Azamara Expands its Land Programs

Land or sea? This is a question I ask myself every year as I plan our following year’s vacation. There are advantages to both but our love of cruising almost always wins out.  Whenever we cruise to Europe we stay a few days pre or post-cruise to explore the city of embarkation but it is often not enough.  That’s why I was so excited to hear that Azamara has expanded its land programs (note the name change…they dropped “ Club Cruises” to better define the additional land offerings).

Since Azamara was ALWAYS about destination immersion, the addition of the specially curated land packages is a natural fit. Each Azamara land program showcases the culture, natural wonders, wildlife, food and wine of a region. You can expect that accommodations and tour operators will be reputable, four to five star affiliates. With the seamless transfer to an Azamara boutique ship, you get a perfectly blended land / sea vacation experience.

There will be three main types of Azamara land programs.

AzAmazing Journeys will take groups of 12 to 18 guests, along with expert guides, on three- to six-

day itineraries focusing on interactions with the locals, the best in boutique hotels all the way to glamping, and AzAmazing Moments. Azamara CEO Larry Pimentel explains that travelers might take a speedboat ride to see orangutans in Borneo, go on an African safari with Micato or explore the alien landscapes of the Bolivian Salt Flats and Chile’s Atacama Desert. Some train journeys may be longer than three to six days; for example, one train ride in Australia will take guests over the Blue Mountains into the country’s interior.

Land Journeys will offer a wider range of group sizes and tour a number of cities on three- to six-night itineraries. "It's exactly the same thing except it gets into a more modest four-star hotel, so that we've got different levels for different guests who happen to be on the ships," says Pimentel, noting that the operator will be the same, so that the only difference is the accommodations.

Finally, the Stay Local itineraries will offer an in-depth exploration of a single city over a two- to three-night stay.

All Azamara land packages will include most breakfast and select meals throughout the journey, all transfers, tour directors as well as explorations led by local experts.