This was our first time cruising. We’d heard plenty about the floating-cities of the sea — the mega-ships with waterslides, shopping malls and 3,000 new friends you didn’t ask for — and decided that probably wasn’t our scene. We still might give one of those behemoths a go someday, but as first-time cruisers, we wanted something smaller. Fewer queues. More personal touches. More time in port to actually experience the destinations rather than just wave to them from the balcony.
Our logic was simple: we wanted to see a string of Mediterranean favourites without the constant pack–unpack–lug–repeat routine. A cruise sounded like the perfect lazy efficiency: someone else drives, someone else cooks, and all you have to do is show up on time and enjoy all the offerings.
After much research, talking to travel agents and reading the reviews, we chose Azamara – specifically the Azamara Quest, a medium-sized ship carrying just under 600 guests. Reviews were good, inclusions solid, and overall the brand positioned itself as comfortably mid-range: not bargain basement cheap and cheerful (pass another blue cocktail please), but not overly luxurious and over-the-top. Just right.
We joined the 12-night “Best of the Mediterranean” cruise, departing Athens and finishing in Barcelona.
The Itinerary
• Piraeus (Athens) – departure
• Ephesus, Turkey
• Santorini, Greece – but diverted to Patmos, as the chairlift to the main town was still damaged from an earthquake (and there were six other ships fighting for space that day!)
• Heraklion, Crete
• Sea day
• Valletta, Malta
• Taormina, Italy – rerouted to Catania thanks to bad weather
• Sorrento, Italy
• Olbia, Sardinia
• Porto Vecchio, Corsica
• Sea day
• Palma, Majorca
• Barcelona, Spain
Inclusions
Azamara does a good job of making you feel looked after without nickel-and-diming you at every turn.
• USD $500 onboard credit for shopping, excursions or specialty dining.
• All food and (most) alcoholic drinks included — wine, spirits, cocktails, champagne. Top tier alcohol was extra however the standard inclusions were great and we didn’t need anything more.
• Two specialty restaurants (Steakhouse and Italian), plus buffet, an à la carte restaurant, a poolside café, and 24-hour in-room dining.
• A self-serve laundry room — absolute gold after long, sweaty sightseeing days. No need to purchase detergent either, it was included.
• Themed nights like the pool-deck barbeque and White Night celebrations.
• Opera night in Olbia.
• Live entertainment, bars, trivia, and an endless supply of activities throughout the day hosted by lots of smiling staff.
Accommodation
We booked a veranda suite, which turned out to be a very comfortable home at sea. Two single beds joined to make a queen (a revelation — no partner shake-induced insomnia), a couch, desk, TV, ensuite, wardrobe, and minibar stocked with complimentary drinks (of your own choosing!). The balcony had a table and two chairs — perfect for morning coffee as we pulled into port or evening drinks.
Excursions
Here’s where we learned our first cruise lesson: Azamara’s excursions are great – but are expensive, especially with the Aussie dollar exchange rate doing its thing.
We booked two tours directly through the ship — mainly when we had tight deadlines to be back onboard and we didnt want to be stuck on shore waving goodbye to our boat as it departed. The rest we organised through Viator and TripAdvisor. Same sights, often smaller groups, and payable in AUD or Euro. The trick? Research. Always check recent reviews and ratings, and allow buffer time in case the ship docks late or your tour runs over. “All aboard” waits for no one, but the ship’s hours in port were very generous, and that’s just one advantage of sailing on smaller ships. They can pull directly into most ports without needing to tender passengers to shore.
Our tours were fantastic overall, but there were hiccups. In Sicily, our Mount Etna tour (booked through the cruise) was cancelled when weather forced a port change from Taormina to Catania — but nobody told us and frustratingly we lost a couple of hours that morning trying to find out what was going on. No alternate excursion was available either, which meant that we were left high and dry. We eventually teamed up with another couple, grabbed a taxi, and went anyway. The clouds rolled in halfway up, so visibility was zero — but how often do you get to go up an active volcano? It was still an amazingly eerie sight, but totally fascinating.
Food
We ate very well. There’s a buffet featuring local dishes, an à la carte fine-dining restaurant, two specialty restaurants (Italian and steakhouse), a casual pool café with burgers and nachos, and a coffee shop with tapas-style bites.
We started at the buffet, got carried away, then migrated to à la carte for portion control — or so we told ourselves. Our waiters gleefully encouraged a five-course approach (“Just a little cheese platter to finish?”). Some nights we enjoyed lobster bisque, lobster linguine, or even BBQ lobster tails. Clearly, restraint was not on the menu and the selection was excellent.
Dress standards were relaxed but neat: in the evening, trousers and shoes for men, a splash of sparkle for women or a lovely Summer dress. No tuxedos required. Nothing too stuffy.
Comfort, Cleanliness & Service
Check-in at Athens was painless. Taxi drops you right at the terminal, luggage whisked away, and coloured boarding groups keep things moving smoothly. Disembarkation in Barcelona was just as easy — breakfast first, stroll off, collect bags which you had put outside your room the night before.
The ship itself was spotless. Public areas gleamed, toilets were constantly sanitised and re-stocked. Our cabin had a dedicated butler (yes, really) who seemed to have teleportation powers — every time we stepped out, he’d swoop in, clean, straighten, freshen, and retreat, all with a smile. All the staff were very friendly and genuinely warm. You could see that they really went out of their way to ensure you had a fantastic experience. The ship’s Captain was also highly visible around the ship on most days, always stopping to have a chat or pose for a photo.
Entertainment
Each night, a flyer magically appeared in our cabin listing the next day’s activities: trivia, talks, crafts, yoga, dance lessons, and more. Evenings brought cabaret shows, singers, magicians, karaoke, piano bars — the full cruise cliché in the best possible way, but very tasteful and professional. The singers and dancers were fantastic.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a brilliant introduction to cruising. We loved the smaller-ship vibe — friendly, relaxed, never overcrowded. But we also learned that cruising isn’t really about the destinations; it’s about the ship. Sometimes the docks are miles from the main attractions and you don’t get to see the best towns or cities, so you’re really signing up for the rhythm of life at sea: the on-water experience, the sunsets, the people.
Ah yes — the people. Most were lovely. Some were… enthusiastically social but within their own groups. The loud, know-it-all types who colonise pool chairs and loudly critique everything. The kind who obviously felt it was all about them and their enjoyment. Luckily, there were plenty of respectful, interesting passengers too, and a few friendships were formed over trivia or a friendly chat at the pool bar.
Would we cruise again? Maybe — but probably just seven days next time. Twelve felt a little long for us land-dwellers. Next time, we’ll bring friends so that we can be the loud ones.
Mrs Wanderer
August 2025