Been reading up about Afternoon tea on the Azura ?

[Tikka234]

Hi going on Azure in June can you get afternoon tea in MDR or is it just the buffet? 

If you can what's it like 

Thanks

Edited May 22, 2019 by Tikka234

[Harry Peterson]

You can indeed - in the MDR. 

 

Served at 4pm, as I recall, though we didn't bother with it last time (too much food!) and it's not at all bad.  Some rather nice little sandwiches, scones, cream, jam etc + tea, of course.  And cakes - forgot those.

 

Served in a bit of a rush, but pleasant for all that, and great if you've missed lunch and just want a light snack before dinner.

[daiB]

27 minutes ago, Tikka234 said:

Hi going on Azure in June can you get afternoon tea in MDR or is it just the buffet? 

If you can what's it like 

Thanks

MDR at 4 only lasts 45 minutes. And of course in the buffet. There is also the fancy afternoon tea, which you pay for in the Epicurean. From what I have heard a bit sweet for my liking. You would never eat your dinner if you had this. 

[Bell Boy]

34 minutes ago, docco said:

You can indeed - in the MDR. 

 

Served at 4pm, as I recall, though we didn't bother with it last time (too much food!) and it's not at all bad.  Some rather nice little sandwiches, scones, cream, jam etc + tea, of course.  And cakes - forgot those.

 

Served in a bit of a rush, but pleasant for all that, and great if you've missed lunch and just want a light snack before dinner.

In the main dining room ,  that doesn't sound inspiring, is this across the fleet of P&O ?   So no live music or the chance of a Tea Dance from time to time.

 

Cunard certainly does it better then. 

[Tikka234]

Thanks for your replies may give it a try one afternoon hubby won't be too pleased he's so fussy, he can go to the buffet after  we are going with others who would like to try as well.

We only done the buffet one last time, usually days we missed lunch 

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

In the main dining room ,  that doesn't sound inspiring, is this across the fleet of P&O ?   So no live music or the chance of a Tea Dance from time to time.

 

Cunard certainly does it better then. 

 

Yes it’s across the fleet. They are desperate to get you out and in my experience start to clear things away far too quickly. The whole thing is only 45 minutes max.

 

The sandwiches, savoury, scones and toasted tea cakes etc are nice enough but the cakes are woeful i.m.o. On our last 2 cruises they had removed the menu for the different types of tea, you used to be able to ask for darjeeling or Earl Grey etc now they just pour what is in the pot.

 

Nothing like the elegant Cunard afternoon teas at all (I suppose each line has its positive selling points).

 

I did not enjoy the Eric Lanlard afternoon tea either, far too sweet and not even very good quality tea.

[amfc_lenny]

I was on the Azura recently, and tbh the afternoon tea in the MDR, is a waste of time. 

 

The sandwich selection was pretty poor, very dry bread. The scones were nothing to write home about, our table for 4 had the same amount of cakes as tables for 2? 

 

Tea, was bog standard or nothing.

 

Have to say we found both the lunchtime and the MDR lunch service very poor, very rushed, very un interested waiters.

 

Actually the quality of afternoon sandwiches is better in the buffet.

 

Hth

[GrannieB54]

You should try the afternoon tea in the Epicurian. It's amazing and really worth the extra premimum. Saying that we never felt rushed in the Oriental on Britannia. Admittedly we were nearly the last at 5pm but plenty of time to relax and chat.

[Selbourne]

We rarely do afternoon tea as breakfast, lunch and dinner is often challenge enough and if we return to the ship after MDR lunch has finished we go to the Glasshouse. We also found it to be a very poor experience 2 years ago when we asked for a table for 2, which was refused and we were the last to join a table of 8 where most of the food had already gone!

 

However, on our recent cruise on Aurora we gave it another go and it was much better. There was a choice of just 2 sandwiches (which weren’t brilliant) and one hot snack (e.g. sausage roll), with scones (fruited and plain) - all offered at the table by waiters - plus a cake stand on each table with attractive cakes and mini deserts. The scones are the highlight IMO, although they are miserly with the clotted cream (I just ask for more - you only live once!). There were no toasted tea cakes. We feel that cakes are P&O’s food ‘weak point’.  They look nice but the tase is usually quite synthetic. Standard tea and coffee was offered but, as with any other meal in the MDR, if you wanted a speciality tea you just had to ask. 

 

By contrast the scones in the buffet seemed to be smaller and not as nice, but the big downer is that they don’t offer clotted cream just that horrid and tasteless squirty cream out of a can. That’s no cream tea - that’s a criminal offence!

 

We like the Eric Lanlard afternoon tea (where offered) but would only do it once per cruise and then have a late dinner. If you are first sitting club dining then forget it! 

[Tablelamp]

We were on Azura May 2019.    Afternoon tea is served in the dining room but it is quite mixed up. Sandwiches offered and there are cakes on the table so either is offered but come at odd times.   If you have Indian tea then will pour it for you from the teapot. However if you want Earl Grey or anything which is not Indian tea you are expected to use a teabag in a cup and you have to ask for something to put the wet teabag in. Overall it was quite good If you don’t mind having sweet stuff possibly before a savoury items.