Azamara’s 2028 World Cruise places Cape Town at centre of global itinerary

Azamara Cruises has revealed details of its 2028 World Cruise, a 175-night voyage aboard Azamara Onward visiting 40 countries and 91 ports between January and June 2028, with Cape Town positioned as one of the key embarkation and disembarkation points along the route.

The world voyage has been structured into 14 bookable segments, allowing guests to join for shorter sections of the itinerary. Two of these segments both arrive and depart from Cape Town, reinforcing South Africa’s role within Azamara’s long-haul cruise planning, and providing South African passengers with the option to embark without travelling to Europe or North America.

Azamara Onward is scheduled to depart Miami on January 5th, 2028, beginning the world cruise with a series of calls in the southern Caribbean and Latin America. Early ports include Aruba and destinations in Colombia, followed by a Panama Canal transit and visits to Ecuador and Peru.

After crossing the Pacific Ocean, the itinerary includes overnight stays in both Tahiti and Bora Bora before continuing to New Zealand and Australia.

The ship will then sail through Asia, calling at ports in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. From Southeast Asia, the voyage crosses the Indian Ocean, with scheduled stops in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Mauritius before reaching southern Africa.

South Africa features prominently at this stage of the itinerary. Segment 9 of the programme is a 14-night cruise covering Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar and South Africa, concluding in Cape Town. This is followed immediately by Segment 10, a 21-night sailing departing Cape Town and heading north along the Atlantic coast of Africa, with calls in Namibia, St Helena, and Cape Verde.

For Cape Town, the inclusion of both an arrival and departure segment positions the city as a key turnaround port on a world cruise itinerary, rather than a single transit call, providing opportunities for extended pre- and post-cruise stays, as well as increased demand for local accommodation, tours, and air connectivity.

Following its departure from Cape Town, Azamara Onward will continue towards Europe, calling at the Canary Islands, Morocco, and Barcelona before proceeding along the French Riviera and into Italy. Ports on this leg include Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily, followed by cruises through Croatia, the Greek Isles and Turkey. The world cruise is scheduled to conclude in Athens on June 29th, 2028.

In addition to the core cruise itinerary, Azamara will offer a programme of optional overland experiences throughout the voyage. These multi-day tours include visits to major cultural and natural sites such as Beijing and the Great Wall, Xi’an and the Terracotta Warriors, the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia, India’s Taj Mahal, Bhutan’s mountain monasteries, and Sri Lanka’s historic cities and wildlife reserves.

The programme also includes safari lodge experiences in South Africa, adding a land-based extension option for guests visiting the region.