Cruising The Med In Style Onboard Azamara Journey

Designed for travellers who crave deeper connections, boutique-style travel, and immersive experiences, Azamara Journey offers a refreshing alternative to the luxury cruise scene. With its intimate size, elegant ambience, and destination-driven philosophy, Azamara Journey is your gateway to authentic adventure, without ever sacrificing style.

If you’re wondering what a Mediterranean cruise onboard this stunning ship looks like, look no further!

Cruise.co.uk’s Commercial Trading Executive, Holly Giles, recently had the pleasure of sailing the Mediterranean onboard Azamara Journey. Read on to hear her highlights of the ship and why you should book a cruise with Azamara…

Well, where do I begin? 

I had the most amazing time onboard Azamara Journey. I joined the ship on 22nd May 2025 in the port of Livorno. Acquiring a taxi from outside of the arrivals building straight into the port was very simple and took around 30 minutes.

As soon as you step foot onboard the ship, you are welcomed by a traditional cruise atmosphere- not in the decor, as that is contemporary and luxury, but there is a sense of old cruise charm where you can relax and look forward to your day.

The pool area onboard is smart and welcoming, featuring two jacuzzi relaxation areas and an abundance of extremely comfortable sun loungers to choose from. Each lounger is supplied with a mattress and head rest- you will never want to get up once you lie down!

The waiters on Azamara Journey are all lovely and nothing is too much trouble; all you have to do is lie back and enjoy your next round of drinks as you soak up the sun.

The patio area situated at the pool is a classic poolside grill, but offers so much more: think high-quality burgers, pizzas, chicken, lamb and beef kebabs, plus pork loin sandwiches, buffalo wings, nachos, and so much more. It was all delightful!

The Azamara Difference

Azamara provides guests with an abundance of thoughtful extras throughout the cruise. On arrival, each guest receives an Azamara-branded water bottle in their cabin, which can then be used during the cruise and can be refilled at various water stations dotted around the ship. You can even take this home with you at the end of your trip!

Guests are also given a tote bag, which also acts as the perfect pool bag to carry all of your essentials.

In Azamara Journey cabins, there are luxurious dressing gowns that guests can also use throughout the voyage, along with an umbrella. Azamara also provides Elemis toiletries in the bathroom, including shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, and hand cream. These are consistently replenished and smell divine.

Additionally, for those looking to relax and rejuvenate, the onboard spa offers a range of treatments. I was lucky enough to sample a massage, and it was amazing!

Dining Onboard Azamara Journey

For my first evening meal, I visited the Discoveries Restaurant and had a wide variety of food to choose from: including spring rolls, salmon and seafood chowder to start; veal snitzel, Tuscan beef steak and pan-fried seabream for main; and crème brûlée, cheese boards, plus a range of sorbets for dessert.

However, I opted for the mushroom and sausage risotto, lemon and herb chicken breast and topped it off with an apple Charlotte for dessert. All of these tasted divine!

Onboard Azamara Journey, there are two speciality dining restaurants: Aqualina and Prime C.

I visited Prime C on the second night of the cruise- oh my, what a treat! I chose the flavoursome Korean fried chicken, followed by the mesmerising potato soup. Next, I had the 8-oz Filet Mignon steak, which was cooked to perfection and accompanied by béarnaise sauce. For dessert, I opted for the key lime pie, which was also fabulous.

I returned to Discoveries Restaurant on my third night, this time starting with a beautiful shrimp cocktail. Next, I had the exquisite corn-fed chicken served with a thyme jus. Finally, to finish off the meal, I had a delicious New York-style cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

In addition to the delectable food at restaurants onboard the ship, Azamara Journey also boasts a strong room service menu, which I indulged in for breakfast and late-night options.

Onboard Entertainment

There are plenty of areas onboard for guests to take in a sensational show, or simply relax and enjoy a peaceful evening.

I loved the lounge onboard; this space was relaxing and offered spectacular ocean views. It also hosted a nightly band and singer who would take requests from guests.

During the cruise, I also visited the onboard theatre and loved the Mandy Muden Magic Show; this was hilarious.

Another excellent venue onboard Azamara Journey is The Den, where you can find the Spirits Bar. This is a lovely place to chill out in the evening and listen to Piano music while taking in the stunning views of the ocean.

Delving Into Destinations

When you have been out and about visiting the ports on your itinerary, guests can enjoy refreshments, including orange juice and water to quench thirst before boarding the ship again, along with a small seating area to relax and take a short break if required.

During my Mediterranean cruise onboard Azamara Journey, I visited a total of three ports: Porto Venere in Italy, Bastia in Corsica, and Nice, France.

Porto Venere is a traditional Italian town filled with wonderful history, colourful houses and a cliff-top church. There were also lots of little shops here, many with colourful flowers at the entrances.

This was a tender port, so we had to take a tender boat from the ship to shore. However, this was a pleasant experience as the tender boats were far from full and the sea was calm. The crew were also on hand to assist guests when getting on and off the boat.

In Bastia, I had a lovely stroll around the marina, which took around 25 minutes on foot from the port area. Bastia is mostly flat, so this was perfect for admiring the boats docked in the area. There were also some quaint little shops here and a market.

When we docked in Nice, this happened to be at the same time as the Monaco Grand Prix. As a Formula 1 fanatic, I decided to take this opportunity and head to Monaco to get in amongst the atmosphere of a race day- this didn’t disappoint!

An approximate 15-minute train journey from Nice, or a taxi from the port,  gets you into the centre of Monaco.

The streets were flushed with the colours of the different racing teams, and the atmosphere was electric. This only got better when you could hear the sound of the car engines as they raced by. What a day!

To round off the trip, we were even lucky enough to have three Azamara ships all sailing together on the way back to Barcelona!

Overall, with its contemporary feel onboard, Azamara Journey thoroughly blew me away!