Our experience on board Azamara Journey

Azamara Cruises are known for their intimate yet luxurious ships, visiting some of the world’s most breathtaking destinations. The cruise line currently has many astounding international itineraries on sale now including the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Canary Islands and many more.

Laura Higgs, Sales Manager at SixStarCruises, was lucky enough to sail on board Azamara Journey on a five-night Greek Isles sailing. Find out about her experience with dining, entertainment and life on board this incredible ship!

Embarkation Process

We then asked what her first impressions were of Azamara Journey once on board:

"Extremely friendly and happy crew, more than helpful when boarding with baggage and directions of where to go.  Beautiful boutique-style 5* hotel. We received a glass of champagne on arrival, and everything ran seamlessly with regards to boarding and doing the muster drill. Warm and friendly impression!"

"When walking on board all the staff were waiting for us, welcoming us onto the ship. It was slightly smaller than what I have previously travelled on in terms of size, but you would never have known with how spacious the ship was inside!"

Accommodation

On board Azamara Journey there are a range of luxurious cabin types, from Club Interior Stateroom to Club World Owner Suites. Laura stayed within one of Azamara Journey's Club Balcony Cabins and described their accommodation type and general décor on board!

"The balcony cabin on deck six was a really good size for two in our cabin, there was one wardrobe with lots of hangers and plenty of drawers, also two bedside units with more storage facilities and a dressing table. Elegant twin beds located can be adapted to queen if needed, small sofa lounge area, balcony with chairs and table and a clear view."

It was also highlighted that European and American plug sockets were available in the cabin, alongside a hairdryer. However, it is important to remind passengers to bring adapters on board for any electrical devices that won't fit European plug sockets.

Dining

There are many dining options to choose from on board Azamara Journey, from international dining options such as Aqualina providing beautiful Italian dishes to The Patio and Swirl & Top, offering casual “pool grill” by day. Then fine tablecloths and flickering candles set the mood for a sit-down al fresco dining experience by night.

"The dining was absolutely amazing! This was by far the main highlight of the ship for me, the food and drink quality was excellent, nothing was too much trouble for the waiters and they were so friendly and attentive, constantly topping water and wine up and asking if you needed anything else, making recommendations and just generally adding to the overall dining experience.  The variety of food and drink and dining area options was amazing, and I would highly recommend this cruise line just based on the quality of food and service."

"There is a huge variety of options in all restaurants to cater to all dietary requirements. As this is a smaller ship, social distancing was very much in place, therefore you didn’t feel like you were too close to people in the dining rooms as the tables where spread at an appropriate distance. The overall quality was superb!

We didn’t need to reserve the main dining room or the Windows café which was the buffet restaurant used for breakfast and lunch, but the two a la carte restaurants called Prime C, which was a steakhouse, and Aqualina, which is the Italian a la carte, had to be reserved and did seem to get booked up quite quickly."

Our colleagues informed us about the restaurants they sampled on board, resulting in them mainly eating in the main dining room, where they tried a variety of dishes and ate in Aqualina. Laura commented saying,

"Aqualina was superb. I ate a squid ink lobster pasta dish which I can honestly say was one of the best meals I have ever eaten with only a $20 cover charge. I couldn't manage a desert as the portion sizes where quite large but from feedback from others they were to die for!"

Drinks packages on board Azamara ships you get basic spirits, cocktails, beers and wines included which provides guests with plenty of choice. However, guests can also upgrade to a premium package which will supply a wider selection of alcoholic beverages.

Entertainment

Azamara Journey has a good range of entertainment options on board so we asked Laura to get involved and inform us on what they got up to during their sailing!

"The daytime entertainment options involved things such as quizzes and cooking classes and live music performances. We also went to the opening show which was great as it introduced all performers and they all each did a set which was amazing, we also attended what was called “bright night” where they clear the sun-loungers to put out tables and chairs and create a dance floor on the pool-deck. The entertainers put on an evening show on the main stage, which was fantastic, everyone was up dancing and just had the best evening. You always had evening entertainment in the Living Room, with a band on until 11pm and then the DJ until around 1pm. On the final evening they had karaoke there was which was hilarious, and everyone was getting up and involved."

Laura  did not have to book any entertainment options however the spa and any health treatments must be booked beforehand.

Overall Review

We asked Laura for her overall review of her sailing on board Azamara Journey:

"I had the most amazing trip, I met the most incredible people, and the ports were beautiful, I could not fault it. I loved every minute and would highly recommend it to others!  For everything that is included such as food, drinks, tips and entertainment it is absolutely great value for money!"

If you would like to discover Azamara Journey's itineraries, or are intrigued to find out about the range of sailings we have available, you can contact our specialist cruise concierge to organise a consultation by calling 0808 278 4192.