Review of our first Cruise with P&O on Azura.

[Starbright]

I was on A303N too. As far as I'm concerned there can't be too much dressing up - I love it, even in the Caribbean. On the elegant casual evenings I wore silky trousers and a pretty top most evenings. I don't call that too dressed up. I saw lots of other ladies dressed that way as well. It was obvious other people enjoyed the dressing up too as the vast majority seemed to have gone all out to look special. Anyone who doesn't enjoy dressing up would do better to choose a less formal cruise line - there are ones out there that don't require you to dress up at all. There's something out there to suit everyone. I hope P&O don't start going totally casual.

[Tizzy]

Hello Starbright

Thank you for your reply.

What you were wearing sounded perfect but if you were on the same cruise you must have seen some of the very overly ornate ladies attire being worn on Smart Casual Evenings. It just looked wrong and I move in enough smart circles to be able to comment on this.

Much as I appreciate that you love dressing up every evening I do fear P&O are going to lose passengers who want to dress in an elegant manner but not in ballgowns every other evening.

Whether we like it or not times are changing.

I personally prefer to blend quietly into the background. Othere want to show off their fine creations. Neither is wrong but there is a time and a place for ballgowns and if everyone followed the dress code everyone would have a better experience. This is just my opinion and I hope I do not offend anyone by being honest.

I accept there are other Cruise lines out there and I am enjoying trying as many as possible ! I don't for one minute want P&O to get totally casual.

I am sorry if I have given this impression.

[Tizzy]

Hello Starbright

Thank you for your reply.

What you were wearing sounded perfect but if you were on the same cruise you must have seen some of the very overly ornate ladies attire being worn on Smart Casual Evenings. It just looked wrong and I move in enough smart circles to be able to comment on this.

Much as I appreciate that you love dressing up every evening I do fear P&O are going to lose passengers who want to dress in an elegant manner but not in ballgowns every other evening.

Whether we like it or not times are changing.

I personally prefer to blend quietly into the background. Othere want to show off thir fine creations. Neither is wrong but there is a time and a place for ballgowns and if everyone followed the dress code everyone would have a better experience. This is just my opinion and I hope I do not offend anyone by being honest.

I accept there are other Cruise lines out there and I am enjoying trying as many as possible ! I don't for one minute want P&O to get totally casual.

I am sorry if I have given this impression.

[groovechick]

Tizzy, it's the people who gave you withering looks when you were not dressed up to the nines on a casual night who have a problem - not you. If they like putting on the glitz every night, that's their prerogative. On our cruise on Aurora last year, on casual nights most ladies wore pretty skirts/smart cotton or linen trousers and pretty tops, or a pretty day dress, but chinos/dark jeans and polo shirts are, I believe, acceptable for men.

 

When we cruised on Royal Caribbean in 2011, we found that most passengers' interpretation of formal on formal nights was a lot less formal than us (used to P&O requirements) and we felt very overdressed with DH in DJ, me in maxi dress and daughter in knee-length prom dress. We got some funny looks, so much so that on the next formal night, I opted for a pair of smart white trousers and sparkly top instead. In fact some people didn't seem to make any effort at all.

 

We are booked on Azura in August for 12 days and I have a question. I have heard mention several times of an ice-cream parlour on Azura, selling the Walls Carte d'Or brand, but then another poster said when they cruised it was always shut. Did you come across this on your cruise, was the outlet open, and is there an extra charge for the ice-cream? I am particularly interested because my children have a food allergy and Carte d'Or is one brand that we know is safe for them to eat. Thanks

[Tizzy]

Hello Groovechick

Thank you for your kind comments.

Yes I definitely saw the ice-cream but I didn't have any and therefore don't know which brand they were selling. I am sure someone else will be able to help with this question. I am presuming there was a cost? If so, it was being sold quite near to the middle swimming pool if I remember correctly. I know we walked past it every day.

[Denarius]

The ice cream counter on Azura (and Ventura) is on the port side of the ship, between the main pools and adjacent to the pizza counter. There is a charge for ice cream, but not for pizza.

[ParCan]

Ice Creams are between the Coral Pool and Aqua pool on deck 15, next to the Pizza.

They do a fair range.

Cones are £1.25 for a single scoop.

I think All the Ice Cream was very reasonably priced but can't vouch for your brand being available.

[Longislandtea]

Yes I definitely would but not another Caribbean one as I personally couldn't cope with the Formal and semi formal dress codes nearly every night. It is too hot in the Caribbean for all these Formal clothes....

 

 

Try Ventura next time. There are a couple of formal nights, but not too many and plenty of places to go if you don't want to dress up. :D

[Clodia]

I also hate the buffet on Azura and all P&O ships; we call it "The Snatch and Grab" and I try to avoid it unless I want a very early breakfast on deck when it's not crowded. I tend to eat breakfast in the main restaurant and lunch amywher but the Snatch and Grab!

 

I love dressing up in the evenings; one of the reasons I choose P&O is that you can do this. there are plenty of other ships out there which are too casual for my liking.

[groovechick]

Thanks ParCan and Denarius. Maybe I can find out direct from P&O what brand of ice-cream they use.

 

When we cruised RCI the children were able to have the free self-service ice-cream, which was great, because desserts at dinner in the MDR (on both RCI amd P&O) were restricted to sorbet and berries for them, because everything else features eggs, to which they are severely allergic. Normally their intake of "sweet stuff" is restricted to the occasional treat, but they're on holiday just as much as we are, so if Dad's maxing out on the Stilton and port and mum's having her one-cocktail-a-day allowance, I think an ice-cream a day is fair do's, don't you? :D

[VeggieAnne]

Hi Tizzy

 

Thank you for your review it was very interesting and helpful. Can you (or any other P&O Azura experts) tell me what in general people were wearing to the 60/70s nights? With a 23kg luggage allowance for a 3 week cruise, I don't want to be filling the case with clothes for 1 theme evening!

Many thanks.

Anne

[davecttr]

Hi Tizzy

 

Thank you for your review it was very interesting and helpful. Can you (or any other P&O Azura experts) tell me what in general people were wearing to the 60/70s nights? With a 23kg luggage allowance for a 3 week cruise, I don't want to be filling the case with clothes for 1 theme evening!

Many thanks.

Anne

My experience was most people just wore normal evening casual gear. Some dressed up but by no means the majority.

 

I thought of acquiring a casual shirt with 60's & 70's written all over it :D

[bazzaw]

Perhaps I am just too laid back for all the formalities.

 

Tizzy

 

I think you just care to much about what you "think" other people are "thinking" about you!! :) Withering looks???? Tosh!!! :) The only withering look I MAY worry about are the ones my wife gives me :D

 

Barry

[Tizzy]

Hello VeggieAnne

Just as Davecttr explained earlier not many people got dressed up. I wore a bright tunic top over trousers that I had brought with me. The 23kg limit is a bit of a challenge with all the other evening things or perhaps it is just my hap- hazzard packing !

Bazzaw trust me I know when someone gives a withering look !

We have spent this afternoon watching the Azura DVD we bought and enjoying looking at all the places again. I have flu and feel ghastly so it has really cheered me up. We were discussing whether we would book another P&O cruise and I was telling my husband how envious I was that he only had suits and jackets to think about each evening. I underestimated how many things I would need. Its as simple as that ! I am more used to Cruise and Stay Holidays where we only ever spend a week on the ship. Most of the P&O cruises are quite long so our choice is limited as we only have limited leave sadly. Anything for a week is perfect but ten days or more is difficult and takes a lot of planning.

[annieuk]

In my experience most people dress for the Black and White formal evening and a lot wear bright things for the tropical evening. Many men wear those very gaudy Caribbean shirts - they can be bought on board or I bought one very cheaply on Ebay. Women tend to wear something bright - I usually wear white trousers with a shocking pink kaftan and a immitation flower pinned to one shoulder. Sometimes you get the floral leis on your place at dinner.

 

Very few people dress for the 60s/70s evening - in my experience anyway.

[starryuk]

Hello Everyone,

 

This thread has started me thinking... can I really book a third cruise on Azura to the Caribbean next year? A friend and I did our first in January 2012 and the second, 3 weeks including Trans-atlantic this year.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed it again. Somehow managed to fit enough clothes into our 23kg allowance. We enjoyed the formal evenings and wore long dresses, but many wore short. I don't think anyone really worried too much about what other people were wearing. We certainly didn't.

 

Re the buffet: Yes it was crowded at times, but we used to nip up, grab what we wanted for breakfast and take it back to the cabin. (The one time we tried the main dining room for breakfast we found it hard work chatting to others that early in the morning, so we didn't go again.)

 

I suppose the 2nd time round we 'knew the ropes' and how to make the system work for us.

 

Best thing about P&O for me? Being able to make my own cuppa in the cabin...is that sad or what??!!

[DamianG]

Great review Tizzy. We don't like the hustle and bustle of the buffets which is why Oriana is one of our favourite ships. Breakfast and lunch are available at Al Fresco which is still part self service but you are shown to your seat by the staff and they serve tea or coffee. It's much smaller than the main buffet and a lot more relaxed and pleasant. Light lunch is also available in Tiffanys. The other thing that may appeal to you is the tiered decks at the rear of the ship where we love to sit out.

There are less balcony cabins available so they are more expensive but the last couple of times we had EA grade cabins which were huge (complete with sofa bed) with just a short walk to the rear and they suited us just fine.

Oriana is an older, smaller ship doubtless with an army of critics (especially with its history of norovirus problems) but it is our favourite.

All the best

Damian

[jeanlyon]

I am really looking forward to Oriana this coming September. I miss the tiered stern decks on some other ships.

 

On Azura, the thing that most put me off was the seascreen - it was so loud and it was on all day, the other pool had loud music playing all day which only left the stern Terrace Pool where it was impossible to get a sunbed. I also found the ship crowded. We waited over 40 minutes in 90 degrees to get back on board.

[Tizzy]

Hello Damian G StarryUK and Jeanlyon

I enjoy hearing about other peoples experiences and other ships. As our son has worked on many of the ships I do get to know a lot about them. Some of the things I hear really make me smile ! others like people not being fair with tips make me cross. P&O certainly seem a happy company to work for as our son is always keen for a contract on a P&O ship. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise on Azura. Personally I can only manage about ten days on a ship, as I have slight health problems it gets tiring after that. I would never manage a World Cruise. My search is still on for a Cruise and stay holiday next Winter. Don't think P&O do these ???

[VeggieAnne]

Thank you everyone, your comments have really helped with the packing dilemma!

[Clodia]

I love dressing up so liked the Azura because there were opportunities to do so! I can understand why in a very hot climate it would be hard though.

Like you I hate the "Snatch and Grab" as I call the buffet restaurant on Azura, so eat breakfast in the main dining room, and as many lunches as I can too. The pizzas on deck are good if you can't face the Snatch and Grab! It is probably the most badly designed buffet on any P&O ship and it's almost impossible to avoid being bumped into etc.

[Tizzy]

Hello Clodia

'Snatch and Grab' is a pretty good name for the Buffet restaurant on Azura! I have never seen such a disorganised restaurant and I am surprised there weren't some nasty accidents. We did see some near misses. It just isn't obvious to anyone where to start and where to finish.

People kept forgetting cutlery or bread rolls and also stopped for long chats with their friends !

We just couldn't understand why only half the restaurant was ever in use.

We did love the ship however and would do another 'shorter' cruise.

I have noticed that most of the P&O Cruises are quite long. We like cruising for a week at a time. Two weeks gets tricky with not too much leave to play around with. Oh to be retired !

I like dressing up too, but not every night. Two weeks was just too long for me. We are looking for a Cruise and Stay for next year.

[davecttr]

I have been on Azuras sister Ventura and found the buffet no problem at all. I do eat an early breakfast but go to the Beach House (Verona) where there is more room and identical menu. Never crowded in the evening either. Get your food in the main buffet and walk through to the rear room where they laid tables as well. In fact as the cruise went on more and more tables were laid as people got fed up with the main dining room and explored the more adventerous food in the buffet.

[Tizzy]

I have to admit we are not 'early birds' so we may have just caught the busy times in the restaurant. We did find that people were quite late getting their breakfast and lunch. It didn't dawn on us to try Breakfast in the main Dining room. We have often done this on other ships. I am hearing good reports about Ventura so might try a Cruise on her in the future. Is she similar to Azura in design ?

[nic104]

Hi all, just wanted to know about the dresses you can wear for formal. I have some knee and calf length dresses to take but didn't buy a ballgown as I really don't feel comfortable in them (hoping I won't stand out now?):confused: