These are the highlights of our recent cruise (January 2011) in Asia with Azamara Quest. My wife and I are experienced cruisers, but this is the first time we have sailed on a smaller vessel, and I suspect that our experiences reflect this, at least to a certain degree.

Embarkation:

We met the ship in Hong Kong. Seeing as we arrived at 9:30PM local time, we just took a car to the shopping mall where the pier is located. Three minutes after arriving at the pier we were checking in at Guest Relations, and three minutes later were in our cabin. Ordered room service, which was very prompt and very good. Note - because of the visa paperwork in the countries this tour visits, Azamara retains your passport until the last sea day. This didn't bother us, as this used to be a common practice in Europe, but it might make some travelers uncomfortable. You needn't be - it's painless, and you don't need your passport for anything until you are actually set to leave the ship for good. Read more