Cruising on Azamara Pursuit from Mauritius to Singapore
Cruisers seeking to experience a mid-size ship with comfortable staterooms, great food, and hospitable international crew, will enjoy a sojourn on Azamara Cruises’ Pursuit. On this particular voyage on which I sailed was the added benefit of a somewhat off-the-beaten track itinerary departing from Mauritius, then making port calls in the Maldives, Southern India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, before ending in Singapore.
As this itinerary, like many others, requires several entry visas for guests possessing US, UK, or EU passports, passengers are highly advised to obtain them prior to travel. The online portals for several countries, including India, make it extremely difficult to obtain them on one’s own or at sea. Several onboard using other providers had difficulty obtaining India visas in time. My preferred company is ItsEasy.com which provides fast, professional, hassle-free service at competitive rates. My visas were all accepted without a hitch.
The Azamara Pursuit
Built in 2001 in St. Nazaire, France with eight decks, the Pursuit is a 592-foot premium ship. She holds 702 guests in 331 outside cabins and 24 inside cabins with 396 extremely hospitable crew hailing from around the world. On this 16-day late November itinerary starting in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, and ending in Singapore, the ship sailed at full capacity and included passengers from Europe, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and about three dozen Americans. It was truly a United Nations at sea.
Due to the Pursuit’s size, a level of familiarity ensues among passengers on a voyage of this type. However, owing to the ship’s layout, public areas both inside and on decks, multiple dining areas, and bars, and activity spaces, one always had a multitude of options, and even at full capacity, never felt crowded.
Deck 3 is for embarkation and disembarkation while Deck 4 has staterooms, Reception, Concierge, and the medical clinic. On Deck 5 is the main Discoveries Restaurant and Bar, Mosaic Café – the Pursuit’s blessed answer to Starbucks – shops, the Den and Spirits Bar, and the Cabaret Lounge, where enrichment lectures are delivered and where entertainment is enjoyed.
Decks 6, 7, and 8 have the balance of staterooms and the Bridge while Deck 9 has The Sanctum Spa, Spa Terrace with jacuzzi, Fitness Center with spinner bikes, TechnoGym treadmills, elliptical, rower, stair-master, free weights, and exercise machines, all in a light-filled airy space with full-length windows perfect for enjoying mesmerizing views. Here also a full-service Beauty Salon, pool, jacuzzi, pool bar, Windows’ Cafe, Sunset Veranda, and The Patio outdoor restaurant.
Deck 10 is home to its two marvelous specialty restaurants, Aqualina and Prime C, the jogging track, Drawing Room, Living Room, and Card Room. Deck 11 has another sun deck.
Comfortable Staterooms
Staying in a balconied Deck 6 stateroom stern, it had an incredibly comfortable, king-size bed with high-count cotton sheets, a 60-inch flat-screen television, and mini-safe. A small refrigerator was stocked with my favored soft drinks. My cabin steward kept my stateroom spotless. Indeed the entire ship was consistently clean.
My stateroom also had a comfortable working desk, with US, UK, and European plug outlets. On each nightstand USB ports were discreetly under the light fixtures. While there are no in-room coffee machines or kettles, room service is available 24-hours a day and Mosaic Café opens at 7am.
The comfortable balcony meant that I could easily pass hours reading or working, all while admiring the endless horizon. The small bathroom had Elemis amenities, a vanity mirror, and small curtained walk-in shower, a European shower head, and happily, strong water pressure.
Dining for Definite Divas
Executive Chef Anil Thakur and his team are to be commended. The food onboard the Pursuit was as consistently good if not better than luxury vessels on which I’ve sailed. There are buffet breakfasts with made-to-order eggs and omelets, and lunches, and dinners, often with destination themed choices at Window Café. At The Patio, terrific lunches of burgers – beef, lamb, and vegetarian – ahi wraps, brochettes, and daily specials, among other items served.
At Discoveries Restaurant, where table serviced dinners were served with fine international wines, the menu changed nightly boasting a wide variety of salads and appetizer options like duck confit salad and grilled octopus, but also an “always available” starter menu of shrimp cocktail, escargots, Caesar salad, French onion soup, and always available marvelous mains of salmon, roasted chicken, and delightful broiled NY strip steak.
Mohammed Alam, the talented pastry chef prepared daily a cornucopia of mouth-watering desserts – marble cheesecake or chocolate mousse anyone? The Pursuit is most certainly not a place to diet.
For guests wishing to dine in, room service is available 24-hours a day. Hunger here is happily not on the menu. The Pursuit’s two signature restaurants, Prime C for steaks and Aqualina for Italian are two of the finest I’ve experienced at sea. Aqualina could easily be featured in Bon Appétite.
Onboard Life
Embarking the Pursuit in Mauritius, an island nation about 1,000 miles off East Africa’s southeast coast, is a treat into itself. Known as the most peaceful African nation, it has been an independent republic since 1968. Formerly a French colony, then British, it’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, with locals speaking French, English, and native Creole. This small lush and tropical island nation, just 790 square miles, has dramatic lava formations, white sand beaches, and is habitat to a plethora of flora and fauna.
The itinerary had four sea days as we made our way to the Maldives. This allowed for guests to take advantage of the wide variety of onboard offerings. Personally, I enjoyed the well-equipped fitness center, walking countless miles while listening to favored podcasts allowing me to dine with reckless abandon. I also attended several of the enrichment lectures which included those by a veteran foreign war correspondent, food and wine experts extolling pairings and varietals virtues, and destination lectures, all excellent.
For others, there were dance lessons of every genre, jewelry making, painting and photography classes, bridge, ping pong, music trivia, and brain teasers, among many others. Guests could stay as busy as desired or not.
Port Calls
Our first stop was the Maldives, known for pristine, turquoise waters and unmatched underwater flora and fauna. As its capital, Male, has precious little to see, and I had been before, many guests spent the day on scheduled excursions to one of the nearby islands. The lush island of Vadoo provided a glorious beach, great snorkeling, and an open bar: the perfect antidote to civilization.
The Pursuit called at Cochin, India, the ‘city of coexistence’. With a history initially borne from the spice trade, spice shops naturally abound. Hiring a tuk-tuk for the day – the best way to get around because weaving in and out of S. Asian traffic is a veritable art form – we managed to take in the most important sites in a day.
We started with the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets that came with early Chinese traders 500 years ago, then to the Public Laundry near Fort Kochi where massive loads of hotel, hospital, and residence laundry are still hand laundered, line dried, and pressed with 30-pound irons, as they have been for centuries.
At the Paradesi Synagogue, India’s oldest active synagogue, was established in 1568 by refugees fleeing the Portuguese inquisition. But Jews had been in the region since at least 1,000AD. Paradesi has 1,100 unique blue-and-white Chinese porcelain tiles, Belgian chandeliers, and Oriental rugs, serving as a microcosm of Cochin’s multi-culturalism. Nearby, are a church, mosque, and Hindu temple.
Paradesi’s adjacent 45-foot-tall clock tower built in 1760 has four faces, with Hebrew, Roman, and Malayam numerals, and one blank, evidencing communal harmony. Paradesi is the at the end of “Jew Town,” one of Cochin’s loveliest shop-lined pedestrian streets. After seeing several churches, the Indo-Portuguese Museum, and several spice collectives, we still had time on the second day for blissful Ayurvedic treatments.
Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, provides a vibrant manageable city, with a diverse history. The Portuguese, Dutch, and British all left their cultural and architectural mark before Sri Lanka’s 1948 independence. Now there are also world class hotels, shining skyscrapers, and shopping centers. And of course, the important tea trade.
After another colorful day with a trusty Tuk-Tuk driver/guide, and several miles of walking, I popped into the lovely Shangri-La Hotel Colombo, beautifully decorated for the festive season, and into The Chi Spa for a delightful 30-minute foot massage in this Zen atmosphere.
Refreshed, I was then ready for the “Azamazing” evening, a cultural event organized by Azamara. Several dance troops highlighted Sri Lankan music and dance at this colorful event.
The Pursuit also called at Hambantota, in Sri Lanka’s southeast. From here I took a car to Tangalle, known for vast stretches of beaches and parked myself at Anantara Peace Haven Resort, nearly crying when it was time to leave. Fronting a glorious white sand beach with interesting rock formations, roaming peacocks, and 73 different bird species, 43 recorded butterfly species, and 21 mammal species, including the rare “fishing cat.” A full-time naturalist ensures nature thrives at this luxury property.
At Anantara’s Mama’s Kitchen, this local gem “Mama” taught me several outstanding local dishes in a traditional kitchen while a bird cacophony entertained us. Sated beyond measured, I then ambled into Anantara’s Spa where another Ayurvedic treatment no doubt added gratitude and years to my life.
At Sabang, in Indonesia’s Aceh province off the northern tip of Sumatra, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate though elementary schoolchildren entertained us with huge smiles. After 16 enjoyable days, we arrived in Singapore. Time to bid adieu to the Pursuit and travel onward.
The Lessons Learned
Guests seeking a mid-size premium cruise ship with great service and stellar food on unique itineraries will find that the Azamara Pursuit fits the bill perfectly. Happy Travels!
