New Look for Azamara Club Cruises Ships

Azamara Journey

& Azamara Quest

Refurbishment

Azamara Club Cruises announced that both of its ships will be undergoing some major changes late this year an early next year.   The most noticeable change will be the switch from a white hull to dark blue hulls.

Dry Dock Schedule:

Azamara Quest (8 Nights) November 7, 2012
Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain

Azamara Journey (7 Nights) January 6, 2013
Singapore's Sembawang Shipyard


According to Edie Bornstein, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Azamara, the new dark blue hulls will "better reflect the elegance onboard."

Here are the details of the refurbishments, which will be made to each ship:

• Caviar and champagne bar will be added within the specialty restaurant Aqualina
• New Chef's Table concept featuring three wine menus (Italian, French and Californian)
• The Casino Bar will be expanded and enhanced with new furniture 
• New steam room and showers; new Life Fitness cardio equipement in the Spa & Fitness center
• New carpets, upholstery and color palette in public spaces
• New mattresses and upgraded balcony furniture will be added to cabins
• Resurfaced pool with new sun loungers and pool towels 

About Azamara Club Cruises

Even before the refurbishment, intimate elegance is what you'll find aboard the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest.. With slightly more than 690 guests you'll discover unparalleled service with one staff member to every two guests. Enjoy an evening cordial while listening to the dazzling finger work of the pianist at the Drawing Room, meet new found friends for a signature cocktail at the Discoveries Lounge, immerse yourself in the thalassotherapy pool and let the invigorating waters rejuvenate your being or enjoy breathtaking views of far away lands while feeding your hunger at the Windows Cafe. With impeccable service, scrumptious cuisine and longer stays at out of the way destinations - discover what it means to sail with Azamara Club Cruises.

Azamara Journey

Azamara Quest

Ship Statistics30,277 GT, 694 passenger capacity, 593 feet length, 95 feet beam Builder: Chantiers de I'Atlantique   Completed in 2000, Refurbished 2007

Cruising to Monte Carlo Monaco

Aerial View of Monte Carlo

Our first port of call on the 12-Night Star Princess Cruise to Greek Isles & Mediterranean was in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco well known for the Formula One Grand Prix Monaco and the Le Grand Casino.

Historic attractions, world-class cultural events, endless entertainment, shopping, and gourmet dining are all part of the ultimate vacation experience, and just steps from Port Hercule.

Le Grand Casino complex is a gambling facility which also includes the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo, an opera and ballet house, and the office of the Ballets de Monte Carlo. This prominent building can be seen from the ship as it is docked in Monte Carlo Bay.  We didn't visit the casino on this trip but have done so in the past. There is an entry fee of 25 Euro the last time we checked. This is the casino that James Bond made famous in films.

Million Dollar Eye Candy

Since you are reading this blog about cruising, we suspect that you like to cruise or are at least  interested in taking a cruise vacation sometime in the future.   We also suspect that you would love the sleek shapes that can be seen in Monte Carlo.  Of course, we're talking about the millions of dollars of private yachts that are on display every day in the Monte Carlo Bay.   Here are the yachts that were docked there as seen from our ship.

More photos can be seen in our Facebook Fan Page Album:  Monte Carlo

Several Touring Options in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is a port of call that can easily be toured on your own.   As mentioned previously, there is plenty to do within walking distance of the pier.    You could also purchase tickets on one of the tour vehicles shown above if you don't care to let you feet take you around. 

On this particular trip we ventured further, selecting one of the ship's tours off the beaten path to Eze.  The aerial view of Monte Carlo above was taken from the bus on the way to Eze, France.   The tour we selected was a half-day tour, so you would still have time to visit the sights near the pier if you wanted to.   As mentioned, this wasn't our first trip to Monte Carlo, so we opted to relax after our tour.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Silva - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Canadian Tall Ship - Silva

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

This was our second visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia. During our last visit, we visited Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. If this is your first visit to Halifax, I would highly recommend you tour the lighthouse. You can get a special cancellation from the post office there. Peggy's Cove Lighthouse is a bit weathered, but it will get a new paint job in 2009.

We decided to do something different this visit. Carnival offerred the Canadian Tall Ship Sailing Experience tour. We were able to experience the historic seaport from a unique perspective aboard the tall ship Silva for an approximate 1½ - hour sail. We were entertained by the Captain and crew as they shared some interesting anecdotes of Halifax Harbour. It was even possible for some hands on sailing experience.

The weather was overcast with some rain as we pulled out into the harbour. The Silva has a canopy that covers a large portion of the deck, so the rain didn't bother us. As we left the dock we were able to get pictures of our ship and also the Royal Caribbean ship that was docked in Halifax. We passed by the Canadian Naval yard where there were several ships docked. It is actually a NATO port, so you never know what ships might be in the harbour. The captain pointed out several sights along the boardwalk including Casino Nova Scotia.

There are other options to see Halifax from the Harbour. I know it sound strange going from one ship to another, but Halifax is best seen from the water. Following your harbour tour, you can then move inland to visit the various popular attractions. The boardwalk was our destination of choice as the rainy weather kept us from venturing too far from the ship. I'll talk about that more in another post.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Evening Activities

Evenings aboard the Norwegian Dawn typically included dinner at one of the Freestyle Dining choices and entertainment. The first night, there was a Welcome Aboard Show in the Stardust Showroom. The main attraction for this show was the Jean Ann Ryan Company with music provided by the Norwegian Dawn Showband. Since photography was not allowed during the show, close your eyes and imagine you are seeing singers and dancers perform live onstage.

Since we had eaten at the Welcome Aboard BBQ, we didn't go to one of the restaraunts the first night. We did join romantics and photographers out on deck for a glimpse of the setting sun. As the saying goes, "red skies at night, sailors delight". Tomorrow would be a beautiful day if the saying held true. As the sun sunk lower from the sky into the sea, we bid our goodbyes to New York (or at least that's what we thought).

While we were waiting for the show to begin , the Captain interrupted to announce that our ship was turning back to New York due to a medical emergency onboard. One of the passengers had been injured and required medical attention. Since the next two days were sea days, this would not impact the overall cruise schedule.

For those that wanted to dance the night away, Spinnaker Lounge was the site of the Welcome Aboard Party: Dancing Through the Decades. The Cruise Director Staff and Sound Bytes hosted this dance party featuring the greatest dance hits from the 50's to today.

On Tuesday night the lounge was the site for 70's Night Disco Groove party. Members from Second City Comedy Troop were also onboard and Thursday and Friday the Spinnaker Lounge was turned into a comedy theatre for their show. Music could be heard throughout the ship. The venues also included Gatsby's Lounge, Grand Attrium, Dazzles Lounge, and Pearly King's Pub.

There was something for every music taste throughout the cruise. You could even be one of the "stars" at the Family Karaoke which was held in Dazzles Lounge a few times during the week.

Dawn Club Casino opened about an hour after we left New York and remained open the first night until the ship returned to New York to have the Coast Guard transport the injured passenger. The highlight event in the casino was on Monday night for Monte Carlo Night. This event was hosted by the entertaining Gazillionare (the Cruise Director) along with the Freestyle Showgirls and Monte Carlo Night Tumblers. The casino was open except while we were in port.

Although Norwegian Dawn doesn't have a formal dress code during the cruise, some people dressed up on Monday night and had their picture taken with Captain Trygve Vorren. There were opportunities other nights for pictures if you were so inclined. In fact, even if you didn't want your picture taken, you probably had more than your share throughout the cruise.

In my next post, I'll talk about a couple of the Freestyle Dining options that we did during this cruise. These events only scratched the surface of the evening's choices. As NCL said in the Freestyle Daily, "everything is hotter when the sun goes down".