Renowned for their range of immersive on and off-shore experiences, Azamara Cruises have been making waves in the cruise industry for their emphasis on taking guests to inspiring destinations in only the very best, luxury surroundings.
Cruise.co.uk specialist consultant Ava North had the joy of experiencing Azamara’s unique style of cruising for herself during a short and sweet trip with the cruise line, onboard their gorgeous ship Azamara Quest.
In this blog, she details her whistlestop trip with the ship in glitzy Monaco, plus some of the utterly divine places to eat, drink and stay onboard. Read on to get the insider view on all things Azamara Cruises…
Day 1
My colleague Silvana and I were lucky enough to join Azamara Quest for 3 nights of their 9-Night Cities of the Western Med Voyage. After I checked in I met up with my colleague Silvana and we headed to the Mosaic Cafe on Deck 5 to get a drink and a snack.
At the cafe, they served canapes and cakes and the food was very morish. However, we then had to head back to the cabin to get ready to meet the rest of the group for drinks at 6pm in The Drawing Room up on Deck 10. The Drawing Room is a lovely area where guests can go for some quiet time during the day or for private events in the evenings.
After our drinks reception, we headed for dinner at Discoveries Restaurant. There were so many great options to choose from on the menu that we all ended up getting 2 of each course and it all tasted absolutely amazing. I found the food onboard one of the best at sea.
After dinner, many of the group headed for drinks but for me, it had been a long day so I decided to head back to the cabin.
Day 2
On our second morning, we spent some time learning about Azamara and what they offer their guests. Overall, it is really apparent that Azamara’s main ethos is to ensure their guests spend as much time in the ports as possible so that they can really immerse themselves in the local destinations.
This is also brought onto the ship as they have local entertainment come on board for the night as well as serving local drinks and cuisines. Here’s a reminder of what’s included and expected on an Azamara cruise:
ALWAYS INCLUDED
Variety of Dining Venues & Room Service
Drinks, Including Alcohol, All Day & Night (With upgraded drinks packages from only $23.95pp per day)
Tips & Gratuities
Exclusive Cultural Events
Unlimited Self-Service Laundry
ALWAYS EXPECTED
No Hassel, No Crowds
Unique & Iconic Destinations
Overnight Stays
Extended Destination Days
After learning all things Azamara, we had time to go and tour the different types of cabins that they offer. All cabins are really spacious and all the decor is inviting. The final cabin on the tour was cabin 6088 which was aptly named the ‘Monte Carlo’ Suite and it was incredible.
The** Suites** onboard come with a great list of benefits in addition to the standard inclusions:
Dedicated Butler
Complimentary Internet (240 minutes or 50% off the unlimited internet package)
Complimentary speciality dining
Complimentary Spirits set up in the cabin
Afternoon tea in your Suite
One free bag of laundry service per suite, each seven days
Complimentary access to the Thalassotherapy pool and spa deck
On Board Credit (Amount depending on the suite)
In the afternoon, we decided to have lunch at The Patio and again the food was just delicious. After lunch, we headed off the ship and had a walk around Monaco.
Once we were back on board we got ready for another evening of pre-drinks or ‘prinks’ as Stuart from Azamara calls it! We then headed for another amazing meal in Discoveries.
After dinner, myself and Silvana headed into Monaco once again to go to the famous Casino de Monte-Carlo and it did not disappoint. Outside of the casino, we were surrounded by Ferraris, Magellans and Bentleys so we knew there would be a lot of High Rollers inside.
We decided to have a little go on the slots (when in Rome as they say) and we came out with a profit! I bet €20 and came out with €41.34 and Silvana bet €10 and came out with €35 so we were buzzing and ready to head back to the ship with 2 other girls from the group. The taxi journey back to the ship was hilarious as we were all making driving sounds as part of the drive back was on part of the Monaco Gran Prix track. Even the taxi driver joined in.
Day 3
On our last morning, we had an early start as we were taken on an Azamara excursion. We boarded the coach and headed to Nice for a city tour followed by a wine tasting at ‘Cave Bianche’.
Though a wine tasting isn’t something I would usually choose, it was a great morning. The guide we had was absolutely fantastic. She was from Italy and she was very knowledgeable. Throughout the whole tour, she was also making jokes and was really entertaining.
On the way back to the ship we stopped for a photo stop in Villefranche which was a stunning area.
Once we were back on board, we had a quick lunch from Windows Cafe (Buffet) and sat out on deck with a full view of Monte Carlo. We then had a few hours left in port so we decided to go on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus in order to have a full tour of Monaco. I also did not realize how small Monaco was, you can see the full city in a very short amount of time.
The trip to Monaco wouldn’t be complete without a quick photo stop at the starting line of the Monaco Grand Prix!
The trip went extremely fast and it was already time for our last night onboard. However, we were all very excited to split the group and head to the 2 amazing Specialty restaurants onboard (cover charge is usually $35pp except for Suite guests). Silvana ate in Aqualina and I ate in Prime C and oh my gosh the food was divine. On our table, we all ordered extra so that we were able to try each dish and it was just remarkable.
Overall it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend that any guests looking for a different kind of cruise experience, should sail with Azamara!
