Azamara unveils 'Discover What the Locals Know'

Published on Aug 22, 2025, 10:05 am CDT

5 min read

Azamara Cruises is advancing its Destination Immersion(R) playbook with a new program, Azamara Discover What the Locals Know, debuting across the line's 2026 to 2027 Mediterranean season. The initiative layers small-group access to neighborhood rituals, seasonal festivals, and artisan workshops onto itineraries already known for late nights and overnights. CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler frames the shift around travelers seeking deeper, more authentic time ashore.

Key Points

Why it matters: Small-ship overnights meet curated local access for a richer sense of place.
Travel impact: New small-group outings align with film festivals, olive harvests, and winter markets.
What's next: 2026 to 2027 Mediterranean voyages are open for booking, with added "locals" content.
Film tie-ins include Florence's Festival dei Popoli and Seville's European Film Festival.
Sicily highlights a November 3 tribute to Vincenzo Bellini in Catania.

Snapshot

The Azamara Discover What the Locals Know program reframes port time around local rhythms. In Florence, guests can settle into historic cinemas during the documentary-driven Festival dei Popoli. In Seville, a double overnight aligns with the European Film Festival's screenings and arts events. Catania marks November 3 with music honoring native composer Vincenzo Bellini. In Liguria, travelers follow residents into olive groves, then taste first pressings at a family-run frantoio. Holiday sailings spotlight Florence's festive season with markets and choirs near the Duomo. All of it rides on Azamara's signature long days and overnight calls, which open evenings for dinner where locals gather, unhurried strolls, and lower-crowd shoulder-season access.

Background

Azamara carved out a niche with Extended Destination Days, late departures, and frequent overnights that let travelers linger after sunset. The new program codifies what many small-ship guests were already doing, then scales it through curated access, local hosts, and calendar-timed calls. The strategy mirrors moves by other boutique lines increasing overnights and late stays across Europe, as seen in our recent coverage of Atlas Ocean Voyages 2027 Europe itineraries unveiled and Windstar's Short European Cruises Set Sail in 2026. Azamara's twist is to anchor these calls to community moments, from neighborhood harvests to documentary and European cinema spotlights, while keeping group sizes intimate and pacing flexible.

Latest Developments

How Azamara Discover What the Locals Know works

Azamara will roll out small-group, locally led experiences that plug directly into community calendars. Examples include film-festival access in Florence and Seville, olive-mill tastings during Liguria's autumn harvest, and music-filled streets in Catania on November 3 for Bellini's birthday. Winter-season calls emphasize markets, light festivals, and quieter museums. Because ships stay late or overnight, guests can follow local schedules rather than racing the last tender. The program applies across fall through spring itineraries, aiming for fewer crowds, better restaurant availability, and more authentic evenings in port.

Mediterranean shoulder-season focus, 2026 to 2027

The initiative centers on the 2026 to 2027 Mediterranean program, spanning marquee hubs and smaller towns. Expect timing that favors off-peak entry to historic sites, late-night waterfronts, and neighborhood venues more lively after work hours. Azamara positions these cruises for travelers who value intimacy, local food culture, and arts programming, while still wanting the flexibility to explore independently. The line says bookings are open, with experiences designed to evolve by port and date as local calendars finalize.

Sample tie-ins guests can expect

Program highlights include Florence's Festival dei Popoli screenings, Seville's European Film Festival events during a double overnight, Ligurian olive harvest walks and first pressings at a frantoio in Santa Margherita, Catania's citywide Maratona Belliniana for Bellini's birthday on November 3, and festive markets near Florence's Duomo on holiday sailings. Additional ports name-checked by Azamara include Gythion, Greece, and Şirince, Turkey, where unrushed evenings create room for unscripted, local moments.

Analysis

Azamara is leaning into what small ships do best, long port days, fewer people, and the ability to match the local clock. The differentiator here is not just more time, it is time purposefully aligned with community experiences that typically happen after sunset or in specific months. Film festivals are a smart fit for shoulder-season Mediterranean, when hotel rates dip, restaurants are less packed, and locals reclaim center stage. Olive harvests and new-oil tastings anchor autumn in Liguria and Tuscany, turning a routine port call into a seasonal snapshot. The winter market framing in Florence adds color during shorter days, while overnights in Seville open up late screenings, tapas crawls, and live music without the last-call anxiety common on larger-ship schedules. For culturally curious travelers, the proposition is clear, trade a checklist of sights for shared tables, neighborhood rituals, and evenings that feel lived-in. If executed consistently, Discover What the Locals Know could become a recognizable sub-brand within Destination Immersion(R), and a template for other regions.

Final Thoughts

Azamara Discover What the Locals Know is a logical next step for a line built around time in port. By connecting overnights to film, food, and seasonal traditions, the program makes a strong case for shoulder-season Mediterranean cruising. Travelers gain slower evenings, smaller groups, and experiences shaped by local calendars rather than ship timetables, the core promise of Destination Immersion(R). For those comparing small-ship options, this is a timely, focused evolution that keeps the spotlight on the destination.