to support you guys! Ready to plan a cruise now!!

[@jeffdewaele5156]

Very well done. I found your Azamara videos very helpful! We will be doing Canary Islands this year on the Pursuit. Our first Azamara cruise was in 2013 and we just really enjoyed the small ship.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

How exciting! Wish we were going back on Azamara soon, it’s one of our favourite lines. Thank you, glad you found it helpful, I have a few more Azamara videos planned so keep an eye out! Wishing you calm seas out to the Canary Islands 🌞🌞

[@michellelogreco3351]

Doing my first Azamara cruise July 20, solo( I always travel solo) Excited. Thanks!! Subscribed!

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@michellelogreco3351 how exciting! We saw so many solo travellers on our last Azamara cruise - they always looked like they were having a great time together, it seems to be a great line for solo travellers, the perfect size ships for it. Have a great time and let us know how it goes!🛳️☺️

[@danaboatman954]

Am considering this cruise line. Am looking forward to hearing about your experience.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@danaboatman954 we can only recommend, and if you’re travelling solo, we met many solo travellers on the Azamara cruise we just got off of. Worth giving it a go!

[@danaboatman954]

@BethandDavidCruise thank you very much. It'll be my wife and I. Everything we have seen and heard has been good. Azamara may be a good fit for us.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

@@danaboatman954 you’re welcome, I’d say it’s a pretty good fit for most if you want to get away from the big ship business and have a more refined taste. If you need any help with booking or advice (and a better deal than on the Azamara website!), David works for Panache Cruises and can help you out, just email him [e-mail] if you’re interested. ☺️

[@theapprentice2298]

Nice tips , excellent information. Thank you Beth :)

[@svetlanaz5904]

Great points especially about size of the ship and movements in the open sea.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Thank you! It shocked me how much the ship moved considering it’s not even that small, we were glad to have a stateroom on a lower deck, the was MUCH better down there.

[@useless8989]

Very helpful, thanks.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Thanks for watching!

[@samueldisney]

I found the food in the buffet and main restaurant poor and because of that would not use them again.

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Ah shame, we loved the main dining room but yes the buffet could’ve been a whole lot better considering it’s a premium line. The patio grill pulled it back for us! What line do you like best? We love the food on celebrity best

[@jackierinker2582]

I'm very interested in Azamara. Darn their website. I'm trying to book a cruise and it just won't. I've seen other people say they've had great problems booking their cruise and excursions ahead of time but they have been happy once onboard the ship. Hope that's true. Otherwise, would a travel agent have better access than an independent traveler trying to book on her own?

[@BethandDavidCruise]

Hi Jackie thanks for watching! Yes, travel agents have separate portals to book through. We used Panache Cruises for our trip and I couldn't fault them with our booking. David is a Cruise Connoisseur with Panache now - he'd be glad to help you out if you'd like. His email is [e-mail] - send him an email and he'll get in touch with you ASAP to help! We loved Azamara - it's a shame the booking process isn't so easy.

[@Sailing_with_Sabina]

Website is getting better slowly. They need to move away from Seaware!

[@RapunzelinOttawa]

A pocketful of mumbles! Please, slow down and enunciate!

[@silverfox1983]

As a 5-1/2-star ship, Azamara is a big disappointment. The decor on the ship is old and out of date. The food in the main dining room is OK but not impressive. As compared with other cruise liners such as Oceania and Viking (both 5 1/2-star ratings), the two specialty restaurants are way below standard. The entertainment is next to nothing. The brochure has indicated each cabin has a butler for extra service. They are just regular housekeeping staff. This ship is not for me!

[@BethandDavidCruise]

We loved Azamara and whilst I don’t agree with most of that I can see where you’re coming from when you compare with other luxury lines. Where I differentiate it is I don’t hold Azamara to the levels of lines such as Oceania, which I see as luxury and I see Azamara as premium. For the price comparison I think Azamara is a great product - you get what you pay for!