Azura - are there any good reviews?

[lynbee]

We've been thinking about taking a Caribbean cruise on board Azura but some of the reviews have put us off. Does anyone have some positive things to say about this ship?

 

We did the Caribbean on Ventura 3 years ago and enjoyed it but again there are so many poor reviews on it now that we don't think we'd travel on her again.

 

Is it just these ships or P & O in general who have gone downhill?

 

Having been on Celebrity recently for a special occasion we found them far superior to P & O, however not keen on flying into a US port to board for their Caribbean itineraries.

[kevinyork]

We've been thinking about taking a Caribbean cruise on board Azura but some of the reviews have put us off. Does anyone have some positive things to say about this ship?

 

We did the Caribbean on Ventura 3 years ago and enjoyed it but again there are so many poor reviews on it now that we don't think we'd travel on her again.

 

Is it just these ships or P & O in general who have gone downhill?

 

Having been on Celebrity recently for a special occasion we found them far superior to P & O, however not keen on flying into a US port to board for their Caribbean itineraries.

 

Been on Azura and Ventura, a total of five times between them. Have also been on Celebrity this year. Whilst Celebrity is now my favourite I would go on Azura or Ventura again if the price was right as we've had enjoyable trips on both. (Ventura and Azura however have 71% from reviews on this site whilst Celebrity Eclipse has 89%....quite a difference).

 

Try and take a broader look at reviews as its easy to let the bad ones influence you. The fly cruise prices for post christmas look pretty inviting and as you say a direct flight is so much easier.

[canny_cruiser]

I'm just back from Azura Eastern Caribbean. First time with P&O and no complaints about ship, the staff or the itinerary. The food was always fine - not wonderful - but my last cruise was on the QM2 in the Queen's Grill so I'm maybe a wee bit spoilt as far as food goes. The Seventeen restaurant (supplement) looked like it might match the Grill but I didn't try it. I did like the Verona Trattoria menu. I also ate in the Glasshouse (chargeable).

 

I paid only £999 for sole occ balcony GE guarantee (and got allocated a GA starboard on Deck 12) including flights so can't expect everything. It didn't strike me as one of those lines which get you on board cheaply and then charge you at every turn once there.The bar prices are reasonable plus you can take your own alcohol on board if you wish. The (full) wine list in the restaurants had a wide choice of wines by the glass (though the shortened version which I always seemed to be presented with had much fewer and I had to repeatedly ask for the full list) and the Glasshouse list was very interesting. The service charge is reasonable at £3.50 a day.

 

The one thing that will make me think twice about booking P&O again is the "Britishness" (well, Englishness, actually, as I'm a Scot) of the customers. There were quite a lot of tattoos and beer-bellies on show - and that was just the women! I didn't meet many interesting well-travelled conversationalists as I do on other lines.

Edited December 23, 2013 by canny_cruiser

[chigley]

We would rather be going on the Eclipse in March instead of Azura but it is what it is. Twice the price so this year, that's what we are doing. If I could afford to double down it would be Celebrity or Holland America as I find the product far superior. The pain in the backside of flying to the US port is more than outweighed by the superior cruise and international clientele.

 

If you are flush I would go Celebrity. :)

[tartanexile81]

I wrote a long and pretty positive review about our 24 day cruise on Azura in September. It appears on a UK website all about Cruises (clue!). We really like P&O but we have cruised with Princess (great), RCI (too loud and brash) and Celebrity (didn't enjoy entertainment). We'd cruise again on Azura in a heart-beat and lots of the negative reviews are from people who find it too modern or too big. We're going to the Caribbean on Oceana as I don't fly but I'd much prefer it were Azura.

 

If you email me at tartanexile81[@]outlookdotcom omitting the brackets and changing dot to . I can send you my review.

[beach.princess]

It's all about how you experience it. I firmly believe most people go on holiday and have a great time, those who feel they did not have the holiday how they wanted usually want to share how and why. Just think of how many passengers are away every week and how many review there holiday. I have been on a fair few different cruises and destinations. All have been amazing, sometimes things dont go as planned but that's life and you have to make best if it otherwise you'd go mad! I'm on azura first time this Saturday.....cannot wait :) that's my take on it at 21!

[sire_bobbie]

It does depend on what you want.

 

We've done a few different lines over the years. P&O we have sailed with twice. The food isn't as great as others, but still very good. Think of direct flights, transfer to the ship from the airport, everything in GBP, etc.

 

If you get a good deal it often makes up for the other things that other lines do better.

 

Any cruise is better than no cruise....

[Sanjam cruisers]

My wife and I have cruised with P&O since 2005, we have also cruised with other lines.We first cruised with P&O on Arcadia in her maiden Caribbean season and had a great cruise we have cruised on Oceana,Ventura and Azura and have enjoyed every one. Over the years we have noticed some changes but nothing that would put us off.Having read some of the reviews on this and other sites I sometimes wonder if I have been on the same ship and no neither my wife or I wear rose tinted spectacles,when we have had problems we have addressed them on board to our satisfaction.If I had went by these reviews I would never have set foot on the ship. As beach.princess said go with an open mind and enjoy yourself, my wife and I will be on board Ventura 28/02/14 with friends and it cannot come quick enough.Happy cruising to you.

[hammers]

We've been thinking about taking a Caribbean cruise on board Azura but some of the reviews have put us off. Does anyone have some positive things to say about this ship?

 

We did the Caribbean on Ventura 3 years ago and enjoyed it but again there are so many poor reviews on it now that we don't think we'd travel on her again.

 

Is it just these ships or P & O in general who have gone downhill?

 

Having been on Celebrity recently for a special occasion we found them far superior to P & O, however not keen on flying into a US port to board for their Caribbean itineraries.

 

Hi, here's one, got home on the 15th December. My wife and I had a wonderful time and met some really nice people. Looking forward to going back in February.

[janny444]

We have done the fly cruise to the Caribbean...twice...once on the Azura. The convenience of flying straight to the Caribbean is a major plus point. As a cruise overall it was alright but not in the same league as Celebrity in all ways.

We have recently come off the Ventura and noticed that standards were slipping and my brother has just returned from a cruise on the Oriana and said the same thing... minor points individually but when put all together the "cutting of corners" really shows.

[annieuk]

We were on Azura last March for 3 weeks, ending by sailing back to Southampton, and for 2 weeks a year previously. We are booked for 4 weeks this coming March. This will be our 13th cruise with P&O and we have also cruised with Cunard and Fred Olsen. I agree that very often it's the people who feel they have had a 'bad' cruise who post reviews. People who come back having had a wonderful time, often don't bother.

 

I can honestly say we have never had a disappointing cruise with P&O. On our cruise with Cunard there were certainly things that were better - the food for example - but we paid more and we felt the service was poor compared to P&O. We were not in the Grills.

 

I think it all depends on what you expect. We have always had 2nd sitting Club Dining, table of 8. We don't tend to use the buffet much, preferring to use the main dining room for lunch and breakfast, or to have breakfast in our cabin if we are on an early tour.

 

We love the XVII restaurant, went on each of our cruises and intend to go there twice on the next one so we can sample both menus (2 menus alternating each week). We also like the Italian served in Venezia (no charge apart from a couple of supplements for lava rock steak and, I think, fresh strawberries). You cannot book this restaurant, you need to go up there by 6pm and you will be given a pager to tell you when your table is ready. It gets more popular as the cruise goes on and more people get to hear of it.

 

We like the way, when we get to Bridgetown in Barbados, we go straight down the aircraft steps onto buses to go to the port - no baggage reclaim, no immigration - wonderful. We like the excellent service we have had on P&O. Yes the occasional niggle but nothing that has marred our holiday. Given the current economic situation P&O have had to cut back on certain things - it was presumably either that or increase fares which they obviously don't want to do.

 

There is no way we would be going back on Azura if we didn't enjoy being on her and if we didn't enjoy the way P&O do things. I hope you do decide to go on Azura and that you have a great time.:)

[SAMMIBLACK]

We cruised to the Black Sea on Azura in September. It was our first time on one of P&O's bigger ships as we'd resisted them until then. What can I tell you - we just loved her! Lovely ship, cabin well fitted out, great staff, found favourite bars no bother, food in Seventeen and East was fab, food in MDR was up to scratch and the entertainment as usual a bit like the 'curate's egg' - good in parts lol. We had a great time on Azura and wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again. There were only two children on board so if you don't want to sail with hundreds of youngsters on her, just avoid school holiday periods. Hope this helps.

 

Sandra

[jeanlyon]

Hi, we did not like Azura, but it certainly did not spoil our holiday, just would choose a smaller ship in future. Food, service, entertainment, all good. the things we didn't like were noisy seascreen, on all day, so you couldn't sit there, other pool had loud music constantly all day. Big queues to get on and off the ship, maybe that's improved now.

 

We still had a good holiday inspite of that.

[tartanexile81]

Agree the Seascreen is a noisy area at certain times of the day but if we want a quieter time on Azura we go up to one of the higher decks like deck 18 etc and find a quiet corner. There are lots of lovely spots around Azura providing you don't need to be right next to the pool.

[Slugsta]

We were on Azura over Christmas 2012 and had a lovely trip. She is a beautiful ship although her size can make for some crowded areas at times. We have cruised with P+O a few times now, as well as Princess, FO and Cunard, and are on Azura again next autumn - we looked at all the options available but Azura ticked all the boxes for us.

[lake5298]

Ventura hasn't got worse - if anything it's got a bit better since launch. Azura is pretty similar to what Ventura is now since the refit.

 

Ignore the reviews, this forum has plenty of "cruise critics" !

[NauticalMiss]

Hi, we travelled on the Azura for the first time in November on the repositioning cruise to the Caribbean. There were several irritations, e.g. the main screen around the pool showing football matches; the tattooed seal colonies gathered around said screen; the smokers who gathered around the table tennis areas; and the snooty maitre d' in Meridian Restaurant. But I would choose P&O over Celebrity any day of the week - far too many boastful Americans in my opinion. Whilst Celebrity ticked all the boxes on paper, the reality was a case of style over substance. Also, I am getting fed up with having to tip for indifferent service, which happens so often on US cruise ships.

 

On Azura, we loved XVII where we dined twice and found it to be on a par with Cunard's Grill experience. The Glass House was also fab, and we really missed it when we arrived home. The Meridian restaurant was satisfactory, and I am glad that we had selected Freedom dining.

 

The entertainment was hit or miss, but the 'house' band Changez were terrific. The ship is very big (bit too big for us) but easy to navigate. We aren't pool people, so those areas didn't bother us. The buffet food was the best I have had at sea; a real plus because I try to avoid buffets as a rule. The excursions we did we well-organised.

 

Overall, the experience was a positive one and we are looking to sail on the Azura again. The ship has a British feel to it, but that makes you settle in all the sooner.

 

I have yet to find the 'perfect' holiday, but if you're in the Caribbean, you are definitely closer to heaven - go for it!

[NauticalMiss]

Sorry, I forgot - another aspect of P&O cruises is that the majority of the passengers adhere to the dress code. Very British. Even a lot of the chaps looked terribly uncomfortable in their DJs they wore them regardless.

 

On two separate US cruise lines, fellow diners wore surfer shorts, short denim skirts and flip flops in the MDR and let their children play with remote control cars, which caused a serious safety hazard for the wait staff!

[Housie]

We have just returned from Caribbean cruise on Azura. No complaints and had a great time. A holiday is what you make of it!! Yes a diverse cross section of society on board and as all British people some become judgemental, however I did not come across anyone who was rude, quite the opposite. Go on a ship which is multinational you will have no idea of peoples background and manners will certainly not be what you are used to. The huge bonus is direct flight to Barbados, superb operations and we were lucky to fly on the Dreamliner which was excellent. As a number of others have said this is far better than flying into Miami and having to transfer to Fort Lauderdale!! That's worth a significant amount in time, convenience and stress levels.

 

We met lovely people, visited great places and enjoyed the food and service. Not sure what the moaners experience at home but after yet another day of cold, wet, windy weather and visit to Sainsbury's I know what I would choose. I believe all cruise ships have pros and cons and it will be what you make of it. Go and enjoy!!

 

 

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[kersh]

We have just returned from Caribbean cruise on Azura. No complaints and had a great time. A holiday is what you make of it!! Yes a diverse cross section of society on board and as all British people some become judgemental, however I did not come across anyone who was rude, quite the opposite. Go on a ship which is multinational you will have no idea of peoples background and manners will certainly not be what you are used to. The huge bonus is direct flight to Barbados, superb operations and we were lucky to fly on the Dreamliner which was excellent. As a number of others have said this is far better than flying into Miami and having to transfer to Fort Lauderdale!! That's worth a significant amount in time, convenience and stress levels.

 

We met lovely people, visited great places and enjoyed the food and service. Not sure what the moaners experience at home but after yet another day of cold, wet, windy weather and visit to Sainsbury's I know what I would choose. I believe all cruise ships have pros and cons and it will be what you make of it. Go and enjoy!!

 

 

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100% agree with you. We had a fantastic time too. Great food and company. We met some fabulous people, fantastic islands and the service on board was excellent. Only complaint was I put too much weight on. Bring on the next one.

 

Sue

[liztheslimmer]

We were on Azura last March for 3 weeks, ending by sailing back to Southampton, and for 2 weeks a year previously. We are booked for 4 weeks this coming March.

 

Hi annieuk,

 

We were also on the 3 weeker last March, preceded by a fortnight one the year before. The one in March was the perfect length for us, and we were not pleased, that it could not be booked again this year.

 

We are therefore intrigued, to see that you have booked 4 weeks, this coming March. Does this mean that you have booked a back to back combo., and if so, how does that cost itself out ? Not expecting to get a 2 for 1, but is there a (further) discount applied?

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[Housie]

100% agree with you. We had a fantastic time too. Great food and company. We met some fabulous people, fantastic islands and the service on board was excellent. Only complaint was I put too much weight on. Bring on the next one.

 

Sue

 

13lbs, wow....that'll come off quickly though. I think I've put on more since being home due to the foul weather!!!

 

 

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[Eastbourne]

We were on the Christmas Azura too! Time of our lives! Like others have said, it's what you make of it.. If there are aspects that don't appeal like the Sea screen then move elsewhere!! Lots and lots of quieter places and at least two quieter pools.

 

Our party had 10 people aged from 2 to 75. Everyone loved it! As we all know forums are notorious for attracting negative comments although of course there are genuine problems experienced by some. I was amazed at how many people were having an amazing holiday, yet one so different from ours. Some never left the ship, others never dined formally..it is what you make it!

 

Book it. I believe you would find the vast majority of passengers wouldn't hesitate to cruise on Azura again!!

[arpster]

There were several irritations, e.g. the main screen around the pool showing football matches; the tattooed seal colonies gathered around said screen;

 

 

precisely the type of tuppence ha'penny snobbery that makes us prefer the mix of nations and cultures on Celebrity to the pomposity of the exclusively British attitudes you find on P&O.......

[arpster]

..and just for the record..I dont have any tattoos and I dont like football..the fact that other people do doesnt bother me or effect the enjoyment of my holiday in the slightest