Azamara Journey, Day 3: At sea, Santorini to Valetta, Malta

As the editor of P&O Cruisesโ€™ in-cabin magazine Pacific (as well as Cruise Passenger of course), I recently commissioned a feature on the theme of โ€œHow To Do Nothing On A Cruise Shipโ€. A sea day on this cruise is the perfect opportunity for me to practise what we preach. I could now leave this page blank while I do nothing at allย  … however, first I had the opportunity to meet Scott Daniels, the hotel director, and he filled me in on a few details about what the boutique Azamara Club Cruises is all about.

Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest are twin sisters in all but the artworks hanging on the walls; both are Renaissance-class ships built in 2000, refurbished in 2007.

Azamara Club Cruises was established a year ago, and many of the recent changes implemented were as a result of feedback from passengers; for example, as passengers loathed being โ€˜nickelled and dimedโ€™ all the time, gratuities are now included in the fare; wines at lunch and dinner are also included in the fare, as are soft drinks and coffees all day; and if you pay more to cruise in the Suite Class, extras such as access to the spa, a bottle of vodka and scotch and some free ironing are also included.

Longer stays in port and more overnight stays are a major point of difference for this boutique cruise line, which is positioned between premium and luxury. In fact, weโ€™ve dubbed it โ€˜Luxury Liteโ€™ (see the latest edition of Cruise Passenger for Jo Hallโ€™s feature about Azamara Quest).

CEO Larry Pimentel has hinted there will be a third Azamara Club Cruises ship; apparentlyย he doesnโ€™t want to be the head of a two-ship cruise line!

Now on to Doing Nothing. As a fulltime worker I never have time to sunbathe, and as a converted Australian I usually shy away from exposure to the sun โ€“ however, offered the chance to lie on a private deck, totally naked under the Mediterranean sun, how could I resist? And purely in the name of research I managed to spend a whole afternoon sleeping, snoozing, reading and listening to the comforting thrum of the shipโ€™s engines and the constant churning of the wash. Delicious …

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