Just back from Aurora weekender, observations

[LibraLass41]

Well, just back from a 2n Weekender cruise to Zeebrugge on the dear old Aurora.

 

This is our 3rd weekender on Aurora and 4th one overall in last 5 years. Noticing a few cost cutting measures now and poorer attitude in staff on these short party cruises.

 

The good,

 

Embarkation: Some people say 'you have to carry on your own cases' on weekenders.

This is not true, and I have never carried-on cases, although you are welcome to do this.

We were sent 6 ! luggage labels for this cruise, but just used two, for a case and suit carrier which we posted into the ship by the porters as with a longer cruise. The car is not parked by the CPS staff you are directed to a near-by car park and walk back to he check-in arrivals hall.

 

At arrival at the Ocean Terminal we were given the letter 'P' and M was being called so only waited about 15mins to join check-in queue, which was just enough time for a swift coffee and to fill in the health questionnaire.

 

The security queue was much longer and took longer to pass through than check-in.

Once onboard usual lunch in Orangery ss buffet restaurant was available. Cabins ready at 2pm, and our cases were there waiting to be unpacked. I see no need to cart around cases and suit carriers when it is so effortless to let them be delivered to the cabin.

 

Disembarkation

New ideas this time were that you were allowed to stay in your cabin until 9.30am, instead of 8am, so this was much less stressful. Breakfast in the main restaurant was available 7-9am, so we left cabin with just our coats and my handbag, having left cases out the night before, ate breakfast and walked off the ship straight after. This seemed to work really well, having no queue letter cards and all that hanging around with people sitting on stairwells. Excellent. The baggage hall was quieter than a longer cruise, so we collected our cases and walked to the car.

 

Cut- backs

Sadly no pre-dinner 'welcome aboard' party on formal night.All the weekenders I've done before we have still had this nice touch with free drinks and nibbles and a little speech by a Officer or even a Captain. But this seems to have stopped now, in a cost cutting measure.

 

No flower for the ladies on the formal night

 

We had sweets on the dish in cabin, but no flower.

 

Staff

I really notice the difference on weekenders compared to longer cruises. Especially at dinner, the waiters are not interested in making a connection with you, are hurried and uninterested . We had a catalogue of errors at both dinners on our table, which seemed to be the last one in the waiters group to be served from warm food, missed courses- husband had no veg (such as it was) served to him for his meal, the waiter quickly served me half a potato and one floret of broccoli and walked off....poor hubby had a warm small steak and one very small croquette potato..... rubbish.

Even water was hard to get, I saw the waiter re-filling glasses on his other group of tables and ignore us. A sorbet at formal night ordered by 4 of us never came, just the mains dumped infront of us, too late then to bother asking for it. My main was a rather dry breast of pheasant, and a small amount of veg. Coffee and mints served so late we never had time to have it as we wanted to go to the show at 10.30pm, and by 10.25 we had to leave the table to walk through the ship to the theatre.

 

Our room steward did his/her job well but never introduced himself when were unpacking and we never saw him once,, even in the corridors-really strange.

 

The cabin was excellent, clean, cosy and well appointed. The ship is still looking good.

I would sail again on Aurora but perhaps never bother with another weekender. There were lots of parties onboard - hen-nights, with shouting and laughing all through the night which we could hear from our cabin when we retired to bed. No attempt seemed to be made to stop the shouting even at 3-4am in the morning.

 

We were in a party 0f 60 and had a great time meeting friends from a cruise site, the ship was lovely, but a weekender is nothing like a longer cruise, and I hope the newbies who thought it was, were able to see the finer points of how cruising good be. The relaxing days at sea on a sunny day, etc and making new friends and visiting new places.

[SOAP DODGER]

LibraLass 41

 

Glad you enjoyed - to a certain extent - your cruise aboard the lovely Aurora.

I recently joined the cruise website in thye party you were with! However, I have been unable to access it for over a week now!!! Any news?? Some members of another site posted a link but it does not work for me.

Many thanks

 

Soap Dodger

[u2cruiser]

LibraLass, Thanks for your observations. I have been wondering how it went, with the dogy weather conditions.

 

Sounds like your dining table was just in the wrong place. Disappointing!

 

It's hardly surprising that the crew don't do their best on what must be to them hard work for little reward on these party cruises. It's not good practice as they need to speculate to accumulate. If someone was trying it as a taster to a longer cruise it's not giving a good message. I wouldn't book a longer cruise on that ship if I had experienced the same as you.

 

Good to hear you enjoyed it in spite of the somewhat lower quality than you expected. How were the sea conditions? Did you manage to spend any time on deck?

[Rum Rat]

""but a weekender is nothing like a longer cruise, and I hope the newbies who thought it was, were able to see the finer points of how cruising good be. The relaxing days at sea on a sunny day, etc and making new friends and visiting new places. __________________""

 

Oh thank you so much for printing that.

 

Mike

[LibraLass41]

Mike = cheers , comment noted.

 

We were in the queue to get back onboard at Zeebrugge and at breakfast on the last morning with couples who were not in a LARGE party, but cruising alone as couples, and were on a first cruise experience, they asked me if it was like a normal cruise...

so obviously not everyone thinks like you - Mr Happy!

[LibraLass41]

LibraLass, Thanks for your observations. I have been wondering how it went, with the dogy weather conditions.

 

Sounds like your dining table was just in the wrong place. Disappointing!

 

It's hardly surprising that the crew don't do their best on what must be to them hard work for little reward on these party cruises. It's not good practice as they need to speculate to accumulate. If someone was trying it as a taster to a longer cruise it's not giving a good message. I wouldn't book a longer cruise on that ship if I had experienced the same as you.

 

Good to hear you enjoyed it in spite of the somewhat lower quality than you expected. How were the sea conditions? Did you manage to spend any time on deck?

 

U2Cruiser

No, I thought about that today, we didn't spend anytime on deck atall. It was bitterly cold with a freezing wind. A shame, as had a balcony cabin, haha, but insides were sold out when we booked and a balcony was only a few pounds pp more.

[LibraLass41]

LibraLass 41

 

Glad you enjoyed - to a certain extent - your cruise aboard the lovely Aurora.

I recently joined the cruise website in thye party you were with! However, I have been unable to access it for over a week now!!! Any news?? Some members of another site posted a link but it does not work for me.

Many thanks

 

Soap Dodger

 

 

The site crashed a few days ago, you now have to access through a .co.uk website address.

[LibraLass41]

LibraLass 41

 

Glad you enjoyed - to a certain extent - your cruise aboard the lovely Aurora.

I recently joined the cruise website in thye party you were with! However, I have been unable to access it for over a week now!!! Any news?? Some members of another site posted a link but it does not work for me.

Many thanks

 

Soap Dodger

 

 

All CN members should of got a re-direction email, here is the new link to find the forum:

 

Hi everyone.

 

 

 

This is a mass email sent to everyone who is a registered member at crows nest

 

to let you know that we have a temporary web address.

 

 

 

to vist Crow's nest you'll need to go to www.crowsnestonline.com/forum

[Brayman]

All CN members should of got a re-direction email, here is the new link to find the forum:

 

Hi everyone.

 

 

 

This is a mass email sent to everyone who is a registered member at crows nest

 

to let you know that we have a temporary web address.

 

 

 

to vist Crow's nest you'll need to go to www.crowsnestonline.com/forum

 

Well, not EVERYONE received such an email, that's for sure. Thanks for publishing it here. It will give me something to look at later when SWMBO is watching television.

[LibraLass41]

Thats OK, not having a PM service on here is a pain, why have a friends section on here if you can't message eachother I wonder, and I;m not publishing my email address on a public forum so I can correspond that way, did that once had lots of spam ,:rolleyes:

[u2cruiser]

Thats OK, not having a PM service on here is a pain, why have a friends section on here if you can't message eachother I wonder, and I;m not publishing my email address on a public forum so I can correspond that way, did that once had lots of spam ,:rolleyes:

 

A PM facility would be an excellent and welcome addition. It would save me from going off topic and derailing threads so much :rolleyes:

[lindyloulou]

We were on the same cruise as Libralass, part of the same group of crows nesters. We were on the next table in the dining room but I am not sure if we had the same waiters. We could not fault our waiters, they were pleasant and friendly. All my food arrived hot and no problem with any lack of veg, there were just two minor errors but both were quickly put right with a suitable apology.

 

We did not bother with a balcony cabin just a standard outside one on e deck, we spent hardly any time in our cabin. We saw our cabin steward a few times, he kept our cabin spick and span so no complaints there. We suffered no noise from fellow passengers during the night.

We did not expect the same sort of atmosphere on board as we would have on a regular cruise but we still enjoyed ourselves despite me feeling a bit unwell with a cold.

[Rum Rat]

""We did not expect the same sort of atmosphere on board as we would have on a regular cruise but we still enjoyed ourselves despite me feeling a bit unwell with a cold.""

 

Sorry you were under the weather a bit but so glad you went into the 'Party Cruise' realising that it it was not the same atmosphere as a "Proper Cruise". I just hope that the newbies realise that :-) You can't beat the proper thing :D:D

 

Mike

[IVAKING]

We were there too as "newbies" and thoroughly enjoyed it. We did not see the room steward but she certainly kept the room tidy for us whilst we were out. It was busy and noisy in places but there were quiet areas if you wished to find one. Shame they could not show the rugby in the sports bar. The Abba show was good on the first night as were all the discos. Ate in Medina first night which was a lovely setting but the food disappointed us a little - I guess they were knocking out a lot of meals in a short space of time though. Day 2 had lunch in CB which was nice and also relaxing. Also paid a supplement to eat at CB/MPW in the evening of £12.50 each and whereas the food was pretty good we did not feel it was worth the extra and more effort is required there. The waiters were much better in there though. The Spa staff were really lovely and really pamper you for little pay - special thanks to Natalie for looking after us.

Overall we were happy and had an enjoyable weekend which is what it was all about.

[LibraLass41]

Yes it was a great weekend, would of had a inside cabin if any were available but they were all sold.

A shame the 2n cruise couldn't go somewhere else, been to Bruges 4 times now, perhaps could try Brussels next time, has anyone gone there from Zeebrugge? Never read of anyone doing it although the pando tour is available.

 

Another port would make a change too, wonder why PandO don't go to Leharve or Cork or even St Peter port for a change, its always Zeebrugge.

[Melxx]

Yes it was a great weekend, would of had a inside cabin if any were available but they were all sold.

A shame the 2n cruise couldn't go somewhere else, been to Bruges 4 times now, perhaps could try Brussels next time, has anyone gone there from Zeebrugge? Never read of anyone doing it although the pando tour is available.

 

Another port would make a change too, wonder why PandO don't go to Leharve or Cork or even St Peter port for a change, its always Zeebrugge.

 

Sue Rob and I went to Brussels, we really enjoyed it, it was our 6th time to Zeebrugge so we wanted to do something different instead of Bruges. It took about and hour and a half on the coach to Brussels, we had a guided coach tour around the city pointing out all the land marks with photo opportunities, then we had free time to explore the Christmas markets and have lunch....We enjoyed it so much we are thinking of going back to Brussels in the summer to visit the Museums, Monuments and Grand Place (Grote Markt) there is so much to see and do there it left us wanting more, Great City.

[LibraLass41]

INteresting Mel, thanks for that. So 1 1/hrs each way = 3 hrs travelling, how long did you have in Brussels?

 

Your the first person I 've heard of that went there, most seem to go to Blankenburg, Bruges or the War Graves at Ypres.

[Melxx]

INteresting Mel, thanks for that. So 1 1/hrs each way = 3 hrs travelling, how long did you have in Brussels?

 

Your the first person I 've heard of that went there, most seem to go to Blankenburg, Bruges or the War Graves at Ypres.

 

 

Sue, We set off at 9am after our coach journey and tour, We had about 3 and half hours free time in Brussels, It gave us plenty of time to look around the Christmas markets and have lunch, the only thing we didn't have time for was the Ferris Wheel, because we spent ages around the markets and didn't take in to account the large queues. As you know it was freezing so 3 and a half hours was plenty of time to be out in the cold.

[BrianI]

Sue,

If you fancy Brussels take the Eurostar from St Pancras and get there in 2 hours. We did a 4 day trip there last year that way and quite enjoyed it.

Brian