Old dated ship small cabins and balconies ridiculously small bathrooms
Old dated ship just finished 18 night West africa cruise from Cape town to Gran Canaria We had upgraded to a P2 balcony cabin on deck 8 but it was small and the balcony the bathrooms ridiculously small difficult to sit on toilet and shower which had curtain was ridiculously small and as a normally built person very difficult to use Staff were excellent shows poor and singers not good This was our first and last cruise on Azamara Due to size of cabin and layout I fell onto balcony resulting in 8 stitches in my right arm for which I intend to claim
C C D Brewer
Basic cruise not great
Pre cruise customer service appalling when trying to sort out points etc. I think a 5* experience is available if you throw a few more grand at the ship for excursions,taxis (lack of shuttles in some ports).Also fine dining , better rooms, nicer drinks package,spa treatments.However if you take whats included in your fare which is a lot more than many other lines, the experience is more 3* and therefore expensive. Food has really gone down hillLots of warm dishes coming out, poor entertainment including the onboard azamazing night.My view is there's a lot of cost cutting going on. The one thing which is great are the crew
Michella lyne
I have always found their cruises to be…
I have always found their cruises to be a lovely experience, but their land based customer service is absolutely appalling. They changed our cruise length without notice, offering compensation, then refused to pay out what was owed.
Coral Newman
Fantastic 3rd time and will be back
Once again the food and service were outstanding. This has been our 3rd Azamara Cruise, as a rather large family, and yet again the entire experience exceeded our expectations. We have the most fantastic time.Special mention to Esmail our cabin attendant deck 4 and Aswad at the pool. Also wanted to say the staff karaoke night was great fun - specially Whitney Houston!Unfortunatley during the cruise one of our family members had a seizure in the dining area. The staff and medical team responded immediately. The doctor and the team we can not praise enough for their quick and professional response. He had to be taken to shore to the local hospital. He has now fully recovered thankfully.Not only do we need to thank them for their professionalism but also for their kindness and help. This includes the staff and management team and even the people that were assigned to assist us on shore. This includes a thank you to Judell Mathew the port agent. The doctor that attended to him on shore at St Kitts hospital was also truly fantastic.With everyone's help and team work we managed to get him back on the ship to rest and enjoy the rest of the cruise.We can not fault anything on this cruise and would like to thank everyone for their care, kindness and professionalism. Until next time !!
Lisa
Very disappointing
I had many conversations with customer services after booking regarding my access to my online account, continuously being told it was being looked into, it was never completely sorted.The cruise is sold as a luxury experience, in my opinion this is not the case at all. The ship is old and tired, it actually looks pretty battered. The cabins are pretty dull and the bathrooms must be the smallest at sea, every time you shower the awful shower curtain wraps around you. The room hadn’t been cleaned properly either, there was some kind of soup/ stew in the fridge, shoes under the bed and previous passengers birthday card amongst the papers on the dresser. The entertainment was really poor, the worst I have experienced on any ship. The restaurant food was average, definitely not 5*.The buffet was very bland and boring. The waiting and bar staff are the only real positive. If only they were half as good as they think they are. Obviously won’t be going back.
john andrews
After sailing on more than 33 cruises…
After sailing on more than 33 cruises across 12 different cruise lines, I decided to try Azamara based on the many comments about its “pre-luxury” experience and supposedly superior service due to its boutique-style ships.However, the food did not feel pre-luxury at all. In fact, lines like Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America offer similar or even better quality—and Virgin Voyages surpasses Azamara by a wide margin in both service and dining.I sailed on the Azamara Quest from San Juan to Barbados in November 2025. In the main dining room we waited an average of 20 minutes or more every night to be seated. Several members of the restaurant staff seemed rushed, uninterested, and at times even rude.There were many small issues that added up. For example, a baked potato would arrive completely plain—no butter, no toppings. When we asked for butter, it took more than 10 minutes to arrive, by which time we had already finished most of the meal. The WiFi only worked in port; while at sea, it was either unavailable or extremely slow.What did not meet our expectations?The service, the food, the entertainmentIf what you want is a classic, intimate cruise with good food, Holland America provides a better experience for less money. And if you want excellent food, Virgin Voyages easily surpasses Azamara’s dining quality.✔️ What did we enjoy?The small size of the ship, the chance to make friends,the overall peaceful atmosphereFor what we paid, we could have almost sailed on Explora, Seabourn, or certainly Viking, all of which offer far superior service.
William Rosado
Not az-amazing for us I’m afraid!
Just back from 11 night Dalmatian and Amalfi cruise on the onward. Very disappointed with the mediocre food for a “premium” cruise company. We have had better quality and choices from the likes of Celebrity, NCL, Princess. The ship itself was comfortable with plenty of spaces to sit and enjoy a drink but it was decidedly lacking in personality. It had no “vibe” and felt pretty staid to be honest. For an immersion cruise, we felt that a little music around the deck area in the afternoon would have been nice, eg music from the region we were visiting…we had the odd 30 mins from a jazz piano player and the resident band played one lunchtime which was really good and people looked as if they were on vacation. Sadly this was the exception. The evening entertainment was slightly amateurish, we did go to a show once, but as our stateroom was above the theatre we could hear them rehearsing each night anyway. The staff were all friendly and helpful so no disappointment there, but for the very high price we paid for this, it left us wondering exactly what was it we were paying for? Certainly not the quality of food on offer..despite there being themed nights each night eg French, Italian, Indian ….the main offerings felt a bit “samey” and uninspiring. Some guests said they did enjoy the food however having sailed many times elsewhere this was not up to our expectations. The white night and Corfu immersion night was ok but again for the money we paid, not reflected in the overall experience.Desperately disappointed with our average experience and not azamazing for us I’m afraid. Would not rebook .
Highland lass
No compassion or understanding of what is important in life
We are extremely disheartened by the lack of empathy and understanding shown by Azamara Cruises in light of a deeply personal and tragic event. My wife and I had planned a five week holiday including a cruise with Azamara. Just three days before our departure, my beloved father-in-law passed away. We understood that our travel insurance wouldn't cover the delay however we made the conscious and respectful decision to postpone our trip by two weeks, simply to be able to attend his funeral. This unfortunately meant missing our scheduled flight and cruise departure dates. While our airline, accommodation and other companies responded with minimal penalties - Azamara's reaction was starkly different. Despite explaining the situation and providing a copy of the death certificate via our travel agent, we were met with rigid policies and a lack of human consideration. The first piece of feedback was 'that's what travel insurance is for'. Subsequently the only offer is a credit of $5,169 toward a future cruise, valid for 12 months - whilst keeping the balance of the $12,258 we had already paid. No full credit, no refund, no re-schedule, and no empathy. It was in this moment we realised, some companies simply do not care about their customers beyond the transaction. To be treated with such indifference during an already painful time is both a shocking and disappointing. For this reason, we cannot in good conscience recommend Azamara Cruises to anyone. When choosing a company for your holidays, particularly something as personal and expensive as a cruise, compassion and flexibility should matter. Unfortunately Azamara failed on both counts.
Gerald O'Sullivan
they did not give six free nights his promised.
I usually love the peace I have . however, apparently I had six free nights when I hit a certain level and absolutely nobody told me this not by phone call not by email not by mail and when I just contacted them, they said oh it expired in December 20 24. You’re out of luck all those thousands of dollars I spent all those years. Nobody contacted me about six free nights. I can’t believe this.
Gary Carr
Cabin was exceeding poor
Cabin was like a ferry boat. Tiny nit enough space for 2. The furniture was old and tatty. Balcony was small with massive table and 2 small metal chairs. Glad it was only a week. A sofa was only suitable for one. The wash area was grim very old stained basin, 2 people would not be able to stand in it. Brown, grey and beige. So awful that we are cancelling a second cruise that was booked months ago. The rest of the cruise was okay. Azamara 2018 was superior. Dining room cutlery worn cheap and not restaurant standard.
Gloria Mary Hudson
Since the capital fund took over the…
Since the capital fund took over the cruise, they started to cut the cost, taking out the signature small things out of the offering and benefit, that means a lot to the loyal customers, this will lead Azamara lose edge and customer for the long run. The onshore special evening event, from opera to music, beautiful and magic moments mean a lot to many, all gone. The special welcome and the in-room small things all slowly changed, the capital fund has no clue how to run cruise and build loyalty, what they are doing seems short term benefit for the immediate profit will lead Azamara lose the competitiveness and loyal customers.
Jais Valeur
Customer service is a joke.
Customer service is a joke.My mom called Nikki to book two rooms for out family. Nikki said she would hold the rooms and call the next day at 10am to confirm the flights. She never called back. By the time we figured out that she wasn't going to call, we called back only to find that she never held the rooms and the sailing was now sold out.This is completely irresponsible and has completely ruined our trip.
Dennis
Don't hesitate.. book Azamara
Another great cruise. 2nd one. Nothing can beat Azamara for us—staff is always friendly and relaxed. Great service, no queues or waiting. No surprising bill at the end. The food is magnificent, and the stops were just as azamazing—each one better than the last. Big shout-out to Edward the waiter and our stateroom attendant, Leo. Thanks, man! DJ Tavo… arriba arriba! But most of all, East Pearl—the best cruise ship party band. They’ll get you of your chair!! Thx for enjoying us on our Journey... looking forward to the next one
Gino Braet
Worst Wi-Fi at Sea
Worst Wi-Fi at Sea – My Experience with AzamaraAzamara ships do have a lot going for them: excellent food, beautiful ports, and generally decent customer service. However, during my cruise from March 14 to April 2, 2025, from Singapore to Leam Cabang, Tailand there was one huge disappointment: the worst internet connection I’ve ever encountered on a ship.The trouble started right from the login process. The login page led nowhere, and when I approached the reception for help, they only managed to resolve it the following day – after some confusion. The basic Wi-Fi package cost a whopping 680 euros, yet the connection was so poor that video calls were impossible. Messages often arrived late or not at all, and uploading or downloading files was a real struggle.Hoping for faster speeds, I paid an additional 180 euros for the “fastest” internet package available. Unfortunately, it was set up incorrectly at the reception, causing overlaps with my old package. The result: even more connectivity issues and a week of back-and-forth until finally someone was brought in who identified the problem. It turned out the upgrade was never properly activated, and both plans were running simultaneously. Only after resetting my account did the internet become somewhat usable.I reported these problems to customer service multiple times, but they showed little interest in actually fixing them. Instead of practical solutions, they offered excuses like “The internet at sea can be slow,” “China blocks this and that,” etc. It felt like they were just trying to brush me off. This was especially disappointing, considering Azamara usually delivers good service.Compared to other cruise lines, however, Azamara’s Wi-Fi clearly falls short – both in terms of speed and its complicated setup and the service It’s a real shame, given that the rest of the trip was great. Thankfully, there are plenty of other cruise companies to choose from.Finally, it’s worth emphasizing that the reception staff were not only unhelpful but also astonishingly incompetent and simply not open to take the problems serious – a true low point of an otherwise decent cruise.
Alexander Kaub
Fantastic customer service,,,very…
Fantastic customer service,,,very helpful and very knowledgeable.Thank you Sara and Becky for your help.You are great.
Margaret
Good cruise - terrible accommodation
We were allocated an “ocean view” stateroom with an unobstructed view of a lifeboat. It had no seating area and barely enough space to move on either side of the bed. It bore very little resemblance to the stateroom illustrated on the Azamara website. My wife and I could not face spending 8 nights in this tiny, claustrophobic space and we managed to get upgraded - but at a cost. My beef is that neither the company nor the travel agent gave us any advance warning. We are experienced cruisers, including 2 with Azamara, and have been big fans. This was a major letdown. I’ve been in lengthy correspondence with the company and they certainly put considerable effort in defending their position. But, it still leaves a sour taste. It’s only fair to add that in other respects, the cruise was very good and met our expectations. Will we cruise Azamara again? Not sure…..
David Holden
Excellent cruise, fantastic Safari guides Richards Bay
A good well run ship, with excellent staff. The ship may be a little dated, but it makes up for it in other ways.An excellent choice of restaurants and good ports for excursions on the intensive South Africa cruise.Excursions booked with private companies are far superior in quality and avoid the big bus group mentality.We were fortunate enough to use Trevor and Andrea from Cybele Eco Tours. Their 35 years African guiding specialist experience is invaluable.We would highly recommend this husband and wife team who only offer tours out of Richards Bay and Durban for a max of 6 guests.
Cybele Lodge
Azamara Journey Boston to Montreal…
Azamara Journey Boston to Montreal October 2024Pre-departure admin - awful. Booked through SixStarCruises who made valiant attempts to get the correct amount of OBC showing on our account. Still not sorted on 3rd day of cruise but corrected later that day to the real amount which was double what Azamara originally credited, got $50 extra as compensation. Pre-departure service to travel agents and guests awful since private equity purchaseCheck-in procedure awful, clerk messed up photos, my wife looked like my identical twin brother (which I don’t have, it was my photo and I had hers!) visit 1 to guest services did not solve the problem, asked to visit guest services again but they confirmed we had already done so. Requested to visit guest services again as it was still incorrect, 3rd visit they came to us and it was then sorted. Docking at Eastport, speed too fast hit dockside damaged port bow. Next port of call cancelled as we had to move to cargo quay for repairs, plate welded to front bow, $75 pp compensation. Service good as ever, food quality good as ever but menu choices more limited than in the past. Slight drop in quality of some items, particularly gelgato( not as creamy as european gelato!)Normally take 2 or 3 excursions but not this time, way too expensive 50%-100% more expensive than other cruise lines’ similar excursions. Examples based on Princess within last 12 months Alaska day trip $150 pp, extended final day tour to SFO airport $160pp, 2/3 hour walking tour $60. Azamara—Quebec day trip $240pp , extended final day tour Montreal airport $330pp, 2/3 hour walking tour $90pp.Nice atmosphere on board small ship, with corresponding small rooms, small bathrooms & small balconies. Azamara is starting to price itself too high for what you get. We are now willing to pay more for a much better experience on other cruise lines. Last year £200pppn suite in Europe, this year £308pppn verandah.
Sg Wainwright
BEWARE AZAMARA. BE VERY VERY CAREFUL
Booked aN Azamara cruise eight months before travel. Seemed like a decent deal. Ten weeks before travel they dropped the price by a several thousand pounds. When asked if they would offer the reduced rate, we were summarily told 'no'. Cancel your booking, lose your rather large deposit and then rebook.Customer Service zero out of ten.Integrity zero out of ten. My advice, which in hindsight i wish had followed,is book a reputable cruise line. Beware
Martine Simms
I have done two cruises on Azamara…
I have done two cruises on Azamara Pursuit. Lisbon to Rio and Canaries to Cape Town. Great itineraries. Small ship, good food, happy staff, relaxed atmosphere.I like the included drinks and gratuities. Onboard credit covered the excursions I wanted to do.I have travelling with five cruise companies. Azamara the best
Michael
