Azura A301 review

[barney]

Well, back safe and sound from our latest holiday, so I thought I'd do a brief review to let you know hoe we got on.

Day 1 - left for the Hilton hotel at Bristol airport at about 1.30. A good journey and we arrived about 3.20.
Checked in and and had a drink.
About 4.30, we wandered across to the terminal for the Twilight Bag Drop.
There were literally no other travelers there and we'd dropped our cases and through the hole in the wall in about five minutes.
After much debate about the weight of our cases (22kg) we were surprised that the scales were not even turned on.
Five minutes back to the hotel and a couple more drinks and about six, we decided to eat.
The meal was fine and we went up about 9.30.

Day 2 - We had a 9.00 flight but because the cases were already checked in, we walked across at about 7.45, after a good breakfast at the hotel, and went straight through security.
Boarded about 8.30 and took off bang on time.
A four hour flight that seemed longer to me. Mrs B dozed off but I didn't manage to, which is unusual for me.
Arrived in Tenerife bang on time.
Collected cases from the carousal, a P&O rep directed us to the coach and we were on board by about 3.00 pm.
We know Azura pretty well so, shorts on and up on deck to enjoy the sunshine.
That evening, we ate in the MDR and was wiped out by about 10.00.

Day 3 - Tenerife - we had breakfast in the MDR then at about 11.00, we went for a mooch around town.
I bought a couple of bottles of sparkling Rose for the fridge and we went back about 2ish.
In the sunshine until about 5.30 then the sun went down so we went in.
We ate in Sindhu and it was as usual, first class. Absolutely faultless.

Day 4 - sea day - again, blessed with lovely weather on the way to Madiera.
We were luck enough to see dolphins AND whales while sunbathing on our balcony. I couldn't believe our luck.
We ate in the MDR as it was formal and I was expecting Beef Wellington. No such luck, but our meal was very nice.

Day 5 - Madiera - like most, we've been here many times so didn't get off until about half twelve.
We did our usual wander including the market and stopped at three different bars for a glass of Madiera. Very nice!
MDR again and the food and service were good.

Day 6- sea day - another lazy day with very warm sunshine.
Another formal and we had booked the Epicurian.
The food and service level was exceptional, as always, but the occasion was somewhat spoiled by another passenger complaining very loudly and aggressively to the charming young waiter about the wait between courses.
They live among us, unfortunately.
We still enjoyed it very much.

Day 7 - La Palma - again , we've been here a few times.
We left the ship in glorious sunshine but by the time we'd walked into the town, the heavens opened.
We raced to the nearest cafe for a quick cafe con leche.
I grabbed a seat, parked my backside and quickly realised that it was soaking wet.
Now, imagine this. I'm wearing burgundy coloured shorts. I had a huge dark, wet patch which felt quite unpleasant.
God knows what it looked like from behind ??
Anyway, the shower quickly passed and we had decent weather after that.
We had a tapas lunch of Manchego and Iberico ham with some bread and Tinto Verano (two each)
It was lovely.
MDR in the evening and my fist 'not great' meal.

Day 8 - Fuerteventura
Didn't manage to dock here due to the wind. The captain had a few tries but it clearly wasn't working so we had an additional sea day.
although windy, it was sunny and pretty hot, with the sun once again on our balcony, so we spent the afternoon drinking wine and lapping up the heat. Very chilled.
We dined in the Glass House. The full menu wasn't on, just the small plates, which suited us anyway.
We were hardly starving.
We chose six different plates and shared, finishing with their magnificent cheese board and a bottle of Jam Shed Shiraz.

Day 9 - disembarkation - after a MDR breakfast, we just sat in the sunshine on deck seven until our meet time at 10.00
On the coach and back to the airport.
Flight on time and all very seamless.
I actually had a quite eventful flight back.
While waiting to use the loo at the back of the plane, I became aware that a lady in the very back seat was choking.
She was clearly in a bad way, so I dragged her from her seat and tried to get her to stand while shouting for the steward.
He came and took over hitting her back but the lady fell unconscious.
By sheer luck, the young lady who was sitting opposite me with her young family was a paramedic.
She quickly came down, took over, released the blockage (a sweet) and got the poor lady into the recovery position, all in a very confined galley space.
All then calmed down and the flight returned to normal.
On arrival back at Bristol airport, I'd once again booked a hotel to save driving back in the dark.
Glad I did.
Nice meal, bed and home in the morning.

We had Captain Turnbull. Anyone who's had him on a cruise will be aware of his style when on the microphone.
Quite funny at times.

We didn't bother with hardly any of the entertainment so won't comment on that with the exception of a young guy who did a Coldplay tribute act.
He was good.
Didn't see any Headliners.
We sat through about three songs by a young guy called Dean Standsby, but felt we'd fallen into some kind of time warp, so sneaked out.

We met and chatted with some lovely people, including, by a massive coincidence, a guy who I boxed against a couple of times back in the seventies. What's the odds on that ?
We'd wandered into Malabar, there was a couple at a table with two spare seats, so we asked if we could join them and he said, I know you.
Obviously we spent the next couple of hours reminiscing. It was wonderful.

So, summary.
Another lovely holiday. P&O never fails to deliver.
Is it perfect ? Nope.
Is it a good value holiday ? Absolutely.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Great balanced review Barney. We were in Madeira on land. We could have waved!

[CaroleF]

Thanks for the review, enjoyed reading it. Just for a while I can imagine being back on board.

Carole

[Jan Rosser]

Thanks for posting your review Barney - I am an Azura fan - booked a fly cruise on her in August this year. I love the Glasshouse on Azura - the original and in my opinion the best - can’t beat a bit of people watching while sipping a glass of Ice Cuvee Rose!!!

[barney]

We had a few of those Jan.
£8.95 a glass now but special and worth it.

[Jan Rosser]

We had a few of those Jan.
£8.95 a glass now but special and worth it.

Wow - you only live once Barney - I’ll be sampling it in August for sure

[barney]

Loads from South Wales on our cruise Jan.
Very nostalgic for me listening to the accents.
One dear lady on the plane sounded exactly like my dear old Mum who never lost her accent despite living in Kent for most of her life.

[Onelife]

Hi Barney…. liked your review as indeed I like your posts…straight to the point with no waffle.

Two encounters…who won?

[Jan Rosser]

Loads from South Wales on our cruise Jan.
Very nostalgic for me listening to the accents.
One dear lady on the plane sounded exactly like my dear old Mum who never lost her accent despite living in Kent for most of her life.

Where was your mother from - surprising how many different accents are in the valleys but everyone knows we are Welsh and I can’t tell you how many are related or friends of friends

My two sons left home at 18 and never came home but their accents become stronger when I visit.

My late husband met a 1st cousin in a lift on a cruise to New York - he hadn’t seen her for years! They recognised the accent and discovered the connection - unbelievable!

[barney]

Loads from South Wales on our cruise Jan.
Very nostalgic for me listening to the accents.
One dear lady on the plane sounded exactly like my dear old Mum who never lost her accent despite living in Kent for most of her life.

Where was your mother from - surprising how many different accents are in the valleys but everyone knows we are Welsh and I can’t tell you how many are related or friends of friends

My two sons left home at 18 and never came home but their accents become stronger when I visit.

My late husband met a 1st cousin in a lift on a cruise to New York - he hadn’t seen her for years! They recognised the accent and discovered the connection - unbelievable!

Mum’s side were from Porth.
None left now except for a few second and third cousins.
As a kid, we holidayed at Barry Butlins to accommodate visits to Granny and Granfa.
I can actually remember Little Granny and Little Granfa (great grandparents) as they all lived in the same house in Porth.

[Jan Rosser]

What lovely memories you have of visiting your family in the Rhondda valley - that’s a couple of valleys over from me in the Rhymney valley. Barry Butlins is long gone - houses built on the site now but Barry Island still popular - especially with Gavin and Stacy fans

[Mervyn and Trish]

We went to Butlins, though not Barry, too as kids. Loved it.

It's a bit like P&O-not-on-sea!

[barney]

We went to Butlins, though not Barry, too as kids. Loved it.

It's a bit like P&O-not-on-sea!

Oh no Merv, don’t start the old Butlins at sea off again

I admit that cruising has dramatically changed since we started.
Some for the better.
Some for the worse.
The prices have dropped massively comparatively.

I remember the band on the quayside.
The silver service at meal time.
The general air of something special.

However, the price of our two week Med cruise from Southampton in 2024 is pretty well on par with what I paid for our two week Med cruise in 2010.

One change that we are happy about is the introduction of Freedom Dining.
Far more suited to us and we notice a lot less food waste than previously.

Obviously, with the reduction in price, the demographic has changed significantly but we are very much live and let live.
Everyone enjoys their holiday in a different way.
We did notice on our last trip that a large family group commandeered a large proportion of the smoking area on deck and appeared to spend the majority of their holiday there, drinking and smoking.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm not a fan of the Butlins phrase either Barney. I think it's usually trotted out by people who have never been to Butlins. In any case they're a hugely popular company in the family holiday business so why wouldn't P&O want a bit of that?

But you're right, some things have changed, in both directions. On price we now pay much the same per night for a balcony cabin as we paid for an outside with no balcony on our first cruise on Oriana in 1999. And that's even before taking into account inflation. Cue: floating block of flats!

So that has made cruising more affordable and changed the client base, not always for the better. Though I couldn't have afforded to take my whole family on a cruise at the old prices! But if one still wants the more exclusive cruising and is prepared to pay the equivalent of 1999 prices then lines are out there that offer a higher standard for that price.

I don't regret the loss of Silver Service and think it was over-rated. I've been lucky enough to eat a few times in Michelin-starred restaurants and in every case the meals were served plated, designed as the chef intended, without the waiter lobbing on a spoonful of sprouts!

I'm not a fan of Freedom Dining and wouldn't choose it, but on Iona where we had no choice it worked well enough, mainly because I think the ship was designed with it in mind and has sufficient capacity. On the older ships which were designed on the assumption each dining table would be used twice a night in an orderly fashion it ceases to be Freedom Dining if everyone decides they want to sit down at 7.30!

The people we noticed on Azura last time were those who had obviously booked the drinks package and now had to get value out of it. They were the ones wandering zombie like round the ship from first thing in the morning to last thing at night with a lukewarm pint in their hand! But as you say, each to their own.

[barney]

On our second night, one of the Drinkers took a terrible fall right in front of us while out on deck.
He was elderly and went down like a felled tree.
Mrs B ran over to assist him but on getting up, he seemed fine and his crowd thought it hilarious.

As I said, they enjoyed themselves in their own way.
I didn’t see them generally around the ship, so maybe it was better that they stuck to their own bit.