AZAMARA Pursuit will be christened in Southampton in a first for Azamara Club Cruises.

The lines other two ships, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, missed out on an official naming ceremony as they went straight into service after their original refurbishments.

Following the naming of Azamara Pursuit on August 28, there will be a two-night celebratory cruise.

Azamara chief operating officer, Carol Cabezas, said: “This ship has a very strong British heritage and it has a fantastic following here. Plus we have seen a tremendous amount of demand from the UK audience.

“We’ve never had a christening in our brand’s history and we want to do that in Southampton.”

Azamara Pursuit was formerly sailing for P&O Cruises as Adonia, and was acquired by Azamara in September.

She will be a sister ship to Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, and will feature similar decor as both ships.

Adonia is to be delivered to Azamara in mid-March at Grand Bahama Shipyard and will then head to Marseille.

At a European yard—to be determined—the vessel will be extensively renovated and rebranded.

Azamara is a boutique brand – part of the Royal Caribbean group.

The refurbishment is being directed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Harri Kulovaara, EVP newbuild and innovation, and his team. They executed the 2016 updates of Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey.

A yard is close to being selected, and the renovation is going to be the biggest in Azamara’s history. Most of the work will focus on the interiors but there will be a technical overhaul, too.

Among the interior projects, a number of staterooms will be converted into double-sized spa suites like those created last year on Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey.