mara01 Posted June 3, 2013 #1 Share Posted June 3, 2013 My wife and I had an opportunity to compare P&O Adonia (formerly Royal Princess and R8), and thus identical to the Journey and Quest when originally built for Renaissance Cruises at the weekend whilst on a shipboard visit in Southampton. It was interesting to review the ship against our recent experiences on both of Azamara’s excellent ships post refurb. What was clear is the positive impact the new decoration has made to the ship compared to the mostly dowdy decor in the Adonia. More importantly, there was no Mosaic cafe! This space on the Adonia is mostly given over to shops with a few chairs dotted around. Costa Coffee is available on the ship, but at a cost and the main outlet for this is in what we know as the Discoveries Lounge. For the purposes of this review I will continue to use the Azamara terminology. The Discoveries restaurant is very similar, but there seemed to be larger tables with less of the more intimate twos as the tables for four did not divide. Windows buffet was very similar, although they had trays for people to carry their food, cutlery and drinks, clearly not served at the tables like Azamara then! The outside of the Windows deck was missing the bar area, but this did mean more tables were available, most being plastic topped although there were some wooden ones albeit smaller and in a poor state. The speciality restaurants were similar, Sorrento and Marco Pierre White, both required surcharges but I am not sure what these were. Looking Glass was similar in layout as was the Cabaret Lounge. A big surprise was the lack of a casino, the whole area being given over to a lounge in the style of a gentlemen's club. The pool area of course does not have the lovely sun loungers that Azamara has, merely plastic mesh ones, and only facing the pool, the underdeck ones were of the chair type, so no lounging in the shade watching the sea! This was also the case on the promenade deck, with only chairs to sit on. Other than that the Pool area is as Azamara was before the refurb. We visited most stateroom types and my wife particularly noted that the balcony cabins had reclining chairs, something she has often mentioned as lacking on Azamara at every opportunity! I also noted they had bigger fridges fitted in the cupboard next to the patio doors. However, it was also clear that they needed new mattresses! There was also coffee making facilities in the rooms, but given the service on Azamara I don’t think this is particularly a plus point. The Internet cafe is a table in the Library which in itself is the same as Azamara although all the books are locked away. The eConnections and acupuncture rooms have been merged into one large room which serves as a card room or wedding chapel as required. The main staircase was very impressive with what looked like new red and gold carpeting, but this was not the case over the rest of the ship and many of the furnishings were dark and dour and could do with a makeover like Azamara. The same could be said of the balcony railings, clearly the same attention is not given to these as Azamara and many were in a poor state with bare wood showing through the varnish. The luncheon we had was excellent, the Cauliflower soup was delicious and hot, the beef was very tender and the coconut meringue was lovely. The wines were acceptable, and service was good. We have sailed P&O before so the food was up to expectation, but being a day visitor, the menu choice was limited. Overall, it is fair to say it is a nice ship but lacks the quality of the Quest and Journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosport11 Posted June 4, 2013 #2 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Saw the adonia in Southampton on Saturday,i believe they still do 2 sittings in the evening and have formal nites,:):) As i always say not like the Canberra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted June 4, 2013 #3 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Thanks that is a really useful review of the layout, fixtures and fittings. Sounds like Azamara has it more right than P and O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted June 4, 2013 #4 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Thanks for the comparison. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spursgirl Posted June 4, 2013 #5 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Thanks for this helpful review. Have never really considered Adonia when looking for a cruise. From your perspective it sounds quite a tired old ship. If budget allows it's Az every time for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portofrome Posted June 4, 2013 #6 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Thanks for the comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted June 5, 2013 #7 Share Posted June 5, 2013 We saw the Adonia last month in the middle east and she did look tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikki21 Posted June 6, 2013 #8 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I didn't realise the Adonia was another ex Renaissance ship.... I am pretty sure I have seen her on one of my Eastern Med cruises, going to have to check out my pics again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgg Posted June 6, 2013 #9 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I didn't realise the Adonia was another ex Renaissance ship.... I am pretty sure I have seen her on one of my Eastern Med cruises, going to have to check out my pics again! This ship started as Renaissance's R8, then sailed as Minerva II, and then the Royal Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosport11 Posted June 7, 2013 #10 Share Posted June 7, 2013 There was another PO ship called Adonia which this one replaced,i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliveau Posted June 7, 2013 #11 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Lack of a casino would be the only plus point as far as I can see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbon Posted June 7, 2013 #12 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Lack of a casino would be the only plus point as far as I can see. love to see that space used for some type of bar - a real paino bar or sports bar- and a couple more shops.. the paino on Quest needs to go to the smalelr Discovers bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 8, 2013 Author #13 Share Posted June 8, 2013 love to see that space used for some type of bar - a real paino bar or sports bar- and a couple more shops.. the paino on Quest needs to go to the smalelr Discovers bar. On the Adonia, there is a fairly large bar to service the to Casino Luxe area and the Piano is also located here. Not sure about additional shops, again on the Adonia the additional space taken by the extended shop in the Mosaic Cafe area means that area is mostly a walkthrough with very little seating. Does the Discoveries bar have room for a piano? It gets fairly crowded in there at mealtimes and seating is always at a premium, I know the harpists (when Azamara has them!) sometimes locate there, but a piano does take a fair bit more room, and would I feel stifle conversation as it's a fairly enclosed space. The Looking Glass bar on the Adonia has 6 large TV screens which are capable of showing sports, so I guess that is their sports bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiggertom Posted June 8, 2013 #14 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Been on Journey twice and sailing on Pacific Princess, another Renaissance ship, later this year so looking forward to comparing facilities. Can't believe it will be as nice as Journey. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbon Posted June 8, 2013 #15 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Does the Discoveries bar have room for a piano? years ago on Princess the paino was in front of fireplace.It gets fairly crowded in there at mealtimes and seating is always at a premium, I know the harpists (when Azamara has them!) sometimes locate there, but a piano does take a fair bit more room, and would I feel stifle conversation as it's a fairly enclosed space. also the Journey does have the piano in there too per CC.. plus the furniture in there is more comfy than the new stuff on the Quest. The Looking Glass bar on the Adonia has 6 large TV screens which are capable of showing sports, so I guess that is their sports bar. YUK to that! thanks for your updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted June 8, 2013 #16 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Does the Discoveries bar have room for a piano? It gets fairly crowded in there at mealtimes and seating is always at a premium, I know the harpists (when Azamara has them!) sometimes locate there, but a piano does take a fair bit more room, and would I feel stifle conversation as it's a fairly enclosed space. The relocated piano on Journey was actually in a very unobtrusive spot right in the far corner, left of where the harp is in the pre-refurb picture below. I thought it fitted in very well and was really nice to listen to music in the background having a pre-dinner drink. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 9, 2013 Author #17 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) The relocated piano on Journey was actually in a very unobtrusive spot right in the far corner, left of where the harp is in the pre-refurb picture below. I thought it fitted in very well and was really nice to listen to music in the background having a pre-dinner drink. Phil Thats interesting Phil I could have sworn that the piano was in Club Luxe on the Journey when we did our Indonesia cruise this year after the refurb. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo, but I do have a Quest one post refurb fro our Malaga cruise at the end of 2012 and on that ship its in Club Luxe. (unless there are more piano's!) Steve Edited June 9, 2013 by mara01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted June 9, 2013 #18 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Steve, I think the decision to move it to the Discovery Lounge was made fairly recently on Journey. I asked about Quest and what was going to happen there, particularly because of the Jim Badger performances, but as he won't be going back to Azamara maybe they'll change it there too. I got the impression from the Cruise Director on Journey that they were seeing how it went in the Discovery Lounge. As I said I liked it there and hope it remains as a substitute for the harpist. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 9, 2013 Author #19 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks Phil, that clears up my confusion then! As an aside, how do you post your pictures on the forum, I am having no luck as it asks for an Http address and all mine are held in iPhoto on my Mac. I have tried copying and pasting but again to no avail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted June 9, 2013 #20 Share Posted June 9, 2013 As an aside, how do you post your pictures on the forum, I am having no luck as it asks for an Http address and all mine are held in iPhoto on my Mac. I have tried copying and pasting but again to no avail. You can go to the "Manage Attachments" tab under the "Attach Files" heading below the reply box and browse to the file you want, but they come up quite small. If you want a larger picture you'll have to put your photos on a hosting website (I use Photobucket) and copy and paste the address into the code. Photobucket includes the correct code so there's no need to click on that mountain and sun box. Just click on the code that appears in Photobucket next to the picture(s) you want to post and paste it into the reply. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 9, 2013 Author #21 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks Phil, I have managed to upload some photos of the Adonia interior at long last showing their versions of Looking Glass, Discoveries lounge, Pool deck, extended shop in Mosaic and the larger Club Luxe area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbon Posted June 9, 2013 #22 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks Phil, I have managed to upload some photos of the Adonia interior at long last showing their versions of Looking Glass, Discoveries lounge, Pool deck, extended shop in Mosaic and the larger Club Luxe area the bar area looks good- looking glass furniture is ok. pool is prett my standard fro many pools. but the table are great.i like he extra shops but it seesm like a walk thru vs a sitting area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 9, 2013 Author #23 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) Just discovered I have 1tb free on Flickr so here is another pic of the Adonia, I hope! http://www.flickr.com/photos/97228390@N04/8999348693/ Edited June 9, 2013 by mara01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted June 9, 2013 #24 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Just discovered I have 1tb free on Flickr so here is another pic of the Adonia, I hope!http://www.flickr.com/photos/97228390@N04/8999348693/ Thanks for sharing those. I agree with ellbon. The area where Mosaic is on Azamara is a much nicer use of space than the corridor with shops. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara01 Posted June 9, 2013 Author #25 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I'm on a roll now thanks to Phil - this one is of the rear deck we know as Windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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