Azamara Club Cruises: 10 things to expect on a luxury cruise

Table Of Content

• If my offer is Accepted, will I earn loyalty points at the rate associated with my upgraded stateroom category?
• What's included when you travel with us
• Club Continent Suite Stateroom
• Club Ocean Suite Stateroom
• Click to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, news and reader offers

Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion. We understand that unforeseen circumstances, such as falling ill, can be disruptive to your travel plans. We highly recommend that all our guests purchase travel insurance to safeguard against unexpected situations. No, your stateroom location and attributes will depend on availability. Azamara cannot guarantee a specific stateroom number assignment within the upgraded category. In general, all guests must ensure that they are medically and physically fit for travel.

If my offer is Accepted, will I earn loyalty points at the rate associated with my upgraded stateroom category?

Hosted activities run the gamut from added-fee wine tastings, scavenger hunts and complimentary deck walks and water aerobics to destination enrichment lectures, dance classes and shore excursion presentations. Also spotted on some daily schedules are coloring, word search challenges and Q&A sessions with officers. Those passengers who don't feel quite up to a full meal for dinner can head to The Living Room, a bar and lounge area that doubles as the nightclub on each ship. There, sandwiches and pastries are offered in the afternoons, and tapas are available during dinner hours.

What's included when you travel with us

When this boutique cruise line was formed by Royal Caribbean in 2007 it had two ships, Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. Both carry under 700 guests and are R-class vessels that had been launched a half-decade earlier by the former Renaissance Cruise Line. Another identical ship was acquired in 2018 and christened Azamara Pursuit and a fourth joined the fleet in 2022 as Azamara Onward. By the time the latter ship was christened, Azamara had been sold by Royal Caribbean to investment group Sycamore Partners (the deal closed in March 2021) and the cruise line severed all connections with its former parent company. Outlets in each cabin consist of a mix of North American and U.K.

Club Continent Suite Stateroom

Bundle Internet, spa, dining, beverage, and shore excursion savings with these inclusive options. As a Virtuoso travel agency, we can offer ‘secret’ deals you can’t access anywhere else. We can even personalize your package and make it inherently yours.

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About Azamara Club Cruises

Please see our Service Animal section for more details about our service animal policies. Open the sliding glass doors and take your tea on your private veranda, served by your butler. You are automatically enrolled in the program after you book your first cruise. Meet other loyalty members at private onboard gatherings and special events. Go far beyond surface-level, with immersive cruise itineraries and soul-stirring experiences.

Destination

Cabins are typically made for two people yet vary in size, ranging from 158 square feet to 603 square feet. Overall, the cabins are relatively small, which is the ship’s biggest drawback. Most rooms are outfitted with a queen bed that can be converted into two separate twin beds for a single person. Club Interior staterooms are indoors; Club Oceanview staterooms have a porthole; and Club Veranda staterooms and Club Veranda Plus staterooms have balconies. Each room has a 40-inch flat-screen TV, writing desk, USB- ports under bedside reading lamps, and a thermostat-controlled air conditioner.

Included with your cruise fare:

A cocktail pianist plays live music in The Den and a quartet plays live music daily in the Living Room. Unlike other cruise lines, Azamara doesn't blast music by the pool, and the line rarely has many children onboard. So this is one time where you might have the pool and whirlpools all to yourself. You're not forced to attend the line's complimentary cultural event onshore, held at least one night per cruise. Options might include a classical music concert in Ephesus or an homage to the Big Band era in Cherbourg.

Club Ocean Suite Stateroom

I know lots of people love the active social life on board ship, the food, wine, watching the seascapes and participating in the activities. But there were many islands I wanted to see on our last cruise (Rome and Barcelona) and I resented not being able to spend a full day on every, single island. Heather used the Meet and Greet Parking Service booked through Airport Parking and Hotels (APH). They offer airport parking at a range of airports across the UK as well as travel extras such as airport lounge booking and airport hotel stays.

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Azamara's loyalty program, Azamara Circle, has five tiers for passengers to reach, based on the number of points they earn each time they sail. With each new tier, they unlock additional benefits, such as free Wi-Fi minutes, complimentary laundry service and discounts on spa treatments and future cruise bookings. Welcome to your vacation home with ocean views, sea breezes, and all the style and amenities of a boutique hotel. Plush cotton robes, complimentary bath products, fresh flowers, and 24-hour room service. Our goal is to make you comfortable so you can spend more time on important things. The 79-night Grand Voyage sails roundtrip from Miami exploring destinations all around South America.

The line's ships each have one main dining room, Discoveries Restaurant, that allows passengers to dine at any time during set hours for complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner. The waiter-served menu there changes daily, and you should plan on spending at least 90 minutes for dinner, especially if you're having dessert. Although it includes more in its fares -- gratuities, basic alcohol and some shore excursions -- than most cruise lines, it's not full-on luxury. However it's not mainstream, like Carnival or Royal Caribbean, either.

Oddly, Azamara's outside cabins are smaller than its interior accommodations, with the former measuring just 143 square feet. Even more oddly, some of these cabins are equipped with sofa beds that can sleep up to two additional passengers. The best and most sought-after cabins on Azamara Quest are the Club Spa Suites which are new additions to the ship.

Standard balcony cabins have two of each at the vanity, and two additional North American outlets can be found just above the minifridge (although one of them is used to plug it in). You can bring your own drinks -- including wine, beer and liquor -- on Azamara's ships for private consumption in your stateroom. If you wish to drink them in public areas or dining venues, you'll be charged a $10 corkage fee.

The immersive experience, which takes place on land, is a memorable experience of local entertainment and traditional performances available to all passengers. In addition to this fun-filled event, many guests look forward to the White Night (everyone is encouraged to dress in all white). It revolves around live performances from all the performers onboard, and the massive buffet that goes until late helps fuel the party. The ship’s entertainment options are relatively limited and may appeal primarily to music buffs. The ship offers Azamara’s Signature Shows, which features Broadway hits, dancers, and guest performers.

Onward also offers overnight stops in many destinations, allowing passengers the opportunity to immerse themselves fully in life beyond the ship. The staff on the ship is also remarkable and develop unique relationships with the guests, which I was fortunate to experience firsthand. Other small ships have tried and failed to offer fabulous deck parties or white nights. The crew starts talking up the event days before, and passengers come prepared with their white outfits. Then the dining team stages an elaborate barbecue and buffet on the pool deck with myriad options (from lobster tail to a carved whole fish and grilled steak), served by the officers.

Passengers are well off, well-travelled and interested in exploring the ports (whether that be touring, shopping, hitting the beach or eating). We also found the ship to be extremely friendly, with passengers striking up conversations everywhere. Accessible cabins are available, but these have limited functionality compared to similar cabins on newer ships.

Both flights and transfers from the airport to your cruise ship can be arranged through Azamara Club Cruises. It’s also perfect for solo travellers and couples since it’s easy to make friends on board. If you like to travel in style and luxury but still feel a connection to the places and cultures you visit be sure to look at Azamara Club Cruises for your cruise this year.

Everything you need to know about Azamara Cruises cabins and suites

Table Of Content

• An AzAmazing Evening
• Destinations
• Fabulous food
• Suites on Azamara ships
• Let Us Change The Way You Sea.
• What’s included

As far as theater happenings, you might spot a movie screening on the daily schedule or turn up after dinner to find that there's a boy band performing Justin Bieber hits while dressing like they're part of a doo-wop group. Azamara also draws a large number of repeat cruisers, many having sailed with the line numerous times. Azamara has rounded up the ships -- including the most recent, which it acquired from Princess Cruises during the pandemic -- over the years and refurbished them to add the line's signature upscale furnishings. In fact, it did such an impressive job that you'd hardly be able to guess that the vessels are more than 20 years old.

An AzAmazing Evening

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All in all, these behind-the-scene events are a nice complement to the line's destination focus by giving you access to places that you can't see on your own. No, if you have two staterooms you will need to submit two separate offers and they will be considered independently. Azamara cannot guarantee that both reservations will be upgraded. In the case that one of the reservations gets upgraded, you cannot move the other guests into the upgraded stateroom. All reservations cancelled within the penalty period will be subject to cancellation fees. No, Accepted offer will earn loyalty points at the original stateroom category purchased, and not the category of the upgraded stateroom.

Destinations

Due to its price point, popularity in Europe and lack of short voyages, Azamara appeals to older, more affluent travelers with a surplus of vacation time. The average age can fluctuate from sailing to sailing, but it's common to find most passengers in their 60s and 70s. Most itineraries range from a week to two weeks in length, but the line has also offered itineraries lasting more than 100 days, calling on more than 60 ports in more than two dozen countries. Azamara Cruises is one of the cruise industry's smallest lines, with just four ships -- Azamara Quest, Azamara Journey, Azamara Pursuit and Azamara Onward -- at the time of publication. All of Azamara's vessels are R-Class ships, originally built for now-defunct Renaissance Cruises, which folded in 2001, just a couple of years after the vessels debuted.

Fabulous food

With our Club Veranda Plus Staterooms, enjoy spectacular ocean and destination views, plus a host of guest-favorite amenities—all at a great value. Everything you love about our Club Veranda Staterooms is included, plus extra perks and amenities to elevate your time on board. When you book a cruise stateroom, you'll love the polished style and stellar service in your own private retreat.

The line's demographic is largely well traveled and port savvy, with many passengers forgoing shore excursions in favor of independent exploration. One of the line's most notable hallmarks is its focus on longer, later stays in port. Coupled with its AzAmazing Evenings program, which takes cruisers ashore to experience cultural performances in jaw-dropping locations, the experience is a little less superficial-feeling than other cruise excursions. The staff takes extra care to ensure you’re making the most of your time on board and will go out of their way to do what they can to make you comfortable. Azamara’s emphasis focuses on the crew and passenger relationship where lifelong friendships are built, which is a draw for many of its repeat cruisers. Azamara’s biggest draw (and largest activation) is its AzAmazing Evenings or Day.

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Previously a self-serve eatery, thanks to the pandemic passengers now simply point to what they would like and a crew member doles it out. For dinner, cruisers are seated and given menus -- which change nightly to highlight differing cuisines, such as Mexican, German and Greek -- and order from a waiter. Although it's sit-down table service, it's still faster than the main dining room. Outdoor seating at the ship's aft offers fantastic views, weather permitting.

Azamara Club Cruises: 10 things to expect on a luxury cruise

Azamara Club Cruises are priced in line with the luxurious small ship experience they offer. Get entertained with various onboard activities and participate in Azamara’s unique shore excursions. Private tours are also offered, which is perfect if you want to take the tour less traveled. Further, passengers staying in these suites have access to all of the perks to which those in balcony cabins are entitled. The smallest of the line's suite accommodations, Club Continent Suites are 266 square feet with 60-square-foot balconies. They include all of the amenities mentioned above, as well as a large seating area with a 55" flat-screen TV.

Let Us Change The Way You Sea.

The ships in its four-vessel fleet are nearly identical, all belonging to the R Class, which was originally developed for now-defunct line Renaissance Cruises. Azamara prides itself on bringing its passengers familiarity and onboard experiences that are similar from ship to ship. You won't find waterslides or roller coasters, and that's exactly how the line's demographic likes it. You will receive an email if your voyage is eligible and you will have the opportunity to browse through staterooms available for upgrade on your voyage.

What’s included

Think of Azamara as a destination-focused luxe hotel that’ll take you to unique, inspiring places. On board, you can enjoy the comforts of hotel living while sailing to exotic locales. Azamara Cruises was founded in 2007 after two R-class ships from Pullmantur Cruises that would have gone to Celebrity Cruises were transferred to the new company. The first ships of the company were the Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. They make cruises to exotic locations, competing with Oceania Cruises.

We hold accessible staterooms for guests with disabilities until all non-accessible staterooms in a category are reserved. At that time, accessible staterooms are released to general inventory and may be reserved by a guest without a disability. We welcome guests with disabilities and special needs and work hard to assist them throughout their vacation.

There will also be new investments in technology since most guests these days travel with tablets and smartphones. A new wifi system on board will provide faster internet connections and there will be interactive tabletops in public areas for social media surfing. Smaller ships also allow you to sail right into the heart of a city. There’s no need to be transported from the newer port where the larger ships will dock. As a Virtuoso agency, we offer exclusive Azamara Club packages with unique add-ons. We can get you that room upgrade, spa credit, or any add-on you want for your trip.

Just as you might choose to stay in a boutique hotel or a luxury resort, a homely bed and breakfast or a local’s apartment, there is a cruise ship option to suit your travel style. Azamara Cruises announced its newest itineraries for 2025 and 2026, including new ports of call and a 79-night voyage that circumnavigates South America, according to a statement. Although Azamara's ships are a bit on the older side, they ooze class. Cabins are stylishly decorated in neutrals and feature high-end furnishings and dark woods with plenty of storage space and extra touches, such as fresh-cut flowers and 24-hour room service, that will make you smile. Although Club Veranda Plus rooms are the same square footage as Club Veranda Staterooms, this is the first cabin level where passengers will really see a difference between cabin types in the way of additional amenities.