January Azamazing Offers

Azamazing Values

OFFERS AND SAVINGS TOUCH EVERY CONTINENT

Europe, Asia, West Indies

EUROPE 2011 VOYAGES

• 2-for-1 savings

Azamara Journey

• Gratuities included

• 50% savings on pre-booked Land DiscoveriesSM

(shore excursions) beginning April 11 on Azamara Journey® 

and May 6 Azamara Quest®

BOOK BY MARCH 31, 2011 AND RECEIVE

– $2,000 early booking savings per couple

– Up to $2,000 ChoiceAir credit per couple 

depending on stateroom category

ASIA SELECT VOYAGES

Jan 22, 2011 | Mar 17, 2011 | Apr 12, 2011 | Apr 24, 2011

Asian Delights

• 2-for-1 savings

• Gratuities included 

BOOK AN OCEANVIEW STATEROOM OR HIGHER AND RECEIVE

– $2,000 per couple ChoiceAir credit

– $500 onboard spending credit per booking

WEST INDIES, PANAMA CANAL, 

SEA OF CORTEZ SAILINGS

Mar 11, 2011 | Mar 23, 2011

• 2-for-1 savings

• Gratuities included 

BOOK AN OCEANVIEW STATEROOM OR HIGHER AND RECEIVE

– Free or reduced air 

– Club Veranda stateroom for the price of a Club Oceanview stateroom

– Open bar

All rates are per person, based on double occupancy, for individual bookings, cruise only, in USD, and subject to availability. Rates may vary by ship, departure 

date, and stateroom category.  All rates, offers and itineraries are subject to change without notice. Offers may be withdrawn at any time.  Government taxes & 

fees are additional.

Greetings from Azamara Club Cruises Journey

Azamara Journey Port of Miami

After disembarking Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas pre-inaugural, we transferred from Fort Lauderdale to Miami where we spent the night at the Marriott Biscayne Bay.   From our bay view balcony, we watched the sunrise as the ships pulled into port.

Hidden behind the Celebrity Cruises building is Azamara Journey, which will be our home for a West Indies cruise.  For those that haven't heard of Azamara Club Cruises before, we'll be telling you all about the company, the cruise experience, and the ports of call we visit over the next 12 days.

Azamara Club Cruises reinvented itself in April of this year, adding new amenities and destinations.   It is part of the Royal Caribbean Ltd. family of cruise lines but it does operate as an independent business unit.  

Azamara Club Cruises is a luxury cruise line which strives to bring you a different experience than on the larger ships in her sister cruise lines.   You'll be immersed in the destinations you visit with more time spent in the destinations than on most cruise lines.  

The ship has just come across from sailing in Europe this summer so this is the first opportunity for us to experience the ship after the program changes.    Be sure to check back here and on our Facebook fan page for pictures and more details.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Norwegian Epic - Main Pool

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

 

Where is Chris?

Treetops - Vancouver, Canada

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2010 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

While this has been another tough economic year, it appears that the cruise industry has weathered the storm once again. Just this month, we have been highlighting the introduction of Allure of the Seas. Just a year ago, her sister ship was added to Royal Caribbean International's fleet.  The two ships are the largest ships afloat.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

The photos above are from some of our cruises this year.  Cruises Inc. and Cruise One held their National Conference on the brand new Norwegian Epic and we were fortunate to be able to attend.  Just like the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, several new innovations were introduced on the Epic.   Although it isn't quite as large as the RCI ships, it is no small ship.   The entertainment and food on the Epic take center stage along with the studio suites, which allow solo travelers their own haven at a price point to match. The Epic has much to offer cruisers.

Norwegian Epic alternates between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.   Our conference was on the latter itinerary which included stops in Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.   The picture of me in front of the Epic was in Roatan where we hired a local cab driver to take us around the island after we did a bit of shopping near the pier.


In June this year we attended Cruise3Sixty, CLIA's annual conference.  This year it was held in Vancouver, Canada.  We extended our stay following the formal conference which allowed for touring of some of the local attractions, which despite many trips there in the past, we had not had time for.  I'm pictured here hiking through Treetops at the  Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Boardwalk

The highlight of the year is yet to come.   We will be sailing on Allure of the Seas for one of the pre-inaugural sailings.   The final cruise of the year will be on Azamara Club Cruises Journey.   We will tour the West Indies on that cruise.

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Allure of the Seas.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Allure is more than 10 times that length (1182 feet), holds almost 8000 passengers and crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2010.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All