Directly out of the ship yard after 35 million dollars in refurbishments, I had the opportunity to sail for two nights on this latest addition to the Azamara fleet. For those of you unfamiliar with the Azamara brand it is part of the RCCL and Celebrity fleet being operated by Celebrity. Azamara is being positioned as a super premium brand to compete with Oceania Cruise Lines.

The Quest is a former R series ship built by the former Renaissance Cruise Line. In difference to the mega builds in RCCL’s and Celebrity’s order book this ship and her sister Azamara Journey have a capacity of 694 guests in mostly outside cabins and suites. These ships offer a new size for groups looking to charter a "small" but, less than a luxury ship, both in terms of cost and product delivery.

The standard ocean view staterooms are a bit small by today’s standards at 175 sq ft/16.3 sq m plus a 40 sq ft/3.7 sq m veranda. All cabins have totally been redone with a great décor and of course the almost mandatory Euro bedding package of pillow top mattress and fine linens. By the way the bath towel is not only fluffy but huge, no stealing these beauties. In addition there are three levels of suites on the ship ranging from 266 sq ft/24.7 m to 560 sq ft/52 sq m.

All staterooms come with Butler service but not quite the same Butler service you find on a luxury ship. On Azamara the Butler assists with shore excursions and dinner reservations and also assists in keeping your room in tip top shape. All staterooms are non-smoking as well as is most of the rest of the ship. Staterooms and suites have flat screen TVs, stocked mini bars, safes and the other standard features you would expect.

The entire décor package of the ship has been modernized and quite frankly looks better than new. The ship has a rich, warm, contemporary feeling to it that will be appreciated by most any guest. The major structure/room change was in the Looking Glass lounge area. Before its transformation the area was a cut up mix of a room, it is now a big open observation type lounge which becomes the evening focal point on the ship and is very well done.

Dining on the ship consists of 5 options. The opening seating main dining room which is a traditional silver service restaurant and the open seating Windows Café which is buffet style for all three meals.  The Pool Grill which is a casual outside BBQ arrangement and the additional charge Prime C Steakhouse and Aqualina Italian restaurant. While only having the opportunity to sample the main dining room and Windows Café I can say that the food was a step above recent dining experiences on both RCCL and Celebrity but certainly not on the level of true luxury lines.

The ship offers all of the amenities of a much larger ship but just on a smaller scale to compliment her 694 passengers. The deck space around the pool is large for a ship of this size and has the best deck furniture I have seen on any cruise line, a real plus. For spa lovers you’ll find a redesigned and elegant spa with all of the treatment rooms needed for this size vessel.

Considering the ship had just sailed out of the ship yard on a transatlantic cruise and then embarked her first passengers I can say how impressed I was by the condition and readiness of the ship as well as with the outstanding service. If this is any indication of the direction of the company I would say they’ll have a real winner here. Crew and service will also over come short comings on any ship.

Entertainment is limited due to the small size and the layout of Cabaret Lounge. It is hard to say what they’ll come up with to fit this cozy venue in the long run. There are pianos in both Looking Glass and Discover Lounges next to the main dining room.

Now the bad news. Azamara is actively looking for charters as these ships will be doing longer itineraries so group space will be limited to itineraries of 10 or more nights. In order to charter the ship you need to be thinking two years in the future. The ships will be cruising all over the place so we’ll have many new options for a ship of this size but again, plan well in advance.