5 Things That Surprised Us About Azamara (And a Few More We Couldn't Leave Out)
We put Azamara on The Alaska Shortlist because we believed in what they'd built. Then we sailed it ourselves. Here's what we didn't see coming.
We've been recommending Azamara to clients for a while now. We knew the philosophy - destination immersion, longer port stays, smaller ship, genuine service. We'd done the research. We'd read the reviews. We'd heard from our clients who sailed Azamara in Portugal and came back raving.
And then we sailed it ourselves through Alaska.
Here's what genuinely surprised us - and what we think more people should know before they book.
1. The Entertainment Is a Sleeper Hit
Nobody talks about Azamara's entertainment. Azamara doesn't really talk about Azamara's entertainment. And that might be the biggest missed opportunity in their marketing, because what's happening on that stage is genuinely extraordinary.
Every performer on the Pursuit has a musical theater education. They have all performed on Broadway or in the West End. The shows are created in collaboration with Broadway producers, writers, and choreographers - the cast actually traveled to New York to study and develop the productions with them.
This is not cruise ship entertainment in the way most people picture it. This is a full Broadway-caliber, immersive production happening on a tiny stage on a ship in the middle of the Inside Passage.
Our group came back from the shows genuinely stunned. Nobody had expected it. Nobody had been told to expect it. That's exactly what makes it such a sleeper hit - and exactly why we're telling you now.
2. The All-Inclusive Is Actually All-Inclusive
We knew Azamara included drinks. What we didn't fully appreciate until we were on the ship is what that actually feels like in practice.
They were waiting for us with drinks when we came back from port. Champagne was flowing freely on embarkation day - not one glass, not a token pour, but genuinely flowing. On our AzAmazing Evening, there were special drinks created for the occasion. On glacier day at Hubbard, they were serving warm, boozy drinks to take the edge off the cold while we stood at the railing.
I could order an oat milk latte before breakfast, then again after breakfast, and then again at 11am if I wanted to (and I did!) and they would make it with a smile.
At dinner, they kept everyone topped up. Not "would you like another?" in a way that feels like an upsell. Just - topped up. Present. Attentive. Because it's included and everyone knows it, the whole dynamic around food and drink changes. You stop calculating. You stop thinking about what things cost. You just enjoy.
3. The Officers Were Everywhere - In the Best Way
On most cruise ships, officers are a glimpse. You might see the captain at a distance. You probably won't have a real conversation with anyone above a certain rank.
On the Pursuit, it was completely different.
At White Night - Azamara's legendary outdoor deck party - enior officers donned aprons and worked the grill alongside the crew, serving meats, seafood, and made-to-order crêpes suzette directly to guests. At the Officers' BBQ, they ran the carving stations themselves. These weren't cameo appearances. They were sleeves-rolled-up, actually-serving-you moments that set the tone for the entire sailing.
And beyond the events, the officers were simply present — in the dining rooms, on deck, at evening gatherings. Eric, our Cruise Director, ran events with an energy and warmth that set the tone for the whole sailing. The officers' presence wasn't ceremonial - it was cultural. It said something about what kind of ship this is and how seriously they take the experience they're delivering.
4. There Was Always Somewhere to Sit
This one came from S. and J. - a couple in our group who had previously sailed on Carnival and Princess. They mentioned it early in the trip and it stuck with us.
On larger ships, seating is a competition. You have to actively work to find a spot in the spaces where you actually want to relax - because there aren't enough of them, and the ones that exist are usually already taken. It becomes a low-level source of stress that you don't even notice until it's gone.
On the Pursuit, there was always somewhere to sit. Comfortable, well-designed spaces with cozy chairs that invited you to stay. Outdoor deck space that didn't feel like a scramble. Lounges that felt genuinely relaxing rather than overflow areas.
It sounds like a small thing. It isn't. When you never have to think about where you're going to sit, something relaxes in you. The ship starts to feel like it actually belongs to you.
5. The Service Lives Up to Its Reputation - And Then Some
Azamara has a well-earned reputation for exceptional service. We thought we understood what that meant. We didn't, quite - not until we were on the ship.
L.D. - one of the sailors in our group - was sitting on the pool deck one evening and mentioned, casually, to someone nearby that he was craving a cheesesteak. Not on the menu. Not something anyone would reasonably expect a ship to produce. A crew member overheard him, went to the kitchen, and came back with a steak and baked potato. Not exactly what he'd described — but delicious, and completely unsolicited.
He was blown away. So were we when he told us.
Our room steward, Dyna, was the steady presence that made our stateroom feel like home. She was there to open the door when we came back from port with our hands full. She put our champagne on ice before special evenings without being asked. She brought everything we needed - including a cake - to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday on our balcony.
That's their culture. And you feel the difference immediately.
And a Few More Things We Couldn't Leave Out ...
The returning cruiser rate is remarkable. On one of the first nights of the sailing, our Cruise Director Eric asked how many guests were returning Azamara cruisers. We were genuinely shocked at the number of hands that went up - roughly 60% of the ship. When we asked people why they kept coming back, the answers were consistent: the service, the destinations, the feeling of being genuinely taken care of. Repeat customers at that rate don't happen by accident.
The social atmosphere is unlike anything we've experienced on a larger ship. Because the Pursuit carries fewer than 700 guests, you see the same people over and over. In the corridors, at meals, in port. It creates a genuine sense of community that's almost impossible to manufacture on a mega-ship. People got to know each other. Our group became part of the fabric of the sailing in a way that felt natural rather than forced. We heard constantly from other guests that they'd met "so and so" from our group - and loved them.
The ship can go places others can't. The Pursuit is small enough to sail the ferry passages of the Inside Passage, tucked between towering fjord walls that dwarf it completely. At Hubbard Glacier, our captain worked to navigate as close to the glacier face as safely possible - within three miles - and then slowly spun the ship so that every guest, regardless of which side of the vessel they were on, had a full view. That took extra time. He did it anyway.
The Bottom Line
We put Azamara on The Alaska Shortlist before we ever set foot on the ship, because the philosophy made sense and the reputation was strong. We came back from our sailing more convinced than ever - and with firsthand stories we couldn't have written until we'd lived them.
If Alaska is on your radar, the Azamara Pursuit is one of three sailings on our curated Alaska Shortlist - and it's one we now know and love from firsthand experience.
View The Alaska Shortlist → or reach out directly to talk through whether Azamara is the right fit for the way you travel.
