P&O Azura July 2011 (c/w Dover to Barcelona 2010)

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I posted the review below in response to a question from some dibbers with specific questions about P&O. I just thought I would add it here for any one travelling P&O in the future. My first trip report! But dont know how to attach as a link in the first page, if anyone can help?




Ok the suitcase is now emptied and I have been thinking of some comments for you on the Azura, comparing it with our only other family cruise experience last year on the Disney Magic, Dover to Barcelona.

We sailed from Southampton on Friday 15th July, calling at Brest, Bilbao, Cork and Dublin and our group included my Dad, Sister, DS12 and DD10. Just to set the scene I never thought cruising would be my thing but, like all of us on these boards, I am a massive Disney fan and when the Magic sailed from the UK last year we couldn’t resist trying a different Disney experience. We had the time of our lives though and were surprised by how much we enjoyed the whole cruising experience as well as the 'disney thing' And it looks like we are hooked – we have a B2B med lined up for this Saturdays sailing and another B2B on the eastern and western Caribbean on the Fantasy next year. It’s a dangerous habit to start!

Here is how we got on with the Azura...

Embarkation/Disembarkation: The organisation was excellent, P&O seem to have robust systems in place to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. This also extends to shuttle transfers at ports, apart from one small blip when the local bus company drivers in Bilbao had a little siesta in the middle of the day. Oops! Well it was Spain on a Sunday afternoon ...

Cabins: We booked two inside cabins, which I had been worried would feel oppressive and claustrophobic. We were in A744/A748. Despite being much smaller than the outside Disney cabin we had last year, they seemed bright and surprisingly spacious. The decor was light and bright, with a clever use of mirrors and overall felt modern and still very new – it felt a bit ‘boutique hotel’. The storage was excellent and there were nice touches like fresh flowers, proper hairdryer and lovely White Company toiletries. Our cabin steward was outstanding, so helpful, polite and really friendly.

Fellow Passengers: They announced at the start of our cruise that 98% of the passengers on board were British. I will be honest and say this was the concern I had about sailing from the UK with a British cruise company. (I just quite like a complete change of scene on holiday) But what was nice about this was that P&O seemed to really celebrate the ‘ Britishness’ rather than be apologetic about it as we can sometimes be – for example there was a really cheesy but fun final ‘Great British’ sail away party with lots of singing flag waving land of hope and glory style. And one of the shows had a British bank holiday theme, which sounds a bit strange but really worked. I think you can get in the mindset to just go with the flow.
I would estimate that at least 60-70% of passengers were couples or groups of couples in the age 55+ bracket. I think the Azura is definitely targeting the adult market but attempts to accommodate families. The family friendly activities generally take place in the kids clubs.

Crew: The captain, cruise director and other executive and ‘front of house’ crew members were British and were generally friendly. P&O are very proud of their long established links with India and the vast majority of restaurant staff, waiters, room hosts etc seemed to be Indian men around the 20-40 age group. They were very efficient and polite. In comparison, I think the Disney Magic benefited from having a truly international crew, they had over 60 different nationalities on board last year. As can be expected really, I think the general mood of the Disney crew was much more upbeat, cheerful and there was much more interaction from all members of crew with the kids.

Dining: One of the main features of the Azura is the vast array of dining opportunities. We didn’t use any of the signature dining experiences as my dad and sis eat very plain food. Had I been with my DH I would have tried all of these and I’m sure it would have enhanced our cruise experience hugely. We opted for the freedom dining (where you turn up to your allocated dining room anytime between 6 and 9.30) and really enjoyed the flexibility this offered. The food was delicious and the service was quick and efficient but perhaps a bit too efficient as I feel we would have enjoyed a bit more interaction with waiters. They seemed very intent in getting you out as quickly as possible, which was fine for us as the kids found it long enough. We were never offered a kids menu and this was ok as it forced them to eat something other than pizza! I think it comes down to making the choice of whether you want flexibility with timing or interaction with your waiters. We always had a table for 5 available, never having to share and never having to wait. But arriving after 7.30 pm would maybe mean a short wait and we saw quite a few awkward table sharing set ups with couples who didn’t really make much effort to communicate.
Overall there was a much greater emphasis on food on this cruise – many more choices available of where and when to eat breakfast and dinner and anything else you fancied throughout the day. The quality of food was excellent and you always had buffet options available if you fancied something a bit less formal.
I think Disney offers more of a ‘dining experience’ and it would be hard to compete with the fun and creatively themed restaurants they offer but the Azura was definitely very serious about food. Both approaches are fine by me!

Dress Code : Our week long cruise had 2 formal nights, one of which specified a black and white dress code for the ladies. The black tie (but not the black and white ladies thing) was rigidly adhered to and I think strictly enforced in bars and restaurants. Almost all the men were in Black tie although some were in dark suits with ties and people made a real effort to dress up.

Entertainment: We went to all the shows. Three were performances from the in house theatre company, singing and dancing type performances were excellent. Two evenings were from a young ‘il divo’ style singer which was just okay and the other two were from a stand up comedian whose material was way too adult and borderline offensive.
There seemed to be a lot going on around the ship in the late evening but we never went to any of the entertainment in the bars. I think there was a good choice of things like comedians, tribute acts (Freddy Mercury and Phil Collins I think) and the usual other game show type stuff. For me the entertainment on offer is what highlighted who the Azura’s target market was. Predictably there were things like bingo, whist drives, the casino etc which is not really our thing. If you wanted to do things as a family during the day the options were quite limited – kids were in the kids club and the adults were elsewhere. However we saw a great demo from an ice sculptor and there was a fantastic artist on board who did an interactive painting session. I think the lack of family activities would have been less noticeable if the weather had been good, when we would have just spent time by the pool.

Kids Clubs: My DS12 popped in and out of the kids club pretty much only to drag other kids down to play table tennis. And my DD10 didn’t go in at all - she was just enjoying hanging out with her Grandpa and Aunt, who we dont get to see that often. I think the set up seemed similar to Disney and the weekly schedule seemed to have quite a lot of structured activities on offer like crafts, cookie making and various sporty stuff. I think all in all quite similar to Disney but with far less kids on this particular cruise.

Spa: There is a beautiful modern and really big spa and the adults area looked like a real haven. I had a lovely pedicure and blow dry. You have great views while being pampered. There was no hard sell of products, as there was on the Magic which had driven me mad last year – when you are spending $150 dollars on a facial plus 15% tip (and now the dreaded 20% VAT - boo!) it just gets a bit much. I could have a deposit on another cruise for that much money!

Ports: We didn’t do any of the organised tours. P&O offered complimentary shuttle buses throughout the day to and from all ports. This was a good service on the whole. In terms of the ports we saw, Bilbao, Cork and Dublin were excellent. Brest ... not worth getting off the ship, unless you were on an organised excursion beyond the town itself to somewhere more interesting.

Overall Experience: We had a fantastic time on the Azura. From the outside she is hugely impressive in terms of size but a teeny bit ugly (I read someone else on this board describe the new square back style of cruise ships as ‘social housing on the water’ – made me laugh and I saw exactly what they meant. I am hugely biased though in favour of the beautiful Disney old fashioned liner style ships. However the Azura is a stunning ship inside and the decor is very modern and elegant. The outdoor spaces are vast and feel very open. Even on our last day which was a sea day and the one and only sunny day all week there was no difficulty getting a lounger. (P&O almost invite you to remove any items from a lounger which hasn’t been occupied for 20 minutes and this seems to do the trick in preventing the frustrations associated with lounger hogging) The atmosphere on board is very relaxed and only felt crowded at peak times in the breakfast buffet. The crew are efficient and really helpful and everything seems well organised and thought through.
I had read some mixed reviews of the Azura before our trip but barring illness or injury I can see no reason for any overall negative experience.
For us Disney lovers, yes there are no cast members wishing us a magical day on the Azura but if you can force yourself to leave your Disney obsession at home for a little week or two (deep breath - you can do it! ) then you will still have a magical holiday.

Like so many things in life if you get from it what you are expecting and Sunseeker and Scotty and Heather 1957 (hi to my fellow scotts) I am sure you will have a blast.

Ah well better go and repack that suitcase! I am excited beyond belief! Two weeks with a combination of my all time ultimate favourite holiday experiences - Italy (6 ports woohoo!) America (lots of lovely enthusiastic Americans and a real dose of the American way of life) And of course Disney. Never in my wildest dreams did I think i would get to experience all 3 in one holiday. Disney were right all along - Dreams really do come true...


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