Bill and Diana from the Gold Coast travelled on a 34-night ‘Hidden Treasures of the Mediterranean’ cruise. Here’s what they thought.
We booked this cruise because we had heard so many good reports about Azamara.
An added bonus was that Azamara Journey had just been given a massive refurbishment.
We studied the brochure, and found that this cruise was calling into smaller ports around the Mediterranean that the bigger ships can’t get into. This sounded like what we were looking for.
From day-one, this cruise was amazing. We visited 30 ports and had plenty of time to sight-see and shop. If the ship docked out of town, a shuttle was provided at no charge.
If the port was too shallow or the sea was up, passengers were ferried to shore on the ship tenders. They were extremely efficient and travelled at very regular intervals.
Our Club Ocean View Stateroom had an outside window with unobstructed views. We always choose lower floors near the centre of the ship, because you don’t have to wait for lifts and you are close to the dining room and theatre.
Because this is a mid-size ship, there are no hold-ups anywhere. You can always get a seat in the coffee shops, the theatre, the buffet, the pools and the gym whenever you want.
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The food selections were fantastic. There was a different theme of food every day and night. The hardest thing on this cruise was trying to keep your weight under control. There is a choice of bars and restaurants, all of which are amazing. The 10th floor has “The Living Room” – a wine and tapas bar.
It is located at the back of the ship and has full height glass windows. It is great viewing from this room sailing into or out of the towns having a cocktail and listening to the light music being played.
Whenever the ship is sailing, there are many activities you can participate in.
There is a casino, shops, card room, internet room and theatre. The theatre had a different show every night and many performers are engaged to entertain the ship. There are two shows one at 8.00pm and the later show 9.30pm.
The floor shows were fantastic with top acts from many different countries. The ship’s own dancers and singers provided great spectacles most nights.
Regards shore excursions, most stops would have 4 or 5 different choices on offer.
It’s a good idea to book your shore excursions online before you leave home though as a lot of the trips get sold out.
The ship does have local representatives come on board each morning and give out maps and information in case you want to do your own thing as we did most of the time.
One of the biggest assets of this ship is the Captain and the crew. Unlike other ships we have been on, this crew is friendly and had time to stop and talk.
Speaking to other passengers, we were amazed to find how many passengers had been on this ship before. They all had glowing reports on the overall Azamara experience. Some had been on this ship as many as six times.
Every day there is a hand out of an Australian, American and English newspaper that has highlights of the larger domestic news from home.
We have travelled extensively in the past with most cruise lines, and would highly recommend this ship to anyone who wants a luxury holiday with the trimmings.
Finally, with Azamara, gratuities are included with your cruise costs and most drinks are free. There is a huge choice of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails.
All in all, a wonderful experience.
