As the first ship in Celebrity Cruises' new premium-class, exploratory brand—which the company calls Azamara Cruises—the Azamara Journey offers an old-fashioned cruise experience that elevates good taste over trendy gimmicks. No rock-climbing walls or surfing simulators here. Instead, you get a jazz band by the pool, butler service in your cabin, and low-key, offbeat activities, all aboard an intimate midsize vessel.
Journey was built in France in 2000 as the R6, one of eight identical vessels launched by now-defunct Renaissance Cruises. After that company folded in 2001, the ship sailed as Blue Dream for Spanish cruise line Pullmantur, then came to Azamara after Celebrity parent company Royal Caribbean bought the Spanish line in late 2006. In preparation for her relaunch, Celebrity sunk some $19 million into a major refurbishment.
Measuring out at 30,277 gross register tons, Azamara Journey makes a typical cruising speed of 18.5 knots, and can carry 710 passengers at double occupancy (and 764 with all extra berths filled). She is registered in Malta, her officers are primarily Greek, and she has a diverse, international crew.
Azamara Journey's world-ranging itineraries are generally cruised by American and international passengers, many hailing from Europe. Passengers are typically age 45 and up, though Journey's longer itineraries and generally quiet onboard ambience will probably draw cruisers at the higher end of the age range. Few families sail aboard, and there is no children's program. Smoking regulations are very stringent: Smoking is permitted in only two small areas of the nightclub and pool deck. Onboard announcements are in English.
In her first full year of operation, Azamara Journey is offering itineraries around the globe, with sailings to South America, Antarctica, the Mediterranean and Adriatic, the U.K. and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Most other ships offering such a wide range of itineraries are in the luxury category, and priced far higher than Journey. An onboard expert helps guests pick excursions matched to their personal interests, and offers other information about ports of call.
Journey herself is a near perfect-sized vessel for many passengers: small enough that it's never too far from one place to another, yet large enough to provide variety on long itineraries. On Deck 9, the pool deck offers a smallish pool and two hot tubs, plus scores of heavy wooden deck chairs—so many that on sunny days the deck can be wall-to-wall crowded. A third hot tub is located all the way forward, on a small sun deck just outside the ship's lovely spa. A beauty salon, acupuncture clinic, a small Internet center, and a small conference room are next door, along with a gym that, while not overlarge, is adequate for the number of passengers on board. One deck up, the Looking Glass is a combined observation deck, disco, and events room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an airy decor accentuated by hand-blown glass artwork. Farther back on this deck, Michael's Club is a combination library and piano lounge, decorated like a stately gentlemen's club. A genteel afternoon tea is served here daily. The remainder of the ship's public rooms are on Deck 5. All the way forward, the cabaret is a one-deck show lounge that presents floor shows nightly, featuring small-scale production shows, comedians, magicians, and other acts through the course of a trip. At midships, the vessel's relatively large casino has a big-screen TV in one corner for sporting events. Two small, understated shops (one stocked with everyday items and logo-wear, the other with luxe items) separate this area from the quiet Cova Cafe, where you can get extra-cost specialty coffee drinks and teas 18 hours a day, plus free tea sandwiches, cookies and other snacks. A harpist and a pianist perform solo sets here at different times of the day, and the ship's jazz band occasionally does an after-hours gig around the piano.
When hunger strikes, Azamara Journey offers five dining options. The main restaurant on deck 5 has a country club feel, with dark-wood paneling, understated upholstery, and Romanesque paintings on the walls and ceiling. Five-course menus offer a sort of modern-traditional cuisine, featuring dishes like New York strip steak, South African white fish with toasted quinoa, Iowa pork chops, and fettuccini alfredo. Up on Deck 10, two specialty restaurants sit side by side in the stern. To starboard, Prime C is a classic steakhouse with hardwood floors, dark wall paneling, and a choice of steaks, chops and "other," including roasted chicken, seafood papardelle, and grilled tuna. To port, Aqualina serves a menu of Mediterranean-influenced American cuisine like sea bass and rock lobster thermidor. All passengers are entitled to one free meal in one of the specialty restaurants (two for suite passengers), and can make reservations for further meals at a rate of $25 per person. On Deck 9, Windows Cafe is a standard buffet restaurant with a few non-standard touches, including a fresh juice bar at breakfast and a self-serve sushi station and waiter-served casual dining option at dinner. Out on deck, the pool grill offers the standards (burgers, hot dogs, pizza) and the not-so-standard (seafood shish kabobs, hot pretzels, gyros). Overall, the quality of food aboard is excellent—especially in the specialty restaurants, where the level of service jumps a notch higher as well.
As aboard all the former Renaissance ships, there are few different cabin configurations to choose from. Most are standard 158- to 175-sq-ft inside, oceanview, and oceanview balcony cabins, each with two lower beds convertible to queen size. Appointment include a sitting area with a sofa bed and small table, a flat-screen TV, a mini-fridge, a writing desk, and an easy-on-the-eye decor of off-white walls accented with wood tones and blue-and-gold upholstery. Suites range from the 266-sq-ft Sky Suite to the 560-sq-ft penthouse suite, the former with a 60-sq-ft balcony, DVD and CD player, and bath with tub. Royal Suites and Penthouse Suites have separate living rooms and bedrooms, balconies that measure 105 and 233 sq ft, master baths with whirlpool tub and shower, and a guest bath. Views from 18 midship cabins on Deck 6 are obstructed by lifeboats.
Overall, Azamara Journey is a near-ideal ship for her type of longer, semi-exploratory itineraries, marrying touches of luxury with enough of the mainstream to keep things lively. As the line develops its own personality over the coming years, expect the product to just get better.
