During Azamara’s upscale “Iceland Intensive” voyage earlier this summer, Leann Wright, a senior air concierge, Pavlus Travel, sailed in luxurious comfort on the 702-passenger Azamara Quest. During her nine-night cruise, she gazed in awe at Iceland’s cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and geothermal hot springs.
Sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Reykjavik, Iceland, the ship’s itinerary featured other Icelandic calls in Seydisfjordur, Husavik, Akureyri, Skagafjordur and Grundarfjordur. (See photo of Iceland’s stunning natural beauty above. Photo by Leann Wright.)
In idyllic fjords, Wright viewed snow-capped peaks and sighted whales – lots of them! Throughout the journey, she took a “deep dive” into Icelandic culture, Arctic ecology and local folklore.
She also learned about Viking heritage. Did you know that Iceland’s recorded history began around 871 A.D. with the arrival of Viking settlers? It’s true, and even today, evidence of that Norse culture remains.
So, come along as Wright, a veteran traveler to 49 U.S. states and global destinations too, happily shares a few personal tidbits about her experiences on the Azamara trip to Iceland. So, read on!
Iceland Intensive: Near the Arctic Circle
Let’s briefly chat about geography. Grimley Island, Iceland’s most northerly territory, is situated partially north of the Arctic Circle. While the majority of the country lies just south, it’s still a cool-weather climate.
In fact, central Iceland and Alaska share the same latitude, approximately 64 degrees north of the Equator. Iceland is a land of the Midnight Sun, which shines 24 hours a day in summertime.
That said, for travelers seeking pristine, spectacular scenic beauty, Iceland is definitely a “bucket list” destination. Many cruisers including Wright find it refreshing, particularly when it’s hot in their home climate.
They also enjoy the eco-beauty including fjords, geothermal springs, volcanic landscapes and touches of snow atop mountains. Forbes recently cited it as one of the “Top 24 Destinations for Travel in 2024.”
To enjoy it fully with outdoor eco-adventure, Wright says this: “Bring warm clothing, gloves, good walking/hiking shoes and a hat that does NOT blow off,”
Upscale and Mid-Sized
Turning to Azamara Quest, here are a few brief product and historical tidbits. Since 2021, Azamara, an upper-premium line, has been owned by Sycamore Partners.
Today, the upper premium line operates four mid-sized, 30,000-ton ships across the globe. All are popular, former “R-class” ships, originally built for the now defunct Renaissance Cruises.
Originally launched in 2000, Azamara Quest was last refurbished in 2021. All the Azamara ships (see photo above of all four) are large enough to provide diverse onboard public spaces and accommodations.
Yet, they’re also small enough to sail to remote coves, off-the-beaten-path isles and other destinations not reachable by larger ships.
Product-wise, Azamara straddles the line between luxury and premium. Pluses? The cruise line offers excellent, personalized onboard service, fine cuisine including specialty dining, and a destination-immersive cruising experience.
While it doesn’t have such ultra-luxury elements as butler service in suites, it’s quite a pampering upscale experience. Plus, Azamara’s hefty destination immersion focus is a big plus for “explorers.”
The line often stays late into the night or overnight in certain ports. In addition, guests can participate in exclusive AzAmazing signature celebrations and events, both ashore and onboard. Developed specifically for Azamara’s guests, they offer a “deep dive” into local culture, cuisine and heritage.
Shipboard Insight
For spectacular scenic views while sailing on Azamara Quest, Wright recommends heading for Deck 10’s Living Room. Located forward, it’s both a relaxing and active space, depending on the time of day or night.
“Trivia is held there in the afternoon, and it offers both a bar and dance floor,” she explains. For night-time music, “many guests liked heading here for dancing well past midnight, which also offered views of the ‘Midnight Sun.’”
Top entertainment highlight for Wright? “I loved Azamara’s signature White Night Party with guests all dressing up one night in white clothing,” says Wright. “It was a blast, and we had great food and music.”
In terms of the onboard shows, “our AzAmazing Night with Greta Salome was spectacular,” says Wright. “She was a fiddler with an ethereal voice.” Salome performed one of four winning Eurovision songs, “Vivo Cantando,” in 1969.
Savory Dining Options
At the ship’s casual Windows Cafe, the ship’s buffet restaurant, a daily themed dinner often takes its inspiration from the region the ship is visiting. In addition, there’s an additional “live station” with dishes made from ingredients purchased in port.
In particular, Wright liked that “it had the freshest fruit every day. I also felt the desserts in the cafe were fabulous.”
“One night the banana caramel pudding was exceptionally good,” she tells us. So, she asked her server for the recipe. What happened next is great service!
“She brought me the head chef, and he brought the pastry chef to my table,” she adds. “Presto, the next day, I got the recipe delivered to my stateroom!”
As for the main dining room, “everything we ate was high quality,” she explains. On one evening she also opted for the $50 per person specialty dining experience at Prime C, the onboard steakhouse.
Calling it “a great deal,” Wright enjoyed multiple courses including steak. Guests can also order herb-coated rack of lamb, duck confit and Chilean sea bass—all paired with savory sides.
In addition, Azamara Quest is also home to another specialty eatery, Aqualina, an Italian restaurant. In total, Azamara’s ships have six different dining options including room service.
“There were multiple options for food throughout the day, whether we wanted a quick snack or a more robust meal,” stresses Wright.
Suites and Staterooms
The most sumptuous suite aboard Azamara Quest is the 550-square-foot Club World Owner’s Suite. It offers a spacious living room, separate bedroom, dressing room with vanity, and marble master bath with a tub/shower.
This suite’s 277-square-foot private balcony can be reached via sliding floor-to-ceiling doors in both the living room and bedroom areas.
In addition, the ship also offers other suite types, several categories of veranda accommodations, as well as ocean view and inside staterooms.
#6080: A Veranda Stateroom
Wright stayed in a 177-square-foot Veranda (V3) stateroom with a 77-square-foot private balcony. On an Arctic region cruise with spectacular scenic beauty, it’s a plus to have a private balcony. That way, guests can pop outside instantly when something magnificent comes into view or whales are spotted.
Her stateroom, #6080, offered a living area plus a queen-size bed (convertible to two twins).
In addition, guests in a Veranda stateroom will discover a writing desk, refrigerator with mini-bar, and what the Pavlus employee describes as “plenty of outlets for charging devices.”
The stateroom’s shower is relatively compact with a single vanity, toilet and shower. Wright appreciated the “shower arm that can be adjusted up and down to adjust to the guest’s height.”
More Tidbits
Finding the stateroom a cocooning spot for rejuvenation after a day of exploring, “I particularly enjoyed an al fresco dinner on the balcony,” she emphasizes. “I also relished having an in-stateroom movie night with popcorn provided by Azamara.”
She would have liked a bit faster Wi-Fi. That said, Azamara offers different levels of Wi-Fi packages, which can impact bandwidth and speed.
And during peak periods, when all guests aboard are using Wi-Fi at the same time to send photos back home or post photos and videos on social media sites, things can slow down. One plus is that the line has recently added Starlink fleetwide.
As for stateroom service, Wright’s stateroom attendant was “quite helpful and immediately remembered my name and which room I was in,” she says. “In fact, service throughout the ship was professional, friendly and attentive. It never felt stuffy.”
Iceland Intensive Experiences
Iceland is a land of eco-adventure in many different ways – whether in the bounty of Mother Nature or even within a museum.
For example, in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the ship overnighted, Wright took an Azamara excursion that included the Perlan Museum. There, cruisers can enjoy an “Ice Cave and Glaciers Exhibition,” a “Forces of Nature” area (think volcanos, earthquakes and geothermal energy) and a “Volcano Show,” among other options.
That volcano show provides insight into the 2021 Geldingadalir volcanic eruption, the first eruption in eight centuries on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
We’d definitely check out the Perlan Museum’s indoor ice cave. More than 328 feet long, it’s built with more than 350 tons of snow from the Blue Mountains.
The benefit is allowing visitors to experience a glacial environment in a safe and informative way. (See Wright exploring the museum’s ice cave above. Photo by Leann Wright).
Whale Watching
Certainly, spotting Arctic region wildlife is a top draw for many travelers choosing to cruise around Icelandic shores.
“During our call at Akureyri, Azamara’s ‘Whale Watching Safari” was fabulous,” Wright tells us. She felt the half-day tour to the narrow Eyjafjordur, one of Iceland’s longest fjords along the north central coast, was well worth the $179 per person cost.
Besides the stunningly gorgeous scenic views, “our guide was highly knowledgeable about the whales in the area,” she says. “We were absolutely thrilled to spot lots of them.”
Dolphins and birds are also often sighted. One nice touch was that those taking that tour were later given a link by the tour company to photos taken that day.
Iceland Intensive: Geothermal Baths
Another fun shore activity for those traveling on an Iceland Intensive cruise is to head ashore for a geothermal bath. Essentially, that’s a dip in naturally heated waters.
Enjoying several of those geothermal baths, Wright tells us that, “my favorite was ‘The Forest Lagoon,’ with a beautiful setting and swim-up bar. But the warm baths were all relaxing and restorative.”
Tucked away in the tranquil Vaglaskogur Forest, the Forest Lagoon offers two baths. One large pool is about 98.6 degrees, the other around 104 degrees.
On a Forest Lagoon shore excursion from Akureyri, typically guests may stop at the Hlidarfjall viewing point atop one of Iceland’s most popular ski mountains.
Guests may, of course, book their own tours or explore independently as well. But Wright describes most tour guides on the Azamara excursions as impressive. “As a result, I learned so much about Icelandic culture, ecology, heritage and folklore,” she says.
Clientele and Touring Style
Wright met fellow guests from a wide range of ages aboard Azamara Quest. Overall, she characterizes the “Iceland Intensive” itinerary as active, noting that “everyone was quite fit.”
That said, off-ship excursions are voluntary. So, guests of varying fitness levels or with mobility challenges can design their own journey.
Plus, Azamara offers some “easy” excursion options. Among them is the “Leisurely Akureyri and Godafoss Waterfalls” excursion. Besides viewing Godafoss, the so-called waterfall of the gods, guests will also visit the Botanical Garden.
Thinking of an Iceland Intensive Cruise?
While this year’s Icelandic cruising season is winding down, it’s a great time to start thinking about a 2025 Icelandic summer voyage.
“By planning 10 months to a year or so in advance, travelers can relax, savor the pre-cruise anticipation, and also learn more about the unique Icelandic destinations prior to their cruise,” says Shelby Steudle, president, Pavlus Travel.
“So, people can review shore offerings as they’re offered by the individual line and then begin planning ‘must do’ activities for their cruise vacation,” she adds.
Iceland Intensive in 2025
On August 20, 2025, Azamara will offer a 10-day “Iceland Intensive” voyage roundtrip from Reykjavik, Iceland. Completely encircling the main island, it also includes such destinations as Heimaey in Iceland’s Westman Islands.
Heimaey is home to the world’s largest puffin colony. So, guests might take a tour that offers an opportunity to view those puffins in a cliffside rookery.
Hint? Check out The Meandering Traveler’s 2023 blog about Heimaey Island.
This Azamara “Iceland Intensive” voyage also calls at Thorshavn, the capital of Denmark’s Faroe Islands. At press time, this Icelandic journey was priced from $3,299 per person, double occupancy.
Another option is Azamara’s nine-night “Iceland Intensive” cruise from Dublin, Ireland, to Reykjavik. Priced from $3,059 per person, double occupancy, it departs on July 12, 2025.
“Other Azamara options explore both Iceland and Greenland, and may include eastern Canada as well,” adds Pavlus’ Steudle.
Iceland Intensive: Parting Thoughts
“From our perspective, Iceland is a hot destination this year in terms of consumer demand,” says Steudle. Having explored the area with Azamara, Wright suggests that travelers consider this type of voyage for “the most beautiful scenery, with literally hundreds of waterfalls.”
She also tells us that she created memories of a lifetime — from her whale-spotting expedition to bathing in several geothermal springs. And, of course, she danced late into the night under the Midnight Sun on Azamara Quest.
So, if you are interested in an Azamara cruise, be sure to chat with your personal travel planner as soon as possible. That way you can choose from the best choice of accommodations on an Iceland 2025 voyage. You too can head out like a Viking explorer, but do so in greater comfort, style and with personalized pampering!
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