Cruise Control

A two-day voyage to the French city of Cherbourg has Maria Hoyle rethinking her aversion to cruise ships

- Maria Hoyle

Let’s just make one thing clear. I am an anti-cruiser. Cruising, I have always believed, is for the faint-hearted. For those-of-limited-imagination, the type who wants a Starbucks in every port, who likes their foreign experiences to be, heaven forbid, not too foreign, and who sees going ashore as a rather inconvenient interruption to an on-board revolving door of buffets, booze and bridge nights. Yes, I am a cruise bigot. Or was. The chance to sample a two-night cruise aboard a ‘boutique vessel’ seemed perfect. I looked forward to a brief stint of pampering, but doubted I’d ever contemplate a return trip.

But within hours of boarding the Azamara Pursuit – the newly refurbished addition to the Azamara Club Cruises fleet – I see my prejudices walk the plank.

We join the Pursuit in the UK port of Southampton (fun fact: it was also the departure point for the Mayflower in 1620) – for a special two-day Naming Ceremony Voyage. We will sail overnight to the French port of Cherbourg, in Normandy. By the way, if you think ‘boutique’ means a dinky little boat, then set your assumptions on a fresh course. Sure, Pursuit’s 700-guest capacity is a drop in the ocean compared to the likes of the 5500-berth Symphony of the Seas owned by Azamara’s parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. But at 181 metres long, with nine guest decks, multiple cabaret and living rooms, bars, dining areas and shops, the Pursuit is less boutique, more floating blocks of luxury apartments.