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Azamara's 2016 has more than 100 overnight calls, 175 late stays

Azamara's 2016 has more than 100 overnight calls, 175 late stays
Continuing its destination focus, Azamara Club Cruises' 2016 program has worldwide calls, including its first Australia/New Zealand sailings, plus stays past 8 p.m. during more than 175 calls and more than 100 overnights in port.

The program has 44 maiden calls in Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Europe and the West Indies. An included 'AzAmazing Evening' event ashore is offered on every voyage, and the line has new 'Insider Access' and 'Nights and Cool Places' optional excursions.

Azamara Quest's five Australia/New Zealand cruises may be combined, starting with 2015's Dec. 12 repositioning voyage from Singapore, into programs as long as 50 nights, or even 107 nights if extended through the repositioning cruise back to the Mediterranean. That starts in Auckland on Jan. 31, 2016, and ends at Piraeus on May 17.

It encompasses three Far East voyages of 13 and 16 nights that call at destinations throughout Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

In late 2016, Azamara Journey sails the Arabian Gulf on a round-trip Dubai cruise of 10 nights with overnights in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat plus calls at Qatar, Bahrain and Khasab, Oman.

Azamara's Europe spans the continent from the Baltic and North seas to the Mediterranean and Black Sea.     

From late April through September, Azamara Journey will operate five- to 13-night itineraries. Most can be combined to create sailings of 24 nights and longer that do not repeat a port. The July 3 and Sept. 9 cruises sail round-trip Venice for seven nights and offer a full day in Albania, with the opportunity to visit the capital, Tiranë.

The Aug. 9, 10-night cruise from Piraeus to Istanbul stops at Kas, Fethiye, Marmaris and Cesme in Turkey, and Sitia, Crete and Patmos, Greece. From Cesme, passengers can make a night-time visit to the village of Alacati, noted for its traditional architecture.

During May through November, Azamara Quest will sail in the Mediterranean, North and Baltic seas on cruises of eight to 15 nights. The ship will begin its Europe season on May 25 with the line’s annual sell-out Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix voyage, which adds a new stop in Livorno. Then, setting out from Nice, Azamara Quest will dock in the center of Seville following a scenic river cruise through Spain's Andalusian countryside.

A series of Northern Europe voyages follow during the peak time for experiencing the White Nights in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Germany's Lübeck and Rostock. Passengers on the annual British Open voyage, July 11, will visit the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Dublin, Belfast and Waterford, Ireland. The highlight will be a visit to the championship finals of the British Open in Scotland at the Royal Troon Golf Club.

On Nov. 11 Azamara Quest repositions to the Caribbean on a crossing from Piraeus that includes stops at Tunis, Tunisia, and Huelva, Spain, St. Maarten and the British Virgin Islands.

The ship will sail eight- to 12-night West Indies cruises from Miami starting in late November. A holiday voyage on Dec. 27 from San Juan will herald the New Year in Virgin Gorda, BVI.

Throughout the spring and winter, Azamara Journey will focus on the Americas, from the Caribbean to Panama, Mexico's Baja California and Los Angeles. Ten- and 11-night West Indies voyages sail round-trip Miami. In February the ship will transit the Panama Canal to the Pacific via Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. Combinations include 33 nights from Miami to Los Angeles, departing Jan. 27, or a 36-night return voyage on Feb. 29.