Good Things Come In Small Packages

I have recently been on a ship visit on the Cruise and Maritime Ship Azores.

It is not a big ship, in fact I would go as far as to say it comes in the small and intimate category.

So what can you expect and what should you not expect!

These ships are all about the Itinerary with some unusual ports of call and being small, they call at some ports that the larger ships cannot dock at. They do not have lots of different venues for entertainment. The main theatre on the Promenade deck is cosy and intimate but comfortable as well. They do have acts on board to entertain you but don’t expect a west end show or several options for your evening entertainment.

It is mostly about being social. Talking to friends you have travelled with and fellow guests and having a socialable drink.

The main dining room is fairly small by some cruise ship standards but it is comfortable and well laid out. The 500 guests on-board will eat in two sittings as confirmed at the time of booking. Here are some of my colleagues as we sit done to enjoy lunch.

There is also a spacious Buffet restaurant, the Lotus Lounge with tables outside to eat lunch if the weather is in your favour.  Complimentary tea and coffee is served from 10am until 10pm so you can a drink at your convenience.

One thing I didn’t realise is that this ship has a speciality dining option too. The steak house is a small intimate dining venue which you can pre-book once you are on-board but does not have an additional charge. It is situated at one end of the Olissipo Restaurant in a separate room.

The main bar is housed in the Calypso Show lounge which is light and airy with plenty of space to relax on an evening after or before you meal or if you want to dance the night away the ship also has a small night club situated at the rear of the auditorium. There are lots of other areas where you can sit and relax as well around the ship.

The ship features a few other venues which may interest you. It has a card/games room if you fancy a hand of Bridge or the library and internet room if you just want to sit quietly, surf the web or read a book of course.

The observation deck houses the Sauna, Beauty Salon and Fitness centre if you fancy working out or relaxing and being pampered or on Calypso deck there are a small selection of Boutique style shops to satisfy your cravings for retail therapy as well as a small casino area with slot machines and gaming tables if you fancy a flutter.

If the weather is nice there is a pool area which is small but functional.

The cabins are fairly small but very clean and all the cabins we saw had a bath with a shower over them. Some of the cabins are L shaped beds and others can be twin or double configuration.  The beds seemed to be comfortable as I had a quick sit to see how they felt.  They have kettles in the cabins as well for your convenience.

There are a number of suites on the Azores. Unfortunately we did not get chance to look at these as they were all ready for guests arriving on-board as they board earlier than the rest of the passengers but there are a number of options if you want a little luxury.

The main thing to bear in mind with Cruise and Maritime is the excellent value for money their cruises are with excellent lead in prices and offers such as 2 for 1 deals. To make it even better value they have just introduced a new All Inclusive Drinks package for just £17 per person per day making it one of the cheapest drinks deals in the cruise industry.

Is it 5 star? No it isn’t but I think if you give it a chance you might be pleasantly surprised.

Bear in Mind if you have walking issues that this is the Gangway to the ship. It is fairly steep so if you need assistance make sure you ask in advance.

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