A Three Day Journey with Azamara Club Cruises
Simone's Three Day Azamara Club Cruise
Updated July 2019
Wednesday
It was a real novelty leaving the office and arriving to the cruise terminal in Greenwich just 45 minutes later; it is so easy to get to and a beautiful place to embark. Guests onboard Azamara Journey had enjoyed a busy couple of days and nights in London exploring the sites. I checked into my cabin - an outside cabin - which was fairly standard; small, yet perfectly formed. It's very traditional but has the added extra touches of oversized Elemis toiletries, Frette bathrobes, and luxury bedding.
Dinner on the first was in Aqualina, a superb - mainly seafood - speciality restaurant. I opted for a seafood platter followed by tuna tartare (very healthy), but other options included lobster and salmon. It was just $15 per head surcharge, and house wine was included. The evening entertainment was very low key; this is not a cruise for those looking for glitzy entertainment and West End shows, there is simply a cabaret lounge and a couple of bars. We spent every evening in the Looking Glass lounge, which had tremendous views and live music plus a dance floor.
Thursday
I was up at 5 am to get out on deck and enjoy sailing out of Greenwich at sunrise. You go past the O2, Canary Wharf and through the Thames Barrier - a fantastic experience. After this I had an extensive ship tour and a training session. We also had the opportunity to have a Q and A session with the cruise director, and so far the feedback from customers has been extremely positive. We had a fascinating wine tasting session followed by a meal in Prime C, a steak restaurant. The meat was tremendous although I could hardly move after the meal in typical cruise fashion. I enjoyed onion soup and Kobe mini burgers too.
Friday
On Friday we docked in Amsterdam for the day, and guests could choose between a city visit or relaxing on the deck. I opted for a relaxing day enjoying the sunshine on one of the padded teak sunloungers around the pool. Lunch was in the buffet restaurant, and wine again was included. I also enjoyed a bridge tour and met our captain, and then sampled elegant Afternoon Tea in the restaurant, what a very civilized day! For dinner, we opted for the main restaurant where I dined on lobster, but many couldn't resist the freshly cooked food in the Indian buffet.
Saturday
We sailed down the Kiel canal all day on Saturday. I hadn't realised that Germany was so beautiful before this trip. We were joined on deck by a German brass brand, and German food was also served on deck as we sailed slowly down the length of the canal. This was one of the highlights for me, and it's worth knowing that only small ships can manage this. We were treated to a galley tour, during which it was fascinating to see behind the scenes.
This wonderful short cruise gave me a completely reformed understanding of the Azamara Club Cruises brand. I had it in my mind that this was going to be luxury six star cruising which is wrong. Azamara Journey is extremely comfortable and traditional with a relaxed, clubhouse feel, ideal for those looking for an intimate, small-ship experience with lots of time to explore new places and immerse yourself in local culture. There is nothing formal, the dress code is relaxed (jacket and tie not required) and you can turn up for dinner when you wish.
Customers love the semi all-inclusive element, which includes the following: gratuities, shuttles to the ports, cans of soft drink in your cabin, soft drinks, bottles of water, gym classes, wine with dinner and more. I can personally confirm that the wine with dinner is extremely high quality. There's wine from a different country every night plus a choice of half price wines at around €14 a bottle. People will also enjoy visiting exclusive and different destinations; Sorrento rather than Naples, St Tropez rather than Villefranche, London instead of Southampton...
Service on the ship was superb; low key but very personal.
See our range of cruises onboard Azamara Journey, and start thinking about your next cruise holiday.