Designed to offer exotic destination-driven travel experiences, Azamara Cruises -- consisting of Azamara Journey, which sets sail May 5, and sister ship, Azamara Quest, which enters service in October -- will present a more intimate onboard experience, while allowing access to the less-traveled ports of call experienced travelers want to visit.

"We created Azamara Cruises to target an area of the market that we believe is underserved, and an area this product is ideally suited to fill," said Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, parent company of Azamara Cruises. "This new line falls into what we consider the deluxe category -- a category between premium and luxury."

According to Azamara Cruises President Dan Hanrahan, who also is president of Celebrity Cruises, "Azamara Cruises is expressly designed for travel enthusiasts who appreciate what a cruise vacation has to offer, but are looking for something a little different, and a little more special. And what's special about Azamara Cruises is its distinctive combination of impeccable service, exceptional cuisine and off-the-beaten-path destinations, with truly immersive excursions."

Complementing the exotic Caribbean and Europe itineraries for Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, previously announced under the former "Celebrity Expeditions" banner, Hanrahan today announced that Azamara Cruises' itineraries will not only take travelers to some of the most desirable locations in the Caribbean, but will immerse them in Asia, and even transport them around the world. Itinerary details for Azamara Cruises' Asia and world cruises are yet to be announced, but once finalized, the line expects to visit more than 200 ports -- most of them new to cruise travelers -- in over 70 countries.

While delving deep into the history and culture of remote destinations larger ships can't reach, guests sailing with Azamara Cruises also will enjoy a more exclusive guest experience. Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest offer butler service in every stateroom and suite, as well as concierge-style amenities, including fresh-cut flowers, fresh fruit, Elemis toiletries, complimentary use of Frette cotton robes, two complimentary pairs of slippers, plasma TVs and plush European bedding.

Despite the ships' smaller size, each offers two specialty restaurants: On Azamara Journey, the Mediterranean-influenced "Aqualina" and the stylish steak and seafood restaurant, "Prime C." Guests staying in suites will receive two nights of complimentary dining in one of the two specialty restaurants, while guests in staterooms will receive one. The ships will not require formal attire for dining, and will feature open seating in the main dining room.

Azamara Cruises also presents a wine bar with a spectacular wine cellar offering wine and champagne tastings, seminars, and mini-pairings of food and wine, in addition to its standard menu of fine wines by the glass or bottle.

Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest offer an enhanced emphasis on spa and relaxation, with treatments many cruise travelers have never experienced. Guests in suites can enjoy certain spa services in the privacy of their room. Both ships also will offer an outdoor spa relaxation lounge and an aesthetics suite offering acupuncture, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion.

An onboard "excursion expert" will not only help guests select shore excursions based on their personal interests, but also will serve as a destination guide, offering information about the culture and history of each port of call.

The Azamara retail experience onboard also will be enticing to most experienced travelers, with its focus on fine art, sculpture, photography, jewelry, and upscale resort wear.

Just prior to setting sail on its maiden voyage May 5, Azamara Journey completed a four-week, approximately $19-million makeover, highlighted by the conversion of 48 staterooms into 32 suites, a complete refurbishment of the dining areas to create the two new specialty restaurants, an expansion of the spa area to include an aesthetics suite, a new Sunset Bar on the aft deck, a new art collection, Cova Cafe, entirely new carpets and flooring throughout, new exterior decking, new paint schemes, new walls, and entirely new "soft goods," ranging from plush European bedding to cushions, drapes and table linens.

The name "Azamara" is a coined term, rooted in Romance language references to blue ("aza"), the sea ("mar"), and a lesser-known word, "acamar," which, in Classical times, was the southernmost bright star that could be seen from the latitude of Greece. Hanrahan said the company views the new brand as "a bright star on the deep blue sea."

Azamara Cruises unlocks the hidden corners of the world for those who desire to immerse themselves in the rich details of every voyage. The deluxe ships -- Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest -- offer an intimate experience, while allowing access to exotic destinations experienced travelers long to reach. For the 710 guests on each Azamara Cruises ship, every moment at sea embodies the pinnacle of luxury, and each footstep on shore accentuates the difference between visiting a place and getting a true sense of place. Azamara Cruises presents the best of Bermuda and Panama Canal/South America in 2007, elite Asia and the most captivating Caribbean, South America and Europe in 2008, and around-the-world voyages in 2010. For more information, travel agents are encouraged to call 1-877-222-2526. Guests are invited to call 1-877-999-9553. Or, visit www.azamaracruises.com.

[ 05-04-2007: Message edited by: jsea ]

So what about Celebrity Expedition? Too many brands offering a similar product are not only expensive to operate, but confusing to the consumer as well.

I'm not sure how I feel about this announcement.

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Originally posted by eroller:

So what about Celebrity Expedition? Too many brands offering a similar product are not only expensive to operate, but confusing to the consumer as well.

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I suspect that 'Celebrity Expeditions' will be short-lived; the name does not impart any sense of luxury and sounds kind of rough and rugged, perhaps alienating people. So now there is a new, invented name which doesn't mean anything to anybody, and Celebrity has a blank slate to create their new product.

This is a bit of a change for Celebrity from when it was better known as Chandris Cruises and owned ships like the ex ss America and various other ships on the emigrant services to Australia and also had some of the old Matson liners such as the 1931 built Monterey cruising from the USA as the Britanis in the 1970's/1980's.

They still have the cross on the funnel for Celebrity Cruises from the days of when it was known as Chandris Cruises.

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Originally posted on Azamara's website: Specifically designed to be smaller and more sleek than most cruise ships

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[ 05-04-2007: Message edited by: Rex ]

[ 05-04-2007: Message edited by: Rex ]

In cruising, 'One Size does NOT fit all'.

[ 05-05-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Like Carnival, RCI obviously think the way forward is to have a number of brands targeting verious market niches.

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Also there are/will be some significant differences between operating practice on Journey / Quest and the rest of the Celebrity fleet. For example, Celebrity is known for traditional dining patterns - set sittings - and for formality - several formal nights per cruise. These two new ships feature neither, but have open seating in the main restaurant & a standard 'country club casual' dress code (exactly the same as Oceania, in fact). I think it would have become increasingly difficult for Celebrity to have one set of policies for most of the fleet, and different policies for these two ships.

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Originally posted by Neil Whitmore ( Bob ):
Hi

This is a bit of a change for Celebrity from when it was better known as Chandris Cruises.

Neil ( Bob )

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It looks as if the new company has got off to a bad start with the Journey not ready to sail on time for its first cruise.

The ship is now expected to have one day less in Bermuda.

She will be delayed by 24 hours.

Neil ( Bob)

[ 05-07-2007: Message edited by: Neil Whitmore ( Bob ) ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Neil Whitmore ( Bob ):

It looks as if the new company has got off to a bad start with the Journey not ready to sail on time for its first cruise.

The ship is now expected to have one day less in Bermuda.
She will be delayed by 24 hours.
Neil ( Bob)
]

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Yes, she did sail a day late--this is from the Miami Herald:
AZAMARA CRUISE DELAYED ONE DAY. Celebrity Cruises introduced its
new Azamara brand featuring two revamped former Renaissance Cruises
ships, the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. But Azamara Journey's
first cruise to Bermuda did not depart as planned. The ship had been
scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. on Saturday, but early that morning the
line made the decision to delay its departure by one day to complete
finishing touches and removal of boxes used for new furniture and
supplies. The ship departed at approximately 11 a.m. Sunday. Passengers
were asked to return home Saturday night, if local, or stay in a hotel
if they flew. All guests received a full refund of their fare and a $100
onboard credit. With the launch of the new cruise brand, Celebrity is
aiming for a niche between so-called "premium" and "luxury" cruises. The
new line will offer exotic itineraries in South America, Europe and
Asia. In 2010, Azamara plans to begin around-the-world trips.

I stick with what I said earlier: the policy differences between the Journey/Quest ships & the rest of the Celebrity fleet (e.g. dress code; dining arrangements, and now, I gather, smoking policy) are sufficient to make it a good idea to separate these two from the rest of Celebrity. While these policies will be very close to those implemented by Oceania, I gather they are different from what Princess do with their former R ships; Princess have set sittings for dinner, I think, and only one speciality restaurant open each night (they alternate them!). It may be that Celebrity executivess only decided to go the Oceania route once they'd actually looked at the ships and gained a feel as the best way to operate them, and this didn't happen until this year, I believe.

It's going to carry on being messy for a while. Perforce, Celebrity have had to put Journey onto the same itinerary that Zenith was working, and I gather that there is some unhappiness from the Zenith regulars and from those who had already made bookings on Zenith: there is no children's club on Journey (or at least, much reduced facilities) and the smoking policy is different. (Zenith bookings have been honoured on Journey, at the original price). That situation is going to persist throughout this summer. Zenith has gone to Pullmantur, I believe.