In the world (in the mid-range category, for sure!)

The beautiful Azamara Pursuit, and my husband & I

My husband and I recently enjoyed a fabulous 9 day cruise around the Med on Azamara Pursuit. (and then we got COVID, but I'll skip over that because it took enough of my time already!)

Having cruised on Azamara Onward in 2022 around Croatia, and loving it, my husband and I wanted to cruise with them again, on a different ship, just to see if the standard was the same, or if it was jinxed.

Well, it wasn’t just the same - it was better!

With just 702 passengers, it’s big enough to avoid *cough cough…people you may not click with, but also small enough to socialise and experience real cruising without the crowds!

Sailing from Rome to Barcelona, with various ports in Italy, France, and Minorca on-route, of course, the itinerary was spectacular and everything I expected from each destination.

But, the ship and the cruise line really made the holiday.
Azamara just gets it right. They are a perfect mid-range cruise line: not mass-market, but not ultra-luxury. Just perfect in their own little category.

Number 1 - There’s no snobbery. I hate fake people & snobbery. Everyone is just there to enjoy the cruise. We are all in the same boat…literally!

The smaller ships allow access to ports that the larger ships cannot reach - like Santa Margherita, the gateway to Cinque Terre, Palamos in Spain, and Provence in Marseille.
Also because of her size, there were literally no queues, for anything. Get on, get off, with just one tender day out of 9.

We boarded on day 1, (as priority as we were staying in a veranda plus stateroom) were handed a glass of sparkling wine, booked our spa thalassotherapy pool & private deck (unlimited use for the 9 days - £150 for 2 people. They also offer spa treatments, which we don’t bother with), then went into to the buffet and ate, and the wine just kept coming.

Azamara are also destination intensive, which means longer days in port, and some overnights in iconic ports. We stayed overnight in Livorno, for Florence, on this cruise. (where we had our bag stolen on the train from Florence back to Livorno. Initially, we thought we would have to leave the ship as we were still to cross borders into France & Spain - It was a stressful day. But, the ships staff were amazing and got onto every port for us to ensure we could enter. This took them all day, and even the captain got involved, but they did it and we are forever thankful)

The food is astronomical. Even the buffet for breakfast, lunch or evening meals with themed evenings, you could literally eat in there every day, but you must try the main dining room, and you absolutely must try the specialty dining rooms - Aqualina Italian and Prime C for your steak & seafood. Fine dining, at its finest. Literally, these restaurants can compete with anything you are served on land.

As well as sparkling wine, beer, spirits and cocktails (all house brands) are included. The sparkling wine is nice, but, I did start wanting prosecco, so a few days in, I added a drinks package with my onboard credit to allow me to enjoy Prosecco for the remainder of the week (we also treated a fellow guest to a nice glass of Guinness - long story). No larger cruise line will allow you to change up half way through, but Azamara are small, independent, and have the flexibility to do anything for you.

My husband’s a veggie, and the first morning he wanted a fry-up, but there were no veggie sausages. He asked, they cooked and brought to our table. Every morning after this, there were veggie sausages. Just another example of amazing customer service.

Azamara also includes premium soft drinks; bottled water, fresh fruit smoothies, fresh fruit juices, fresh shots, fizzy drinks, and specialty tea & coffees. Again, this is value added!

The entertainment. WOW. It's classy, but fun. White Night is my favourite. The crew clear the deckchairs, and set up tables around the pool area. Basically, you dress in white and attend the most amazing BBQ buffet with foods from all over, and enjoy live entertainment to dance the night away to. The next morning, the deckchairs are back out, ready for the day. There is also a theatre for live performances, piano in the bars, and a lounge/nightclub to dance the night away.

These are just some of the tables set up for the White Night event:

Azamara also offers cultural events, onboard and ashore, taking you away from the ship to discover the art, music and traditions in authentic destinations.

Shore excursions are not included, but again, you can use your onboard credit if you wish to book these. My husband and I tend to just get off the ship and potter around, finding the old-towns and finding the best spots - both tourist & off-the-beaten-track. We did book Cinque-Terre on this cruise, as it was somewhere we both really wanted to go.

There are also, numbers limited, local immersion excursions, where you can explore deeper into the lifestyles of local people, traditions & natural wonders, and share their cuisine.

I would literally recommend Azamara to anyone. I will shout about them all year long. They actually are AzAmazing!

We 100% are planning on another Azamara cruise. My husband has announced he doesn’t want to cruise with anyone else anymore, unless it’s a river cruise, which we’re hoping to do next year. I am getting the family on maybe a Celebrity, or Princess Cruise in a couple of years, but I haven’t told him that yet. He does like these cruise lines anyway, as his favourite of the larger ship cruise lines, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

If you would like to experience the pleasures of Azamara, then send me a message or give me a call - 0118 317 7070.