Azamara has announced that Azamara Quest will return to the high seas in Greek waters beginning August 28, 2021 with five, seven-day, "Greece: Country Intensive" voyages and one classic Mediterranean sailing. All will embark guests at Athens (Piraeus).
Each Greece cruise will spend many late nights in such ports as Santorini, Rhodes and Heraklion. These new voyages will open for booking on May 11, 2021.
As a result of the new Greece lineup and continuing uncertainty of travel requirements elsewhere, though, Azamara said on its website that it was cancelling all existing Azamara Quest sailings that depart on or before October 2, 2021. Other cancellations announced on its website include:
- Azamara Journey sailings departing July 16, 2021 through September 29, 2021
- Azamara Pursuit sailings departing July 10, 2021 through September 14, 2021
Impacted guests are being offered options to rebook or request refunds. Read further below for information about when all three ships will restart voyages.
Coming to Greece
“Over the past year, our team—ship to shoreside—continued to connect with our guests and travel partners, said Carol Cabezas, Azamara's president, in a press announcement. "Our biggest takeaway is the desire everyone has to sail again, and we are excited to share that we can finally make this dream come true."
Cabezas said "there’s no better way to return to service than in a country Azamara knows best, Greece." She says that the return-to-sail cruises wouldn't be possible without the efforts of Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis, the local government and port authorities.
“We're looking forward to welcoming Azamara and its guests in Greece in August," added Theoharis. "We fully support the line's return to cruising in the Aegean waters and we are sure that all of its passengers will have unique experiences in our beautiful destinations.''
All Guests Must Be Vaccinated
Azamara said that with the health and safety of guests and crew being the top priority for the return-to-sail, Azamara has made the decision to require all guests and crew on the new Greece voyages to be fully vaccinated no later than 14-days prior to departure. Once the sailings open for booking, the line will reveal protocol guidelines led by the Healthy Sail Panel, to reassure guests a healthy return to service.
Azamara’s “Cruise with Confidence” benefits offer flexibility for fully paid reservations booked by May 31, 2021 for sailings through April 30, 2022.
Restart of Operations
So, with the changes announced today, here's the restart schedule for all three Azamara ships:
- Azamara Quest: On August 28, 2021, Azamara Quest will start the Europe season with a series of new "Greece Intensive" voyages sailing roundtrip from Athens (Piraeus).
- Azamara Journey: On October 13, 2021, Azamara Journey will start the late Europe season with her originally scheduled 12-night "Greece Intensive" voyage from Athens (Piraeus).
- Azamara Pursuit: On September 28, 2021, Azamara Pursuit will start the Europe season with her originally scheduled 11-night "Greece Intensive" voyage from Athens (Piraeus) to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.
For more information on Azamara, visit www.azamara.com.
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