Reporting from Azura - very poor, and much in need of that refit!

[Josy1953]

2 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Well, we are home now and feeling very gloomy ! Have had a lovely time.

 

Will write a full review tomorrow, but just to say, again, that we had a super cruise. Was everything perfect? No. Does Azura need some TLC with her refit? Yes. Having said that what stood out the most for us was the crew. Out of the whole team I think we only met 2 grumpy ones and they stood out like a sore thumb. Apart from on Oceana I don't think we have had the privilege to meet so many genuinely lovely crew members. They were happy, smiling, joking and were happy to spend time chatting. I am not sure what they are feeding them on on Azura, but we could all do with some of it ! Liked the Captain too, so well done Captain Howarth. We came away very impressed and were a little sad that  the ship did not have any future cruises that we could put a deposit on. Anyway, just such a lovely time.

 

(And we are not PANDO 'Cheer leaders' our next cruise is on Celebrity Edge, so we are happy to go with a range. It was ironic this morning as we sailed in to Southampton as we waved to Britannia (done twice) and Celebrity Silhouette(3 x). We also saw Sapphire Princess and we have an eye on her now 😉 )

 

 

 

 

I can recommend Sapphire Princess, we got off her this morning.  Yes, Princess is slightly more expensive than P&O but we found that we definitely got better service, better food and better entertainment on Sapphire than we have had on P&O for the last few years.  There seem to be more waiters in the dining rooms and bars and the cabin steward each have fewer rooms to service than on P&O.

 

Sapphire is unusual for Princess ships in that there are 4 small anytime dining rooms which are in the same space as the 2 freedom dining rooms on Azura and Ventura.  There were fewer quizzes than P&O but there were a more diverse things going on around the ship, the atrium area was used throughout the day for various activities.  The ship appeared to be better maintained and cleaner than the P&O ships.  

 

This was our 20th Princess cruise and we have done 21 P&O cruises and in my and my husband's opinions Princess do not appear to have made as many cutbacks as P&O over the last few years.  I don't think that Princess are quite up to Celebrity standards but they are close.

[majortom10]

5 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I can recommend Sapphire Princess, we got off her this morning.  Yes, Princess is slightly more expensive than P&O but we found that we definitely got better service, better food and better entertainment on Sapphire than we have had on P&O for the last few years.  There seem to be more waiters in the dining rooms and bars and the cabin steward each have fewer rooms to service than on P&O.

 

Sapphire is unusual for Princess ships in that there are 4 small anytime dining rooms which are in the same space as the 2 freedom dining rooms on Azura and Ventura.  There were fewer quizzes than P&O but there were a more diverse things going on around the ship, the atrium area was used throughout the day for various activities.  The ship appeared to be better maintained and cleaner than the P&O ships.  

 

This was our 20th Princess cruise and we have done 21 P&O cruises and in my and my husband's opinions Princess do not appear to have made as many cutbacks as P&O over the last few years.  I don't think that Princess are quite up to Celebrity standards but they are close.

I agree with these sentiments entirely we cruised on Sapphire Princess last summer and had a great cruise and were hoping to go on her again but instead going on Crown Princess around British Isles in August. One thing we enjoy and is great value on Princess with not being big alcohol drinkers is the soda and more package they do for $8pppd and is great value for money.

Edited April 27, 2019 by majortom10

[P&O SUE]

So pleased to read you had a great time Presto, Azura has a special place in my heart as she was our first cruise ship and we’ve been on her 3 times now. Also booked for 2020 and was getting worried about the poor reviews lately but after reading your comments I’m not going to worry. 

 

We we are going on the Sapphire Princess in June, our first cruise on Princess and I’m getting very excited 😆 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[P&O SUE]

26 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I can recommend Sapphire Princess, we got off her this morning.  Yes, Princess is slightly more expensive than P&O but we found that we definitely got better service, better food and better entertainment on Sapphire than we have had on P&O for the last few years.  There seem to be more waiters in the dining rooms and bars and the cabin steward each have fewer rooms to service than on P&O.

 

Sapphire is unusual for Princess ships in that there are 4 small anytime dining rooms which are in the same space as the 2 freedom dining rooms on Azura and Ventura.  There were fewer quizzes than P&O but there were a more diverse things going on around the ship, the atrium area was used throughout the day for various activities.  The ship appeared to be better maintained and cleaner than the P&O ships.  

 

This was our 20th Princess cruise and we have done 21 P&O cruises and in my and my husband's opinions Princess do not appear to have made as many cutbacks as P&O over the last few years.  I don't think that Princess are quite up to Celebrity standards but they are close.

 That’s good to know thanks, I’m going on the Sapphire this year for the first time.

[P&O SUE]

22 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

I agree with these sentiments entirely we cruised on Sapphire Princess last summer and had a great cruise and were hoping to go on her again but instead going on Crown Princess around British Isles in August. One thing we enjoy and is great value on Princess with not being big alcohol drinkers is the soda and more package they do for $8pppd and is great value for money.

 

Great to know, thanks, going on our first Princess cruise this June and we have chosen the soda and more package. We have a glass of wine at dinner and a cocktail or two later so didn’t seem worth getting the ‘full’ package.

[Babyeddiedog]

13 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Well, we are home now and feeling very gloomy ! Have had a lovely time.

 

Will write a full review tomorrow, but just to say, again, that we had a super cruise. Was everything perfect? No. Does Azura need some TLC with her refit? Yes. Having said that what stood out the most for us was the crew. Out of the whole team I think we only met 2 grumpy ones and they stood out like a sore thumb. Apart from on Oceana I don't think we have had the privilege to meet so many genuinely lovely crew members. They were happy, smiling, joking and were happy to spend time chatting. I am not sure what they are feeding them on on Azura, but we could all do with some of it ! Liked the Captain too, so well done Captain Howarth. We came away very impressed and were a little sad that  the ship did not have any future cruises that we could put a deposit on. Anyway, just such a lovely time.

 

(And we are not PANDO 'Cheer leaders' our next cruise is on Celebrity Edge, so we are happy to go with a range. It was ironic this morning as we sailed in to Southampton as we waved to Britannia (done twice) and Celebrity Silhouette(3 x). We also saw Sapphire Princess and we have an eye on her now 😉 )

 

 

 

 

 

So glad to hear you had a good time, I was beginning to wonder....we're on Azura celebrating for our 30th Anniversary at the end of August (a week behind your Edge adventure) so you've put my mind at rest 😄

[Josy1953]

15 hours ago, majortom10 said:

I agree with these sentiments entirely we cruised on Sapphire Princess last summer and had a great cruise and were hoping to go on her again but instead going on Crown Princess around British Isles in August. One thing we enjoy and is great value on Princess with not being big alcohol drinkers is the soda and more package they do for $8pppd and is great value for money.

Enjoy the British Isles cruise we did it in July 5 years ago on the Crown and loved it.  We were lucky and had brilliant weather, we keep saying that we need to do it again.  We had a lot of naysayers telling us that it was a waste of a cruise because we could visit all of the places by car / ferries but we never would have done that.

[majortom10]

8 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

Enjoy the British Isles cruise we did it in July 5 years ago on the Crown and loved it.  We were lucky and had brilliant weather, we keep saying that we need to do it again.  We had a lot of naysayers telling us that it was a waste of a cruise because we could visit all of the places by car / ferries but we never would have done that.

This will be our 5th BI cruise with Princess I think that says it all.

[Presto2]

17 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

I can recommend Sapphire Princess, we got off her this morning.  Yes, Princess is slightly more expensive than P&O but we found that we definitely got better service, better food and better entertainment on Sapphire than we have had on P&O for the last few years.  There seem to be more waiters in the dining rooms and bars and the cabin steward each have fewer rooms to service than on P&O.

 

Sapphire is unusual for Princess ships in that there are 4 small anytime dining rooms which are in the same space as the 2 freedom dining rooms on Azura and Ventura.  There were fewer quizzes than P&O but there were a more diverse things going on around the ship, the atrium area was used throughout the day for various activities.  The ship appeared to be better maintained and cleaner than the P&O ships.  

 

This was our 20th Princess cruise and we have done 21 P&O cruises and in my and my husband's opinions Princess do not appear to have made as many cutbacks as P&O over the last few years.  I don't think that Princess are quite up to Celebrity standards but they are close.

 

Thanks for this. Have to say we fancy Princess as she seems to have kept the good parts of P&O and their itineraries for the Summer are really good. Have to say, and some may flame me, but the service and overall experience last year on Celebrity Constellation was not that good at all. Seems better on their newer ships.

[Presto2]

17 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

So pleased to read you had a great time Presto, Azura has a special place in my heart as she was our first cruise ship and we’ve been on her 3 times now. Also booked for 2020 and was getting worried about the poor reviews lately but after reading your comments I’m not going to worry. 

 

We we are going on the Sapphire Princess in June, our first cruise on Princess and I’m getting very excited 😆 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well everyone we spoke to on board was having a lovely time. Not sure when her refurb is but that will make a difference, as it did on our 'special ship' Oceana when she had a 'face lift'.

 

Sapphire Princess really looked lovely yesterday morning as we sailed past her.

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

 

Well everyone we spoke to on board was having a lovely time. Not sure when her refurb is but that will make a difference, as it did on our 'special ship' Oceana when she had a 'face lift'.

 

Sapphire Princess really looked lovely yesterday morning as we sailed past her.

 

Azura's refit in early 2020 and we're going later in the year!

[Presto2]

6 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

 

Azura's refit in early 2020 and we're going later in the year!

 

Well, with her looking all new and dressed up, if the crew are as good as the one we had you will have a wonderful time.

Still sad to be home today and not able to return to her more quickly.

 

:-)

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

Well, with her looking all new and dressed up, if the crew are as good as the one we had you will have a wonderful time.

Still sad to be home today and not able to return to her more quickly.

 

🙂

Early April 2020 after the TA.

[amfc_lenny]

Sad to say that we are currently aboard the Azura and are pretty non plussed.

We are in an aft deluxe cabin on deck d, and last night had no working toilet from 6pm till 8am. 

 

Despite being fobbed off by reception that it will be sorted shortly.

 

Not good enough p and o.

[Harry Peterson]

9 minutes ago, amfc_lenny said:

Sad to say that we are currently aboard the Azura and are pretty non plussed.

We are in an aft deluxe cabin on deck d, and last night had no working toilet from 6pm till 8am. 

 

Despite being fobbed off by reception that it will be sorted shortly.

 

Not good enough p and o.

Sorry to hear that you're having the same problems we had in getting anyone on Azura to take issues like that seriously.

 

I started this thread when we were on Azura in March/April with the following comment:

 

"Five days into this cruise and none of the TV channels are working. They haven't worked since day one, and they're still using the excuse that it's satellite interference.

 

No hot water last night, bathroom lights flickering and can't be fixed, shower doesn't drain, front of drawer falling off - and this is in a suite costing a fair bit of money. 

 

Just heard the first and only apology for the failed TV service, and by the sound of it it could carry on for quite a while. All you get is excuses. No effective action.

 

On the strength of this cruise (the people looking after us in the suite are excellent, to be fair) and the Amsterdam fiasco we're now cancelling the three cruises we have booked, and that will be the last we see of P&O. 

 

Enough is enough, and it's now dropped to such a level that it's not worth travelling with if you want an unspoiled holiday."

 

It was an entirely factual comment, and most of the problems mentioned stayed that way for the whole cruise - you just learn to put up with things after a while.  All the TV channels were out of action for more than half of the cruise in the end - for the entire ship.  What really got me, though, was the couldn't care less attitude, and the near impossibility of getting hold of the Customer Service Manager - the reception staff repeatedly refused to allow any contact because 'it's not the protocol'!  I did get hold of him in the end, but only via a circuitous route.

 

There are those in here who will accept no criticism of P&O, but you look to be having the same sort of problem we had.  The ship is in desperate need of next April's refit, but, just as important, they're not even dealing properly with issues that do arise.

 

Hope you get it sorted quickly.

 

 

 

[Bazrat]

51 minutes ago, docco said:

Sorry to hear that you're having the same problems we had in getting anyone on Azura to take issues like that seriously.

 

I started this thread when we were on Azura in March/April with the following comment:

 

"Five days into this cruise and none of the TV channels are working. They haven't worked since day one, and they're still using the excuse that it's satellite interference.

 

No hot water last night, bathroom lights flickering and can't be fixed, shower doesn't drain, front of drawer falling off - and this is in a suite costing a fair bit of money. 

 

Just heard the first and only apology for the failed TV service, and by the sound of it it could carry on for quite a while. All you get is excuses. No effective action.

 

On the strength of this cruise (the people looking after us in the suite are excellent, to be fair) and the Amsterdam fiasco we're now cancelling the three cruises we have booked, and that will be the last we see of P&O. 

 

Enough is enough, and it's now dropped to such a level that it's not worth travelling with if you want an unspoiled holiday."

 

It was an entirely factual comment, and most of the problems mentioned stayed that way for the whole cruise - you just learn to put up with things after a while.  All the TV channels were out of action for more than half of the cruise in the end - for the entire ship.  What really got me, though, was the couldn't care less attitude, and the near impossibility of getting hold of the Customer Service Manager - the reception staff repeatedly refused to allow any contact because 'it's not the protocol'!  I did get hold of him in the end, but only via a circuitous route.

 

There are those in here who will accept no criticism of P&O, but you look to be having the same sort of problem we had.  The ship is in desperate need of next April's refit, but, just as important, they're not even dealing properly with issues that do arise.

 

Hope you get it sorted quickly.

 

 

 

docco we all know the problems you have had sometimes I think I lived them the amount of times and threads you posted them on.

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, amfc_lenny said:

Sad to say that we are currently aboard the Azura and are pretty non plussed.

We are in an aft deluxe cabin on deck d, and last night had no working toilet from 6pm till 8am. 

 

Despite being fobbed off by reception that it will be sorted shortly.

 

Not good enough p and o.

Can you let us know when the problem is sorted and if you find out why they stopped working,always useful to know if the problem occurs to others.

Lets hope the rest of your holiday passes without any more problems.

[crompton21]

I have heard a rumour that apparently someone has flushed a non working television down the toilet.

 

As to blocked toilets, many reasons for that.  A number on here have recently posted expert advice on flushing wet wipes, bring your own toilet paper etc.  Toilet blockages may not be the ships fault.

 

Televisions not working obviously are.

 

Hope it is sorted soon.

Edited May 5, 2019 by crompton21

[P-L-B]

5 hours ago, amfc_lenny said:

Sad to say that we are currently aboard the Azura and are pretty non plussed.

We are in an aft deluxe cabin on deck d, and last night had no working toilet from 6pm till 8am. 

 

Despite being fobbed off by reception that it will be sorted shortly.

 

Not good enough p and o.

Sorry to hear that.

Can you please clarify, are you saying that they eventually fixed it at 8 am and is it now working ok.?

However, I totally agree that it must have been very inconvenient.

Edited May 5, 2019 by P-L-B

[brian1]

They should have gave you a pot.Then you could leave it outside next to the room service tray.

Edited May 5, 2019 by brian1

[Presto2]

Our review is now on line.

 

Just an account of our experience on the ship to give some balance to the arguement

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=656170&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=258803089&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_CC

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Our review is now on line.

 

Just an account of our experience on the ship to give some balance to the arguement

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=656170&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=258803089&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_CC

Lovely photos and an excellent review.

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

Lovely photos and an excellent review.

 

Thanks - the more we look back the more we wish it had been 2 weeks.

I think sometimes you take things for granted until you get home and go through your photos.

The balcony was just amazing and we have so many wonderful views from there.

 

:-)

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

Our review is now on line.

 

Just an account of our experience on the ship to give some balance to the arguement

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=656170&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=258803089&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_CC

Good honest review enjoyed reading it.

[daiB]

2 hours ago, Presto2 said:

 

Thanks - the more we look back the more we wish it had been 2 weeks.

I think sometimes you take things for granted until you get home and go through your photos.

The balcony was just amazing and we have so many wonderful views from there.

 

:-)

Hi Presto,

 

Enjoyed your review, one small point you can access the outside deck just like Ventura only you have to go inside, along a corridor and you find a door out on to the deck. No idea why they made the two ships different in that area.

 

Dai