Azamara president Carol Cabezas discusses the line’s restart and looks forward to the launch of a new ship, Azamara Onward.

As we transition out of a period that has been dominated by restrictions, travellers are embracing their freedom. There is a real hunger to discover the world, to learn more, to be immersed in different cultures, and to have unique and fulfilling experiences with others.

More than ever before, we want to live life to its fullest, and from what we’re seeing at Azamara, embarking on meaningful travel adventures is playing a huge part in that.

Immersive travel has always been, and will always be, at the core of everything we do at Azamara. We’re committed to taking people beyond the initial layers of a city and bringing them to the heart of a destination.

We’re confident that the past 18 months has accelerated the demand for culturally immersive travel, as people seek meaningful connections with the cultures and people they visit.

Intimate adventures with Azamara

It’s a hugely exciting time for us at Azamara. I was recently on board Quest for our first sailing, and I cannot put into words the emotions I felt throughout the entire voyage – I was so proud to witness what we’ve achieved over the past year come to life.

Our four boutique ships house only 690 passengers at a time, providing our guests with the opportunity to visit unique, smaller ports and have a more intimate small-ship cruising experience.

In our recent 2023 deployment announcement, we confirmed that Azamara will be visiting quieter ports that are only accessible to smaller ships including, Cesme, Turkey; Mariehamn, Finland, and Brest, France.

We don’t just visit these smaller ports; we also spend more time there. Later stays and overnights give guests the chance to follow in the footsteps of locals with less crowds and immerse themselves in the nightlife.

What’s more, with our immersive country-intensive itineraries we give our guests more time to explore a single country’s hidden gems and to connect with the local life and culture. We want them to feel at ease and to be able to leisurely experience these countries at a slower and more relaxed pace.

These European intensives have seen the highest demand, which is why we emerged from the pandemic with five back-to-back Country Intensive Voyages in the Greek Isles in September, and why we will be offering more than ever before in 2022/2023.

With these voyages, our goal is to invite new and returning guests to explore places they have never visited before.

Moving onward with a new Azamara ship

We know that food is an integral part of discovering and embracing any culture. So, at our on board restaurants, such as Discoveries and Windows Café, we have changed each menu to feature dishes from the countries we visit, made with local produce that has been sourced while in port.

Keeping the safety of our guests and crew front of mind, we also introduced Destination Celebration experiences – an adaptation of AzAmazing evenings that can be enjoyed from the comfort of the ship. These complimentary, evening events bring the culture and heritage of a destination to life on board.

Looking ahead to 2022, we’re excited to finally welcome our newest addition to the fleet, Azamara Onward. Departing on her maiden voyage in May, Onward will provide our guests with even more unique itinerary options and destination immersion programmes.