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Azamara Pursuit Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 132

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Azamara Pursuit

9 Night Mediterranean Mosaic (Rome To Barcelona)

Sail date: October 28, 2018

Ship: Azamara Pursuit

Cabin type: Suite

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

It was good to be back on an Azamara ship after a disappointing cruise earlier this year on a competitor that is supposedly more luxurious but that we found lacking in many ways. The Azamara Guest Relations staff and other officers and crew were always helpful and attentive. The new ship is lovely (though we did prefer the more traditional decor of the past because it seemed more comfortable). We cruise on Azamara partly to visit unusual places or to be able to dock closer to city centers. This cruise did not disappoint in that way in spite of several changes because of storms. The other reason we cruise on Azamara is to relax. Yes, it lacks all the bells and whistles of bigger ships, but we enjoy the living room ambiance, the wider variety of food (for example, pesto and hummus served at meals and not just butter) and the quality of the food, the simpler shows, excellent service. If you don't feel like dressing for dinner, there are several other options, unlike on some other cruise lines. It was disappointing that Corsica and Sardegna ports were cancelled due to the very serious series of storms that hit. But the crew did an excellent job of keeping passengers informed of all events and changes, and showed real expertise and getting us into Nice instead of Monaco. (I agree with one reviewer who suggested that Azamara might offer more because of these cancellations than the extra credit if we booked another cruise while on board. We were not ready to plan another cruise yet but will in the next 1-2 years.) Summary: if you want a relaxed time with details handled by staff and don't need water slides, bumper cars, rock climbing walls... this is the cruise and cruise line for you.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Comfortable furniture, large bath, large verandah. A few defects are being addressed, we were told: grab bars for the large walk in shower are on order and perhaps more options in lighting. This suite is in the front of the ship so rocks and rolls more. Also, it is above the front mooring assemblies and can be noisy when the ship is docking or embarking. But once we figured out the times for this, we were not annoyed.

Ship tip

Azamara is for relaxed mature travelers and not "party party" types.

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

3 out of 5
The town of Civitavecchia is nice, with a nice public market, but this port is bigger and more industrial than many of the ports where Azamara stops.

Olbia, Sardinia Did not visit port

Storms prevented stopping.

Bastia, Corsica Did not visit port

Storms prevented stopping.

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

4 out of 5
AZ Amazing Evening here was fun (we are opera lovers, however). The venue is a very old opera house that gives one a glimpse into Italian Opera as it should be heard. The group, 4 sopranos called Incanto, sang more popular and contemporary music than opera, so something for everyone.

Monte Carlo, Monaco Did not visit port

We were very happy with the substitute port of Nice and enjoyed our day there on our own. We had booked a day trip there anyway, so our money was refunded.

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

5 out of 5
A beautiful city with interesting shops, busy on Sunday, lots of pedestrian only streets.

Valencia, Spain

5 out of 5
Our guide for our City Walking Tour booked through Azamara was knowledgeable and humorous, really excellent.

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
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2 Comments

graham123    6 years ago

😎😎

cruisellama    6 years ago

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