Azamara vs Celebrity Cruises

Please Note: There may be additional inclusions and privileges for select stateroom and suite guests or select loyalty member tiers. Activities and entertainment vary by ship, itinerary and departure and are a guide only.

The Verdict

Both Azamara and Celebrity Cruises operate under the same parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL). They are both premium lines for the brand, with Azamara sitting in the high end of the premium bracket. Both cruise lines offer a more refined cruising experience than their contemporary counterpart, Royal Caribbean, and while their sister line Silversea takes out the luxury title, both Azamara and Celebrity still have elements of luxury blended into their premium cruise experience.

Which ships will suit me best?

Although Azamara and Celebrity Cruises operate under the same umbrella, they have clear differences that set them apart. Azamara sails an intimate three ship fleet, each accommodating roughly 700 guests and offering a more boutique cruise experience. Celebrity Cruises has predominantly large ships in its classic fleet that see some 2000 – 3000 guests on board, and while their offering extends to expedition cruising in the Galapagos on their two expedition ships, we’ll stick to the more traditional cruises for the purposes of this comparison.

Azamara Ships are More Intimate

Given the difference in ship size, the atmosphere on board will differ from Azamara to Celebrity ships. Azamara tends to be more intimate, with fellow guests and crew getting to know one another well throughout the journey in an exclusive club style environment.

Celebrity ships, while still maintaining close to a 1:2 staff to passenger ratio and high level of personalised service, naturally feels a little less intimate given that even the smallest ship accommodates three times as many guests as an Azamara one.

Couples and Solos Love Both, but Celebrity has More Family Amenities

Guests tend to be primarily couples and solos with similar interests across Azamara and Celebrity. As there is a reciprocal loyalty program, you may find a crossover of passengers that cruise with both. It isn’t uncommon to find travellers that start out cruising with Royal Caribbean transition to Celebrity and subsequently Azamara the more they cruise.

The average age of guests tends to be roughly 10 years older on Azamara, which may reflect why families are not as common, particularly those with young children. Azamara doesn’t offer any services specifically for children, and while Celebrity’s primary demographic isn’t families, they do offer children’s programs on board every sailing and cater for groups with interconnecting staterooms and family suites.

This difference in demographic tends to be most noticeable on school holiday sailings and shorter journeys, as Celebrity’s longer voyages will see fewer families with young children and perhaps a more similar crowd to that on Azamara ships.

Celebrity has a Wide Range of Dining and Entertainment Options

Larger vessels afford Celebrity the space to provide more options in terms of dining and entertainment on board. There are a handful more dining choices on Celebrity ships than those offered by Azamara, particularly for Aqua and Suite Class guests. Their menus are crafted by a Michelin-starred chef, and they also boast the largest and rarest wine collection at sea, so Celebrity are a great option for food and wine connoisseurs.

When it comes to entertainment, you can expect more venues with live music and larger scale productions on board Celebrity, with nightly activities tending to kick on a little later than on Azamara. However, Azamara’s offering still includes signature shows, song and dance performances, as well as their iconic AzAmazing Evenings and White Night Parties.

Azamara Ships are Understated

The décor on Azamara ships whispers understated elegance, while Celebrity strikes a blend of modernity and sophistication. As opposed to Azamara’s refined public spaces that have all the hallmarks of a boutique hotel (think cosy nooks like The Den), on board Celebrity ships you can expect to find more bold innovations.

On Celebrity’s Solstice Ships guests can enjoy half an acre of real lawn to kick back on, and on Edge Class ships you can watch the world glide by from your open access Infinite Veranda or experience the Magic Carpet, a floating platform that transforms as it moves between decks and serves as an open air restaurant, a bar, an extension of the pool area, or something else entirely!

These designs can be found on select ships only, with Solstice Class and Edge Class vessels being the poster children of such innovations to date. The Celebrity Revolution will see further modernisation of the fleet with dry docks currently scheduled through to 2023.