boxman52

Sorry I don't but I do know of lots who go for option 2. There is nearly always an exit plan & I don't think personally it's good for a business to be owned by private equity for too long Indications are they are investigating & want to grow the brand. However given Azamara can't have been very profitable they need to increase revenue & revenue streams The Atlas bar I'm sure is one step in that plan

When RCI sold Azamara it said it was planning to prior to the Covid crisis. It announced that the sale would not effect its results and after the impairment charge of 170M the deal was worth about 30M to RCI. I think these numbers are correct. That says to me the brand was not generating profits or anything to merit a return on capital employed. A private equity business has to generate cash to cover debt and pay a return. They also might well have a strategy for profitable sale in the future. They aren't like the owner of Viking "into the business" there is normally a defined end game plan. There are normally two strategies employed 1) cut costs and asset strip 2) build revenue to increase profits and/or to get ready for sale If Sycamore are going down the route of 2 with an additional ship and more revenue generating onboard then I think people should be supportive of that. The alternative of 1 is never pleasant Change is always difficult but what I have read so far in an incredible difficult business environment they are doing their best

What we wish for doesn't always come true. I suppose some people whilst not wanting a hug don't want to spend their vacation on a floating nursing home. At the end of the day as I said people will make their choices and Azamara will benefit commercially or not. Time will tell

Of course one would hope that any music played was done with thought Many other establishments around the world manage to get the balance right so it's not too difficult

I am an experienced cruiser and have my first two Azamara sailings booked We are 50+ travel a lot I suppose we are the target demographic for the new owners We thought we would give Azamara a go. If I found no cocktail bar, but a silent library and even more a silent pool area I think I'd be a little thrown. I am not looking for party style loud music, those days are behind us, but silence around the pool in the afternoon, is not conducive to a good atmosphere in my book. On a ship I expect to find a cocktail bar that is distinct from the other bars. Look at how the Saga offer is set, Fred Olsen is trying to shake off its image and Cunard is becoming more lively within its existing traditions Azamara as a business has choices to make and does what it thinks is best for its business and after than we can choose who we want to sail with.

The new bar looks really nice to me and I think all ships should offer somewhere that good cocktails can be served in a special environment. The menu is similar to a bar on a recent night out in Didsbury Manchester UK, so its not too extreme. I tend to get a little confused these days when I see a library exchange on a ship as after all if you are going to dedicate a lot of time to reading, you have to complete the book, then I'd bring one I like with me. The Russian roulette of chancing upon a book I want to spend so much of my holiday time with is something I can't quite understand. I fully appreciate that others will take the opposite view, that is their choice of course I don't think bars like this are just about extra cash, but of course that is a factor but also the changing demographic of targeted passengers and what those passengers expect to find and are happy to pay for