The cruise ship Azura operated by P&O cruises departs from Southampton on a cruise to Portugal.
Azura is a cruise ship operated P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival PLC. 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. Azura is a Grand class ship, with a modified design which distinguishes her from early ships of the same class. 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 took place on 26 March 2010. Azura's maiden voyage began on 31 March 2010, when she departed from the Fincantieri shipyard en route to Southampton. She arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010 at 9:12am. Azura's cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010. 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, however sister ship Ventura received this feature after her 2013 refit. There are 900 cabins with private balconies and a number of spa staterooms with access to the Oasis Spa. Azura is the only Grand Class ship to feature a Duck Tail stern. The ship also features a dance floor in the atrium, a New York styled show lounge and a 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.
Size: 2592px × 3872px
Photo credit: © Trevor Boston / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: &, agent, azura, city, cruise, hampshire, holiday, hythe, pier, sea, ship, southampton, travel, vacation
