Azura

Cruise virginity taken!

This was our first cruise, and given the huge amount of negative reviews we read prior to going away, we were a little concerned. However we had nothing but a positive experience. We didn’t feel the boat was tired as a lot of reviews made out. We had an inside cabin which seemed to be rather large and more than adequate for 2 of us. We tried to avoid the buffet and ate in the main dining every night other than the 2 times we went to the specialist restaurant. We ate at the Beachouse one night, which tbh wasn’t great. It appeared to be placed in an old Buffett section so not the greatest of locations. The epicurean on the other hand was stunning and the food was great, and when we arrived we’re advised the whole evening would take close to 2 hours, but this was perfect with us. Sharing tables in the main dining for breakfast and dinner were great for meeting people and getting tips about cruising. Plenty of sun loungers on the sea days if you wanted them too. Port stops at Madeira, Gran Canaria, Tenerife had 9pm departure times which meant you could really adventure if you wanted. Rather than do the booked excursion to Las Teresitas beach we used the local bus, which cost €1.25 pp each way. The bus ran every 15-20 min too. Drinks didn’t seem to pricy, probably standard pub prices, however we soon learned that it was easy enough to bring your own drinks on board from the supermarket. Overall we loved our week and will be looking to do future cruises.

Great holiday on Azura

We’ve just returned from two weeks on Azura and must say that we had a really fabulous holiday. This review reflects our experience so it may not be what others experienced. We’d read reviews before we left the UK and have to admit that we’d been a little worried before we set off. However, we didn’t find any of the problems that some recent reviewers have described so we’d say if you’ve booked, go with an open mind and enjoy yourselves. Yes, Azura is looking a little tired in places but we always found her to be spotlessly clean. She’s due for a full refurbishment in March 2025 so she will soon be returned to her former glory. Here is what we thought: - Cabin We had a balcony cabin on C deck. It was kept clean by our cabin steward. It was lovely to have a big, spacious wardrobe again. The designers of Arvia and Iona really should have followed suit on them and repeated this layout. There were also bedside cabinets which it was also nice to have again. The dressing table didn’t have a drawer but it did have a large cabinet to the side of it and it was amazing how much we fitted into this. The bathroom was looking a little tired and of course there was a shower curtain to contend with. However, it was nothing that was going to spoil our holiday. Sunbeds The usual sunbed “hogs” were on board putting down towels at 6am to save their special places However, we never had any difficulty in finding a sunbed somewhere on board. It may not have been in a prime spot but there always seemed to be plenty available. Food The main dining rooms had a reasonable selection on the menu each evening. Gone are the days of lobster on formal night and P&O are trying to entice diners to buy extra items at dinner. However, there did not seem to be many takers for this. Portions have certainly been cut down but the waiting staff will always bring you extra if you ask them. In fact, some Australians seated near us one evening had three main course dinners between the two of them as they said they were hungry. There did seem to be a lack of staff. Waiters in the dining rooms now seem to have more tables to serve than they used to so it can take a while to get through your meal. They also take drink orders which, again, slows down the food arriving. The buffet has done away with trays which is a bit of a nuisance as it means that you have to keep going back and forth as you can’t carry all that you want in one trip. When we asked a member of staff why they had done this we were told that it had cut food waste by 42% as people were more likely to only take what they mean to actually eat rather than piling their tray high and then not consuming it all. It does mean, however, that it takes longer to eat a meal and at peak times it got very busy. Again, the choice of food on offer was reasonable. Only one end of the buffet was ever open to serve food, although you could still sit down to eat anywhere. The only special restaurant we went to was The Epicurean which was as good as always but of course you do pay extra for this. Drinks P&O have really cut back on what they serve in their bars. If you like Cointreau, Drambuie or Southern Comfort you won’t find this on board any more. We are not beer drinkers but did hear several passengers complaining about the lack of choice for beers. One thing we did find irritating was that although there is a much shorter wine list P&O don’t seem to have half of what is on there actually available. On several occasions we found it hard to actually order a bottle of something that we’d drink and we are both wine lovers. There seemed to be a lack of bar staff throughout the ship and many times we found it quicker to go to the bar ourselves rather than wait for someone to ask if we wanted a drink. This was especially noticeable on deck during the day. Entertainment We thought there seemed to be something on offer most evenings to suit all tastes. We found it puzzling on Gala Night that there was no entertainment offered where you could get up and dance. On this night most people had on their glad rags and would have liked a bit of a boogie. We really enjoyed Pulse in the Manhattan Lounge. P&O have a version of this band on most of their ships these days but we have to say we found this line up to be the best we’ve ever seen. The Arianna Grande tribute act was not really to our taste and to be honest I’d say that she would have been better off with a younger audience on Iona or Arvia who would probably have appreciated her more. The comedian was pretty reasonable and the Headliners did their usual shows during our time on board. The silent discos were, as always, good fun. Ports We enjoyed all of the ports we visited although we still don’t really know why P&O go to Souda Bay (well we’d guess that there are cheap parking fees for the day). There is absolutely nothing there so if you want to see anything you need to do a trip or get the local bus to Chania. However, as we were there on a Sunday, we were told that most of the shops were actually shut!! Maybe this is a port that needs to be replaced. Finally, there were a lot of people on our cruise moaning that standards have dropped but this is now a post-Covid world. Companies need to be lean and mean to make a profit so they can carry on existing. If you want Cunard standards then you have to pay Cunard prices. P&O offer an excellent experience for the money you pay and if you want something superior then I’m afraid you will have to cruise in future with a more expensive cruise line.

Great Cruise on Azura

After reading quite a few negative reviews about Azura we were a little concerned about our cruise around the Greek Islands. We shouldn't have been .. it was excellent from start to finish.. The embarkation process .. from departing Manchester to opening the door of our cabin was faultless. Arrived in time to enjoy a half day in Malta before Azura left the port. Dining on board was very good .. the buffet was a bit manic but the food presented was very good. With 'Freedom Dining' we had the choice of a couple of restaurants . used the My Holiday App to book tables and never had to wait long. ALL the staff were excellent. We did a couple of P&O shore excursions which we very good and also enjoyed organising our own shore experiences .. all . Departure was also extremely well organised.. overall difficult to fault our experience.

Azura p&o Mediterranean 2 week cruise

We spent two weeks aboard the Azura from 22/8. Firstly the cabin for 2 adults 2 teenagers was superior deluxe balcony and it was ample in size and space although the kids weren’t keen to share a sofa bed that was the only option. The year before we had a balcony cabin with separate pull down beds which sat above our bed so the sofa option was better in my opinion but 2 sofa chairs would have been better. The staff were amazing and worked tirelessly with never ending smiles and greetings. The shows were brilliant, higher quality that we expected especially the privateers and the comedians. We loved the ship but felt it was less grand than the Britannia. We loved the fine dining every evening even though it was the later sitting it was always tasty and enjoyable and well presented. We didn’t join in with the black tie evenings so ate in the buffet on those evenings which was no harddhip if not a little chaotic and a struggle to get seats in busier times. Food was plentiful . Drinks service prompt and the hygiene could not have been better from what we saw. We saw dolphins on a few occasions which was a real highlight and we loved all the stops. Rome was fabulous, a true lifetime highlight. We had booked ‘the essence of Rome tour’ which although meant for a busy day it gave us a real feel for Rome and a desire to go back! The tour booked through p&o was worth every penny and the guides used; Beatrice and Matt were brilliant. The Sistine chapel was just stunning! Other trips including Monaco, Pisa and Florence were also good but probably could have been done independently and cheaper given the transport options close to the port but we enjoyed them all the same. We used the hop on hop off bus around Malta and loved it. Malta is a very stunning port as is ville franche, kefalonia and Corsica. We are already looking for next year but the prices have doubled and the children are both full price now so we may have to reconsider our plans. Overall the holidays was one of the best we’ve ever had and given the amount of people the Azura has to please I think they do exceptionally well. Nowhere else would you be able to see so much of the world in a short space of time and be looked after so well. I didn’t mention the pools yet as we didn’t really use them but the children did and loved them, they were always clean and well looked after with plenty of fun and music going on up there too. We sunbathed just once and didn’t struggle to get a seat. If the loungers are left for more than half an hour p&o staff will clear them for you. My only gripe with p&o is that the money taken is pending and disappears from your account during the holiday. They then add it up and take the whole payment again! It was over a week before I saw that money again and I made many complaints to both my bank and p&o. P&o blamed the bank. The banks blamed p&o. It happened with both banks we used and apparently sometimes it can be held for up to 30days for us it was 8days. That was annoying and put a real dampener on a lovely holiday. I’ve been told by ‘cruise experts’ since that it doesn’t happen with a credit card only with debit cards so that might be worth noting as you do have to attach a bank card to your account prior to sailing. Overall the holiday and ship I would give 10/10. We would recommend as a family with a 16 & 15 yo. There was something to please all of us and from the moment we got up till the moment we were gently rocked to sleep we were happy.