Guest Testimonials

Guest Testimonials

• An Inspirational Journey

  I know that Maeve updated you on our FABULOUS Holy Land cruise on the Azamara Journey, but I personally wanted to say what a moving and "Inspiration Journey" it was. Israel was much more fascinating than I ever dreamed and has already impacted my life in so many positive ways. I even have a client coming in next week because her son is headed to Haifa to study aboard for six months and I can now intelligently speak with them about the country! There wasn't a bad moment of the entire 12-day cruise. Even our rainy days were great; we ducked into a local coffee shop in Turkey and no one spoke English except another customer (very little), a young girl studying American History and traveling to the US next year for school. So we were chatting and even began Facebook friends! I hope to travel again on Azamara—and as a travel agent, I am proud to represent this product!

  Melissa Garrison
  Cruise & Vacation Manager
  Altair Travel & Cruises
  October 2012

•  

• Singing Azamara's Praises—Loudly!

  "Azamara is a true destination experience because of the longer port stays. I think that is what sets them apart. I've admired this concept since Azamara instituted it, but having lived it, I'm now singing its praises—loudly! It made all the difference to our experience. Arriving in port at 8:00 AM and not leaving until after 10:00 PM gave us the flexibility to really enjoy the destinations the way we wanted. Dancing into the wee hours in Ibiza; standing on the bridge with our sons as we docked in Trapani; it's difficult to pick a favorite moment. I think we only ate on the ship the first night—the rest of the time we went to awesome local places. Traveling as a multi-generational group could have been challenging given our different needs for recreation, entertainment and dining. But the warm and professional service onboard made everyone's trip memorable."

  Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC
  Chief Executive Officer, Virtuoso
  (A network of the world's finest travel agencies)

•  

• The Reasons Why We're Loyal "Azamarians"

  There is no doubt that the reason we return is Azamara's exceptional staff. Every member of the crew provides excellent service. Ships have their features and facilities but the people who work them make the difference.

  On our first Azamara voyage, after a long trip from Alexandria to Cairo, upon arriving back at the Quest we found Hotel Director, Heike, waiting for us on the pier to advise us that the dining room hours had been extended to accommodate our late arrival. On most cruise lines at that hour, pizza or room service would have been the only options. At that moment we knew we would be returning to Azamara many times.

  When we return, the staff greets us with "Welcome home," which has become the standard greeting for returning guests on Azamara. On embark day on a recent cruise, as we walked the pool deck, other guests noted that staff members were stopping to say hello to us and they asked if we were somehow associated with Azamara. We told them we were indeed associated with Azamara, as guests just as they were. We assured them that if they returned for another cruise, they would be remembered as well.

  In a cruise industry increasingly dominated by ever-larger vessels, we firmly believe smaller ships offer a much better experience.

  On an Azamara cruise, Captains and Cruise Directors have been known to take guests on walking/hiking tours. One Captain might offer a stargazing event on the bow late one night. Another Captain might stop to fish off the coast of Iceland. The Food and Beverage Manager may go ashore and purchase seafood at the local fish market and arrange for it to be prepared and served that evening.

  Azamara offers an exceptional food experience both in terms of variety and quality in the main dining room and specialty restaurants. There are no long lines at the buffet or at the entrance to the dining room. There are no long lines for the tender boats when they are required. Embark/Disembark is efficient and easy. Large ships in our experience cannot provide these things.

  These are some of the reasons we are loyal "Azamarians." We anticipate another "Welcome home" on our two homes at sea, when we embark on Azamara Journey in November 2012 and Azamara Quest in March 2013.

  Rob and Sue Brown
  Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

•  

• James Bond Is Stirred, Not Shaken, By Azamara Club Cruises

  “Kristina and I cannot sum up in words just how heavenly, luxurious and enjoyable our Norwegian cruise with Azamara (Azamara Journey) was this summer (2011). From the initial inquiry to the booking and arrival where Captain Johannes made us so welcome—and has since become a good friend—we could not have wished for better.

  Heiki (Hotel Manager) ensured our every need was catered for and brilliantly organized and handled our little Q and A session, ensuring everyone who wanted had a photograph with this old English actor. You have a great team. We are most definitely going to return next year.”

  Sir Roger Moore (AKA James Bond)
  Pinewood Studios
  Iver Heath, Bucks, UK
  Summer 2011

•  

• The Crew Were Exceptional They Could Not Do Enough For Us And You Can Tell They Are Happy In Their Roles.

  Captain Carl Smith certainly knows his stuff and is a credit to Azamara. He was often present around the ship and we had the privilege of dining with him one evening. He is a great ambassador for Azamara. He was able to swap days in Santorini and Mykonos, which meant we did not have to be in port with 1.000s of others (should have been eight ships in Santorini on the day we were due in).

  In Mykonos we enjoyed a day at the beach until 7:00 PM came…back on board, had a bite to eat, then went back ashore for the sunset. As you know you cannot do this when the ship sails at 5:00 PM. Please please, please keep those late/overnights in the itineraries. I know they will—it is what Azamara is all about.

  Treated ourselves to the Evening Concert in Ephesus…what a wonderful experience. There had been 16,000 people there during the day; we were just 90, so special. When we came back to the ship, Philip the hotel director was waiting to greet us and refreshments were laid out. A great touch and much appreciated.

  Thank you once again
  Michele & Michael Frosdick
  Cruise Club International
  July 2012

•  

• It’s Nice To Be Spoiled

  “The Azamara staff (Azamara Quest) has spoiled us to death.”

  Gordon and Vicki Lyons
  February 2012

•  

• Why Is The Azamara Line Such A Great Product, You Say?

  Look no further than the ship’s personnel. That is one of the main reasons why our clients come back and book on the Azamara ships—the staffing is phenomenal!

  What other line can say their crew immerse themselves with cultural information about the visiting ports-of-call? Who gives first-rate personal service 7/24? Who is there to take care of the “little things” when needed?

  Bottom line is a ship’s staff can easily make the difference in your voyage; they make it a much more pleasant and enjoyable experience!

  Betty Roth Hellstrom
  BRH Travel
  June 2012

•  

• A Well-Kept Secret

  “Where do I start? … You guys are keeping the secret about this cruise line too well. I loved everything about the Azamara Journey. The quality of the food, service and staff is above and beyond my expectations.”

  Paula Hoffman, MCC
  Wayland Travel
  Wayland, Massachusetts.
  June 2012

•  

• Six Stars For Azamara

  The service on board was superb!!!! From our cabin steward, to the waiters, bus boys, maitre'd. All were amazing, all with a friendly smile, greeting us at every chance. Truly the service was SIX Star!! In fact, I would say the service on this ship was superior to that of Regent’s (which I have been on five or six times). Well done!

  Monica S. Brown, MCC
  CRUZBUGS Travel
  Bradenton, Florida
  March 2012

•  

• Azamara Anticipates Everything!

  Little things made such a difference like the champagne upon embarkation, the cold towels, the officers waiting at the gangway and the friendly smiles by the crew. The food in the Discovery Restaurant was unbelievably delicious and the service ....the best he has experienced at sea. Unpretentious elegance all around!

  They spent a full night in Bordeaux and the photo opportunities at night were phenomenal. Staying overnight is truly heaven for a photographer. Eric de Gray was astounding! Captain Johannes is the most delightful human being he has ever met. He was amazed at the fact that they never heard a "bitch" on the entire cruise from any guest; and after 75 cruises that has never happened before. Gig has traveled to 320 countries and he was absolutely amazed at the experience. The best cruise ever taken!

  (For) Gig Gwin
  Travel Journalist
  August 2012

•  

• It Was Fabulous.

  First and foremost, I wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed our recent cruise on Quest. It was FABULOUS (even better than last year, IF that is possible). We were upgraded to a Club Ocean Suite on the front of the ship—we loved the large port-hole above the desk, and the suite was perfect for entertaining the other two couples that sailed with us.

  We also love the longer times in port—it totally differentiates Azamara Club Cruises from all the others and the service onboard was outstanding. Our butler, Melvin, was superb, as were our stateroom attendants (Richard and Russell). The Captain really went out of his way to take care of his guests, as did Philip the hotel manager. The cruise director was great…we could go on and on, but wanted to share with you our experience. We filled out the comment card but wanted you to know as well, in case you ever want “testimonials”!

  All the best,
  Cindy McCall-Talbert
  July 2012

•  

• An AzAmazing Evening!

  It was obvious a lot of thought and planning went into the event. A first class evening what will be a tough act to follow. A great success and much more than we expected. We look forward to more AzAmazing evening on our next cruises.

  Mr. C. & Mrs. D. Talbott