Azamara Cruises leaps into exciting Europe in 2009

Azamara Cruises, the deluxe, destination-driven brand today revealed a widely varied series of itineraries for both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, including 20 new ports and overnight stays in some of the most romantic cities on the continent.

“We’ve been thrilled with the response to our 2008 European itineraries this year, and are really building on that in 2009,” said Azamara Cruises President, Dan Hanrahan. “No other deluxe brand offers the number of ports that Azamara will visit next year, nor matches our breadth of distinct itineraries.”

Azamara Cruise’s series of seven- to 15-night Europe itineraries in 2009 will visit 91 ports in 36 countries, and depart from five different homeports: Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome and Venice. Overnight stays will be offered in Barcelona, Edinburgh, Florence, Istanbul, Ravenna, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. Late-night (10 pm or after) departures will be offered in 10 ports of call, allowing guests to capture more of the flavour of each local’s nightlife.          

AZAMARA CRUISES’ 2009 EUROPE HIGHLIGHTS
• An enhanced 14-night “Western Europe” itinerary includes a transit up the River Thames and into the heart of London, anchoring within view of the Tower of London, plus the new-for-2009 call in Antwerp, Belgium, with a unique city berth position and transit along the scenic River Scheldt before a sunset departure for the North Sea.

• New ports of call include:
– A docking in Zadar, Croatia.
– Rouen, France, just one hour from Paris (as opposed to Le Havre, where larger ships dock, which is two-and-a-half hours from the city).
– Volos, Greece, where Azamara Cruises will offer excursions to the Meteroa Monasteries, perched high atop massive granite rocks, hundreds of feet in the air.
– Amalfi, Italy, near Sorrento, Positano and the Isle of Capri.
– A docking in La Spezia, Italy.
– Dartmouth, United Kingdom, inaccessible to larger ships.

• A series of four consecutive seven-night Mediterranean cruises, for travellers interested in pairing itineraries back-to-back, and will have no repeat ports of call.

• A new “Iceland and Norwegian Fjords” journey roundtrip from Copenhagen, Denmark, featuring three Icelandic ports. The sailing also includes calls in Scotland’s Shetland Islands and Denmark’s Faroe Islands.

• A continuation of Azamara Cruise’s successful 2008 Baltic itineraries from Copenhagen, with an extended, three-day stay in St. Petersburg, Russia – allowing guests ample time to visit the Hermitage or take an overnight shore excursion to Moscow.

• A 15-night “Holy Land” itinerary from Athens to Rome featuring 11 cities, including an overnight stay in Istanbul, Turkey.

• An enhanced “Best of Italy” itinerary with overnight stays in Venice and Sorrento, as well as in Ravenna, giving guests the opportunity to visit Florence by train and experience one of the world’s oldest republics, the independent state of San Marino; the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories; or the sixth-century church of Chiesa di San Vitale, noted on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and famed for its collection of Byzantine mosaics.

• Three 14-night “Ancient Empires” cruises departing from Rome or Athens, calling in five different Turkish ports as well as various ports in Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.

• A 10-night “Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Coast” voyage with only one sea day and calls in Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and Italy.
                                                                                                
The new lineup will open for sale on April 2, 2008, allowing travel agents time to become familiar with the widely varied new sailings.

A 14 night Western Mediterranean fly cruise onboard Azamara Quest costs from only £1,573 (based on two sharing an inside stateroom). Price includes flights from London Gatwick, transfers, 10 night cruise departing Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and calling at Sorrento (Italy), Valletta (Malta), Tunis (Tunisia), Barcelona (Spain), Sete (France), Provence (Marseilles, France), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Portofino (Italy), Florence (Italy) before returning to Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy); meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on 30th August 2008 departure.

For further information or to book visit www.azamaracruises.co.uk or call 0844 493 6060.