Pat & I are currently sailing on the Azamara Quest from Miami to Seville and I wanted to explain the current state of the cruise line. Azamara is a 2 ship entity owned by RCCL (it is no longer part of Celebrity.) The 2 ships, Quest & Journey, are former Renaissance R7 ships which have been quite well renovated. The ships are physically smaller than the Navigator but hold 680 guests, so they aren’t all suite all veranda ships. We upgraded to a 270 sq ft veranda suite with butler service and it cost half of a cat H on the Mariner’s current crossing. Gratuities are covered, water, specialty coffees are complimentary and wine with dinner & lunch are complimentary. Beginning with the start of the Quest’s European season in 2 days, alcohol will also be complimentary, but not as extensively as on Regent. For example, the complimentary vodka will be Smirnoff & Skyy and premium brands will cost about $4.00. There is a charge for excursions, but they are discounted when booked online pre cruise. Azamara has many overnight or late night stays in port and, also beginning in 2 days, there will be a complimentary evening event in a port each cruise. Like Regent, they have drifted away from the long cruises but still offer many 10 to 17 day cruises. Our suite is not as deep hallway to veranda) as on Mariner, but is wider making it seem more roomy with a more efficient layout. Food is comparable to what we had on the Mariner a few weeks ago but without as many special selections each night, however there is a larger “always available” selection. Officers are visible all around, more so than on Regent, and the staff quickly learns guests’ names. Internet is charged, but $99.95 gets you 235 minutes (far less than Oceania.) As returning guests we each received 89 minutes of free internet and the free amount increases as you accumulate more cruise credits. Although we miss some of the Titanium benefits we enjoy on Regent, the significantly lower cruise fare more than makes up for what we have to pay for on Azamara. We have enjoyed our 2 Azamara cruises and will use them again.
Jim
