sidekick180

I'm sure that this question has probably been answered before but I can't find any posts about it. I was just wondering if I would be allowed to take a small extension lead with us when we go on board Azura in May. I know that there are not many plug sockets in the cabins, so I was hoping to take a small 4 socket lead with me to be able to keep phones, tablets video recorder and other bits charged. Obviously I would not leave it plugged in when we are not in the room just to be on the safe side.

On 3/4/2019 at 9:26 AM, amfc_lenny said:

Wesley Dunlop, was captain on our TA trip in November 18 on the Britannia.We attended an "an audience event with the captain" in the theatre and he came across as a very likeable down to earth guy. Some really good speeches on the captains evening.

We did spot him round the ship a few times, chatting with passengers, and he'd had a few early morning medical emergencies on that cruise to deal with, which were handled very well.

 

Going back to the OP's original question, I'd  be interested to know who's due to be captain of the Azura as we're sailing on her in May.

 

I am also booked on Azura from 4th to 11th May, so I would be interested to find out who it will be too?

I know that cruisers have asked this question for some of the other ships and often not been able to find out, but I just wondered if anyone knows who the Azura Captain will be from 4th May 2019?

I have read many posts on this subject and some say the captain on a cruise can make all the difference, others say it doesn't matter. To be honest, I really couldn't care less, as long as the captain gets us safely from A to B, C and D etc. Then home. However, just out of curiosity, I would like to try to find out.

I can't even remember the name of the captain we had on Ventura last May. All I remember is that it was very difficult to work out what he was saying during any announcements. Not sure if this was due to his accent or the poor quality of the speakers in our cabin. It could have been a combination of both. Plus, my hearing is pretty rubbish, which doesn't help.

Anyway, it would be great if someone could point me in the right direction if there is a way to find out who the Capt is.

By the way, feel free to join in on the roll call that I started for this cruise!

I am also booked on that cruise and I booked it directly through P&O. When I made the booking the lady actually said 'lucky you, this will be the first cruise that the gratuities will have been removed'.

As far as I am concerned, this means I will not have the automatic gratuities added to my account. Mind you, I will still double check after a couple of days just to make sure.

On 2/18/2019 at 7:45 PM, micheeteach said:

How do I get my name on a list for Meet and Mingle

leaving Southampton May 4-11th

on P & O

Shelley cabin L253

Are you on the Azura? If so, I have already started a Roll Call for that cruise.

Thank you everyone for your very valuable input. Obviously it will be what it will be. Hopefully calm both ways, but if not, there is always the bar. I will just have to make sure the other half gets so drunk that she thinks it's just the effects of the alcohol and not the ships movement.

I realise that we are all at the mercy of mother nature and hopefully she will be kind to us this time. I have already got the cruising bug and would like to do at least one every year, just got to try and get the other half to also get the cruising bug. Otherwise, I might have to leave her at home (don't think i would get away with that).

Probably a silly question, but just trying to get some input from seasoned cruisers.

I keep hearing the same quote from lots of people that the 'BoB is notorious for being rough'. Is this factual or just that some have had a bad time crossing it? I can't believe that it is ALWAYS rough.

I would love to hear from those that have crossed BOB when it has been really calm. We will be on a cruise on Azura from 4th to 11th May and will be going through the Bay there and back. It wont bother me if it's a bit wobbly, but I am trying to convince my other half that we might be lucky and get a calm crossing. She didn't enjoy the movement much last year on Ventura, even though I thought the sea was really calm.

She is obviously much more sensitive to sea sickness than me.

20 hours ago, Cozzyleicester said:

I suspect we were on the very same cruise the OP refers to, returning on Jan 26th. Like an earlier respondent  I was struggling somewhat to make sense of this post but whilst I would agree that the in house Pulse band were nothing like as good as on Britannia 2 years ago in the Caribbean,  I can’t disagree more with everything else the OP said.

 

If you ignore the whole ridiculous Butlins reference (if I had a £ for every time I see the old “P&O is becoming Butlins” chestnut I could have paid for my on board account), first thing I would say is if you’ve got a cruise coming up on Azura then don’t be put off, I saw no evidence of “it’s all going downhill”. We loved it from beginning to end and never spoke to anyone in the MDR that wasn’t enjoying it too.

 

I thought the entertainment hosts were great, I did several of the poolside quizzes and enjoyed them. And as for saying the Captain was “shocking”, well honestly I thought his announcements were just fine, and was my holiday spoiled because I didn’t see him to say hello?  No, of course it wasn’t. I went to the audience with the Captain and his team in the theatre and really enjoyed it, thought he carried himself pretty well in the face of some well, yes whinging by a couple of people which made me cringe; that’s despite the entertainment host saying at the outset, “please can we take individual concerns outside of this session”.

 

BTW we only ate a couple of times in the buffet when time was short and thought it was just fine, particularly the curries.

 

So overall, horses for courses but I thought it was worth bringing a bit of balance to this debate from someone on the same cruise, particularly for the benefit of those for whom these forums are their only source of info if new to cruising and might be worried when seeing posts like this (believe me I know what that’s like, reading all sorts of critical reviews of Britannia before our first cruise and thinking oh no - then you get on the ship and say to yourself “they must have been on a different ship!”)

Thank you for your balancing input. It has put my mind at rest a little, because we are on Azura in May, for our second ever cruise and I was getting a little worried after reading so many negative reviews. Mind you, even if it was ending up like Butlins, it wouldn't bother me cos I am always up for a party atmosphere. Our first cruise, which was on Ventura in May last year was absolutely brilliant. The only very small negative we had, was that the ship was having some technical issues. We had to miss a port of call and there was quite a lot of rolling during the cruise (apparently to do with the technical issue the ship had). Other than that, we found the entertainment, the food, the service and the general feel of the cruise to be fantastic, which is why, this year we have booked on her sister ship Azura. If our cruise in May is anything like last year, We will be very happy bunnies.

Not that it really matters, but does anyone know who will be the captain on Azura in May? Or is there any way to find out who it will be. I'm just curious since people have been saying how much difference a captain can make to the enjoyment of a cruise. Having said that, I am going to enjoy my cruise even if it's an alien at the helm.

I hope things have improved on Azura by May. We are on her from 4th to 11th May and really looking forward to it. We were on Ventura in May last year and thoroughly enjoyed it all, especially the entertainment. The food was also very good everywhere we ate. I can only hope the entertainment and food on Azura is of a similar standard. I think we went to every show at both ends of the ship and also spent a lot of time listening to the band in the middle of the ship. As for Captains, we found the Captain on Ventura to be a little bit bland and never actually saw him, but to be fair, they are there to ensure we get to each destination safely and on time, so it really didn't bother us at all.

Thank you for that, I never knew that there were phones around the ship in public places, shows how blind I was when we were walking round on Ventura. I also didn't realise that you could phone your cabin free of charge, so all this type of information is great and the exact reason why I joined this forum. Many thanks

Thanks, I had a feeling that walkie talkies might not be too good and obviosly we would not want to annoy other passengers. We have only been on one cruise before. that was on Ventura and I thought the ship was pretty big, we did get a bit lost a couple of times. We also missed out on some areas that we found out about after our cruise. Not sure how the cabin phones work but I assume there is no charge for calling your own cabin and would you phone your cabin using a mobile?

This may seem like a really stupid question. But what is the best way to keep in touch with friends and family on the same cruise ship, without purchasing an internet package and without having to pay mobile roaming charges?

I was considering buying some walkie talkies, but not sure if they were allowed on board.

This is just in case one of us wants to head off and do something completely different to the other person. Don't want to be roaming around the ship all day trying to find each other. If any of you have dealt with this already, I would be grateful to hear your ideas.

19 hours ago, kalos said:

If you were to decide to book the N Y Cruise then the pool should be open .

As I said in my other post on one of  our cruises we had a cruise to nowhere due to choppy seas

and the pool was as choppy as the sea so they netted and drained it .

I'm not saying it will happen but it could dependant on the sea state. Hope this does not deter your Mrs .

 

We tend to book early as possible as we book a mid ship cabin and these have less movement and can sell out or the price can go up a fair bit later in the year.

Just our preference but we book inside cabins due to outside tempratures and save our money for the Balcony cabins on our warmer weather cruises .

Mrs Kalos has been known to turn a little green in stormy waters and if she feels the slightest bit queasy , she takes a tablet called Kwells and gets her head down for half an hour , then shes good to go for the rest of the day even the next morning she was ordering the full english without the aid of any more tablets . Hope that reassures  Mrs Sidekick.

 

Your wife should like the Azura and will find it easy to get around as it's the sister ship of the Ventura .You will find yourself maybe sat in the Blue Bar , thinking this is just like the Red Bar on the Ventura and this happens with lots of onboard venues .

The main difference you should notice notice on the Azura is no roof over the pool as the large TV screen replaces the retractable roof .

So I hope you both enjoy your cruise and possibly more cruises to look forward to as well.

　

Thanks for that advice. As it happens, I always buy my other half a joke present at Christmas. so for Christmas just gone, her joke present was a packet of Stugeron Sea Sickness tablets. Apparently, they are supposed to be very good. She did smile when she opened the present.

As for the swimming pools being netted on your New Year cruise. They were netted for most of the days on our cruise last May. It was a bit confusing because the sea was relatively calm. Apparently, as I have mentioned before,the Ventura had some issues with the stabilisers. Hopefully our cruise this May on Azura will be much better.

15 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Hi,

Hope you are well.

For New Year, the price we paid for 5 nights seemed good value. 

We were quite happy with our inside cabin on Aurora, but got a good price on a balcony for New Year.

I called P&O with a query and ended up being offered a good deal, so took it.

Unfortunately, we do not know a trusted travel agent, so tend to book direct.

Good luck, hope to see you onboard for a Peroni....

Andy

Hi Andy,

Yes, I'm fine thanks. Hope you are well too.

We will definitely get in touch before the New Year cruise if we decide to go for it and will hopefully meet up for a few beers.

I know that I am taking a risk but we will probably wait until we have done the cruise on Azura in May before we make our decision. No point booking it if the other half struggles with being on a cruise ship. I'm sure she will be fine next time. Having said that, there is a much higher risk of stormy weather in December so that could also put her off. I will do my best to convince her that it will all be fine.

16 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

We are on the Hamburg/Brugge 5 nighter on Ventura next New Year, thought it was good value.

Cant wait.... Never do much at New Year usually so really excited.

Sorry not much help, just really excited!!!

Andy

HI Andy,

I think we have chatted before on here?

The Ventura cruise is the one that I am considering for New Year.

You say you thought it was good value. Can I ask, did you  book through P&O or through a TA? Also, have you gone for an inside cabin or something better? 

Thank you all very much for your input. I have no clue why I thought the New Year cruises were three nights. I went back on the P&O site to double check the prices and it was then that I realised they were for 5 nights. This has made the price look a lot more reasonable.

I'm still not totally convinced to go ahead and book just yet. We have a cruise booked for May this year, which hopefully the other half will really enjoy (She isn't a brilliant sailor, but then, she has only ever done one cruise, which was May 2018). If she does love our next cruise, maybe we will book for New Year, if there are any cabins left by then.

For more years than I care to remember, we have spent our New Year break with family and friends, swapping between a caravan park or lodge type cabin at some fairly local leisure resorts.

However, for the past 4 years, ever since they were taken over by Parkdean, I think both parks have gone dramatically downhill. The standard of entertainment has been awful and the atmosphere almost non existent. After coming back last week from one of the parks, I decided enough was enough.

I had paid over £700 for 4 nights, which didn't include any food or drink, the lodge was filthy and smelt awful, the entertainment was dire, the atmosphere was non existent and the only meal we paid for on the park was absolutely disgusting. All in all, a complete waste of money, which is why I am now thinking of a New Year Cruise. I am in my late fifties but still love a good party and I have no intention of ever growing up or growing old. As I mentioned ealier, my girlfriend isn't convinced that cruising is for her. We had a lovely cruise on Ventura in May last year and absolutely loved everything about the cruise, but the other half didn't cope well with the rolling and pitching of the ship. Having said that, I found out after we returned, that the Ventura had been having technical problems during that cruise, which involved the software which controls the stabilisers. Hopefully, we will not have the same issues on our Azura cruise in May this year. If she has a good experience next time, maybe it will convince her to go on one for New Year. I would just have to pray for calm seas.

One quick question for anyone that has cruised over New Year. Do they have the swimming pools open? I assume they do because they are heated pools and on Ventura, one of the pools is indoors.

I do like to go for a swim every day, so that would be a big issue for me if they didn't have the pools open.

Thanks again for all the input, but please keep it coming. I need to convince my lovely lady to let me book it.

Hello All,

I am considering booking a cruise to celebrate the next New Year. The only two cruises that I have found with P&O for 2019/2020 New Year are both destined for Brugges. I just wondered if anyone had been on a cruise over the recent New Year and if so, was it to Brugge. I would love to hear what your thoughts were for the atmosphere during the cruise and what it was like in general.

The cost of the New Year 3 night cruise is quite high so I don't really want to spend that much money if it's not worth it. I have never done a New Year cruise before, so I have no idea what to expect. any information or insights would be greatly received. Thanks

Some fantastic advice from all you experienced cruisers. It looks like the choice is quite divided. I will see how we get on in May on the P&O Azura. If it works out to be perfect for us we will probably stick with P&O, but if not, maybe we could look at RCI or a completely different line.

Many thanks to all!

Hi Everyone,

So far, I have only ever been on one cruise, which was May 2018 on P&O Ventura. I have already booked for next May on P&O Azura. I have spoken to quite a few experienced cruisers and a good number of them have said that Royal Carribean cruises are better than P&O. I would like to get some feedback on this question so I can make a more informed decision when booking our next cruise. Also, the cruise would need to be a 'no fly cruise' preferably from Southampton.

We were last on Ventura in June and the stability issue was still noticeable, not as severe as we experienced in Feb/March but the weather in the Med wasn't as bad as the Atlantic crossing in March.

However we were on Azura to the Canaries last month and it was far more stable, no sign of the prevalent list to port that we still kept feeling on Ventura in June. So maybe the software is still faulty, we will find out in January when we are next on Ventura.

I am really looking forward to our trip on Azura because lots of people have said that it seems to be much more stable than Ventura. Considering the ships are virtually identical it can only mean that the stabilisers are not functioning properly. Hope they get this software issue sorted out before your trip in Jan. I assume that when you were on Ventura in June the sea was relatively calm?

It was calm for us in May and I know that people have said you can always get quite a bit of swell, which you can't really see, but even so, It's not pleasant laying in bed at night feeling as though your feet are going above your head and the vice versa. Also, listening to the walls creaking is quite off putting. I would also assume that during a 7 night cruise, at least a few of those days would see less movement. I think there was only about two nights that we didn't feel the motion. Also, the swimming pools seemed to be closed for most days during our cruise.

Sorry to read about your experience but this is not a dry-dock fix. I was on the same cruise as you and the Captain did make several announcements as to what the problems were. He also went into detail about what was needed to fix the issue as it was a software problem and not a hardware problem. The shop sails perfectly now so don’t be put off in future.

I stand corrected!!

I assumed it was a mechanical fault rather than a software issue. I didn't hear any announcements from the captain regarding what the faults were. Mind you, we were having huge problems with the TV in our cabin, so perhaps when he was making those announcements, we just couldn't hear them through the TV. We did eventually get our TV fixed, but it was probably after all the announcements had been made.

Can you remember what the captain said the faults were and if so, was it to do with the stabilisers?

It certainly hasn't put me off cruising and we have now booked another for May next year on the sister ship Azura. Having said that, my other half took some convincing to ever go on another cruise. Hopefully our next one will be perfect, or as perfect as they can be.

After 2 cruises this year on Ventura I am more concerned with its stability, in wind and rough seas she lists badly to port, as though the stabilisers are not working properly.

Having just returned from Azura her stability was far superior, however the weather was perhaps less testing.

I was on Ventura in May this year and at that time it was also pitching and rolling quite badly. As this was our first cruise, we didn't know whether this was normal. However, since we got back, I showed lots of people the video footage that I had taken of the calm sea and the swimming pool sloshing from one end to the other and every person said this was very unusual on a ship that size. All of them had been on many cruises before. It completely put my girlfriend off ever cruising again because she felt quite sick. having said that, we have now booked on Azura for next May and while I was on the phone to P&O customer service, I asked about the movement that we had experienced and I was told that there had been an issue with one of the stabilisers. The lady said that this was one of the resons that we ended up missing out on one of the ports of call. We were told within two hours of setting sail on that cruise, that the ship had encountered a technical issue and we would not be visiting Vigo. that didn't bother us too much because we were on there to experience cruising. We absolutely loved all the entertainment, the food and the service but it was slightly marred by the excessive movement. I can only assume that the Ventura is still having stabiliser problems. Perhaps they can only fix it if it went into dry dock and that clearly can't happen if it has a full cruising schedule for the foreseeable future.