Earlier this week, I disembarked from my first cruise that I’ve ever taken with Azamara. The cruise line invited me on a shakedown cruise right before the maiden voyage of their newest ship, Azamara Onward. While onboard, here are the seven reasons I discovered why you might want to take a cruise with this premium and destination focused cruise line.
Time in Port – Azamara’s cruise ships spend more time in port than any other cruise line. This is one thing that I loved on my cruise. I love to explore and visit new places without being in a rush to make it back before the ship leaves.
The extra time in port allows you to properly explore ports and to enjoy a meal at a local restaurant or cafe. On the maiden voyage that is taking place right now on Azamara Onward, the ship is visiting seven ports. The ship is in port at least 12 hours in all of the stops except for one. Most of the port visits are 14-16 hours with one overnight stay.
If you are taking a cruise to Europe, you’ll appreciate the extra time in port visiting the picturesque and charming towns and villages around the Mediterranean.
Itineraries – Azamara has some incredible itineraries including country intensive voyages that offer late night or overnight visits in most ports. Countries where these cruises are offered include Italy, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, and the Canary Islands.
Cinque Terre, Italy as seen on our cruise with @azamara. pic.twitter.com/AA4abizEiu
— Cruise Fever (@CruiseFever) May 4, 2022
Small Ships – Azamara’s four cruise ships are just over 30,000 gross tons in size. Because of this, they are able to visit many ports that large ships are unable to visit. They are also usually able to get better dock space or tender location because of their small size.
The smaller ships also create a more intimate and personal cruise experience that you can’t get on the newer larger ships.
Staff/Crew – The staff on Azamara Onward were a highlight of my cruise. I’ve taken over 60 cruises and I thought the service was one of the best I’ve ever had on a ship. From the main dining room to my room steward, they really know how to take care of guests and make you feel special.
Food – I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll say it again, food is very subjective. However, I loved the food on Azamara Onward. I ate in Discoveries Restaurant (main dining room), Windows Cafe (buffet), The Patio (pool deck grill), and Aqualina (specialty Italian restaurant). Everything was excellent and I would definitely recommend dining in Aqualina at least one night of your cruise.
AzAmazing Evenings – While we didn’t have an AzAmazing Evening on our cruise since it was a preview/shakedown cruise, the cruise line did give us a sample of one the morning of our visit to Portoverene, Italy.
The cruise line’s AzAmazing Evenings delivers authentic travel moments that bring you closer to your destination, its culture and its people. Azamara bills themselves as a leader in Destination Immersion and this is just one of the ways that they do that.
This is included with all cruise fares.
White Night Party – The White Night Party took place on the pool deck the night we were in Monte Carlo. It ended up being the most fun night of the cruise. As you can see in the photos below, white is the theme of the night and the cruise line has a huge buffet right on the pool deck.
The White Night Party on @Azamara Onward. pic.twitter.com/x143CDaIAm
— Cruise Fever (@CruiseFever) May 1, 2022
They also had live music as you enjoyed drinks and dinner. I had no idea that Azamara did this until I was on my cruise and I loved every minute of it.
The following is included in all cruise fares with Azamara:
- Complimentary AzAmazing Evenings event or onboard Destination Celebration (on most cruises)
- Gratuities
- Select standard spirits, international beers and wines
- Bottled water, soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas
- Self-service laundry
- Concierge services for personal guidance and reservations
If you are interested in taking a cruise on Azamara, you can check prices here.
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