Azamara Cruises
Encyclopedia
Cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the ship's captain,...
owned by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Norwegian / American company based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & PLC. As of March 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd...
, as one of their subsidiaries. The line currently operates two ships, Azamara Journey
Azamara Journey
Azamara Journey is an owned and operated by Azamara Cruises, a sub-brand of Celebrity Cruises. Gross register tonnage is 30,277, with a capacity of 694 passengers , plus 390 crew members. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Six...
and Azamara Quest
Azamara Quest
Azamara Quest is an that entered service for Azamara Cruises on October 24, 2007. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Seven. Following the collapse of Renaissance Cruises in 2001 she was laid up for two years, until chartered to the Germany-based Delphin Seereisen as Delphin...
. The company offers higher-end cruises with a number of amenities included in the fare, similar to various other competitors. The cruise line is positioned to be at an up-market status but avoids the designation of a "luxury" cruise line. Azamara's style can be described as "upscale service and food, small ship coziness, and unusual itineraries."
History
Founded in May 2007 as a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Norwegian / American company based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & PLC. As of March 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd...
's Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1988 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF...
brand, Azamara Club Cruises
was originally envisioned as an expansion of the Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1988 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF...
' sub-brand Celebrity Expeditions. However, because these ships were so distinct, it was decided that they deserved a line of their own.
Rebranding
As of April 2010, Azamara Club Cruises revamped operations by rebranding itself and its product. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the parent company of Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity, hired Larry Pimentel as the line's new President and CEO to spearhead this effort. Azamara Cruises was subsequently renamed Azamara Club Cruises. The line now focuses on becoming a value leader in premium cruising. Azamara Club Cruises offers overnight stays at a range ports of call in an effort to promote their foremost brand pillar "destination immersion".The line's vessels, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest received a $25 Million refurbishment. There are LCD TV's in every stateroom, new furnishings, new poolside furniture and expanded public areas.
Azamara Club Cruises raised cruise fares with the rebranding, but now includes complimentary wines during lunch and dinner, English Butler service in suites and beverages such as soda, water and coffee. They also introduced a new loyalty program, separate from Celebrity Cruises' Captains Club, known as Le Club Voyage and, starting in 2011, designed more elaborate itineraries that will immerse guests in the culture of the various destinations. Azamara hopes that more overnight stays and visits to ports on each of the seven continents will draw the premium cruiser to their repositioned brand.
Destinations
- EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
- AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
- CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
- Panama CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
- MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
- Mediterranean
Fleet
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Azamara |
Gross tonnage Gross tonnage Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage... |
Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azamara Journey Azamara Journey Azamara Journey is an owned and operated by Azamara Cruises, a sub-brand of Celebrity Cruises. Gross register tonnage is 30,277, with a capacity of 694 passengers , plus 390 crew members. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Six... |
2000 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique Chantiers de l'Atlantique Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France... |
2007 | 30,277 tons |  Malta |
Previously Blue Dream, R Six |
| Azamara Quest Azamara Quest Azamara Quest is an that entered service for Azamara Cruises on October 24, 2007. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Seven. Following the collapse of Renaissance Cruises in 2001 she was laid up for two years, until chartered to the Germany-based Delphin Seereisen as Delphin... |
2000 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2007 | 30,277 tons | Malta |
Previously Blue Moon, Delphin Renaissance, and R Seven |