14 Days in the Caribbean Aboard Azamara: A Complete Guide

There’s a version of a Caribbean cruise where every island starts to blur into the next. You dock at 8 AM, follow the crowds to the same beach bars, sip an overpriced rum punch, and keep one eye on the clock while the ship calls everyone back by mid-afternoon. By the end of it, your camera roll is full of identical turquoise-water photos, but somehow the trip itself feels like it never really happened.

This is not that cruise.

Azamara runs smaller ships carrying around 686 guests with longer port stays, late-night departures, and the occasional full overnight in port. Fourteen nights of that across the Eastern and Southern Caribbean is a genuinely good trip. 

If you’re already sold and just want someone to figure out the itinerary, the cabin, and what this is actually going to cost. GoGoTrips does exactly that. They will handle the research and make sure you’re not overpaying for a cabin that doesn’t make sense for your trip. 

Why a 14-night Caribbean voyage with Azamara?

Seven-night Caribbean cruises are everywhere. Five ports, a morning rush at each one, a beach bar, back to the ship. Fine, but you tend to leave feeling like you skimmed a Wikipedia article rather than read the actual thing. 

Fourteen nights changes the math entirely. You can take a serious hike in Dominica and still have an unhurried dinner in Grenada the following night. The pace drops. The places actually settle

 

Late nights and overnight stays in port
Azamara’s whole model is built around extended port time. It regularly stays until 10 PM or midnight, and sometimes overnights altogether. The overnight stay in Barbados that opens most itineraries is genuinely great: you can spend the evening at Oistins Fish Fry, eat fried flying fish with the locals, hear live music, and walk back to the ship when you feel like it.

Who this cruise is best for
This works best for travellers in their mid-50s and older who have done the big ships and want something quieter and more considered. Repeat cruisers who love the format and want the upgraded version. Port lovers who want to genuinely be in the Caribbean rather than drift past it. Couples looking for a trip that feels like an actual journey.

Who it’s not for
Azamara is not a great fit for families with young children. There are no kids’ clubs, no waterslides, and the demographic is solidly adult. Party cruisers looking for late-night clubs and non-stop entertainment will find the vibe too relaxed. Travellers who want megaship entertainment (big production shows, the full spectacle) won’t find it here. And if you’re hunting for a budget Caribbean break, this isn’t it.

The ships: quest, journey, pursuit and onward

All four Azamara ships were built around 1999 to 2001, and in places it shows. The showers in standard cabins are notably small. Some cabin furniture has the energy of a nice hotel that hasn’t been renovated in a while. Go in with honest expectations about the hardware.

What the small size buys you is something harder to put on a brochure. No crowds at the pool. Bar staff who know your order by day two. A dining room that feels like a restaurant, not a food hall.

1. Ship size and layout
   Each ship carries roughly 686 guests alongside a crew of around 400, a nearly 1:2 crew-to-guest ratio. That ratio drives the service quality. Staff learn names and remember preferences.
2. Stateroom categories
   Cabins run from Interior staterooms (compact, around 170 square feet) up through Ocean View, Veranda, Club Continent Suite, and the Club World Owner’s Suite. For a 14-night trip, a Veranda is worth it. Natural light and somewhere to drink morning coffee before the day heats up is a real quality-of-life difference over two weeks. Suites add butler service and priority boarding.

Sample 14-night Caribbean itinerary

A sample Southern Caribbean routing from Bridgetown. Real itineraries vary, so treat this as the shape of the trip rather than a guaranteed sequence.

1. Embarkation day: Barbados
   Arrive the night before, especially if you’re flying long haul. Azamara’s boarding process is calm compared to larger ships: shorter queues, a proper welcome drink, and none of the chaotic energy of a megaship embarkation. The Chamberlain Bridge area in Bridgetown is worth a walk before you board.
2. Days 2 to 13: Port by port

Barbados (overnight, Day 2).

Harrison’s Cave or Sunbury Plantation for history. If it’s a Friday evening, Oistins Fish Fry is the only plan that makes sense: open-air vendors, fried flying fish, Banks beer, and live music. Go independently. It’s a ten-minute taxi ride and it’s the real thing.

St. Lucia (Day 3). 

The twin Piton mountains are exactly as dramatic as every photo suggests. The good stuff is down south around Soufrière, not at the port in Castries. Take a boat transfer rather than a bus because the coastal approach to the Pitons from the water is worth experiencing. Stay on deck for the evening departure if you can.

St. Kitts (Day 4). 

Quieter and more underrated than most Caribbean stops. Brimstone Hill Fortress is a genuine UNESCO World Heritage site with views to Nevis on a clear day. The Scenic Railway is a narrow-gauge loop through sugarcane fields and coastline: relaxed and without the usual hard sell.

Antigua (Day 5). 

Nelson’s Dockyard at English Harbour is a beautifully restored Georgian naval base, now a working marina with good restaurants nearby. For beaches, head to Half Moon Bay: one of the finest stretches of sand in the region and considerably less crowded than the obvious options.

Dominica (Day 6). 

No resort beaches, no tourist shopping strip. What Dominica has instead is a volcanic interior of old-growth rainforest, geothermal springs, and cold rivers. The Boiling Lake hike is six to eight hours and properly demanding, but unlike anything else in the Caribbean. Trafalgar Falls is the lower-effort alternative. The island sees fewer large cruise ships, so interactions with local guides and vendors tend to feel genuinely human.

Grenada (Day 7). 

St. George’s genuinely smells like nutmeg. Grenada is the world’s second-largest producer and you can catch it on the air near the markets. The capital is one of the most visually appealing port towns in the region. Grand Anse Beach is a ten-minute taxi ride. If you’re in port on a Friday, the Gouyave Friday Night Fish Fry is as good as Oistins.

Martinique (Day 8). 

An overseas region of France, which means the Caribbean comes with actual bakeries, sidewalk cafés, and proper café au lait. Fort-de-France is pleasantly different from the other ports on this itinerary. Mount Pelée, the volcano that destroyed Saint-Pierre in 1902, is the main excursion worth doing. Bring euros.

St. Maarten and Saint-Martin (Day 9). 

Two countries on one island with no border formalities. The Dutch side has the cruise port; the French side has better food and Orient Bay, one of the best beaches in the whole Caribbean. Maho Beach, right next to the Dutch airport, is where planes come in on final approach about 20 metres above your head. Completely free and genuinely surreal.

Tortola and Virgin Gorda, BVI (Days 10 and 11). 

Tortola is the sailing capital of the Caribbean: nautical, laid-back, and good fun if you’re at all into boats. Cane Garden Bay is a beautiful sheltered beach about 20 minutes north by taxi. Virgin Gorda’s Baths are the main event: enormous ancient boulders forming sea-level pools and grottos. Arrive early because it fills up by mid-morning.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Day 12). 

Old San Juan is fantastic: compact, walkable, UNESCO-listed, full of pastel buildings and blue cobblestones. El Morro fortress is enormous and photogenic. La Bombonera does the local breakfast pastry that you’ll think about long after the trip. If the ship overnights here, stay up for it.

Sea days

A 14-night itinerary usually includes two or three sea days. On a ship this size, sea days are genuinely restful: no competition for sunloungers, bars quiet enough for conversation, and an enrichment programme with destination lectures, wine tastings, and trivia. Book the Sanctum Spa early because appointments fill up on sea days.

What’s included on an Azamara cruise

Azamara’s base package is called Always Azamara and it covers considerably more than most cruise lines include as standard.

1. Drinks, gratuities, and the basics

The standard drinks package covers house wines, draft beers, standard spirits, and all non-alcoholic beverages including specialty coffees. For most moderate drinkers, it’s sufficient. Crew gratuities are included, which saves a couple roughly $280 to $300 compared to mainstream lines on a 14-night trip. Self-service laundry is also complimentary, which matters on a two-week voyage.

2. Azamazing evenings

One private cultural event ashore per voyage, included in the base fare. On Caribbean sailings this might be a rum distillery experience, a steel band concert in a local venue, or a performance in a historical setting. At their best, these are experiences you couldn’t easily arrange independently.

3. What you’ll pay extra for

Specialty dining at Prime C and Aqualina runs around $30 per person per visit. The Chef’s Table is approximately $75 to $95 per person. Wi-Fi is sold in packages. Spa treatments are priced comparably to hotel spa rates. Shore excursions are not included.

Azamara also offers three bundled upgrade packages: Essentials, Enjoyment, and Indulgence. These combine Wi-Fi, premium drinks, specialty dining, and sometimes spa credit, and usually represent better value than buying components individually.

Real costs: what a 14-night Azamara Caribbean voyage actually costs

Base fares for a 14-night sailing start at roughly $1,800 to $2,500 per person for an Interior cabin and $2,800 to $4,000 for a Veranda. Club Continent Suites start from around $4,500 per person. Return flights add $600 to $1,800 per person. A pre-cruise hotel night in Barbados runs $150 to $350. Shore excursions for two people across ten port days add $1,600 to $3,000 at a modest pace. Specialty dining, Wi-Fi, and spa treatments are additional.

A realistic total for two people in a Veranda cabin lands between $12,000 and $17,000. That’s a significant number, and the question is whether the experience justifies it. For the traveller this cruise is designed for, it usually does.

Dining on Azamara

1. Discoveries restaurant

The main dining room changes its menu nightly and produces properly cooked food rather than cruise-ship-scaled catering. Service is warm and unhurried. It’s meaningfully better than the main dining room equivalent on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean.

2. Prime c and Aqualina: Specialty dining

Prime C is the steakhouse with a $30 cover: USDA prime cuts in an intimate room. Book early as it fills up. Aqualina is the Italian option at the same price; the pasta is genuinely house-made and the tiramisu is worth ordering every time.

The Chef’s Table is a multi-course private dinner with the executive chef at $75 to $95 per person, offered once or twice per voyage.

3. Casual dining

Windows Cafe handles buffet breakfast and lunch, above average for cruise standards. Mosaic Café is the ship’s coffee bar and a genuinely pleasant spot for an espresso and something baked. The Patio grill handles casual lunches well.

Azamara dress code: no formal nights

What to wear on an Azamara cruise

The standard is resort casual throughout. No formal nights, no tuxedo, no ballgown required. Evenings in the restaurant mean collared shirts or equivalent for men and something smart-ish for women. No shorts or flip-flops in the dining rooms in the evening. During the day and in port, relaxed casual is entirely fine.

Pack one complete white outfit for the White Night Party, the signature onboard event where everyone wears white, the outdoor spaces are transformed, and there’s an evening of live music and dancing. White linen trousers and a shirt for men; a white sundress for women. Cream works. Just don’t be the person in navy who didn’t read the memo.

Azamara Caribbean cruise packing list

The goal is a capsule that covers port days, ship evenings, beach time, and the White Night Party without exceeding one checked bag per person.

Clothing: seven casual tops, three to four collared shirts or blouses for evenings, two to three pairs of shorts, two pairs of trousers or chinos, two swimsuits, one complete white outfit, a lightweight cardigan for ship air conditioning, and a packable rain layer for tropical showers.

Shoes: comfortable walking sandals for everyday port use, proper walking shoes for hikes (Dominica in particular), one evening shoe that works with your smart clothes, and water shoes for rocky beach entries and The Baths at Virgin Gorda.

Sun and beach: reef-safe sunscreen (several islands mandate it), a wide-brim hat, a beach bag in quick-dry material.

Tech: a cruise-approved power strip with USB ports (no surge protector as Azamara cabins have limited outlets), an international adapter, an e-reader for sea days, and a portable power bank.

Health: all prescription medications for the full trip plus a few extra days, motion sickness medication, DEET-based insect repellent for rainforest ports, and basic first aid including blister treatment.

Documents: valid passport with at least six months of validity beyond your return date, travel insurance documentation, cruise booking confirmation, and digital copies of everything.

Honest pros and cons

The pros: small-ship access, port-intensive itineraries with extended stays, included gratuities and drinks, no formal nights, AzAmazing Evenings, and an exceptional crew. The sailing community is warm and the repeat guest rate is high for good reason.

The cons: the ships are old and cabins feel dated in places. Standard showers are small. Evening entertainment is modest. Some guests have reported inconsistency in pre-cruise service and loyalty programme administration since the line changed ownership in 2021.

Recent passenger sentiment is largely positive about the onboard experience and crew. The pre-cruise infrastructure gets more mixed reviews. A specialist travel agent smooths most of the friction significantly.

Booking and money-saving tips

Wave season (January through March) is when the best promotions appear. Last-minute Azamara cruise deals typically emerge in the 60 to 90-day window before departure, though cabin selection is limited by then. 

Azamara Circle loyalty tiers accumulate points based on nights sailed, with upper-tier benefits including complimentary laundry and onboard credit. Back-to-back sailings of 28 or more nights receive meaningful fare discounts. Using a specialist travel agency like gogotrips rather than booking direct frequently gives access to exclusive onboard credit and group rates.

Final verdict: is 14 nights in the Caribbean aboard Azamara worth it?

Yes, for the right traveller.

A 14-night Azamara Caribbean cruise is one of the most immersive and unhurried ways to experience this region. The small-ship format removes the worst frustrations of mainstream cruising. Extended port stays produce a fundamentally different quality of destination experience. Included drinks and gratuities make the cost feel cleaner. The dining is genuinely good. The crew, consistently, is the best thing about it.

Ready to start planning? Browse GoGo Trips‘ curated Caribbean itineraries or speak with one of our cruise specialists. We’ll match you to the right sailing, find the best available pricing, and handle the detail so you can focus on the journey itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is included on an Azamara cruise?

 Azamara covers house wines, draft beers, standard spirits, specialty coffees, crew gratuities, self-service laundry, and one AzAmazing Evening ashore per voyage. Shore excursions, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, premium drinks, and spa are additional.

Is Azamara truly all-inclusive? 

More inclusive than most, but not fully all-inclusive. Viking Ocean and Regent Seven Seas are closer to true all-inclusive.

What is the Azamara dress code? 

Resort casual throughout. No formal nights. Smart-casual evenings in restaurants, one white outfit for the White Night Party, relaxed casual everywhere during the day.

What does a 14-night Azamara Caribbean cruise cost? 

Base fares start from around $1,800 per person. Total trip cost for two people realistically ranges from $12,000 to $17,000.

What is the best time for a Caribbean cruise?

 December through April for reliable weather. February and early March for the best balance of weather, pricing, and fewer crowds.

How do I book an Azamara cruise? 

Direct at azamara.com or through a specialist cruise travel agent. A specialist agent usually provides access to onboard credit, group rates, and pre-cruise support the direct channel doesn’t consistently match.

What passport do I need? 

Valid passport with at least six months’ validity beyond your return date. Most Eastern Caribbean nations require only a valid passport and onward ticket.