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As the brand sets sail throughout the Greek Isles for the first time as an independent cruise company, guests aboard the ship had the opportunity to experience several new offerings. Highlights of the new experiences include:

Immersive Programming…

The first Destination CelebrationSM took place in Rhodes, Greece, the adaptation of AzAmazing Evenings®, which brings the culture and heritage of the destination to life onboard and designed with the health and safety of Azamara guests and crew in mind. Hosted on the pool deck, the exclusive, complimentary evening event featured music by Duo Violins with accompanying orchestra and a singer, as well as six Greek Gods in respective dress and insignia. Each guest was also provided with a local gift onboard following the event, which included Greek olive oil, olive soap and oregano to have as a keepsake.

Encouraging guests to get off the ship and immerse themselves within the destination, the Greek Isles itinerary brought new shore excursion programming to better connect people with the local culture, including Tracing the Origins of Zorba, which transports guests on a journey outside the walls of Heraklion to Myrtia to learn about the life of Nikos Kazantzakis, Cretan writer and philosopher who was famous for his novel, Zorba the Greek. A visit to the museum dedicated to his work is followed by a private lunch in Archanes Village with traditional Cretan cuisine and a live Zorba dance performance, where guests are also invited to learn the traditional Greek folk dance.

New Onboard Destination-Focused Experiences…

Inspired by Azamara’s Destination Immersion approach to travel, onboard restaurants, such as Discoveries and Windows Café, have redesigned each menu to feature World Cuisine Selection dishes, which highlight some of the countries visits when sailing with Azamara, from the British Isles to Greece and Italy.

Making a debut on Azamara Quest first, Azamara has partnered with Starboard Cruise Services – an LVMH Moët Hennessy company – on a destination-tailored retail program, offering experiential, cultural and artisanal touchpoints curated specifically for each travel journey of Azamara’s fleet of ships.

Azamara has also taken a new approach to the traditional muster drill with a five-minute video that is conducted as soon as the guest boards the ship and before they enter their stateroom. The videos are staggered and timed to the guest’s check-in time, allowing guests to socially distance. Keeping health and safety top-of-mind, Azamara guests and crew are required to be vaccinated two-weeks prior to their sailing. Each guest and crew member are tested prior to boarding the ship.