Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

Reports about cruises on Adonia

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CaroleF
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Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

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Post by CaroleF »

Adonia Baltic Cruise 12th-28th September, 2014



This was the first time we had cruised on Adonia and our first trip to the Baltic – all the ports were new to us. The smallest ship we had experienced before was Braemar – before she was stretched – on our first cruise and we were really looking forward to Adonia, especially as everyone we knew who had been on her were very enthusiastic. We are not lovers of the Casino or the Disco/Pub so the absence of these was not going to bother us.

The first clue that Adonia was going to be different was on our arrival at the Terminal in Southampton. We arrived, as we usually do about 11.40am and there were very few people around – the roadworks didn’t affect us by the way but then it was Sunday. We had to wait for a CPS official to get to us as there was only one woman dealing with arrival when we got there but two others soon appeared. One thing I’d never seen before was the CPS person taking photos of each car so there was no arguments about dents or scratches when passengers returned.

We went into the Arrivals Hall and it was nearly empty – straight to a desk, checked in, onto Security, straight through, the usual photo taken and then along the walk-way to the ship – we were the only ones walking along there, most unusual. We got onto the ship – onto the Promenade deck, outside and had to walk along the deck and then into the Reception area. Our first impression was – Wow, very different from the other P&O ships, lots of dark wood, lovely carpets, amazing flower arrangements.

Then, as we haven’t yet reached the glorious height of Caribbean level and we weren’t in a suite, we got directed up to the Buffet – Conservatory. Again, amazing, lots of spare tables, a completely different feeling to Buffets on other ships. We got ourselves some lunch, decided the occasion warranted a glass of wine and had a very civilised lunch. Another couple joined us who hadn’t been on Adonia before and felt much as we did – this was different.

The cabins were ready about 1.40pm so we went down two flights of stairs to our balcony cabin on Deck 7. Now in the past we have been lucky and have experienced Suites and Mini Suites and this was the first time we have had a Balcony Cabin – the Suites on Adonia are so expensive, hugely more than a balcony cabin and of course there are no minisuites. The cabin was much as we had seen on the Virtual Tour. There was a reasonable amount of storage space, and we managed to find a place for everything, well almost! The bathroom I knew was going to be small, and it certainly is, but we managed. There is just enough room to turn around in there.

As, in the past we have always sat on the balcony with a glass of fizz as we sail down Southampton Water I had ordered the package which includes a bottle of Lanson, flowers, and canapés on a formal evening so we did manage to have the fizz to drink. Muster Drill was at 3.30 and our venue was the Pacific Restaurant so there were many seats available. This all continued much as usual, apart from the Captain stressing that passengers should not leave appliances plugged in to charge if they were not in the cabin.

After unpacking – the cases arrived very promptly – we took ourselves round the ship. It really is very different, lovely lounges – particularly Andersons which, apparently when Adonia was Royal Princess, was the Casino – much preferred the lounge, lovely comfortable settees and armchairs, a very sumptuous appearance. The library is amazing with a fantastic painted ceiling, and it’s huge – when I compare it with the tiny space they call a library on Azura!

So to the Pacific Restaurant – only one Restaurant so no Freedom Dining and the Conservatory (Buffet) is only open on certain themed evenings – e.g. Indian. We were, as usual, on 2nd sitting, table of 8. The dining times are slightly different on Adonia too – 1st sitting is at 6.15p.m. and 2nd sitting, 8.15p.m. I know it’s only 15 minutes different from the other ships but it did seem to make a difference. This was going to be our first experience of plated meals. We had great table companions, particularly our retired Welsh Policeman who kept us all amused, every evening, thank you Quentin! Much to my husband’s amazement we loved the plated meals and thought they were a great improvement. The vegetables were chosen to accompany each meal rather than one size fits all – e.g. Brussel sprouts and ratatouille with salmon as I was offered on a previous cruise – definitely not. If you didn’t like the vegetables listed against your menu choice you could request something different and if you wanted more potatoes, or more of a certain vegetable you only had to ask. John said he enjoyed the meals in the Main Dining Room much more than on previous cruises so it’s a thumbs up for plated meals from us. There was no hanging around, waiting for everyone to be served before starting, much better. There was no lowering of standards from the waiters either. We still had one main waiter and an assistant. The wine waiter was very efficient too and obviously knew his wines. On the Black and White formal evening – the Gala Menu a la MPW was on offer. I had the Beef Wellington which was fantastic – and served rare as I asked. John is an icecream fanatic and our waiter got used to bringing extra icecream to serve with desserts and of course when the others saw he was having extra icecream they wanted it too – we must have got through a lot of icecream.

We did go to both the Select Dining options – Sorrento and the Ocean Grill. Sorrento had much the same menu as on Venezia on Azura but the difference was that we could book a table for a specific evening at Sorrento rather than queue as you have to do on Azura. The food was great – many people having the Lava Rock steak which comes with a small supplement. We both had Madeira Chicken which was very tasty. I can’t remember the charge for Sorrento – very little – about £7 or so I think. I know you don’t pay on Azura but you do get a choice of when you dine on Adonia and it’s a separate restaurant, not part of the buffet as on Azura. We thought the Ocean Grill was excellent – I think it was something like £25 or so for two. It reminded me a bit of Seventeen on Azura – we both had fillet steak which was incredibly tender. You had an amuse bouche to start with and the service was excellent. We’d definitely go back to both restaurants when we go on Adonia again – note I say “when”, not “if”!

Entertainment – well as there is no theatre the majority of the evening entertainment is either in the Curzon Lounge or in the Crow’s Nest. The Headliners – rather the Adonia Entertainers are quite simply the best we have ever seen. There are five of them, two women, three men. They put on everything from the Singing, Dancing spectaculars we are used to but in addition there were two plays both put on in an afternoon. There was Noel Coward’s “Private Lives” and then later in the cruise another comedy – name escapes me – about two couples at a dinner party. Both plays were excellent. One show was a tribute to “Sunday Night at the London Palladium” and the energy of those five was staggering, especially considering they did it twice in one evening. The final show on the last evening was “We’ll Meet Again” – a very British show as you can imagine and the Curzon lounge was packed. Yes the lounge doesn’t give you such a clear view that you get in a theatre but it’s one of the things you accept if you want to cruise on a smaller ship.

During the day there were a series of talks given by a retired Consultant Pathologist who was a natural lecturer. He spoke on all sorts of topics from Harold Shipman to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. I heard one passenger saying she didn’t go to the Shipman talk as she didn’t want to hear a glorification of Shipman. Well the talk was far from that. It was more concerned with how it happened and if things are in place now to stop such a thing happening again.

John played Shuffleboard and won a certain amount of games – enough to win a prize at the end of it – a DVD of P&O’s 175 years of cruising – we haven’t seen it but will play in one of these approaching winter evenings. We got the Crossword and Sudoku each morning – well as far as the crossword goes, I remember someone saying one of the things they’d like to see on P&O was that the answers to crossword bore some resemblance to the questions – well carry on wishing – some of them were impossible!

The Ports of Call – well as I said they were all new to us. Unfortunately on the day of our cruise through the Kiel Canal the weather was rather damp, gloomy and at times raining. Four of the crew – the Cruise Director and three of the musicians cycled the length of the Canal in the time it took us to go through – 60 odd miles, took 8 hours – in aid of the MacMillan Campaign, brave people! In Kiel I want on a tour of the city and our guide was a retired Naval Lecturer who was very interesting.

We then went to Saaremaa Island where John did a tour – not a particularly good one as the guide’s English wasn’t good. Unfortunately this was also when John began to develop trouble with one of his eyes. He went down to see the Ship’s Doctor in the morning before his trip. She was very thorough and gave him some drops and told him to see her again if they didn’t help. Next day was Tallin and we were going on different trips – mine went first and I was due to get back on board before John. However, when I arrived back he was sat in the cabin. He had been back to see the Doctor and she decided he needed to see a consultant so had arranged for him to see someone at a private clinic in Tallin. The Port Agent arrived in a taxi to take him to the clinic. John was impressed with the Clinic and the Consultant who diagnosed a Corneal Infection and prescribed some ointment and some drops and said he should see an improvement within 2 days. So he was then taken to a Pharmacy to get the medication and then back to the ship. All was incredibly efficient, very reassuring. He also had a report from the Consultant so he could give it to his Consultant at home. Unfortunately all John saw of Tallin was the journey to the Clinic and back.

I, on the other hand, went on a tour of the city and had the most fantastic guide – probably late 20s I should think. He tried to show us as much as he could in the time and took us to parts which were certainly not on the list. He also talked about the political situation as regards Russia and that was really fascinating to hear what the people of Tallin thought about the future. Hopefully we will return to Tallin at some point and John will be able to see more of the city.

Next came the overnight stay in St. Petersburg, which for John was somewhat of a problem as he had to put the drops in every two hours for 7 times each day! As he had a hectic schedule he had to try using the drops in the coach at traffic lights! John went on the trip to the Hermitage and Catherine Palace and also a trip that took in a ride on the Metro. I can’t walk very far and can’t stand for long periods so I contented myself with a scenic tour of the city and we both went to the Ballet on the first evening. Additional dining arrangement were made for people who were going out to the Ballet, or the Hermitage Concert or the Folk Evening. A buffet supper was served in the Conservatory at 5pm – cutlery laid out etc. As John was on an afternoon trip that first day and not due back till 5.45pm and we were due to leave for the ballet at 6.45 we weren’t sure he would get anything to eat. However, I went up for tea and brought back sandwiches for him which he was able to eat before we left for the ballet.

The ballet was really good, not in one of the old theatres but in the theatre in one of the hotels. We saw “Swan Lake” – beautifully performed. We had a glass of champagne – well that’s what they said it was – in one of the two intervals. The trip back to the ship was amazing because of the traffic – it was absolutely grid-locked – at 11pm! It was worse than anything I’ve seen in London. Eventually our coach driver took us through the industrial area to avoid the main streets.

St. Petersburg is a city of contrasts – well that’s what it seemed to me. The amazing, palatial buildings – I’ve now seen John’s photos of the interiors – seem in sharp contrast to the row after row of grey shabby looking flats. We found the immigration women – all seemed to be young women in smart green uniforms with stars on their shoulders – even more dour than the American ones! They certainly didn’t smile. I know John would like to go back and see more of the city. We were so lucky with the weather. It was sunny both days in St. Petersburg and we left sitting on the balcony in brilliant sunshine.

It was a different story in Stockholm – it was pouring and we weren’t able to see the city at its best – there was also a biting wind. John went to the Vasa museum and thought it was extremely interesting. I went on a tour of the city and it got so that when we stopped for photo opportunities the guide – who was very good – asked if anyone wanted to get out – we all looked at the pouring rain and declined the offer!

We were supposed to stop at Bornholm (a Danish island) but it was incredibly windy and the Captain warned us the evening before we were due to arrive that we weren’t going to be able to stop on the side of the island we were supposed to but he was going to try to stop on the other side out of the wind. In the event we weren’t surprised that we weren’t able to stop – there was quite a swell. The entertainments team quickly planned a list of things for the day, including another talk from the lecturer and I didn’t hear anyone moaning.

We were able to stop at Copenhagen and it’s certainly a place we’d like to go back to. We both were on a tour which included part coach trip round the city, a walk through a residential area, including going into hidden gardens and then ending up on a glass topped boat trip through the canals back to the ship. The bridges were both incredibly low and narrow – one was lined with black padded plastic and the skipper practically pushed us through. It was a great trip with a fantastic Danish guide – an older man, very tall with white hair and very charismatic! He was so interesting. We saw the Little Mermaid of course, very small but still engaging. Many Japanese visitors were taking pictures.

We then had two sea days back to Southampton. The first of them was quite bumpy and some people suffered – including one woman on our table – the motion discomfort bags were out on the staircases! John and I both took some Stugeron just in case and were fine. That night was the Black and White Gala Evening with MPW’s menu. I had the Beef Wellington which was delicious. It was a shame our table companion missed it.

The final day was much calmer and we were able to enjoy the last day. On arrival in Southampton – unlike the bigger ships – Adonia still has the different coloured disembarkation cards. It all went like clockwork, we had a leisurely breakfast and then left and as we live so near Southampton we were home by 10am.

So as you may have gathered we loved Adonia and will be looking to go on her again as soon as possible. She isn’t glitzy and I daresay younger passengers would think her “boring” but she certainly suits us. One comment for the ladies – the shops are, of necessity, small and I was planning to buy some Christmas presents as we had quite a lot of OBC. Both my daughters like Chanel perfume but unfortunately the ship, unlike the others in the fleet, doesn’t stock Chanel – or Estee Lauder makeup. I asked the shop’s manager about the lack of Chanel and he said that the reps from Chanel had visited the ship but didn’t think there was enough space to display Chanel as they would want!

Oh yes, OBF mentioned about the Discover Magazine which is in every cabin. A few months ago now we were asked by a friend who works for P&O if we would write something about P&O excursions as we usually take them. This ended up as an article which appeared in the issue on board when we were – the one with Emma Thompson on the front. We had a few passengers come up to us and say they had recognised us – one man threatened to ask John for his autograph – and no we didn’t get paid anything for doing it!

It is always sad to leave a ship at the end of a cruise, and this time it was especially sad. Hopefully we will be back on Adonia before too long!

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cornmillgirl
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Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#2

Post by cornmillgirl »

What a fabulous report Carole, I really enjoyed it, brought back memories of our 2012 trip on Adonia and we look forward to
our 20 nighter in May on her as well. I agree with you about the suites, very very expensive but they are fabulous. When
I walked through the door of B114 Himalaya suite on our first Adonia cruise I nearly fell over at the size of it, there were also
a expletives in surprise. We are in C088 Victoria suite next time probably a good thing its big to store all the suitcases and fit all my
clothes in the wardrobes!!

Adonia is certainly so different from the other ships, plush and classic country house hotel style and such a contrast to the likes
of Azura or any of the other ships. Like you we did not miss the disco or casino and Andersons and the Crows Nest were our
bars of choice. We loved the dining room and what a contrast the buffet restaurant is, we would go up late lunch and always
places to sit, no hustle bustle as on other ships or the dodgem cars in the Aurora Orangery.

I am really glad you had such a great time and took the time to post as well.

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Fiona1
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Location: Leicestershire

Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#3

Post by Fiona1 »

Really interesting read, we are going on Adonia in March 2015, on a transatlantic so found your info re Adonia really useful. In Himalaya Suite - so really looking forward to it. :D

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Peter D
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Location: NE Wales

Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#4

Post by Peter D »

Carole, thank you for a very enjoyable review. Adonia was not on our to do list, but now it may be.
Regards

Peter

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oldbluefox
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Location: Cumbria

Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#5

Post by oldbluefox »

So pleased you enjoyed Adonia, Carole. She has her limitations but nevertheless she is a charming ship and provides 'something different' in the P&O fleet. It's an added bonus that she gets into ports that other ships cannot reach.

I was very impressed with the service John received in Tallinn. It's always a concern that when you are far away from home and have a problem, how to sort out getting medical care especially when you haven't a clue about language. The fact John received such prompt attention is reassuring for the rest of us. I hope he is fully recovered now.

So you found the little mermaid? I think I much prefer the more 'rounded' modern one close to the ship's berth!!! :lol:

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cornmillgirl
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Location: Lancashire

Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#6

Post by cornmillgirl »

oldbluefox wrote:
So you found the little mermaid? I think I much prefer the more 'rounded' modern one close to the ship's berth!!! :lol:
That does not surprise me :sarcasm:

I do agree with your comments OBF about how well John was looked after and it is most reassuring. It is the second time I have heard how
well P&O look after passengers. A friend of ours had terrible tooth problems on one cruise, P&O with the port agent arranged for her to see
a top dentist who resolved her problem and this was in Venice if I remember. She was very impressed especially as the language barrier could
cause problems.

Makes me even more excited about our Adonia cruise after reading Carole's report.

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Jan Rosser
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Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#7

Post by Jan Rosser »

Very enjoyable report Carole :thumbup: Adonia is the only P&O ship I haven't sailed on - it's good to hear you had such a great time on her. Everyone who sails on her gives such positive feedback - who knows I may try her out one day too.
Janis


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CaroleF
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Location: Hampshire

Re: Adona Baltic Cruise September 2014

#8

Post by CaroleF »

Glad you enjoyed the report. Just one thing - on our last morning we were at breakfast and one woman had her arm in a sling. She had fallen - also in Tallin - on the cobblestones (so many of them) and got taken to hospital. Again the service was great and the hospital phoned the ship to tell them what had happened. The ship kept in contact with her husband and assured him they would do everything possible to ensure the couple got back on board before sailing - which they did. When the lady saw the ship's doctor she joked to the doctor that she was glad it happened in Tallin and not the next stop which was St Petersburg. The doctor said that no the American hospital, which is the one they use, is probably one of the best, most efficient - so that's good to know.

The other little thing to say is that where the sockets for plugs are - over the desk/dressing table - had one of the sockets is upside down which meant I could plug in my phone charger which had one of those large plugs which won't fit if the socket is close to the surface of the desk - if you see what I mean. I had taken an extension thing so I could charge my phone but didn't need it in the end.

Carole

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