MS Azura (detail)

MS Azura arrived on the Tyne on Friday 15th January 2021 after sailing with 130 staff from Southampton (there was no space for her there). She is berthed at Northumbrian Quay, North Shields whilst she undergoes works

MS Azura is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival plc. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell.

Azura is a Grand-class ship, with a modified design which distinguishes her from early ships of the same class. Construction of Azura began in 2008 when her keel was officially laid on 27 October 2008. A ceremonial float out took place on Friday 26 June 2009, with Amanda Dowds, wife of the ship’s captain, acting as her godmother. The formal handover took place on 26 March 2010.

Azura’s maiden voyage began on 31 March 2010, when she departed from the Fincantieri shipyard en route to Southampton. She arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010. Azura’s first cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010.

Azura was formally named on 10 April 2010, by godmother Darcey Bussell. As well as performing the traditional bottle breaking ceremony, as a former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Bussell presented a dance performance by Royal Ballet School as part of the celebrations. Azura was originally registered in her homeport of Southampton, UK, but in November 2011 she was re-registered to Hamilton, Bermuda to enable wedding ceremonies to be conducted on board.

The ship’s facilities include a dance floor in the atrium, a show lounge and an interpretation of a London pub. An open-air cinema screen is situated in front of the funnel.

In total, the ship has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges.

Azura is the only Grand-class ship to feature a “Duck Tail” stern.

She completed a minor refit in April 2015 at Blohm and Voss’s shipyard in Hamburg. This included painting P&O’s large Union flag design on to the bow, repainting the funnel in blue with P&O’s “sunburst” logo plus other minor interior updates.