Australia's newest cruise line Azamara Club Cruises has commenced its inaugural season Down Under with the 686-passenger boutique ship, Azamara Quest.
Arriving in Sydney on Thursday, Azamara Quest will port at White Bay Cruise Terminal before it sets off on its Australasia tour which will include port stops around the country and in New Zealand. The ship arrived in Sydney at the end of 10-night Cairns-to-Sydney cruise.
The entrance of a new cruise line is a significant development for the local cruise market and represents a continuing boom in Australian cruising. Last year Australia was named the world's fastest-growing cruise passenger market with more than one million Australians taking a cruise in 2014, a 20.4 per cent increase on 2013. 
Azamara Quest's deployment here is said to provide a different offering for Aussie cruisers who prefer not to be sardined at the deck pool.
Unlike other ocean cruise ships, Azamara Quest is smaller in size and has a higher crew-to-guest ratio (about 408 crew look after a maximum of 686 passengers). It has a distinct European flare on board from wooden wall panels, to Renaissance-style ceilings and decorative armchairs, not to mention an incredible collection of artworks - a gallery within itself. 
Due to its size, the ship offers itineraries with longer stays, more overnight calls and night touring with which can be limited on larger ships.
Through the window of Discoveries restaurant on board Azamara Quest. Just adore those wall lights #style #cruise #cruiselife #window #travel #travellerau #travelporn #traveltribe #cruiseship #azamaraclubcruises #azamaraquest
A photo posted by Annie Dang (@anie_dang) on Jan 14, 2016 at 4:54pm PST
Passengers who arrived in Sydney on Thursday spent a night in harbour before disembarking on Friday. The ship will depart Sydney at 5pm on Saturday with a fresh load of passengers on a 16-night Sydney-to-Auckland cruise which includes calls at Melbourne, Port Arthur, Hobart, Milford Sound, Dunedin and Tauranga. It will then make a return trip to Sydney from Auckland, before being repositioned back to Asia.
The 180 metre, 30,000-tonne ship first arrived in Australia on 28   December when it visited Darwin as part of a 16-night Bali-to Cairns sailing before embarking on the Sydney voyage.
Azamara has confirmed it will deploy ships to Australia for another two cruise seasons. The decision reflects the strong growth of the local cruise market as well as increasing demand for cruises. 
Azamara Journey will arrive in 2017 and Azamara Quest will return in 2018. Azamara Journey will undergo extensive refurbishments before arriving in Australia next year. She is expected to complete her dry dock in the Bahamas in   January 2016. Azamara Quest will be refurbished after her Australasia season entering dry dock in   April 2016 in Singapore. 
The bow to stern facelifts will see new fit-outs for all public spaces on board, the suites and staterooms, dining areas and new technology such as ship-wide Wi-Fi and new interactive TVs installed in every stateroom.
There will also be the addition of new dining venues: The Living Room, will serve as the central space in the heart of the ship with stunning ocean views, while The Patio, a brand new outdoor space, offers an al fresco dining option.
Azamara Club Cruises' parent corporation Royal Caribbean Cruises, which has the world's biggest ships, has a total of four in Australia for the 2015-2016 season - Explorer of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas based in Sydney and Legend of the Seas based in Brisbane.