Azamara Pursuit

[Riocca]

Looks like Pursuit’s short cruise to Guernsey for travel partners has been aborted, presumably because of the high winds forecast there tomorrow would not only make tendering impossible but it wouldn’t make it a pleasant experience.

Southampton cruise ship schedule now showing Pursuit repositioning from Mayflower to QE2 Terminal, however I’m sure those onboard will be enjoying the experience despite this.

 

 

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[upwarduk]

According to the Southampton cruise ship schedule she will be at 3 different terminals!

 

[Grandma Cruising]

Oops!

 

 

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[Riocca]

Because of the relatively late scheduling of the revised maiden it was always the case as it had to fit in with other ship movements. RC brands normally use City Cruise Terminal (101) but Independence & Navigator we’re scheduled there so arrival was at Mayflower (106) normally used by P&O. On return from the mini cruise she was due at Ocean Terminal (46) repositioning at City(101) later on. It looks like QE2 (38/9) was the only Terminal available today once the cruise was aborted, still it will give them a lot of practice parking the ship [emoji16]

 

 

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[combine]

A lovely day today checking out the ship. Great to see some familiar faces. Lunch in Aqualina was wonderful. Hope you all enjoy the maiden voyage tomorrow.

[upwarduk]

A lovely day today checking out the ship. Great to see some familiar faces. Lunch in Aqualina was wonderful. Hope you all enjoy the maiden voyage tomorrow.

 

Just wish Southampton wasn’t so far away. Would have loved to have been there.

Just waiting for Azamara to put photos on.

[combine]

Just wish Southampton wasn’t so far away. Would have loved to have been there.

Just waiting for Azamara to put photos on.

 

 

Lots of familiar sights but also some new aspects. We were shown around in small groups by Head Office staff.

 

The extra ocean view rooms on deck 4 fit in very well and you hardly notice them. The old spirits area is much more open and airy and should be a great place for meeting new friends. Although if gaming tables and slots were your cup of tea then you will be disappointed.

 

It was good to see some of the higher end cabins as we have never seen them before.

 

All in all a very good day and no doubt many of you will post your experiences and photos after tomorrow.

[Grandma Cruising]

A lovely day today checking out the ship. Great to see some familiar faces. Lunch in Aqualina was wonderful. Hope you all enjoy the maiden voyage tomorrow.

 

 

 

Glad you had a good day, Lynda.

 

 

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[cinnamon]

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.

Tomorrow I’ll post my photos. I took lots! The lunch was wonderful and our group had Richard Twynam showing us around. Can’t wait for March to be back onboard but the budget won’t allow anything sooner.

 

 

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[hants52]

A lovely day today checking out the ship. Great to see some familiar faces. Lunch in Aqualina was wonderful. Hope you all enjoy the maiden voyage tomorrow.

 

It was good to meet you Lynda The food was really excellent , especially the fillet mignon.I just hope for tomorrow’s passengers that they get the air conditioning sorted in Aqualina. We were just about to step off the ship to leave when we were physically dragged into Mosaic by old friend Michael the barman who insisted on making coffees. Then several other old friends appeared to greet us. It’s a lovely new ship but still retains that great friendly Azamara experience and amazing crew.

 

Malcolm

[combine]

It was good to meet you Lynda The food was really excellent , especially the fillet mignon.I just hope for tomorrow’s passengers that they get the air conditioning sorted in Aqualina. We were just about to step off the ship to leave when we were physically dragged into Mosaic by old friend Michael the barman who insisted on making coffees. Then several other old friends appeared to greet us. It’s a lovely new ship but still retains that great friendly Azamara experience and amazing crew.

 

Malcolm

 

Great to meet you too Malcolm. On the train home deciding what to book!! Be rude not to!!

[chilimax]

Re the Pursuit visit, I thought the ship looked fantastic. It is understated and elegant. Richard Twynam was an excellent host. The food was superb and the staff so friendly and efficient. Really looking forward to embarking tomorrow!

[Medeba]

I echo the comments made by combine and Chilimax. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to visit Pursuit and have a good look around including seeing a number of different staterooms. Richard Twynam and his team were excellent hosts. The four course meal in Aqualina was superb. The ship looks great, the ship's crew were welcoming. Saw Captain Carl with his family. All in all, Pursuit is a credit to Azamara.

 

Although we didn't see any sun lounger cushions, we were assured that they would be arriving in time for the maiden voyage!

 

I'm sure everyone on the maiden voyage will have a lovely time and the weather looks set fair for embarkation tomorrow. We can't wait for our cruise on Pursuit in October.

[norn iron]

It is great to read the enthusiastic comments of CC contributors who have had the chance to visit Pursuit in Southampton.

The comments endorse my thoughts when I visited Pursuit in Belfast last Thursday.

 

Now here is an interesting point for discussion.

Whilst on our tour of Pursuit, our host from Azamara (who should remain nameless) stated there was a desire to grow the fleet and the brand.

When we boarded last Thursday we were taken to the ship by bus along with reporters from the BBC and The Belfast Telegraph (amongst others). All of the journalists got time with Azamara team members and Brian McConville from MJM Group who carried out the work.

One of the reporters, Margaret Canning from The Belfast Telegraph interviewed Brian McConville and I have added a link to the feature below. The interesting comment was,

"Mr McConville said the three ships in the Azamara family will not be due for a fresh fit-out for some years but hinted that the line-up could be extended to include another vessel - bringing more opportunity for work. "

 

Brain McConville probably has a fair bit of knowledge and access to Azamara, so it definitely a case of watch this space.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/luxury-liner-sets-sail-from-belfast-after-50m-fitout-gives-hope-of-more-to-come-37158574.html

[Zoey]

It is great to read the enthusiastic comments of CC contributors who have had the chance to visit Pursuit in Southampton.

The comments endorse my thoughts when I visited Pursuit in Belfast last Thursday.

 

Now here is an interesting point for discussion.

Whilst on our tour of Pursuit, our host from Azamara (who should remain nameless) stated there was a desire to grow the fleet and the brand.

When we boarded last Thursday we were taken to the ship by bus along with reporters from the BBC and The Belfast Telegraph (amongst others). All of the journalists got time with Azamara team members and Brian McConville from MJM Group who carried out the work.

One of the reporters, Margaret Canning from The Belfast Telegraph interviewed Brian McConville and I have added a link to the feature below. The interesting comment was,

"Mr McConville said the three ships in the Azamara family will not be due for a fresh fit-out for some years but hinted that the line-up could be extended to include another vessel - bringing more opportunity for work. "

 

Brain McConville probably has a fair bit of knowledge and access to Azamara, so it definitely a case of watch this space.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/luxury-liner-sets-sail-from-belfast-after-50m-fitout-gives-hope-of-more-to-come-37158574.html

 

Personally I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I liken it to so many small, individually owned restaurants that are wonderful and everything is delicious and personable until they decide to open several more and over time it leads to a decline in the quality compared to the sole, small original. I've seen it happen several times. Happened to one of my favorite places.

[Mrs Miggins]

We too had a lovely visit today. I was very impressed with Pursuit. Everything is looking good with a slight air of 'eau de paint pot' in a few places. I thought the Den looked great with the piano not tucked in the corner but positioned on the side half way down. No huge sports screens. It looks like a very convivial space - lots of room for Trivia. The Living Room looks good with the stage being in the middle. The couches looking out of the front windows looked comfy although I am not sure how they work at night. There is also a piano here (and also one in the Drawing Room) which I don't remember before. The dance floor looked a little smaller than I recall.

The Main Dining room looked light and appealing, as did Aqualina and Prime C. There are more opportunities for large tables between the two restaurants and the Chefs Table chairs are a big improvement.

We were also lucky enough to have Richard as our Tour leader. Very impressed with the lovely suites so hope someone invites us to tea.

I liked the additional tables on the Sunset Veranda although the waiters will have a long walk to the bar in Windows. I am sure a small station with the daily wine offerings etc will be added as mentioned previously.

We met Tony Markey and Christine on embarkation. He had been off the ship for a couple of days. He was certainly very upbeat about the new entertainment he has planned.

Lovely lunch in Aqualina with Cinnamon (Corinne and John) really enjoyed it and they only live a couple of miles away. Good options for the odd coffee in our local M & S in the future.

This is a really lovely ship and I will now seriously look at booking a cruise on her in 2019.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I was told back in January that the deal to buy Pursuit (R-8) from Princess was actually a two-fer and that Azamara will be getting Pacific Princess (R-3) at some point in the future. It's the last R-ship available, so Azamara shouldn't let the opportunity pass it by. Four identical ships will allow wonderful itinerary opportunities, and bring the line up to a scale that could justify planning for new-builds in the further future.

[excitedofharpenden]

We too had a lovely visit today. I was very impressed with Pursuit. Everything is looking good with a slight air of 'eau de paint pot' in a few places. I thought the Den looked great with the piano not tucked in the corner but positioned on the side half way down. No huge sports screens. It looks like a very convivial space - lots of room for Trivia. The Living Room looks good with the stage being in the middle. The couches looking out of the front windows looked comfy although I am not sure how they work at night. There is also a piano here (and also one in the Drawing Room) which I don't remember before. The dance floor looked a little smaller than I recall.

The Main Dining room looked light and appealing, as did Aqualina and Prime C. There are more opportunities for large tables between the two restaurants and the Chefs Table chairs are a big improvement.

We were also lucky enough to have Richard as our Tour leader. Very impressed with the lovely suites so hope someone invites us to tea.

I liked the additional tables on the Sunset Veranda although the waiters will have a long walk to the bar in Windows. I am sure a small station with the daily wine offerings etc will be added as mentioned previously.

We met Tony Markey and Christine on embarkation. He had been off the ship for a couple of days. He was certainly very upbeat about the new entertainment he has planned.

Lovely lunch in Aqualina with Cinnamon (Corinne and John) really enjoyed it and they only live a couple of miles away. Good options for the odd coffee in our local M & S in the future.

This is a really lovely ship and I will now seriously look at booking a cruise on her in 2019.

Glad you enjoyed the visit Pam. Journey has an additional piano in the Drawing Room. Quest doesn’t have it for some reason. Maybe it was broken and they haven’t replaced it.

 

Phil

[cinnamon]

Have to be honest, Richard Twynam commented that if another R ship was offered at a good price they’d be interested. That was just to a few of us. It sounded a bit like it would need to be an offer that was hard to refuse but he did say that marketing is going very well.

After all the speculation here that Azamara were pricing themselves out of the market it doesn’t sound as if that is happening.

A shame, because after our Rio to Lisbon next March I’m not sure our budget will stretch to the future offerings at the prices being asked for 2020.

 

 

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[TravelBugM]

"On the train home deciding what to book!! Be rude not to!!" LOL!

No such thing as a free lunch Lynda!!!

[combine]

"On the train home deciding what to book!! Be rude not to!!" LOL!

No such thing as a free lunch Lynda!!!

 

 

Haha, they were Richard Twynams exact last words to us, after our superb lunch. Luckily we didnt have to hand over our credit cards as we boarded, just the passports!

[norn iron]

Some good footage from Pursuit and the guests on board last Thursday in Belfast. ( I should have smiled!!)

[Grandma Cruising]

Great video by MJM.

 

 

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[Mrs Miggins]

Just a note to those who were so impressed by Pursuit yesterday. I have tried to get a quote from the booking line. I have been on the (paid) phone line for nearly 30 minutes. They are having difficulty coming up with a price. I will wait for a call back.

I really love Azamara but sometimes I want to shake them.

[combine]

Just a note to those who were so impressed by Pursuit yesterday. I have tried to get a quote from the booking line. I have been on the (paid) phone line for nearly 30 minutes. They are having difficulty coming up with a price. I will wait for a call back.

I really love Azamara but sometimes I want to shake them.

 

 

Is this with the on board offer that they mentioned to us yesterday?