MIAMI, FL – Azamara Club Cruises announces an enriching new inclusive pre-and-post Land and Sea program in Europe. In partnership with the renowned Venice-Simplon Orient-Express train, this program takes guests deeper into European locales and allows travelers to stay longer and experience even more on land with a unique vantage point.
The iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express travels between London and Venice offering travelers packages designed to extend an Azamara vacation with even more cultural discovery in additional ports. Travelers can relive the golden-era age of travel through the original 1920s vintage carriages, gourmet cuisine and spectacular scenery.
“This slower form of travel is exactly what Azamara celebrates with our Destination Immersion® programming where we look to give travelers more time and new ways to fall in love with destinations,” said Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. “Through this extension of our Land and Sea Offerings our guests will now get to experience the unbridled luxury of train travel and visit even more destinations and ports in Europe in the most authentic and immersive way.”
Azamara and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will provide guests the distinct opportunity to combine train, hotel and cruise travel in a personalized way. Guests are invited to indulge in:
- Timeless Authenticity: The luxurious private cabins on board the 1920s carriages provide inspiring back stories and history; Sleeping Car 3425 is famously associated with King Carol, who escaped Romania with his mistress aboard the train in 1940. Stunning vintage details such as Rene Prou designs and Rene Lalique glass panels make each carriage feel like a time capsule giving travelers the chance to relive history.
- Gourmet Cuisine: The train line’s Executive Chef Christian Bodiguel has spent the last 33 years creating culinary masterpieces and prepares 3-course lunches and 4-course dinners of classic French dishes. Menus change seasonally and everything is cooked fresh on board, with Chef Bodiguel selecting local ingredients from the destinations the train visits.
- Spectacular Scenery: Europe’s most stunning scenery can be viewed through two different routes spanning the Gotthard Route and the Alberg Route boasting the incredible views of the Swiss Lakes as well as the dramatic Dolomites. Both routes offer breath taking mountain views, crystal clear lakes and quant towns and vineyards tucked into the mountainside.
Exploring by train compliments the cruise experience offering a truly unique vantage point to take in Europe’s most famous and romanticized scenery which can be viewed along the journey between London and Venice. Additional route highlights include:
- London to Venice Pre-Voyage: Guests will depart London’s Victoria Station aboard the Belmond British Pullman, sister train of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, for the journey to Folkestone. Enjoy a Bellini brunch and silver service as the train passes through the lush Kentish countryside, before transferring across the Channel on the Eurotunnel. Once aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Calais, a delicious four-course dinner is prepared by skilled French chefs and served in one of the three restaurant cars. Head to the Bar Car ‘3674’ for a nightcap before retiring to your cabin for your overnight stay. Continental breakfast is served in your cabin, followed by lunch in the restaurant car. Relax over afternoon tea as the train makes its way to Venice and then depart the train for an overnight in Venice including luxury accommodations at the Hotel Monaco in the heart of the charming city.
- Venice to London Post-Voyage: After a relaxing evening spent at the Hotel Monaco guests board the gleaming carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express where they wave goodbye to Venice over a three-course lunch. Afternoon Tea is served in your cabin before guests mingle with fellow passengers in the Bar Car ‘3674’, followed by a dinner in one of the three beautifully unique restaurant cars. Linger over continental breakfast served in your cabin the following morning, followed by a delicious lunch en route to Calais where you will transfer for the Eurotunnel crossing. On the other side, board the Belmond British Pullman, sister train to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which takes guests from Folkestone to London Victoria Station, with afternoon tea served on the way accompanied by a glass of English Sparkling Wine.
Travelers looking to complement their Alaskan cruise will enjoy the Wilderness Express, available through Azamara’s land and sea packages. Travelers can experience unobstructed views taken in from a glass-domed upper level or outside platform as they travel by glaciers, fjords and scenery not visible from the road en route from Anchorage to Fairbanks. And in 2019, the program will expand further, offering guests options to explore Canada by train in combination with their Alaskan cruise. The Canadian Rocky Mountaineer will offer guests the ultimate experience of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies with views of untouched landscape and wildlife across multiple distinct rail routes and more than 65 vacation packages.
