By Bertha Morales
February 2019
The Azamara Pursuit is the latest addition to the Azamara Club Cruises fleet.
The moment you set foot on the Azamara Pursuit you are welcomed with a glass of champagne and a genuine smile. The staff is ready to take sail, yet one more time, with new passengers on board, and this is precisely what gets them motivated. They get to see new faces and meet new people, and so will you.
Cruising on a smaller ship as the Azamara Pursuit with a smaller number of passengers will enable you to socialize and still maintain a level of privacy when you so desire it. When you are not visiting the different ports of call, you will have plenty to do aboard the Azamara Pursuit. Simply enjoy a day of rest and relaxation, have one of their spa treatments, keep up with your fitness routine at the fitness center, enjoy dipping in the pool or Jacuzzi, lay down to get some rays or simply lounge around, or enjoy live entertainment at the Cabaret Lounge. Enjoying time and space is so much a part of the Azamara Pursuit that they even have a relaxing Drawing Room and a great selection of some of the latest novels for your reading enjoyment. You will have dining options between the Discoveries main restaurant, the Italian Aqualina, Prime C steakhouse, the casual patio and Windows Café.
Throughout 2019 the Azamara Pursuit will be docking in ports of calls is some of the most romantic cities world-wide. Visit Rio De Janeiro, Salvador De Bahia, Recife, Casablanca, Lisbon, Seville, Valencia, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Amalfi, Sicily, Kotor, Venice, just to name a few. If you are looking to cruise in 2019, 2020, 2021, or beyond, visit their website to check itineraries and special offers.
With these beautiful destinations and a less crowded ship, it is no surprise Azamara caters to a mature crowd, as well as honeymooners who want a more relaxed sailing, but with just enough activities, great food options and amazing destinations.
Azamara offers more time at ports and more overnight stays than some other cruise lines. This allows you more time to explore the destinations to enjoy their scenery and culture.
The Azamara Pursuit is the most recent and third addition to their fleet, all offering fantastic places to visit. Enjoy more time in ports and more overnight stays, allowing you to experience the culture, cuisine and scenery of the amazing cities at each their ports of call.
Learn more about their fleet and all they have to offer: Azamara Club Cruises
For more information on the Azamara Pursuit, all Azamara Club Cruises vessels, their ports of call, scheduled sailings, photography and all you need to know about Azamara, visit their website or your travel agent.
2020 Maiden Ports:
In 2020, Azamara will be taking its fleet, for the first time, to 41 maiden ports across the world. Starting off the year in paradise, travelers on the 15-Night Tahiti & New Zealand Voyage will visit Bora Bora, French Polynesia, which grants the opportunity for ocean-lovers to experience a Aquasafari Underwater Walk amongst colorful coral reef and marine life. With a variety of experiences, other new destinations include Abardeen, Scotland, where guests on the 11-Night Scotland Intensive Voyage can participate in a “Castle Crawl” to the areas collection of fortresses, including Craigievar Castle and Drum Castle. Further up north, passengers on the 13-Night Iceland Intensive Voyage will stop in Husavik, Iceland and visit the famous Whale Museum, where they will learn about the history, habits, and ongoing conservation efforts to protect the local population. Switching continents, sun-seeking cruisers on the 22-Night Western Africa Journey can visit Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and make their way to the nearby former French Colonial Capital of Grand Bassam, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the National Costume Museum.
Looking Ahead – Sailings on the Horizon:
With the addition of 27 new itineraries to Azamara’s 2021 and winter/spring 2022 sailings, the brand is taking exploration to new heights with over 140 overnight stays around the world to deepen traveler’s discovery of destinations including Eastern Europe. For example, guests sailing on the 14-night Black Sea voyage, which departs on July 20, 2021, will uncover the ancient secrets of the region, which some believe is the site of the lost city of Atlantis. Kicking off in Athens – Europe’s oldest city – travelers will journey to the Greco-Roman city of Ephesus, followed by a visit to the resort town of Varna, Bulgaria; Constanta, Romana; and opulent, Odessa, Ukraine. While in Odessa, guests can visit Shustov Cognac Museum to learn about its history and dynasty, wine making and distillation of spirits, followed by a tasting of four different brandies in the tasting room.
Nothing says romance more than being close to the ocean, and cruising gives you just that, with intimate dining opportunities, couples massage, serene ocean breeze, beautiful sunsets, dancing and more. Cruises have a lot to offer and US News has put together a list of the Best Cruise Lines for Couples based on specific factors that include health ratings, expert reviews and approval among couples. Learn more by clicking on the below link below.
2019 US News Best Cruise Lines for Couples
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. . . Imagine Bliss
By Bertha Morales
January 2019
The Norwegian Bliss was christened in Seattle on May 30th, 2018, and on June 2nd she commenced her first summer season seven-day Alaska cruises welcoming nearly 77,000 guests over 17 voyages calling to Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau in Alaska, as well as to Victoria, British Colombia. Norwegian Bliss returns to Seattle on May 5, 2019 for her second Alaska season. At that time, she will be joined by Norwegian Joy sailing from Seattle and Norwegian Jewel cruising from Vancouver, and Seward, Alaska.
As the largest and newest ship for Norwegian Cruise Line, the Norwegian Bliss started its Caribbean voyages from Miami on November 17, 2018 and will continue to do so through April 2019 when it goes back to Seattle to cruise through Alaska during the summer months.
For more information or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784) or visit www.ncl.com.
Norwegian Cruise Line has a 51-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising. Most notably, Norwegian revolutionized the cruise industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise vacation on their schedule with no set dining times, a variety of entertainment options and no formal dress codes. Today, Norwegian invites guests to enjoy a relaxed, resort-style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea with a wide variety of accommodations options, including The Haven by Norwegian®, a luxury enclave with suites, a private pool and dining, concierge service and personal butlers. Norwegian Cruise Line sails around the globe, offering guests the freedom and flexibility to explore the world on their own time and experience up to 27 dining options, award-winning entertainment, superior guest service and more across all of the brand’s 16 ships.
After its inaugural season from Seattle cruising through Alaska, the Norwegian Bliss moved to Port of Los Angeles to cruise the Mexican Riviera on October 5th 2018, Miami as of November 17th 2018 through April 2019 for its Caribbean cruising and back to Seattle again starting May 5th 2019. To learn about the exact dates of sailing and to plan your own bliss aboard this extraordinary ship, click below for more information.
Book your shore excursions as soon as you possibly can. Shore excursions get booked up early-on and you might miss your chance for your desired spot. But do keep in mind most cruise lines do have strict cancellation policies, so make sure you know what the cancellation policy is before you commit.
Cruise ships with specialty restaurants have limited seating, so if you want to enjoy dining in other than the main dining rooms, you don't want to wait to make your dinner reservations. Just keep in mind you will have to pay extra for these specialty dining experiences.
If you need to take advantage of a little spa time while on vacation, this is also something you want to book ahead of time. As with dinners and excursions, these too get booked up fast.
As a responsible parent, you should never allow your young children to be out of sight anywhere, and a cruise ship is no exception. Instead, take advantage of the kids clubs where children are kept entertained and supervised when you need a little time alone for yourself, with your significant other, or with friends.
Most cruise lines tack on a percentage to the price of your drinks, so ask about tipping policies when booking your cruise so you know what to do once you need that much needed cold libation aboard your ship.
The day of embarkation everyone seems to run to the buffet or pool grill, but a better option for those that want a peaceful meal is one of the specialty dining rooms. Do check with your cruise line, not all ships open their dining rooms on the day of embarkation.