CRUISE Q&A: Richard Twynam Talks About Azamara Pursuit

Richard Twynam is the Managing Director of Azamara in the UK and Ireland and has held the position since January 2014. Richard took a moment to chat with us about the exciting new ship joining the fleet, Azamara Pursuit and its multi-million pound refurbishment taking place in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

​Will Azamara Pursuit be similar to her sisters?

Yes indeed, we are also taking her through the Reimagining process we went through with Quest and Journey, but with some exciting new additions to make her a little different.

Can you tell us a bit about the refit of the new ship?

It’s an even bigger job than Quest and Journey was as we need to do a large amount of steel work, as none of the current Club Continent Suites we have on Quest and Journey exist on Pursuit. It’s also fantastic that the work is being done in Belfast so it means the UK team is heavily involved in all aspects.

Why did Azamara choose to refit the ship in Belfast?

A number of reasons, but the main ones being that MJM were highly competitive, and were able to also organise the ship yard for us which happened to be Harland and Wolf in Belfast.

When will Azamara Pursuit set sail on her maiden voyage?

Her maiden voyage is 01 August 2018 out of Southampton to Norway

Where will Azamara Pursuit offer cruises to?

In her first year she is doing some ex UK cruising to Norway and Iceland, she is then heading to Greece with only two turns in Venice in 2018, before she heads over to Miami, and then spends the winter in South America.

Why did Azamara need a third ship?

​I’m delighted to say because the demand for the brand was so high, and the profitability of the business justified this level of investment.

Why did Azamara choose to christen the new ship in Southampton?

Azamara Pursuit has really become a British story, ex P&O ship, having her work done here in Belfast, Maiden voyage from Southampton, so it made total sense to christen her here too!

Can you tell us any further details about the christening?

We are working on hard on this now. The actual event will take place on board at 4pm on 28 August 2018, but we are then going on a two-night mini cruise and this allows us to add some touches of a normal cruise like an Azamazing experience, and our famous White night events.

What personally excites you the most about Azamara Pursuit?

For me its huge validation of a job well done, and this is just the start, we are only just getting going, so it’s a gateway to more growth, and means we can now take out guests to all 7 continents!

What makes Azamara different from any other cruise line?

That’s pretty easy we have built our entire business model around our focus on Destination. Hence why we have more late night stays in port and overnights in port than any other cruise line!!

GUEST BLOGGER: Richard Twynam

Richard Twynam is Azamara's Managing Director, UK and Ireland, and he has held the position since January 2014. Bringing with him nearly 20 years of experience in the travel industry, he leads a new 10-strong team dedicated to the destination immersive travel brand and raising its profile in the UK.

To find out more about Azamara or Azamara Pursuit please visit the cruise line's website.