P&O Azura and Cunard Queen Elizabeth latest news
Two new cruise ships will be offering a different twist on British cruising next year.
P&O Cruises will be introducing £350 million Azura from Southampton in April 2010, followed at the end of the year by Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth.
Both are sister vessels to existing ships but will be offering something different to passengers.
Azura is the partner to Ventura, P&O Cruises’ largest ship, which entered service last summer.
Queen Elizabeth will be the sister ship to Queen Victoria and will be the second largest Cunarder ever built.
Azura will carry more than 3,000 passengers when it enters service from Southampton in April 2010 as P&O Cruises’ seventh ship.
Unlike family-focussed Ventura, Azura will appeal to passengers of all ages by offering an authentic large ship experience with a number of features new to the company.
These include 18 single cabins – the first on a P&O Cruises ship – plus a record 900 cabins with private balconies and a number of spa cabins. There will also be two large suites for extended families or groups of friends to share.
Other new features include an open air cinema – along the lines of US sister company Princess Cruises’ Movies Under the Stars – as well as private cabanas in an area called the Retreat for al-fresco massages, sun loungers and personal waiter service.
Treatment rooms within the spa will also have balconies, to enable passengers to be pampered in the open air.
Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar will oversee an Indian fine dining restaurant called Sindhu on board Azura.
TV wine expert Olly Smith will help create a new select dining restaurant and wine bar called The Glass House, featuring different wines recommended with each course.
The Saturday Kitchen personality will also lend his skill on the drinks menus for Azura’s other bars and 11 restaurants. He will travel regularly throughout the year to host tasting sessions.
Azura will also cater for families with innovations such as a dedicated Nintendo Wii room.
The ship will feature a modern interpretation of a classic London pub, a New York-style show lounge and a dance floor in the atrium, designed to become the social hub of the ship.
At 92,000-tonnes, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is smaller than Azura carrying 2,092 passengers
It will have all the attributes of a classic ocean liner yet highlight the tradition and heritage that Cunard has become famous for since it first started operating transatlantic voyages in the 1800s.
Queen Elizabeth will offer the very best of Cunard’s values and traditions, blended with every conceivable modern luxury that today’s discerning travellers expect.
Through its opulent public rooms and impeccable service, the new ship will reflect the grandeur which has been associated with Cunard ships since the introduction of the Mauretania in 1907.
From the outside, Queen Elizabeth’s black hull, gleaming white superstructure and distinctive red funnel will echo the classic characteristics of the company’s distinctive liner heritage.
Further details of the on board facilities to be offered by Queen Elizabeth, which will return Cunard to a three-ship fleet following the retirement of Queen Elizabeth 2, will emerge within the next two weeks.
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