Royal Caribbean Group sold the cruise line to Sycamore Partners for $201 million in January last year and president Carol Cabezas told TTG on Friday (29 April) “expansion is definitely our focus with the support of these investments”.
“The day after they [Sycamore] signed to buy our brand they told us about the purchase of this ship and they have always said ‘we love the product, we just need you to make more of it’,” she said during a pre-inaugural trade sailing onboard the line’s latest and fourth ship, Azamara Onward, this week.
The latest addition is a refurbishment, but Cabezas did not rule out a new-build in the future.
“We have to have a very thoughtful expansion – in the future we can see what we can do with a blank canvas, as there are many ways we can expand and that is one of them. We are very busy at work looking at how we go about expansion,” she said.
“This segment is the one that has a lot of potential – we have done a lot of studies to see where travel and lifestyle trends are going, and there is a lot of runway for this kind of travel experience, which gives us real encouragement.”
Cabezas added sales for Azamara Onward’s inaugural sailing have done “extremely well”, and the line had been very encouraged by the strength of the UK market.
Stellar performance
“The ship is pretty full,” she said. “And I have to say the UK market has been stellar overall. They have far exceeded booking levels for 2019 over the past few months. Since restrictions were eased, it feels like people there have said “let’s go!”. We could say the UK is almost like our secondary base now outside of Miami.”
Cabezas also promised new additions to the UK team would be announced “in the coming weeks”.
“We continue to evaluate what support our agent partners require from us and to focus on really offering the service and training they need,” she said. “They’ve put in so much work, and we appreciate and support that.”
Around 400 industry partners were invited onboard to experience the ship, including a mix of established cruise agents and some new-to-brand.
“What’s important to us is that the people who have the clients that enjoy this kind of experience are exposed to the brand,” Cabezas said.
The 690-passenger ship sailed from Barcelona on Thursday ahead of its naming in Monte Carlo on Monday and is a refurbishment of the former Pacific Princess, or R3 under Renaissance Cruises; Azamara’s other three ships are also refurbished R ships.
Designer details
Many of the interior design enhancements on Azamara Onward have been made by Studio 5 Design in Miami during a one-year project. “They have helped us over the years on our design vision and in bringing Onward to life, as well as our new offices,” Cabezas said.
Azamara moved its global corporate headquarters to Miami’s Coconut Grove in February, marking a “new chapter” following its acquisition last year.
New additions on the ship include Atlas Bar on deck 10, replacing the equivalent library space on the line’s other three ships.
“They [Studio 5] have done a wonderful job and we’re extremely pleased with what they have achieved. We wanted to pep up the nightlife options, and this new bar allows us to do that,” she said.
But Cabezas conceded not much had changed in the cabins and suite product. “From the accommodation perspective, you are a little bit limited on what you can do; there are things we would love to change in terms of space and styling, but it’s not something we could accomplish within the construct of this vessel, so we work with what we have and make it the most comfortable type of accommodation possible.”
She said Mediterranean sailings this summer were popular, along with winter in the Caribbean, Africa and South America, and asserted “destination immersion” remained the line’s priority and its point of difference.
“Statistically, we offer the greatest amount of time in ports because of the late-night departures and overnights,” added Cabezas.
Greek highlights
Cabezas said Greece would be another highlight this year.
“When you look at somewhere like Greece, we will be able to offer the greatest number of unique ports of anyone else in the industry, as we are able to get into a lot more places than larger ships – if you want to do Greece, Azamara is the line to do it with,” she said. “And for the person who really wants to go deep into a destination – those are the clients that will enjoy Azamara.”
Azamara Onward will operate a 155-night world cruise in 2024 visiting more than 40 countries with 22 overnight stays and 27 late nights in port, embarking Fort Lauderdale 5 January and seeing the “seven wonders of the world”.
Cabezas said sales on it had “far surpassed any of the metrics we had expected it for it”, adding that all four ships would be sailing by the end of May.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with where are now – in a few weeks’ time, when Journey comes back at the end of May, we will have 100% of our fleet back in the water,” she said. “From where we are today to where we were a year ago is like night and day, in terms of where we can sail to."
