By the Numbers -
592 Ft long
8 Decks
684 passengers
408 Crew
Built in 1999 - Completely refurbished in 2022
Staterooms
Onward has all the of the typical stateroom options ranging from Inside rooms, Window rooms, Verandah, and Suites.
I was in a window room and the room itself was very spacious with plenty of storage areas and a very comfortable bed. The one area that wasn't great was the bathroom. It was tiny for being a Premium/Luxury ship. I feel like they could have taken a little space from the room to make the bathroom just a little bigger. My shower was smaller than any premium ship I have been on and more like a mass market cruise. Most of the rooms on the ship are balcony rooms. There are also some beautiful suites.
Dining
The dining areas were all great. There is the Main Dining Room, 2 Specialty Dining rooms (Italian and Steakhouse), an outdoor casual dining area, and the buffet. I enjoyed being able to eat outside at the Patio whenever the weather cooperated. 2 nights during my cruise were special evenings where the pool deck was turned into a large buffet. One of those special nights was White Night where just about everyone donned their white outfits (some even opted to use the stateroom robes). There were also a few places to grab snacks most of the day and of course room service.
Public Spaces and Entertainment
Even though Onward is a smaller ship there are many of the same things you will find on a large ship with the exception of a casino. There is a theater area, lounges, bars, pool, hot tubs, spa, fitness center (offered free classes), coffee shop, library, retail shops, and plenty of public areas to get comfy.
There is one spot onboard that is unique to Onward and not on the other 3 Azamara ships and that is the Atlas Bar. It is located in the area that the other ships have a library so on Onward the Library is part of the Living Room which is what most ships might call the Observation Lounge. The Atlas Bar is a specialty bar with high end cocktails that are not part of the basic beverages that are included in your cruise fare but definitely worth the cost. There are also other bars around the ship so you never had far to go to get a drink which is nice when basic drinks are included.
The Living Room is pretty much what most ships call an Observation Lounge. I spent a good bit of time in here each afternoon since it was a nice comfy spot for me to work a bit and they had snacks and drinks. Tea time and trivia were hosted her each afternoon so this was a popular spot. The Mosaic Coffee shop was also very popular with coffee drinkers and is conveniently located in the central area where many times we were getting off and on the ship.
The Cabaret Lounge was the theater area for the ship and they have some nice shows and guest entertainers come onboard. Every Azamara cruise features an Azamazing Evening - this is a special even included for all guests. Sometimes you are taken off the ship to enjoy and other times Azamara brings the special event onboard. On my cruise the Azamazing Evening was held in the Cabaret Lounge.
What Makes Azamara Unique
Being a smaller ship means she can get into ports the big ships cannot. This not only opens up more opportunities for itineraries but it also means you won't be wasting precious vacation time getting to and from the action when you get off the ship. Azamara rarely repeats an itinerary so this means lots of variety plus you can do back to back in order to add even more amazing stops to your vacation. There was a woman onboard my cruise that had been on the ship for 177 days straight. I also talked with another couple that were originally booked just to sail on the cruise I was on but they were enjoying it so much and saw where the ship was headed on the next 2 cruises and decided to book to stay on for 2 more. I met another couple that had been on 41 Azamara cruises. That says a lot to me about how happy guests are with Azamara.
What really made this cruise better than most I have I done really was the crew. I have cruised a lot and have been on just about every brand and I have to say that this crew really was amazing. Even the Captain was so friendly and approachable. He just so happened to have his family onboard for my cruise so it was really sweet to see him with his young daughter and 2 boys. We all felt like a big family at the end of just 11 days so I could see why so many guests chose to do longer sailings with Azamara.
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