Azamara Names 2025 Travel Partner Award Winners Across 15 Categories

Azamara Cruises has named the recipients of its 2025 Travel Partner Awards, recognizing travel trade organizations across 15 categories for performance and partnership.

Azamara said the honors are intended to highlight agencies, networks, and other sellers that support the cruise line’s sales momentum and trade-focused distribution model. The company said winners were determined using key performance indicators that included sales results, year-over-year growth, partner support, and overall strength of the relationship.

How Azamara framed the awards and its trade-first distribution model

Michelle Lardizabal, chief sales officer of North America at Azamara Cruises, said the program is designed to acknowledge partners that help the brand execute its strategy. “These awards represent our appreciation for the partners who continue to raise the bar,” Lardizabal said.

CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler has also pointed to the travel trade as central to Azamara’s business, saying travel advisors account for 86 percent of the company’s bookings. Ritzenthaler, who became CEO in 2024 after serving as a long-time sales executive at Celebrity Cruises, said, “We are investing in them with co-op marketing, commissions, conferences, training and more.”

National, online, and strategic winners

Azamara announced winners across a mix of partner types, including national accounts, online sellers, and franchise and host agency organizations. Top honors included:

• Elite Partner of the Year: Vacations To Go
• Online Partner of the Year: The Vacation Group
• Franchise Partner of the Year: World Travel Holdings / Cruise One Dream Vacations
• Host Agency of the Year: Nexion
• Star Partner of the Year: Avoya Travel
• National Account Partner of the Year: Signature Travel Network
• Strategic Partner of the Year: Expedia Cruises

Regional Account of the Year honorees across North America

Azamara also recognized Regional Account of the Year winners across multiple U.S. and Canadian regions, including Cruises and Tours Unlimited (Florida), Fora Travel (Northeast USA), and Cruise Holidays of Kansas City (Midwest USA). The full set of regional honorees Azamara listed were:

• Western Canada and Pacific Northwest: Cruise Connections Canada
• Eastern Canada: Expedia Cruises, Montreal
• Northeast USA: Fora Travel
• MidAtlantic USA: Leisure Travel Enterprises
• Florida: Cruises and Tours Unlimited
• Midwest USA: Cruise Holidays of Kansas City
• Southwest USA: Prestige Travel
• Central USA: Interline Vacations

Advisor support tools Azamara says are driving adoption

Alongside the awards, Azamara has been expanding tools designed to help new-to-brand sellers ramp up quickly. Ritzenthaler said a new “Anything Azamara” hotline was created as a dedicated phone line for travel advisors who are new to selling the brand.

She said the hotline has already contributed to early adoption by new sellers, with the business recording more than 500 first-time bookings from new agent partners. “We want to make sure they have a number to call and ask whatever they need to,” she said.

Azamara has also expanded the Azamara World Academy, its training and certification platform for advisors, as part of a broader effort to keep service and product knowledge consistent across its advisor base.

Product positioning: small ships, longer stays, and “destination immersion”

Ritzenthaler has described Azamara as operating in the “upper premium” space for travelers seeking a more intimate ship experience and an “elevated product” without moving fully into luxury pricing. “That is where we are positioned and it will never change,” she said.

She and the company have also pointed to small-ship itinerary access as a defining advantage, including the ability to reach ports and routes that larger ships cannot. Ritzenthaler has used Seville as an example, citing Azamara’s ability to sail upriver on the Guadalquivir and dock close to the town center with extended time in port.

More broadly, Ritzenthaler has emphasized what she calls “destination immersion,” including late-night and overnight stays, over 13,500 shore excursions, 250 new night tours, and the brand’s Azamazing Evenings, which Azamara describes as exclusive cultural events offered in select destinations for all guests onboard.

Expanded itineraries and event-focused sailings through 2028

Azamara has also been highlighting what it calls its most extensive portfolio to date, with cruises scheduled into 2028. The company said it is returning to Alaska for the first time in seven years in response to guest demand, expanding Japan with both spring and autumn sailings, and operating European itineraries year-round.

In addition, Azamara has pointed to growth in “once-in-a-lifetime” itineraries, saying those sailings increased from six to 22. Examples include departures built around the Monaco Grand Prix, the British Open golf tournament, and three solar eclipse cruises scheduled for 2026.

Azamara’s owner, Sycamore Partners, did not provide an official statement in available reports. For Azamara, the company has positioned the 2025 Travel Partner Awards as both recognition of past results and a signal of its continued emphasis on travel advisors and trade partnerships as it markets an expanding slate of destination-intensive itineraries.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How did Azamara choose the 2025 Travel Partner Award winners?

Azamara said recipients were selected using key performance indicators that included sales results, year-over-year growth, partner support, and the overall strength of the partnership relationship.

Who were the major winners in Azamara’s 2025 Travel Partner Awards?

Azamara named Vacations To Go as Elite Partner of the Year and The Vacation Group as Online Partner of the Year. Other top category winners included World Travel Holdings / Cruise One Dream Vacations (Franchise Partner of the Year), Nexion (Host Agency of the Year), Avoya Travel (Star Partner of the Year), Signature Travel Network (National Account Partner of the Year), and Expedia Cruises (Strategic Partner of the Year).

What is Azamara’s “Anything Azamara” hotline, and what impact has it had?

Ritzenthaler said the hotline is a dedicated phone line for travel advisors who are new to selling Azamara so they can call and ask questions as they get started. She said the company has recorded more than 500 first-time bookings from new agent partners after launching the hotline.

What are Azamazing Evenings, and how do they fit into Azamara’s destination immersion approach?

Azamara describes Azamazing Evenings as exclusive cultural events offered in select destinations for all guests onboard. Ritzenthaler has tied the concept to the cruise line’s broader “destination immersion” strategy, which also includes late-night and overnight port stays, over 13,500 shore excursions, and 250 new night tours.

What itinerary expansions and special sailings has Azamara highlighted for 2026 and beyond?

Azamara said it is returning to Alaska for the first time in seven years, expanding Japan with spring and autumn sailings, and operating European itineraries year-round as part of a deployment plan that extends into 2028. The cruise line has also highlighted growth in its event-driven “once-in-a-lifetime” sailings, including trips built around the Monaco Grand Prix, the British Open golf tournament, and three solar eclipse cruises scheduled for 2026.