Azura ship visit pictures and review

Yesterday I went on a ship visit to Azura in Southampton, so I thought I'd upload some pictures and also give my impressions from the day and some tips if you are doing the same. I hope this is useful to anyone planning a ship visit as we didn't really know what to expect!

For some background, we are a recently married couple, both 31 who have cruised only on NCL before. We have another NCL and an MSC cruise booked. We want a Caribbean cruise for winter 2018, and were attracted to P&O by the pricing and itineraries. However, as young and very active people who will only have sailed megaships, we weren't sure if P&O is for us- so we decided to book this visit to try and find out.

The cost of the visit was £50 for both of us, which we both felt was good value for a nice day out and lunch. A week before the visit we received an information pack from P&O, which contained everything we needed to know about the visit and where to go. I will say that there is several points in the pack that say 'if this is so then please tell us no more than 10 days in advance', which isn't that useful considering we got the pack less than 10 days in advance. Make sure they have details such as your car registration and mobility requirements before you book.

You need to arrive at the terminal for check in between 9.45 and 10.15. In our case we had to go to the Ocean Terminal. We found getting to the terminal and parking very easy, despite Southampton’s crazy road systems. Just stick in the lane for the Docks- our sat nav couldn't handle all the lane changes! Just tell the parking attended you are on a ship visit and they direct you, parking is free. They are also very good at directing you when you arrive. We were among the first to check in and received a 'tour group 7' card- I think these groups went into the twenties by the end. We also received a rather nice P&O tote bag which contained some information and a pen, and a pass on a nice lanyard.

The waiting area in the port is large and comfortable, with plenty of chairs, and for being on a ship visit you get a free coffee, tea, hot chocolate or orange juice. There is also snacks and drinks available to purchase, and a rack of free magazines and newspapers.

Tip 1: I recommend either purchasing or bringing a bottle of water with you- we didn't and got very thirsty on the tour, which does not stop anywhere to allow you to get a drink.

Boarding was cleared about 10.30am and they started calling the groups. The disabled groups are called first, followed in quick succession by the others. There was loads more people than I expected on the tour, several hundred!

Tip 2: If you have mobility issues of any kind then please please tell P&O and they will put you in a suitable group. There was a lady on our tour who couldn't do steps and clearly found walking difficult and she really really struggled. She didn't have a wheelchair or cane so I'm sure didn't think she needed the special group, but it would have gone at much more her pace. Our group did a lot of up and down the floors and to and fro along the whole length of the ship. You are walking for 3 hours so if you would struggle with this please do inform P&O when booking.

One lady in our group who did not have a visible disability also seemed to struggle with the walking- everytime we stopped anywhere she would sit down on the nearest chair and everytime we moved she would huff, sigh and roll her eyes. Again- you will be walking for around 3 hours, albeit at a very slow pace. It's a ships tour. I'm not sure what she expected. If you don't want to walk, this isn't for you. Not trying to be mean here, just practical.

The tour groups are of around 10-20 people and your guide will take you around almost every area of the ship. You see every cabin type from a single inside to a suite. As someone who is highly nosy I really enjoyed this. As there are 20+ tour groups it did get a little congested at points, and our guide did not have a very loud voice so sometimes another group would stand right next to us and drown her out. But she tried to move away from the other groups where possible. Towards lunchtime when the actual passengers started boarding it did get difficult sometimes to follow her as there was a lot more people milling around! This was also an issue for our lady who needed the lift to travel even 1 floor, as when the passengers were on board there was long waits for a lift.

I won't post all the pics we took, but here's a few from around the ship:

My favourite part of the tour was the suite cabin we went to which I thought was a lovely space, although the cabins could certainly do with a make over. I loved the double length balcony and the bathroom with the bubble jet tub! Not exactly the Haven on NCL but I’d be very happy in that suite. Husband disagrees and tells me I will be happy in the lowest grade interior cabin or lump it lol. Meanie.

As mentioned, the tour takes around 3 hours, so it is quite long. We enjoyed it but wished we had brought on some water as stated above- although we did make use of the water fountains in the gym! We saw all the cabin types, bars, restaurants, photo gallery, pools, gym, spa area, and all other public areas. The one area we didn’t go into was the retreat which was a shame but it was raining. We also didn’t visit the kids areas as there was no kids in our group

After the tour we were taken to one of the MDRs (the one for people with fixed dining, I can’t remember the name) and it was time for lunch. Large tables were allocated to the tour groups, and we had a special menu. I wish I had taken a picture of it but I didn’t which is not like me! There was 3 options for a starter- a halloumi salad, a crab terrine and a leek soup. I had the leek soup which was nice but extremely salty, and my husband had the crab terrine which was OK. We were also served delicious bread rolls and butter, and there was the option of wine or orange juice. We both had orange juice but those who had the wine said it was very nice.

For mains there was the option of Indian spice lamb chops with rice, beef brisket with mash, chicken with pesto gnocchi, a veggie option and a fish one. I had the lamb chops and my husband had the brisket, although we chose with the intention of sharing which we always do. We were very very impressed with the standard of the main courses- nicer than the MDR food on NCL at least for mains. The lamb chops were tender and very tasty, and the beef was juicy and delicious. The sides were lovely too. Our guide had the chicken and it looked very nice.

Dessert was a choice between an apple streusel, ice cream or cheese cake. We both chose the cheesecake which was very nice.

There was also the option of cheese and biscuits after dessert but we declined. Our guide sat on our table and we discussed our impressions of the ship and cruising in general. We were enthusiastic about the benefits of cruising, as we love it! Another couple on the table had enjoyed themselves and were certainly open to booking a cruise in future. The lady who had complained about the walking said she did not enjoy the ship and it felt too claustrophobic so would not book a cruise. I suppose that’s the benefit of going on a tour before you take the plunge! One interesting thing our guide told us is that once or twice, people would book on the tour and turn up with luggage in the car- if they liked the ship they would book a cabin on the day, go back for their luggage and board the cruise! Crazy. You’d be a bit disappointed if you tried that one and there were no cabins free.

While at dinner we were given an old copy of a Horizon to look at, and also asked to fill out a questionnaire about the tour. We were also given a special offer if we wished to make a booking:

While talking to a cruise consultant was mentioned, in reality this wasn’t really offered. If you actually go with the intention of booking on board then you will have to initiate this yourself. We did talk about hiding somewhere on board for a free cruise but sadly the guide was onto us lol. Disembarkation was around 3pm.

Our impression was that although we had a lovely day and Azura was nice, that was it- she was just nice. The décor was fairly tired and dated to be honest (with the exception of some areas like The Glass House) and the layout a little weird (although that could have been down to the route our guide took us). Maybe we have been spoilt by our first cruise being on the NCL Epic but I felt that Azura didn’t compare.

Things we liked were the abundance of windows and walkways outside, the number of pool areas and the food was lovely. But I just think we might be bored if we took a 2 week cruise on her with several sea days. I think it cemented to us that the ship is just as important, if not more important than itinerary to us. On the Epic we spent every evening doing laps of the 3 main decks, walking along with the abundance of bars, entertainment and dining options and just taking it all in- there was always something exciting happening and always somewhere new to go with it being such a large ship. Being able to see actual West End shows such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert on board was amazing and an important part of choosing a cruise to us.

I guess we want a ‘wow’ rather than ‘that’s nice’. We did talk about booking another visit on Britannia to see a newer ship, but I think we won’t. Maybe P&O just isn’t the cruise line for us right now, but maybe in the future once we have done all the megaships we want! Instead we are now looking at a sailing on RCI’s Harmony of the Seas. The itinerary isn’t nearly as good and it will probably cost more, but the ship is incredible.

By no means am I knocking P&O or Azura- it’s just different things appeal to different people and I'm sure if we got a free cruise on Azura we would enjoy it haha. But with so much choice out there I think we will choose something else.

I hope this review has been interesting/useful to some of you!

Thanks this is a fab review! I am in Azura soon and helped manage my expectations! Good to see photos of various areas clearly. Also useful that you highlighted what you liked and didn't with comparisons to other ships. So many people just post " fantastic" or " rubbish" with quantifying why.

All Grand class ships have wierd layouts. Nothing to do with the route, its just how they are.

Many thanks for a super review. I always think that every cruise line has its good and bad points and every cruiser is different so thank for your viewpoint re your visit to Azura. Don't forget though that this is just a short snapshot of life in her.

We are on Ventura in just under 2 weeks so our fingers are crossed that we will love her for all of the 17days :-) Similarly we are on Celebrity Constellation next year and toes and fingers are doubly crossed (It is more expensive ;-)) that we will like her too !

:cool:

Thank you for the responses! I'm glad it came across as a well reasoned review- I know there's a lot of P&O fans out there and I didn't want to offend!

Presto I'm sure you will have a good time on Ventura! I know we would on any cruise. You are right that it's hard to get a true impression of life on board from a ship visit. At least I know the food would be good if we do choose a P&O cruise in the future!

You're like us ... good time on any cruise.... :-) We have now sailed with 4 cruise lines and each one has its major plus point .Eg It may be the cheapest line but no one does it better than the milkshake on Louis Cruises ;-) Happy cruising to you.

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Thanks for the fab review, were a young(ish) couple 29/34 and are sailing Azura for our first Caribbean cruise in December. We did out first cruise with P&O in May to Norway, and due to the great prices it enabled us to afford a second cruise this year. We only have a few sea days and plan to make the most of the islands we are visiting. The only things we missed with P&O was the unlimited soda drinks package but P&O do have a card 20 drinks for £35 so we just get one of those each and the buffet didn't see to have as many choices as RCI/Princess.

Thank you for a very fair and balanced review, I do agree with you that P&O will not be as interesting for younger cruisers as other cruise lines. This despite the worries of some old diehards who think they are aiming to attract young families rather than their traditional passengers.

I just wish they would update their image a bit, especially the interior decor which I think needs much more Wow factor, and this from an old fogie.

Thanks for that review, I'm on the Azura in less than two weeks and like you, have previously cruised on the NCL which I absolutely loved. It'll be interesting to compare notes!

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Thanks for the fab review, were a young(ish) couple 29/34 and are sailing Azura for our first Caribbean cruise in December. We did out first cruise with P&O in May to Norway, and due to the great prices it enabled us to afford a second cruise this year. We only have a few sea days and plan to make the most of the islands we are visiting. The only things we missed with P&O was the unlimited soda drinks package but P&O do have a card 20 drinks for £35 so we just get one of those each and the buffet didn't see to have as many choices as RCI/Princess.

Really interesting to hear your perspective, especially in light of your cruise history! I agree P&O pricing is very attractive. The itineraries are great too. Shame P&O don't offer the unlimited soda package, I found that really good value on NCL although we have the free drinks package this time.

We walked through the buffet on Azura at lunch time and the food looked and smelt good, but again the layout seemed a bit weird and cramped. Nothing I wouldn't be able to live with though!

Thank you for a very fair and balanced review, I do agree with you that P&O will not be as interesting for younger cruisers as other cruise lines. This despite the worries of some old diehards who think they are aiming to attract young families rather than their traditional passengers.

I just wish they would update their image a bit, especially the interior decor which I think needs much more Wow factor, and this from an old fogie.

Totally agree about the interior decor- some areas on the Azura were lovely- the Glass House and one of the MDRs we saw were light and modern. Which to be honest makes the dated areas look even more dated! It's not usually something that bothers me too much, but yeah there's no Wow factor.

Thank yo for your review, it has really given me an insight to the ship.

Can I ask, did you take any photo's of the cabins? We are on Azura over Christmas and wondered how you rated the cabins compared to NCL as we have done a 4 nighter with NCL and had the tiniest inside cabin ever, but on Azura, we have a balcony on C deck, which we are told has the biggest balconies as they are double depth.

I wasn't a lover of our NCL ship, but this could be that it was a smaller ship, so hoping this experience will be better.

Just got back from a 7 night cruise on Azura to the Norwegian Fjords. Thoroughly enjoyed our trip and we thought the ship was nice. Nice but no wow factor when walking round. As others have said. No complaints though, we had a great time but we do prefer RCI. Not much in it and we'd be happy to cruise with P&O again but on Britannia. Our previous cruise was on Anthem of the Seas and although we told ourselves not to we couldn't help comparing Azura and Anthem which wasn't really fair given the disparity in size and age. We're happy though because we'll likely cruise based on itinerary in the future and P&O will give us additional possibilities.

Thank yo for your review, it has really given me an insight to the ship.

Can I ask, did you take any photo's of the cabins? We are on Azura over Christmas and wondered how you rated the cabins compared to NCL as we have done a 4 nighter with NCL and had the tiniest inside cabin ever, but on Azura, we have a balcony on C deck, which we are told has the biggest balconies as they are double depth.

I wasn't a lover of our NCL ship, but this could be that it was a smaller ship, so hoping this experience will be better.

We didn't get any pics of the cabins as it was too difficult with everyone crammed in- but I thought the balcony cabins were very nice, especially the superior ones with the sofa area. But I don't have a huge amount to compare to as we had an inside on our NCL cruise too, which I thought was fine- but we aren't too fussy! I also thought the balcony size on Azura was decent so I'm sure you will be happy with your double depth balcony.

We didn't get any pics of the cabins as it was too difficult with everyone crammed in- but I thought the balcony cabins were very nice, especially the superior ones with the sofa area. But I don't have a huge amount to compare to as we had an inside on our NCL cruise too, which I thought was fine- but we aren't too fussy! I also thought the balcony size on Azura was decent so I'm sure you will be happy with your double depth balcony.

Thank you for your input. Enjoy your next cruise :D

I would be genuinely interested if you do find a ship with the wow factor - so we can go too!

I agree with what you say, although I would add that when a ship is at sea it comes to life and in my opinion Azura had a very lovely atmosphere and culture. This did surprise me as I expected her to be like Ventura, yet they seemed worlds apart.

Thanks for all the photos [emoji4]

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I would be genuinely interested if you do find a ship with the wow factor - so we can go too!

 

I agree with what you say, although I would add that when a ship is at sea it comes to life and in my opinion Azura had a very lovely atmosphere and culture. This did surprise me as I expected her to be like Ventura, yet they seemed worlds apart.

 

Thanks for all the photos [emoji4]

 

 

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Panic mode now - what's up with Ventura?

We're off on a 17 day soon and are hoping that it may be quietish with lots of sea days. We met someone who did Aurora last August on the same cruise (17 days) and they said that it was very quiet despite it being August. We can but dream.

Panic mode now - what's up with Ventura?

We're off on a 17 day soon and are hoping that it may be quietish with lots of sea days. We met someone who did Aurora last August on the same cruise (17 days) and they said that it was very quiet despite it being August. We can but dream.

Nothing.

She is the same as Azura. But with a sliding roof and what was the Ramblas and now is the Glass House.

We go on both and are going on both.

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Panic mode now - what's up with Ventura?

We're off on a 17 day soon and are hoping that it may be quietish with lots of sea days. We met someone who did Aurora last August on the same cruise (17 days) and they said that it was very quiet despite it being August. We can but dream.

Don't panic! I just couldn't take to her, they weren't great with my allergy and on that particular cruise the atmosphere was lacking. It was exasperated at the end when I realised my purse had vanished.

The thing is that these views are not only particular to individual passengers, but can also vary between cruises - we could go on her tomorrow and perhaps love her!

I'm sure you will have a great time [emoji4]

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Just got back from a 7 night cruise on Azura to the Norwegian Fjords. Thoroughly enjoyed our trip and we thought the ship was nice. Nice but no wow factor when walking round. As others have said. No complaints though, we had a great time but we do prefer RCI. Not much in it and we'd be happy to cruise with P&O again but on Britannia. Our previous cruise was on Anthem of the Seas and although we told ourselves not to we couldn't help comparing Azura and Anthem which wasn't really fair given the disparity in size and age. We're happy though because we'll likely cruise based on itinerary in the future and P&O will give us additional possibilities.

Hi Paulrobs, as you are just back from Azura - can you remember what times the theatre shows were, there were some posts a month or so back saying that they had changed. We are on in October and am interested in the current times as we may change our dining time. Thanks

Hi Paulrobs, as you are just back from Azura - can you remember what times the theatre shows were, there were some posts a month or so back saying that they had changed. We are on in October and am interested in the current times as we may change our dining time. Thanks

Hi. 8.30 and 10.30 most days, occasionally 8.45 and 10.45.

Hi. 8.30 and 10.30 most days, occasionally 8.45 and 10.45.

Thanks, that's what we were hoping for.

Hi Enjoyed reading your review of the ship tour. I know what you mean about the big American ships, we have also sailed Epic and Harmony of the Seas, but also love doing the Azura or Brittania in the Caribbean for New Year. We were stunned by the Harmony, best ship I've ever been on, but we also love the Azura and have made some good friends who sail most years on the new year carribean and we always have a great time. We love the formal nights on P & O and having pre dinner cocktails in the crows nest, always a very mixed age crowd over Christmas and new year, we have taken our teenage/early twenties kids and they had a great time and met so many other young people. Of course the itinerary is fab.