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On March 2, 2020, Azamara Pursuit set sail from Buenos Aires for a 21-night cruise scheduled to explore destinations throughout Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, before concluding in Peru. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans. But what didn’t change, and will never change, is our commitment to providing exceptional service at sea.
The voyage lasted a week longer than the expected 21 days. When Azamara Pursuit arrived in Miami on March 29, it called for celebration, but our job wasn’t over. We were committed to ensuring our guests not only returned to land safely, but that they also returned home safely. We arranged flights and provided private buses. Guests from more than 25 different countries returned home.
Throughout that time, everyone at Azamara, from the staff and crew onboard the Pursuit to the team onshore, worked tirelessly to get our guests home safely, all while taking excellent care of each other every step of the way
. And our guests were certainly appreciative. In fact, when an Azamara voyage concludes, we send a survey to our guests to gather feedback and have them rate their experience. As of April 2nd, 2020, this voyage is on track to be one of our highest-rated journeys.
Here’s what one guest had to say:
“To the CEOs of Azamara and Royal Caribbean,
We are two couples traveling on the Azamara Pursuit that departed Buenos Aires on March 2nd. While this is our first Azamara voyage, we’ve been on many other cruises and have traveled extensively. We will certainly remember this as our most unique experience. And before this voyage concludes, we wanted to take the time to recognize the heroic efforts of Captain Carl Smith and his crew.
Captain Carl has both literally and figuratively sailed us through troubled waters, all the while displaying exemplary leadership. His daily noon briefings have both comforted and made us laugh. We were delighted when he stopped for a brief chat over coffee one day only to realize that his walkabouts were a regular event to collect and respond to questions. He not only cared about our well-being, but that of the crew as well, and took care to publicly thank them.
And, speaking of the crew, a huge thank you to the people working tirelessly to take care of us. To single out only a few — the bartender who took the time to do magic tricks; Kostin, another bartender who smiled patiently at our silly questions; the Peruvian bartender who educated us on piscos; Igor and Vladimir, baristas extraordinaire morning and night; and the many, many wait staff who always had a smile as we asked for Tabasco. And a big shout–out to Paulo and Katryana, who kept our rooms spotless. And we can’t even name the countless other workers we never saw but who helped keep us comfortable and safe.
And, last but not least, thank you. No doubt, Captain Carl wouldn’t have been as effective if he didn’t have the support and resources of the corporate office.”