Thoughts on Azura April 2023

[Dinglebert]

Just back today from our week on Azura.

 

The main point is we really enjoyed our cruise.  As usual we met some lovely other cruisers (and a few of the other ones!).   The destinations were good,  the staff helpful and friendly.  The shows were excellent.  All in all a great cruise.   Here comes the howevers.

 

These are all minor but they do sort of add up.

 

There was a shortage of waiters.   Meals were taking well over 2 hours.   Now in itself not the end of the world. However if you were planning to go to the 8.30 show and didn't sit down till 6.30 then forget it or miss a course.

 

Shortages.  These were odd.   Marmalade was well just missing most of the time.  Orange juice at breakfast was in short supply and often not available.   Butter appeared to be rationed to one piece less than was needed eg four bits of toast 3 bits of butter.   Alpin was off the list after day 3.

 

The choices at dinner are much reduced as is portion size.   The latter isn't a bad thing.  The cheese plate was frankly pathetic and of course no butter.

 

We bought the Captain's wine package.  That first night the first selection wasn't available, neither was the 2nd or the 3rd.  I did ask at customer service about why the selections were not there and they blamed covid, which as a nurse just does not work to me as an answer.

 

One thing I would like them to do is add a time that any events will last.  It would help planning.

 

Oh well that part of what could be seen as moaning over, and believe me there was a lot of it on board even from staff.   Next PandO is 1st July on Ventura for two weeks.  However next year may very well be a different line.

[Britboys]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and good to hear that overall you enjoyed it.

[gsmt47471015]

9 hours ago, Dinglebert said:

Just back today from our week on Azura.

 

The main point is we really enjoyed our cruise.  As usual we met some lovely other cruisers (and a few of the other ones!).   The destinations were good,  the staff helpful and friendly.  The shows were excellent.  All in all a great cruise.   Here comes the howevers.

 

These are all minor but they do sort of add up.

 

There was a shortage of waiters.   Meals were taking well over 2 hours.   Now in itself not the end of the world. However if you were planning to go to the 8.30 show and didn't sit down till 6.30 then forget it or miss a course.

 

Shortages.  These were odd.   Marmalade was well just missing most of the time.  Orange juice at breakfast was in short supply and often not available.   Butter appeared to be rationed to one piece less than was needed eg four bits of toast 3 bits of butter.   Alpin was off the list after day 3.

 

The choices at dinner are much reduced as is portion size.   The latter isn't a bad thing.  The cheese plate was frankly pathetic and of course no butter.

 

We bought the Captain's wine package.  That first night the first selection wasn't available, neither was the 2nd or the 3rd.  I did ask at customer service about why the selections were not there and they blamed covid, which as a nurse just does not work to me as an answer.

 

One thing I would like them to do is add a time that any events will last.  It would help planning.

 

Oh well that part of what could be seen as moaning over, and believe me there was a lot of it on board even from staff.   Next PandO is 1st July on Ventura for two weeks.  However next year may very well be a different line.

Thank you for a very rounded review ,we go on Azura in June for a fortnight and its been quite some time since our last cruise on her so will be interesting to compare how things have changed, previously we have enjoyed all our cruises on her 

[Cathygh]

11 hours ago, Dinglebert said:

There was a shortage of waiters.   Meals were taking well over 2 hours.   Now in itself not the end of the world. However if you were planning to go to the 8.30 show and didn't sit down till 6.30 then forget it or miss a course.

 

Shortages.  These were odd.   Marmalade was well just missing most of the time.  Orange juice at breakfast was in short supply and often not available.   Butter appeared to be rationed to one piece less than was needed eg four bits of toast 3 bits of butter.   Alpin was off the list after day 3.

 

 

I think also there must have been a shortage of chefs too if meals took so long. And there is apparently  a global shortage of alchohol.

 

However I am geeting the feeling that the new ships are better staffed, and certainly Aurora was fully staffed for 1400 passengers on her South American cruise. I think that P&O have decided to focus on certain ships and cruises and not on Azura.

 

Did you get the sewaage smell at all?

[Dinglebert]

4 hours ago, Cathygh said:

I think also there must have been a shortage of chefs too if meals took so long. And there is apparently  a global shortage of alchohol.

 

However I am geeting the feeling that the new ships are better staffed, and certainly Aurora was fully staffed for 1400 passengers on her South American cruise. I think that P&O have decided to focus on certain ships and cruises and not on Azura.

 

Did you get the sewaage smell at all?

Yes now you mention it. We were on deck 5 and it was there during the day at points.  Never in the evening or at night which is odd.  

[Dermotsgirl]

Thank you for your balanced report - and I don't think of balanced reports as 'moaning' in the slightest!

 

Glad you enjoyed it, overall 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Thanks for the review. We are booked on Arvia in Aug and TBH i cannot wait. Will be interesting to see how it differs from Royal or MSC or two recent cruises. 

As for shortages, there have been shortages everywhere on most cruises ive been on and even in shops. Its a global supply issue and there are times when suppliers just cant get stuff. Or the fact they wont pay the extra to get the limited stock. It can be frustrating but its not a show stopper for us. 

As for waiting hours for food, that is unacceptable, even though the MDRs are supposed to be a "dining experience" 2 hrs is not very good. However as we cruise with our daughter we never go into the MDR so portion size is what we decide. 

 

But over all from your review seems like a good ship and you had a fab time. Its always good to hear the pros and cons. Thanks again for posting. 

[zap99]

On 4/14/2023 at 12:00 AM, Dinglebert said:

Just back today from our week on Azura.

 

The main point is we really enjoyed our cruise.  As usual we met some lovely other cruisers (and a few of the other ones!).   The destinations were good,  the staff helpful and friendly.  The shows were excellent.  All in all a great cruise.   Here comes the howevers.

 

These are all minor but they do sort of add up.

 

There was a shortage of waiters.   Meals were taking well over 2 hours.   Now in itself not the end of the world. However if you were planning to go to the 8.30 show and didn't sit down till 6.30 then forget it or miss a course.

 

Shortages.  These were odd.   Marmalade was well just missing most of the time.  Orange juice at breakfast was in short supply and often not available.   Butter appeared to be rationed to one piece less than was needed eg four bits of toast 3 bits of butter.   Alpin was off the list after day 3.

 

The choices at dinner are much reduced as is portion size.   The latter isn't a bad thing.  The cheese plate was frankly pathetic and of course no butter.

 

We bought the Captain's wine package.  That first night the first selection wasn't available, neither was the 2nd or the 3rd.  I did ask at customer service about why the selections were not there and they blamed covid, which as a nurse just does not work to me as an answer.

 

One thing I would like them to do is add a time that any events will last.  It would help planning.

 

Oh well that part of what could be seen as moaning over, and believe me there was a lot of it on board even from staff.   Next PandO is 1st July on Ventura for two weeks.  However next year may very well be a different line.

They obviously took note of your suggestions. We are on Azura now and there seem to be plenty of staff around. Dinner in the MDR first night was about 90 mins, getting on for 2 hours in the beach house last night. Early days, but quite happy so far.

[kalos]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:50 PM, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Thanks for the review. We are booked on Arvia in Aug and TBH i cannot wait.

 

But over all from your review seems like a good ship and you had a fab time. Its always good to hear the pros and cons. Thanks again for posting. 

 This is a review of Azura , not the Arvia . Either ship I hope you have a good time 🙂

[Dinglebert]

5 hours ago, zap99 said:

They obviously took note of your suggestions. We are on Azura now and there seem to be plenty of staff around. Dinner in the MDR first night was about 90 mins, getting on for 2 hours in the beach house last night. Early days, but quite happy so far.

I would be rather surprised if PandO decided the review I gave them on the email they sent while I was at Malta Airport meant they employed more waiters.  My powers while enormous and impressive to many are in reality rather non-existant.   However that said enjoy your cruise.  I know where I would rather be!

[crazy cat lady 83]

We were on this cruise too. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The ship had a lovely feel to her. We spoke to a number of staff who appeared really jolly and enjoyed being on her. I did feel sorry for the poor room stewards who were struggling to show people to their tables in the MDR in the evening though. At times a few of them looked thoroughly lost!  The waiters seemed really on the ball with serving drinks in the evening compared to other cruises we have been on over the years. 

Like you said, the meal portions were smaller but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as we were never left hungry. Sindu was amazing as always.

We met some lovely passengers and a few not so lovely. Especially on more than a few occasions some were incredibly rude to staff. 

I can’t wait too book on Azura again. We would love to have stayed on for longer.

[gsmt47471015]

1 hour ago, crazy cat lady 83 said:

We were on this cruise too. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The ship had a lovely feel to her. We spoke to a number of staff who appeared really jolly and enjoyed being on her. I did feel sorry for the poor room stewards who were struggling to show people to their tables in the MDR in the evening though. At times a few of them looked thoroughly lost!  The waiters seemed really on the ball with serving drinks in the evening compared to other cruises we have been on over the years. 

Like you said, the meal portions were smaller but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as we were never left hungry. Sindu was amazing as always.

We met some lovely passengers and a few not so lovely. Especially on more than a few occasions some were incredibly rude to staff. 

I can’t wait too book on Azura again. We would love to have stayed on for longer.

Our observations are that some people are rude to staff no matter which ship you are on, can never understand it personally

[Interestedcruisefan]

18 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Our observations are that some people are rude to staff no matter which ship you are on, can never understand it personally

Ignorant  people simple as that

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, crazy cat lady 83 said:

I did feel sorry for the poor room stewards who were struggling to show people to their tables in the MDR in the evening though.

That seems wrong, trying to turn a steward into a waiter.

Our steward on Princess last week worked both mornings and evenings, and was amazed when I asked him if he had any other duties. 

[tring]

On 4/13/2023 at 10:00 PM, Dinglebert said:

Just back today from our week on Azura.

 

The main point is we really enjoyed our cruise.  As usual we met some lovely other cruisers (and a few of the other ones!).   The destinations were good,  the staff helpful and friendly.  The shows were excellent.  All in all a great cruise.   Here comes the howevers.

 

These are all minor but they do sort of add up.

 

There was a shortage of waiters.   Meals were taking well over 2 hours.   Now in itself not the end of the world. However if you were planning to go to the 8.30 show and didn't sit down till 6.30 then forget it or miss a course.

 

Shortages.  These were odd.   Marmalade was well just missing most of the time.  Orange juice at breakfast was in short supply and often not available.   Butter appeared to be rationed to one piece less than was needed eg four bits of toast 3 bits of butter.   Alpin was off the list after day 3.

 

The choices at dinner are much reduced as is portion size.   The latter isn't a bad thing.  The cheese plate was frankly pathetic and of course no butter.

 

We bought the Captain's wine package.  That first night the first selection wasn't available, neither was the 2nd or the 3rd.  I did ask at customer service about why the selections were not there and they blamed covid, which as a nurse just does not work to me as an answer.

 

One thing I would like them to do is add a time that any events will last.  It would help planning.

 

Oh well that part of what could be seen as moaning over, and believe me there was a lot of it on board even from staff.   Next PandO is 1st July on Ventura for two weeks.  However next year may very well be a different line.

 

We were on Azura last October and the one main problem for us was the loud music in the self service restaurant and much louder again on the two pool decks.  Is that still the same?  We could avoid the pool decks, but was quite a strain the the self service restaurant - even at breakfast time, so we never felt relaxed there.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise though.

 

[happy v]

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

We were on Azura last October and the one main problem for us was the loud music in the self service restaurant and much louder again on the two pool decks.  Is that still the same?  We could avoid the pool decks, but was quite a strain the the self service restaurant - even at breakfast time, so we never felt relaxed there.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise though.

 

On Iona Musak was everywhere. I hate it. It was even in the MDR though luckily my hearing is bad so I could handle it in there. I did complain about it on the questionnaire.

[Sheila127]

8 hours ago, tring said:

 

We were on Azura last October and the one main problem for us was the loud music in the self service restaurant and much louder again on the two pool decks.  Is that still the same?  We could avoid the pool decks, but was quite a strain the the self service restaurant - even at breakfast time, so we never felt relaxed there.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise though.

 

Yes, still the same! I don't understand why loud pop music is played at the Buffet, in the morning, or at any other time! Having said that had a wonderful time on Azura!

[tring]

4 minutes ago, Sheila127 said:

Yes, still the same! I don't understand why loud pop music is played at the Buffet, in the morning, or at any other time! Having said that had a wonderful time on Azura!

 

Thanks.  We were thinking of booking her again for a good itinerary but last time we found we used the buffet quite a bit, every morning when we did not have room service breakfast and a fair few times in the evening as well.  May well put us off booking though.  Need to have a good think about it.

 

 

[tring]

2 hours ago, happy v said:

On Iona Musak was everywhere. I hate it. It was even in the MDR though luckily my hearing is bad so I could handle it in there. I did complain about it on the questionnaire.

 

I think it was in the MDR on Azura as well last Oct, but at a much quieter level, so we did not notice when there were a number of people in there.

 

[Sheila127]

Just now, tring said:

 

Thanks.  We were thinking of booking her again for a good itinerary but last time we found we used the buffet quite a bit, every morning when we did not have room service breakfast and a fair few times in the evening as well.  May well put us off booking though.  Need to have a good think about it.

 

 

I wouldn't let this put you off! Everything else on the Azura was very good and I wouldn't hesitate to book the Azura again!

[tring]

9 hours ago, Sheila127 said:

I wouldn't let this put you off! Everything else on the Azura was very good and I wouldn't hesitate to book the Azura again!

 

Thanks.  We cruise for itineraries, so really that should be the main thing, but we do like a peaceful ship as well, which is why I felt the loud music was a big out off.  In October the MDR was not working very well, in fact quite chaotic at times, so we used the self service, Sindu or the Glasshouse on a number of nights.  How was the mdr working when you were on board and were you on Freedom dining?  We were on Freedom dining and tended to eat late most nights, but are thinking itay be better if we ate earlier.

 

Barbara

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by tring

[Sheila127]

Just now, tring said:

 

Thanks.  We cruise for itineraries, so really that should be the main thing, but we do like a peaceful ship as well, which is why I felt the loud music was a big out off.  In October the MDR was not working very well, in fact quite chaotic at times, so we used the self service, Sindu or the Glasshouse on a number of nights.  How was the mdr working when you were on board and were you on Freedom dining?  We were on Freedom dining and tended to eat late most nights, but are thinking itay be better if we ate earlier.

 

Barbara

 

I was on freedom dining and ate in the MDR every evening.  I went early approx 6.30 and had no trouble at all  getting a table and was out in plenty of time for the 8.30 shows! I had the impression from others that the later you went the busier it was!  

[tring]

33 minutes ago, Sheila127 said:

I was on freedom dining and ate in the MDR every evening.  I went early approx 6.30 and had no trouble at all  getting a table and was out in plenty of time for the 8.30 shows! I had the impression from others that the later you went the busier it was!  

 

Thanks that could well make all the difference to us.  Must try to be earlier in future.

 

[Josy1953]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:05 PM, wowzz said:

That seems wrong, trying to turn a steward into a waiter.

Our steward on Princess last week worked both mornings and evenings, and was amazed when I asked him if he had any other duties. 

I agree completely, our steward on Princess last week was one of the best that we have and was always around mornings and evenings but told us that he had afternoons off.  It seems extreme to expect these people to do even more by working as a waiter.  Penny-pinching by P&O ?

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, Josy1953 said:

I agree completely, our steward on Princess last week was one of the best that we have and was always around mornings and evenings but told us that he had afternoons off.  It seems extreme to expect these people to do even more by working as a waiter.  Penny-pinching by P&O ?

Penny pinching and exploitation of staff by P&O.