CRUISES | AZAMARA

Celebrity launches new cruise brand, Azamara

By Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
09:27 AM PDT, May 08, 2007

It's hardly a budget cruise, but it's not luxury either. That's what Celebrity Cruises says its new Azamara brand will deliver as its smallish ships roam the Caribbean, Asia, Europe and, eventually, the whole world.

Most fares posted online this week at www.azamaracruises.com ranged from $150 to $200 per person, per night, double occupancy, depending on cruise length, destination and date.

At those prices, Celebrity promises fresh-cut flowers, Frette cotton robes and flat-screen TVs in each stateroom, plus "butler service," which its press release didn't further define.

Officials said the new brand is in the "deluxe" category, between "premium" and "luxury."

Besides two restaurants, one Mediterranean-style and another with steak and seafood, the 710-passenger ships will have wine bars with tastings and seminars. And, of course, there's an onboard spa and upscale shops.

Azamara Journey, the first ship in the new fleet, left Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J., on Sunday for its first weeklong round trip to Bermuda. After summer, it will sail in the Caribbean, South America and, later, embark on a world cruise.

For its maiden voyage, the Journey, which formerly sailed as the Blue Dream for a Madrid line that was acquired by Celebrity's parent company, got a four-week, $19-million makeover. It emerged with a new paint job, new restaurants and bar, an expanded spa, and new bedding and linens.

In October, another refurbished ship from the Madrid line, the Azamara Quest will join the fleet.

For information, see www.azamaracruises.com or call (877) 999-9553.