Journey to Europe

Azamara Journey is run on a very simple set of principles; offer the passengers fine, flawless food in settings of intimate, immaculate style and serenity, and then take them to a string of the most seductive destinations on the planet. The company then folds in a string of overnight stays in some of the stand out ports, to allow passengers to really explore deeper-both on tour and on their own- and thus offers a really immersive holiday experience.

Azamara Journey herself comes in at a svelte 30,000 tons, and caters for just 690 passengers. You'll search in vain for rock climbing walls or flow riders. What you will find instead is succulent chateaubriand and crème brulee, served in a string of intimate, open sitting restaurants where outstanding service and presentation is simply the norm. It's all about flair rather than flash.

That's not to say that Azamara Journey lacks creature comforts. Far from it. There's a small, central pool and a pair of bubbling hot tubs, plus no shortage of perfectly primped sun loungers. There's an elegant, nicely proportioned spa and no shortage of comfy, intimate spots inside to just relax over a book or a speciality coffee.

Cabins run the range, from insides to ocean views, right up to balcony tooms and some truly spacious, palatial penthouse suites. While the inside and outside grades are smaller than on some of the newer ships, they are still beautifully comfortable little enclaves, tastefully styled, and they come with wonderful beds. And, because of the smart casual dress code on board the Azamara Journey, you won't need to bring mountains of luggage with you anyway.

Evening entertainment revolves around cabaret style shows with torch singers, fine piano stylings and some pretty mellow evening jazz and blues. In short, this is a ship for those who enjoy the finer things in life amid intimate, high quality surroundings, where the food and service is consistently excellent. Very much a ship for those who want to see more off the beaten track places, without compromising on style or substance.