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Thursday 9th Feb 2012
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Azamara has it in Spades |
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Reviewed By: Neil and Ida Down, Southampton on 25th Dec 2009
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| Cruise Line: Azamara Club Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Azamara Quest |
Sailed:
December,
2009 |
| Destination:
Far East
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Age: 65+ |
| Cabin: Balcony |
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What is it that makes a ship or for that matter a cruise line special, different and individual? What is it that attracts people to come onto a ship and then presents them with something which they instinctively know is right and totally suitable for them?
Well, whatever it is, Azamara has it in spades.
Even before you climb the gangway this feeling, this atmospheric attraction starts to pervasively entwine itself around you, barely noticeable yet inevitably present that feeling of euphoria builds and is enhanced by the vibrancy of the crew, the simple neatness and the elegance of these ships which combine to make these two enigmatically homely and special.
Do you have to be a certain type of person to feel this way about the Azamara Quest and Journey? The answer, I think, is quite possibly, yes, but Azamara is a broad church and will offer its magic to a wide selection of passengers who will not only revel in what it offers but who will also connect in a wonderfully attractive way with one another. We don’t think that we have ever before experienced the extraordinary camaraderie that existed on this cruise, far more bonding than that which is normally expected to occur. One aspect of the cruise which helped to enable this was that it was a 24 day cruise however that in itself is nowhere near enough to create this instant connection. There were, of course, passengers on the ship who would disagree with our conception of the ship, I certainly met four, but by the same token there was a very large proportion of repeat passengers aboard who were obviously intent on repeating past pleasures.
We also felt that the current team of managing officers engendered such terrific reactions amongst their staff that you could feel the happiness exuding from them and everyone drew from that exhilaration. The Captain was here, there and everywhere, do the driving bit and talking, chatting and eating with passengers. As a matter of fact it is the first time I have ever seen the Cruise Director, The Food and Beverage Manager, the Hotel manager and the Captain on the gangway saying goodbye to every single guest, that’s got to be unique but it was just one instance of the way everyone from top to bottom gave their all and did it without any undertones or falseness.
So, why are Ida and I so enamoured with Quest and Journey and what can you expect to enthuse about should you do a cruise with either? Firstly, we believe that you are going to take a step back and away from the current rush and tear, very little on board is hurried and guests start to relax very quickly. Very little emphasis is given to deck pursuits, the shuffleboard is sometimes used as is the table tennis table and dart board but there is no one there to goad you into expending energy. My first mission most mornings was at seven to power walk two and a bit miles and then take a cup of tea and a croissant back to the cabin balcony for Ida and me to ease into the day. She would then go for a breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice followed by some cereal with yoghurt and I would join her, a little later after a shower, for a fruit smoothie and coffee. I tell you that there were also available to us loads of other items from the usual breakfast meals to waffles with most kinds of sticky sauces to a great smorgasbord. That was usually followed buy a strenuous half hours book reading in the sun and then by a lecture or, my favourite, a trivia quiz. There were other enticements like the gym with several sweaty others, a salt water pool, kept at a good temperature and Jacuzzis or demonstrations or just lazing in the sun. There are few if any announcements to break your concentration indeed it always took us by surprise when the Captain and Sue Denning, the Cruise Director, did their midday chart thing and added a few notes that might interest us. This announcement was, of course, a signal for most passengers to prepare themselves, mentally and physically, to meet and talk with others around the tables of the main dining room or the upstairs café. We both agree that the food, its quality and presentation, is one of the highlights of this cruise line. Wherever you find it; be it in the coffee bar, or as an appetiser at a get-together, perhaps in the upstairs café with its abundant supply of wonderfully flavoured ice creams and sorbets, the MDR or one of the two absolutely superb speciality restaurants where a request is made for a meagre $5 each to be added to your account, the food could seldom be bettered. Once more I must say that one of the highlights is the conviviality experienced whilst dining, this occurs throughout the day and even more in the evenings when open dining means that you can chose to dine a deux, with freshly made friends or by allowing the Maitre d’, the highly experienced and very capable Vlado, to meld you into a group of four, six and sometimes eight. These are quite exception and it is at these times when you come to realise how many similarly minded have chosen this way to holiday. There are the odd occasions when ideas do not necessarily match and that can be as interesting a night as the more simpatico evenings.
Our cruise was a repositioning cruise, the new area chosen for the ship was many thousands of miles from the Mediterrranean and hence took many days at sea to reach. In many respects these cruises are vastly different to the ones where every day is a new port to explore. The big blessing with Quest and Journey is that disembarking a maximum of 675 guests is seldom long or tedious although I must admit that the Indian authorities did manage to try the patience of more that one person and they must have worn out several rubber stamps whilst needing to replant a fair few trees to replace the paper used, we, however cannot complain too much as it was our British diligent administration habits they copied. Generally, though, there are little of the queues (Amer. Trans. “long lines”) which can be experienced on larger vessels.
By now you have probably got the idea that these are very easy-going, unpretentious ships and this is also typical of the entertainment in the evenings. Because of the makeup and design of the “Cabaret Lounge” those entertaining are often with touching distance and at times it can appear that they are performing for you personally. Now you are not going to get divas or stars out the front but you will get good performances from the majority, with the quality being much better than the end of the pier stuff. Sue Denning is a terrific Cruise Director and has the passengers in the palm of her hand all the time, she has so much energy and yet you never see a spot of perspiration on her ever. When she does a double act with the resident pianist, Jim Badger, the whole place rocks with laughter. The dancers and singers were better this time round and their five-part harmony some of the best I’ve ever heard. Like we said the whole crew are electrically charged and Eric and Helene, the activity staff, just love the interaction and really feed off it.
We have now met two of the very capable Hotel Directors, Phillip Herbert on Journey and Anton Winkler on Quest and have to admit you will have to travel far and wide to find their equal. This trip we spent more time with the Food and Beverage Manager Ken and Takis the OC Accounts and learned some interesting things but also enjoyed their company a lot, we knew both from previous cruises.
What interests us is the new direction to be taken from next April by Azamara. We were able to see part way through the cruise the plans that the new autonomous Azamara had and with the extra benefits offered and the deliberate new challenges they announced it should make it an interestingly different unit. We just hope that the whole inspirational concept that currently exists is not adjusted too greatly and that we are drawn back to cruise and cruise again with this delightfully conceived attitude at sea.
Neil and Ida Down
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| Quality of Food |  |
| It doesm't matter where you eat on Azamara the quality, selection and presentation is top class from the Speciality Restaurants to the Pool Barbeque | | Entertainment |  |
| The entertainment is very personal to the audience and almost like a small club. Acts vary in quality and often are suited to the humour and attitude of the performers origin but it is all superbly held together by Cruise Director, Sue Denning from Blackpool/ Birmingham with her energy filled style, you can't help but love her. | | Shore Excursions | |
| We planned and did our own excursions or did them in small pre-arranged groups. Probably most disappointed with the Tropical Spice Gardens in Penang but topped by the comprehensive Mumbai selection. | | Staff | |
| I suppose if we had to pick one person out it would be the Captain because the actions of all the others staff were influenced by his inimitable style but that might be so unfair as they were all so brilliant, quite an amazing group. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| There are very few children's facilities on Azamara ships, I understand there may be a creche but that's about it. When we left 45 children were booked to arrive for a Christmas Cruise so maybe they made some different arrangements for that but generally they are not catered for. | | Onboard Activities | |
| If you are looking for rock walls and putting greens you're on the wrong ship, the accent is on relaxation with trivia quizzes, lectures and demonstrations, dancing lessons and group activities. There is a well equiped gym and a pool to be more active with and table tennis, shuffleboard and darts. | | Cabins |  |
| The cabin set-up on the "R" ships give you enough room and space but are not overgenerous with room. The balconies are great to sit on, read and sunbathe but are not large enough for loungers. | | Overall Rating | |
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Previous Cruise Reviews
If you consider food on the Navigator the epitome of top class food then I don't think we are going to get close to agreement as far as cuisine is concerned but some people might like to take note of your comments. ...Neil