Carol Cabezas joined Azamara in 2017 as Chief Operations Officer, assuming responsibility for all company operations, including sales, marketing, profitability, finance, fleet deployment, and onboard operations. Prior to joining Azamara, she served as Investor Relations Officer for Royal Caribbean Group, where she arrived in 2000, holding various leadership positions in sales, finance, and other departments across the group's brands.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 61 – June 2022
You have extensive experience in the cruise industry, specifically with Royal Caribbean Group. Why, in your opinion, did Royal Caribbean Group decide to sell Azamara?
The acquisition of Azamara by Sycamore Partners last year represented a fantastic opportunity for Azamara, now an independent cruise company. The only changes Sycamore Partners wanted to make were to invest in the growth of our brand, including adding new ships to the fleet, which we have already done with the Azamara Onward, as you know.
Sycamore Partners is the ideal partner for us, as the company has a long track record of investing in and enhancing brands like Azamara to drive growth and profitability. Sycamore is helping guide us through our next phase of growth, while maintaining the high level of guest engagement, personalized service, and destination immersion for which we are best known among our loyal global customer base.
Royal Caribbean Group makes decisions that are right for its business and shareholders; we do not speculate on its decision-making process.
How difficult is it to leave a large cruise group to become an independent cruise company with an owner from outside the industry?
We can stand on our own two feet in terms of what we offer, and Sycamore loves and believes in our product. We remain a strong brand with tremendous growth potential, and Sycamore's track record demonstrates that they will be good stewards of what the Azamara team has built over the past 13 years.
How or how much has Azamara changed so far?
Azamara, as a brand, has a very special “unique selling proposition”: we know who we are, we have a solid identity and our commitment to the “Destination Immersion” concept will not change.
The biggest changes following the acquisition were a new brand positioning campaign, “Change The Way You Sea,” and the addition of Azamara Onward, the fourth and most recent addition to our fleet. After a complete refurbishment, Onward set sail for its inaugural European season in May 2022.
Onward is comparable in size to Azamara Pursuit, Azamara Journey, and Azamara Quest, expanding the total fleet capacity by 33 percent. With this ship, guests will have the opportunity to visit unique, smaller ports and enjoy a more intimate cruise experience. We selected the name Azamara Onward because it represents moving forward in space or time. The name is meant to evoke feelings of resilience, positivity, and the infinite possibilities of the future. As a whole, the name reflects our brand's trajectory and our journey into the next chapter, and in addition to growing our fleet, we continue to expand our Destination Immersion program.
Since becoming an independent brand, we have also welcomed several new management hires across multiple departments, all of whom were integral to preparing our return to the sea and continue to support our mission to grow.
What market niche does Azamara occupy? What is its target customer type? And by nationality?
We understand that our guests seek new experiences at a more relaxed pace and want to forge memorable connections with the destination and its locals. Our carefully designed itineraries offer these explorers the time to immerse themselves in the local culture and discover each destination day and night for an enriching and fulfilling cruise experience.
North American guests continue to be our leading market, representing 67% of guests booked so far in 2022, followed by the UK and Australia. As expected, we are seeing strong interest from our loyal guests—those who love to travel and book our cruises time and time again.
What are the differentiating factors of the company compared to other premium products on the market?
One of Azamara's greatest strengths is our commitment to authentic, immersive destination experiences, and we are passionate about further improving and expanding these programs to give our guests even more of what they love about us.
We offer more overnight stays and port stays than any other cruise line, and in 2023, we will offer more multi-country intensive voyages than ever before, giving guests the opportunity to truly connect with local life and culture, day and night, and experience the destination like a local.
Azamara also offers exciting pre- and post-cruise shore excursions for guests looking to extend their adventure before or after their cruise.
What is Azamara's position in Spain and in Spanish-speaking markets, and what is its future strategy?
Currently in Spain, we work with Baluma Cruises, part of the Viajes El Corte Inglés group (recently merged with Logitravel and one of the largest tour operators in Spain), as our International Representative (IR), and we have a presence in most Spanish-speaking countries.
So far this year, we've seen fantastic support, demand, and sales in Spain. We've experienced a 260% increase in guests and an 83% increase in profitability compared to 2019. We've also had a great response to our special offers. Spanish guests love Azamara for our fantastic European program, the excellent value for money, the destination immersion program, departures from Spain, and the more intimate experience of traveling on a smaller ship.
Azamara offers immersive destination experiences. What are your featured itineraries for the upcoming seasons?
In the coming seasons, Azamara plans to offer more than 75 overnight stays in popular European destinations, including Barcelona, where guests can explore La Rambla boulevard, enjoy an evening of Catalan cuisine, or take a trip to the Palau del Flamenco for music and dancing; Bordeaux, with a stroll through Pessac-Léognan and an overnight stay at the world-famous Château de Rouillac; and Monte Carlo, where guests can stroll among luxury yachts in Port Hercule and play at the renowned Monte Carlo Casino.
We are also very excited to launch a new Around the World Cruise that will set sail in 2024 and take guests to more than 40 countries on six continents, offering immersive experiences at the Wonders of the World, including the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids of Giza and Chichen Itza.
We will also be introducing new AzAmazing Journeys for guests, including an adventure aboard Switzerland's Glacial Express Train followed by a day trip to Mount Rigi, and a sunset cruise in Lucerne.
We are eager to continue expanding our intensive country itinerary program, designed to give travelers more time to discover hidden gems. These trips are always very popular with our guests, as they offer the opportunity to truly immerse themselves in a country.
How do you see Azamara in the next 5 years?
Our first step on our growth trajectory was the successful launch of our new ship, Onward, earlier this year, which led to growth of over 30%. However, we're not stopping there.
We are also continuing to expand our destination immersion offerings, with 39 new itineraries across our four-ship fleet for the 2023-2024 season, and a wider variety of immersive shore experiences for guests to enjoy. This rollout will take Azamara to every corner of the globe, with each ship embarking in a different location, and will offer new pre- and post-cruise shore excursions and AzAmazing Evenings for guests: Azamara Pursuit® in South Africa, Azamara Quest® in South America, Azamara Journey® in Australia and Asia, and Azamara OnwardSM in the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions.
It's too early to comment on our next steps, but rest assured that we are currently evaluating our options and will be excited to announce them once we are ready.
