Azamara Cruises can't be accused of not
learning from its mistakes: The fledgling cruise line delayed the
first sailing on its second ship, the Azamara Quest, slated to
debut in October, to allow the ship an additional five days in
drydock.
Azamara, the
deluxe cruise line operated by Celebrity Cruises, may be trying to
avert a repeat of what happened with its first ship, the Azamara
Journey.
The line's
inaugural voyage was delayed by one day due to not having completed
the $19 million drydock improvements by the time guests arrived in
Bayonne, N.J., on May 5 to board a cruise to Bermuda.
That delay was
costly: Azamara fully refunded all cruise fares and paid for all
guests' local lodging or transportation home that night.
Passengers booked
on the Quest's 12-day inaugural sailing on Oct. 19 were informed
via a letter sent out on June 5 that their cruise was
canceled.
The Quest won't
be ready until Oct. 24, Azamara said, and will sail a two-day,
roundtrip cruise from Miami to the Bahamas that day, followed by a
five-day Caribbean cruise from Miami on Oct. 26.
"We know from
experience that with most ship launches and major revitalizations,
a surprisingly significant amount of finishing details occur during
the last few days," Azamara Cruises President Dan Hanrahan said.
"[The Journey], however, was a ship we were less familiar with, and
the drydock and refurbishment didn't proceed as rapidly as we had
envisioned."
Azamara is
offering Quest passengers the option for a full refund of the Oct.
19 cruise or a transfer to a 12- or 14-night Caribbean, 14- night
Panama Canal or 12-night South America cruise on the Journey or the
Quest between October and December of this year, excluding the
Christmas and New Year's sailings. Passengers who transfer will
also get up to $600 in onboard credit.
To contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].