This was our second Azamara Cruise, so we knew what to expect. We had a night in Athens before joining the ship. We stayed at the Athens Diamond Plus Hotel which was very well located - about 5 minutes walk from Syntagma Square and 10 minutes walk from the Plaka and was very good value.
We got a taxi to Pireus at 11:15. Embarkation was a dream - there was no queue and we were on-board by 12:00 with the usual glass of sparkling wine in hand. Our previous cruise had been on the Journey, and the Quest is identical.
We had a wander round the ship, admiring the new sun-beds on the top deck and then went for lunch at the Pool Grill - our favourite spot for lunch. Our cabin was ready by 1:30, so we got unpacked straight away.
Very comfortable cabin, lovely bed, nice balcony and quite sheltered. Plenty of storage space, small but adequate bathroom. Very handy for the lifts.