Spain intensive. Barcelona to Lisbon.

First time on Azamara. Older demographic like Viking. Likes (many) - 2 person dining tables available; room service with full menu from breakfast to 10pm; no lines or wait for elevator; never felt crowded; wine, beer, some mixed drinks included and available anytime (not just with meals); service & staff excellent; boarding fast and easy, multiple dining options including chefs table and specialty restaurants; overall food was really good with nice variety; the ports of call (Valencia, Cartagena, Malaga, Gibraltar, Seville) were great including the overnight in Seville; sailing up the river to heart of Seville; ending in Lisbon to spend extra days. The white night was really nice, staff did excellent job. The cabins are on small side but manageable. Used onboard credits for laundry service, speciality dining and excursions. Booked most excursions with outside third party since we were so close to town in the ports. Things to improve for future - better website, had to call to book the one excursion we used Azamara; ability to book speciality dining through web before cruise (had to stand in line right after boarding). Overall would recommend Azamara and look forward to more country intensive cruises in the future.

Back-to-Back on Pursuit – 2nd to 17th October

Pre-Cruise We planned to fly to Athens on 1st October and spend the night in Piraeus. However, on 29th September, I received a notification from Welcome Pickups advising that my car transfer had been cancelled and that a refund would be issued within 30 minutes — which it was. Shortly afterwards, I discovered that a 24-hour national strike was planned for 1st October. Our hotel also emailed to warn that flights were likely to be affected. My first call was to Azamara around 15:30 on the 29th. The call was answered within two minutes, and the representative advised that my first point of contact should be my travel agent. After spending 35 minutes on hold, I was told there was nothing they could do — end of story. They are no longer my travel agent. The following morning, I phoned Azamara again. The call was answered immediately, and the representative explained that the team had been briefed that morning about the strike. My main concern was simple: if my flight was cancelled, I would make my own way to Athens the following day — but I had no intention of chasing the ship. I planned to fly to Athens and then onto Crete, ahead of Pursuit’s arrival. The team member advised me to keep them updated on developments and assured me that they would make arrangements for me to join the ship later if necessary. They were both sympathetic and helpful throughout. A few hours later, I learned that the Greek government had obtained a court order preventing air traffic controllers from joining the strike, so flights would operate as scheduled. I also found alternative ground transport via Connecto, who were excellent and unaffected by the strike. I was so impressed with Azamara’s support that I phoned them again out of courtesy to let them know (for the benefit of other passengers) that flights were not being cancelled. I’ve read a lot of negative comments about the Azamara call centre, but in my experience, they were exemplary — especially given that the situation was beyond their control. Boarding We arrived at Piraeus docks at 11:30, and within ten minutes we were on board. Check-in took place in the Cabaret Lounge and was completed within five minutes. Another five minutes later, we had our Prime C and Aqualina reservations confirmed. It was our best boarding experience ever. On Board Both of our sailings were full, as was the previous cruise. We learned that the earlier voyage had 84% first-time Azamara cruisers, our first leg had 80%, and our second leg had 64%. Whatever Azamara’s marketing and sales teams are doing, it’s clearly working. We asked many passengers, “Why Azamara?” and received a variety of answers. Some first-time cruisers had been told that Azamara was a good fit for them. Others were moving up from Princess or Celebrity in search of a more upmarket experience — similar to our own first move to Azamara many years ago. Several guests had switched from Oceania, citing a lack of atmosphere, while others had moved from Silversea or Regent, saying those lines were now pricing themselves out of the market. The crew, as always, were excellent. We did lose Captain Carl after seven days, as he was heading home for knee surgery. He was replaced by Captain Mikael Palmroos. Both AzAmazing Evenings were held on board, and Eric updated the audience on the new procedures moving forward. Food and Beverage The food in the Main Dining Room was excellent overall. There were subtle changes to the menus, all well executed. On one occasion, my companion had the New York strip steak from the “always available” menu, which was tough. I had the Filet Mignon the same evening, it was perfectly cooked and melt-in-the-mouth. Patio Grill: Always busy. We dined there once — decent food that does exactly what it says on the tin. Windows Café: Breakfast remains largely unchanged — eggs are still eggs! The overall choice was plentiful and varied. At lunch, we usually opted for salads, and all the dressings were available as usual. Prime C Unchanged and as excellent as ever — service exemplary. Aqualina: The new menu items are welcome additions, especially the return of Dover Sole. The meal we enjoyed at the Top Cruisers’ Dinner was, quite simply, the best meal I’ve ever had on a cruise, with outstanding wine pairings. White Night: Lobsters are back — and in abundance! Seconds and thirds were readily available, and the quality was superb: cold-water lobsters, beautifully cooked and not dried out. Mosaic Café: We both felt the coffee was noticeably better than on previous Azamara cruises, possibly due to a better machine or higher water pressure. However, one small cost-cutting measure stood out — no more biscotti on the saucer. They are, however, still available from the cookie selection. Bars: They were always well-staffed, although when any bar was busy, floor staff were hard to find. Moet had replaced Piper, Warsteiner is a fabulous complementary lager, and despite having the Ultimate package, I invariably chose the Warsteiner. It always worries me when I see Heineken onboard (It is the house draft) because that means there is always a risk Royal Club tonic could reappear. Schweppes tonic was always available, as was Fever Tree if you asked for it. For convenience, in Windows at lunch time, we drank some of the house wines, and they were okay, nothing special, but not unpalatable. The big plus point of week two was the addition of Goldeneye Pinot Noir to the Ultimate Package, definitely worth upgrading for. Entertainment Eric runs his entertainment team with a proven formula. There was a definite sense of déjà vu, but it works — and the guests clearly enjoyed it. Condition of the Ship Overall, the ship was in very good condition. We spoke with several passengers who had sailed on all four Azamara ships within the past year, and they all agreed that Pursuit is currently the best-maintained. We’ve sailed on all except Quest in the past 12 months and would agree. Future Plans - We made two more bookings while on board. Summary Excellent pre-cruise support from the Azamara shore team, smooth embarkation, and a first-class 15-night experience on board Pursuit.

Azamara excellent cruise for couples.

We just finished our Azamara cruise in the Mediterranean on the Azamara Pursuit. Overall an excellent cruise food was excellent we only had one meal we didn't really like in Aquilina restaurant. Activities onboard were just enough to keep you busy. The port time was long which allowed us to go on several excursions and go ashore and do our own thing. The cabin was clean and people and staff were very friendly. It was that good we booked our next one the following year. The disembarkation and embarkation went smoothly for the most part the only complaint was the location of the ship in Venice Italy. It could be better explained how to get to the ship on your own rather than catching the bus from the terminal which was later than we wanted. White night and the Azamara night in Koper was the highlight of the trip, the fitness center had up to date equipment and well maintained. We usually travel to Sandals resorts in the winter and have become tired of chasing the chairs in the morning and to our pleasant surprise we didn't have to do it here. All round excellent trip and Azamara went beyond what we expected. Thanks