MS Azura
Encyclopedia
MS
Azura is a cruise ship
of the P&O Cruises
fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri
at their shipyard in Monfalcone
, Italy
. At 115,055 tonnes, Azura is the second largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She is also the sister ship of MS Ventura
. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell
.
ship, with a modified design which makes her Ventura subclass ship, that distinguishes her from all other Gran Class ships operated by sister company Princess Cruises
. Construction of Azura began in 2008 when her keel was officially laid on 27 October 2008. A ceremonial float out took place on Friday 26 June 2009, in which she was blessed by a priest, with Amanda Dowds, wife of the ship's captain, acting as her Godmother. The formal handover transferring the vessel to P&O Cruises, took place on Friday 26 March 2010, attended by P&O Cruises' managing director Carol Marlow and Carnival UK's chief executive David Dingle.
. She arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010 at 9:12am. Azura cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010.
. A former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Bussell presented a dance performance by Royal Ballet School
as part of the celebrations, as well as performing the traditional bottle breaking ceremony to christen the ship.
Azura was originally registered in her homeport of Southampton
, UK; but from 1 November 2011 she was re-registered to Hamilton, Bermuda, bringing her in line with her other P&O fleetmates and enabling wedding ceremonies to be conducted onboard.
, is the only Grand Class
ship to feature a Duck Tail stern.
Wine expert Olly Smith
has helped to create the Glass House, a venue where passengers are able to sample various wines.
Atul Kochhar, a three Michelin stars chef will be enlisted to create Sindhu, an Indian fine dining restaurant on board.
The ship features a dance floor in the atrium, a New York
styled show lounge and modern interpretation on a London pub.
For the first time in the P&O Cruises fleet, Azura features an open air cinema screen similar to those found on Princess Cruises
ships such as Caribbean Princess. The screen, known as the SeaScreen is situated in front of the funnel on Azura.
. The ship's main dining rooms are also given the traditional names of the Peninusular, Oriental and Meridien restaurants.
In total, the ship has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges.
. The Glass House is a restaurant and wine bar concept devised by television wine expert Olly Smith
. Seventeen serves classic and modern British cuisine with traditional silver service.
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Azura is a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
of the P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. Originally a constituent of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line in the world, having operated the world's first...
fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri
Fincantieri
Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...
at their shipyard in Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. At 115,055 tonnes, Azura is the second largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She is also the sister ship of MS Ventura
MS Ventura
MS Ventura is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. At 116,017 tonnes, Ventura is the largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She is also the sister ship of MS Azura...
. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell
Darcey Bussell
Darcey Andrea Bussell CBE is a retired English ballerina. Trained at the Arts Educational School and the Royal Ballet School, she was later employed by the Royal Ballet, where she was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer and would become recognised as one of the greatest English ballerinas of...
.
Delivery
MS Azura is a Grand classGrand Class
The Grand class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises or P&O Cruises. The class consists of several series of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, northern Italy...
ship, with a modified design which makes her Ventura subclass ship, that distinguishes her from all other Gran Class ships operated by sister company Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
. Construction of Azura began in 2008 when her keel was officially laid on 27 October 2008. A ceremonial float out took place on Friday 26 June 2009, in which she was blessed by a priest, with Amanda Dowds, wife of the ship's captain, acting as her Godmother. The formal handover transferring the vessel to P&O Cruises, took place on Friday 26 March 2010, attended by P&O Cruises' managing director Carol Marlow and Carnival UK's chief executive David Dingle.
Maiden voyage
Azura's maiden voyage began on 31 March 2010, when she departed from the Fincantieri shipyard en route to SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. She arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010 at 9:12am. Azura cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010.
Christening
Azura was christened at 08:20 pm on Saturday, 10 April 2010, by godmother Darcey BussellDarcey Bussell
Darcey Andrea Bussell CBE is a retired English ballerina. Trained at the Arts Educational School and the Royal Ballet School, she was later employed by the Royal Ballet, where she was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer and would become recognised as one of the greatest English ballerinas of...
. A former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Bussell presented a dance performance by Royal Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
as part of the celebrations, as well as performing the traditional bottle breaking ceremony to christen the ship.
Azura was originally registered in her homeport of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, UK; but from 1 November 2011 she was re-registered to Hamilton, Bermuda, bringing her in line with her other P&O fleetmates and enabling wedding ceremonies to be conducted onboard.
Design
Azura is designed to appeal more to P&O's traditional client base and returning customers, whereas sister ship Ventura is more family orientated, and attracts new, often younger clients. For the first time in the P&O Cruises fleet, Azura features eighteen single staterooms. There are 900 cabins with private balconies and a select number of spa staterooms with exclusive access to the Oasis Spa. AzuraAzura
Azura may refer to:* Azura Skye , American actress* "Azura", song on the album Don Solaris by 808 State* MS Azura, a cruise ship in the P&O Cruises fleet* Azura, a titular see in the Roman Catholic Church...
, is the only Grand Class
Grand Class
The Grand class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises or P&O Cruises. The class consists of several series of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, northern Italy...
ship to feature a Duck Tail stern.
Wine expert Olly Smith
Olly Smith
Olly Smith is a TV presenter, wine expert and newspaper columnist. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, BBC Breakfast, Great Food Live, Food Uncut "Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the...
has helped to create the Glass House, a venue where passengers are able to sample various wines.
Atul Kochhar, a three Michelin stars chef will be enlisted to create Sindhu, an Indian fine dining restaurant on board.
The ship features a dance floor in the atrium, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
styled show lounge and modern interpretation on a London pub.
For the first time in the P&O Cruises fleet, Azura features an open air cinema screen similar to those found on Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
ships such as Caribbean Princess. The screen, known as the SeaScreen is situated in front of the funnel on Azura.
Facilities
Having been designed and built for P&O Cruises, Azura features many rooms and facilities common on other ships in the fleet. Following a company tradition, the English style pub is named Brodie's, in tribute to Brodie McGhie Wilcox, co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation CompanyPeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
. The ship's main dining rooms are also given the traditional names of the Peninusular, Oriental and Meridien restaurants.
In total, the ship has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges.
Select dining
In common with other ships in the fleet, Azura has 'select dining'; premium dining venues with passengers paying a cover charge to dine. Sindhu is an Indian restaurant with menu devised by Atul KochharAtul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef. Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.-Biography:In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London...
. The Glass House is a restaurant and wine bar concept devised by television wine expert Olly Smith
Olly Smith
Olly Smith is a TV presenter, wine expert and newspaper columnist. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, BBC Breakfast, Great Food Live, Food Uncut "Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the...
. Seventeen serves classic and modern British cuisine with traditional silver service.