Emerald Azzurra Caribbean cruise review
Itinerary:
Our week long Barbados roundtrip Emerald Yacht cruise, ‘The Grenadines and Granada Adventure’, with stops at Bequia, Saint Vincent and numerous little islands on the archipelago between Saint Vincent and Grenada. There was a real mix of ports, the largest being Kingston in Saint Vincent and the smallest being our excursion to Mopion island, a sand spit off the Coast of Union Island with only a single grass parasol on it.
With only a short distance to cover in between each stop we tended to sail for a couple of hours either in the evening or first thing in the morning to reach our next destination. Being such a small ship the Captain was able to make a final decision depending on weather conditions, either deciding to stay put for the night in the bay we had spent the day in or moving to our next destination and staying there overnight. At most destinations there was at least one included shore excursion with options like a panoramic bus trip around the island, a catamaran and snorkelling tour or a visit to botanical gardens. In some ports there was the option to pay for an extra cost excursion and though they were not included in the fare we found these to be very reasonably priced and enjoyed the variety that they offered.
However, most of the places we visited we simply landed on a beach to relax in the Caribbean sun, swim in the sea, snorkel with the fish and take out the marine toys brought over from the ship. One such day was a beach day at Mayreau island with a beach bar and bbq with entertainment from a local steel band. There were also electric bikes on board which were free to use (you just have to book them out) and whilst we only had one chance to use them on this itinerary (all of the other stops required a tender or zodiac to get ashore) we can see how these would be great fun in some destinations.
Accommodation:
With 50 all suite accommodation the ships capacity is only 100 with most suites having balconies being the same category of ‘veranda suite’. There are half a dozen ocean view suites located on deck 3 and half a dozen larger suites with large private balconies, the 2 owners suites at the front and the 2 Yacht suites at the aft. The suites are located mostly on decks 4 and 5 with four suites at the front of deck 6. Decorated in a similar fashion to the river ships with lots of glossy surfaces in whites, beiges and greys there were plenty of multiway sockets and charging points. We loved some of the unusual design quirks, including the fact that there are no bedside tables, instead there is a shelf that runs along the top of the bed and two shelves set into the wall beside the bed. We had thought this might prove a bit annoying but actually we found the shelf above our heads really useful and didn’t miss having a bedside table at all!
Dining:
There were two options for dining on board, the main Cucina restaurant on deck three and the Aqua Pool grill which is situated behind the infinity pool on deck six, as well as the option for in suite dining for dinner and breakfast. For breakfast the Aqua pool offered a simple continental option but most guests chose to go to the Cucina restaurant which had a wide variety of self service buffet options as well as hot dishes to order, such as pancakes, eggs to order and omelettes.
At lunchtime Cucina offered a large self service buffet served with a choice of soft drinks, wine and beer. We loved that the service area was large and spacious so there were never people crowding around it or squeezing passed each other. We also enjoyed lunch up at the Aqua pool where there was a choice of flatbreads and burgers available to order, as well as a small selection of desserts and ice cream, with snacks and sandwiches available here throughout the afternoon.
Dinner was open seating served from 7pm to 9pm in Cucina restaurant offering an a la carte menu served with wine, beer or soft drinks. With plenty of seating to accomodate all guests there were a range of different table sizes in the main restaurant, including some cafe style seating, as well as the option to eat al fresco on the large outside terrace. The menu included an ‘always available’ range of staple dishes as well as a daily changing menu with a choice from a couple of starters and soups, a choice of three main courses and desserts, with a weighty focus on ice cream.
Overall we found the food to be on par with the quality and variety that would be found on an Emerald river cruise. With it being a smaller ship the choice and variety are understandably a little more limited than you would find on some other luxury ships, we always very much enjoyed our meals, with a special mention to Head Chef Paul who dealt our party’s individual dietary requirements very well indeed.
Entertainment:
Entertainment was quite low key with only one ‘entertainer’ on board, the fabulous Katie who played her guitar and sung most evenings, pre and post dinner, in the Amici lounge, the sole entertainment venue on the ship. Entertainment was organised by our fabulous Entertainment Host Dean, who hosted a couple of quiz nights as well as daily trivia in the late afternoon, a deck party disco and a his very own mini-show.
The Amici lounge was also used as the meeting place for the tours and had a self service drinks station complete with a range of hot and cold refreshments and cookies available all day long, as well as a fully stocked bar with drinks to purchase outside of meal times.
The other bar options were the Aqua pool bar, open all day long for refreshments while sitting round the pool, and the lovely Sky bar up on deck seven, where Aaron was always waiting to serve drinks during the afternoon and after dinner until late into the night - perfect for our warm Caribbean cruise.
Public areas:
The two upper pool decks were lovely for the size of ship with a small infinity pool on deck six and a large hot tub on deck seven, both surrounded by lovely seating with a variety of comfortable sofas, day beds and loungers, with some seating in the shade which we like.
The small observation lounge at the front of deck four housed books, games and puzzles and some very comfortable seating to lounge in and take in the views as the ship sailed along. At the front of this lounge was a large outside deck used for local performances (we had two during our week long cruise) as well as daily complimentary open air yoga.
Down on deck 2 a small spa with a couple of treatment rooms, a small but quite well equipped gym and an innovative infra-red sauna all free to use, the gym was open 24 hours a day with the spa being managed from 8am.
At the back of the ship on deck 2 (accessed from the Cucina restaurant outside terrace) is the marina deck, used for zodiac transfers and for deploying the water toys if the conditions are right. The ship carries paddle boards, kayaks, bobcats, a trampoline and other water accessories for swimming off of the back of the ship. When the ship stopped somewhere where these could be used from the shore, the crew move them over to the beach for guests to use while ashore.
The main reception area located between the Cucina lounge and restaurant and was manned 24 hours a day and is the first place you will see when you get on board, with a very small shop located behind it. The ship has an open bridge policy with guests able to visit the bridge any time night or day to see the officers as they navigated us through the Caribbean.
Overall impressions:
Positives:
The Crew - with so few guests on board the crew got to know us very quickly and nothing was ever too much trouble for any of them. We never gave our room number when ordering drinks, visiting the reception desk, getting on or off the ship etc, they just seemed to know who everyone was and which room they were in.
For guests familiar with Emerald river cruises they will like that the DNA of the river ships has been translated to these ships very well indeed.
The ship had a quiet, informal vibe to it and felt very homely, we particularly loved all of the comfortable outdoor seating options.
We loved sailing the Caribbean in this size of the ship which meant that it could visit ports that the bigger ships just can’t.
We loved that the Captain and senior officers were regularly spotted around the ship and seemed to love chatting with the guests. When we were on board the Captain had his daughter sailing with him and she was equally as lovely as him, and they regularly joined in with the on board activities and trivia.
Wi-Fi is free for all guests and was fast and stable (not sure if it was Starlink but it was good enough for using social media and streaming videos on YouTube)
Negatives:
Whilst it’s a lovely ship we would describe it as premium plus rather than luxury, which is probably where it sits most comfortably, with its bigger sisters, the Scenic yachts, targeting the ultra luxury market.
Obviously, dining and entertainment options are more limited than on a larger ship, so if you like to have a choice of dining venues and a variety of entertainment then such a small ship may not suit you.
Not so much a negative as a word of warning - the ship does move quite a bit even on relatively smooth seas, so if this bothers you then maybe think again.
Thank you to our preferred travel partners Panache Cruises and Emerald Cruises who hosted us on this week long cruise. Emerald Cruises covered the cost of our cruise excluding pre and post cruise travel and air fares which were paid for by us. Neither Emerald Cruises or Panache Cruises had any editorial control over any of our content, either before, during our after our voyage.
If you enjoyed this blog why not take a look at some of our other blogs, such as Our week in the Caribbean on board Ponant or Emerald Radiance Douro river cruise review.
If you are interested in booking a cruise with these or any other luxury cruise lines then we would recommend contacting a connoisseur at our trusted cruise partners Panache cruises - please make sure you tell them you have been referred by Visit With Us or Rich & Helen so they can add you to our exclusive list for future benefits and incentives.
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