Wednesday 3rd December 2008
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Canaries Collection |
| Reviewed By: Edmondson, Penrith on 19th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: P&O Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Aurora |
Sailed:
July,
2008 |
| Destination: Canaries |
Age: 46-55 |
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This was the first time we sailed on a British Ship and we immediately noticed the difference in the attitude of the crew. On American ships they can be very much 'in your face' and to my mind somewhat overfriendly. In contrast the crew on board the Aurora where attentive, polite, pleasant and speedy (most of the time) but kept themselves at a distance - which I preferred.
The evening entertainment in the show theatre was very much dominated by the resident theatre company. But very varied and professional - the Abba tribute (very cheesy in a good way) and The Queen tribute immediately spring to mind. They were so professional that when one of the five singers took ill hours before the Abba show the others covered seamlessly, re-choreographing etc so well that we didn't notice anything was amiss until the Cruise Director (who was excellent) told us after the show. There was also an Illusionist (very good), a commedienne (don't be late and make sure you have been to the bathroom before the show!), and a northern comedian who was very good in the first night Variety Show but 'tired' and repetetive at his second show. Bob Champion, jockey, also gave an 'after dinner speech' one evening as well. The Curzon Theatre was very well set out with tiered seating, and the seats themselves were 'staggered' you were alway sitting between the two people in front and not directly behind them - and at 4' 10" that is a big deal!
Food was excellent, service in the dining room at night was good but nearing the end of the cruise seemed to become slower. On the last night we waited 30 mins for our starter, and the fruit and 'sweetmeats' failed to appear as the staff were preparing the tables for second sitting. But at least we weren't always being reminded about tipping by the wait staff unlike other ships we have been on.
Excursions were very much as expected but in future I would avoid the Yellow Submarine Dive. The pleasant journey under the harbour was very much spoilt by the constant music, noisy sound effects and spurious announcements from 'The Captain' that we were entering 'dangerous currents' etc. It was like being in a Disneyland Simulator!
Take Note: if you are used to American designations of an Active tour being a flight of steps be warned - when P & O say Active they mean it! The Volcano Treks were real 'treks' and take note when they say you need appropriate footwear!
The ship itself was beautiful, but after experiencing the Atrium of the Navigator of the Seas last year the Atrium on the Aurora compared badly. We liked the 'Wooden' deck of the Promenade Deck, and the Riveria and Crystal swiming pools were very pleasant and were filled with fresh (not sea) water. Loungers could alway be found somewhere, and there were always seats in the Curzon Theatre, the whole ship seemed roomy and never felt overcrowded.
Our cabin (JD grade, Deck C, Midship) would have been plenty big enough if there was just two of us, but we were sharing with our teenage son, and when the sofa-bed was down it was impossible to have our early morning tea on the balcony without climbing over our still sleeping son! There was plenty of wardrobe and drawer space. The bathroom only supplied an all-in-one shower gel/shampoo (so take your own shampoo), but there was 'trial' sizes of Temple Spa toiletries (I loved the eye gel!) We loved having tea making facilities in our cabin.
The shops were disappointing - the designer store was very overpriced, the 'pharmacy' was very small but seemed to stock most essentials, the 'souvenir/logo store' was better but lacked essentials like socks and underwear! However there was a table sale every evening (and day time during sea days) which was different every day and sold the things they didn't have room for in the shops e.g. costume jewellry, gifts, and watches.
All in all this was the best cruise I have had yet - and for the first time have booked with the same cruise company for a second cruise. Mainly because of the attitude of the crew and the lack of overcrowding.
Now... who is going to pick up that pile of towels on the bathroom floor?
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Orangery buffet breakfast and lunch/afternoon tea. Main restaurant for dinner. | | Entertainment | |
| Illusionist very good. Theatre company very professional - smashing costumes. | | Shore Excursions | |
| Volcano treks on La Palma and Lanzarote excellent but tiring.
Submarine dive disappointing. Whale and Dolphin watching good for the half-hour spent watching Whales and Dolphins. Boring for the 1 hour spent watching humans jumping off the back of the boat, not what we paid for! | | Staff |  |
| Cabin Steward always seemed to be waiting for us to leave the cabin so he could get in! Cleanliness was excellent. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Husband said Gym was good. Pools were good. Several talks/seminars etc every day. Several bingo sessions each day plus suffleboard and deck quoits competitions etc. | | Cabins | |
| More than adequate unless sofa bed was down. | | Overall Rating | |
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lauderdale
marks carribean [eastern]
Tracey and Andy`s Sugar and Spice Tour, southern caribbean January 2008
Elstree-photo
