The Ship and the SPA

 

Our ship the AZAMARA Journey is very comfortable and offers many activities, I went for a day at the SPA while we sailed the Baltic Sea towards Helsinki. The SPA was very nice, facial, massage with hot volcanic stones and manicure, nice feeling of relaxation. Never tried the hot stone massage and it was great.

The food on board is really exceptional, last night we had an Indian Buffet dinner, very good food, curry made to order, many classic dishes all made to perfection. I think the secret is that they make small quantities and simply replenish them, so your food is always fresh. They also have an Indian chef and the ingredients are authentic, no substitutes. Tonight its an Asian buffet, offering a variety of dishes from Asia. If you prefer more western fare they also have the main restaurant Discoveries which offers a standard menu of well known dishes and a menu du jour with changing fare each day, there is always a variety of sea food, beef, chicken and vegetarian dishes. If you have an allergy the Chef can prepare a menu for you, that is truly a bonus. They also have two other premium restaurants, one offers gourmet speciality dining with wine pairing and the other is a fish and seafood restaurant. Both are located on the top deck offering a great view of the sea all around. The ship has one Executive Chef and several others who appear to specialize in one cuisine.

The wine selection on board is remarkable and the house wines change everyday, again very good wines. There are also several lounges for music or reading or offering some presentation on a topic related to our trip. You can listen to piano or harp music performed by very good musicians. There is also a full orchestra and a guitarist.

Last night we went to one show of famous songs given by the cruise director, Erik de Gray from Morrisburg, Ontario. He is truly talented, he had the audience wrapped around his finger, he knew exactly what to say and how to make his show interesting. It was only one of 3 shows on board including a dance party. There is also a Casino on board but we have not been yet.

This company Azamara Cruises was recommended to us by friends who have cruised 7 times with Azamara. I am really impressed with the quality of everything on board. Be it the personnel, the food, the entertainment, the cabins and the public rooms. All is very clean, the crew is constantly polishing and cleaning. I also like the fact that there are few announcements on the PA system, so not to disturb the passengers. They have 2 stores selling various luxury products but again no aggressive sell techniques as is often the case on other cruise lines. Things are on offer but politely, so as not to intrude if people are not interested.

Being between the 56 and 60 parallel, the Sun does not set before very late in the evening. At 8PM the Sun is still high up in the sky and does not set before 10PM. This morning as we approached Helsinki, Finland, the Sun rose at 3.48 AM and will not set this evening before 10.58PM. It is quite strange to go to bed at night with the Sun still shining.