Cruise News
Azamara’s New Look for 2013
By Gary Buchanan
late November following a 9-day refurbishment at the Navantia Shipyard in Cádiz, the striking new ‘Azamara-Blue’ hull made her stand out against the azure sky. AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES also used the dry-docking to refresh
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the public areas and staterooms, and sister Azamara Journey will undergo a similar refit in January at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore. Possibly the most dramatic enhancement is in Aqualina, one of the two speciality restaurants. Deep hues of blue greet guests at the entrance to this aerie on Deck 10, where a new caviar and champagne bar has been created, while this new palette also pervades through the chairs and bar stools. On the starboard side, a similar space is the venue for Prime C steakhouse, where guests can enjoy six-course, degustation style, wine-paired Chef’s Table dinners featuring Italian, French and California cuisine. These gastronomic events are hosted by senior officers and have a supplement of $70. The Discoveries Dining Room has also received a makeover and now reflects a
lighter, plush aura rather than the heavier appearance formerly. This has been achieved by reupholstering the chairs with leather in opalescent tones of cream and lemon. Club Luxe has been expanded by reducing the number of slot machines in the area devoted to the casino, enhanced with new chairs and sofas in metallic tones. With the grand piano now situated here, guests can enjoy a recherché, jazz-club ambiance. The Mosaic Café, the popular nexus where passengers can linger over bespoke coffees and teas, has also been spruced up. On Deck 9, the Pool has been resurfaced with beige and grey tiling and new sun-loungers and towels are due to be introduced in the coming weeks. Also on Deck 9, the Spa has been refreshed with a new steam room while state-of-the-art Life Fitness cardio equipment has been added to the Fitness Centre. In the 347 staterooms and suites, the beds have been raised to allow better
storage of luggage, while new mattresses are promised in the coming weeks. Not before time, new furniture has been added to all verandas. The company also took the opportunity of the introduction of the refurbished Azamara Quest to announce that, in the UK, their vessels will become all- inclusive on March 27 for Quest and May 15 for Journey. As Edie Bornstein, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Azamara Club Cruises explained: “With the addition of select spirits, wines, beers and a special evening event each cruise, we are confident this evolution will continue to boost our appeal to international travellers looking for a true destination experience, without anything extra to worry about.” In the US, this concept will be known as ‘more inclusive.’ The included ‘AzAmazing Evenings’ will offer guests treats such as a night at the opera in Ravello followed by a star-lit supper; dinner in a Bordeaux chateau; a private ballet performance with champagne in St Petersburg; or a private equestrian ballet at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art after sampling
sherry at Gonzalez Byass bodegas in Jerez. More info:
www.azamaraclubcruises.com.
Winter 2012-13 I WORLD OF CRUISING 13
hen Azamara Quest arrived in Malaga in
CARNIVAL’S RAY
OF SUNSHINE CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES has provided an in-depth look at the $155million makeover that will transform Carnival Destiny into Carnival Sunshine during a 49-day dry dock in Italy next year. The ship will re-enter service in April 2013 with all of the dining, bar and entertainment elements of the line’s groundbreaking Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement program, along with several exciting new features. Among the new highlights are a racing- themed water park featuring Carnival’s longest water slide, the tropical-themed Havana Bar, a full-service Asian restaurant, and more. Carnival fans who want to get a sneak peek at these and a variety of other fantastic features of the ship can visit
www.carnival. com/sunshine, which showcases a number of interior and exterior renderings and details the ship’s inaugural European and Carib- bean itineraries.
SEADREAMING TO ASIA
SEADREAM YACHT CLUB will deploy one of their twin mega-yachts, SeaDream II, to Asia for the first time for the winter season 2013/14, following the completion of her summer 2013 Mediterranean season. The first of her Asia programme departures is “Passage to the Far East”, which will depart Athens on October 12 and include a transit of the Suez Canal, excursions to Egypt’s fascinat- ing archeological sites (accompanied by an Egyptologist) en route to Mumbai, India. From there, she will sail onwards via Cochin, Sri Lanka, and the Andaman Islands to Thailand before dropping down to Singapore. Thereafter SeaDream II will visit almost every coastal country in South East Asia, as well as visiting Northern Australia during a six-month programme featuring destinations in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), East Timor, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. More info:
http://brochures.seadream.com/ asian-discoveries/
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