Azamara Journey Review
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As first-timers on Azamara Cruises, my husband and I chose this ship primarily for its port-intensive itinerary and passenger size of ship (less than 700 guests). Embarkation and check in were a breeze - it probably took us 30 minutes in total from time of arrival at port to getting to the cabin. The ship itself was beautiful, well-kept and clean.
Our room club verandah stateroom was well-maintained and our cabin attendants were wonderful. We were pleased that we spent the extra money to get a room with a balcony, and spent a fair amount of time on it when we were in our room. The bathroom is tiny but well cleaned, and you get used to the size. Fortunately we had quiet neighbors on either side of us which made for an even better experience!
There was a sufficient amount of dining options to choose from. We ate mostly in the Windows Cafe for dinner - great selection to choose from, and also tried both specialty restaurants once each, as well as the MDR a couple of times. Quality of the food was fine for the most part, and we really enjoyed the Aqualina restaurant. Windows Cafe is buffet style, so with that comes food that may be lukewarm at times.
Response from BonnieM, CBO - Azamara Club Cruises
Cabin Review
Club Veranda Stateroom
Port Reviews
Stockholm
We spent three nights in Stockholm before boarding the ship. Beautiful, clean city. We explored the Old Town, saw the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace, and spent one day on the island which houses the Vasa museum (amazing!) and Skansen museum (fun to explore).
Helsinki
We spent a pleasant morning walking around Helsinki - visited a few of the major attractions (Senate square, cathedral, Orthodox church). It was a Sunday, however, and many places did not open until 12 noon.
St. Petersburg
We used a local operator for our three day excursion, and it was excellent. Our guide was full of historical knowledge on the many attractions we visited. St. Petersburg has some stunning architecture and wonderful palaces. After three days, we were very tired but very pleased with our visit.
Tallinn
Tallinn is a compact but very pretty little town. The market square and its vendors were fun to see. It turned out to be quite a warm day, so we ended our visit by indulging in a cheese plate, along with some Estonian beer and cider in the very busy square!
Copenhagen
Copenhagen was very busy and very warm! We saw a few of the main attractions, and spent a couple of hours in Tivoli gardens, where we enjoyed a delicious traditional sandwich. Nyhavn is so picturesque - many pictures were taken. This was my husband's favorite port!
Amsterdam
As mentioned, we were disappointed on how dirty Amsterdam was (the grey day didn't help). It was very busy, cigarette butts covered the sidewalks, and trash was tipped over in several places. We did enjoy our visit to the new church where there was a world press photo exhibition taking place.
Brugge (Bruges)
Another grey day, but Brugge is a very charming town. Lots of picturesque canals and buildings, and everywhere was easily walked. The ship was docked about 40 minutes away, so getting to the town center involved a combination of the ship shuttle and a local bus ride. Glad we made the effort, though.