Azamara Quest Experience

Cruisexpert · 07-16-2008, 12:46 PM

We give the Azamara Quest cruise HIGH MARKS

My husband Dennis and I just returned from exploring the Western Mediterranean and being spoiled by the warm and caring staff of the Azamara Quest, after the staff at Cruises International recommended this to us. I wanted to give you a glimpse of life on board the new intimate small ship division of Celebrity Cruises’ Azamara Cruise Line. Sincere hellos, smiles, and conversations with all staff members – all the way from our cabin Butler to the Captain of the ship. Truly a feeling that each staff member was so happy to have us as a guest in their home. Onboard activities included state of the art cardio and fitness equipment and spa facilities offering an array of classes and rejuvenating treatments. Complimentary sorbet was delivered to us poolside. Art auctions, seminars and bingo were included on our at sea days.

Dress code is Country Club Casual for all evenings, so no need to pack formal wear. Dining is “open dining” giving the opportunity to dine alone or the ability to meet our fellow cruisers by dining with others, and all at our very own relaxing pace. Every dinner was a masterpiece, the presentation perfectly orchestrated, leaving you to ponder if you should take a picture before touching your plate. Two evenings of “Specialty Dining” is included for all cabin accommodations and three evenings for suite guests which turned an ordinary evening into an extraordinary dining event.

After dinner we enjoyed quality entertainment with an excellent orchestra, an upbeat vocal and dance troupe, and a variety of international stars, combos, and specialty acts. Casino action, game shows, theme parties, and dancing rounded out the evenings.

Days were filled with popular ports such as Livorno, Barcelona, Marseilles and Tunis with off the beaten track ports of Portofino, Cannes, Sete, and Mahon. Arriving at each destination was a joy because our small ship always had the closest possible location to the main port area whether we ported or tendered. Imagine no long lines getting on and off the ship! We had great experiences with both the ship’s tours and seeing sights on our own. Azamara arranged for the destination tourist board representatives to be in our ship’s welcome area to answer our questions on sights and shopping and have map and directions to ensure a gratifying experience. Our cruise was especially blessed with a historian who gave destination lectures on the day prior to our port arrivals.

Yes days could be hectic as we wanted to see as much as we could, but each evening we were back to our home on the Quest, and able to relax and enjoy being pampered by the attentive Azamara family.

Bonnie Green