Back from Aurora today - Back from 2015

[posford]

As a precursor to this review, I’m afraid it will not be of the standard of the excellent Selbourne, Damien or Paris Hilton. I was 45 years an engineer so my reports are more factual than whimsical.

 

This is our 42nd cruise, 37th with P&O and 3rd since Covid.

We did this Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and Guernsey (though Coruna instead of Guernsey because of the weather) on Ventura 8 weeks ago.  We enjoyed the cruise so much we decided to do it again hoping to get to Guernsey this time. The only problem with the Ventura cruise was the dire food and the chaotic dining organisation.

I wrote to Paul Ludlow and he agreed with me and kindly gave me £200 obs to spend on my next cruise.

 

Now the review.

 

As we booked late, all that was available were outside F deck. After researching that I could get one without pull-down Pullman beds we booked a cabin opposite the front lifts/ stairs.

What a revelation, NO noise, NO vibration, NO movement the whole cruise.

Just along from Palm Court for embarking and disembarking.

Next to the front lifts, and Mr and Mrs Selbourne, I thought about you every day, they were nearly always empty. 
Huge lifts empty.

So on embarking, after the lunch and numerous drinks, I went to the freedom restaurant.

I asked the head waiter the best way that I could get a table for 2 about 7.30 every evening.

He said come down at 6.30 and ask for a table for 2 at 7.30, go and get ready for dinner and take a pager and come down at 7.30.

So we did. Sometimes the pager would go off as we were walking down, sometimes it would go off, in our cabin about 7.15 and sometimes it would not go off at all.

Never mind we got a table every night, always by a window.

The head waiter was a joy. The first night it was a table by a window, the next night a romantic table, the next a romantic table with candles, the next a table with candles and roses, the next candles, roses and a choir. He ran out after that. Just to say I am 70!!
 

Now the food, I was going to say that it was pre Covid standard, but it was much better than that, it was the same standard when we were last on Aurora in 2015. Very well done P&O.

I will be mailing Paul Ludlow to tell him

 

There was only one critique that was with the Beach House. The food, waiters and especially the head waiter were very poor.

 

It was a lovely cruise with if I can say it, a very traditional P&O passenger dynamic.

 

We are on Iona in 3 weeks. Hoping for the best.

 

[Selbourne]

Thank you for your interesting review and (I think) kind words 😂 

 

We have done 8 cruises on Aurora and love the ship. As you say, the lifts are a good size and, other than disembarkation morning, we have never had any major problems accessing them with my wife’s wheelchair, unlike Iona. The passenger demographic on Aurora suits us as well, even though we are usually 15 or so years younger than the average passenger 😂 

 

As we are on Ventura in 8 weeks time, can I ask what was so bad about the food and the dining?  We had booked Freedom dining on Ventura but, following the problems we had on Britannia, we have switched to Club dining 2nd sitting. However, I have since read that they aren’t using the app on Ventura, which should make things easier than the problems we had on Britannia as there will only be one system operating.

[posford]

I can assure you that my comments were meant with much affection.

I am a keen follower of your excellent and informative input, on all subjects.

 

Back to Ventura. 
 

The food was imho poorly cooked and poorly presented.

As they do not use the app, if you wanted a table for 2 you could wait 20 mins to  1.5 hours.

l don’t know whether I should paste Paul Ludlow’s reply, but I will.

This was followed by the £200 obs.

 

 

 

I understand throughout your email you had concerns regarding the main dining rooms onboard and I do want to start by apologising for having a lowered experience than usual.

 

Your next points are regarding the service you received in some of the dining venues onboard which is really disappointing to hear. We are very set on you having the best service as possible and I can understand that throughout these experience you had, especially in the Main dining restaurants requires care and attention and this Is the dining room staff’s responsibility. Along with you having amazing service we also expect your food to be of good quality and to be served appropriately around the table and to be of a high standard and quality. After the pandemic we have faced some struggles regarding supply across all our services onboard but we do wish for this to change and to be more appropriate for you for future.

 

Training of our staff and making sure they are confident in their particular roles is also imperative to the success of your dining experience and this we are also looking into with the Dining and Beverage managers onboard to encourage any further training needed to help eliminate any issues with service, we hope that with this we can also help support the queues and wait times for the restaurants as service becomes more smooth. We do understand the importance of the organisation and the logistics of each service and venue you visit onboard and your feedback for these areas is crucial for our improvement.

 

Along with this making sure our technical systems are sound and working correctly so our guests can be served as soon as possible.

 

I have highlighted the issues you have mentioned both to the Dining and Beverage managers onboard along with your comments regarding the food quality and the conflicting information regarding using the My Holiday app, I understand these elements need to be worked on as quickly as possible so that your experience is enjoyable and be able to maximise your evening activities.

[Waju]

I do love Aurora, my absolute favourite ship. I always feel ‘at home’ as soon as I board!

Edited September 3, 2023 by Waju

[posford]

Sooory, forgot to say.

 

cabin steward, Beatrice, was brilliant.

 

On arrival, asked for 2 flannels, 2 packs of biscuits and ice daily.

 

Got flannels, 4, yes 4, packs of biscuits and ice every day.

And spookily, a chap turned up with a large dish of lemon slices every day - never asked for them.

 

she was exceptional, and was rewarded accordingly.

 

Also, 1 last thing.

Raffles coffee bar had 3 waiters making coffee and 7, yes 7 waiters serving.

Along with fantastic FREE cakes, and rolls.

Heaven.

[Selbourne]

42 minutes ago, posford said:

I can assure you that my comments were meant with much affection.

I am a keen follower of your excellent and informative input, on all subjects.

 

Back to Ventura. 
 

The food was imho poorly cooked and poorly presented.

As they do not use the app, if you wanted a table for 2 you could wait 20 mins to  1.5 hours.

l don’t know whether I should paste Paul Ludlow’s reply, but I will.

This was followed by the £200 obs.

 

 

 

I understand throughout your email you had concerns regarding the main dining rooms onboard and I do want to start by apologising for having a lowered experience than usual.

 

Your next points are regarding the service you received in some of the dining venues onboard which is really disappointing to hear. We are very set on you having the best service as possible and I can understand that throughout these experience you had, especially in the Main dining restaurants requires care and attention and this Is the dining room staff’s responsibility. Along with you having amazing service we also expect your food to be of good quality and to be served appropriately around the table and to be of a high standard and quality. After the pandemic we have faced some struggles regarding supply across all our services onboard but we do wish for this to change and to be more appropriate for you for future.

 

Training of our staff and making sure they are confident in their particular roles is also imperative to the success of your dining experience and this we are also looking into with the Dining and Beverage managers onboard to encourage any further training needed to help eliminate any issues with service, we hope that with this we can also help support the queues and wait times for the restaurants as service becomes more smooth. We do understand the importance of the organisation and the logistics of each service and venue you visit onboard and your feedback for these areas is crucial for our improvement.

 

Along with this making sure our technical systems are sound and working correctly so our guests can be served as soon as possible.

 

I have highlighted the issues you have mentioned both to the Dining and Beverage managers onboard along with your comments regarding the food quality and the conflicting information regarding using the My Holiday app, I understand these elements need to be worked on as quickly as possible so that your experience is enjoyable and be able to maximise your evening activities.

Thanks for sharing the response. It’s so badly written it makes me think that you might have actually had a response from Paul Ludlow himself, rather than one of the customer services team that usually deals with correspondence addressed to him 😂 

 

We were pleasantly surprised with the MDR food on both Britannia and Iona recently (having read all the negative reviews) so I was rather hoping for more of the same on Ventura. Fingers crossed that they have sharpened up their act since your cruise. I shall be sure to report back. 

[paulatsea]

I was on this as one as well.

Select price balcony B deck and second sitting dinner - table for 2.

Really enjoyed it.

great cabin and steward.

Good dinner table - wine waiter was a bit abrupt but service was very good.

Food was ok - good enough for us but not wow.

Horizon buffet was very good for breakfast and lunch. Always tables available and not manic.

breakfast in medina was great.

loved the crows nest for pre dinner drinks and they had a band on at 19:30 most nights or a pianist.

always had some nice background music on which is important to us.

everything worked and was in good repair.

 

Excursions were good - Porto was brilliant.

 

great to be back on Aurora again after about 3 years.

back onboard December 1st. Can’t wait.

 

ps we stayed the night before at the pilgrim inn in marchwood for a change - we usually stay at the holiday inn or the big pyramid one opposite.

it was a mistake - not good at all.

Back to the holiday inn for next one.

PPS parked with cps - all very efficient.

told to arrive at 14:30 for boarding but got there at 13:00 just to see what was happening and we were prepared to leave and come back if necessary.

joined the “early arrivals” queue and waited about 45 mins and then were allowed in.

very efficient check in and boarding.

another advantage of a smaller ship.

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by paulatsea

[SeaJane]

20 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thank you for your interesting review and (I think) kind words 😂 

 

We have done 8 cruises on Aurora and love the ship. As you say, the lifts are a good size and, other than disembarkation morning, we have never had any major problems accessing them with my wife’s wheelchair, unlike Iona. The passenger demographic on Aurora suits us as well, even though we are usually 15 or so years younger than the average passenger 😂 

 

As we are on Ventura in 8 weeks time, can I ask what was so bad about the food and the dining?  We had booked Freedom dining on Ventura but, following the problems we had on Britannia, we have switched to Club dining 2nd sitting. However, I have since read that they aren’t using the app on Ventura, which should make things easier than the problems we had on Britannia as there will only be one system operating.

We were on Ventura in May and were very disappointed in the MDR food as I mentioned on here. The quality was was poor and the presentation dire. Things were only saved for us by 3 excellent meals in Epicurean.We complained whilst onboard and again once we returned home. A representative from Paul Ludlow’s office phoned and acknowledged that there were problems which they were addressing. We were awarded £300 OBS for our next cruise. 
Hopefully things have indeed improved - I think it was SarahHben who was onboard recently and posted about her experience with some photos. Her experience seemed to be completely different from ours and the food she was served looked a million miles away from our meals! 

[DamianG]

21 hours ago, posford said:

As a precursor to this review, I’m afraid it will not be of the standard of the excellent Selbourne, Damien or Paris Hilton. I was 45 years an engineer so my reports are more factual than whimsical.

 

This is our 42nd cruise, 37th with P&O and 3rd since Covid.

We did this Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and Guernsey (though Coruna instead of Guernsey because of the weather) on Ventura 8 weeks ago.  We enjoyed the cruise so much we decided to do it again hoping to get to Guernsey this time. The only problem with the Ventura cruise was the dire food and the chaotic dining organisation.

I wrote to Paul Ludlow and he agreed with me and kindly gave me £200 obs to spend on my next cruise.

 

Now the review.

 

As we booked late, all that was available were outside F deck. After researching that I could get one without pull-down Pullman beds we booked a cabin opposite the front lifts/ stairs.

What a revelation, NO noise, NO vibration, NO movement the whole cruise.

Just along from Palm Court for embarking and disembarking.

Next to the front lifts, and Mr and Mrs Selbourne, I thought about you every day, they were nearly always empty. 
Huge lifts empty.

So on embarking, after the lunch and numerous drinks, I went to the freedom restaurant.

I asked the head waiter the best way that I could get a table for 2 about 7.30 every evening.

He said come down at 6.30 and ask for a table for 2 at 7.30, go and get ready for dinner and take a pager and come down at 7.30.

So we did. Sometimes the pager would go off as we were walking down, sometimes it would go off, in our cabin about 7.15 and sometimes it would not go off at all.

Never mind we got a table every night, always by a window.

The head waiter was a joy. The first night it was a table by a window, the next night a romantic table, the next a romantic table with candles, the next a table with candles and roses, the next candles, roses and a choir. He ran out after that. Just to say I am 70!!
 

Now the food, I was going to say that it was pre Covid standard, but it was much better than that, it was the same standard when we were last on Aurora in 2015. Very well done P&O.

I will be mailing Paul Ludlow to tell him

 

There was only one critique that was with the Beach House. The food, waiters and especially the head waiter were very poor.

 

It was a lovely cruise with if I can say it, a very traditional P&O passenger dynamic.

 

We are on Iona in 3 weeks. Hoping for the best.

 

 

I'm flattered to get a mention! 👍

 

Great write-up, succinct and tells the story of your cruise. Oriana used to be our favourite but Aurora was a close second and we would sail on her again in a heartbeat if it wasn't adults only these days.

 

We liked Iona and had none of the issues that we faced on our recent Arvia cruise, hopefully you'll enjoy it too.

 

Best regards

 

Damian

[crimson moon]

We were on Ventura at the beginning of August, the height of the school holidays, and we had no complaints about the food in any of the venues. We were on freedom dining and the longest we had to wait for a table was about 20 minutes on the first formal night. This was due, I would say, to lots of people attending the welcome aboard drinks in the atrium and when thy saw a queue forming for the MDR they had a compulsion to join it. By the time we got into the queue at 10 to 6 we were almost in The Exchange.

 

The only "complaint" we would have about the food would be that over the course of two weeks you could count on the fingers of one hand (and have some left over), the number of times we had green beans!!

 

The food and service in the Beach House was excellent and we had no complaints there

[galeforce9]

22 hours ago, posford said:

As a precursor to this review, I’m afraid it will not be of the standard of the excellent Selbourne, Damien or Paris Hilton. I was 45 years an engineer so my reports are more factual than whimsical.

 

This is our 42nd cruise, 37th with P&O and 3rd since Covid.

We did this Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and Guernsey (though Coruna instead of Guernsey because of the weather) on Ventura 8 weeks ago.  We enjoyed the cruise so much we decided to do it again hoping to get to Guernsey this time. The only problem with the Ventura cruise was the dire food and the chaotic dining organisation.

I wrote to Paul Ludlow and he agreed with me and kindly gave me £200 obs to spend on my next cruise.

 

Now the review.

 

As we booked late, all that was available were outside F deck. After researching that I could get one without pull-down Pullman beds we booked a cabin opposite the front lifts/ stairs.

What a revelation, NO noise, NO vibration, NO movement the whole cruise.

Just along from Palm Court for embarking and disembarking.

Next to the front lifts, and Mr and Mrs Selbourne, I thought about you every day, they were nearly always empty. 
Huge lifts empty.

So on embarking, after the lunch and numerous drinks, I went to the freedom restaurant.

I asked the head waiter the best way that I could get a table for 2 about 7.30 every evening.

He said come down at 6.30 and ask for a table for 2 at 7.30, go and get ready for dinner and take a pager and come down at 7.30.

So we did. Sometimes the pager would go off as we were walking down, sometimes it would go off, in our cabin about 7.15 and sometimes it would not go off at all.

Never mind we got a table every night, always by a window.

The head waiter was a joy. The first night it was a table by a window, the next night a romantic table, the next a romantic table with candles, the next a table with candles and roses, the next candles, roses and a choir. He ran out after that. Just to say I am 70!!
 

Now the food, I was going to say that it was pre Covid standard, but it was much better than that, it was the same standard when we were last on Aurora in 2015. Very well done P&O.

I will be mailing Paul Ludlow to tell him

 

There was only one critique that was with the Beach House. The food, waiters and especially the head waiter were very poor.

 

It was a lovely cruise with if I can say it, a very traditional P&O passenger dynamic.

 

We are on Iona in 3 weeks. Hoping for the best.

 

We were on there too and wholly agree

[galeforce9]

21 hours ago, posford said:

Sooory, forgot to say.

 

cabin steward, Beatrice, was brilliant.

 

On arrival, asked for 2 flannels, 2 packs of biscuits and ice daily.

 

Got flannels, 4, yes 4, packs of biscuits and ice every day.

And spookily, a chap turned up with a large dish of lemon slices every day - never asked for them.

 

she was exceptional, and was rewarded accordingly.

 

Also, 1 last thing.

Raffles coffee bar had 3 waiters making coffee and 7, yes 7 waiters serving.

Along with fantastic FREE cakes, and rolls.

Heaven.

If you could get a table!  A victim of its own success.  Especially with the book readers on sea days 

[bbtablet]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:41 PM, crimson moon said:

The only "complaint" we would have about the food would be that over the course of two weeks you could count on the fingers of one hand (and have some left over), the number of times we had green beans!!

 

 

Are you saying that the era of green beans with almost every offering has come to an end? Shock! Horror!

[posford]

No, the green bean era is not over.  P&O must buy enough green beans to feed the Nation.

 

Food was good though, apart from the green bean abundance.

 

Off on Iona this Saturday. I hope our experience will be as good as Selbournes.

 

We did this similar cruise last September and the main gripe was lack of staff everywhere.

Everything else was good.

[Bill Y]

45 minutes ago, bbtablet said:

Are you saying that the era of green beans with almost every offering has come to an end? Shock! Horror!

What! The legendary P&O green bean silo at Southampton has finally been empted.

 

19 minutes ago, posford said:

No, the green bean era is not over.  P&O must buy enough green beans to feed the Nation.

 

Food was good though, apart from the green bean abundance.

 

Off on Iona this Saturday. I hope our experience will be as good as Selbournes.

 

We did this similar cruise last September and the main gripe was lack of staff everywhere.

Everything else was good.

The silo has been relieved? A bulk carrier must have docked.

[Aud761]

I think I got green beans with almost every dish on Britannia on the last two weeks- even when it said oven roast vegetables, all we got were beans .

[Dermotsgirl]

10 minutes ago, Aud761 said:

I think I got green beans with almost every dish on Britannia on the last two weeks- even when it said oven roast vegetables, all we got were beans .

It could be worse - when I was Britannia a few years ago I had to have a low salt diet. For some reason it was accompanied by broccoli every time. It tooth months before I could face broccoli again 

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, posford said:

Off on Iona this Saturday. I hope our experience will be as good as Selbournes.

 

We did this similar cruise last September and the main gripe was lack of staff everywhere.

Everything else was good.

I hope that you enjoy your cruise. You will have the same staff numbers as we had on our cruise, but with 10-15% fewer passengers, so I’m sure that you will find it OK.

 

My top tips would be;

 

Norwegian Tasting Menu in Epicurean (best meal of the week)

 

Epicurean generally 

 

The Olive Grove - all food good, but the Crema Catalana and Sicilian Lemon Tart desserts were fantastic. 

 

The Signature Plate in Sindhu

 

710 Club (we went 3 times to 3 very different performances and enjoyed them all)

 

We also found the Pearl MDR to be very good (both food and service) and the virtual queuing worked well.

 

Enjoy!

[DAN 60]

Do they still serve see-through custard on Ventura.

[jeanlyon]

On 9/4/2023 at 10:25 AM, paulatsea said:

I was on this as one as well.

Select price balcony B deck and second sitting dinner - table for 2.

Really enjoyed it.

great cabin and steward.

Good dinner table - wine waiter was a bit abrupt but service was very good.

Food was ok - good enough for us but not wow.

Horizon buffet was very good for breakfast and lunch. Always tables available and not manic.

breakfast in medina was great.

loved the crows nest for pre dinner drinks and they had a band on at 19:30 most nights or a pianist.

always had some nice background music on which is important to us.

everything worked and was in good repair.

 

Excursions were good - Porto was brilliant.

 

great to be back on Aurora again after about 3 years.

back onboard December 1st. Can’t wait.

 

ps we stayed the night before at the pilgrim inn in marchwood for a change - we usually stay at the holiday inn or the big pyramid one opposite.

it was a mistake - not good at all.

Back to the holiday inn for next one.

PPS parked with cps - all very efficient.

told to arrive at 14:30 for boarding but got there at 13:00 just to see what was happening and we were prepared to leave and come back if necessary.

joined the “early arrivals” queue and waited about 45 mins and then were allowed in.

very efficient check in and boarding.

another advantage of a smaller ship.

 

 

 

Question for you.  We are staying 2.7 miles from the port and our check in is 1230.  We are parking with CPS.  So what time would you arrive at the port?  I am thinking we need at least 15 minutes or more for CPS to take the car?

[Interestedcruisefan]

On 9/3/2023 at 8:04 PM, posford said:

As a precursor to this review, I’m afraid it will not be of the standard of the excellent Selbourne, Damien or Paris Hilton. I was 45 years an engineer so my reports are more factual than whimsical.

 

This is our 42nd cruise, 37th with P&O and 3rd since Covid.

We did this Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and Guernsey (though Coruna instead of Guernsey because of the weather) on Ventura 8 weeks ago.  We enjoyed the cruise so much we decided to do it again hoping to get to Guernsey this time. The only problem with the Ventura cruise was the dire food and the chaotic dining organisation.

I wrote to Paul Ludlow and he agreed with me and kindly gave me £200 obs to spend on my next cruise.

 

Now the review.

 

As we booked late, all that was available were outside F deck. After researching that I could get one without pull-down Pullman beds we booked a cabin opposite the front lifts/ stairs.

What a revelation, NO noise, NO vibration, NO movement the whole cruise.

Just along from Palm Court for embarking and disembarking.

Next to the front lifts, and Mr and Mrs Selbourne, I thought about you every day, they were nearly always empty. 
Huge lifts empty.

So on embarking, after the lunch and numerous drinks, I went to the freedom restaurant.

I asked the head waiter the best way that I could get a table for 2 about 7.30 every evening.

He said come down at 6.30 and ask for a table for 2 at 7.30, go and get ready for dinner and take a pager and come down at 7.30.

So we did. Sometimes the pager would go off as we were walking down, sometimes it would go off, in our cabin about 7.15 and sometimes it would not go off at all.

Never mind we got a table every night, always by a window.

The head waiter was a joy. The first night it was a table by a window, the next night a romantic table, the next a romantic table with candles, the next a table with candles and roses, the next candles, roses and a choir. He ran out after that. Just to say I am 70!!
 

Now the food, I was going to say that it was pre Covid standard, but it was much better than that, it was the same standard when we were last on Aurora in 2015. Very well done P&O.

I will be mailing Paul Ludlow to tell him

 

There was only one critique that was with the Beach House. The food, waiters and especially the head waiter were very poor.

 

It was a lovely cruise with if I can say it, a very traditional P&O passenger dynamic.

 

We are on Iona in 3 weeks. Hoping for the best.

 

Be careful telling Paul Ludlow how good the MDR experience and food was

 

He might ask for his 200 pounds OBC back!!!

 

Lol

Edited September 21, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Bill Y]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Question for you.  We are staying 2.7 miles from the port and our check in is 1230.  We are parking with CPS.  So what time would you arrive at the port?  I am thinking we need at least 15 minutes or more for CPS to take the car?

I assume that as you have a 12:30 boarding that you are Caribbean or above so you should get a priority boarding pass. If that's the case based on our late April experience at Mayflower would  suggest 12:00. Others on CC had suggested allowing 15 mins for CPS, as CPS were dealing with three ships that day I phoned them up the day before and they said 45mins before, when we arrived 30 mins before at 11:45 there were only about three cars in front at drop off so a few minutes later we were dropping our luggage off, once checked in boarding commenced just before 12:00. The main queue was still being held outside then.

[jeanlyon]

17 minutes ago, Bill Y said:

I assume that as you have a 12:30 boarding that you are Caribbean or above so you should get a priority boarding pass. If that's the case based on our late April experience at Mayflower would  suggest 12:00. Others on CC had suggested allowing 15 mins for CPS, as CPS were dealing with three ships that day I phoned them up the day before and they said 45mins before, when we arrived 30 mins before at 11:45 there were only about three cars in front at drop off so a few minutes later we were dropping our luggage off, once checked in boarding commenced just before 12:00. The main queue was still being held outside then.

Yes, Caribbean.   Baltic and Ligurian seem to have 1200 and 1215.  We will get there at noon and see what happens.

[Selbourne]

We arrived at 1150 for a 1200 check in and CPS were very quick - and that was on a packed Iona on a day with several other ships in, so I think it will be a breeze on Aurora 

[posford]

CPS start booking in cars at 11.00.  We are Baltic tier and the last 3 cruises (Iona, Ventura and Aurora) we have arrived at 11.00, booked car in, booked in and have been on the ship about 11.30ish.

Last month on Aurora we were called to go through and Caribbean tier followed us through.

P&O have really improved the embarkation process since Covid.  Very slick process now.