Azamara Club Cruises: The real reason why we cruise

In the travel industry, one common refrain is that on a cruise, the real destination is the ship. After all, it is a floating hotel, restaurant, bar, casino and shopping mall with enticing entertainment options.

But Azamara Club Cruises, a boutique small ship arm of global giant Royal Caribbean Cruises, has turned that on its head. Ahead of the arrival of one of its two 686-passenger ships into Australia for the first time in December, Azamara's promotional material uses the tag line: "Land. It's the real reason we cruise."

"We are focusing on what is called destination immersion," Azamara chief executive Larry Pimentel said during a visit to Sydney on Monday. "Longer stays, more overnights and night touring."

Frequent cruisers will know that evening and overnight stays in ports are rare. Mr Pimentel said that was because there were financial considerations at play for cruise operators looking to maximise revenue.

"The reason is you can't open up the casinos, you can't open up the retail when you are in port – it is illegal," he said. "But we created a different model by which to program and create unique product."

Azamara's ships are only one-tenth the size of the biggest ones plying the seas in terms of passenger numbers, and cater to a more upscale crowd looking for luxury. It aims to include an "AsAmazing" evening on each voyage offering an experience not available anywhere else. For example, on its 16-night sailing departing Sydney in January, the ship's overnight stay in Hobart will include a welcome by the Tasmanian Police Pipe Band ahead of a private performance by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, including the opportunity to meet orchestra members and the conductor.

Mr Pimentel said Australian passengers are already Azamara's third-biggest customer base globally behind the United States and United Kingdom, accounting for around 17 per cent of all customers. Australians also take longer duration trips than other markets, with local passengers often choosing to take two consecutive cruise trips that have been marketed as separate voyages.

Sydney to London

Azamara next week will open to bookings for a special 102-day cruise from Sydney to London, via Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea in 2018. Mr Pimentel said he expected up to half of the passengers would be Australians. While the cruise line has an average passenger age of 57 to 58 years old, the Australian passengers average 66 to 67 years old – perhaps indicating many are retirees with time to spare.