Azamara Cruise Line
Azamara Quest Cruise Review
By: Tom Ogg
Part One - The
Ship --
Part Two - The Cruise
The Azamra Quest and
Norwegian Gem Docked in Valletta, Malta
The Ship
The Quest was formerly the R-7, which was operated by
Renaissance Cruise Lines that folded right after 9/11.
Pullmantur in Spain acquired this ship and one other of the
Renaissance ships (the R-5) and after Royal Caribbean
International acquired Pullmantur, it transferred both ships
to Celebrity Cruise Lines, which in turn created a new
brand, Azamara Cruises with the two ships. I had cruised
both the R-7 and the R-5 with Renaissance and was anxious to
see what changes had been made to the ships and the on-board
product itself. I had a small group of travel agents with me
doing a unique itinerary and everyone loved the ship, the
dining and the itinerary. Here are the details
The cabin
Our group was all on the sixth deck mid-ship in the
obstructed view cabins that are laid out length wise rather
than the normal deep cabins. The first thing that struck me
when I entered the cabin was the generous use of wood and
mirrors. My cabin (6032) had an obstructed ocean view from
its picture window with a black out drape that was very
effective at keeping the light out. My cabin featured a king
sized bed that was very comfortable and enough room to get
all around the bed. A very generous vanity area with 2
110-volt outlets provided a great place for my computer and
printer with tons of space to spare. There is a flat screen
television with several first run movies running
concurrently along with several channels of programming
(including CNN). There is a very generous closet area
consisting of two full-length hanging closets and an
additional ½ length closet with 4 drawers below. The vanity
offers more drawers and other storage areas. A small
refrigerator was underneath the television that offered
several cocktails, wine and soft drinks (for a fee of
course) that could also be used to store any wine you were
able to bring on board.
There is a safe as well hidden on one of the storage areas
below the TV. Everything is a rich teak that gives the
cabin lots of charm unlike many ships that are using plastic
for everything. Next to each side of the bed is a
nightstand again with more drawers for storage and a mini
sofa resides in the sitting area of the cabin. All in all,
there is just enough square footage over the traditional
cabin to give you the feel of spaciousness and a quality
higher than cabins of other cruise lines in the same price
range.
The bathroom is very typical of cruise ships in its size
(compact) only the use of porcelain instead of plastic gives
the bathroom a feeling of quality. There is a hair dryer
and ample storage space for toiletries. The towels are huge
and luxurious to say the least.
A Tour of the Ship
The Quest is a smaller ship at only 30,277 gross tons and a
guest capacity of only 716 lucky adults. The ship is
primarily non-smoking with the exception of the starboard
side of the forward area on the pool deck and the port side
of the Looking Glass Lounge. The first thing one notices is
the “homey” feeling about her. Upon entering the Quest’s
main lobby you notice that the chairs are full sized living
room chairs that can be moved wherever you want them. The
carpets are a fine simulation of India Rugs laid into of
beautiful carpet with lots of colors. There is an abundance
of teak paneling with gold inlaid designs. The ceilings
make excellent use of cornices, textures, crown molding and
various skylight reliefs so that the overall feeling is one
of luxury not usually found on most premium cruise ships.
Fortunately, this theme permeates the Quest with lots of
nooks and crannies and an abundance of places to meet in
large and small groups with many intimate venues to escape
the crowd. The Quest’s space ratio of a very generous 42.2
is quite evident, as you explore the ship. The ship is well
suited for her passenger demographics and repeat adult
cruisers that enjoy sophisticated elegance in a casual
atmosphere will not be disappointed.
The Restaurants
The Quest has an open dining policy so that you may eat when
you desire and with whom you desire. Some of the
restaurants require reservations while others you may simply
show up and be seated. This is a great feature of Azamara
as everyone can have the exact dining experience they are
looking for. We chose to dine individually, but a group of
6 or 8 of us dined together frequently and were able to
obtain group seating throughout the cruise for our group and
enjoyed excellent dining.
Discoveries Dining Room (Deck 5, Aft)
This is the main restaurant on the ship and does not require
advance reservations. You may simply decide when you would
like to dine and head for the restaurant to be seated. The
restaurant is elegant and offers many ocean view tables. We
experienced extremely good service and the food was
excellent. Trying to please well-traveled travel agents is
no small task, but our group was thrilled with the
Discoveries Dining Room. There were always several entrees
to select from including fish every night. During the last
meal we took at the restaurant we selected an entrée that no
one had chosen and passed it around the table. On this
evening all of the selections were excellent. Many in our
group preferred the Discoveries Ding Room out of all the
restaurants on the Quest. Also Discoveries Dining Room is
open for breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner.
Aqualina Restaurant, (Deck 10, Aft)
The Aqualina Restaurant requires advance reservations (while
reservations are required, at the alternative restaurants
there is currently no additional gratuity suggested as with
other cruise line’s alternative dinning which makes the
experience that much more enjoyable) I thoroughly enjoyed
the Aqualina Restaurant and I stuck with Lobster, a seafood
appetizer and salad and was never disappointed. One of the
nice things about the various restaurants is that if you
ordered a bottle of wine in Aqualina restaurant and did not
finish it you could arrange to have the wine follow you to
the next restaurant. The aqualina Restaurant’s menu
consisted of fish, shellfish (including lobster) veal and
other meats, pasta and salads. I like the Aqualina
Restaurant even more than Prime C.
The Prime C Restaurant (Deck 10 Aft)
The Prime C Restaurant offers steaks, chops and fish in an
elegant setting. I stuck with the fish that was
consistently wonderful (how can you miss in the
Mediterranean?) Overall, I enjoyed the Prime C Restaurant
the almost as much as Aqualina, as it was intimate and the
service was excellent.
The Windows Café and Breeza (Deck 9, Aft)
This is the ship’s buffet restaurant that is open for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. I found ample fruit, yogurt,
cheese and other healthy choices were consistently available
for breakfast. The ship offered pineapple, cantaloupe,
grapefruit, bananas, citrus, apples and berries every
morning.
The Windows Cafe Buffet
In addition to the buffet, an egg specialty station was
available for anyone wanting eggs to order, omelets or other
egg dishes. There was also a waffle station that would make
waffles any way that you wanted. My favorite was the
smoothie station, where smoothies and fruit / vegetable
drinks were made to order. It was wonderful! Lunch always
offered several choices of salads, entrees (including fish
daily) and vegetables (excellent) There was always a pasta
station and a salad bar too. Many folks liked the sandwich
bar for lunch, as they would make sandwiches and wraps to
order. Pizza was also available for lunch.
Windows Breeza
Entertainment
Windows Breeza was open in the evening and if truth were
told, I would have dined there every night of the cruise.
First of all, there was a dinner buffet set up that mirrored
the menu in the main dining room. But, on top of that, there
was sushi (excellent, and I am a connoisseur of sushi) but
for me,
Windows Breeza Stir Fry
I loved the stir fry station. When I say stir fry, I mean
shrimp, scallops, fish, (and all the regular stir fry meats)
and a wide variety of vegetable (including pea pods, bok
choy and water chestnuts) I thought that I had died and gone
to0 heaven. Each dish was cooked to perfection and one had
their choice of sauces to suit their taste. I would give
Azamara the highest ratings for this station. If I had to
choose between Nobu on the Crystal Serenity or the stir fry
station on the Azamara Quest, I would choose the stir fry
station every time. It was that good.
Windows Cafe Ice Cream
The There are two coffee and juice stations that are open
all hours as well in the Windows Cafe. Both coffee stations
also offered a complimentary latte / cappuccino machine, as
well for those that like stronger coffee. All in all, the
Windows Café / Breeza experience wqas downright excellent,
or even better than that.
The Pool Grill (Deck 9, Poolside)
This is the poolside lunch venue that offers excellent
hamburgers, ribs, grilled vegetables, hot dogs, tacos,
French fries and several other grilled choices that change
daily. The quality of these items is one step above most
other cruise lines and they also offer a full salad bar, as
well. I saw teriyaki beef sticks, Lamb skewers, pork chops
among the offerings on selected days. The Pool Grill is open
all afternoon until late in the day, so there is always
something to eat.
The Entertainment Venues and Lounges
The Western Mediterranean Itinerary is very rich in daytime
activities and many folks couldn’t manage to stay up for the
entertainment after a full day of touring, shopping, hitting
the beach or whatever they did. Generally there was a show
after every dinner in the Cabaret Lounge and other choices
such as a piano bar and a dancing venue. It was hard to
find anyone up and around much after 11 pm. Over all the
entertainment was very good.
The Cabaret Lounge (Deck 5, Forward)
This is the main showroom and entertainment venue on the
Quest. Shows mainly consist of song and dance productions
(excellent) and magic acts, singers and such. The Cabaret
Lounge is a quality showroom and offers folks that “up close
and personal” experience with the entertainers. There are
tables right up next to the stage for those that want to
almost be part of the show.
The Cabaret Entrance
The room is terraced so that all seats have a view. The
thing I liked most about the Cabaret Lounge is that the
chairs are “living room” type chairs that can be arranged to
suit anyone’s needs and desires, as they are not bolted to
the floor. The showroom offers excellent acoustics and the
central stage can be seen from all position in the lounge.
The Looking Glass Lounge: (Deck 10, Forward)
This is the primary dancing and meeting place venue. The
Looking Glass Lounge is broken into several different areas
that can be isolated from the others. Forward in the bar is
a floor to ceiling full-length picture window that extends
from one side of the ship to the other. It is an excellent
place to witness the arrival or departure of the Quest into
or out of ports. It is also an excellent place to spend
quiet moments just taking in the beauty of the Mediterranean
Sea.
The Looking Glass Lounge
Entertainment
In the early evening and then later into the night the
Looking Glass Lunge offers dancing and other types of
entertainment (trivia, karaoke and such). The Looking Glass
Bar is the bar that serves the lounge and the staff is very
friendly and accommodating.
The Mosaic Cafe (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
The Mosaic Café wore a number of hats. In the morning and
early afternoon, it was the scene for specialty coffee
drinks and pastries. Starting at 5 pm wine and tapas were
available and after dinner, there was a very talented
harpist playing soft listening music and on some evenings,
the ship’s trio would play here, as well. There were also
some trivia games that took place in the Mosaic Café. While
an interesting venue, the constant traffic of people moving
through the ship and the shops made it a less attractive
venue.
The Casino Bar (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
Azamara has lengthened the casino by installing more slots
where the piano bar used to be. With the elimination of the
Casino piano lounge and the increase in slot machines, the
casino bar has taken on a whole new identity. There are
several stools that you can use to order drinks, but the bar
sits directly in the center of the casino and most folks
simply use it to obtain a drink while they are playing.
Folks enjoying the music in the Mosaic Cafe are also served
from this bar, as well. In addition to the stools, there is
always at least one full time waitress serving drinks in the
Mosaic Cafe and Casino. There is also a wonderful lounge
area around a fireplace where total comfort is available to
enjoy a cocktail in an intimate setting.
The Pool Bar Sitting Area (Deck 9, Poolside)
The Pool Bar was kept busy most of the time, as we were
enjoying such wonderful weather. One never had to wait long
to order a cocktail, but the service was completely
non-invasive. The waiters were there when you wanted them,
but never were pushing drinks at any time.
The Discoveries Lounge (Deck 5 Aft)
The Discoveries Lounge is the bar that resides right outside
of the Discoveries Restaurant ad is a wonderful place to
meet people for a cocktail before going in for dinner. I
loved to sit at the bar on one of the barstools and when
enough people showed for dinner, then move to one of the
tables. Great service every time and a wonderful atmosphere.
The Prime C Bar (Deck 10 Aft)
The Prime C Bar sits right outside the entrance to the Prime
C Restaurant and is a perfect place to meet for cocktails
and conversation prior to dining in the Prime C or Aqualina
Restaurants. It is decorated so that it feels like a homey
environment where you can simply relax in absolute comfort.
I liked the Prime C Bar on the Quest the best of all the
lounges on the ship and found myself there just relaxing on
several occasions. I should mention that the house wine
poured in the Prime C Bar is Kendall Jackson Reserve, which
I dearly love.
Other Public Areas
The Drawing Room (Deck 10, Aft)
WOW! The Drawing Room is without a question one of the best
libraries that exists on any cruise ship at sea. Its lavish
use of textures, ceiling reliefs, dark hardwood bookshelves,
sofas and overstuffed chairs give the Drawing Room a feeling
of richness and lavish comfort. Best of all, the Drawing
Room is open 24 hours a day and the books are taken and
returned on the honor system.
The Drawing Room Ceiling
Besides being absolutely beautiful, the Drawing Room is
large and functional as well. The books are categorized by
book type (just like a large library) and it is quite easy
to find books to read if you know what you are looking for.
The eConnections Internet Café (Deck 9, Forward)
The Quest offers a full service Internet café consisting of
several fully automated workstations. The connection speed
is fast. In fact, t was the fastest that I have ever
experienced on any ship. There is also wi-fi everywhere on
the ship (including your cabin) and there are several
prepaid packages that brings the cost of access down to $.38
per minute, which is quite reasonable considering the speed.
I would suggest that you take your notebook computer,
download your email, work offline and then log back on when
you want to send everything. I did this and I could barely
use up my prepaid package.
The Fitness Center (Deck 9, Forward)
As you may have guessed by now I am into health and
fitness. While most ships allocate enough space for a
reasonable fitness center they usually just don't equip it
right to obtain a reasonable workout. The Quest has done an
excellent job of designing and equipping their fitness
centers. They are broken into four distinct areas,
The Aerobics Room
First, the aerobics area is large enough so that folks can
spread out during their aerobics classes, the Quest offers
quite a number of cardiovascular machines and a nice variety
as well. There are tread mills, a Stair Master machine,
bikes and ski machines. I never saw all of the machines in
use, so there was no waiting for anyone to complete their
workout before starting. The weight machine area offers just
the right Cybex machines to stay toned. There is a chest
press, a back/chest butterfly, lat pull down, triceps push
down, preacher's bench biceps curl, leg lift, leg curl and a
crunch machine. The dumbbell section offers dumbbells to
50# (not the usual 30# cutoff) and two separate weight
benches.
The Astral Spa Entrance
The Astral Spa (Connected to the Fitness Center) offers a
steam room and two superb showers that are free to use after
your work out. Taking a nice long steam bath followed by a
hot shower is just an excellent way to end a work out. The
Spa also offers full Steiner services. Best of all, there is
a Thalasotheropy Pool forward of the fitness center that has
a rack and several jets to enjoy.
The Astral Spa Salon
There is also
a complete salon available for men and women's haircuts and
other services
The Pool Area (Deck 9, Mid Ship)
Aaahhhh, the Azamara Quest pool area. There were no kids on
this cruise, it was adults only, no splashing, yelling,
running, falling, crying, "Marco Polo", none of that.
The Azamara Quest's Lounge
Chairs
The Quest’s pool area is exactly as it should be for
adults. There are two Jacuzzis that are never crowded and a
swimming pool that is kept at around 70 degrees, so that it
is always comfortable.
Pool Lounge Chairs for Two
Around the pool area are covered lounge chairs and lounge
chairs for two. There is a pool bar close by with tables to
sit at and there is also pool service by the waiters who are
non-invasive.
The Pool Towels
It is a wonderful experience for adults and in my opinion
one of Azamara’s best features.
The Self Laundry (Deck 7, Mid Ship, Port Side)
Thanks again Azamara. The Quest offers a complete
self-service laundry facility for those that did not pack
enough and there are two ironing boards with irons to
boot.
The Casino (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
The Azamara Quest extended the casino and added more slot
machines into one large area and it serves the casino
atmosphere much better. Now the casino seems like a casino
and everyone seemed to be using it often. They offer a good
number of digital slot machines that many on the ship
thoroughly enjoyed. The casino had slot tournaments, Texas
Hold ‘em tournaments and other events going on all the time.
The Shops (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
The Quest has a couple of excellent shops. One sells
primarily Azamara signature items (hats, coffee mugs, wind
breakers, sweat shirts and so on) plus sundry items one
needs when one runs out of (or forgets to pack) them. The
other shop sells fine items of jewelry, perfumes, watches,
and so on. They are spacious enough so that you do not get
that cramped feeling you do on some ships that simply
overstock their limited space.
The Registration Area (Deck 4, Mid Ship)
The registration desk on the Quest is open 24 hours a day
and offers many services. The registration desk staff were
friendly and solution oriented and it was a pleasure to
interact with them.
The Shore Excursion Desk (Deck 4, Mid Ship)
The Shore Excursion staff members were just as friendly and
effective as the registration desk staff. One thing that
Azamara did that was notable is that they spoke freely about
your options if you wanted to explore on your own. Each port
saw someone from the local tourist office on board with maps
and detailed information about how to get around on your
own. This is so refreshing, since many cruise lines try to
pummel their passengers into purchasing shore excursions
form the ship. The open and honest discussions were
appreciated by everyone and I suspect that more shore
excursions were purchased as a result of it, rather than
less.
The Art Auctioneer (Deck 5, Aft)
The Art Auctioneer on the Quest seemed preoccupied by
something, as I never saw him smile or engage anyone. Maybe
it was just me.
Continue on to Part Two
The Cruise
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