We sailed from Costa Rica through the Panama Canal and to Miami from Jan. 3, 2016 to January 13, 2016 on the Journey. After I booked the cruise last July, I found out that the ship would go into dry-dock for a multi-million dollar overhaul at the end of our cruise. I was kind of concerned about what condition we would find the ship to be in when we embarked, but it was clean, beautiful, and did not look in need of any kind of repair except the usual upkeep on a sea going vessel.

This was our ninth cruise, but our first on Azamara. We loved it. We were in a veranda cabin which was small, but the storage and the placement of everything was great. There was adequate storage for everything I took and I over-packed. Plenty of hangers, etc. The thing that stood out most of all was the crew and the service that we received. The captain, Johannes Tysse, was the most visible captain of any cruise we've been on. He was everywhere. He was friendly in a very low key way. The entertainment staff did a wonderful job. They were a very talented group led by Eric De Gray. I enjoyed all the shows we went to see. They had to change the show the last night because one of the dancers became ill and on short notice did a great job of revamping the presentation. No one would have known if they had not seen it before.

The young man in the internet cafe was kind, helpful, and very patient. Our cabin steward and his assistant, Earl and Wilvorn, were very efficient and totally unobtrusive. I wish I could remember some of the waiters names that went the extra mile to give good service. We ate in the specialty restaurants 3 times and MDR every night except those three. We ate at Windows for breakfast every morning and either the pool grill or Windows for lunch most days. Nearly all the waiters were courteous and very helpful. Read more