My fabulous cruise on board Azamara Journey…part 2

One of the most memorable parts of my cruise with Azamara was the dining experience. The food on board was absolutely delicious. Every meal was fantastic throughout the entire cruise.

Discoveries is the main restaurant for waiter service breakfast, lunch and evening meal. Although we didn’t have breakfast or lunch in this restaurant we did have our evening meal here most nights. It was a 6 course menu… really varied each evening and the service was perfect. Every meal was more delicious than the last!!  The dining in the evening is open seating apart from the first evening where you are asked which time you would like to dine.. you can choose any time between 630 and 9. For the rest of the cruise you can go at any time.. there was never a queue to be seated and usually we went for dinner about 830 which was one of the busiest times. There are no formal evenings on the ship but in general guests dress up for the evening.. not black tie but smart. We asked for a table for 2 and we got one every evening.

There are 2 speciality restaurants on the ship. The first Aqualina, a Mediterranean type restaurant and the other Prime C, an amazing choice with steak and fresh seafood. A $25 cover charge for guests eating in either of these is charged (apart from those booked into Suites who can enjoy these restaurants with no extra charge) . Both situated right at the back of the ship on the top deck with fantastic views out to sea. Both restaurants I found to be fantastic and the food amazing along with extra special service. These 2 restaurants were quieter and more intimate than the main restaurant and perfect for a special occasion.

The Windows Café the casual dining choice is also very popular on board with such a huge amount of choice. Again the food fantastic and although it was busy here for breakfast and lunch there was always a waiter to get you a table so you didn’t have to queue. You can also enjoy breakfast alfresco which is the perfect way to start your day. Live music is played during lunch on certain days which I thought created a lovely atmosphere.

The pool grill is anther choice which opens just before lunch and serves all day. This was a really popular and everything was freshly cooked in front of you from hotdogs, to kebabs, burgers & nachos. A couple of the days at sail away there were BBQ’s, the officers and managers from the ship were the ones doing the cooking on the BBQ’s and serving it which again the guests really liked. The food again was delicious!

Afternoon tea proved very popular in the Looking Glass with cakes/sandwiches and champagne with live music playing in the back ground. 24 hour complimentary room service is available, breakfast on the balcony or late night snacks were my favourite.

When I cruised with Azamara the “more inclusive” concept hadn’t been introduced. I loved every minute of my cruise apart from I have to say my very high bar bill at the end, the word shock springs to mind even now. Azamara now offer guests a selection of complimentary standard sprits, beers and wines. There are also value priced packages that you can choose to enhance this selection of drinks to include premium brands, and give you a wider choice on board. This introduction of the complimentary drinks has been a very positive and welcomed addition.

The dining experience was one of my highlights from my Azamara cruise. On the Azamara website it states…”Each meal aboard Azamara, no matter where you choose to dine, will be as memorable as it will be fantastically delicious” …I can definitely second this!

Read next time in the final part of my review about the amazing ports of call I visited in Norway & Iceland…..