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Azamara hits on iconic events in 2012 including Rio’s Mardi Gras

Azamara Club Cruises has unveiled 54 itineraries ranging from five to 16 nights, between March 2012 and February 2013.

In all, 64 sailings on Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest visit unique destinations around the world, calling at 181 ports in 57 countries throughout the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America, India and the West Indies.

51 percent of all port calls in 2012 feature late night and overnight stays in port, providing time for guests to enjoy a more immersive experience and take advantage of night tourism in destinations where the nightlife is even more vibrant than during the day.

Azamara Quest sails to South American destinations in 2012

Larry Pimentel, president of Azamara Club Cruises, aid: “We designed our itineraries to coincide with some of the world’s most exciting events, such as Rio’s Carnival, the Floriade in the Netherlands, the 52nd Annual Moldejazz Festival in Norway, and others, to offer guests the opportunity to attend these cultural celebrations on some of the Azamara voyages.

Guests will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase prime-seating ticket and transportation
packages from Azamara, eliminating the hassle and guesswork for a truly remarkable travel experience.”

South America Celebration

Azamara Quest sails to South American destinations beginning with a 13-night Brazil itinerary that departs Barbados on 5 December 2012 and concludes with an overnight at Rio De Janeiro. The Christmas in South America itinerary, departing 18 December, offers guests daily port calls as well as an overnight in Punta Del Esta, Uruguay.
Guests on the 27 December New Years in Rio, nine-night voyage are in for a real treat, when after a call at Rio De Janeiro on New Year’s eve, Azamara Quest positions itself off of Copacabana Beach to offer guests an unforgettable view of the midnight fireworks over the seas.
The 5 January 2013, Argentina & Uruguay itinerary combines Brazilian destinations with an overnight at Punta Del Este and two nights in Buenos Aires. On the 31 January, 12-night Carnival itinerary, guests can enjoy overnights in both Buenos Aires and Punta Del Esta before arriving in time for two nights in Rio De Janeiro for the city’s annual Carnaval festival. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase Land Discoveries packages for the festival. Azamara Quest then sails an 18-night Colonial Brazil and West Indies itinerary, beginning with an overnight in Rio De Janeiro on 12 February to Miami.

East Asia Discoveries

Azamara Journey follows ancient spice trade routes around the Indian subcontinent to East Asia, starting with a 13-night Spice Coast & Ceylon itinerary from Bombay (Mumbai) to Madras (Chennai), India, departing 29 November. Guests can overnight in Goa (Mormugao), Cochin and Madras, and during maiden calls to the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, and Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka.
The ship then continues on 12 December for an 11-night Burma & Andaman Sea Isles voyage, featuring a two-night stay and maiden call at Yangon (Rangoon), Burma and ends with an overnight in Singapore. On 23 December, Azamara Journey embarks on a14-night Southeast Asia
itinerary to Hong Kong, offering two-night calls at Bangkok (Klong Toey), Thailand and Ho-ChiMinh City, Vietnam, and an overnight at Hanoi in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay.

Mediterranean Odysseys

Azamara Club Cruises offers 27 voyages throughout the Mediterranean, Black and Red seas. Departing 8 May 2012 Azamara Quest returns to the Mediterranean from Suez (Sokhna), Egypt, via the Holy Lands and Egypt to Athens (Piraeus), Greece. The only short cruise offered by Azamara, a five-night, roundtrip sailing from Nice, France, departs on 24 May and offers an overnight at and midnight departure from St Tropez and two late-night departures from Monte Carlo and Portofino. Guests sailing for this voyage will have the option to purchase tickets to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Azamara Quest then heads to the Eastern Mediterranean, offering eight voyages to the Greek Isles, Adriatic Coast, and Italy. These seven to 12–night sailings feature overnights and late night departures in a variety of ports, such as Kotor, Montenegro; Venice, Amalfi, and Capri, Italy; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; and Istanbul, Turkey.
On the Black Sea & Transylvania itinerary, departing 22 July, Azamara Quest offers guests an opportunity to visit Dracula’s castle on a Land Discovery option during the call at Constanta, Romania. Azamara Journey also offers an 11-night Best of Italy & Greece voyage, departing 4 October.
From August to October, both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest will sail 10 itineraries ranging from seven to 11 nights in the Spanish, French and Italian Rivieras, with departures from Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Monaco, and Rome. On the 16 October 2012 sailing, Azamara Quest will make maiden calls at Al Khums and Tripoli in Libya.

Northern Europe Explorations

Azamara Journey will make a series of maiden calls in the North and Baltic seas

Azamara Journey makes the most maiden calls for the cruise line in the North and Baltic seas in 2012. On the seven-night round-trip Belgium and South England voyage from Paris (Rouen), departing 29 April, the ship will make maiden calls at and midnight departures from Bruges
(Zeebrugge), Belgium, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Dover, England and Portland, Dorset in the U.K.; and conclude with an overnight in port.
The 11-night Mother’s Day sailing, departing 6 May includes a maiden call at the Isles of Scilly, a midnight departure from the medieval walled city of St Malo, and overnights in Antwerp and Amsterdam.
The 12-night Chelsea Flower Show voyage, departing 17 May 2012 which begins with an overnight in Amsterdam; features first-time calls at Flushing (Vlissingen) and Southampton, and stays for two nights in Antwerp, Paris, and London (Greenwich), offering guests the opportunity to attend the annual Chelsea Flower Show.
The 29 May 12-night British Isles in Bloom itinerary overnights in Dublin, Ireland, and Edinburgh (Leith), Scotland, and includes maiden calls at Isle of Skye (Portree) and Invergordon. On a
later 28 July Castles, Distilleries & Pubs sailing from Edinburgh (Leith), guests enjoy two-night stays at and post-midnight departures from Dublin and Paris (Rouen).
A 10-night itinerary from Amsterdam on 10 June offers guests overnights in Copenhagen, and Stockholm; a maiden call at and late departure from Danish-island Ronne, Bornholm; and an
overnight at and late departure from St Petersburg for guests to join in the city’s annual White Nights Festival. The nine-night Scandinavia Russia, departing 27 June, features a maiden call at Visby and concludes with two nights in Copenhagen.
Jazz fans who also love to travel can choose two very special consecutive sailings aboard Azamara Journey in summer 2012. The 6 July Skagen & Hague Jazz sailing begins with an overnight in Copenhagen and concludes with an overnight in Amsterdam, and features
a maiden call at Skagen and two-night stays in London and Rotterdam, also a maiden port, where
guests can attend the North Seas Jazz Festival. On the last day of the festival.
The 17 July in the Fjords sailing takes guests to Norwegian fjord lands, with a maiden call at Andalsnes, and overnights in Stavanger and Edinburgh. The itinerary offers guests two days in Molde, where they have the option for a scenic day excursion through the Fjords on where they can experience a ride on the famous Trollstigen road.

Island Colours of the West Indies

From Barbados, Azamara Journey offers an eight-night West Indies itinerary to Miami, departing on 10 March, and makes a maiden call at Soufriere, St Lucia. The ship then sails a 10-night Virgins
and Bermuda itinerary on 30 March from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to port for the first time in Boston, featuring overnight stays at both Hamilton and St George Island in Bermuda, and St John and Virgin Gorda., where larger ships rarely go.
From Boston, Azamara Journey is Europe bound on 18 April , via an overnight and maiden call in New York City for an 11-night transatlantic itinerary to Paris (Rouen).

On 7 November, Azamara Quest returns to the Western Hemisphere from Seville, Spain, to Miami, with overnights in Maderia (Funchal), Portugal, and Hamilton. The ship then sails a seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyage from Miami to Barbados, departing 28 November, with calls at St Barts; Castries, and Mayreau.