My Amazing Azamara Adriatic Journey – Part 4

It was day 6 of my ‘Amazing Azamara Adriatic Journey’ and today was a sea day, which meant time to chill out and see and use more of the facilities that the ship had to offer. As Azamara do more overnights or longer stays in ports amenities like the shops and Casino are not open when docked in port, so it was nice to have a little flutter on the Blackjack and Roulette tables. Throughout the day they put on some Blackjack and Poker competitions for a nominal entry fee on which I participated in and had a bit of luck in, coming second in the Blackjack competition and third in the Poker tournament, in which I won about $150 – not bad for an afternoons work!

There was plenty of other activities and events on-board during the day such as quizzes, bingo, wine tasting and an art auction so there was something for all tastes and ages. Or alternatively you could sunbathe on the Lido deck and have a dip in the pool or have a relaxing massage or Spa in the Sanctum on Deck 9.

As my cruise journey was nearing it’s end I tried to book one of the speciality restaurants for dinner. There is the Aqualina which serves classic Italian menu with a modern touch and Prime C which serves steaks in various cuts and cooked to your preference. Unfortunately these were booked up, so reservations are highly recommended in advance. Speciality dining is complimentary for suite guests (Club World Owner’s Suites, Club Ocean Suites and Club Continent Suites). For stateroom guests, there is a $25 per-person cover charge.

The evening entertainment was a production show called ‘Voices’ featuring singers and dancers from the Azamara Journey entertainment team, followed by ‘I Love the 80’s’ (my era and my cup of tea!) in the late night disco/dance bar.

The next morning I woke up early as I wanted to get on deck and see us arriving in to the beautiful city of Venice, passing St Marks Square on the way for our overnight stop. I decided to go into Venice early on the advice of other people as it can get very busy round the main attractions from 11am till 4pm. Venice did not disappoint with it’s maze of waterways,  small squares and narrow streets with designer shops and boutiques everywhere you turned. Then there was the vibrant and numerous restaurants and cafe bars lining the narrow streets and squares which were full with people watching the world go by.

As it was lunchtime and the crowds of pedestrians were increasing round the epicentre of St Mark’s Square I decided to head back to the ship for lunch and a beverage as temperatures rose into the 30’s. My final evening I had dinner at Discoveries restaurant and then watched a fantastic show which was a tribute to Broadway called ‘Stage Door to Dreams’. The highlight being the cruise director Eric De Gray dressed in drag and rollerskating around the stage, I can see now why numerous people return on Azamara because of Eric.

Overall I really enjoyed my time on Azamara Journey, the service and standards were fantastic and being a smaller ship and more intimate allowed you to connect with people. In my opinion I would rate Azamara with a 5.5 Star rating and not a 6 Star ship, which is not a negative as I felt comfortable all the time on-board and found it not too stuffy. With the longer stays and overnights in port, along with your free drinks and your gratuities included and not forgetting the ‘Azamazing Evening’ I would have no hesitation in recommending Azamara.

So if you have any questions on Azamara or any of the ports of call please do not hesitate to contact me on 0330 303 8190 or email me at [email protected].