After operating for a long stretch with just two ships,
upper-premium brand Azamara Club Cruises will get a third vessel starting in 2018.
In a statement on its website, P&O Cruises said it will
sell the Adonia, which will sail its last cruise for P&O in March 2018.
Azamara confirmed that parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is buying
the ship, a 684-passenger vessel built for Renaissance Cruises in 2001.
The Adonia is a sister vessel to the two other ships in Azamara's fleet, Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. All three were built as part
of the eight-ship R class. The ship will be renamed the Azamara Pursuit.
From April 2016 to June 2017, the Adonia sailed for Fathom, Carnival
Corp.'s discontinued "social impact" brand that operated cruises to the Dominican
Republic and Cuba, combining vacation travel with voluntourism. Carnival Corp.
also owns P&O Cruises.
The Azamara Pursuit's first voyage will be in August 2018,
Azamara said.
With the transfer, four of the original Renaissance ships
will sail for Oceania, three for Azamara and one for Princess.
Azamara has been a two-ship brand since it was founded in
2007.