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

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, daiB said:

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

 

Hi Dai, do you mean all the way to the pointy bit? We tried to go there but kept coming up with a door saying crew only.

On Ventura that part of the deck was up some stairs (right below the cabin we didn't like) and then round to the front. Could not seem to get there at all.

[daiB]

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

 

Hi Dai, do you mean all the way to the pointy bit? We tried to go there but kept coming up with a door saying crew only.

On Ventura that part of the deck was up some stairs (right below the cabin we didn't like) and then round to the front. Could not seem to get there at all.

That’s the one, not read or heard that they had made it crew only. Many people I know have been there.. However not me in my scooter. 😞

 

[Presto2]

Just now, daiB said:

That’s the one, not read or heard that they had made it crew only. Many people I know have been there.. However not me in my scooter. 😞

 

 

We kept going to the pointy end like on Ventura but am sure there were doors saying 'Crew Only'

Am beginning to think we were imagining it now ….. it wasn't like Ventura.

I would think it has been closed off due to the weather but it was like a mill pond almost all of the cruise.

Could hardly see a ripple let a lone a wave ..

 

Am curious now

[grapau27]

6 minutes ago, daiB said:

That’s the one, not read or heard that they had made it crew only. Many people I know have been there.. However not me in my scooter. 😞

 

We are on Ventura late August.

I will look out for that door.

We are on Azura next year so will check out the door there too.

Graham

Edited May 8, 2019 by grapau27

[daiB]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We are on Ventura late August.

I will look out for that door.

Graham

Graham sorry it’s on Azura. 

 

:)

 

[Presto2]

7 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We are on Ventura late August.

I will look out for that door.

Graham

There isn't one on Ventura, just steps up to the higher level of the 'prom deck' that went around to the pointy bit …

 

Does 'the pointy bit' have a proper name ;-)

Have my port and starboard sorted out

Know where the aft is

For the life of me can't remember what the pointy end is called

 

:-)

Edited May 8, 2019 by Presto2

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, daiB said:

Graham sorry it’s on Azura. 

 

🙂

 

Thanks daiB.

 I edited my first post and added about Azura too.

The refurbishment on Azura has been pulled forward and is immediately after the TA which we are on next year.

I was pleased to read Prestos thread especially after Doccos.

[Josy1953]

16 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

There isn't one on Ventura, just steps up to the higher level of the 'prom deck' that went around to the pointy bit …

 

Does 'the pointy bit' have a proper name 😉

Have my port and starboard sorted out

Know where the aft is

For the life of me can't remember what the pointy end is called

 

🙂

We were on Azura last year and were taken out onto the prow (pointy bit) by the guy who was giving talks on whales, dolphins etc.  We went as forward as possible on deck 8 port side where there was a door to the left that we thought lead to the outside but we we were then in a a small space with another door that was the actual door to go out side, we walked all round the front of the ship to look at the dolphins and turtles that were about and came in on the starboard side.  There were no notices saying crew only on any of the doors that we went through but I vaguely remember seeing a door opposite where we went out that did say crew only.

[Clodia]

I was in cabin E106 a couple of years ago, a sheltered balcony which was rather dark. I found the door to the outside and spent a lot of time there after the first day, taking a chair from my balcony out and carrying it back. Very rarely saw many people there.

[brian1]

I think it's because the later grand class ships have an extra deck,the same as the later Princess ships.That makes the access to the deck on top of the bridge different.

[booksurfer]

13 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Does 'the pointy bit' have a proper name 😉

Have my port and starboard sorted out

Know where the aft is

For the life of me can't remember what the pointy end is called

 

Thank you for your review it was fascinating and informative to read.

 

As for the 'pointy bit' it's called the bow, the 'square bit at the back' is called the stern and aft is 'towards the stern' and fore 'towards the bow'.

[DamianG]

19 hours 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

I enjoyed reading your review, we enjoy the quietness of aft cabins too. We prefer Azura over Ventura as well and think that they are quite different (although I appreciate that they are the same class of ship). We are booked on Ventura again this year for various valid reasons (right time, right itinerary, right price) but I am slightly worried as to what it will be like in the main school holidays!

[Bazrat]

I remember reading on here someone extolling the virtues of RC,the same cruise line who have just pulled the ship out of the uk and cancelled those who booked there next years holidays on that ship.

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

I remember reading on here someone extolling the virtues of RC,the same cruise line who have just pulled the ship out of the uk and cancelled those who booked there next years holidays on that ship.

Fortunately we have booked P&O for next year instead of Independence.

[Bazrat]

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Fortunately we have booked P&O for next year instead of Independence.

You could understand it if there was a problem with the ship,but to relocate to USA to make more money says a lot what they think of us,

[Presto2]

10 hours ago, Clodia said:

I was in cabin E106 a couple of years ago, a sheltered balcony which was rather dark. I found the door to the outside and spent a lot of time there after the first day, taking a chair from my balcony out and carrying it back. Very rarely saw many people there.

 

Am not surprised - we couldn't find our way out ;-)

[Presto2]

8 hours ago, booksurfer said:

 

Thank you for your review it was fascinating and informative to read.

 

As for the 'pointy bit' it's called the bow, the 'square bit at the back' is called the stern and aft is 'towards the stern' and fore 'towards the bow'.

 

Never knew that. So all of the time we talk about an aft cabin it isn't really the aft it is an stern cabin ????? :-)

[Presto2]

3 hours ago, DamianG said:

I enjoyed reading your review, we enjoy the quietness of aft cabins too. We prefer Azura over Ventura as well and think that they are quite different (although I appreciate that they are the same class of ship). We are booked on Ventura again this year for various valid reasons (right time, right itinerary, right price) but I am slightly worried as to what it will be like in the main school holidays!

 

It will be fine - just busier ! We tend to find more families go together - children, parents and grandparents. Some times it is nice to see the generations together having a good time.  It is also fun to see the little ones on formal nights ! We always sail in the school holidays and thinking back we have very rarely seen any bad behaviour from the children.. It just means that the pools will be far busier. I'm sure it will be fine --- then again, we know no different !

[grapau27]

6 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

You could understand it if there was a problem with the ship,but to relocate to USA to make more money says a lot what they think of us,

I agree.

They have just opened Coco Cay and Independence is going to Fort Lauderdale to maximize the sailings there.

Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm have Jewel, and Brilliance plus the Mediterranean cruises are well catered for.

[Presto2]

25 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Fortunately we have booked P&O for next year instead of Independence.

 

We did the IOS for a short 4 day cruise for my 50th. It was nice for that short break but would not book for our holiday. Personally we prefer the P&O ships - they're not all bells and whistles but that suits us.

 

I suppose that doesn't help those who booked a cruise though and who are now very disappointed ...

Edited May 9, 2019 by Presto2

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

 

We did the IOS for a short 4 day cruise for my 50th. It was nice for that short break but would not book for our holiday. Personally we prefer the P&O ships - they're not all bells and whistles but that suits us.

 

I suppose that doesn't help those who booked a cruise though and who are now very disappointed ...

We did a 5 night on Indy last year and have a short cruise booked this year on her but even as D+ loyalty members and all our free drinks the short cruise is long enough for us.

Thanks for your positive review of Azura.

We are on her TA next March and it is going for its refit early straight after the TA back to Southampton and some threads like Doccos had me thinking of changing.

We were on Azura last in her maiden season and are looking forward to sailing on her again.

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

We did a 5 night on Indy last year and have a short cruise booked this year on her but even as D+ loyalty members and all our free drinks the short cruise is long enough for us.

Thanks for your positive review of Azura.

We are on her TA next March and it is going for its refit early straight after the TA back to Southampton and some threads like Doccos had me thinking of changing.

We were on Azura last in her maiden season and are looking forward to sailing on her again.

Please stop mentioning that name because he will hear you.

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

We are on her TA next March and it is going for its refit early straight after the TA back to Southampton and some threads like Doccos had me thinking of changing.

We were on Azura last in her maiden season and are looking forward to sailing on her again.

 

Don't expect her to look as shiny and new and, like all of us, she is showing signs of wear and tear as she has got older and you'll be fine.

[Harry Peterson]

19 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Please stop mentioning that name because he will hear you.

Block your ears and go 'La La La' if it suits you. Fact is fact, and no amount of complaining about people reporting those facts is going to change them.

 

Some people have had good experiences of Azura - we didn't, at least so far as the suite was concerned, and the failure to fix basic issues for several days.  It's a ship that's in dire need of the planned refit, and the apologies I've had from P&O reflect that.

 

Good luck with your own first P&O cruise when you go! I genuinely hope it's all that you're expecting it to be. My first P&O was exactly that.

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

 

It will be fine - just busier ! We tend to find more families go together - children, parents and grandparents. Some times it is nice to see the generations together having a good time.  It is also fun to see the little ones on formal nights ! We always sail in the school holidays and thinking back we have very rarely seen any bad behaviour from the children.. It just means that the pools will be far busier. I'm sure it will be fine --- then again, we know no different !

Don't get me wrong, we've been on Britannia twice and Azura twice in school holidays so we know what to expect. However I have read about Ventura being the worst to travel on at that time of year and much as I know not to take any notice and form my own opinion it is still playing on my mind!

I'm still looking forward to it and will make the most of it regardless.

Thanks for the encouragement.