Azamara Review: Discovering why LGBT travelers love this cruise line
Part 1 of a three-part series of Azamara reviews: the Azamara Journey
experience.
Azamara Club Cruises has won the CRUIZIE© Award for Best Small Ship three years in a row, so we were keen to join the many MeetMeOnBoard cruisers who are experienced Azamara fans. Since we’d previously only cruised many large(r) ships and a riverboat, sampling the trend of smaller, upscale cruising needed to happen.
From the moment we stepped aboard Azamara Club Cruises Journey for our 11-day Venice to Istanbul voyage, we sensed that we were embarking on much more than just another cruise.*
Departing from the small San Basilio Terminal we were able to cruise directly by St. Mark’s Square. Photo: Mark den Hartog
The differences started the moment we arrived for boarding.
Gone were the crowds, the noise, and the hustle and bustle that can be a part of the boarding process. Journey’s staff greeted us warmly with a genuine “welcome on board” as they offered perfectly chilled champagne.
Azamara’s ships carry just 686 passengers, and this immediately facilitated one of our favorite shipboard activities— meeting other travelers . Although we both have our fair share of gay wit and joie de vivre , we can hardly take full credit for the sense of openness and camaraderie among the Azamara passengers. We shared the ship with a collection of interesting fellow travelers—gay and straight—and it was natural and easy to engage over coffee in the morning or cocktails in the evening.
We sensed that everyone—passengers and crew— was at ease with us as an out gay couple.
On large ship cruises, we often find the staff interaction with guests is polite but curt. In contrast, many Azamara staff members, from the top down, took the time to learn passengers’ names. Several staff members responded to Mark’s charm—or perhaps the frequency with which he visited the bar! When Mark would arrive at the pool area, the bar staff immediately poured his favorite wine ( many wines, beers, and spirits are included in the cruise price ) without him needing to place an order. They greeted Mark as “Mr. Phoenix” throughout the week in honor of our home city.
Service was always greeted with a genuine smile on Azamara Journey. Photo: Mark den Hartog
Anticipating passengers’ wants and minimizing waiting seemed to be a hallmark and habit of Azamara staff. When waiting was required we were always well cared for. We moved easily through the buffet, the elevators, and departures for shore excursions as well as re-boarding the ship. Typical cruise bottlenecks and crowds simply didn’t exist.
Fun on shore, fun on board: more differences.
Azamara is enhancing its reputation by emphasizing overnights and longer stays in ports. We thoroughly enjoyed this concept. Overnights in Dubrovnik and Istanbul allowed us to explore these cities, experiencing the depth and richness of their cultures. In Mykonos, we enjoyed a wonderful Greek dinner ashore in “Little Italy,” the place in town to enjoy the sunset, followed by an evening stroll before heading back to the ship for the 11:00 pm departure. The late stays enabled us to linger in these magical places.
Due to the longer stays offered by Azamara, we were able to enjoy the local cuisine while watching the sunset in the Little Italy section of Mykonos town. Photo: Mark den Hartog
We also appreciated the attention Azamara puts into planning their onboard LGBT gatherings . These events take place in well-chosen locations at times which do not conflict with other scheduled events or dining times. While only a few passengers attended these gatherings on our voyage, Journey cruise director Eric told us that on previous trips that he has at times hosted 20-30 LGBT passengers at these events. As with any cruise, the size and participation at LGBT gatherings depends on who is on board, but despite smaller gatherings Azamara did a solid job of organizing and announcing these events which MeetMeOnBoard members consistently say are highly valued.
The taste of travel: food.
The food onboard Azamara Journey was consistently excellent.
The main dining room is called Discovery Restaurant, and like most of the ship has a casual but elegant vibe. Eating there provided a multi-sensory experience of aroma, taste and visual presentation. Our waiters fulfilled each order promptly, with a friendly yet dignified style. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all uniformly fine in the Discovery Restaurant with a varied menu of fresh, high quality choices .
Even the buffet on the Journey featured outstanding food. We experienced fresh ingredients prepared and presented with care. One example: our first buffet meal consisted of beautifully cooked orange glazed chicken with diced fresh oranges served with crisp green beans, julienne carrots and snow peas. It tasted decidedly fresh. The buffet also included a wonderful salad of ham, onion, green and red bell peppers and cheese and a light dressing, and we found surprises like a refreshing chilled strawberry soup. A fine Chilean Riesling accompanied the meal as the wine of the day, and it’s well-worth remembering that select wines, beers, and spirits are included in the cruise price.
The attentiveness of the staff made the excellent cuisine even more enjoyable. Drinks, including Azamara’s excellent complimentary boutique wines, were served quickly and gracefully, eliminating a crush of humanity at the buffet beverage station.
Squid ink pasta with assorted seafood. Photo: Mark den Hartog
On the recommendation of hotel director Heike Berdos, we tried the squid ink pasta with assorted seafood in the specialty dining room Aqualina . In a word: exquisite , its flavors redolent of the Mediterranean cultures on our itinerary. The $25/meal up-charge for this specialty restaurant is an outstanding value. The food in the dining room was so great and so well served that we didn’t have time to try the other speciality restaurant: Prime C. Sorry, foodie readers, we were just too happy with the Discovery Restaurant to explore further, not to mention taking advantage of the late-stay programs in several ports.
Now for the most vital and important food news: a dessert review! There is no need to shy away from dessert on any cruise, but with Azamara you need go no further than the crème brûlée, blessedly always on the menu. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t take a few trips to the dessert table and ice cream bar, but we always came back to the crème brûlée. The Journey offers one of the best renditions we’ve ever tasted…creamy, rich and with a perfect crackly caramel topping.
Look for upcoming articles about our excursion experiences, entertainment, the AzAmazing Evening (SM) in Ephesus and more!
Read our blog posts on the Azamara Destination Immersion Blog .
*Note: the authors traveled as guests of Azamara Club Cruises. Read our disclosure policy here. From Mark: “our gay opinions can’t be bought. We say and write exactly what we think—and we’re capable of throwing shade when necessary. While we looked for cracks in the product, Azamara Club Cruises genuinely won us over.”
