Azura a318n and a319n

Reports about cruises on Azura

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Jacknian
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Azura a318n and a319n

#1

Post by Jacknian »

We have just returned from our amazing 19 nights aboard Azura, I will post a report in the next few days when I've made a dent in the washing and ironing . Back to reality !


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Jacknian
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

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Post by Jacknian »

So, the long awaited day was here at last, and we left home at 8am for the drive down to Southampton . The journey was uneventful, no traffic to speak of and we arrived at ocean terminal at 11.30 . There was no queue for the cps car parking and we drove straight to the lane to drop off our luggage and hand over the car key to a nice lady who checked we had our passport with us. Maybe they've had a problem with someone leaving their passport in the car or in a suitcase, as we've never been asked before. We were given a card with the letter N on it and as they were only calling B we thought we would be in for a long wait, but they got through the numbers pretty quickly and we were walking on the ship by 12.30. Straight up to the coral pool for a beer for hubby and a nice Pimms for me. We are on this trip with our daughter and her husband and they arrived as well in time for lunch. There was a band playing called ' talkback' and they were pretty good, a mix of new songs from the charts and some older stuff. There were 2 other ships in as well - aurora and oceana, and we had a good view of them docked behind us. The cabins were ready by 2 as usual but we were having such a good time we stayed to watch a group of young men and one girl performing a tribute to Michael Jackson. Our daughter said they were a group that had been on ' britains got talent ' but I wouldn't know! Finally went to unpack at 3 and met our cabin steward - Joazinho. The cabins are the same as venturas although decorated a little differently, nicer prints on the wall with a nautical theme, and a nice big balcony as we are on c deck. The safety drill was delayed as apparently not everyone was on board, so it finally went ahead at 4.35. After returning our life jackets to the cabin we went back up on deck for the sailaway in the sun. We were so relaxed we couldn't be bothered to go and change so we thought we would just get something to eat from the buffet, well, we hadn't realised it was after 6.30 and our son in law was still in his shorts and got thrown out of the buffet as being inappropriately dressed ! Which caused much amusement, So they are sticking strictly to the dress code at the moment. After some food we went for a walk around and found the glasshouse which looks lovely, then went up to the planet bar for cocktails and watched an amazing glowing red sunset, lovely end to our first day on board, early to bed as the clocks going forward.

Saturday 27th. July. Sea day.

Another lovely sunny day, we sat by the pool at the rear to eat breakfast and it was quite warm at 10 am. Then a little wander round the ship and a trip to the shops as I'd forgotten my lip gloss. Everywhere was very busy and there was a line dancing class going on in the atrium which looked fun, may try that a bit later. Managed to get a seat in costa and had a latte, then went back to the cabin and sat on the balcony in the sun and read our kindles for an hour, hubby's kindle fire doesn't seem to be as good as my older version in the sun , the screen goes dull when there's a bright light but with his eyesight he needs more light. Missed lunch so we went for afternoon tea and had some yummy scones with jam and cream. Then back to the cabin to get ready for the welcome on board dinner. We are on freedom dining so we can make the most of all the entertainment and went quite early tonight at 6.30. We had a table for 4 with our daughter and son in law and our waiters are dave and Douglas, they are efficient but quiet, that's the trouble with freedom dining usually, you don't get to know your waiters. However we try to get the same table every night and that way you get the benefits of club dining as well. After a nice meal we went to see a girl singer ( name escapes me ) she was good and very entertaining. Then up to the planet bar for a nightcap, hubby was disappointed because their hot drinks machine is broken so he couldn't have his hot chocolate. Early to bed as its an early start tomorrow for the sail in to Bergen.

More later.

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Kendhni
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#3

Post by Kendhni »

Looking forward to the next instalment Jacknian.

I know with some tablets they have a sensor that detects ambient light and adjust the brightness accordingly (My Blackberry does that) ... in the settings though there should be a way of adjusting the screen to return it to full brightness (or to disable the auto dimming).


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Jacknian
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#4

Post by Jacknian »

Thanks for that kendhni I will tell hubby to check that.

Sunday 28th July

We arrived in Bergen at 9am and after a quick breakfast we disembarked to catch the shuttle bus. It only took 15 minutes to drop us off at a very nice park in the city centre. There was a large lake and fountains and lots of grass and flowers, so we had a wander round there and had a look at some little stalls that were set up on the edge of the park. Lots of nice things, - seems to be a large amount of knitted things like hats scarfs jumpers etc and lots of trolls and Vikings. A good souvenir opportunity. Then we walked into the town and the old quayside area called bryggen to see the little row of coloured houses that you see on all the pictures of Bergen. It is a very interesting area with loads of wooden buildings all packed closely together with their top floors almost touching. They have been converted into shops, restaurants etc and there is also a small market selling lots of fish, lobsters still alive in their tanks, crabs and crayfish. Other stalls have food items such as cheeses, caviar, fruits and vegetables that are familiar and others that are not. Also people selling the local drink called aquavit who were offering tastes, - we declined. We walked miles and still didn't see all of the town , it is a very interesting place and we would like to return one day. Back on board for a quick lunch ( well afternoon tea really ) and then we went to see Neil Oliver and his team at the sailaway. They are so energetic and Neil is such a good cruise director, he joins in with everything and really makes the sailaway such fun. We then went to see ' les miserables' which we had some how missed at the cinema and it was really good, very sad in places and there was a bit of sniffing going on ! Dinner was lovely as usual and we managed to get the same table again and dave and Douglas were a bit more chatty now they are getting to know us a bit. Then we went to the manhattan to see an elton John tribute act who was pretty good. We were exhausted after our busy day so after a quick trip to costa for a hot chocolate we were off to bed. Andalsnes tomorrow and we need to be up,early for the sail into the fjord.


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Jacknian
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#5

Post by Jacknian »

Monday 29th July - andalsnes

Dragged myself out of bed at 6am to see the sail in to the fjord and boy was it worth it ! It is absolutely stunning, we silently sail down a wide river with tall mountains on either side. Some have snow on the top and every now and then there are waterfalls gushing down the sides. There are also lots of pretty little islands dotted about some with a single house on and some with a collection of houses. The early morning is sunny and mild with a few little clouds floating around and birds flying alongside the ship. My husband is not tempted to get out of bed and watches through the balcony door, ' I'll see the photos ' he says ! We dock at 9 , it says tender in the horizon but we are docked alongside so off the ship by 10. There isn't much here, wish we'd done an excursion but after a walk around and the taking of lots of photos we return to the ship. After lunch I tried to connect to the Internet but the satellite is not playing and so i gave up and instead we sat on the balcony and read our kindles for a while. There is a lot going on but I'm feeling very tired after my early start and have a little snooze. We went for dinner at 6.30 and manage to get table 37 again, dave and Douglas are getting more and more friendly as the days go on and they showed us a trick with triangles, - cant figure it out and they had to give us the answer. After a leisurely dinner we went to the theatre to see the headliners perform ' curtain up ' which we have seen it before but it's still good and slightly different depending on the headliners company. After the show we rush to the other end of the ship to see Steve larkins as Freddie mercury which is a particular favourite of my husband. We have seen him lots of times now but he is as funny as always and we laugh as much as usual. It's been a very busy day and after the usual hot chocolate in costa it's off to bed.

Tuesday 30th July - olden

Another early start as we sailed in to olden through another lovely fjord, our daughter and son in law are going on an excursion to see a glacier but it is up a mountain so we are not going. We docked

right in the centre of the town but Adonia has had to anchor in the middle of the fjord, I presume there's only room for one ship and they are tendering in. We went for a walk around and visited a few shops and bought some little gifts for the grandchildren. It is a beautiful setting and we took lots of photos. Its all aboard by 4.30 and we sat on the balcony in the sun and listened to the sailaway party going on above us. It's been a lovely few days and we are just hoping the weather stays fine for tomorrow as we are going on a trip to see the tropical gardens . It was the formal black and white night and we were a bit disappointed as it did not seem very well supported with ladies wearing all sorts of colours. There were a lot of virgin cruisers on so maybe they did not know about the colour ? After dinner on our usual table , ( we don't even need to say which table we want any more ) we went to see the girl singer - Jessica Lloyd for a second time and she didn't disappoint, she has a lovely voice.

Wednesday 31st July stavanger

Opened the curtains and couldn't believe it, it was pouring with rain ! Typical, it had been fine every day up until now. But after breakfast we went to meet on the dock and the rain had stopped. We got onto the boat to take us to the tropical garden , - flor & fjaere, it only took 15 minutes before we arrived. Words cannot really describe it, it is an amazing place, full of palm trees, luscious green grass ( due to all the rain ! ) lakes, waterfalls, and colourful flowers. There is even a man made beach complete with lovely wooden sun loungers ! We had a guided tour for an hour and learned a bit about the history of the gardens, then we had an hour to wander about. By now the sun had come out and it was quite warm, I could have stayed there all day it was truly beautiful and covers several acres and the tropical plants grow there because the island is surrounded by pine trees and this creates a micro climate. The owners provided us with unlimited tea and coffee which impressed hubby and he had 3 cups. Apparently they host weddings and conferences there and the restaurant menus looked amazing. All too soon we had to get back on the boat to return to the ship, another place I'd love to revisit some day. As stavanger was our last stop it was the great British sailaway so we went up to the breakers bar and had a nice glass of Pimms. The weather was still good so we sat in the sun and sang along to the usual songs while Neil Oliver and his team danced very energetically. We seemed to be there for ages before the captain , - Paul Brown made an announcement to say that we had a technical issue with the thrusters and would be late sailing out. The poor entertainment team carried on dancing and singing for ages and were nearly collapsing by the time we finally sailed an hour late at 5.30. Of course as we had been outside for longer than expected we had drunk rather more than usual as well and staggered back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. After another lovely meal we went to see Steve larkins perform with the Walton John tribute act which was good and then straight to bed as it had been a long day.

Thursday 1st August. Sea day.

Our last day of the fjords trip and its our daughter and son in laws anniversary so they were having a champagne breakfast in bed , we went to the buffet and had our breakfast and then went to reception to ask about a disembarkation letter we had been given. We are not getting off the ship at Southampton but are staying on for the trip to the med so we were a bit worried about the letter but were told just to ignore it so that's ok.we went to the shops and bought some biscuits, chocs etc for gifts and then I tried to get on the Internet again, still no luck, I'm glad I didn't buy a Package of minutes as I wouldn't have been able to use them up. After lunch we went to see skyfall but after about an hour the film stopped and didn't come back on. We waited about 15 minutes but then gave up and went back to the cabin and sat in the sun for an hour and read our kindles. Our daughter and son in law had gone to seventeen for their anniversary dinner so we went to the dining room on our own and asked for a table for 2, this was not very successful as the table was in a row with lots of others and they are so close together it's like being on a table for 14 ! After dinner we went to the headliners show ' blame it on the boogie " which was good as usual. It was packed with people standing at the back and on the stairs at both sides, don't know how safe this is ! We then went to manhattens to see a band called jet set and there were loads of little kids dancing which was very nice to watch. Finally to bed , the clocks were going back again ready for the sail in to Southampton, I'm so glad we are not getting off yet !


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Jacknian
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#6

Post by Jacknian »

Sorry the post for Wednesday should have read ELTON John , stupid predictive text ! Report on our second cruise in a few days if anyone is still with me !

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Susan Watt
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#7

Post by Susan Watt »

Really enjoying your review. Reminds me of my retirement cruise 2 years ago when we did Med and Canaries back to back on Azura.

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hurstgreenboys
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#8

Post by hurstgreenboys »

I am really enjoying reading about your cruise to the Fiords. Sounds great :D Just read that you are still onboard you lucky people! Not been on Azura yet. Will have to wait .......only until after Christmas though when we will flying to Barbados to join her for New Year! Can't wait!

When you go to the next Headliner show say a big hello to our son Charlie please. He's one of the singer/dancers! :wave:

Carry on with your reporting . Hope the weather is being kind to you and enjoy the rest of your cruise.


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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

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Friday 2nd August -- changeover day

We had already told our cabin steward not to bother doing our cabin today, to save him some work and he was very grateful for that so we decided we would get some breakfast and bring it back to the cabin to eat. It was very very busy in the buffet so we were glad we made that decision. At 9am our daughter and son in law came to our cabin for champagne ! And we stood on the balcony watching people going off the ship,and getting their cars. It was quite a miserable grey day and hubby put on his waterproof coat that he'd bought specially for the fjords and never wore. At 10.30 we went up to the coral pool and sil had a swim in the pool which he had all to himself. It was really odd to sit there in the quiet with only a few waiters for company. At least the weather had improved and we sat in the sun until 11.30 when the priority embarkation people started to come on board. It was lovely to watch the faces of the children as they looked around at Azura and some of them had come prepared and were straight in to the pool. We had our first burger and chips ( of this cruise ! ) and stayed where we were listening to accent duo, a band we had not seen before so think they must be new for this cruise. Everyone went off to their cabins when the announcement came that they were ready but we just stayed there enjoying the sun. We had already checked that we did not need to go to the safety briefing this time and so we stayed at the bar while most of the passengers went for that. Some of the waiters were a bit concerned that we had not gone for the drill and we were told 3 or 4 times that we should be there. We explained the situation and they were happy for us to sit there but the bars etc were all shut for the duration of the drill. There were a few other people about who obviously were also doing a back to back cruise like us, but we had no trouble getting a front row seat at breakers bar ready for the sailaway, which was great fun as always. Our waiters for table 37 had sadly been moved to another dining room so we were undecided whether to keep to the same table but in the end we decided we would. Our new waiters are Anthony and marcello and seem very efficient but quiet. We will soon loosen them up ! The menu is a repeat of what we had last week but that's ok , it means we will be able to try some things we didn't have last week. Our daughter is vegetarian and she has been very happy with the special menu she has been able to choose from as well as the usual menu which also has a veggie option.the head waiter abhi came and brought her the menus to choose from and has been so helpful to her, even ordering her favourite starter for her, for today because she was at seventeen yesterday. We decided we would both nominate him for the service award. After dinner we went to see a comedian called kev Orkian. We don't usually like comedians very much but he was hilarious ! His act cannot be described but if anyone gets the chance do go and see him. Hot chocolate at costa and then off to bed, it's been a long but lovely day.

Saturday 3rd August sea day.

We went for breakfast at 10 and the buffet was packed ! We really should try the restaurant for breakfast but its shut by 9 so you need to be up early. Then went to sort out our peninsular problem. We have moved up a level to Mediterranean after the fjords cruise but the new welcome pack still says the previous level. It was soon sorted and the nice young man said we will get new pin badges, our free slippers ( yay ! ) and our invite to the cocktail party delivered to the cabin. We met our daughter and sil at costa and waited for the line dancing to start. The men decided they wouldn't join in ( no surprise there! ) so they had a coffee while we jumped around a bit. Our daughter is a dance teacher so she had no trouble but my effort was a bit rubbish ! Never mind , at least the exercise should counteract a few calories surely ? Had lunch in the buffet and then went back to our cabin for a rest before getting ready for another welcome on board dinner . After dinner we went to manhattens to listen to 'jet set" and stayed there to see Steve larkins as Freddie mercury again. Same show exactly as last week but we still enjoyed it, even if we could recite the jokes word for word with him !

Sunday 4th August. Sea day

After breakfast we went to the atrium with our kindles and sat reading for a while to let our cabin steward do his stuff. The line dancing class was on but as christy ( daughter ) was sleeping late I didn't really want to do it on my own and no chance hubby would join me ! So just watched and was glad to see some people were just as bad as me ! After an hour we went for a walk round the promenade deck, you can't walk the whole way round and so we just went backwards and forwards for a few times. After lunch the sun was on our balcony so we sat out there and read for an hour or so, until it was time to get ready for dinner. It was 'smart jacket ' required evening which is quite nice as the men look really smart, but lots of people didn't keep to the dress code but were still allowed in the dining room. We are still on table 37 and our waiters are getting more friendly now, marcello is very funny and keeps showing us little tricks with the napkins or puzzles he has made . Anthony is more serious but we do get a smile from him sometimes ! After dinner we went to the theatre to see ' legends of soul and Motown ' it was good but for some reason my eyes were closing ! It's tiring enjoying yourselves !

Monday 5 th August Lisbon

We were supposed to dock at 8am but the captain announced that we have a technical issue with the thrusters so have to be towed in by tugs. Watched from the balcony as 2 tugs on our side pushed the ship ( presume some the other side were pulling ) with black smoke billowing from their engines ! Finally we docked at 8.45 , and our daughter and sil were able to go ashore. We had decided not to get off as we've been here quite a few times before. It was a lovely sunny day so we went up on deck at the front to get a sun bed. The front end is mostly taken up by the retreat which looks lovely but there is a charge to use it. We are going to try it when the ship is in Gibraltar as we don't want to get off then, and it costs £12 each on a port day or £20 each on a sea day. You can also book it for the entire cruise and then it costs around £300 for a couple. I will report on that when we've used it. We stayed out till lunchtime and then it was clouding over a bit so we went for lunch and then back to the cabin where we both fell asleep for an hour. We woke in time to see the ship sailing out under the April 25 th suspension bridge. It still amazes me every time we see it, the ship seems to only just fit under and as you go underneath it there is an eerie buzzing sound like a swarm of angry bees ! It's just the traffic passing over the bridge but it sounds really weird. Then to dinner and after that we went to see kev orkian for the second time. He was just as funny second time around and our daughter said he had been on a show on t.v. at Christmas with Katherine Jenkins, playing the piano, will have to look at that on you tube when we get home. After that we went to the sea screen to watch ' life of pi ' this was not very successful for a couple of reasons. Firstly there are sunbeds set out with nice comfy cushions on them and blankets in case it's cold, but unfortunately these were all taken up with teenagers, who had decided to use this area as a youth club ! We sat on some normal chairs near the pool and a waiter kindly brought us some blankets but it was not very comfortable. Then secondly the screen had a strip along the bottom that kept breaking up and flashing all through the film, apparently it's the heat that makes it do it but it wasn't even very warm at this point. We persevered and watched the whole film which was quite good but having read the book it wasn't really a very accurate representation. Think we will try again later in the cruise.

Tuesday 6th August Gibraltar

We were not getting off in Gibraltar as we have been here many times before so we had booked in to the retreat. We got up quite early so we could get there for 9 am when it opened but we needn't have worried as there was no one else there. We picked some sunbeds in the sun and they supply nice white towels and fluffy gowns. The sun beds are a bit smarter than the normal ones and come with nice padded cushions. You also get breakfast up there but it is only a fruit platter so we had already brought a plate from the buffet with croissants etc. lunch is also supplied up there and they bring a menu to you so you can choose from salads , wraps etc ( all very healthy ! ) there is a chilled water machine and the waiter comes round frequently asking if you want to order anything from the bar. It was very hot and there is a really nice shaded area with easy chairs, tables and chairs , sun beds etc so we made good use of that and also went in the pool a lot. This is open to any adults so it did get quite crowded. I think the retreat is worth the extra money, but don't think I would book it for an entire cruise. We left there at 4 pm so we had plenty of time to get ready for dinner, and we didn't go to the sailaway as it wasn't till 6 and we like to get to the dining room by 6.30 so we get our usual table. After dinner we went to see the headliners show " destination dance " it is my favourite one and they do dances from all around the world, flamenco, Irish dance etc. After that we went to see Steve larkins second show, hubby never gets tired of him no matter how many times we see him ! Hot chocolate in costa and then to bed

More later

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Gill W
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#10

Post by Gill W »

I'm really enjoying your reports, it's just like being there with you.

It's now less than three weeks until I'll be on Azura, so your reports are really getting me in the mood.

I was interested to read about The Retreat, as we are going to try it this time, probably on a port day when we are not intending to go ashore.

I look forward to reading more about your adventures
Gill


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Jacknian
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#11

Post by Jacknian »

Hurstgreenboys ( sorry don't know your real name ) unfortunately we are already off the ship, but when you speak to you son, say 'well done' from us the headliners were great. Hope you have a lovely cruise in the new year. Gillw I am so jealous ! No matter how many cruises we have I'm always ready for another one, if you,are thinking of booking the retreat, they will not let you book for a single use until after the first day when the people who want a full cruise use have booked so go as soon on the second day as you can.have a great cruise.

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Gill W
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#12

Post by Gill W »

Thanks for the tip re booking The Retreat.

What with booking select dining, it can be a bit busy on the first day, so at least I won't have to rush to do my Retreat booking.

I wonder if Charlie Hurstgreenboy will still be on for A322N - will look out for him !
Gill

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hurstgreenboys
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#13

Post by hurstgreenboys »

Hi Gill, Charlie will still be on . He's on Azura until April next year!

Enjoy you cruise. Is it the fiords cruise?

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Gill W
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#14

Post by Gill W »

hurstgreenboys wrote:
Hi Gill, Charlie will still be on . He's on Azura until April next year!

Enjoy you cruise. Is it the fiords cruise?

Thank you :D

It's the Black Sea one that we are doing. It'll be my longest cruise to date and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm a big Headliners fan, so I'll look out for Charlie
Gill


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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

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Post by Jacknian »

To continue ......

Wednesday 7 th August sea day

We didn't do very much today, it was VERY hot ! Mid morning we went to the atrium where there was a display set up about the ship. There was a competition to make a bed between a passenger and a cabin steward, no prizes for guessing who won ! Also demonstrations of napkin folding and towel animal making, as well as lots of interesting facts and figures about the ship and cruise. There was also food tasting from the various restaurants and sample massages from the spa staff. We wandered to malabar where the line dancing was going on but it was really too hot to take part even with the air conditioning. In the afternoon the sun was off our balcony and it had cooled down enough for us to sit outside and read our kindles for a while. It was formal night again and the majority of passengers were dressed up although there's always a few who are in jeans etc, it seems that the dress code is not enforced in the dining room even though it says in the horizon that it will be. After dinner we thought we would try the sea screen again and this time we were able to get some sunbeds as the teenagers had obviously decided to meet elsewhere. We saw ' Lincoln ' which was slow getting started but was ok eventually. It was a nice warm night but the blankets provided were still very welcome, and we passed a very pleasant couple of hours.

Thursday 8th August. Barcelona

It was Barcelona today and we weren't getting off the ship, we have been here many times before and have done lots of the P&O excursions before also. The gaudi tour, the sagrada familia, parc guell, and las ramblas. So we had booked the retreat for the day. We went up there at 9 and got the same sunbeds as we had before. After the waiter had served us our fruit platter we got settled for a morning of sun bathing but the pool was netted , apparently the water had been changed over night and the chemical balance was wrong so they were going to test it every hour until it was safe. We got hotter and hotter and were just dying to get in the pool but no one came to test it at all. After a trip to one of the other pools which was packed we went to the spa and asked them if they knew what was happening, but they hadn't got a clue. So we said could they maybe phone someone to ask if the water could be tested ? and at 2 pm finally a man came and after testing the water took the net off. Immeidiately about 50 very hot people jumped in the water ! We left the retreat at about 4 and went to get ready for dinner. It was tropical night and there was a barbecue on deck but we decided to go for dinner in the meridian as usual, and went up to the party after that. It was very busy with people having the barbecue which smelt very nice ! ' talk back ' were playing and they were very good but after about an hour the wind got up and was blowing the menus and plastic glasses around so we decided to go in. The ship was moving around quite a bit in the wind so daughter and I took some stugeron just in case !

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oldbluefox
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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#16

Post by oldbluefox »

Thanks Jacknian for your reports. Enjoying them. I can almost smell the sea air!! :D


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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#17

Post by Jacknian »

Hi gill, I've always wanted to do the Black Sea cruise so make sure you post a report when you get back ! Hope you have a lovely time.


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Re: Azura a318n and a319n

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Post by Jacknian »

Friday 9th August , Valencia

We were going on an excursion to the oceanagrafic park today so after a quick breakfast we met on the quay side and boarded the coach. Our guide was Juan, and he gave an amusing running commentary as we had a tour around Valencia. It is a very pretty city with a dry river bed that runs through the centre which has been converted into parks, children's play areas, museums, an outdoor cinema screen, and lots of trees and flowers have been planted. It is really interesting and we had a photo stop to take pictures of some very futuristic looking buildings built on a lake. Then we continued on to the oceanagrafic park which is apparently the biggest marine aquarium in Europe. We saw some huge tanks with sharks, seals, porpoises, jellyfish, seahorses, and all sorts of fish. There was an outdoor tank with penguins and ducks, but the most exciting bit was the dolphin show. I know some people think dolphins should not be in captivity ( our daughter included , and she did not come with us for this reason ) but all I can say is that they seemed to love performing and had a large tank to retreat to if they did not want to join in. They jumped over lines strung across a large pool and towed their trainers around, but the best bit was when they got a group of children down to the side of the pool and they were allowed to stroke the dolphins who seemed to enjoy it as much as the children. Then we were all told to make a dolphin noise to talk to them , of course we were pretty hopeless and the dolphins shook their heads as if they were laughing at us. All the way through there was a conservation message being explained although we didn't understand it all as it was in Spanish. After the show we had an hour to explore by ourselves and then at 1 we were to meet to return to the coach. Well we were all there but the coach wasn't ! After about 20 minutes the coach finally arrived and we returned to the ship. It was a lovely morning and is another of the places we would like to return to one day. We had a very light lunch as we are booked in to seventeen tonight and have been warned that the meal there is large. Then went to the sailaway with Neil Oliver and the entertainment team. They really work so hard and it was so hot I felt very sorry for them ! So at 7 we went to seventeen and were seated right by the window with a lovely view, we could have sat outside but the wind was blowing a bit by now so we decided against it. First we were given an ' amuse bouche ' which was a very small and delicious glass of pumpkin and sweet potato soup, then a basket of lots of different flavoured warm bread rolls with butter, they were so yummy i couldnt leave any ! next the starter and I had goats cheese and beet root salad which looked so pretty I didn't want to eat it. For main course I had a lamb dish which was so tender it melted in the mouth and then there was dessert, oh my god I was so full by this point that we had to have a little break before we could eat them. I had a trio of lemon desserts which were amazing and just when I thought I couldn't eat another bite, they brought out coffee and some gorgeous chocolates ! The waitress was very kind and offered to wrap them up for us to take away which we did. It costs £35 extra per person to dine in seventeen but I think it's definitely worth it for a special occasion. After dinner we went to malabar to watch a girl singer called Laura carter, she was very good and we will try and see her second show later in the cruise.

Saturday 10th August. Malaga

This was an afternoon stop in Malaga so we had a late breakfast and then went for a wander as our cabin was going to be inspected ! Never heard of this before but last night we had a note in our cabin saying that would we please allow them to check up on our cabin steward by inspecting the cabin. We obliged by staying out of the room until 11 and then returned , to be told by Joazinho that the cabin was not inspected after all. At 1 pm we disembarked and went for a walk around. It is a beautiful place, with lots of lovely old buildings, fountains, parks, and horses and carriages waiting to take tourists on a tour of the town. In some streets there are big fabric sails strung between the buildings to provide shade and there are lots of little interesting shops and cafes. We were back on the ship by 3 and had a quick snack before retiring to the cabin for a snooze. Dinner at our usual table and marcello had another trick to show us, no idea how he did it, but he really is an entertaining waiter ! After dinner we went to the theatre to see elio pace who sings and plays the piano, and is really good. Our daughter and son in law were not feeling too good tonight, don't know if its the movement of the ship or more likely a bit too much champagne ! But they decided on an early night so we went to see a comedian in manhattens, called phil Melbourne, he was not our cup of tea so we sneaked out the back and went for a hot chocolate in costa and then back to the cabin. The fog horn was sounding and it is such an eerie sound, I looked out of the balcony door and could not see the sea! Unfortunately it meant we could not see the ship pass through the straights of Gibraltar which was a disappointment because on other cruises its been an amazing sight.


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Jacknian
Second Officer
Second Officer
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Location: Cambridgeshire

Re: Azura a318n and a319n

#19

Post by Jacknian »

Sunday 11th August. Cadiz

We had a trip booked for 12, so after a leisurely breakfast we met our daughter and sil at costa. After the men had their obligatory coffee we went to meet the coach. We first of all had a tour around the town, we have done a walking tour of the old town here before so we thought we'd see a different bit of the town this time and it was very interesting. Then we went to a very old tavern for some local food tasting and a flamenco show. It was really nice, the flamenco was amazing, there were 2 women and a man and they had some very intricate foot work and lots of stamping and shouting, it really gave a flavour of Spanish dance. Then the dancers got some people up to join in the dancing and of course they picked on me! I declined due to my dodgy hip ( well that's my excuse ) and pointed out that our daughter would LOVE to do it ( well she IS a dance teacher ) she danced with the male dancer and made a very good effort but she was not very pleased with me ! After several glasses of wine and some Spanish tapas type food we walked back to the coach, only to see that we were only a few yards away from the ship so we all decided to walk over the road and back on to the ship. It was 3 o'clock by now so we missed lunch and went to the sailaway. It was the ' great British ' sailaway and we took our hats and flags with us and sang along to the usual favourites, it was great fun. Very sad though, that its our last sailaway. We went to dinner early as it is the captains cocktail party at 8 and we are actually invited this time ! Due to the changing of the points system we were invited in 2011, and then not invited last year, and now we are invited again ! My husband didn't really want to go but I persuaded him as I really wanted a photo with captain paul brown as he has not been our captain before and I wanted to be entered into the raffle. Never thinking that we would win of course but amazingly we did ! The prize was a lovely crystal bowl and a bottle of champagne which was presented by captain Marcin banach,! What a disappointment, captain paul brown had been recalled to head office apparently and the deputy had been promoted 2 hours before the cocktail party.
After that excitement we went to malabar to see chilli gold sing and she was good. The sea was getting a little rough by now and so we went to bed early as I knew I would have a bad night .

Monday 12th August. Sea day

I was awake half the night as we had very rough seas -- 50 mph gales apparently, hubby slept through it all of course ! After breakfast we had a look at the sale that was going on in the atrium, didn't buy anything. Then we went to manhattens to listen to a talk about British border controls which was really interesting but I was so tired that my eyes were closing. So we returned to the cabin and hubby continued to listen to the talk which was being shown on the t.v. and I had a nap. I felt much better after an hours sleep and we went for a walk around, the decks were very windy and the pools were netted but it was still a nice day, with a bit of sun and some cloud. After lunch we sat on our balcony and tried to read but it was too windy really and we didn't last long. It was the black and white formal night tonight and quite well supported with only a few ladies in different coloured dresses. We stayed at our table a little longer than usual so we could see the parade of the chefs and they got a very loud cheer and applause. We then went to see Laura carters 2nd show and she was just as good the second time, and then we went to see the headliners show 'reel to reel ' we've seen it before but it's still good. Hopefully by next year there may be some new shows. Then to costa for our hot chocolate and we watched the dancing in the atrium. The ship,is still rocking so I think it will be another bad night.

Tuesday 13th August Last day !

I woke up,all through the night again as the ship was moving quite a lot, but thankfully in the morning the wind had died down and there were sunny skies. After breakfast we had a wander around and sat by one of the pools and read our kindles for an hour to let Joazinho do the cabin, and then went back to start the packing. This kept being interrupted by people shouting ' dolphins ' and we saw lots of them leaping around the ship and swimming alongside. It was a lovely sight and we managed to film them on our phones, but the photos we tried to take mostly just showed splashes ! While we were watching the dolphins I noticed a plane flying low on the horizon and we watched it getting nearer and nearer and the officers in the bridge seemed to be a bit agitated with rushing around and phone calls so we were a little concerned ! It aimed straight for us and zoomed close over the top of the ship, very odd as the rest of the sea was empty so why aim for the ship ? After lunch the captain announced that we would be passing aurora so we went up on deck to wave to her and we felt quite jealous as the passengers on there are just starting their cruise while we are finishing ours. We passed within 500 metres of each other and both ships sounded their horns backwards and forwards to each other, it was a sad sound to me ! Later in the afternoon we finally finished the packing and Joazinho took the cases straight away. Our last dinner and we said a sad goodbye to our brilliant waiters and went to see elio pace again and then to the passenger talent show. It was interesting ! Some of them were very good singers and there was a very funny young man who played the piano and sang a comedy song he'd made up himself, it had to be censored before he sang as there were children present but it was still a bit rude ! We laughed so much, it was a good end to our cruise entertainment. We went to costa for one last time and sat watching the dancing till midnight when we decided we had better go to bed as we have an early start in the morning.

Wednesday 14th August. Disembarkation

It was a new system for disembarkation this year, a few days before the end of the cruise there was a note in horizon to say that we should go to reception and let them know what time we wanted to get off the ship. So we requested 8.30 as this was the earliest time unless you self disembark. This was confirmed in a letter delivered to the cabin and we were told to meet in the glass house or the blue bar. So we went for breakfast at 7 and then returned to the cabin to collect our hand luggage and went to the glass house to wait. After only 15 minutes a man came and said any one who wanted to get off now ( 8.10 ) was able to. So we went straight away and walked off the ship very quickly and went to collect the cases. We found them easily and were in our car driving out of the car park at 8.30. So I would say the new system is a big success and I hope they keep it.

Final thoughts

It was a lovely cruise which we thoroughly enjoyed, we loved Azura and will definitely cruise on her again. It is a big ship and some of the older people seemed to be getting lost a lot but we found it very similar to Ventura so found our way around pretty easily. We loved the glasshouse and the retreat and understand that Ventura is having these as well so will look forward to trying those out next time we are on there. Neil Oliver was a brilliant cruise director and the headliners were great as usual. A few negatives were that the cruise was over run with teenagers but I guess that's our fault choosing a cruise in the summer holidays, although if we go with our daughter there's no other choice as she is a teacher. I feel they could be supervised a bit better, if their parents are not willing to then P&O should. A few things were annoying for example the hot drinks machines were not working in the planet bar or malabar, or did they just tell us they were because they wanted to sell more expensive alcoholic drinks? Hot chocolate sachets are no longer available in the cabin or in the buffet. The sea screen did not work properly and there was no satisfactory explanation for this, and when the film just stopped no one was available to sort it out even after several people phoned reception. All in all nothing spoiled our enjoyment and we are now looking forward to next years cruise.

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