Previously having cruised on Ventura, I was expecting much of the same on Azura and I was pretty much correct. The main difference was the coral pool doesn't have a roof and has the large LED Sea Screen which shows music videos, films etc which we enjoyed. The staff were overall very nice and attentive with just a few miserable ones. Our waiters Moveto and Remedio were very nice indeed.
For a new ship, I expected teething trouble and I wasn't dissapointed - the air conditioning in our cabin broke down and I had to get a bit shirty with reception in order to get it fixed quickly. I heard of worse problems with people's toilets so we got off lightly.
All the food was excellent. Don't miss out on Sindhu or Seventeen. The Glass House also does excellent Tapas. The entertainment was good too - Martin Daniels (Paul Daniels' son) was truly an amazing performer although I didn't bother with the Headliners since I don't like the West End type shows.
The places we went too were amazing. Greece and Croatia lovely and Venice an amazing, awe inspiring, mind blowing place to cruise in to. The excursions were generally very good value for money and were prompt with little waiting about. The Captain was very good and gave us lots of interesting commentary especially in places like the Straits of Messina in between Italy and Sicily. He also walked about a fair bit so you could talk to him.
Yes the kids (300+) were sometimes a nuisance but don't go in school holidays and you will be ok. This week there are only about 8 of them so there's the difference. For me and my wife, we were happy enough on deck sunbathing so didn't worry about entertainment during the day too much, but there were plenty of lectures, camera club, games etc.
Overall, Azura is a nice ship. I would change it in some ways including making a full promenade deck and also getting rid of the 'Retreat' which is always fully booked and frankly a con in my opinion making such a large area of the ship so exclusive, when all the pools are rammed with kids is very very unfair. Things like that make you very annoyed at P&O. Also, why build ships with so few public toilets? Doesn't make sense at all. Anyway, pros and cons but we really enjoyed the holiday and would do it again without hesitation.
Quality of Food
Lots of seafood, steak, cocktails and wine.
Entertainment
Martin Daniels truly excellent.
Shore Excursions
Venice gondola trip a must do for everyone.
Staff
Waiters great fun and head waiter very talkative. Captain gave great commentary.
Children's Facilities
n/a
Onboard Activities
Lots to do on board. Not much time to be bored. Plenty of lectures, singers, comedians etc.
Cabins
Cabins the usual size and generic shower/toilet. Teething trouble with air con. As expected. Balcony on C deck bigger than other decks.
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