Welcome aboard Azamara Onward

Aboard the Azamara Onward, we embark on a 7-night France intensive cruise. We’ll start in our favorite city, Barcelona, heading to the south of France to Monte Carlo. On our route, we will call at the port cities of Port Vendres, Sete, Marseille, Nice, Ajaccio and Monte Carlo from Barcelona. The cruise ends in Monte Carlo this time, so we will not disembark in Barcelona again.

MS Azamara Onward

MS Azamara Onward has been part of Azamara Cruises since 2022 and is the newest ship in the fleet. However, the ship itself is not new, but over 20 years old and already sailed under the name R Three and Pacific Princess through the oceans. She was originally built in 1999 for Renaissance Cruises at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. She was then sold to Princess Cruises in 2002 and renamed to Pacific Princess. So it’s exciting to see how Azamara designed the ship. Because the Azamara Onward is not very large, it can enter smaller ports. Such small ports on this route include Sete and Port Vendres.

For check-in in Barcelona, we were able to do almost everything online. We picked a check-in time in advance for the port terminal and board between 13:00 -14:00. Currently, we also need a Covid antigen test for departure from Barcelona. We did this at the airport in Barcelona. Since these regulations change constantly, we will not write any more about this.

Shortly before 13:00 we reach the cruise terminal in Barcelona by cab. Check-in is quite quick and the first thing we do is board the ship and go to the safety drill before being allowed to go to our cabin or anywhere else. The safety drill takes place in small groups of 10-20 people in the lounge. As a welcome and to bridge the waiting time at the safety exercise, all guests get a glass of champagne. A nice start to the trip. After the safety exercise we are allowed to go to our cabin.

Our cabin on deck 7

We booked a balcony cabin on the port side on deck seven. It is a Club Veranda Stateroom, category V2, making it the most basic category among the balcony cabins on board. The cabin is about sixteen square meters and has a veranda of about four square meters.  Since deck six and deck eight are also cabin decks, the location is also quiet.

Our cabin is very nicely decorated in shades of gray, beige and white. Everything looks very classy and the gray-brown carpet fits perfectly with the style of the ship. The bed is a queen size and there is a 40″ flat screen TV opposite on the wall. Between the bed and the balcony is another nice little sitting area with a table across from the desk. There is a telephone on the desk and a hair dryer in one of the drawers.

In the entrance area of the cabin there is a closet with two doors and space to hang clothes. Next to it is another closet door with drawers and compartments, where the minibar is also located. In the minibar there are mineral water, white wine, sparkling wine and beer as well as soft drinks. The soft drinks are free of charge.

Of course there is also a safe. It is in the corner shelf next to the closet in front of the bed and unfortunately very small. An iPad does not fit in it. In the corner shelf there is also a compartment with water bottles (still water) and a small bottle of red wine. The still water is free and refilled every day.

The temperature in the cabin can be controlled by a thermostatically controlled air conditioner on the wall at the entrance. As is actually the case on all American ships, it was set a bit too cold for us at the beginning.

The USB ports under the reading lamps by the bed are practical. A luxury detail are the fresh flowers on the desk and there is even a free shoe shine service.

The bathroom is the only shortcoming in the cabin. It is unfortunately very small and in fact the smallest bathroom we have ever had at sea. In addition to the sink, there is a very narrow shelf on the right above the toilet, which also holds shower gel, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. Cosmetic wipes are also available. The shower is a small corner shower with shower curtain.

The balcony and breakfast service

Our balcony or veranda is about four square meters and has a special feature compared to many other ships. There is a real table and two armchairs. Here you can have your breakfast brought to your balcony in the morning. A great service that we use every sunny day before going ashore.

In-cabin breakfast service is complimentary aboard Azamara, and the selection is extensive. The menu is located in the desk. By one in the morning, you have to fill out the card with your preferences and hang it on the outside of the door. For example, there is a salmon plate, English breakfast, egg white omelet with vegetables or even steak. There are also various egg dishes, cereals, yogurt and fruit. In addition to coffee, tea and juices, there is even freshly squeezed orange juice. Delightful! One selects a 30-minute time slot between 06:30 and 10 for the service. If one wants to eat on the balcony, the table is also set. A first class service.

Conclusion

We really like the balcony cabin aboard the Azamara Onward. The design is really classy and the balcony is a fantastic place to have breakfast. The service of the cabin is really great and offers many extras. In the evening there are always two chocolates by the bed as a bedtime treat, the shoe service can be used at any time by ordering it by phone and the free still water and soft drinks make the cruise experience perfect. The only drawback is the bathroom, which is too small.