Azamara Club Cruises

This was my seventh cruise and what a dream this one was! Certainly one of the best I've ever had. Perhaps it was due to the lack of children....who knows!

Azamara Club Cruises are part of the Royal Caribbean Group and they have two ships - Azamara Journey and Quest.

I sailed for a week on the Azamara Journey from Civitavecchia to Bonifaccio, Olbia, Trapani, Taormina, Sorrento and back to Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. This line is all about the destinations - gone are the four hour stops with herding and shouting. You tend to stay day and night in each port and then overnight in a good few too - for us this meant over 36 hours in Sorrento – bliss!

So destinations play a big part. Food is sublime. What I really liked, though, was the feeling on the ship. The crew are friendly, as are most cruise line staff, but they are also interested in you, asking questions and joking with you. They are well-treated and this really shines through - once they've worked on an Azamara ship, they never want to leave....just like the passengers! Officers are visible all the time and are always available for a quick chat. You feel you are in a boutique hotel rather than a 700 passenger cruise ship. Gratuities, boutique wines, soft drinks and speciality teas and coffees are all included in your cruise fare. There's very little extra to pay on board; they even include shuttle services in ports where needed. On most other cruises these would be considered as optional extras.

I highly recommend Azamara, so don't be surprised if you contact me and it is all I can talk about! I've been brainwashed!