Azamara Journey, Azamara Cruises

We have been on about 9 cruises mainly with Ocean Village. When they went to Australia we were struggling to find a replacement so went totally the other way and went for a smaller ship 694 passengers, but again only 2 ships in the Azamara fleet. We travelled in Sept 2011 slightly concerned whether it would be too intimate or too posh, how wrong we were. As soon as you get onboard to a champagne welcome you are made too feel as if you are part of a family which continues throughout your cruise, nothing is too much trouble if any concerns or problems are sorted usually within the hour. You can book shore excursions before you go as with other cruise lines but not necessary and even if spaces available not announced every five minutes to try and fill them. Great food and choice every meal time in one of the 2 main restaurants and can either be served or the other is a help yourself buffet which we personally prefer but which was equally attentive to the point of carrying your plate to the table and had live stations which cooked whatever stir fry or pasta meal you wante and a roas joint every night. The ship is big enough to find a quiet place but not so big you get lost, no fighting over sun beds even on sea days and little touches like whilst sunbathing staff coming round one day in italy with lemon sorbet, other days fruit on sticks. Children are made as welcome but I feel most would be bored as really for the adult market and if you ever only do one cruise in your life pick Azamara.

We cruised the Baltic in July of this year on the Azamara Journey. We have been on 10 to 12 other cruises using a variety of cruise lines, but this was by far the best. We particularly liked the dining arrangements where you were not allocated to one particular sitting at a set time but could wander to the restaurant whenever you fancied and a table would be found for you with only the occasional short wait in the plush bar. Another attraction was that you were always asked if you wished to share a table with others or have a table for two The itinerary was excellent with the main attraction, of course, being the 3 days in St. Petersburg. Another bonus was that because it was a relatively small boat we were able to dock in the centre - the view from our balcony was a building with a golden dome about 50 yards away- rather than in the 'docks' where other cruise ships had to go. All in all - wonderful.