The 110m-long, 100-guest, Emerald Azzurra will launch in July 2021 offering 47 itineraries as the first vessel sailing as the river line’s newly formed Emerald Yacht Cruises brand.
Yacht Cruises will now sit alongside Waterways under the company’s new masterbrand, Emerald Cruises.
Azzurra, currently being built in Vietnam’s Ha Long city, is on sale from today (1 February) and bookable through to December 2022.
The yacht’s sailings will explore destinations such as Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Montenegro, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and Spain – offering guests “an intimate, boutique yacht cruising experience”.
Guests will experience popular ports and “major highlights” in each region, while also having the opportunity to access smaller, “off the beaten track” calls only reached by small yachts.
Onboard, Azzurra will feature three different bars and restaurants and 88% of its cabins will have balconies.
Mirroring Emerald Waterways’ river experience, the cruise fare for Emerald Yacht Cruises includes return flights, transfers, tipping and gratuities, meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner with complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks at lunch and dinner, as well as excursions.
‘A new type of cruising’
“There’s nothing quite like her in the market,” said Scenic Group UK managing director Colin Downing as he showed TTG digital renderings of Azzurra ahead of today’s announcement.
After a successful season chartering ships along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast in 2019, the river cruise line has significantly upped the ante.
“Dalmatia gave us the appetite and the idea,” he explained. “We thought, ‘Why are we messing around chartering when we can just build our own’?”.
“We really do feel we’ve created a new type of cruising,” added Emerald’s director of marketing and global brand curator, David Winterton.
“With Azzurra, we’re taking what Emerald does on the rivers – many of the same venues and that same inclusive proposition – and taking it onto the ocean, but in a boutique, intimate way.”
Emerald deployed a similar strategy of chartering, followed by building, on the Rhone with Emerald Liberte in 2017 and on the Mekong last year with Emerald Harmony.
Familiarity meets fresh features for Azzurra
For Azzurra, familiarity combined with freshness seems to be key, with the yacht including guest favourites such as restaurant Reflections and the Horizon Bar & Lounge returning alongside new features.
“I think the Sky Deck is going to be very popular,” said Winterton.
An expanded wellness area, infinity-style pool and marina platform with aquatic gadgets will all be onboard, along with Zodiac boats capable of driving straight onto the beach.
“She’s brand new and lines just aren’t building brand new small ships,” added trade sales director, Joseph Grimley.
“Agents want to be able to talk to their clients about the next best shiny thing, and we’re bringing it to the market.”
Grimley said Emerald would be sending essential summary guides “packed with facts and stats” for Azzurra, with a training module being added to its e-learning Agent Academy “very soon”.
Azzurra is currently available to book through the line’s online trade booking platform and brochures will be arriving with agents next week.
“If agents need anything, then just contact your local sales managers, and they can help,” Grimley added.
Emerald is also focused on helping agents understand its new branding as Yacht Cruises and Waterways move under the Emerald Cruises masterbrand.
The transition will happen “over time” said Winterton, although a new website for Emerald Cruises is now live (emeraldcruises.co.uk).
And there could be more news on the way; Downing revealed Emerald has options to expand its yacht fleet, although he was coy as to exactly how many yachts would be added, admitting the company had learnt from “telling too much too soon” during the building of Scenic Eclipse.
“We decided we’re just going to see how we go in the market with Azzurra,” he said. “But it’s so exciting we’re like kids in a sweet shop.”
Click below to see more of Emerald Azzurra.
