Pursuit, formerly P&O Cruises’ Adonia, is also set to be refitted in the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast - the first time Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has chosen a UK shipyard for such a project.
The news means Pursuit’s first four voyages will all "touch the UK" and follows Azamara’s previous announcement that it will christen the vessel in Southampton this summer.
Larry Pimentel, Azamara’s president and chief executive said Pursuit was currently 40% booked by British guests and the decisions to refurbish and launch the ship from the British Isles was “history in the making on many levels” for the line.
“Pursuit being 40% booked by British guests is about twice the amount of what would normally be the case across the brand as a whole,” he told TTG.
“We have become affectionate and so connected with the UK market and the guests love the product and the agents love the product.
“I’ve said this many times but if I were to start this whole thing over I would make [Azamara] a UK-based brand… I think it would have been brilliant here.”
Pursuit will go into wet dock under the care of marine refurbishment specialist MJM Group in the Northern Irish capital this spring, with work due to be completed by the end of July.
In Belfast, the vessel will be refitted to look “almost identical” to its sister ships Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey, the line said.
Pursuit’s maiden voyage will then depart Southampton on August 1 - instead of Barcelona as previously announced - and sail to eight Norwegian destinations, including Kristiansand, Flam and Haugesund, with overnight stays in Oslo and Bergen.
During the voyage, Azamara Journey will dock in Haugesund on the same day marking the ships’ first meeting.
Azamara Pursuit will later depart Southampton for an "Iceland-intensive" voyage on August 13 ahead of a special christening voyage on August 28.
Richard Twynam, managing director for UK and Ireland, added: “Thanks to the incredible support from our UK guests and travel agents, 2017 was a record year for Azamara in this market, with the business growing by an impressive 30%.
“Looking at 2018, the UK market is in a fantastic position already, having generated more revenue for 2018 at this point than in 2015 overall. What’s more, repeat guest levels from the UK are the highest for the brand overall.
“The Azamara Pursuit announcements are enabling us to continue the drumbeat of good news, with even more opportunities for agents and guests to see Azamara ships in the UK than ever before.”
