My Cruise Reviews

How safe are cruise ships???
you here about all the horor stories that occur in the open seas, i didn’t believe it until it happened to my family… I personally was assaulted by an employee of royal caribbean while holding my baby in my arms. I met with top personnel onboard the ship only to find out the incident was covered up. What else is going on that we don’t know about.

Azamara Cruises is marketing themselves as the Luxury line within the RCC and Celebrity family. Our experience on their Bermuda cruise had the luxury of Carnival topped with the entertainment and activities of the worlds biggest Ferry ride. The staff, food and service were above average (comparable to that of Princess or RCC). However their activities (or lack of), entertainment (4+ hours out of the 7 days total of professional/Broadway grade shows), and guest relations (who were more argumentative then helpful) made me believe the “luxury” billing of this new line will not ever meet expectations. I would NOT RECOMMEND this line.

Here are some examples why:
1) They had a very talented 5-piece vocal group on board. They did a 1 hour show the second night. They did a 1/2 hour show the second to last night. Many cruise lines will still follow the out dated rules Bermuda imposes in Hamilton about not having professional shows while docked. This absence in cabarets during those days are all the more reason to have longer shows the nights out to sea. 1/2 hour?!?! Furthermore the “house band” was in no way up to par and was later released of their duties. You would think a “luxury” line would have a better screening process from the start, and never let nothing but exceptional talent on the ticket.

2) The beverage policy is THE WORST in the business. Their bar tenders/servers (who were excellent, by the way) were not allowed to deliver non-bar drinks (read “complimentary” – juices/coffee/etc…). There was one area out of 11 decks that had self-serve, and you had to serve yourself at all times except at sit-down dining times. If you’re in the pool, the staff would not bring you an ice-tea or juice. If you were at the shows at night or casino, and wanted a coffee, you had to walk down to that one deck and get it yourself. Is this luxury?!?

Problems we found like these are not attributed to this line being new. They are the result of paying more attention to the bottom line and less attention to delivering quality and a superior guest experience. This line will be traveling to more exotic places next year. Many other lines do this now with better service and higher ratings. Stick with them.
-Jim

Do you have any experience with the Windjammer Barefoot cruises? Although it looks different and fun, it doesn’t appear to have as much on-board entertainment as the traditional lines. Perhaps it’s more of a nostalgia trip?