Azura Canaries Oct 2010 - A casual affair

[lancashire_cruisers]

By popular request:eek: I've reproduced my 'live from' blog that I posted on the P&O site. Any questions/queries I'm more than happy to answer. I hope you enjoy/discover a new cure for insomnia (delete as appropriate):D.

 

Debbie:)

 

Hola!

 

Well we eventually made it on board, albeit after a minor medical emergency that necessitated a visit to the Out of Hours Clinic prior to beginning the journey to Southampton.

 

Sunday heralded a beautiful sunny day and a mostly stress free drive down to Southampton. This was the first time we had embarked at the Ocean Terminal and very efficient it was too, although the acoustics of the building made it slightly difficult to hear some of the announcements.

 

First impressions of Azura are very favourable and I really think that she could become my favourite ship.

 

On embarking we were told that our cabins were ready so off we trotted to have a peek and lo and behold our luggage was already outside our cabin door (with labels still attached!). We have an inside cabin on A deck and it is quite possibly the roomiest 'normal' cabin we've ever had.

 

After unpacking it was time for muster drill, a mooch around the ship to get our bearings, and then the parents meeting with the Youth Crew. We had 2 lovely surprises at the parents meeting, firstly we saw one of the Youthies from our 5 week Oriana cruise earlier this year, who greeted us like a long lost sister, and secondly we were sat next to Sizzy from this forum (it was lovely to meet you!).

 

The dress code for Sunday was Smart Casual and we had intended to go to the MDR for dinner, however given the minor medical emergency and the long drive we were shattered so decided on a quick snack and then settled down with a blanket to watch 'The A Team' on the Seascreen.

 

I have to say at this point that I LOVE the Seascreen! The volume was just right and most definitely wasn't blasting out as per a previous review.

 

Tonight is the first formal evening and as some will already know, we're not participating in the formal evenings for this cruise. However, the menu for the Venezia buffet this evening actually appeals more than the MDR menu.

 

More later.......

Day 2

Another sea day today and Azura continues to impress. Some people have likened her to Aurora but I would say she has a personality all of her own; classy, understated, and friendly. The atmosphere on board is very relaxed and we haven’t seen any evidence of the usual ‘P&O moaners brigade’ encountered on so many of our previous cruises.

 

The weather so far has been very good. We had some gentle rocking of the ship during the night, but the weather has been gloriously sunny all day and warm if you managed to avoid the breeze which still has a slight chill to it.

 

Last night we ate at the Venezia buffet restaurant as the theme was seafood. The Lobster Thermidor was to die for with decent sized tender chunks of lobster in a deliciously indulgent sauce. In my opinion the food was of the same standard of the MDR, so much so that I actually didn’t miss attending all the formal evening shenanigans that we normally do.

 

Some entertainment highlights from yesterday were: Gerard Kenny singing in the Playhouse, Andrew Browning as George Michael, and the evening film on the Seascreen was Letters to Juliet.

 

Our daughter is having a great time and has made a BFF already! The Youthies are doing a good job in keeping the children entertained and you would hardly know there are over 300 on board.

 

The dress code this evening is semi-formal and we are probably going to eat in the Verona Italian restaurant. Tonight’s entertainment choices are Destination Dance in the theatre, Manual Martinez (a Cuban comedian) in Manhattan, Dennis Walker doing a vocal turn in Malabar, and the film on the Seascreen is Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe.

 

Another sea day beckons tomorrow before reaching Madeira on Thursday.

Buenas tardes from a sunny Azura!

 

To answer a couple of questions first: Yes there is still dancing in the atrium (tonight it is from 7.45pm to 8.30pm).

 

Re: single cabins - I've walked past a few times hoping that one of the doors would be propped open by the cabin steward, but no such luck. If I do happen to be able to catch a peek inside I'll post and let you know.

Just a short break there whilst I went out to take some photos!

 

We did try to get into the Verona trattoria last night but there was a 50 min wait, so instead we went to Venezia where the evening's themed buffet was Thai. What can I say but absolutely delicious - the Thai green vegetable curry and sweet and sour vegetable money bags were heavenly.

 

Afterwards we went to the theatre to watch the Headliners perform 'Destination Dance' which is the new show created for Azura. We thoroughly enjoyed it and the male vocalists were excellent. If I was to be extremely picky I would say that the show lacked the wow factor of Chronicles on Ventura, but it is a good show nonetheless.

 

We then tried to see Manuel Martinez (comedy magician) in Manhattan but it was standing room only, so didn't stay for the show. We did however go to his workshop this afternoon and I will definitely be making the effort to go to his next show tomorrow.

 

Also this afternoon we had a talk from a celebrity speaker - Nicky Slater from Dancing on Ice and quite interesting it was too!

 

Other entertainment options are: Andy Wilkins a comedian who styles himself as a 'daft lad from Yorkshire' (reminds me of someone!!), Red Mick as Simply Red, and showing on the Seascreen is Moulin Rouge and the Wizard of Oz.

 

The dress code for tonight is formal so we will be dining in one of the buffets.

 

Tomorrow is Madeira and I think we will be in port with Cunard's Queen Elizabeth.

What a difference a day makes.........

 

Not such an upbeat report today I'm afraid. We docked in Madeira earlier today and whilst it was very overcast it was at least dry and warm.

 

The weather situation since then has seriously deteriorated to such an extent that all afternoon shore excursions have been cancelled and the Captain has, in the last 10 minutes, ceased to allow both passengers and crew ashore.

 

There is quite a lot of localised flooding, road closures and transport disruption and it has now been deemed unsafe to go ashore. There are, however, still people who haven't yet returned to the ship after going into Funchal earlier and the Captain is working with the local authorities to ensure their safe return back to Azura.

 

The last time we were in Madeira was February this year just 2 days before the devasting floods that caused so much damage. The weather that day was fairly horrible but nowhere near as bad as today.

 

Tomorrow is La Palma and I hope to have something more positive to report.

A further update......

 

We have now left Madeira and are heading for La Palma. After the Captain's announcement the weather brightened considerably and for a short while it looked as if at least part of the day could be salvaged.

 

However it was not to be and there followed the worst weather of the day, to say it was a monsoon would not be dramatic! The torrents of water that flowed from under the bridges into the harbour were astonishing and we managed to get a couple of good shots that show the full effect.

 

Anyhow it is behind us now and I sincerely hope that the weather improves for the Madeirans.

 

Tonight we have Gerard Kenny doing his final performance, a classical concert, and Manuel Martinez also doing his final show of the cruise.

 

The dress code tonight is smart casual and we are booked to dine at XVII.

Hola from a hot La Palma!

 

Dinner at XVII last night was OK. Admittedly the menu wasn't my favourite of the 2 and there were some nice dishes and some that could have been better executed. We're booked in again for menu 1 next week.

 

We docked at Santa Cruz de La Palma just before 8am, after having a quick breakfast and allowing some time for the ship tours to depart we set off to find our hire car.

 

Prior to leaving the UK we had arranged hire cars for each of the Canary Islands through a company called CICAR at a cost of 58 Euro per day. The office was located in the port terminal and after a quick signature or two we found our car (a new Volvo Automatic) and headed off to our first stop.

 

We drove to the village of Fuencaliente in the South of the island as we were going to see the volcanoes of San Antonio and Teneguia. Once we reached the village the road to the volcanoes was well signposted and entry to the car park and visitor centre was 3.50 Euro each (children are free).

 

The scenery was unbelievably dramatic and you are able to walk around the rim of the San Antonio crater (it’s a very easy, if slightly uneven, walk) and peer over the southern edge towards the Teneguia volcano which last erupted in 1971, and the end of the island formed by the volcanic lava fields stretching into the sea. The colour and tranquillity of the sea which just melts into the sky has to be seen to be believed and you really do feel as if you are at the end of the world.

 

After a walk around the rim of the crater and taking many, many photographs we headed back to the car to embark on the next stage of our adventure, the National Park of the Crater of Taburiente right in the centre of the island.

 

After registering at the visitor centre to drive up to La Cumbrecita (you have to register to receive a ticket that allows you through the barrier in the National Park), we set off on a fairly ‘hairy’ road full of blind corners and hairpin bends. Once at the car park at La Cumbrecita the views made it all worthwhile. The crater is 18 miles wide and at one point, Roque de los muchachos, is the highest point on the island at nearly 8,000ft. The base of the crater holds a rain forest such is the nature of the climate in this part of the island – just beautiful. If you don’t fancy driving then the P&O Tour ‘Leisurely La Palma’ also calls there and two coaches turned up just as we were getting ready to leave.

 

Afterwards we headed for a short stop at Los Cancajos and then it was back to the Port to drop off the car and return to our home, the lovely Azura.

 

Tonight's dress code is smart casual/tropical.

Hola from a poorly Debs :-((

 

I'll write up the last couple of days probably after Lisbon tomorrow. I've had an exciting 24 hours (and not necessarily in a good way!) and can confirm that the clinic facilities at Siam Park in Tenerife are excellent!

 

More later.....

Gran Canaria

 

As per the other Canary Islands we’re visiting we arranged car hire via CICAR and again the car hire office was just across from the ship’s berth. Before long we were in possession of a Volvo automatic heading for the South of the island and the area of Maspalomas.

 

The drive took just under an hour and it was much hotter than the port of Las Palmas. The dunes themselves were just incredible and a photographer’s dream. As DD still wasn’t feeling 100%, we found a shady little spot to relax and play whilst DH headed for the dunes to take some photos. Shortly after he departed we noticed a sign saying ‘Nudist Area – 800m’ – yes you guessed it, in the direction DH had just wandered off to! Much hilarity ensued as we wondered whether DH would blend into the background and go ‘au naturel’ or charge back to the beach area like a scalded cat.

 

After about an hour or so, DH returned (still clothed!) with some great photos and tales of encounters with German nudists. We then had a brief look around the few shops in the resort and headed back to the car to return to Las Palmas, the intention being to do a little shopping in the town before handing back the car keys. However, on returning to the port we found we were in the middle of the traditional Spanish siesta and all of the shops in the town were closed anyway. A brief look around the adjacent shopping mall was rather uninspiring, however the local branch of C&A seemed to be doing a roaring trade!

 

It wasn’t the busiest day we’ve ever had in port but it was a lovely, relaxing family day and one to store in the memory bank for the time when DD decides it’s no longer cool to holiday with her parents.

 

Unusually for a port day the dress code for the evening was semi-formal. Tenerife was waiting for us the next day and little did we know what lay ahead.....

Tenerife

 

Another Canary Island, another hire car!

 

Sunday dawned bright, sunny, and incredibly hot (26 deg at 10am!). After running the gauntlet of taxi drivers offering tours, even those who ‘speak little English!’, and deciding that we were actually in Tenerife and not St Lucia such was the number and ‘persuasiveness’ of said drivers, we set off to find the car hire office. Surprisingly, this was easier said than done and there was a lot of too-ing and fro-ing before actually taking possession of the car.

 

The decision on where to go and what to do was left to DD as we had a sneaking suspicion she’d want to go to Siam Park (the water park) and sure enough that is where we ended up going. The drive was extremely easy as it was basically a straight road from the port onto TF1 motorway all the way there and takes a little under an hour. It was even hotter at the park and quite busy which wasn’t surprising given that we were also in port with Celebrity Eclipse and it was a Sunday!

 

Soon after arriving at the park I began to feel slightly unwell and found some seats in a shady spot with a nice gentle breeze that took the edge off the heat. DD and DH went off exploring the various water slides and features, including a massive wave machine whilst I reassured them I would be just fine sitting quietly and people watching.

 

At this point it all becomes slightly hazy and I think my 2 explorers returned an hour or so later, by which time I was feeling decidedly worse and we made plans to head back to the ship straight away. Unfortunately I didn’t make it quite that far and collapsed on a terraced area by the food court and the next thing I’m aware of is having 2 Spanish lifeguards standing over me saying that the doctor was on her way. My husband tells me I drew quite a crowd and I can only hope that footage of my collapse doesn’t find it’s way to You Tube! Once the doctor arrived I was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the Park’s medical centre for assessment and stayed there for maybe a couple of hours. I persuaded the doctor that I didn’t need to go to the hospital but would feel better once I was back on the ship, so I was wheelchaired back to the car and lay down on the back seat for the journey back to the ship. My wonderful husband drove right to Azura’s gangway and I was taken back on board in a wheelchair.

 

There ends my recollection of a somewhat unusual day in Tenerife and whilst I now feel much better, I seem to have sustained several injuries from my fall, including yet another broken toe (I broke the same toe on the other foot on our last cruise!), that will take a few days to heal properly.

For Helen and anyone else interested in the Captain's drinkies - well it was a non-event in the end as DD wasn't well enough to go (for anyone who is just reading this bit, this really is a cruise report and not a script for the next series of Casualty!). However, all was not lost as DD received a VIP invite for movies and munchies from the Captain (well his family really!), which she thoroughly enjoyed.

We're just about to leave our final port of Vigo and head home for Southampton :-((

 

For those embarking on Friday for the transatlantic, don't be alarmed if you see what looks like claw marks on the gangway as I really think some will have to be dragged kicking and screaming off the ship in a couple of days time!

 

For Jay, the buggy tour is basically a golf cart type vehicle fitted with a GPS that guides you around Lisbon on a pre-set tour. The GPS also includes a commentary on what you are seeing. If you google 'Red Tours Lisbon' you'll get a much better idea of what I mean. We'd booked the family pack tour which was 4 hours long and cost approx 50 Euros. Also if you book through the 'GoLisbon' website you get a discounted price and no payment in advance is required.

 

I'll gather my thoughts about Vigo and a few other things and post again later.

Much maligned Vigo

 

Today was our last port of call and I have a confession to make, virtually every cruise we’ve done with the exception of the Baltics has stopped at Vigo and today was our first time of going ashore there. Prior to today you’d be hard pressed to find a harsher critic of the town and whilst as a port of call it’s never going to set the world on fire, my attitude towards Vigo has softened considerably.

 

The morning dawned bright and sunny but with temperatures a bit lower than we’ve had for a while at 13 degrees. As we set foot on dry land we saw Independence of the Seas pulling off a very impressive reverse parking manoeuvre to berth behind Azura and the same thought hit us at the same time ‘oh no Vigo is going to be heaving’. With that we set off for the old town in search of the Rua Real and hopefully some decent photographic opportunities, which we did find.

 

The architecture and wrought ironwork of the buildings in and around Rua Real was extremely atmospheric and reminiscent of a black and white Parisienne movie. Lots of photos were taken and then it was time to move a little further into town to avoid the swarming hordes offloaded by Indy. Once outside the old town Vigo does become a little ‘so what’ but we found some nice tree-lined boulevards to photograph and take in the surroundings.

 

A time check then sent DD into a panic as the shops would only be open for another half hour before closing for the siesta and she wanted to buy some souvenirs for her friends back home, so off we trotted back to where we started and as predicted it was absolutely jam packed. Presents were quickly purchased before heading back to the ship for some relative sanity.

 

We passed a pleasant afternoon people watching from the safety of the Terrace Deck and then supervising DD and her friends playing in the pool to make sure they were behaving before braving the feeding frenzy that was the Guess handbag sale! Afterwards DH felt like he needed to sit down for a while (whether this was to get over the shock of how much I spent or just to recover from the frenzied shopping chaos that took place, I’m not sure!) so we took a seat in Malabar and watched a singer called Amanda Russell. I can honestly say that I have never heard Leona Lewis’ version of ‘Run’ quite so comprehensibly murdered before, but I suppose it isn’t really a cruise unless you’ve heard a bad singer!

 

We’ve now had our disembarkation information left by our cabin steward, so the party is nearly over and real life beckons once more. I’ll post some final thoughts and impressions once we’re home and I’d just like to wish Flora and all of the others who are taking this beautiful ship over to her winter home a fantastic cruise.

 

For those of you kind enough to take the time to read my ramblings of the last 12 days I hope you’ve found it not too boring and have managed to stay awake!

Final thoughts

Well we’re now home after a great cruise on the beautiful Azura. We elected to self-disembark after being given the ridiculous departure time of 10.50am by P&O (we live in the North West and there was no way I was sitting around for 3 hours when I could be on my way home) and shortly after 7.15am this morning we were trundling our luggage down the walkway and heading towards the CPS car park.

The journey home was smooth and trouble free for once and we arrived back at chez W at around midday.

Our overall impression of Azura was very favourable and I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on her again should she be doing the right itinerary at the right time. Of course, everything wasn’t perfect as nothing ever is but the niggles are just that and it would seem churlish to bring them up.

One thing I’d like to mention that I haven’t seen brought up before is the Rock School for the 13 to 17 year olds. Yesterday we managed to catch part of the rehearsal for the final show case and I was blown away not just by the talent displayed by the youngsters who were a great credit to their much maligned age group, but also the band, the US Halfpipes, that tutored them. They were all brilliant with the teens but the drummer was especially enthusiastic, patient, and giving of his expertise.

All in all it was an enjoyable and eventful cruise and now we just have to wait for next year when we have cruises to the Fjords and Venice to look forward to. In fact we liked Azura so much that we changed our Fjords cruise from Princess to Azura.

Casual only?

As I mentioned earlier we did this cruise as a casual dress only for the first time. Would we do it again? Yes and no.

We don’t drink so having a couple of bars ‘out of bounds’ on formal evenings didn’t bother us in the slightest and in warmer climes it would be nice to have a drink under the stars at the outdoor bars anyway. However, not being able to go to the theatre or show lounges on formal nights was a bit of a downer for us.

Not using the MDR didn’t bother us in the slightest and in fact we didn’t even go there on smart casual nights. The buffet and select dining restaurants were more than adequate for us and the choice of food was brilliant.

[jeanlyon]

Hi Debbie - good report. I am one of the ones who hated the Seascreen, but I must add that it was during the day that it was horrendously loud, not in the evening, which I assume it is really for. Sitting out under the stars watching a movie, not blasting everyone's ears on a sunny day at the pool?

 

Amanda Russell? absolutely dire! Agree. LOL

 

We also heard mediocre reports about Seventeen.

 

Azura is not for us, but glad you had a good cruise.

 

By the way, we were given a 10.30 disembark time, but simply went down to Reception and changed it for 9.00.

 

Jean

[Bispham Boo]

I may have read this wrong, but you had Gerard Kenny live on your cruise? he's one of my musical heroes, does Cole Porter the best ever. Does he do many P&O cruises?

[bogofman]

Thanks for the tip about CICAR, we are considering a similar trip next June on Ventura.

 

I assume that there were no hidden extra's or costs associated with the car hire, did you pay online before leaving home and then just present your papers on arrival?

 

Did they take credit card details for excess etc.

 

Do you think it would be possible to do the mount Teide trip on your own via a car hire? on Teneriffe, i notice that P+O don't offer it as a trip.

 

On Formal nights did you not feel out of place with most people dressed up? or are there more casual these days?

 

Thanks

 

P

[lancashire_cruisers]

I may have read this wrong, but you had Gerard Kenny live on your cruise? he's one of my musical heroes, does Cole Porter the best ever. Does he do many P&O cruises?

 

Hi Bispham

 

Yes he was live on our cruise and did 2 shows as I remember. He used to be a bit of a regular on P&O but hadn't seen him on a cruise for a few years.

 

Debbie:)

[lancashire_cruisers]

Thanks for the tip about CICAR, we are considering a similar trip next June on Ventura.

 

I assume that there were no hidden extra's or costs associated with the car hire, did you pay online before leaving home and then just present your papers on arrival?

 

Did they take credit card details for excess etc.

 

Do you think it would be possible to do the mount Teide trip on your own via a car hire? on Teneriffe, i notice that P+O don't offer it as a trip.

 

On Formal nights did you not feel out of place with most people dressed up? or are there more casual these days?

 

Thanks

 

P

 

Hi P

 

We paid CICAR in cash on the day. I don't think the option to pay in advance was on the website and you had the choice of either paying by cash or card on the day. The price included everything apart from the fuel, I was really impressed and would recommend them to anyone. You can also add an additional driver free of charge.

 

I definitely think it would be possible to do Mount Teide in a hire car - it's amazing just how much you can do when you don't have to wait for 70 people to have a toilet break:cool:.

 

I bought a Thomas Cook Travellers Guide from a well known on-line retailer (I think it was titled Tenerife and Gran Canaria but covered all of the Canary Islands) and it was packed with loads of really useful information. In fact we forgot to pick up a map from the CICAR office in La Palma and I used the map in the book to guide us around the island.

 

We didn't feel out of place on formal nights, mostly because we didn't go in the bars, theatres etc. We just either watched a film on the Seascreen or watched a film in the cabin. If anyone cast a disapproving look in our direction I wasn't aware of it and to be honest wouldn't have cared:eek:.

 

Debbie:)

[u2cruiser]

Nice report, thank you. I really enjoyed it. :) It sounds like you had a great cruise in spite of the mishaps and weather in Madeira.

[lancashire_cruisers]

Nice report, thank you. I really enjoyed it. :) It sounds like you had a great cruise in spite of the mishaps and weather in Madeira.

 

Thanks u2cruiser. We did have a great time and in a bizarre way the mishaps add to the cruise experience. Not that I'd recommend breaking toes and collapsing as a regular cruise activity:o.

 

Debbie:)

[bogofman]

Debbie,

 

Which ports/towns does the ship stop at on the islands, it does not seem to metion this on the web site or the brochure. I need this for planning the excursions/car hire pickup etc.

 

When you paid cash for the car hire did they take a deposit and return it when you took the car back undamaged?

 

 

thanks again

[tom_uk]

Which ports/towns does the ship stop at on the islands, it does not seem to metion this on the web site or the brochure. I need this for planning the excursions/car hire pickup etc.

 

For me this is the only problem with a Canary islands cruise: the actual ports can be a long way from the places you want to get to. In Tenerife, for example,

the port of call is Santa Cruz, the largest city and principal port of the island. Trouble is, it's in the north-east of the island and quite a long way from Mount Teide and the national park. Similarly with Gran Canaria; the port of call is Las Palmas, which is again quite a long distance from Maspalomas dunes. That's not to say there aren't places nearby that are good: in Tenerife the historic town of La Laguna is in the north of the island and is fairly close to Santa Cruz, and there's a good, long beach (Las Canteras) much frequented by locals quite close to the port area of Las Palmas.

 

But apart from places like these, you do need either to take a cruise line excursion or hire a car, I think.

[lancashire_cruisers]

Debbie,

 

Which ports/towns does the ship stop at on the islands, it does not seem to metion this on the web site or the brochure. I need this for planning the excursions/car hire pickup etc.

 

When you paid cash for the car hire did they take a deposit and return it when you took the car back undamaged?

 

 

thanks again

Hi

 

We called at the following towns/cities:

 

La Palma - Santa Cruz de la Palma

 

Gran Canaria - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

 

Tenerife - Santa Cruz

 

CICAR has offices at the ports for all of the above islands and for La Palma the office was located in the port building right next to where the ship berthed. In Tenerife it was a little further away but still in the port.

 

Amazingly CICAR didn't take a cash deposit from us when we picked up the car. We just paid the 58 Euros (plus change), signed the paperwork, picked up a map, and we were on our way!

 

I've got a photo from Gran Canaria that shows the dock and port building and I'll be more than happy to post it if you want.

 

Debbie:)