Azamara Journey

Former names: Blue Dream, Blue Star, R6, R-Six (Renaissance Cruises)

Azamara Journey current position

Azamara Journey current location is at East Asia (coordinates 35.31143 N / 139.72605 E) cruising at speed of 13.8 kn (26 km/h | 16 mph) en route to JP TYO R > JP AOJ. The AIS position was reported 51 seconds ago.

All Itineraries Current Position

Current itinerary of Azamara Journey

Azamara Journey current cruise is 12 days, one-way from Hong Kong to Tokyo. Prices start from USD 3192 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 07 Mar, 2024 and ends on 19 Mar, 2024.

Date / TimePort
07 Mar 17:00    Departing from Hong Kong, China hotels
09 Mar 07:30 - 20:00    Keelung, Taipei City, Taiwan China
10 Mar 08:00 - 18:00    Ishigakijima Island, Sakishima-Yaeyama, Japan Okinawa
11 Mar 13:30 - 20:00    Naha, Okinawa Island Japan
13 Mar 08:00 - 22:00    Kagoshima City, Japan Kagoshima
15 Mar 08:00 - 17:00    Kochi City, Japan Kochi
16 Mar 08:00 - 17 Mar 22:00    Kobe-Osaka, Kyoto, Japan
19 Mar 06:00    Arriving in Tokyo, Japan hotels

Specifications of Azamara Journey

Year of build2000  /  Age: 24
Flag state Malta
BuilderChantiers de l’Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, STX France)
ClassRenaissance / R-Class
Building costGBP 150 million (USD 200 million)
Speed18 kn / 33 km/h / 21 mph
Length (LOA)181 m / 594 ft
Beam (width)25 m / 82 ft
Gross Tonnage30277 gt
Passengers710 - 781
Crew408
Passengers-to-space ratio39
Decks11
Cabins355
Decks with cabins6
Last Refurbishment2021
Sister-shipsAzamara (Quest, Pursuit, Onward), Oceania (Insignia, Nautica, Regatta)
Former namesBlue Dream, Blue Star, R6, R-Six (Renaissance Cruises)
OwnerSycamore Partners
OperatorAzamara Cruises

Azamara Journey Itineraries

DateItineraryDeparture PortPrice from
2024 Feb 20 16 days, one-way from Fremantle to Hong Kong Fremantle $2688
2024 Mar 07 12 days, one-way from Hong Kong to Tokyo Hong Kong $3192
2024 Mar 19 15 days, round-trip Japan Intensive Voyage Tokyo $7826
2024 Apr 03 15 days, round-trip Japan Intensive Voyage Tokyo $18370
2024 Apr 18 15 days, one-way from Tokyo to Singapore Tokyo $4988
2024 Apr 18 41 days, one-way from Tokyo to Piraeus-Athens Tokyo $18400
2024 May 03 26 days, one-way from Singapore to Piraeus-Athens Singapore
2024 May 29 10 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Istanbul Piraeus-Athens $3587
2024 Jun 08 7 days, one-way from Istanbul to Piraeus-Athens Istanbul $1715
2024 Jun 15 11 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Chioggia Piraeus-Athens $2310
2024 Jun 26 10 days, one-way from Chioggia to Piraeus-Athens Chioggia $1925
2024 Jul 06 7 days, round-trip Greece Intensive Voyage Piraeus-Athens $1604
2024 Jul 13 9 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Chioggia Piraeus-Athens $2003
2024 Jul 22 9 days, one-way from Chioggia to Piraeus-Athens Chioggia $1782
2024 Jul 31 10 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Istanbul Piraeus-Athens $2164
2024 Aug 10 10 days, one-way from Istanbul to Piraeus-Athens Istanbul $2196
2024 Aug 20 11 days, round-trip Greece Turkey Voyage Piraeus-Athens $2103
2024 Aug 31 7 days, round-trip Greece Intensive Voyage Piraeus-Athens $1449
2024 Sep 14 7 days, round-trip Greece Intensive Voyage Piraeus-Athens $2240
2024 Sep 21 12 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Lisbon Piraeus-Athens $3240
2024 Oct 03 9 days, one-way from Lisbon to Boston Lisbon $1433
2024 Oct 12 12 days, one-way from Boston to Montreal Boston $3600
2024 Oct 24 15 days, one-way from Montreal to Miami Montreal $3541
2024 Nov 08 12 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Voyage Miami $2243
2024 Nov 20 13 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Voyage Miami $2359
2024 Dec 03 10 days, one-way from Miami to Panama City Miami $1620
2024 Dec 13 9 days, one-way from Panama City to Miami Panama City $1620
2024 Dec 22 16 days, round-trip Caribbean Holiday Voyage Miami $3263
2025 Jan 07 16 days, one-way from Miami to Callao-Lima Miami $3743
2025 Jan 23 10 days, one-way from Callao-Lima to San Antonio Callao-Lima $2015
2025 Feb 02 23 days, one-way from San Antonio to Buenos Aires San Antonio $6026
2025 Feb 25 25 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Bridgetown Buenos Aires $5040
2025 Mar 22 9 days, one-way from Bridgetown to Miami Bridgetown $2195
2025 Mar 31 12 days, one-way from Miami to Lisbon Miami $1656
2025 Apr 12 9 days, one-way from Lisbon to Barcelona Lisbon $2239
2025 Apr 21 12 days, one-way from Barcelona to Venice Barcelona $3439
2025 May 03 7 days, round-trip Croatia Intensive Voyage Venice $1840
2025 May 10 10 days, one-way from Venice to Civitavecchia-Rome Venice $2800
2025 May 20 12 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Lisbon Civitavecchia-Rome $4559
2025 Jun 01 12 days, one-way from Lisbon to Copenhagen Lisbon $3839
2025 Jun 13 17 days, round-trip Norway Intensive Voyage Copenhagen $6079
2025 Jun 30 15 days, one-way from Copenhagen to Southampton Copenhagen $4959
2025 Jul 15 13 days, one-way from Southampton to Leith-Edinburgh Southampton $4639
2025 Jul 28 16 days, one-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Copenhagen Leith-Edinburgh $5679
2025 Aug 13 12 days, one-way from Copenhagen to Dublin Copenhagen $4239
2025 Aug 25 12 days, one-way from Dublin to Portsmouth UK Dublin $4079
2025 Sep 06 10 days, one-way from Portsmouth UK to Bordeaux Portsmouth UK $3119
2025 Sep 16 13 days, one-way from Bordeaux to Barcelona Bordeaux $4239
2025 Sep 29 10 days, one-way from Barcelona to Villefranche-sur-Mer Barcelona $3279
2025 Oct 09 11 days, one-way from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Venice Villefranche-sur-Mer $3279
2025 Oct 20 10 days, one-way from Venice to Piraeus-Athens Venice $2799
2025 Oct 30 11 days, round-trip EgyptIsrael Intensive Voyage Piraeus-Athens $3199
2025 Nov 10 11 days, round-trip EgyptIsrael Intensive Voyage Piraeus-Athens $3199

Azamara Journey Review

Review of Azamara Journey

The 2000-built (as "R-Six"/R6) Azamara Journey cruise ship is the first of all four identical R-Class ships in the Azamara fleet - together with Azamara Quest, Azamara Pursuit and Azamara Onward (Pacific Princess).

The vessel (IMO number 9200940) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 256204000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

Azamara Cruises was a fully-owned subsidiary company of RCG-Royal Caribbean Group until 2021. Founded in 2007 as "Azamara Club Cruises", the company was rebranded in 2009 (Azamara Cruises) and 2019 (Azamara). Azamara ships were originally built as R-Class vessels for Renaissance Cruises (company operational between 1989-2001).

Azamara Journey cruise ship

In January 2021, Azamara's parent company RCG-Royal Caribbean announced an agreement to sell the brand for USD 201 million (~EUR 165,8 M / ~GBP 147,6 M / carve-out transaction) to Sycamore Partners. Sycamore Partners acquired the entire company and its 3 ships, plus all the associated intellectual property rights and goodwill. The all-cash transaction was closed in 2021-Q1. Sycamore Partners (shipowner) is a 2011-founded, NYC-headquartered private equity firm with USD 15+ billion in capital and assets under management. Among the largest of the Sycamore Partners-owned companies are Belk Inc (department store chain), Talbots (retailer of clothing-shoes-fashion accessories), Nine West Holdings (designer and wholesaler of branded clothing-shoes-accessories) and Staples Inc (office retailer).

The 694-passenger ship Azamara Journey was formerly sailing as R Six (Renaissance) and Blue Dream (Pullmantur).

In 2001, the vessel's original owner Renaissance Cruises ceased operations due to liquidity. The vessel was launched in 2003, and operated by charter Pullmantur Cruises under the name "Blue Star". In 2005, Pullmantur officially renamed it to "Blue Dream". In 2008, Pullmantur's owner RCCL (Royal Caribbean) transferred it to the subsidiary (new luxury brand) "Azamara Cruises" (in 2009 rebranded to "Azamara Club Cruises") and renamed the ship to "Azamara Journey".

The award-winning boutique ship amazes with lots of dining options, an unforgettable spa, and wellness facilities, friendly staff always in place to help passengers and destinations that guests would love to visit.

As a Renaissance-class ship, the interior of the vessel is in Edwardian style, resembling a Transatlantic steamship from the early years of the 20th century. When you enter the ship, it looks like you have entered the "golden era". There's no multi-deck atrium - only a curving staircase that amazes you with its grace and elegance, leading to the main public room of the vessel. The ceiling has glass skylight, stained simulated, it is capped with a dome and its height is two decks.

Azamara Journey cruise ship

Azamara Journey cruise ship entered drydock on January 22, 2016, in the Bahamas. During the 5-day process, she received a host of refurbishments and upgrades, announced previously in June, as well as a technology overhaul. The brand new "Pervasive Wi-Fi" system provides faster Internet connectivity from any place on board the ship. Interactive TVs in all staterooms feature new options including live TV, movies on demand, lecturer schedules, weather updates, navigational and port information. Passengers are able to book a shore excursion through their TVs, as well as to order room service. In the Inspiration Center on Deck 4, Azamara guests are able to plan their next voyage by a 98-inch touchscreen to learn about future sailings and the ports visited. Passengers in The Drawing Room and Living Room use interactive tabletops to send digital postcards, design their own art by a Scribble app, or surf social media sites.

Decks and Cabins

Azamara Journey staterooms (355 total, in 24 grades) include 44 Suites, 199 Balcony, 88 Oceanview, 26 Inside. Handicap/wheelchair-accessible cabins (for disabled passengers) are only 6 (2x Balcony, 2x Oceanview, 2x Interior). A total of 243 staterooms have private, step-out balconies. Most cabin balconies are sized 45-60 ft2 / 4-6 m2. The largest accommodations are the World Owners Suite (600 ft2 / 56 m2 plus 215 ft2 / 20 m2 terrace).

The boat has 11 decks, of which 9 are passenger-accessible and 6 with cabins.

Four elevators (2x Forward and 2x Aft passenger lifts) interconnect all decks.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

For a small ship, Azamara Journey features plenty of options for each meal. The passengers are also encouraged to explore local cuisine when onshore. The line added a complimentary tapas bar when the ship went into dry dock in 2016. Overall, the food onboard is quite good. There are rotating themes in the buffet and the tables there are spruced up at night with soft glowing orbs. The main dining room pampers with an entree salad every night.

Follows the complete list of Azamara Journey restaurants and food bars.

  • Discoveries Restaurant (aft Dining Room, complimentary, with waiter service, open seating Breakfast 8-9:30 am, Lunch 12-1:30 pm, and Dinner 6-9:30 pm)
  • Pool Grill (lunch-only casual dining restaurant with a fast-food menu, made-to-order - pizza, pasta, burgers, fries, salads; complimentary)
  • Windows Cafe (complimentary buffet restaurant; has indoor seating and portside/starboard terraces; open between 6:30 am - 9:30 pm; offers early, buffet and late breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and casual dinner)
  • Aqualina (dinner-only specialty restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine and seafood; offers free dining for Club Suite passengers; reservations recommended)
  • Prime C (dinner-only specialty restaurant with seafood and steakhouse menu; operates at surcharge, but it's free of charge for "Club Suite" passengers; outside the Prime C there is a Wine Cellar with 8000+ bottles collection; hosts the Wine Corner evening events and offers wine-tastings and private dinner arrangements).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Because the ship focuses very much on destinations, Azamara Journey does not have as many daily activities as passengers might find on mainstream cruise ships. There are a couple of trivia sessions each day and some other pastimes, such as origami and Bridge. The Cabaret Lounge is the ship's cabaret space, with risers behind, as opposed to a true theater. As the ceilings are low-slung, this space feels more cramped and the type of shows offered there is limited.

Other amenities include 24-Hour Room-Service, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry/Self-Serve Laundromats. The Journey ship is not recommended for families with little children.

Azamara Journey cruise ship

Follows the complete list of Azamara Journey lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

  • Le Boutique (duty-free luxury shop for bags, gifts, brand jewelry)
  • Cabaret Lounge & Bar (theatre and main show lounge for musical and show productions, cabaret performances, comedy acts; hosts the "AzAmazing Evenings" enrichment program; serves as a nightclub in the evenings)
  • Casino Luxe (also serves as sports bar)
  • PhotoShop (photo-video services, accessories, equipment)
  • The Journey Shop (convenience goods store)
  • Indulgences (luxury boutique shop)
  • Mosaic Cafe (complimentary patisserie & bar; in the evening becomes a nightclub with live music - Mosaic@Night)
  • Discoveries Lounge & Bar (Martini Bar)
  • Thalassotherapy Pool (saltwater pool, part of the Spa complex; with water jets; operates at a surcharge)
  • Hair salon (Beauty Salon offering hair and barber services, manicure, pedicure, massages)
  • Astral Spa (wellness center featuring Elemis Spa products and treatments)
  • Gym (starboard Fitness Room with panoramic windows and modern equipment; also hosts various complimentary group classes)
  • Acupuncture Room (serviced by NCCAOM certified acupuncturists)
  • eConnections (24-hour Internet computers room)
  • Pool area (with an outdoor swimming pool, 2 Whirlpools, poolside bar, loungers, Tennis tables; served by Grill station; hosts themed pool deck parties)
  • Sunset Bar (outdoor bar; serves the Windows Cafe terrace area)
  • Looking Glass (observation lounge & bar with panoramic windows, sculptures made of Murano glass, comfortable leather sofas; in the evenings becomes a nightclub; serves afternoon tea with sandwiches, pastries, champagne - complimentary)
  • The Drawing Room (library)
  • Sun Deck (open-air area with sun loungers)
  • Shuffleboard (Deck Games playing area)
  • Jogging/Power Walking Track.

Itineraries

Azamara Journey itinerary program is based on Caribbean cruises leaving mainly from Miami FL, voyages to Asia (with departures from Singapore and China) and Europe (the Black Sea and the Mediterranean). When changing regions, the ship offers repositioning sailings through Suez Canal and Transatlantic crossings.

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Azamara Journey Wiki

As an R-Class (Renaissance) vessel, Azamara Journey has sisterships also in the Oceania Cruises fleet - Insignia, Nautica, Regatta, Sirena.

Azamara ship Journey was ordered and operated as "R Six" by Renaissance Cruises for the period 2000-2003. After the line's bankruptcy, the ship was in Pullmantur's fleet under the name "Blue Star" (2003-2005) and "Blue Dream" (2005-2007).

Azamara Journey is powered by four WARTSILA marine diesel engines (model 12V32E). Its propulsion consists of 2 propeller shafts and 2 fixed pitch propellers (FPP).

In 2015, both Azamara ships (Journey and Quest) were featured in the UK TV’s travel documentary “Cruise Ship Adventures with Nigel Marven”.

On February 8, 2017, Azamara Journey made its maiden visit to Australia docking in Darwin NT. The ship's itinerary (Feb 1-19) was an 18-day cruise from Singapore to Sydney AU, and also visited Indonesia (Benoa Bali, and Komodo Island) and ports in Queensland Australia (Thursday Island, Port Douglas, Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton Island).

Azamara Journey deck plan changes 2016 refurbishment review

The ship's last drydock refurbishment (January 22-27, done in Freeport Bahamas) resulted in the following deck plan changes:

  • Large touch screen displays were installed in several areas around the ship. They allow passengers (for free) to send digital postcards, explore world atlas maps and also provide Azamara Cruises itineraries and ports of call information.
  • On Deck 4, Inspiration Center received a 98-inch touchscreen (interactive system provides information on future cruises - itineraries, ports, excursions).
  • On Deck 10, The Drawing Room (Library) and the Living Room both received interactive tabletops (used for sending digital postcards, Scribble app, Internet / social media websites).
  • Two new Club Spa Suites were built in the place of the eConnections (computer room, located portside on Lido Deck 9). Also on deck 9 was added The Patio (outdoor BBQ restaurant) and Swirl & Top (frozen yogurt bar).
  • On Deck 10 was added The Living Room (forward observation lounge & bar, disco nightclub) replacing the Looking Glass Lounge.
  • Many public areas were newly equipped (Looking Glass, Patio Grill, Sunset Bar).
  • Upgrades and renovations received the restaurants Prime C, Aqualina, Windows Cafe (buffet). The Sanctum Spa (formerly Astral Spa) complex was redesigned and expanded.

All cabins and suites were renovated with new carpeting and wall covers, fabrics, furniture, shelving, curtains, bedding sets (pillows, duvets), new lighting and smart HDTVs (interactive system). All staterooms were upgraded with bigger coffee tables. Bathrooms were redesigned to be more space-efficient. Quality wood elements were used throughout all staterooms. Additionally, all high-grade Suites were updated with new modern furniture, dining tables, drapes, media consoles and sound systems.

There was a plan for replacing the Lido Deck’s Sunset Bar (aft on deck 9) with a new (named Kibo) specialty restaurant with Asian cuisine. However, the line later decided not to replace the popular day bar, but just to upgrade it. The refurbishment plans for an Asian restaurant plus an outside seating area for the buffet restaurant Windows Cafe were officially canceled.

The onboard Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide (via “Pervasive Wi-Fi” system). The new Interactive TV system (in all cabins) offers movies on demand, live TV programming, onboard event schedules, weather updates, itinerary/port information. The system also allows shore excursion booking through the TV, as well as room service orders.

The boat's 2016 drydock refurbishment project cost USD 25 million.

In 2021 (August) the ship was drydocked at Navantia Shipyard (Cadiz Spain), mainly for general maintenance (technical and routine) works and repainting (hull and superstructure).