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If this cruise line is good enough for James Bond, then it's good enough for anyone

When he isn't investigating a murder in New York City, escaping ambushes in Austria and flirting with the ladies, James Bond prefers to have his 'martini shaken, not stirred' on an Azamara Club Cruises vessel.

When he isn’t investigating a murder in New York City, escaping ambushes in Austria and flirting with the ladies, James Bond prefers to have his ‘martini shaken, not stirred’ on an Azamara Club Cruises vessel.

Or at least that’s what one man who once portrayed 007 likes to do.

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Captain Johannes Tysse of Azamara Journey revealed at an event in Sydney this week, that Roger Moore (Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, etc.) once boarded an Azamara ship in Norway as a guest and disembarked as a fan.

He said the actor was exposed to all the luxuries of cruising on an Azamara vessel and really appreciated the small, unique touches only a boutique cruise line can offer.

Among the distinctive experiences Moore and his wife received was seeing just far Azamara, more specifically Captain Johannes Tysse, will go to satisfy a guest’s cravings.

Bergen Norway Azamara

Tysse said the couple’s love of seafood inspired his decision to seek out a fresh catch  for the pair and everyone else on board. He contacted his uncle in Bergen in Norway and asked if he knew of any fishermen that could meet and deliver seafood to the ship in the middle of the shore north of the city.

Some 350 live stone crabs were sent straight to Azamara Journey’s kitchen where they were used to create appetisers for the two specialty restaurant and a main course specialty of the day.

“One of the things I love about working with Azamara is our CEO and management team in Miami. They give us a lot of help and freedom to come up with ideas like this.”

Captain Johannes Tysse

Tysse also shared the story of when he stopped the Azamara ship at a little village 45 minutes away from Flåm, to pick up 12 pounds (5.4 kgs) of goat cheese.

“It’s a tiny village where the population of people is 100 and the goat population is 500. They are known for their goat cheese production,” he said.

“We didn’t tell anyone we were coming. We just stopped there and we could see this one guy running back and forth on the peer.

“Two days later we found out we had made the front page of the regional newspaper with the title – ‘Cruise ship stopped to buy goat cheese’.”

Norway

What was the goat cheese for you ask? Aside from knowing Moore’s wife is a goat cheese-lover, Tysse thought it might be a nice opportunity for guests to see the small village and the chef to use last minute, locally purchased produce to create a unique dish.

“I always say, if it’s [Azamara Club Cruises] good enough for James Bond, then it’s good enough for anyone.”

Azamara Club Cruises just wrapped up its 2016/17 season of cruising Down Under, and according to local General Manager Adam Armstong, the cruise line contributed some $3 million to the Australian economy.

He said the risks of bringing ships to Australia have more than paid off as Aussies are now edging closer to topping the UK as the line’s “the second largest market”.

Have you cruised with Azamara? What were some of the unique touches you experienced?