AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES ANNOUNCES FIRST AUSTRALIAN SEASON IN 2016

Azamara Quest to offer destination immersive sailings during two month Australian deployment

16th May 2014 - Boutique cruise line Azamara Club Cruises has announced that it will deploy Azamara Quest to Australian waters for the first time in early 2016.

Award winning Azamara Club Cruises, which is owned by the same company as the world’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, is a luxury cruising brand that offers itineraries featuring longer and more overnight stays in port so that guests can truly experience each destination to its fullest. 

For her inaugural Australian season Azamara Quest, one of the cruise line’s two jewel-box ships, will  offer five voyages, ranging from 10- to 17-nights, including: 

* A 14-night Bali & Barrier Reef voyage, sailing from Bali on 22 December 2015 to Cairns;

* A 10-night Great Barrier Reef to Sydney sailing departing Cairns on 5 January 2016;

* A 16-night Australia & New Zealand explorers itinerary departing from Sydney on 15 January 2016 and ending  in Auckland; 

* A 13-night  Australia & New Zealand sailing from Auckland to Sydney  departing 31 January  2016; 

* A 17-night Great Barrier Reef & Bali sailing departing Sydney 13 February 2016.

Azamara Quest will make 25 port visits in Australia and New Zealand over her two months based here including Port Douglas, Townsville, a number of islands on the Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne and Hobart as well as the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Dunedin, and Milford Sound in New Zealand to name a few.

Gavin Smith, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for RCL Cruises Ltd, says the arrival of Azamara Club Cruises in Australia and New Zealand is a response to a ‘buoyant’ cruise tourism market and huge interest from Australian guests.

“Australia is the largest growth market for Azamara Club Cruises globally. So it has long been our aim to bring an Azamara ship to Australia and we are delighted to welcome Azamara Quest.” 

Last year the cruise line introduced AzAmazing Evenings, a complimentary night tour on each voyage that provides guests with an exclusive and bespoke slice of a destination’s authentic culture and character.  Details of the 2016 AzAmazing Evening events are yet to be announced however previous events have included samba shows in Rio de Janeiro, exclusive Three Tenors performances in Italy and dining experiences like the French aristocracy at the Chateau Giscours in Bordeaux, France. 

The boutique Azamara Quest is a mid-sized ship which offers its 694 guests exceptional service and fine cuisine  from around the world. The line also offers more included onboard amenities such as English trained butlers, specialty coffees and teas, boutique wines, international beers and select standard spirits. 

Fares for Azamara’s inaugural Australian season start from AU$6,069* per person for a 16-night Australia & New Zealand explorers sailing departing Sydney 16 January 2016. For Australians wishing to get an earlier taste of Azamara’s specialty cruising experience, the luxury line is offering a double stateroom upgrade special on selected global sailings to guests who book a cruise for 2014-15 before May 31, 2014.

Now open for sale, the 2016 programme is an expansive, curated collection of culture-rich metropolises, charming colonial towns, stunning beaches and unsurpassed natural preserves in some of the world’s most intriguing destinations including South America, the West Indies, Europe, the Far East and Australia. The full programme includes 52 voyages, ranging from five- to 18-nights. Catering to up-market travellers, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest will visit a total of 204 ports in 70 countries, calling at destinations that have been made famous by myths and legends, history and beauty. 

Australian travellers can combine consecutive itineraries for an Azamara Extended Voyage that spans multiple regions and an expansive array of destinations. For example, travellers can embark on the 12 December 2015 voyage from Singapore to Auckland on a 50 night one-of-a-kind odyssey visiting a host of Indonesian, Australian and New Zealand ports and cities as well as multiple small ports and towns that are not accessible to larger ships. Or travellers can embark on the 31 January 2016 sailing in Auckland, on a 107 night itinerary to Athens, via New Zealand, Australia, the Far East to the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean.

To make a booking or for further information visit www.azamaraclubcruises.com, phone 1800 754 500 or contact your local travel agent. Travel professionals can call 1300 754 500 or visit: cruisingpower.com.

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*Price quoted is a from price only and applies to the lowest available interior stateroom. Conditions apply and prices are subject to change. For full terms and conditions, call 1800 754 500.   

Azamara Club Cruises is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSX: RCL), a global cruise vacation company that also owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, and CDF Croisières de France, as well as TUI Cruises through a 50 per cent joint venture.  Together, the six brands operate a combined total of 41 ships with four under construction.  They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 460 destinations on all seven continents.  

RCL Cruises Ltd Australia commenced operation in December 2008 as the Australian arm of global cruise holiday company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company offers three cruise brands in Australia & New Zealand: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. In the 2014/2015 cruise season, Royal Caribbean International will be the largest cruise operator in Sydney, with three ships sailing in the region: Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. This is in addition to two Celebrity Cruises ships, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Century. In the 2015/2016 local cruise season Royal Caribbean International will increase the local fleet to four ships: Legend of the Seas home porting in Brisbane; along with Explorer of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas home porting in Sydney.

Information supplied by : Azamara Club Cruises.

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