Azamara has a well-founded reputation for offering carefully-curated, destination-intensive cruise itineraries that cover all corners of the globe. Their smaller ships offer the onboard feel of a relaxed, boutique hotel, where every care is taken care of thanks to their attentive crew and high staff-to-guest ratio. You'll find a wide range of shore experiences and, with longer stays in port than most cruise lines, you can delve deeper into your destination and leave with a greater sense of the real destination.
The ships are modestly sized and give you something akin to staying in the world's most exclusive hotels. Azamara includes more than most so you can focus more on enjoying your time onboard and ashore, and less on a hefty bill at the end of your holiday.
Comfortable and never crowded, Azamara offer a delightful compromise between larger ship amenities and choice and smaller ship convenience and service.
Azamara primarily attracts baby boomers who are active and well-travelled, and looking for port-intensive itineraries that include marquee cities and offbeat places. About 60 percent come from North America, 18 percent from the U.K., 11 percent from Australia and New Zealand, and the remainder from the rest of the world.
Yes and no. The dress code does prohibit bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suits and shorts in the dining room or speciality restaurants, and jeans are not permitted anywhere after 6 p.m., but formal wear is never required. In general, most women wear sundresses and trouser and blouse outfits in the evening, while men will put on nice pants and collared shirts. In the casual Windows Cafe, cruisers can dress more casually even at dinner but are always required to wear shoes and a cover-up or shirt.
No, but the fare is semi-inclusive, with items like select standard spirits, international beers and wines, gratuities, bottled water, soft drinks, speciality coffees and teas, self-service laundry, shuttle service to and from port communities (where available) and concierge services for personal guidance and reservations all included. All cruises, except transatlantic and transpacific sailings, also include one special evening shore excursion, referred to as an AzAmazing Evening, a private onshore experience that is specially arranged by the cruise line for its passengers. On top of all the standard inclusions, suite passengers also receive English butler service and free dining in speciality restaurants. Extra costs include speciality dining, shore excursions, Wi-Fi, spa treatments and retail store purchases.
Azamara's shoreside activities are the real attention-getters. Shore excursions are divided into different types (Taste Local, Bike Local, Meet Local) and often sell out. Many passengers take advantage of overnight excursion options to inland cities like Berlin, Madrid and Moscow or to UNESCO World Heritage sites like Bagan and Angkor Wat that require full days or longer. In the evening, passengers gather for shows, one of which is an at-sea version of New York supper club and cabaret, Feinstein's 54 Below with Broadway talent, along with local dancers and musicians from the destinations. Enrichment lectures with the World Wildlife Fund Guest Speaker Series are well attended, and foodies hit the culinary demonstrations and wine tastings. There are ship parties, like ABBA Night, dancing in the Living Room and occasionally karaoke, but destination immersion rules.
Baby boomers, older Gen Xers and foodies who prize destination immersion and experiences rather than things
Big-ship cruisers looking for lots of onboard activities and late-night parties