Ship Review

Azamara Journey – Azamara Club Cruises

by Meg Hill – Managing Director Cruise Express
September 2017

Cruise name or itinerary:   Monaco Yacht Show and Tuscany (Barcelona to Civitavecchia)

Size of ship: 30,000 grt

Passenger capacity: 680

Year built: 2000 Year refurbished/revitalised: 2017

Where the cruise line cruises: Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Asia and the Pacific, the Caribbean

Currency onboard: US dollars

Embarkation / disembarkation: We joined the ship in Barcelona on a warm autumn afternoon. Check-in was effortless and within minutes we were onboard, greeted by officers, our stateroom attendant and a chilled glass of champagne. Our stateroom was ready immediately and our luggage arrived shortly afterwards.

Main features / highlights: Despite being classed as a small ship, Azamara Journey offers a surprising range of public areas to relax and unwind in. There is the usual open air pool deck with two jacuzzis, a gymnasium and spa, six dining venues, a traditional wood panelled library with trompe l’oeil ceiling and the newly styled Living Room – an observation lounge at the front of the ship with comfortable oversized armchairs and couches and a grazing menu that changes throughout the day, from morning and afternoon teas to evening tapas.

A new feature on the ship is the artist in residence, on our cruise a young and vivacious American painter. She went out sightseeing with the guests throughout the day and then returned to the ship’s Art Gallery to paint, often with an audience, in the early evenings.

Most suited to: This is a cruise line perfect for Australians, offering an intimate premium cruising experience without any pretence.

Atmosphere: Azamara offers a thoroughly low key, relaxed environment where you can be busy all day or choose to do very little. Nowhere on the ship seemed crowded at any time. In fact, it was common for us to be amongst only a handful of guests in areas like The Living Room or The Library during the day.

Encounters with service staff: The Azamara officers and staff were extremely friendly and willing to help at all times.

Staterooms: We cruised in a Club Verandah stateroom that was spacious and very comfortable for two with the usual amenities including crisp white linens and duvets, towelling bathrobes, fresh flowers and fruit basket, a cosy sitting area, flat screen tv and floor to ceiling sliding glass door that led out to a small private balcony with a table and two chairs. The only disappointment was our bathroom – it was very small and quite basic by today’s luxury standards, with a fabric shower curtain… a personal bugbear!

NOTE: Book a Club Suite or above and enjoy a spacious bathroom, some with double vanity, full-sized tub and separate shower.

Dining options: Throughout the ship, the food was of an excellent standard, with lots of fresh options to suit most tastes and preferences, including a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. We often enjoyed an alfresco breakfast at the Sunset Bar outside Windows Cafe, the ship’s casual dining option open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also ate at all of the ship’s dining venues including the a la carte Discoveries Restaurant and the two specialty restaurants – Prime C (American-style steakhouse) and Aqualina (Italian fine dining). We’ll long remember our delicious four-course meal at Prime C as the ship sat at anchor off the French resort town of St Tropez and the sun set as smaller boats and yachts crisscrossed our path.

For those who like to order in, the 24-hour room service menu was also extensive and very tasty.

Entertainment: The Cabaret Lounge is the place to be each night for intimate shows featuring soloists, music revues and local cultural acts.

A highlight of our trip was the AzAmazing evening in Monte Carlo. We travelled by coach to the Grimaldi Theatre for a ‘cirque du soleil’ style show of acrobatics, dance and music, arriving back to the ship to be greeted by waiters with trays of champagne and a midnight buffet feast.

Activities: As our cruise visited a number of smaller Mediterranean ports, we were at anchor several days and tendered ashore in the ship’s lifeboats, always a fun and scenic way to arrive in port. From there, we were able to easily explore most towns and cities on foot or via local public transport. From Nice we took the Azamara offered afternoon excursion to the historic hillside town of St Paul de Vence in Provence. The tour provided a nice mix of interesting guided touring and time to explore on our own. In Italy we also joined one of Azamara’s new ‘Cruise Global, Bike Local’ tours. Together with a small group of other Azamara guests, we cycled between the picture-perfect towns of Portofino and Santa Margherita, stopping off along the way for gelato and to visit the lively fish market where local fishermen were selling the fresh catch of the day. Azamara provides headsets, sun visors, helmets, bike baskets and water bottles as well as easy to ride three-speed bikes.

Family facilities: Whilst there are no kids club facilities onboard, Azamara does welcome children and teens. The ships and cruise itineraries are probably best suited to families with teens aged 14+ who enjoy dining out and are interested in exploring the world together. Don’t expect all-day entertainment – you won’t find rock climbing walls, teen hangout lounges or waterslides here!

Exclusions:  You will pay extra for specialty restaurant dining, shore excursions and pre or post cruise transfers.

Self-service laundry: Unlike the ships in the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises fleets, the Azamara ships do have onboard self-service laundrettes with free washers, dryers and ironing facilities, a huge advantage when travelling a long way from home and on a premium cruise.

Insider tips: One of the beauties of cruising with Azamara is the ‘country club casual’ dress code onboard. There are no formal nights so you can safely leave your tuxedo and ball gowns at home. Everyone enjoyed the White Night Party – a BBQ dinner on the pool deck where guests all dressed in white and the ship’s officers became the serving and wait staff.

As this is a US ship, remember to bring US adapters to charge any electrical devices.