By Chris Meyer

The Azamara Journey doesn’t have a rock-climbing wall. There are no Broadway shows, surf simulators or other mega-ship trappings.

What this “small” cruise ship lacks in razzle-dazzle is more than compensated by its access to off-the-beaten-track ports that allowed us to immerse ourselves in a more intimate side of Italy.

We were able to traipse through Cinque Terre, the five diminutive villages clinging to steep cliffs along the Ligurian Sea, and cool off in a perfect swimming hole in the rocky shoreline.

We briefly stepped into the lifestyles of the rich and famous in Portofino, an idyllic burgh that could be the model should Disney ever create Italyland. So what if the mediocre pizza was overpriced?   The vintage fishing boats bobbing feet away and pastel buildings below green hills in the background was a feast for the eyes.  Interestingly, our 20-something waiter was infatuated with TV’s “The OC.” Go figure. In a small-world moment, we shared a shuttle with a very tall Russian who plays basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers.

We were treated to tasty local food and wine at a historic estate overlooking Santa Margarita de Liguria while a tenor and soprano crooned opera and other Italian melodies.

We toured Lucca, a walled town with the aura of Florence on a smaller scale, and visited a Tuscan winery to learn its processes and taste its wine and exceptional olive oil.

There were other ports less traveled, such as the Italian island of Elba and the French island of Corsica, but you get the picture.

The understated ship made an ideal home base for these excursions. After a long day in the heat, we could gete respite in an air conditioned environment or take a dip in the salt water pool on those days when we didn’t get into the sea while ashore. Whether by dock or tender, shore access was easy and time in port was extended.

And Azamara delivered the convenience and cost effectiveness of cruising. We moved from place to place as we consumed the included food, enjoyed the company of fellow passengers, occasionally took in the entertainment offerings, and slept to rest up for another day of exploration. There was a nighty show, dancing in a night club atmosphere and a diminutive casino – all backdrop to the destination focus. One night the deck exploded with a fun party that featured a wide array of regional cuisine and fresh seafood, some of it grilled  on Weber kettles.

The staff and service were over-the-top-excellent and the ship well designed as a floating boutique hotel. Mostly the food reminded us of Celebrity, a sister cruise line with larger ships, the best we have experienced at sea, even if it falls short of Zagat’s 5-Star. What are you going to do when you are serving several hundred people three squares a day? The wonderful exception was our dinner in Prime C, the specialty restaurant with a smaller kitchen, its own menu of made-to-order dishes and a $25 surcharge. Definitely worth it for an above-and-beyond experience! Friends raved about their dinner at the Chef’s Table, an ultra-over-the-top, multi-course affair with high-end wine pairings, but we shied away from the $95 price tag.

Fellow passengers told us they liked being in the real world, rather than the traditional cruise world. With Azamara’s “country club casual” style, this means you don’t have to pack your dress clothes and you can dine when and with whom you want. For us, this often meant later than usual, as we tended to maximize our long days ashore. 

The largest contingent of guests were Brits, followed by Americans and then Canadians, with a smattering from other countries.

A number were doing back-to-backs, either starting with the Barcelona-to-Monaco French Riviera leg that preceded our’s or continuing on from Rome to Amalfi, Sicily, the Greek Isles and Athens. Unlike some ships, Azamara’s do not repeat the same itinerary for a season, so you can experience fresh ports for as long as you are willing and able to travel. And Azamara offers significant discounts when you extend your voyage. That leads us to pricing.

Azamara commands a higher price point than the mainstream lines. But, since much more is included, you have to do the math to compare apples with apples, and the price gap shrinks significantly. For example, on Azamara “well” alcoholic beverages and gratuities are included rather than being a la carte additions to the base price. If you buy your flight through the company’s Choice Air program you get a credit (read discount) of $500 or $1,000 per person plus a guarantee that you will not miss your ship’s departure. And on select (read slower selling) cruises, you can get a killer deal like my mother-in-law got on this 7-day cruise: less than $4,000 per person including the luxury cruise, flight, transfers and travel insurance. When you consider that flights to Europe in the high season go for more than $1,500, you understand the value here for a truly premium experience.

At the end of the day, there still is a premium for access to destinations the big ships can not fit into and the high-end nature of the ship and service.  It’s a premium that is much smaller than at first blush. And one repeat Azamara passengers find to be a good value, particularly when they get one of deals and pile on the loyalty benefits.

Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Club members’ benefits apply, as well as Azamara’s. This has to do with Azamara being part of the company that also operates Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. That included 85 internet minutes per person in our case, a great value for keeping in touch with the office, even though we passed on the captain’s cocktail party. Some passengers told us they have sort of graduated through the system – Royal’s action-packed mega-ships when the kids were at home, Celebrity’s W-Hotel style as empty nesters and Azamara when they sought to delve deeper into cultures.

That brings up another small-ship attribute we discovered. The captain, cruise director and other ship leaders are very accessible and take feedback themselves.

In summary, we found what other passengers told us brought them back to Azamara. The cruise line delivered on its key promises: destination immersion in smaller ports, longer stays and outstanding, unpretentious service. Would some of our customers enjoy that? Absolutely! And we ourselves definitely will be among those who repeat with Azamara. Let’s see? The Baltic? Asia? The possibilities reach beyond the horizon.

But we won’t restrict ourselves. I’ll be going on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, the Azamara Journey’ really, really, really big cousin, in November. I expect a very different, but equally fantastic experience. I might even be persuaded to try the Chef’s table.

Click here for more information about Azamara Club Cruises.

In future posts I will drill down into some other aspects of our excellent Italian interlude including:

• Taking in the wonders of Rome on foot in 90-degree heat.
• Successes and challenges in finding great restaurants in foreign lands.
• The pros on cons of guidebook and internet reserach.
• Those small world and other moments that that add to the wonder of travel.