The reluctant cruiser
Remember freezing April 2013? Well, I was in Barcelona preparing to board the Azamara Quest for a club cruise to Monaco – so there.
You might be aware that on occasion I’ve shown a reluctance to cruise. Readers with superior knowledge have written in to berate. But this was to be a cruise with a difference, featuring ‘destination immersion’ and an ‘AzAmazing’ evening, great innovations, apparently, which Azamara Club Cruises was pleased to be launching.
The Azamara Quest is a mid-sized boat with capacity for 690 passengers. From the quay it resembles a block of flats, but within it is an English country house or indeed the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York, the actual inspiration for the comfortable, tasteful decor.
The first impression was: staff. Everywhere. Check-in, which, I hear, can be slow on many cruises, was very wellmanaged. We were able to leave our bags and wander Barcelona until departure time. Once actually on board, there was staff at every turn, mercifully free of any artificial, scripted manner.
Then food: well, it was dark and we were at sea. On the first night, my companion Val and I upgraded, for a modest fee, to Prime C, a silver-service steak house with cream sauces. Otherwise you could try Aqualina, a Marie-Antoinette boudoir type of place.
On a lower deck was the main restaurant (no supplement), which we never had the wit to get into, so packed was it. Windows Café was self-service, although massively staffed, and offered all known foods, as far as I could see. A formidable dame from Chicago (‘All these cruise companies say they’re doing something different,’ she growled) declared the fare to be a cut above other cruise ships.
Next day was the day of the AzAmazing evening. We docked early at the French fishing port of Sète. This is the ‘destination immersion’ of which Azamara boasts. We were to be there all day, not just a few hours as on many cruises. Sète has a sea-water canal running through the middle of it so is compared to Venice. It has unspoilt charm and is off the beaten track. Val and I spent an engaging hour in the dramatic, cliffside graveyard where the French poet, essayist and philosopher Paul Valèry is buried.
Then came the AzAmazing evening. This was only the second such evening the cruise company had staged. The aim is to provide a ‘bespoke’, ‘authentic’ and ‘exclusive’ experience, free of charge. At Sète it was to be water jousting, followed by a local food fair on the quayside. Despite the less than clement weather, cruisers packed in for the show, which began with a terrifying drum roll. Two white-and-gold boats were about to be rowed violently towards each other. Water jousting is an ancient tradition of Sète. Each boat has a raised platform at the back on which stands a man with a long pole. These two attempt to biff each other into the water as they pass. Of course our captain had a go and lasted about three seconds. This bizarre sport captivated everybody. ‘You don’t see anything like that in New York,’ purred a woman swathed in black wool. The food fair was delightful – exquisite eats to try and wines, too.
After that we enjoyed day-long stops at Marseilles, Cannes and St Tropez, and on to Monaco. We heard nothing but praise from fellow passengers. This particular journey will not be repeated, so if this way of cruising appeals you should look online or phone to see what Azamara offers for the future in their two boats that go all over the world.
An eight-night European cruise, which includes flights, food and drink and an AzAmazing evening, start from £1,982. Azamara Club Cruises: 0844-493 4016, www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk
You might be aware that on occasion I’ve shown a reluctance to cruise. Readers with superior knowledge have written in to berate. But this was to be a cruise with a difference, featuring ‘destination immersion’ and an ‘AzAmazing’ evening, great innovations, apparently, which Azamara Club Cruises was pleased to be launching.
The Azamara Quest is a mid-sized boat with capacity for 690 passengers. From the quay it resembles a block of flats, but within it is an English country house or indeed the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York, the actual inspiration for the comfortable, tasteful decor.
The first impression was: staff. Everywhere. Check-in, which, I hear, can be slow on many cruises, was very wellmanaged. We were able to leave our bags and wander Barcelona until departure time. Once actually on board, there was staff at every turn, mercifully free of any artificial, scripted manner.
Then food: well, it was dark and we were at sea. On the first night, my companion Val and I upgraded, for a modest fee, to Prime C, a silver-service steak house with cream sauces. Otherwise you could try Aqualina, a Marie-Antoinette boudoir type of place.
On a lower deck was the main restaurant (no supplement), which we never had the wit to get into, so packed was it. Windows Café was self-service, although massively staffed, and offered all known foods, as far as I could see. A formidable dame from Chicago (‘All these cruise companies say they’re doing something different,’ she growled) declared the fare to be a cut above other cruise ships.
Next day was the day of the AzAmazing evening. We docked early at the French fishing port of Sète. This is the ‘destination immersion’ of which Azamara boasts. We were to be there all day, not just a few hours as on many cruises. Sète has a sea-water canal running through the middle of it so is compared to Venice. It has unspoilt charm and is off the beaten track. Val and I spent an engaging hour in the dramatic, cliffside graveyard where the French poet, essayist and philosopher Paul Valèry is buried.
Then came the AzAmazing evening. This was only the second such evening the cruise company had staged. The aim is to provide a ‘bespoke’, ‘authentic’ and ‘exclusive’ experience, free of charge. At Sète it was to be water jousting, followed by a local food fair on the quayside. Despite the less than clement weather, cruisers packed in for the show, which began with a terrifying drum roll. Two white-and-gold boats were about to be rowed violently towards each other. Water jousting is an ancient tradition of Sète. Each boat has a raised platform at the back on which stands a man with a long pole. These two attempt to biff each other into the water as they pass. Of course our captain had a go and lasted about three seconds. This bizarre sport captivated everybody. ‘You don’t see anything like that in New York,’ purred a woman swathed in black wool. The food fair was delightful – exquisite eats to try and wines, too.
After that we enjoyed day-long stops at Marseilles, Cannes and St Tropez, and on to Monaco. We heard nothing but praise from fellow passengers. This particular journey will not be repeated, so if this way of cruising appeals you should look online or phone to see what Azamara offers for the future in their two boats that go all over the world.
An eight-night European cruise, which includes flights, food and drink and an AzAmazing evening, start from £1,982. Azamara Club Cruises: 0844-493 4016, www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk