Azamara Club Cruises are a small-ship cruise line with a fleet of three identical sister-ships. Each vessel carries just fewer than 700 guests in luxurious and modern surroundings for a more-inclusive cruise holiday. Azamara Journey, Azamara Quest and just launched Azamara Pursuit sail on destination focussed cruise itineraries, offering longer stays in port and more overnight stops than any other cruise line. Additionally, on every voyage, Azamara Club Cruises organise a totally unique “AzAmazing Evening” which is a bespoke shore side experience that money can’t buy. Each event has been carefully crated by Azamara to offer its guest a taste of the destination they are visiting, and what’s more its entirely complimentary.
Here are our top 5 unique AzAmazing Evenings we think you should try.
Cello concert in Dubrovnik, Croatia Old Town
After dinner, Azamara Cruises guests will be taken by guides into the old town of Dubrovnik for a unique cello recital. Climbing the stone steps of the ancient city walls, guests can enjoy stunning panoramic views of the old town, with its narrow streets, cobblestone lanes and ancient ramparts – all illuminated for the evening.
Internationally acclaimed Croatian cellist Ana Rucner will perform a selection of traditional folkloric tunes juxtaposed with her own contemporary arrangements. Born in Zagreb to a family of musicians, Ana is one of the most innovative artists to emerge in recent times, and has won many awards both national and internationally. Ana holds the title of Cello Professor and her unique style has attracted a younger audient with her forays in to electric Cello.
Operatic evening at Livorno, Italy
Livorno is the port for the renaissance town of Florence and historic Pisa, however many people miss the delights of this coastal port and in particular its impressive theatre – the Teatro Goldini. This fully restored theatre is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful, and dates from 1847.
Guests are transferred from the ship by small motor coaches and escorted into the theatre where they are free to choose where to sit – whether the main floor with its red velvet seating, or even the box sets on the higher floors for a higher vantage. Three tenors, accompanied by just a piano, perform for the Azamara guests including operatic O Solo Mio, Sorrento and of course Nessum Dorma, after which they delight the expectant audience with some more modern songs. After the unique operatic performance, the guests return to their Azamara ship to enjoy a glass of chilled champagne to celebrate the end of a perfectly cultured evening.
Cuban rhythms in Santiago de Cuba
Guests depart their Azamara ship and transfer to the Teatro Heredia. The modern theatre was built in 1991 at a cost of some 41 million pesos, and was named after the famous Cuban poet José María Heredia.
It features nine rooms for various cultural activities and the main theatre has a capacity of over 2,400, and was designed by the Cuban architect Antonio Quintana. Azamara’s guest can enjoy over three hours of locally inspired music and authentic presentations that will take them on a stimulating journey throughout Cuba’s differing styles of dance and music.
Thai cultural performance at ancient Siam, Bangkok
Guests can partake in the Loi Krathong festival, which translates as “to float in a basket”. The guests can enjoy floating small bowls, traditionally made from banana leaf, containing a small portion of food. They are often decorated with flowers, incense and candles.
After the festival, guests can enjoy a Thai cultural performance of singing and dancing. The Ancient Siam is a park that houses many different styles of Thai architecture, monuments and symbols, and the Sanphet Prasat Palace is considered by many to be one of the parks most celebrated masterpieces. Guests can enjoy drinking local beers, herbal teas or indulge in some local delicacies like Thai chicken Satay.
Orchestral performance in ancient Ephesus
After a delicious dinner on board their Azamara ship, guests are transported back in time as they visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus, easily accessible from the port of Kusadasi, Turkey.
They can enjoy a 12-piece string orchestra as they sit on the ruins of the Odeon, an ancient amphitheatre constructed in the 2nd century. The building was originally used for meetings of the senate and also as a concert hall, built on the orders of two wealthy Ephesus citizens. The stone ruins are transformed with dramatic lighting and candles as the musicians perform classics by Mozart, Bach and Brahms as dusk falls.
Scott Anderson is General Manager at The Luxury Cruise Company. The Luxury Cruise Company is your port of call for incredible cruise holidays.If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Scott is one of the most well-travelled people, having visited more than 70 countries and counting. He has worked in the cruise industry since he was 19 years old, beginning as a cruise ship photographer and duty free shop manager, and knows more than most how enjoyable cruising can be.
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10 Comments
Thanks for the great read, Scott. Of all of these, which would you recommend the most?
Hi Joy! Hmm that’s a good and tough questions… I will go with the cello concert in Dubrovnik as I love that city and Croatia in general!
All these cruise destinations sound fantastic especially Livorno and Turkey. The tours are all very different and they even do an Asian destination. Would you know if Azamara Cruises go to other places around Asia aside from Thailand? I’m kind of interested in Japan and Korea.
Hi Jaime! Yes Azamara do visit other ports in Asia other than Thailand, for example Japan in March/April/May/Sept 2019.They also visit China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, & Vietnam. There would be an Azamazing evening on every voyage. Contact me for details.
700 sounds like my perfect size for a cruise ship I think any bigger and it gets a bit much. That feels like a little more exclusive and easier to manage. Such beautiful locations to visit too plenty to see and do. I love Ephesus I try and visit every time I am in the area. Apparently it is where Cleopatra got engaged!
Hello Bridget. Yes its a great size for a cruise ship, as you tend to bump into the same people more often so its friendlier than the big ships, plus not so many queues etc. I didn’t know that about Cleopatra – every days a school day!
Azamara Cruises add providing some musical experiences that those fortunate to be in the audience will never forget. I have been fortunate to see open air opera in Rome and a piano competition at the Sydney Opera House – and Azamara are competing with those iconic events. If I were given a free ticket I would probably opt for the cello concert in Dubrovnik but it is brilliant to see such an an eclectic glibal ptogramme. Bravo for including Thai music too.
Hi Kate – yes the Azamara evenings are a unique concept in the cruise world, and are often money-cant-buy event. I wolud love to see that Sydney one – its one of my favourite cities. Hope to see you on a ship soon?
I have probably done around a dozen cruises and never seen any like these. My wife is a true music aficionado. I can see her loving these events.
To be frank I’m not that cultured, I still tend to play the occasional Prog Rock album from the 1970s, on vinyl of course, but there are times in marriage when you have to compromise – or so I am told.
My wife has got a very big birthday coming up next year and the Opera in Livorno would be perfect for her. I’ll just have to imagine that it is Pink Floyd live at Pompei.
Hello Chris. Ahh vinyl, I remember those days, I’ve still got a box of my old records in the attic somewhere gathering dust! If you’re keen (or maybe your wife is!) then look at our website for further details on Azamara Club Cruises (link in bio) or just give us a call 020 7838 5991 and we can help get that big birthday celebration started!
Internationally acclaimed Croatian cellist Ana Rucner will perform a selection of traditional folkloric tunes juxtaposed with her own contemporary arrangements. Born in Zagreb to a family of musicians, Ana is one of the most innovative artists to emerge in recent times, and has won many awards both national and internationally. Ana holds the title of Cello Professor and her unique style has attracted a younger audient with her forays in to electric Cello.
Operatic evening at Livorno, Italy
Livorno is the port for the renaissance town of Florence and historic Pisa, however many people miss the delights of this coastal port and in particular its impressive theatre – the Teatro Goldini. This fully restored theatre is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful, and dates from 1847.
Internationally acclaimed Croatian cellist Ana Rucner will perform a selection of traditional folkloric tunes juxtaposed with her own contemporary arrangements. Born in Zagreb to a family of musicians, Ana is one of the most innovative artists to emerge in recent times, and has won many awards both national and internationally. Ana holds the title of Cello Professor and her unique style has attracted a younger audient with her forays in to electric Cello.
Operatic evening at Livorno, Italy
Livorno is the port for the renaissance town of Florence and historic Pisa, however many people miss the delights of this coastal port and in particular its impressive theatre – the Teatro Goldini. This fully restored theatre is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful, and dates from 1847.
Guests are transferred from the ship by small motor coaches and escorted into the theatre where they are free to choose where to sit – whether the main floor with its red velvet seating, or even the box sets on the higher floors for a higher vantage. Three tenors, accompanied by just a piano, perform for the Azamara guests including operatic O Solo Mio, Sorrento and of course Nessum Dorma, after which they delight the expectant audience with some more modern songs. After the unique operatic performance, the guests return to their Azamara ship to enjoy a glass of chilled champagne to celebrate the end of a perfectly cultured evening.
Cuban rhythms in Santiago de Cuba
Guests depart their Azamara ship and transfer to the Teatro Heredia. The modern theatre was built in 1991 at a cost of some 41 million pesos, and was named after the famous Cuban poet José María Heredia.
It features nine rooms for various cultural activities and the main theatre has a capacity of over 2,400, and was designed by the Cuban architect Antonio Quintana. Azamara’s guest can enjoy over three hours of locally inspired music and authentic presentations that will take them on a stimulating journey throughout Cuba’s differing styles of dance and music.
Thai cultural performance at ancient Siam, Bangkok
Guests can partake in the Loi Krathong festival, which translates as “to float in a basket”. The guests can enjoy floating small bowls, traditionally made from banana leaf, containing a small portion of food. They are often decorated with flowers, incense and candles.
After the festival, guests can enjoy a Thai cultural performance of singing and dancing. The Ancient Siam is a park that houses many different styles of Thai architecture, monuments and symbols, and the Sanphet Prasat Palace is considered by many to be one of the parks most celebrated masterpieces. Guests can enjoy drinking local beers, herbal teas or indulge in some local delicacies like Thai chicken Satay.
Orchestral performance in ancient Ephesus
After a delicious dinner on board their Azamara ship, guests are transported back in time as they visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus, easily accessible from the port of Kusadasi, Turkey.
They can enjoy a 12-piece string orchestra as they sit on the ruins of the Odeon, an ancient amphitheatre constructed in the 2nd century. The building was originally used for meetings of the senate and also as a concert hall, built on the orders of two wealthy Ephesus citizens. The stone ruins are transformed with dramatic lighting and candles as the musicians perform classics by Mozart, Bach and Brahms as dusk falls.
Scott Anderson is General Manager at The Luxury Cruise Company. The Luxury Cruise Company is your port of call for incredible cruise holidays.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Thanks for the great read, Scott. Of all of these, which would you recommend the most?
Hi Joy! Hmm that’s a good and tough questions… I will go with the cello concert in Dubrovnik as I love that city and Croatia in general!
All these cruise destinations sound fantastic especially Livorno and Turkey. The tours are all very different and they even do an Asian destination. Would you know if Azamara Cruises go to other places around Asia aside from Thailand? I’m kind of interested in Japan and Korea.
Hi Jaime! Yes Azamara do visit other ports in Asia other than Thailand, for example Japan in March/April/May/Sept 2019.They also visit China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, & Vietnam. There would be an Azamazing evening on every voyage. Contact me for details.
700 sounds like my perfect size for a cruise ship I think any bigger and it gets a bit much. That feels like a little more exclusive and easier to manage. Such beautiful locations to visit too plenty to see and do. I love Ephesus I try and visit every time I am in the area. Apparently it is where Cleopatra got engaged!
Hello Bridget. Yes its a great size for a cruise ship, as you tend to bump into the same people more often so its friendlier than the big ships, plus not so many queues etc. I didn’t know that about Cleopatra – every days a school day!
Azamara Cruises add providing some musical experiences that those fortunate to be in the audience will never forget. I have been fortunate to see open air opera in Rome and a piano competition at the Sydney Opera House – and Azamara are competing with those iconic events. If I were given a free ticket I would probably opt for the cello concert in Dubrovnik but it is brilliant to see such an an eclectic glibal ptogramme. Bravo for including Thai music too.
Hi Kate – yes the Azamara evenings are a unique concept in the cruise world, and are often money-cant-buy event. I wolud love to see that Sydney one – its one of my favourite cities. Hope to see you on a ship soon?
I have probably done around a dozen cruises and never seen any like these. My wife is a true music aficionado. I can see her loving these events.
To be frank I’m not that cultured, I still tend to play the occasional Prog Rock album from the 1970s, on vinyl of course, but there are times in marriage when you have to compromise – or so I am told.
My wife has got a very big birthday coming up next year and the Opera in Livorno would be perfect for her. I’ll just have to imagine that it is Pink Floyd live at Pompei.
Hello Chris. Ahh vinyl, I remember those days, I’ve still got a box of my old records in the attic somewhere gathering dust! If you’re keen (or maybe your wife is!) then look at our website for further details on Azamara Club Cruises (link in bio) or just give us a call 020 7838 5991 and we can help get that big birthday celebration started!