USA Today
The recently appointed CEO of Azamara Cruises today announced some big changes for the line, including a new name: Azamara Club Cruises.
In a teleconference with cruise writers, Azamara President and CEO Larry Pimentel said the already upscale brand would become more all-inclusive with everything from wine with dinner to gratuities included in the price of voyages.
Pimentel also said the line will focus much more on the destinations its two ships visit by adding longer port calls and more overnight stays to itineraries.
"We are slowing down the ships rather significantly," says Pimentel, a well-known cruise industry veteran who took over Azamara in July after running SeaDream Yacht Club -- a boutique line known for leisurely paced, port-intensive itineraries.
Pimentel says the changes will coincide with a notable increase in prices for Azamara's voyages, which he argues have been far too low given the quality of the product.
"Rates already have come up about 20% (in recent weeks), and they will be coming up a lot more," Pimentel told cruise writers, noting the line planned a big price increase to take effect on Dec. 14.
Owned by industry giant Royal Caribbean Cruises, Azamara has struggled to gain traction since it was launched in 2007 as a "deluxe" line designed as a step up from sister brand Celebrity Cruises. The line operates just two 694-passenger ships that formerly belonged to the now defunct Renaissance Cruises, and it's still a relatively unknown quantity to many vacationers.
"We are slowing down the ships rather significantly," says Pimentel, a well-known cruise industry veteran who took over Azamara in July after running SeaDream Yacht Club -- a boutique line known for leisurely paced, port-intensive itineraries.
Pimentel says the changes will coincide with a notable increase in prices for Azamara's voyages, which he argues have been far too low given the quality of the product.
"Rates already have come up about 20% (in recent weeks), and they will be coming up a lot more," Pimentel told cruise writers, noting the line planned a big price increase to take effect on Dec. 14.
“We’re going to ... allow our guests to not just see the destination, but to live it,” says Pimentel. “Consider destinations like St. Tropez or St. Petersburg, Russia. If you’ve experienced them only by day, you haven’t really experienced them. With Azamara, through more overnight stays and late-night stays, you can.”
Owned by industry giant Royal Caribbean Cruises, Azamara has struggled to gain traction since it was launched in 2007 as a "deluxe" line designed as a step up from sister brand Celebrity Cruises. The line operates just two 694-passenger ships that formerly belonged to the now defunct Renaissance Cruises, and it's still a relatively unknown quantity to many vacationers.
Pimentel, who also has served as CEO of Cunard Line and The Yachts of Seabourn Cruises says he spent weeks talking with travel agents, past passengers and cruise writers about how to take the line to a new level and has come up with a new focus for the brand based on four pillars: Destination immersion; extraordinary service; cuisine and wine; and wellness and vigor.
Pimental, notably, also has been allowed to hire his own dedicated management team for the brand, which until now was run on the side by executives at the much larger Celebrity.
"We have been looking at everything you could possibly imagine (to change), and we are in a very fast-paced mode," Pimentel says of the new team.
Many of the changes Pimentel announced, including some itinerary changes, will be in effect by April, he says. April also will mark the beginning of included-in-the-price wine being served at lunch and dinner.
Among other items the line will begin including in the price are specialty coffees, sodas and bottled water; self-service laundry machines; and shuttles in port towns -- a nod, says Pimentel, to feedback from customers who have said they don't want to be nickel-and-dimed on a high-end ship.
Pimentel says that by slowing down the ships and spending more time in each port the line will be able to carve out niche cruises offering a more in-depth experience than others. As part of the new focus on ports, the line will be launching more elaborate shore excursions, including two-day packages tailored to overnight calls in places such as Dubrovnik, Croatia and Sorrento, Italy.
“We’re going to ... allow our guests to not just see the destination, but to live it,” says Pimentel. “Consider destinations like St. Tropez or St. Petersburg, Russia. If you’ve experienced them only by day, you haven’t really experienced them. With Azamara Cruise Lines, through more overnight stays and late-night stays, you can.”
Among multi-day packages Pimentel says the line is adding are an overnight tour from Hiroshima to Osaka via bullet train; a three-night experience from Mumbai that includes a visit to the Taj Mahal; and a Grand Egypt tour featuring both the ruins of Luxor and Cairo.
Other unusual themed cruises the line announced today include a Ferrari driving tour in Civitavecchia, Italy; an “In the steps of The Beatles” tour in Liverpool; and an Imperial Russian Court evening at Tsarskoye Selo in St. Petersburg.
As for service, Pimentel says Azamara will be retraining its on-board suite butlers to be true English-style butlers who will "offer that fine balance of anticipatory, pampering, yet non-intrusive service to guests."
Azamara executives also announced the line will launch a loyalty program, “Le Club Voyage,” with specific features and benefits yet to be announced.
