Six months, 126 ports and a calendar that bends
On May 7, 2029, guests aboard Azamara Quest will cross the International Date Line heading east and live the same day over again. They will have earned the extra hours—back on January 30, sailing west across the same line, they lost a day entirely.
That small quirk of timekeeping belongs to Azamara’s 2029 World Cruise, which opened for bookings today. The full journey runs 195 nights, departing San Diego on January 3, 2029, and arriving in Copenhagen on July 17. According to Azamara, it will be the longest world cruise available that year. It is also a true circumnavigation with no repeat ports: 126 calls across five continents and 40 countries and territories, 12 of them maiden ports for the line.
For the first time, Azamara is offering the voyage three ways. The complete 195-night journey is on sale now; shorter 179-night and 139-night versions follow on October 14, 2026.
Sixty-five percent of the voyage in port
The number Azamara wants travelers to notice is 65%. That’s the share of the journey spent in port, which works out to more than three of every five days given over to a destination rather than to open water. Sixteen overnight stays and 60 late nights stretch many of those calls into the evening and beyond. According to Azamara, the combination gives guests more time in destination than any other world cruise sailing in 2029.
“World travel is about more than simply checking destinations off a list, it’s about having the time to experience them, discover something unexpected and connect with the places and people along the way.”
Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara Cruises.
Among the cities where Azamara Quest stays late or overnight are Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Beijing and Cork in Ireland. Fifteen complimentary AzAmazing Evenings (the line’s special events and cultural programs in port) are built into the voyage, alongside events reserved for world cruise guests and a selection of Overland Experiences.
French Polynesia slowly, then 23 ports down under
From San Diego, the ship turns west for Hawaii and on into the South Pacific. French Polynesia gets unusually generous treatment, with overnights in Mo’orea, Papeete and Bora Bora, before calls in Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island.
New Zealand follows with 11 ports, Milford Sound among them. Then comes Australia, where 12 calls run from Hobart to Darwin and include Exmouth, the gateway to Ningaloo Reef on Western Australia’s rugged coast. The 139-night version begins in Sydney, leaving time to explore the Antipodes independently before boarding.
Nine ports in Japan, then north to Hubbard Glacier
The route threads Indonesia, Singapore and Southeast Asia before heading north to Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Japan alone accounts for nine ports, including Hiroshima, which, according to Azamara, is one of the itinerary’s highest-rated ports.
From there the ship crosses to Alaska for Hubbard Glacier, then works south past British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Central America, the Panama Canal, Colombia and Florida come next, followed by New York and an Atlantic crossing to Ireland, the United Kingdom and France.
Twelve countries in the final 16 nights
The closing stretch is the most concentrated of the voyage. Azamara Quest visits 12 countries in the last 16 nights, among them Germany, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, before tying up in Copenhagen. After half a year of long days ashore, the finale moves at a brisker clip.
What 195 nights includes
Every version of the world cruise carries Azamara’s standard “Always Azamara” inclusions: dining and room service, house wine and beer, gratuities, and complimentary self-service laundry. On top of that, world cruise guests receive a set of additional inclusions, among them bonus onboard credit, a premium beverage package and unlimited wash-and-fold laundry.
Azamara Quest is a familiar choice for the job. The same ship is hosting the line’s 2027 World Cruise.
Three lengths and 16 segments to choose from
The 179-night journey sails from San Diego to London between January 3 and July 1, 2029, with 52 late nights, 16 overnight stays and 12 maiden ports. The 139-night option runs from Sydney to Copenhagen between March 1 and July 17, 2029, with 43 late nights, 11 overnights and four maiden ports. Both open for booking on October 14, 2026.
Travelers with less time can join one of 16 individual segments of seven to 20 nights, which open for booking in 2027. Details and reservations are at azamara.com.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
