Following the news that Azamara Cruises will be enhancing its fleet of four ships, Dondra Ritzenthaler, the upscale line’s CEO, offered a closer look at all the updates.
Among the upcoming changes are new suites onboard Azamara Quest (debuting in December 2026), renovated nightlife venues, refreshed staterooms and suites, the new Chef’s Table restaurant, the fleetwide expansion of Atlas Bar and more.
Here’s what clients can expect onboard Azamara Quest, Azamara Journey, Azamara Onward and Azamara Pursuit as the ships are upgraded.
Why is now the right time for Azamara Cruises to conduct such an expansive enhancement?
When I started [at Azamara] a year and a half ago, we were really focused on destination immersion. We announced Destination Immersion Elevated; we enhanced the number of AzAmazing Evenings. We wanted to focus on travel advisors, booking capability [and] what we were doing with destination immersion.
Now, we feel like it's time to focus on the onboard experience, so that when we do take you to the destination and keep you there longer than anybody else, when you come back on, you'll feel this freshness.
We want to stay competitive in the marketplace. We want to keep evolving our ships, because we just feel like that's the right thing to do. And honestly, the inspiration for the things that we did came equally from our hotel directors, our crew onboard, our headquarters staff, our travel advisors and from our loyal guests.
While Azamara Quest is currently the only ship set to get 12 new suites, will the other ships receive them eventually, too?
They’re exclusively on Quest until we … see how it goes. We're going to see how the travel advisors embrace it, how the guests embrace it, and then we will make a decision. But right now, that's exclusively on Quest.
How will the new accommodations be added to the ship, or will they be carved out from existing space?
We're going to add another deck (Deck 11), which will be a penthouse suite deck. We're also going to add [another] deck so that we don't lose the sun deck — it just goes up a level.
Azamara Quest will be the only ship so far to offer Grandview Suites.
Credit: 2026 Azamara Cruises
Why put all the suites [there]? It's because our ships sell from the top down, and many times our guests want a suite, and they've already sold out.
How will the remaining staterooms and suites be updated?
All the way from the inside [rooms] to the existing suites, we are refreshing all of the staterooms. The window treatments start out with this beautiful cream color, and then they cascade down like water. That's inspired by our destination. And then the same with the pop of color on the bedding … the room itself is lighter.
[Regarding] the existing inside, outside, balcony [categories] and suites, we will not do anything to the bathrooms. The bathrooms are actually beautiful.
Tell us more about the new Chef’s Table Restaurant and updated Atlas Bar.
[At the Chef’s Table Restaurant,] there will be food and wine pairing. We will literally go ashore and get local [ingredients for] destination-inspired entrees and have a wine-pairing dinner. There will be brunches in there. We will have wine tasting on sea days.
Atlas Bar is going to be added fleet-wide.
Credit: 2026 Azamara Cruises
We're going to take the Atlas Bar fleet-wide. So, we're going to reimagine and transform what is now the Discoveries Bar and Lounge, which is really the space that is just outside the Discovery Restaurant, and we are turning that into the Atlas Bar.
In the Atlas Bar, we have these very beautiful, crafted specialty cocktails. The only way that you can get a drink there currently is to buy those craft cocktails, or to upgrade from a regular beverage package to the ultimate beverage package. However, we're going to add to the programming so that if you want that specialty drink, or just wanted a glass of wine from Azamara’s always-included beverage package, you can now get that there. It will also be open until 11 p.m. instead of closing when the restaurant closes.
How about the redesigned Cabaret Lounge and the ships’ spas?
When you get into the Cabaret Lounge, [there will be] new furniture, new carpets, new window treatments [and a] new stage, and we're launching 10 brand-new shows [with the latest technology], as well.
[Regarding the spa,] we did not have a couple's treatment room, and now we will reimagine one of the treatment rooms to become a couple's treatment room. But all of the treatment rooms will get a refresh with a contemporary look and feel. It just makes you feel relaxed.
What should travel advisors in particular be most excited about?
They should be the most excited about the sum of these parts. This shows that at Azamara Cruises we're very committed to advisors, [and] we’re very committed to our guests. We're very committed to continuing to evolve our ships and make them fresh and beautiful, as well as safe, of course. And it shows that we're in it to win it with them, and that we are a brand that is going to be here for the long term.
We are staying true to who we are, but we are moving forward. We are not changing our brand positioning. We are still the global leader in small-ship, destination immersion. Destination immersion is by far the most important thing that we do every day.
It's our vision for elevating life onboard while honoring the hallmarks that have always set us apart. It celebrates where we've been and guides us toward where we're going. It's a new era for our existing fleet.
