Sister Ships Meet - August 6 2018

Currently on Journey and toured Pursuit as a guest today at the Sisters Meeting event in Haugesund. In short, the changes on Pursuit vs. Journey get a big thumbs up from us!

The Den, currently Spirits on sister ships, is now open and spacious. The piano is in the center of the space. Gone are the video wall and the Wii TV, as well as all the slots and electronic gaming machines. Shorex and cruise sales are on the forward end of the space but attractive, built-in to the wall (with sliding doors for the sales manager office). A faux fireplace is in place at the rear end of the space. The chairs are reasonably attractive and not bizarre. By all rights this space should become the "Seabourn Square" of the ship.

The loss of the casino will be controversial to some. The e-gaming machines on Journey were getting a fair amount of use on the 3 B2B segments that are nearing conclusion for us. But what a difference their removal has made in the utility and elegance of the Den/Spirits space. We give the Pursuit a big thumbs up and hope the other Sisters follow suit.

The Mosaic area has been reconfigured and the drink and snack bar and machines moved to starboard. Snacks are now in a case built in to the bar and stools are to the side so as not to block the way. Available seating seems about the same.

The art sales desk and displays have been replaced by an enclosed gallery with walls, doors, and proper lighting on the opposite side of Mosaics. The gallery looks upscale, beautiful, and suitable for a 6 star vessel. If art sales are inevitable, this is a vast improvement.

The Living Room has adopted (kept?) a central bandstand with seating choices behind providing much more seating for bow views. The bandstand sound and lighting equipment looks top of the line although it was not in use during our walk about. There are loungers as well as club chairs behind the stage and facing the forward views. Personally I could do without the chaise loungers but I suppose some will like them. Don't know how the off white fabric will look over time though.

The Sunset Veranda bar is gone and much more outdoor seating is now available. We think this is a plus as Windows can get crowded and outdoor seating is always coveted, temperature permitting. Most of the new seating is covered/shaded as well.

The Pool Bar area is now shaded by a canvas structure that covers seating adjacent to the bar and is an excellent addition in our view.

The staterooms were off limits so can't comment on those.

All in all the changes are definitely approved by this frequent Azamara traveler. The ship feels more elegant and passenger utility improved. Well done, Azamara.

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Today is the day the Azamara Journey and Azamara Pursuit are both in Haugesund, Norway. We call it Sisters-Meet :hearteyes:

You can see lots of pictures at www.AzamaraClubCruises.com/sisters-meet and follow along on our various social media channels using #SistersMeet...https://www.instagram.com/azamaraclubcruises/ or https://twitter.com/AzamaraVoyages

The sail-away is scheduled for 5pm local time (11am Eastern time).

Thank you CowboyRanger for the thumbs up!

I know I can't wait to see the Pursuit in person.

Thanks so much for your interesting assessment.

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Thanks for sharing your impressions!

I have merged the two threads about the Sisters Meeting!

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I have merged the two threads about the Sisters Meeting!

 

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Thank you HGC!

For those of you not on Facebook..,so nice to see familiar faces. Despite the weather it seems like a great time was had by all.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2095862523997562&id=100007215031124&anchor_composer=false

For those of you not on Facebook..,so nice to see familiar faces. Despite the weather it seems like a great time was had by all.

 

 

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2095862523997562&id=100007215031124&anchor_composer=false

Lottie shame about the weather as it’s been glorious up until today but it definitely has been a fantastic day . Well done Azamara!

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Lottie shame about the weather as it’s been glorious up until today but it definitely has been a fantastic day . Well done Azamara!

 

 

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Sadly after weeks of balmy temperatures I think the weather has broken there for the time being. Hopefully it will be back soon. Continue to have fun.

Phil

Hi everyone.

I’d like to add to the Pursuit description. We have friends who were onboard so we went with them to their club continent stateroom. There are two real improvements. The wall outlets near the veranda door have been moved from the bizarre side of the counter location where opening and

closing the drapery dislodged plugs from their outlets ... if you could find this hidden location at all ... and they are now prominently on the wall over the desk area near the phone. Even better, the bathroom counter on the right side of the sink now extends to the wall, providing additional space for toiletries. I like both improvements a lot.

I do disagree about the Mosaic Cafe area though. Moving Mosaic to the left side of the staircase feels odd, although certainly easy enough to get used to. But the art area feels claustrophobic in its small glass enclosed room. The open desk area on the other ships was innocuous enough and you could easily pass by if disinterested. This enclosed art spot adds to me a more mall look, another shop. No doubt I’ll get used to it. We sail on her to Antarctica in January. I do like the look of the den and was told it’s quite popular. While some will miss the casino, I like the open space. I do hope the piano, out in the middle of the room and no longer in its corner, doesn’t get drowned out by noise. There’s a piano player and singer on Journey right now, Steve Burks, who I’ve really enjoyed. Very talented. The piano is still in its corner location on Journey.

It was a fun meeting yesterday. The Pursuit is looking really good.