 | |
| Industry | Tourism |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Royal Caribbean Group |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dondra Ritzenthaler (CEO) |
| Products | Cruises |
| Parent | Sycamore Partners |
| Website | www |
Azamara is a cruise line based in Miami, Florida, that operates four cruise ships on worldwide itineraries. [1]
Azamara Cruises was founded in 2007 after two R-class ships from Pullmantur Cruises that would have gone to Celebrity Cruises were transferred to the new company. The first ships of the company were the Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. They make cruises to exotic locations, competing with similar luxury cruise lines such as Oceania Cruises.
In 2009 Azamara underwent a rebranding, being renamed to Azamara Club Cruises. Between 2012 and 2013 the Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey were renovated and in 2018 the company acquired the Adonia from P&O Cruises, renaming it to Azamara Pursuit. [2]
The company was founded by Royal Caribbean who wanted to diversify its operations. In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was sold to a private investment group. [3]
The ships were extensively renovated from 2012 to 2013 and 2018, respectively.
Azamara currently operates four ships. They belong to the eight R-class ships that were built for Renaissance Cruises between 1997 and 2001. The Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey both entered service in 2000 under the original names R Six and R Seven. In March 2018, Adonia was also taken over from P&O Cruises and renamed Azamara Pursuit.
Each of the ships can carry a maximum of 686 passengers. All ships sail under the flag of Malta. Azamara offers cruises with the ships worldwide.
In January 2021, Royal Caribbean announced that it would sell Azamara to Sycamore Partners in the first quarter of 2021. [4] The sale was completed in March 2021. [5] The acquisition of another ship, the Pacific Princess, a sister ship to the other ships in the fleet, was also announced. It was handed over in March 2021 and was officially renamed Azamara Onward on May 2, 2022. [6] [7]
In May 2024, Dondra Ritzenthaler officially became the CEO of Azamara Cruises. [8]
The Azamara ships were built in 1999–2001 for Renaissance Cruises as a part of their R class.
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Azamara | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azamara Journey | 2000 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2007 | 30,277 tons |  Malta | Previously R Six, Blue Star and Blue Dream. |  |
| Azamara Quest | 2000 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2007 | 30,277 tons | Malta | Previously R Seven, Delphin Renaissance and Blue Moon. |  |
| Azamara Pursuit | 2001 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2018 | 30,277 tons | Malta | Previously R Eight, Minerva II, Royal Princess and Adonia. |  |
| Azamara Onward [9] | 1999 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2022 | 30,277 tons | Malta | Previously R Three, Pacific Princess. Was renamed Azamara Onward on May 2, 2022. |  |
Carnival Corporation & plc is a British and American cruise operator with a combined fleet of over ninety vessels across nine cruise line brands and one joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). A dual-listed company, Carnival is composed of the Panama-incorporated, US-headquartered Carnival Corporation, and UK-based Carnival plc, which function as one entity. Carnival Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, whereas Carnival plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with an ADR listing on the NYSE. Carnival is listed in both the S&P 500 and FTSE 250 indices.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997.
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1997.
Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a global cruise holding company incorporated in Liberia and based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & plc. As of March 2024, Royal Caribbean Group fully owns three cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises with 65 ships in the current fleet and 5 ships on order until 2028. They also hold a 50% stake in TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
MSC Cruises is a Swiss-Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1988 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In addition to being the world's largest privately held cruise company, employing about 23,500 people worldwide and with offices in 45 countries as of 2017, MSC Cruises is the third-largest cruise company in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Group, with a 10.2% share of all passengers carried in 2021.
Princess Cruises is an American cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company is incorporated in Bermuda and its headquarters are in Santa Clarita, California. As of 2021, it is the second largest cruise line by net revenue. It was previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises. The line has 15 ships cruising global itineraries that are marketed to both American and international passengers.
P&O Cruises is a British cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. It was originally a subsidiary of the freight transport company P&O and was founded in 1977. Along with P&O Cruises Australia, another former subsidiary of P&O, it has the oldest heritage of any cruise line in the world, dating to P&O's first passenger operations in 1837.
Seabourn Cruise Line is a luxury small ship cruise line headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc.
MS Azamara Onward, formerly R Three and Pacific Princess, is a cruise ship owned and operated by Azamara Cruises since 2022. She was built in 1999 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises. In 2002, following the failure of Renaissance Cruises, the ship was sold to Princess Cruises and renamed Pacific Princess. On 21 January 2021, Carnival announced the ship had been sold to an unnamed buyer, later revealed to be Azamara Cruises.
MS Dream is a cruise ship owned by Tianjin Orient International Cruise Line from 2023. She was built in Italy in 1998 as the Sun-classSea Princess for Princess Cruises, which operated her until 2020, except for a short period (2003–2005) with P&O Cruises as Adonia. Sold in 2020 and renamed Charming, the ship did not re-enter service until acquired by Tianjin Orient.
Pullmantur Cruises was a cruise line headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. In 2006, Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by U.S.-based Royal Caribbean Group, but Royal Caribbean later sold a 51% stake in the cruise line to Spain-based investment firm Springwater Capital, retaining a 49% stake.
Renaissance Cruises was a cruise ship operating company that was founded in 1989 and owned by Fearnley & Eger Rederi in Oslo, Norway. It was purchased by Edward Rudner as the company faltered during the Gulf War. It operated year-round cruise itineraries to the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek Isles, Tahiti and the South Pacific, northern Europe and Scandinavia. The company ceased operations on 25 September 2001, having accommodated up to 220,000 guests in 2000. While the company had been in poor financial health for quite some time, the economic decline resulting from the September 11 attacks in 2001 is credited with the demise of this cruise line. It was headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.
Azamara Pursuit is a cruise ship operating for Azamara Club Cruises. The ship was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at their shipyard in St. Nazaire, France in 2001.
Azamara Quest is an R-class cruise ship that entered service for Azamara Cruises on 24 October 2007. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Seven. Following the collapse of Renaissance Cruises in 2001 she was laid up for two years, until chartered to the Germany-based Delphin Seereisen as Delphin Renaissance.
Azamara Journey is an R-class cruise ship owned and operated by Azamara Club Cruises. Gross register tonnage is 30,277, with a capacity of 694 passengers, plus 390 crew members. She was built in 2000 for Renaissance Cruises as R Six. After the bankruptcy of Renaissance Cruises, she sailed for Pullmantur Cruises who renamed her Blue Star in 2003 and Blue Dream in 2005.
Marella Cruises is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Silversea is an ultra-luxury and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, Silver Cloud. Since July 2020, it has been owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
Sycamore Partners is an American private equity firm based in New York specializing in retail and consumer investments. The firm has approximately $10 billion in aggregate committed capital.
Adonia is an ancient Greek festival.
