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Celebrity Cruises revealed today their new, 710-guest "mv
Journey" at Cape Liberty this (and it's sistership) is to
operate under an entirely new brand: "Azamara Cruises,"
which will consist of Azamara Journey , which sets sail May
5, and sister ship, Azamara Quest, which enters service in
October.
Soon after Celebrity Cruises acquired the two former "R" ships through the Pullmantur acquisition, we announced they would become part of an exotic destination-driven extension of the Celebrity brand, called "Celebrity Expeditions." And as we developed the product and learned more about the market opportunity, we saw an opportunity to develop a separate brand. The exceptional experience we'll offer, and the truly exotic destinations that only smaller, more personalized ships like these can visit, led us to identify a void -- an area of the market we believe is underserved, and an area this product is ideally suited to fill. Azamara Cruises is expressly designed for travel enthusiasts who appreciate what a cruise vacation has to offer, but are looking for something a little different. It's the perfect product for the upscale, small-ship traveler interested in sailing to exclusive destinations. And it fits into a new area -- an area we call "deluxe" -- between premium and luxury. The brand will be operated by Celebrity, allowing us to capitalize on our heritage of great shipbuilding and outstanding cuisine and service, but will otherwise be its own decidedly distinct brand and fleet. So how did we come up with the name? It's a coined term rooted in the Romance languages, and includes the obvious links to blue ("aza") and the sea ("mar"), but also was inspired by a star, "acamar," which, in Classical times, was the most southerly bright star that could be seen from the latitude of Greece. We like the flowing name that conjures up images of exotic journeys around the world, and consider Azamara Cruises a star on the blue sea. Although the itineraries are longer than the usual for incentive groups - we feel it will be ideal for those companies looking for a longer cruise that is once in a lifetime for their winners. Also - an incredible charter product. |
