We had never sailed on Azamara Cruise lines before and I was looking at a way to get back to North America without Flying.  Using Vacationstogo.com, I found out that the Azamara Quest was sailing from San Antonio Chile to Panama City. I was able to adjust our easter Island trip to line-up with the cruise and we jumped on-board.  This was a small ship holding only about 700 passengers.  Our sailing had 488 total staff with almost 400 crew.  This was a huge difference from our two weeks on the 7,500 passenger Icon of the Seas in January.

I booked this about a year ago and it was not cheap.  $5,500 for an Oceanview cabin for 13 nights.  It did include drinks and tips but not internet.  Odd for an upscale line.  We did have $1,150 of OBC included.  $550 of which was refundable.  They also required final payment six months prior to sailing.  This was very unusual, since on other cruise lines final payment isn’t required until 60 to 120 days out.  I took that as a sign that this company is not in great shape financially.  Immediately, after the final payment date, the cruise cost dropped by about $2,000 and I complained.  They did upgrade us to a balcony but that was it.

Prior to the cruise, I booked an internet package and an expensive shore excursion ($600 to fly over the Nazca Lines in Peru).  That left $325 of OBC which should have been refundable.  When we got on board, I learned that they had used all the refundable credit instead on the non-refundable.  They said I paid a discounted rate for the tour and wouldn’t change it.  This pissed me off and I let them know that. 

Generally, the crew were fine but I generally was not impressed.  Many of the crew were not friendly and didn’t seem to go out of their way to provide service.  I got yelled at a couple of times😊 I thought the guest relations staff were particularly rude.  If you went to the counter they rarely looked up from whatever they were doing on their computers.  I am use to major cruise lines and am usually very happy with the staff.  The wines were OK but not great and the selection without paying extra was very poor.  The entertainment staff was utilized to do trivia and other activities. The Cruise Director and activity staff also performed as part of the nightly entertainment.  This was real bare-bones!

The buffet was small, cramped, was not replenished frequently and closed at 8:30.  The dining room was good but not exceptional.  The grill on deck was by far our favorite.  The hours for food service were very limited.  The staff also wouldn’t just give you a can of soda or beer.  Everything had to be opened and poured.  This was very awkward.   The pizza was just terrible!  A saving grace was that room service was available and very good.  For those who like to eat late, like us, nothing was available after 9:00 except room service. 

The ship itself was 25 years old and was showing its age.  Generally, it was in decent shape, and clean but there were obvious issues. 

Azamara does do some things very well.  In particular, The Azamazing night, and the white night party.  The Azamazing Evening for us was in Arica Chile and involved local dance teams performing the dances which won them awards at their annual Carnival (Fat Tuesday).  The dancers put on a great show and guests had the opportunity to join it.  Also, when we returned to the ship, we were met on the dock by the crew handing out Champaigne….very well done.  Likewise, the white night party on the deck involved live music, with lots of drinks and food (again this was over by 9:00).

We docked primarily in Container Ports and Azamara provided free transportation into the cities.  This was particularly impressive in Lima.  The cruise line provided a free 45-minute shuttle into the primary tourist area in the city. 

We stopped at 5 ports enroute to Panama City.  Coquimbo, Iquique and Arica Chile along with Pisco and Lima, Peru. 

At Coquimbo Chile, we docked right downtown and could walk to the fish market and English Quarter.  The town itself was not very impressive.  It sat along the coast in the Atacama Desert (the driest, non-polar, desert in the world).  The highlight here was the Third Millenium Cross, which was a large cross located on a hill above the city.  We used Ubers to get around which were extremely cheap and safe.  We met one young lady (driver) who was excited to drive us around since she had never had a foreigner in her car.  Overall, we felt that this was the least attractive of the city’s we visited.

Iquique Chili was next.  It was another desert city with massive sand dunes surrounding it.   This was more of a resort town with people hanging out on the beach or sliding down the massive sand dunes.  We were in a container port, but Azamara provided a shuttle to the town center.  Here there was a large pedestrian walkway down to the beach where it connected with a walkway along the ocean. 

Our last stop in Chile was another desert resort town, Arica.  Here we took a shuttle from the container port to the gate which was the center of the town.  The ship docked just below a massive rock with a fort located on top.  Here we grabbed an Uber to get to the top of the rock and walked down.  This was another great town…well worth exploring.

We sailed out of Chile into Peru but not out of the massive desert.  Our next stop was Pisco.  This was the home of the national drink and a jumping off point for the Nazca Lines.  These lines are 2,000 years old and only visible from the air.  I took the 2 hour flight while Reva hung out at the ship.  Here the container port was located in the middle of nowhere about 40 minutes from town.  There was a beach town, Paracas, about 20 minutes away.  Azama provided free transportation to this beach resort which was quite nice.

The next day we arrived for an overnight In Callao (Lima), Peru.  Here we were in a massive container port.  We had spent several days previously in Lima and had seen all the tourist attractions.  Azara provided a 45-minute shuttle to Miraflores, which is a very nice and safe area of the city along the coast.  We spent time there walking and revisiting come of the sites.

The last port was at Panama City.  We had an overnight here and took the opportunity to visit the rainforest (I had $325 of OBC I had to use).  This was an overpriced shore excursion, but it was better than forfeiting the funds.

Overall, the cruise was great primarily due to the opportunity to get to new and interesting ports.  That said, I din’t think much of Azamara cruise lines and probably won’t book them again ….. unless it’s a great deal at a great location.  I certainly will never book a cruise with them outside of their final payment date. Even today, I see them discounting cruises by 85 percent for cruises leaving in the next few weeks.

Frankly, I can’t see this company making it long-term.  It’s too expensive and they seem to be gasping for money.  It reminded me of walking around an old hotel and somewhat of Pullmantur Cruise line before it went out of business.  Buyer beware!