Azamara – the cruise line dedicated to Destination Immersion® experiences – is offering the experience of a lifetime with the launch of its new World Voyage aboard the company’s newest ship, Azamara Onward.
Starting on 5 January 2024, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the comprehensive sailing offers immersive and intimate experiences to the World’s Wonders. The 155-night journey will reach over 40 countries on six continents with 22 overnight stays and 27 late nights in port, giving travellers ample time to fully explore the rich culture and history of each destination.
“We are thrilled to finally unveil our World Voyage. With opportunities to visit the Seven Wonders of the World and other iconic sites such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos, and the Black Sea, we are allowing our guests to check off all their bucket list destinations in one sailing and to connect with more countries and cultures than ever before,” says Carol Cabezas, president of Azamara. “Not only are we taking our guests further, but we are also encouraging them to travel deeper with our unique overnight land experiences, designed to bring travellers to the heart of the destination and giving them enough time to appreciate its culture.”
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Highlights of immersive experiences of the World’s Wonders
- Great Wall of China (three-night land excursion). Travellers will become fully immersed in Beijing with a visit to the Great Wall of China, a guided tour through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and a rickshaw ride through the hutongs, narrow alleys dating back to the 16th century.
- Great Pyramids of Giza (shore excursion). Guests are driven to Egypt’s largest city, Cairo. It’s here at the Giza Plateau where the Great Pyramids are found, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. An Egyptologist will guide guests through this mortuary complex to the mysterious Sphinx. In addition, travellers will explore other sites such as the Museum of Antiquities and cruise down the Nile River.
- Chichén Itzá (shore excursion). Guests will fly over Caribbean waters and the Mayan Riviera’s tropical jungle to Chichén Itzá, where a tour guide will lead guests through the ruins and immerse travellers in the ancient Mayan way of life.
- Petra (shore excursion). Guests will walk through the Siq, the narrow, winding gorge that leads to the mysterious desert city of Petra, Jordan. Known as the Rose Red City for the colour of the stone from which it was carved, Petra is home to ancient royal tombs, Colonnaded Street, and the Temple of Qasr al-Bint.
- Taj Mahal (three-night land excursion). Travellers will fly to New Delhi for sunrise and sunset visits to the Taj Mahal. Guests will also explore Agra Fort, the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, and I’timād-ud-Daulah tomb, the Taj Mahal’s precursor.
- Christ the Redeemer (six-night land excursion). Travellers will enjoy a full exploration of Rio de Janeiro, including a visit to Corcovado to view the towering Christ the Redeemer statue, a cable car ride to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, and a trip to Iguazú Falls to see both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides of one of the world’s largest waterfalls.
- Colosseum (shore excursion). Guests will travel back in time to the world of gladiatorial glory inside the Colosseum. A local guide will lead the small group through the 2000-year-old amphitheatre that once seated up to 55,000 spectators.
Read: Italy to ban large cruise ships in centre of Venice
Other immersive overnight experiences available on the World Voyage include a stay on a Great Barrier Reef island, complete with glass-bottom boat excursions and snorkelling to see the unique wildlife up close; a journey through the cobblestoned streets of Transylvania, Romania, to learn about the life of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula; and an exploration of the centuries-old rock-cut churches and whimsical ‘fairy chimneys’ of Cappadocia, Turkey, with accommodation in a cave hotel.
Azamara’s World Voyage comes with more than $22,000 in exclusive amenities, including the company’s signature AzAmazing Evenings – designed to connect guests to the local culture of the destination – $7000 in onboard credit, business class air travel, a pre-voyage hotel stay and gala, access to exclusive World Voyage events, a premium beverage package for two, and more. Shore excursions and overnight land excursions will be available at an additional price.
To book, please visit azamara.com/worldvoyage.
Bookings are currently open to Azamara Circle Loyalty members only and will be open to all on 7 December 2021.
What do you think of Azamara’s 155-night World Voyage? Would you like to do a cruise like this? Let us know in the comments section below.
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