Looking for an intimate way to see Europe? Consider Azamara Cruises

mercedes · March 3, 2008

Large ships have been all the rage in recent years. But there are times when it pays to be on a small ship. Particularly in Europe.

Want to sail up the Thames River into the heart of London? Or dock in a port close to Paris? You won't be able to do it on the 3,000-passenger mega-liners of Royal Caribbean and Carnival, which are too big to get close to the famed cities. But on the much smaller, 710-passenger ships of Azamara Cruises, such stopovers are a breeze.

Perhaps not surprisingly, then, Azamara is playing up its advantage with new itineraries for 2009 that include lots of stops in ports that big ships can't reach. The line says it will offer a 14-night Western Europe itinerary that includes a sail up the Thames River to the center of London (anchoring overnight within view of the Tower of London) and a new call on Antwerp, Belgium, with a downtown berth position. The itinerary also includes sailing along the scenic River Scheldt before a sunset departure for the North Sea.

Other new, harder-to-access port calls in Europe for 2009 include a docking in Zadar, Croatia (where larger ships have to anchor), and a stop in Rouen, France, just one hour from Paris (as opposed to Le Havre, where larger ships dock, which is two-and-a-half hours from the city). Azamara ships also will stop in Volos, Greece, where the line will offer excursions to the Meteora Monasteries, high atop massive granite rocks (made famous in the film For Your Eyes Only), and Amalfi, Italy, near the postcard-perfect Sorrento, Positano and Isle of Capri.

Dockings in La Spezia, Italy, where larger ships have to anchor, and Dartmouth, United Kingdom, inaccessible to larger ships, also are planned.

In all, Azamara plans stops in 20 new European ports in 2009. Both of the line's two ships, Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey, will sail in the region, offering a range of seven- to 15-night Europe itineraries from five different home ports: Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Copenhagen, Denmark; Rome and Venice, Italy. The voyages will include overnight stays in Barcelona; Edinburgh, Scotland; Florence and Ravenna, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Stockholm, Sweden.

The line also plans a series of four consecutive 7-night Mediterranean cruises, which, for travelers interested in pairing itineraries back-to-back, will present no repeat ports of call.

Other highlights of Azamara's 2009 schedule in Europe, which goes on sale on April 2:

-- A new Iceland and Norwegian Fjords voyage, round trip from Copenhagen, Denmark, that includes three Icelandic ports. The sailing also offers calls on Scotlandâ€™s Shetland Islands and Denmarkâ€™s Faroe Islands.

-- A cruise of the Baltic region from Copenhagen that includes an extended, three-day stay in St. Petersburg, Russia, allowing guests time to take an overnight trip to Moscow.

-- A 15-night â€œHoly Landâ€ itinerary from Athens to Rome featuring 11 cities, including an overnight stay in Istanbul, Turkey.

-- An enhanced â€œBest of Italyâ€ itinerary with overnight stays in Venice and Sorrento, as well as in Ravenna, giving guests the opportunity to visit Florence by train.