Our top 10 highlights on board the Azamara Onward

On our first trip with Azamara Cruises in the Mediterranean, we spent 8 days exploring the French Riviera. Long mooring times in the ports make it possible to explore the cities intensively. There is also a great range of activities on board the Azamara Onward to immerse yourself even deeper in French culture or just to have a really good time. Our highlights on board include some of the special features, activities and culinary events on this voyage that we will always remember.

1. Long lay times

As already mentioned, a cruise on board the Azamara Onward offers the opportunity to get to know the destinations intensively due to the long layovers. In Sete we are in port from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., a real specialty. In Marseille, we are not only close to the city center, right by the Mucem and in front of Marseille Cathedral, but we are even available until 8 p.m. before departure. And we reach Nice again at 8 a.m. and stay there until 10 p.m. the next day. This allows us to get to know much more of the city and its culture than on any other cruise so far. In return, however, this means that you rarely experience a sunset at sea, but you can enjoy fantastic sunsets with a city background.

Azamara Onward in the port of Marseille

2. The Destination Celebration

There are Destination Celebrations on every Azamara voyage. The aim is to give guests a feel for the typical music or culture of the respective destinations. On our trip “France Intensive to the Destinations of the French Riviera”, the focus of the Destination Celebration in Sète was on traditional French music. Under the title “The fabulous world of traditional french bal musette”, French accordion players, singers, dancers and artists came on board. These included caricaturists and silhouette artists. Music by Edith Piaf, Yes Montand and Charles Trent was played live. The silhouette of the guests was cut out in silhouettes, also known as silhouettes. The caricaturists create a painted black and white picture to match the trip. For example, I get a wonderful caricature drawn of me with a boat in the background. The offer is free and wonderfully conveys the feeling of French joie de vivre. Joie de vivre! And to top it all off, in the evening there is a metal tin of genuine Zezette des Sete cookies – a regional specialty – in every cabin. Really a perfect ending and a beautiful memory of this port.

3. Swimming in the heated pool on deck in November

There is a pool on board in the middle of the Lido deck on deck 9. This is 1.65 m deep and heated. You can go swimming here even in cool temperatures. There are also two hot whirlpools. But the heated pool on deck made it possible for us to go swimming in the Mediterranean even in November in colder temperatures. Simply wonderful.

The pool deck

4. Halloween on board

Halloween is celebrated in the USA on the night of October 31st to November 1st every year. Our voyage takes place over Halloween, so we can even experience Halloween on board the Azamara Onward. This is an important and very popular event for the American guests on board and many are elaborately costumed. Many areas are beautifully decorated and the famous Azamara Halloween Buffet is set up in the Windows Café. Even the food is served in keeping with the Halloween theme. There is bread and cake in a variety of creepy shapes (spiders, cut-off fingers, monster faces and gravestones), cakes with brain matter, eyes and worms and much more. It was creepily delicious! To top it all off, there is a Halloween show in the theater in the evening, where the entire entertainment team dresses up and goes all out to Thriller. A theme party realized with great attention to detail and one of the most remarkable theme parties we have ever experienced on board.

5. Enjoy local specialties on board

We are moored in the port of Nice and in the afternoon we have plenty of oysters, a specialty of the French region, or rather from the Archipel de Thau. The Archipel de Thau borders directly on the beginning of the French Reviera and is still part of the Languedoc. The Thau lagoon is known for its oysters and mussels of particularly good quality and the oysters have a strongly serrated shell. The oysters were bought in Sete and served in Nice.

They are offered to all guests free of charge in the afternoon in the Living Room on deck 10 in two variations. Either plain with lemon and sauce or gratinated with cheese. A champagne special is also offered with the oysters. Champagne bottles are reduced by 10% and a glass of champagne costs 10 US dollars on offer.

French oysters in The Living Room

6. The Windows Café

Normally we prefer to go to the service restaurant in the evening, but on board the Azamara Onward the buffet in the Windows Café is excellent and there is the option of sitting outside on the terrace at the stern. Enjoying a meal on deck 9 with a view of the harbor or the sea is fabulous. We find it particularly beautiful in Marseille. The city center berth and the height of our seats on deck 9 provide a unique view of La Major Cathedral. Nice also has a real yacht feeling with a view of the Vieux Port. The buffet is very varied and there is a so-called destination dish every day. In other words, a specialty from the respective port region. In Nice, for example, there is Confit de Canard (duck legs cooked in their own lard) and in Marseille Sole Meunière (sole fillet Müllerin-style). So you can get to know authentic French cuisine on board.

The outdoor area of the Windows Café

7. Breakfast on the balcony

We love breakfast on the balcony of the cabin. There is nothing better than drinking your first coffee in the morning sun while watching the sea or the ship enter the harbor. At Azamara, breakfast on the balcony is of particularly high quality and free of charge. For example, there is a salmon plate, English breakfast, egg white omelette with vegetables or even steak. There are also various egg dishes, muesli, yogurt and fruit. And in addition to coffee, tea and juices, there is even freshly squeezed juice. You have to fill in the card with your wishes and hang it on the outside of the door until one in the morning. A 30-minute time slot between 06:30 and 10 a.m. is selected for the service. If you want to eat on the balcony, the table is also set with a white tablecloth. We think that’s a first-class service.

Breakfast on the balcony

8. White Night

We were particularly looking forward to the White Night. We love these evenings when everyone wears white and it’s so wonderfully festive yet casual on board. At Azamara, White Night usually includes a party on the pool deck. Unfortunately, it is rather cool and rainy on White Night in Nice, so everything takes place below deck. The party starts in the theater and continues later in the Living Room. A White Night Buffet and a White Night Champagne Special (20% discount on champagne bottles) round off the White Night culinary experience. The White Night buffet features local specialties such as French crêpes suzette and sushi. The first crepes are even prepared by the officers for entertainment (under expert supervision).

White Night Party preparations

9. The Living Room

At the bow of the ship on deck 10 is the bar “The Living Room” with a panoramic view of the sea. Various seating areas with comfortable armchairs invite you to linger. In the afternoons, for example, there is a great afternoon tea offer with filled bagels, croissants and a delicious selection of cakes. The oysters are also served in this beautiful lounge. There is a large dance floor in the middle of the Living Room, as there is live music here in the evenings. To starboard, behind a partition, there is even a card room with a large selection of games and to port, also behind a partition, some shelves with books to borrow.

The Living Room on deck 10

10. 24-hour cabin service

Not only is breakfast served in the cabin between 6:30 and 10 a.m., but you can also choose from a menu of dishes at lunchtime and in the evening and have them brought to you. This includes salads, club sandwiches, pizzas, pasta, steak and a selection of vegetarian dishes. We think that’s great because you can enjoy a few relaxing hours in the evening with a glass of wine and a sandwich on the balcony overlooking the city.

24-hour cabin service

These are our top 10 highlights on board the Azamara Onward on the voyage through the French Riviera. If you would like to know more about our cabin on board, you can find a lot more information in the blog post Welcome on board the Azamara Onward. Have fun reading!