Azamara Club Cruises Unveils 2012 Voyages

Azamara Club Cruises has unveiled 54 itineraries ranging from five to sixteen nights, between March 2012 and February 2013, aboard Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest.

The new voyages complete the cruise line’s 2012 deployments, which total 64 sailings that visit unique destinations around the world, calling at 181 ports in 57 countries throughout the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Europe, South America, India and the West Indies.

Additionally, 51% of all port calls in 2012 feature late night and overnight stays in port, providing time for guests to enjoy a more immersive experience and take advantage of night tourism in destinations where the nightlife is even more vibrant than the day’s.

“Azamara is delighted to present up-market travelers our 2012 line-up of voyages to unique destinations around the world,” said Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. “On board, guests will enjoy Azamara’s trademark extraordinary service, fine dining and boutique wine collection, and more inclusive amenities. We designed our itineraries to coincide with some of the world’s most exciting events, such as Rio’s Carnival, the Floriade in the Netherlands, the 52nd Annual Moldejazz Festival in Norway, and others, to offer guests the opportunity to attend these cultural celebrations on some of the Azamara voyages. Guests on these voyages will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase prime-seating ticket and transportation packages from Azamara, eliminating the hassle and guesswork for a truly remarkable travel experience.”

South America Celebration

Azamara Quest sails to electrifying South American destinations during the height of austral summer, beginning with a 13-night Brazil voyage that departs Barbados on 5 December 2012 and concludes with an overnight at Rio De Janeiro. The Christmas in South America voyage, departing 18 December offers guests daily port calls as well as an overnight in Punta Del Esta, Uruguay, with its miles of beautiful beaches, luxury hotels and restaurants, and glittery nightlife; and the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Guests on the 27 December New Years in Rio, nine-night voyage are in for a real treat, when after a call at Rio De Janeiro on New Year’s eve, Azamara Quest positions itself off of Copacabana Beach to offer guests an unforgettable view of the midnight fireworks over the seas.

The 5 January 2013, Argentina and Uruguay voyage combines charming Brazilian destinations with an overnight at Punta Del Este and two nights in Buenos Aires. On the 31 January 2013, 12-night Carnaval voyage, guests can enjoy overnights in both Buenos Aires and Punta Del Esta before arriving in time for two nights in Rio De Janeiro for the city’s annual Carnival festival. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase Land Discoveries packages that offer up-close seating to catch all the pageantry. Azamara Quest then sails an 18-night Colonial Brazil and West Indies voyage, beginning with an overnight in Rio De Janeiro on 12 February 2013 to Miami.

Asian Discoveries

Azamara Journey follows ancient spice trade routes and colonial heritages around the Indian subcontinent to East Asia, starting with a 13-night Spice Coast & Ceylon voyage from Bombay (Mumbai) to Madras (Chennai), India, departing 29 November 2012. Guests can take in the diverse cultures of Western, Southern and Eastern India with overnights in Goa (Mormugao), Cochin and Madras, and during maiden calls to the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, and Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka. The ship then continues on 12 December for an 11-night Burma & Andaman Sea Isles voyage, featuring a two-night stay and maiden call at Yangon (Rangoon), Burma – the former British colonial capital that features one of the region’s highest number of period buildings – and concluding with an overnight in the vibrant city-state of Singapore. On 23 December, Azamara Journey embarks on exciting 14-night Southeast Asia voyage to Hong Kong, offering two-night calls at Bangkok (Klong Toey), Thailand and Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, and an overnight at Hanoi in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay.

Mediterranean Odysseys

Azamara Club Cruises also offers up-market travelers 27 voyages for immersive adventures throughout the Mediterranean, Black and Red seas. Departing 8 May, Azamara Quest returns to the Mediterranean from Suez (Sokhna), Egypt, via the Holy Lands and Egypt to Athens (Piraeus), Greece. The only short cruise offered by Azamara, a five-night, round trip voyage from Nice, France, departs on 24 May and offers an overnight at and midnight departure from St. Tropez, France, and two late-night departures from Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Portofino, Italy. Guests sailing for this voyage will have the option to purchase tickets to the Monaco Grand Prix.

Azamara Quest then proceeds to the Eastern Mediterranean, offering eight voyages to the Greek Isles, Adriatic Coast, and Italy. These seven to 12-night voyages feature overnights and late night departures in a variety of exciting ports, such as Kotor, Montenegro; Venice, Amalfi, and Capri, Italy; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; and Istanbul, Turkey. On the Black Sea & Transylvania voyage, departing 22 July, Azamara Quest offers guests an opportunity to visit Dracula’s castle on a Land Discovery option during the call at Constanta, Romania. Azamara Journey also offers an 11-night Best of Italy & Greece voyage, departing 4 October.

From August through October, both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest will sail 10 voyages, ranging from seven to 11-nights, through the Spanish, French and Italian Rivieras, with departures from Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Monaco, and Rome. On the 16 October sailing, Azamara Quest features Northern African destinations, and will make maiden calls at Al Khums and Tripoli in Libya.

Northern Europe Explorations

Azamara Journey makes the most maiden calls for the cruise line in the North and Baltic seas in 2012, visiting new destinations with nearly daily port calls on nine voyages that celebrate the vibrant cultures of Northern Europe. On the seven-night round-trip Belgium and South England voyage from Paris (Rouen), departing 29 April, the ship will make maiden calls at and midnight departures from Bruges (Zeebrugge), Belgium, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Dover, England and Portland, Dorset in the U.K.; and conclude with an overnight in port.

The 11-night Mother’s Day sailing, departing 6 May, includes a maiden call at the Isles of Scilly in the U.K., a midnight departure from the medieval walled city of St. Malo, France, and overnights in culture-rich Antwerp, Belgium and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Guests can fully immerse themselves in multiple North Sea cultural capitals on the 12-night Chelsea Flower Show voyage, departing 17 May, which begins with an overnight in Amsterdam; features first-time calls at Flushing (Vlissingen), the Netherlands, and Southampton, England; and stays for two nights in Antwerp, Paris, and London (Greenwich), offering guests the opportunity to attend the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The 29 May, 12-night British Isles in Bloom voyage overnights in Dublin, Ireland, and Edinburgh (Leith), Scotland, and includes maiden calls at Isle of Skye (Portree) and Invergordon, Scotland. On 28 July the Castles, Distilleries & Pubs voyage from Edinburgh (Leith), guests enjoy two-night stays at and post-midnight departures from Dublin, Ireland, and Paris (Rouen).

Azamara Journey continues eastward for three voyages that explore the vibrant Nordic cultures and Baltic jewel cities. A 10-night voyage from Amsterdam on 10 June offers guests overnights in Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden; a maiden call at and late departure from the charming Danish-island Ronne, Bornholm; and an overnight at and late departure from St. Petersburg, Russia, for guests to join in the city’s annual White Nights Festival. The nine-night Scandinavia Russia, departing 27 June, features a maiden call at Visby, Sweden, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Scandinavia and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and concludes with two nights in Copenhagen.

Jazz aficionados who also love to travel can choose two very special consecutive voyages aboard Azamara Journey in summer 2012. The 6 July Skagen & Hague Jazz voyage begins with an overnight in Copenhagen and concludes with an overnight in Amsterdam, and features a maiden call at Skagen, Denmark, and two-night stays in London (Greenwich) and Rotterdam, the Netherlands (also a maiden port), where guests can attend the North Seas Jazz Festival. On the last day of the festival, Azamara Journey sails at 2 a.m. to offer guests ample time to enjoy post-festival celebrations.

The subsequent 17 July Jazz in the Fjords voyage then takes guests to breathtaking Norwegian fjordlands, with a maiden call at Andalsnes, Norway, and overnights in Stavanger, Norway, and Edinburgh. The itinerary offers guests two days in Molde, Norway, where they have the option for a scenic day excursion through the Fjords on where they can experience a ride on the famous Trollstigen road.

Island Colors of the West Indies

From Barbados, Azamara Journey offers an eight-night West Indies voyage to Miami, departing on 10 March 2012, and makes a maiden call at Soufriere, St. Lucia. The ship then sails a 10-night Virgins and Bermuda voyage on 30 March from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to port for the first time in Boston, featuring overnight stays at both Hamilton and St. George Island in Bermuda, and St. John, U.S.V.I., and Virgin Gorda, B.V.I., where larger ships rarely go. From Boston, Azamara Journey is Europe bound on 18 April, via an overnight and maiden call in New York City for an eleven-night Trans-Atlantic voyage to Paris (Rouen).

On 7 November Azamara Quest returns to the Western Hemisphere from Seville, Spain, to Miami, with overnights in Maderia (Funchal), Portugal, and Hamilton. The ship then sails a seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyage from Miami to Barbados, departing November 28, with calls at Virgin Gorda; St. Barts; Castries, St. Lucia; and Mayreau in the Granadines.

 Azamara’s two, 694-guest ships, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, with a combination of 347 suites and staterooms, offer a European-boutique hotel ambience.

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