Detailed Itinerary
Embark Azamara Journey from 1:00pm onwards. All aboard 4:30PM.
Welcome Cocktails & Briefing this evening and a chance to meet your fellow participants.
Overnight: In Port - Edinburgh, Scotland
GOLF: Today play Dumbarnie Links, recently opened as Scotland’s newest and most eagerly awaited links course. Located 9 miles south of St Andrews, the layout plays over 345 acres, part of the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate held by Lord Anthony Balniel and his family since the 16th century. The site is highlighted by a mile and a half of sea frontage featuring panoramic views over the Firth of Forth. Its dual elevations, which are connected by a flowing escarpment, provide a number of elevated tees where holes play directly towards the sea. (Golf Lite Program venue)
SIGHTSEEING: Edinburgh - the inspiring capital of Scotland - is a historic, cosmopolitan and cultured city. The setting is striking; a city perched on a series of extinct volcanoes and rocky crags which rise from the generally flat landscape of the Lothians with the sheltered shoreline of the Firth of Forth to the north. Edinburgh Castle dominates the city-center and from its ramparts you can look down on medieval lanes that hold over a thousand years of history, mystery and tradition. You will also see a modern, dynamic capital where international festivals attract the world's leading performers, galleries display cutting-edge art, and bars, restaurants and clubs create a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere with a distinctly Scottish twist. No visit to Edinburgh would be complete without a walk up the Royal Mile, which stretches from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, to Edinburgh Castle. The route is lined with tourist shops but be sure to explore the narrow alleys called closes that lead off the Royal Mile.
Enjoy Edinburgh on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - Edinburgh
Overnight: At Sea
Today we include a morning visit to the historic town of St Andrews, home to a 600 year old University, and world renowned as the Home of Golf. It is a thoroughly enchanting town and a beautiful place to simply walk its compact and quant streets. Further, while it may generally be known that the Old Course is almost always closed every Sunday, it is a little known fact that it remains available to be walked over by locals and visitors alike. An opportunity to take a stroll without golf clubs over the hallowed fairways of the Old Course on its “resting day” is a unique and enriching experience.
In the afternoon, watch the final round of The 149th Open at Royal St George's on the big screen TV in the Cabaret Lounge onboard Azamara Journey.
SIGHTSEEING: Once most famous for its industrial character, Dundee has evolved into a vibrant art, design, music and theatre scene. It's the UK's first designated UNESCO City of Design and now has the first design museum outside of London. The new V&A Museum of Design is housed in a world-class building at the heart of the newly transformed waterfront. Visit and learn the story of Scotland's outstanding design heritage. McManus is Dundee's major museum, but don't miss the Dundee Contemporary Arts. A focal point for the arts and design crowd, the building serves as a design shop, hip café, gallery and arts cinema. Just as must-see is the Dundee Science Centre (formerly known as Sensation), a museum devoted to the senses: slide through a cut-away head on a pink tongue, before exiting through a nostril. Sensational, indeed. Down by the waterfront you can explore the Royal Research Ship Discovery, launched in 1901 to explore the South Pole. In the evening the west side of Perth offers great bars and a wonderful view over Britain's most powerful river, the Tay. Find a bench with a pint of Deuchars IPA and watch the river go by.
Enjoy Dundee on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: In Port - Dundee, Scotland
GOLF: Today play Carnoustie, host for The 147th Open in 2018. While the links is relatively flat it is exposed to the elements. A combination of length and accuracy are required as golfers face narrow corridors from the tee. Approach shots demand precision to the greens heavily guarded by steep bunkers and burns. Arguably the toughest finishing holes in championship golf, errant shots are severely penalized. Ben Hogan won The Open at Carnoustie in his lone appearance, in 1953. Tom Watson and Gary Player also hoisted the Claret Jug here.
Enjoy Dundee on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Today play Royal Dornoch. The curving bay of the Dornoch Firth and its magnificent white broad beaches are backed by a narrow strip of softly contoured dune land rising in two distinctive levels, providing just enough room for parallel fairways. The ridges, hillocks, dunes and undulating links land have all the characters of the best of links courses, and most of the difficulties. Old Tom Morris was the architect responsible for extending the original 9 holes layout to 18 holes in 1886. He introduced the plateau greens which are the soul of the course, their uniqueness lies in their size and their inverted saucer shapes. (Golf Lite Program venue)
SIGHTSEEING: Invergordon is the deep-water port for Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands and your gateway to an area of the Highlands known as the "Great Glen." Travel 20 miles north to the picturesque town of Dornoch to see its sandstone buildings, beautiful domestic gardens and tiny 13th Century cathedral. Ten miles further you'll find the fairy-tale ancestral home of the Clan Sutherland - Dunrobin Castle - one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. The stunning formal gardens which run down to the sea are based on those at Versailles and were laid out in the 1850s. Daily displays of the ancient sport of falconry take place in the gardens. Less than an hour south is magnificent Cawdor Castle, the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth. The 14th century home of the Thanes of Cawdor is considered one of the most romantic stately homes in the Highlands with its fine collection of rare tapestries, portraits and furniture plus lovely gardens and grounds.
Enjoy Invergordon on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - Invergordon
Overnight: At Sea
Today it's time to relax and reset. Make your reservations early for The Sanctum Spa, a world-class wellness facility offering a full range of health, beauty and restorative treatments. Complimentary fitness and nutrition classes are available along with a fully equipped gym on Deck 9 offering magnificent sea views. There's room for everyone on the Pool Deck both in and out of the sun. Service to your lounge chair is available from The Pool Bar where the attentive staff is always ready to offer an inclusive cocktail, beer, bottled water, soft drink or fresh towel. The Patio restaurant serves casual fare during the day then completely transforms itself into a sit-down al fresco dining experience at night with table linens and candles. Elegant specialty dining is available for beef at Prime C and Italian at Aqualina. Windows Café serves casual buffet dining with every imaginable choice indoors and out at the sensational Sunset Bar.
What a way to spend a day!
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Today play Royal Portrush. It holds the distinction of being the only course outside of Scotland and England to have ever hosted The Open which it did in 1951. The Dunluce Course is as fine a links as you will find anywhere, with the 5th being a particularly memorable hole to a green hanging on the edge of a cliff. Consistently ranked among the top 20 courses in the world. (Golf Lite Program venue)
SIGHTSEEING: Belfast in the early 20th century had the largest and most productive shipyard in the world, gaining global renown with the launch of the RMS Titanic. Located on the slipways where she was built is a stunning new museum, opened in time for the 100th anniversary of Titanic's only voyage and tragic demise. Today the city and riverfront are undergoing a 21st century transformation, but many exuberant Victorian and Edwardian buildings still sport the carved heads of kings and queens. As you explore the city, keep an eye out for 'the murals'. These somewhat troubling freelance works appearing on building walls provide insight into the period known simply as 'The Troubles'.
Enjoy Belfast on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Today play Prestwick Golf Club one of the world's oldest clubs and whose very testing and traditional links hosted the very first Open in 1860. The winner was Willie Park from Musselburgh with a score of 174 for thirty-six holes, two shots clear of the legendary Old Tom Morris. Prestwick was home to the first eleven Opens and then held it jointly along with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield). Prestwick's twenty fourth and last Open was in 1925 when Jim Barnes from the USA won. Only the Old Course of St Andrews hosted The Open more than Prestwick.
SIGHTSEEING: Glasgow, a reinvented industrial center in western Scotland, has solidified its reputation as a cultural hub. Charles Rennie Mackintosh is one of the first names to know; he was a prodigious architect, interior designer and artist, and the city has a wealth of his work. Stop by his Willow Tea Rooms for a cup of tea and a scone. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum whose blue and gold inlaid ceiling, Art Deco hanging lamps and marble floors are sufficient reason to visit, let alone the impressive art collection that includes Salvador Dal's controversial 'Christ of St John of the Cross'. Glasgow has an abundance of excellent seafood dining. The Crabshakk is perfect for daily catches including ruby red langoustines. The oyster bar at Rogano in Exchange Square is where power brokers celebrate deals with a glass of Champagne and a dozen oysters in a space designed to look like a 1930s Art Deco cruise liner. At the Pot Still, an institution that dates from 1857, choose from over 450 malt whiskies like Lagavulin or Arran.
Enjoy Glasgow on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
SIGHTSEEING: The tiny Isle of Man is filled with entertaining sights and scenery. Douglas' lovely seafront is lined with picturesque hotels and restaurants and can be traversed by horse-drawn trams as it has been since 1876. There's a medieval fortress in Castletown; a ruined castle on the Isle of St. Patrick where tales of Vikings, monks, and a ghost dog abound; and the village of Cregneash, where people live in thatched cottages, speak the native Manx language, and practice traditional trades and crafts. Front gardens on residential streets are a standout, awash in colour and scent.
Enjoy the Isle of Man on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - Douglas, Isle of Man
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Today play the Palmer Ryder Cup Course of The K Club. This beautiful parkland course was designed by Arnold Palmer and hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup with all its attendant drama. Risk-reward opportunities are ever present as the course covers an area of mature woodland to the west of Dublin City to which fourteen lakes have been added. Note: Golf cart venue (Golf Lite Program venue)
SIGHTSEEING: There is a lot to see in Dublin. A good place to begin is The National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street for a well-designed archaeological collection featuring Bronze Age gold jewelry and Viking swords. The stars of the show are the 'bog people' - preserved corpses of men who were killed (presumably sacrificed) and tossed into peat bogs during the Iron Age. The preservative qualities are remarkable. Dublin is home to St. Patrick's Cathedral of course but much of Ireland's history can be read in Christ Church Cathedral, which dates back to circa 1030. The medieval crypt is full of treasures plus the belfry tour provides a beautiful view and an up-close look at the flying buttresses, as well as the chance to try bell-ringing. Dublin's booming culinary scene is found along Exchequer Street where The Green Hen has won many admirers with its combination of French atmosphere and Franco-Irish cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients. Try the pan-fried duck breast. Finally, while craft beer is certainly the popular new thing, a pint of 'the black stuff' is still required drinking on any trip to Dublin. The Guinness Storehouse museum at the St. James's Gate brewery explains how the stout is made and how to pull a proper pint at the correct 45-degree angle and waiting 119.5 seconds before topping it off. Take it up to the Gravity Bar, where the 360-degree view of Dublin is worth lingering over.
Enjoy Dublin on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Today play Royal Birkdale; a course which provides a formidable test of links golf with each hole running in valleys between towering sand hills. Royal Birkdale hosted The 137th Open in 2008 when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug to complete back to back wins. It was of course the site of Arnold Palmer's Open win in 1961. The club also hosted The 146th Open in 2017 won by Jordon Spieth over Matt Kuchar with a sensational finish.
SIGHTSEEING: Liverpool is a UNESCO World Heritage City. It offers a unique mix of contemporary and classic architecture. The city's many exclusive independent boutiques and unique gift shops make it one of the leading retail destinations in England. It is a sports mecca with its Premier League football, Rugby League club, major championship golf at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and Aintree Racecourse. Best of all, it is home to The Beatles. You can walk down Penny Lane. You can visit Strawberry Field which was a Salvation Army children's home said to be the place that inspired John to become a musician. Visit the site and have your photo taken next to the famous gates.
Enjoy Liverpool on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - Liverpool
Liverpool Celebrates 50 Years of the Beatles VIDEO
Overnight: At Sea
Enjoy another relaxing day at sea on Azamara Journey.
Overnight: At Sea
Disembark Azamara Journey at 9:00AM.