Thoughts on 4 day cruise, Aurora R915

[JimHatch]

Good morning folks,

 

We returned from Aurora yesterday morning after a 4-day cruise (R915) to Guernsey and Zeebrugge, for Bruges. This was our seventh cruise with P&O with us already booked for Azura (Med) summer 2020. Arrival at port was nice and easy again with beautifully efficient and friendly staff on check-in at Mayflower Terminal....despite there being a problem with a left bag causing a security alert. I've always found check-in to be an effortless process. When we got our cases delivered, our new, main case was now missing a wheel making it hard to pull, and it would fall over if not propped up.

 

The ship has undergone a recent refurb, and it looked beautiful. In fact, nicer than I remember, with new carpets and generally excellent maintenance. Aurora still remains our favourite in the fleet, having previously sailed on Britannia, Ventura and Oceana. 

 

The weather was miserable in Southampton before we set off so we opted to go to the Horizon Buffet. Here, we found the hot food to be certainly lacking in comparison to what we'd experienced before. My wife and I had roast beef with Yorkshire puds and the trimmings. It was terrible. Chewy wasn't even a good description. We had to dump mouthfuls of this stuff as it was inedible, and the Yorkies were just heavy, bread-like stodge. We picked the beef as it looked the best out of a rather miserable-looking set of options. We went back to the buffet in the late evenings and found the options to be very limited, unimaginative and equally as bad to eat. We always opt to dine in the buffet for breakfast, preferring it to the MDR. Bacon was dried out and hard, sausages looked underdone, toast was cold and crumbled when you attempted to butter it. Just terrible. In all fairness, we did find the cold selections very good and the omelettes were superb as always with P&O. 

 

Our favourite bar is the Crows Nest, and we always manage to get our favourite seating area. New, comfier leather chairs this time too! Big credit to the waiters in this area. I've always found them the friendliest and most accommodating on the ship. We wanted to get a bottle of Taittinger Champagne for our first evening, only to be told they had none on board! This was only hours after sailing!!! We were offered Prosecco, but didn't take it as it was the awful Canti stuff they sell. Our waiter went to the Glass House and got a bottle for us from their menu. That really was beyond his remit, so MANY thanks for helping us have a great evening! 

 

Our MDR experience was somewhat mixed. Dishes weren't served piping hot (with the occasional exception), and no sooner had a course been finished, and they swept the next in front of you with no time between. I know there is a limited time window for 1st sitting, but we have never experienced such a rushed, impersonal experience with P&O before. We also found the dishes were very unadventurous too, in comparison to previous cruises. Again, and in all fairness, the steak and ale pie was excellent. 

 

Sindhu was disappointing. We tried this on Britannia 2yrs ago and enjoyed it so much that we booked again for the following evening (on the second week). We are always early diners and got our bottle of complimentary wine. When we visited Sindhu during the day when we first embarked and saw the lobster dish, we couldn't wait. Our booking was for 6pm on the last night (day 4) of the cruise. We were seated and enquired about the complimentary wine which wee read was still being offered when we booked some months ago. We were told this wasn't available on the last two days of cruise. What!!!!!! It's only a 4-day and we were led to believe it was available when we booked. We ordered the English sparkling wine which was excellent though. The menu had changed too. No lobster, so we ordered accordingly. We were later told the king prawns for one starter were unavailable and that we'd get smaller tiger prawns. I jokingly added that I hoped they would add more to the dish. They didn't. My starter was generally quite poor, although the proceeding dished were good. I'm not sure what one dish was as the server just popped it on the table, mumbled something and then left. Our main courses were excellent, with the coconut prawns from the Sindhu Signature choice being my favourite. Around this time, we asked for another glass of the English sparkling wine. It took ages to arrive and when it did, it was in a different style of glass. We tasted it and it was awful! NOT the same premium wine we ordered. I asked the manager to look into it and it appeared the server went to the MDR to get it, and it tasted like that awful Canti Prosecco they sell. There seemed to be an annoyed exchange of words from the manager to the waiter, and it was another 15 mins before we got our wine, which then coincided with the desserts we ordered. Not great timing. 

 

Talking of stuff running out of stock, one adjacent table placed their food orders at Sindhu, and then being typically told that there was none left. How does this happen on a 4-day cruise. We sometimes felt like we were the poor-relation when it came to cruises, with Sindu actually costing more per person on a 4-night cruise. I can't understand why we would be charged more for the same supposed level of service!!!

 

We couldn't tender into Guernsey due to the conditions. Although disappointing, we did get two nights in Belgium instead, and we made the most of it. The shuttle bus to Blakenburge train station was a great idea as we travelled direct to both Bruges and Brussels from there, with Brussels costing €34 for two of us, return, and the following day Bruges cost €10 return for two people, saving a whole wedge of money than doing the excursion (£37 each!!!!!!! saving of about £60!). It's not too long a walk from Bruges station to the market square, but wee caught a taxi to station coming back, costing only €8 total. Brussels is only 1hr 15mins from Blankenburge, so well worth travelling to if you visit Zeebrugge on a ship. 

 

Something my wife and I noted on this cruise was that staff, although generally very pleasant and accommodating, were sometimes very difficult to understand. Not their English, but that they mumbled to you when you asked them something, and I'd need to ask again....usually with the same lack of clarity again. I'm not particularly old (not 50 yet) and my hearing is perfectly fine, so it can't have been that.

 

So for me, there were many little things we noticed on this cruise, and far too many to mention here, where it seemed that standards had slipped in the two years since we last travelled. It was still an enjoyable cruise, but it's the little things that mean a lot, and with other companies doing all-inclusive for the basic price of P&O, I do think P&O need to get their stuff together and make things very special, as they used to be.

 

This was our mileage. Yours may vary...

 

[Bennybluehat]

Let’s hope things improve as we are booked to go back on Aurora in a few months time. We have cruised on her twice before and on the whole have enjoyed the experience. I know what you mean by the standard of food in the buffet, it has definitely taken a turn for the worse compared to when we first cruised with a P&O. Both the coffee & toast are terrible, which in my opinion shouldn’t be difficult to get right. It’s strange because nothing seems to be consistent when you cruise with P&O, you can sail on the same ship on several occasions and often what was very good previously isn’t as good on the other occasions and vice versa. Other companies we have cruised with are a lot more consistent with standards.

[JimHatch]

27 minutes ago, Bennybluehat said:

Let’s hope things improve as we are booked to go back on Aurora in a few months time. We have cruised on her twice before and on the whole have enjoyed the experience. I know what you mean by the standard of food in the buffet, it has definitely taken a turn for the worse compared to when we first cruised with a P&O. Both the coffee & toast are terrible, which in my opinion shouldn’t be difficult to get right. It’s strange because nothing seems to be consistent when you cruise with P&O, you can sail on the same ship on several occasions and often what was very good previously isn’t as good on the other occasions and vice versa. Other companies we have cruised with are a lot more consistent with standards.

 

I hope you fair better than we did. We're still looking forward to Azura next year and expect the standards we've had in previous cruises. I won't rule out Aurora again as it's such a beautiful ship and easy to find things. I'd really like some good toast in the mornings though! 

[Bennybluehat]

How did you find the entertainment? My main concern about Aurora was that it would turn into the new Oriana now that it is adult only. We liked Oriana as a ship but we were probably some the youngest people onboard and found all the entertainment was aimed towards the more mature audience.

[Tablelamp]

This concerns me, I’ve always enjoyed the buffet on the Aurora, in fact my favourite ship.  I am on her on 1st September so I Hope thing will have improved.

[JimHatch]

55 minutes ago, Bennybluehat said:

How did you find the entertainment? My main concern about Aurora was that it would turn into the new Oriana now that it is adult only. We liked Oriana as a ship but we were probably some the youngest people onboard and found all the entertainment was aimed towards the more mature audience.

 

We never bother with the entertainment, but I did hear folk saying they enjoyed it. There were plenty of young folk on board this cruise though, but can't vouch for how it was tailored.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

This concerns me, I’ve always enjoyed the buffet on the Aurora, in fact my favourite ship.  I am on her on 1st September so I Hope thing will have improved.

 

I've always loved the buffet, and especially on Aurora for some reason, but for us, it fell way below the mark. I remember seeing some chicken lumps that the server had just left there.....dry-looking and inedible, and that was the choice for one of their meals. My wife had a moussaka and said it was terrible. I also tried some Moroccan dish and the beef bourguignon, and these were terrible. I just left them. There seemed to be no effort at all on the hot food side, and also late eat night with a few pieces of pizza, curly chips and a few other nondescript things that didn't seem to befit P&O. I used to love the buffet late at night with curries, chillies and other stuff.

 

On another note, I don't ever recall seeing the Riviera Bar open, as well as some similar facilities. I do think some of them operated on limited hours, if at all.

[AndyMichelle]

This is such a contrast from our Aurora cruise in June...

We are not big buffet fans, but what we did have was nice, breakfast was good.

I sometimes wonder if efficiency is mistaken for being rushed?

Our waiters cleared the plates quickly but I never felt rushed, just felt they were doing their job properly.

The food in the mdr was fantastic without exception, always piping hot.

Lets hope the standards return ASAP.

Andy

 

[JimHatch]

14 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

This is such a contrast from our Aurora cruise in June...

We are not big buffet fans, but what we did have was nice, breakfast was good.

I sometimes wonder if efficiency is mistaken for being rushed?

Our waiters cleared the plates quickly but I never felt rushed, just felt they were doing their job properly.

The food in the mdr was fantastic without exception, always piping hot.

Lets hope the standards return ASAP.

Andy

 

 

I know what you mean about efficiency, and the MDR is certainly that, but this was being rushed. No time to breathe before courses....one waiter took things and another immediately placed the next. It's not like we were late down or anything either as we are always punctual. 

[Palaceman]

48 minutes ago, JimHatch said:

 

I know what you mean about efficiency, and the MDR is certainly that, but this was being rushed. No time to breathe before courses....one waiter took things and another immediately placed the next. It's not like we were late down or anything either as we are always punctual. 

To avoid the feeling of being "rushed" we ask for a small break between soup and main course or main course and dessert. We have always found the waiters to be very accommodating.

[JimHatch]

3 minutes ago, Palaceman said:

To avoid the feeling of being "rushed" we ask for a small break between soup and main course or main course and dessert. We have always found the waiters to be very accommodating.

You're right, of course. We should have asked. 

 

We only didn't as we'd never had to on previous cruises, but definitely point taken. A couple of times though, it was too late as one server was removing plates as another was already there replacing them. 

[Tablelamp]

41 minutes ago, JimHatch said:

You're right, of course. We should have asked. 

 

We only didn't as we'd never had to on previous cruises, but definitely point taken. A couple of times though, it was too late as one server was removing plates as another was already there replacing them. 

 

Just talking about the couple of times........  tell them VERY NICELY.  Please don’t do that again.  (But choose some better words).   If they do it again, just them tell them that  you are not ready.      Dinner is a social occasion, it is not a race.   (You are paying their wages).   Of course, if you are on Freedom dining, it must be more difficult, in which case the Maitre d is your answer but you would need to do it, so that he does not know which waiters you are talking about.

[jeanlyon]

Things must have changed drastically since April/May then.  We had a 19 night cruise and it was nothing like you describe.  The food was better than I have experienced before.  No rushing in the MDR and we found loads of things to eat in the buffet.  Also enjoyed the poolside pizza at lunchtime.  Looking forward to boarding on October 1st.

[FangedRose]

Never been rushed. Often the opposite Often a race along the ship to the theatre because service has been slow. 

[JamesHatch]

27 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

 

 

 

18 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by JamesHatch

[JimHatch]

29 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Things must have changed drastically since April/May then.  We had a 19 night cruise and it was nothing like you describe.  The food was better than I have experienced before.  No rushing in the MDR and we found loads of things to eat in the buffet.  Also enjoyed the poolside pizza at lunchtime.  Looking forward to boarding on October 1st.

 

We'd never been rushed before either. Well, not like this. Sailed in Aurora twice before and loved the food. We also did a 19 night on her once and loved it. Must do it again sometime.

 

19 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Never been rushed. Often the opposite Often a race along the ship to the theatre because service has been slow. 

 

Haha! I wish that had been the case with us!

[Harry Peterson]

Is this perhaps a first sitting Club Dining thing? We’ve always Freedom Dined and never once have felt in any way rushed.

[JimHatch]

9 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Is this perhaps a first sitting Club Dining thing? We’ve always Freedom Dined and never once have felt in any way rushed.

 

We always do first sitting on Club Dining, so yes. However, it is the first time in 13yrs that we've encountered any problems which is why I mentioned it.

[FangedRose]

I usually find it's my table mates (sharing a large table with other solo travellers) which slow things down. Those who insist on having a starter, and soup, and a fish course, then a main course, then dessert followed by cheese and biscuits, and coffee etc. I wonder how they can sleep after that. 

 

The waiting staff are very reluctant to serve the main course before everybody is ready, so the rest of the table is left waiting. It's amazing how some people are oblivious to what is going on. Even after 2/3rds of the table left before dessert one evening to catch the theatre show. We did think they would take the hint but we had to go through the whole thing the next night. 

[Tablelamp]

 Never been rushed on second sitting club dining and that is with Starters,  Soup course, Main course. Sweet course, Cheese and Coffee.  Has always been a relaxing social occasion.  Waiters always seem to remember your preferences.  Treat them with respect and they treat you in like manner.  Nothing but praise for them.

[Tablelamp]

3 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

I usually find it's my table mates (sharing a large table with other solo travellers) which slow things down. Those who insist on having a starter, and soup, and a fish course, then a main course, then dessert followed by cheese and biscuits, and coffee etc. I wonder how they can sleep after that. 

 

The waiting staff are very reluctant to serve the main course before everybody is ready, so the rest of the table is left waiting. It's amazing how some people are oblivious to what is going on. Even after 2/3rds of the table left before dessert one evening to catch the theatre show. We did think they would take the hint but we had to go through the whole thing the next night. 

 

1 minute ago, Tablelamp said:

 Never been rushed on second sitting club dining and that is with Starters,  Soup course, Main course. Sweet course, Cheese and Coffee.  Has always been a relaxing social occasion.  Waiters always seem to remember your preferences.  Treat them with respect and they treat you in like manner.  Nothing but praise for them.

 

5 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

I usually find it's my table mates (sharing a large table with other solo travellers) which slow things down. Those who insist on having a starter, and soup, and a fish course, then a main course, then dessert followed by cheese and biscuits, and coffee etc. I wonder how they can sleep after that. 

 

The waiting staff are very reluctant to serve the main course before everybody is ready, so the rest of the table is left waiting. It's amazing how some people are oblivious to what is going on. Even after 2/3rds of the table left before dessert one evening to catch the theatre show. We did think they would take the hint but we had to go through the whole thing the next night. 

 

I think it is only in America, that the waiters clear away plates whilst others are still eating.  It is not an English thing.  I believe the buffet would be quicker, or Freedom dining with a smaller table.

[Harry Peterson]

12 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

I usually find it's my table mates (sharing a large table with other solo travellers) which slow things down. Those who insist on having a starter, and soup, and a fish course, then a main course, then dessert followed by cheese and biscuits, and coffee etc. I wonder how they can sleep after that. 

 

The waiting staff are very reluctant to serve the main course before everybody is ready, so the rest of the table is left waiting. It's amazing how some people are oblivious to what is going on. Even after 2/3rds of the table left before dessert one evening to catch the theatre show. We did think they would take the hint but we had to go through the whole thing the next night. 

Goodness. That alone would convince me to change to Freedom Dining!

[FangedRose]

15 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Goodness. That alone would convince me to change to Freedom Dining!

As a solo traveller I prefer to eat with a group of others in the evening. There's are always others who want to go to the show, or whatever, and to pair up on tours etc. 

 

I dread the first night convo of "how many cruises?", "which ship?", etc, etc. If I was facing that every night I would go bonkers! For the same reason I tend to avoid MDR for breakfast and lunch. 

 

And if I hear one more patronising remark along the lines of "how brave I am travelling on my own" I will be getting done for murder! In my eyes travelling alone is far easier than travelling with others. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by FangedRose

[Tablelamp]

13 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Goodness. That alone would convince me to change to Freedom Dining!

 

  It’s a good job that we are not alike isn’t it.  I hate being rushed at dinner and would sooner miss the show.   If other people’s plates were cleared whilst I was still eating I would very politely ask to have my plate taken away as well.

[Harry Peterson]

4 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

 

  It’s a good job that we are not alike isn’t it.  I hate being rushed at dinner and would sooner miss the show.   If other people’s plates were cleared whilst I was still eating I would very politely ask to have my plate taken away as well.

I do agree with you. Plates should never be cleared until everyone on the table has finished that course, and I’d expect (and invariably get) a sensible pause between courses.

 

Having to wait night after night after night though for the same people going through starter plus soup plus fish course before the mains would be a trial. 

[JimHatch]

36 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

 Treat them with respect and they treat you in like manner.  Nothing but praise for them.

 

I do, always. I'm not one of those argumentative, bolshy and awkward types. I know their job is hard and I couldn't do it. Like I said though, this is the first time in 13yrs that I've been unhappy with service in the MDR.

 

11 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

As a solo traveller I prefer to eat with a group of others in the evening. There's are always others who want to go to the show, or whatever, and to pair up on tours etc. 

 

I dread the first night convo of "how many cruises?", "which ship?", etc, etc. If I was facing that every night I would go bonkers! For the same reason I tend to avoid MDR for breakfast and lunch. 

 

And if I hear one more patronising remark along the lines of "how brave I am travelling on my own" I will be getting done for murder! In my eyes travelling alone is far easier than travelling with others. 

 

I always ask for a table for two, and apart from my first cruise, we've always had one. The first cruise we were put on a table for 8, and there was only one other couple we could relate to. Thee others were chavvy, loud and crass. I do dread being put on a table for more than two because of exactly the usual 'how many cruises have you done' thing.