The Azamara Onward, the latest addition to Azamara’s fleet, was christened in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and left port to sail its maiden voyage Monday.
The Onward is the first cruise ship purchased by equity firm Sycamore Partners, which took ownership of the cruise line brand in early 2021. The ship was previously the R-class Pacific Princess, which brings Azamara’s fleet of former R-class ships to four.
Its godmother is Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful, a business that connects women who travel to educational resources and to each other. She said it was not lost on her how symbolic the christening was as travelers begin roaming the globe after staying home for most of the pandemic.
“Christenings are not just about introducing a new ship into the world but giving it a purpose and a path forward for the ship, certainly, but also for all of us,” she said.
“We stand together after two years of pause. We take the lessons that we’ve learned, the hard ones, and the easier ones, the ones that have made us laugh, the ones that have nearly broken us. But they all played part in carving us into the people we are today. We pack them into our suitcases and we propel ourselves onward into a world that’s better for all of us.”
The event was complete with local trapeze artists, musicians and performers, who watched the christening along with more than one hundred guests.
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