Back from Aurora - Eastern Med

[Mysticalmother]

Mysticalmother checking in! As Jean C mentioned I was on this cruise with my husband, and I had to blow my cover! We had a great time. All the staff we came into contact with ( bar one) were wonderful. We had 15 days of fabulous weather, although. The ride home from Gib, which we missed, was one of the worst I have ever experienced.. the passage up the West coast of Portugal was even worse than the BoB…imho.
We were on Freedom dining and unless you queued up at the very start at 6pm , if you wanted a table for 2 ( which we did) you were given a pager. We usually went down about 6.45  - 7pm and the longest we ever waited was 45mins..and that was the last night. It was usually between 10-30 mins. 
They don’t keep unfinished bottles of wine for you on Freedom dining sadly…. Which meant We were forced to drink it all..🤣

Both the 2 speakers for the first half of the cruise were excellent..I went to all of the talks and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were by David Saunders and Paul Stickler. I also went to one of the set of talks for the second half of the cruise..again fascinating subject, although if I am honest his presentation style was not as dynamic ..but still well worth going to. 
We were fortunate to have booked a mini - suite for this cruise. We still had evening turn down and cabin service..although I can happily do without this. We also instead of just having a bowl of fruit, we filled out a card with our requirements…so we only had the type of fruit we wanted. This to me is a positive move, less wastage.

Ted Bovis irritated the heck out of me! But the entertainment we saw we were impressed with. …The Vinylettes, Neil Lockwood, Tom Ball…to name a few. And on one sea day afternoon, the headliners performed a Play…Alan Aykbourn’s   “ Relatively Speaking”..we thoroughly enjoyed this even though we had seen it previously on Adonia many years ago. Jean mentioned the volume in the theatre… we discovered that the sound was “ les loud” near the front…must be to do with the location of speakers..?

Food..we were generally happy with the food. Unfortunately, due to a current medical problem, my eating requirements were a bit complex and so I ordered everything the night before. I was so well looked after…and I ate mainly fish, which was beautifully cooked without exception. My husband only had one meal he wasn't overly happy with, but he felt he probably just made the wrong choice! Curries, stir frys and similar were simply not on my diet sheet! ( it was for this reason we declined to share tables this time..I would have held others up if we had shared) 

We used the buffet for breakfast..something we haven't done for years always preferring the MDR. But it suited my dietary problem better…and we never had any trouble at all finding a table. Not once, and this was usually around 9 ish. The breakfast Omelette station is alive and kicking on Aurora…although I know its not on all ships.

Yes, she is an older ship, we did notice some of the furnishings needed replacing, but I didn't go looking for faults and nothing in that respect had any adverse effect on our enjoyment.
My only gripe was with the Internet. I purchased in advance the Top package the “ Ultimate wifi” ( my reasons, not for discussion) but this simply was dreadful in our cabin. Ok ish in public areas, but i wanted it in the privacy of my cabin…not in a bar, or restaurant. i have never known it this bad on any other ship I have been on. Reception staff were “ unhelpful” …and I had to resort to contacting HQ by FB messenger to get anywhere. It was resolved by means of a substantial refund but reception should have dealt with this without the intervention of HQ …i understand others had similar problems in the area where our cabins were.

Well, if you have got to the end of this…well done! We had a wonderful cruise..thanks P&O.

[Son of Anarchy]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Sindhu - The food is OK but we don’t like the location on Aurora, as it’s around the atrium in an area that is used as an overspill for the coffee shop during the day. They used to do ‘Tiffin’ lunches on sea days, which were excellent, but whether or not they’ve stopped since Covid I don’t know (perhaps those who’ve just disembarked can advise?)

Sindhu were doing the Tiffin box lunches on some sea days when we were on board in September.  Didn't go though.  By the time friends we were travelling with decided to give it a go, the remaining days were fully booked.

[Mysticalmother]

Should have added we loved the Glass House food, beach house not so much. Sindhu was a no no for us as strong spices and chilli heat are not currently on my menu…☹️

[jeanlyon]

5 minutes ago, Mysticalmother said:

Mysticalmother checking in! As Jean C mentioned I was on this cruise with my husband, and I had to blow my cover! We had a great time. All the staff we came into contact with ( bar one) were wonderful. We had 15 days of fabulous weather, although. The ride home from Gib, which we missed, was one of the worst I have ever experienced.. the passage up the West coast of Portugal was even worse than the BoB…imho.
We were on Freedom dining and unless you queued up at the very start at 6pm , if you wanted a table for 2 ( which we did) you were given a pager. We usually went down about 6.45  - 7pm and the longest we ever waited was 45mins..and that was the last night. It was usually between 10-30 mins. 
They don’t keep unfinished bottles of wine for you on Freedom dining sadly…. Which meant We were forced to drink it all..🤣

Both the 2 speakers for the first half of the cruise were excellent..I went to all of the talks and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were by David Saunders and Paul Stickler. I also went to one of the set of talks for the second half of the cruise..again fascinating subject, although if I am honest his presentation style was not as dynamic ..but still well worth going to. 
We were fortunate to have booked a mini - suite for this cruise. We still had evening turn down and cabin service..although I can happily do without this. We also instead of just having a bowl of fruit, we filled out a card with our requirements…so we only had the type of fruit we wanted. This to me is a positive move, less wastage.

Ted Bovis irritated the heck out of me! But the entertainment we saw we were impressed with. …The Vinylettes, Neil Lockwood, Tom Ball…to name a few. And on one sea day afternoon, the headliners performed a Play…Alan Aykbourn’s   “ Relatively Speaking”..we thoroughly enjoyed this even though we had seen it previously on Adonia many years ago. Jean mentioned the volume in the theatre… we discovered that the sound was “ les loud” near the front…must be to do with the location of speakers..?

Food..we were generally happy with the food. Unfortunately, due to a current medical problem, my eating requirements were a bit complex and so I ordered everything the night before. I was so well looked after…and I ate mainly fish, which was beautifully cooked without exception. My husband only had one meal he wasn't overly happy with, but he felt he probably just made the wrong choice! Curries, stir frys and similar were simply not on my diet sheet! ( it was for this reason we declined to share tables this time..I would have held others up if we had shared) 

We used the buffet for breakfast..something we haven't done for years always preferring the MDR. But it suited my dietary problem better…and we never had any trouble at all finding a table. Not once, and this was usually around 9 ish. The breakfast Omelette station is alive and kicking on Aurora…although I know its not on all ships.

Yes, she is an older ship, we did notice some of the furnishings needed replacing, but I didn't go looking for faults and nothing in that respect had any adverse effect on our enjoyment.
My only gripe was with the Internet. I purchased in advance the Top package the “ Ultimate wifi” ( my reasons, not for discussion) but this simply was dreadful in our cabin. Ok ish in public areas, but i wanted it in the privacy of my cabin…not in a bar, or restaurant. i have never known it this bad on any other ship I have been on. Reception staff were “ unhelpful” …and I had to resort to contacting HQ by FB messenger to get anywhere. It was resolved by means of a substantial refund but reception should have dealt with this without the intervention of HQ …i understand others had similar problems in the area where our cabins were.

Well, if you have got to the end of this…well done! We had a wonderful cruise..thanks P&O.

Hi Pat.   Agree about the buffet for breakfast.  We had no problem getting a table and I thought the choice was excellent.  We also had no problem getting a sunbed and didn't we have fantastic weather.

[mklions]

10 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Sindhu were doing the Tiffin box lunches on some sea days when we were on board in September.  Didn't go though.  By the time friends we were travelling with decided to give it a go, the remaining days were fully booked.

Interested to know what is a Tiffin Box?, and is it chargeable?

[Selbourne]

Just now, mklions said:

Interested to know what is a Tiffin Box?, and is it chargeable?

It’s not a box. You order up to three things and they each come in a separate little metal lidded pot, stacked on top one another. Yes it’s chargeable but very reasonable - and a nice change to the normal lunches. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

19 minutes ago, Mysticalmother said:

Mysticalmother checking in! As Jean C mentioned I was on this cruise with my husband, and I had to blow my cover! We had a great time. All the staff we came into contact with ( bar one) were wonderful. We had 15 days of fabulous weather, although. The ride home from Gib, which we missed, was one of the worst I have ever experienced.. the passage up the West coast of Portugal was even worse than the BoB…imho.
We were on Freedom dining and unless you queued up at the very start at 6pm , if you wanted a table for 2 ( which we did) you were given a pager. We usually went down about 6.45  - 7pm and the longest we ever waited was 45mins..and that was the last night. It was usually between 10-30 mins. 
They don’t keep unfinished bottles of wine for you on Freedom dining sadly…. Which meant We were forced to drink it all..🤣

Both the 2 speakers for the first half of the cruise were excellent..I went to all of the talks and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were by David Saunders and Paul Stickler. I also went to one of the set of talks for the second half of the cruise..again fascinating subject, although if I am honest his presentation style was not as dynamic ..but still well worth going to. 
We were fortunate to have booked a mini - suite for this cruise. We still had evening turn down and cabin service..although I can happily do without this. We also instead of just having a bowl of fruit, we filled out a card with our requirements…so we only had the type of fruit we wanted. This to me is a positive move, less wastage.

Ted Bovis irritated the heck out of me! But the entertainment we saw we were impressed with. …The Vinylettes, Neil Lockwood, Tom Ball…to name a few. And on one sea day afternoon, the headliners performed a Play…Alan Aykbourn’s   “ Relatively Speaking”..we thoroughly enjoyed this even though we had seen it previously on Adonia many years ago. Jean mentioned the volume in the theatre… we discovered that the sound was “ les loud” near the front…must be to do with the location of speakers..?

Food..we were generally happy with the food. Unfortunately, due to a current medical problem, my eating requirements were a bit complex and so I ordered everything the night before. I was so well looked after…and I ate mainly fish, which was beautifully cooked without exception. My husband only had one meal he wasn't overly happy with, but he felt he probably just made the wrong choice! Curries, stir frys and similar were simply not on my diet sheet! ( it was for this reason we declined to share tables this time..I would have held others up if we had shared) 

We used the buffet for breakfast..something we haven't done for years always preferring the MDR. But it suited my dietary problem better…and we never had any trouble at all finding a table. Not once, and this was usually around 9 ish. The breakfast Omelette station is alive and kicking on Aurora…although I know its not on all ships.

Yes, she is an older ship, we did notice some of the furnishings needed replacing, but I didn't go looking for faults and nothing in that respect had any adverse effect on our enjoyment.
My only gripe was with the Internet. I purchased in advance the Top package the “ Ultimate wifi” ( my reasons, not for discussion) but this simply was dreadful in our cabin. Ok ish in public areas, but i wanted it in the privacy of my cabin…not in a bar, or restaurant. i have never known it this bad on any other ship I have been on. Reception staff were “ unhelpful” …and I had to resort to contacting HQ by FB messenger to get anywhere. It was resolved by means of a substantial refund but reception should have dealt with this without the intervention of HQ …i understand others had similar problems in the area where our cabins were.

Well, if you have got to the end of this…well done! We had a wonderful cruise..thanks P&O.

That's a really excellent review. Glad you had a great time!

[Son of Anarchy]

51 minutes ago, mklions said:

Interested to know what is a Tiffin Box?, and is it chargeable?

I think it was £2.95 per dish, or you could have 3 for £6.95.

 

We tried them on Azura pre-pandemic.  Well worth it.  Only bottled beer in Sindhu (on Azura) so if you want a pint order elsewhere and take in with you.  Easy on Aurora, Glass House is on the same deck.

[Holcha]

We were also on this cruise and enjoyed it.  We used Sindhu, Glass House and Beach House more than MDR.  We found speakers good, enjoyed the entertainment, and most of the staff were excellent.  We were a little disappointed with some of the excursions as not as well organised as previous ones, however for the most part the tour leaders were very knowledgeable.  We were also disappointed not to have had a little more info from the Captain during the three rough weather days.  We have booked Aurora again for next September.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, we noticed on Britannia and Iona this summer that it was no more expensive to buy wine by the glass (when available) but it’s far more about convenience for us. I like to have a bottle of white and a bottle of red on the go, as I will often have white with a starter and sometimes switch to red for a main course. My wife drinks very little alcohol nowadays due to her condition, and a very small glass is often adequate for her. She will rarely order by the glass as she doesn’t always want that much. Whilst in the main the drinks waiters brought the glasses of wine fairly quickly, I only ever ordered a wine for the main course, as it sometimes didn’t arrive until I was already eating the starter (or had even finished it). 
 

I can’t help but wonder if the abolition of wine waiters in the MDRs is a cost cutting measure that may have backfired, as we certainly spend less on wine now than we used to!

TBH @Selbourne I think the service is much better now, your table waiters take your wine order before your meal order, and they have waiters who pour and deliver wines, as a result you now get your drinks before your dessert course!!!!🤣

[gsmt47471015]

13 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Hi Pat.   Agree about the buffet for breakfast.  We had no problem getting a table and I thought the choice was excellent.  We also had no problem getting a sunbed and didn't we have fantastic weather.

Jean , could you tell me who the captain was on your cruise please? Glad you enjoyed your return to cruising and the fact you have booked another on Arcadia means it met your expectations 

[pete14]

Thanks for the excellent reviews. We are on Aurora in three weeks time so I am delighted to read so many positive comments. Hopefully the Ted Bovis character will be on a break but if not, I am sure we still have a great time.

[tring]

1 minute ago, pete14 said:

Thanks for the excellent reviews. We are on Aurora in three weeks time so I am delighted to read so many positive comments. Hopefully the Ted Bovis character will be on a break but if not, I am sure we still have a great time.

 

Not sure who that guy is, but for the previous cruise we had a quite old cruise director, and did not look (or seem) like the character mentioned.  Just a standard CD.  So possibly there was a change over on 3rd October.

 

[Britboys]

13 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Not sure who that guy is, but for the previous cruise we had a quite old cruise director, and did not look (or seem) like the character mentioned.  Just a standard CD.  So possibly there was a change over on 3rd October.

 

The Entertainment Manager in question seems to be the primary one for Aurora. He was on for my cruises in August both this year and last year. Trying to guess ages is always difficult but I'm guessing he is mid-fifties. I met him several times around the ship on both cruises and on a 1-2-1 basis he is a very pleasant guy but I do agree with others on this thread that his presentation on stage etc is very 'holiday camp' style.

[mrsgoggins]

13 hours ago, Mysticalmother said:

Mysticalmother  ...... the passage up the West coast of Portugal was even worse than the BoB…imho.

 

 

I'm on Celebrity Silhouette which was delayed due to the weather - should have left yesterday but now leaving Southampton today - and one of the senior staff said exactly what you said!

 

An interesting read, thank you.

[Interestedcruisefan]

15 minutes ago, Britboys said:

The Entertainment Manager in question seems to be the primary one for Aurora. He was on for my cruises in August both this year and last year. Trying to guess ages is always difficult but I'm guessing he is mid-fifties. I met him several times around the ship on both cruises and on a 1-2-1 basis he is a very pleasant guy but I do agree with others on this thread that his presentation on stage etc is very 'holiday camp' style.

Bless him

 

I'm sure he's trying his best to do a good job

 

 

[Astrajet]

1 hour ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Jean , could you tell me who the captain was on your cruise please?

It was Russell Robson.  

[tring]

10 minutes ago, Britboys said:

The Entertainment Manager in question seems to be the primary one for Aurora. He was on for my cruises in August both this year and last year. Trying to guess ages is always difficult but I'm guessing he is mid-fifties. I met him several times around the ship on both cruises and on a 1-2-1 basis he is a very pleasant guy but I do agree with others on this thread that his presentation on stage etc is very 'holiday camp' style.

 

Ok, I stand corrected tbh We do not do many entertainments, so only see the cd's occasionally at the end of the occasional show, or perhaps introducing someone and it was a brief appearance from him at those stages.

 

Mid fifties sounds about right, I did think he seemed older than we usually see on ships for that role.  We find all entertainment team members somewhat OTT, so would likely have not thought much about it anyway.  There was a young chap on that team who we found very full of himself and indeed extremely rude though on Aurora in Sept and he stood out on that way to us.

 

 

 

[jh1809]

14 hours ago, Selbourne said:

It’s not a box. You order up to three things and they each come in a separate little metal lidded pot, stacked on top one another. Yes it’s chargeable but very reasonable - and a nice change to the normal lunches. 

I'm a great fan of the tiffin lunches too. I had a couple on Aurora when I was on her in Nov/Dec last year. I didn't find noise from the coffee drinkers outside to be a problem, IIRC. And as the coffee shop seems to be much less busy during the evenings, it shouldn't be a problem if you have dinner in Sindhu. Actually I prefer its location to the one on Arcadia, where it's right at the top of the ship and you have to use the stairwell where there are three banks of two lifts situated far enough apart that you can't really get from one bank to another in time if a lift arrives there first. (Incidentally, the tiffin on Arcadia is slightly different from on Aurora, as when I was on Arcadia in August they weren't using the little metal pots.) 

[jeanlyon]

Just seen a menu from Fred Olsen - not a roast in sight!  Can't wait for April!!

 

Tuna Ceviche | Pickled ginger, chilli, beansprouts and coriander salad  GF

 

Roasted Romanesco Pepper Arancini | Sweet and sour pepper confit   V

Mushroom Broth | With basil oil   GF

 

Chilled Avocado | Sour cream, chilli    GF  V

 

Spinach Leaf and Shaved Fennel Salad | Toasted croutons and red wine vinegar   V

 

MAIN COURSES

 

Grilled Salmon Fillet | Horseradish mashed potato, sautéed broccoli and citrus zest butter   GF

 

Beetroot and Red Onion Tarte Tatin | With Raspberry dressing   V  VE

 

Linguine Frutti Di Mare | Rich seafood and tomato sauce

 

Braised Oxtail |Green beans and shallots with an intense Port wine jus

 

Soy Glazed Shiitakes | Sesame toasted green vegetables, carrot flan

 

Treat of the Region

Authentic flavours, inspired by our location, please ask your waiter for today’s dish

 

ALWAYS AVAILABLE
EVERY NIGHT THROUGHOUT YOUR CRUISE

Seafood Cocktail | Pickled cucumber, charred lemon

Beef Boullion | Mini vegetable garnish   GF

Caesar Salad | Romaine lettuce, Parmesan shavings, herbed croutons and anchovy

 

Grilled Salmon | Choice of steamed vegetables/ jacket potato/ French fries

 

Grilled Chicken Breast | Choice of steamed vegetables/ jacket potato/ French fries

 

Grilled Rump Steak | Cooked to your liking, choice of steamed vegetables/ jacket potato/ French fries and peppercorn sauce on the side

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Looks good jean

 

But  I would want the choice of roast each night personally as well

 

It's my go-to dish when nothing else appeals 

 

I also always have some of the roast as part of any buffet meal I have on ships

 

Wouldnt like to lose Roasts each day from P and O myself

 

[jeanlyon]

I wouldn't care if I never had another roast.  Find them very boring.  Interesting to see the always available like P&O used to do.

Edited October 23, 2023 by jeanlyon

[Interestedcruisefan]

4 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I wouldn't care if I never had another roast.  Find them very boring.

I have one every Sunday if I can and lots more on the cruise

 

Carvery near us must be the busiest restaurant in derbyshire!!

 

Always packed - I get takeaway carvery when we don't go to nicer places for sit down on Sundays. Had to park 5 mins walk away yesterday as their car park was overwhelmed

 

12.99 for standard size yesterday plus 1.50 surcharge for pigs in blankets 

 

I should have gone small. I couldn't eat it all!

 

Brits in general do like a roast. If they took off the P and O menus and buffets I think we would have uproar myself. 

[jeanlyon]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I have one every Sunday if I can and lots more on the cruise

 

Carvery near us must be the busiest restaurant in derbyshire!!

 

Always packed - I get takeaway carvery when we don't go to nicer places for sit down on Sundays. Had to park 5 mins walk away yesterday as their car park was overwhelmed

 

12.99 for standard size yesterday plus 1.50 surcharge for pigs in blankets 

 

I should have gone small. I couldn't eat it all!

 

Brits in general do like a roast. If they took off the P and O menus and buffets I think we would have uproar myself. 

Not saying that, but some nights there were 3 roasts on and nothing else to choose!!

Edited October 23, 2023 by jeanlyon

[SeaJane]

20 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Looks good jean

 

But  I would want the choice of roast each night personally as well

 

It's my go-to dish when nothing else appeals 

 

I also always have some of the roast as part of any buffet meal I have on ships

 

Wouldnt like to lose Roasts each day from P and O myself

 

I’ve just looked back through the menus on this cruise and in my opinion it’s a bit misleading to say there was a roast every night in the MDR. Whilst many of the descriptions of the meat described the method of cooking as “roast” the meals were served in various ways with different accompaniments. For example roast potatoes were served only rarely. 
Obviously food is a very personal thing, but as we enjoy a variety of foods we were content with what was on offer and really enjoyed most of the meals. For me it was the starters that were often rather boring. As a fish lover I did miss the lack of always available salmon and prawn cocktail.