First time P&O - considering Azura

[Trixie21]

Hi all!

We are a couple in our 50's from Northern Ireland and cruise regularly (couple of times a year) on Royal Caribbean.

We were looking for a sunshine break in February/March without too long a flight and I came across the P&O canary island itineraries which sail from Tenerife and avoid the journey down through the bay of biscay at this time of year. Royal ships don't come to Europe until April/May.

I have a couple of questions maybe some kind people can help with which help us to decide whether to pull the trigger and book.

 

- Flights are included which we are not used to. It says London airports when I go through the booking process - which London airport is it they use because we will have to get flights from NI to get there?

- You can choose select or saver fare - i can see the differences listed so am clear about that - just curious what most people choose? I normally choose to pay more so I can select my own cabin on Royal - always try to get a cabin between passenger decks to avoid noise. Are there any cabins/decks to avoid on Azura which wouldn't be obvious to me just looking at deckplans?

- Tell me the good and bad about Azura. We have sailed both the Oasis/quantum class ships right down to vision class on Royal and enjoy both for different reasons so we have no issues with Azura being an older, smaller shipmwhixh i know she is.

- Most important question is about food. I will be fine as I can always find something to eat but my wife is Celiac and picky as well and also just out of hospital and will have to be on a low residue diet also. Are the chefs/waiters good at dealing with specific dietary requests and adapting dishes to suit or making off menu items ? We would normally do MDR for dinner and buffet for breakgast/lunch , although would sometimes do MDR for those also. How do I let them know about these requirements in advance ?

 

I'm quite keen to try another cruise line just for a change if nothing else so all input is appreciated , even things you think I should know about which I haven't asked !

[pennib]

Hi and welcome to the boards. You have asked the impossible question as everyone has their own likes and dislikes. We have been on Azura several times on Caribbean cruises and we like the ship. The Ventura is the same layout but we don’t like her as much as the Azura (see what I mean about likes and dislikes). In fact we did a 4 week cruise last Christmas on her which we enjoyed. As to which decks to avoid, steer clear of Riviera deck (I think it is deck 12) as if you have a balcony cabin your balcony is overhung by a roof extension from the deck above. We were moved to there because the cabin we had booked had been taken over as a quarantine cabin for COVID. It was supposed to be an upgrade but the only thing that was upgraded was that the replacement cabin was mid ships whereas we like to be on the aft side of mid ships. I would not advocate having a cabin that is far forward as it is then a long walk to the back!

The buffet on the ship ( and also the same in Ventura) is just about the worst design you could have. The food however is fine. With regards to diets etc you can discuss this with the maitre d in the MDR and I am sure you will be fine. People I have spoken to about this are very happy with the arrangements.

 

We are older than you but we have done the Canaries cruise twice this year on the Marella Explorer and absolutely loved it. Smaller ships but food excellent and all inclusive. Staff wonderful. In fact we like it so much we have booked the same trip on the same ship for next November!! We saw the Azura when we were both in Lanzarote. We are on Britannia for our usual Christmas cruise this year so it will be interesting to see what changes there have been since before COVID on her.

 

Hope his diatribe has helped but Merry Christmas anyway⛄️

[carlanthony24]

Welcome. 
 

We love Azura we have a Rivera balcony (Deck 14) at the front for March. Not found a problem to be honest. October just gone we had flights at London Heathrow then they changed it to Stansted they are also known to do Gatwick as well.

 

We always go select.

 

Food plenty to choose from. Make sure to try the glass house and beach house. If you go the MDR and have dietary requirements a member of staff comes round night before to get your order.

[Kittyonions]

My suggestion would be to try to get a balcony cabin on C deck. They are much deeper than the higher decks, and although partially overlooked are about twice the size of other decks. Also, if you want to be in the sun use outer part, or else sit further back in the shade of the higher balconies.

You sound pretty flexible, so I’m sure you will enjoy Azura!

[purplesea]

We have sailed on Azura on several occasions and have been on both the Lido and Riviera Decks, forward and have had no problems. 

With regard to diet, my mother has an allergy to cheese, yogurt, etc and informed P&O when booking. Each eveing the maitre'd would bring the next days menus to her for her to choose and have it adapted, or to choose something else. They have a separate prep area in the kitchens for those that have specialist dietary requirements.

With regards to flights we are booked to fly out and join her in January 2024 and are flying from Bristol.

[Josy1953]

We have been on Azura several times and much prefer her to Ventura.  We have always booked C deck aft.  Our preferred cabins are the corner cabins looking out over the wake because they are very quiet with no passing traffic and the balconies are larger than standard.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Josy1953

[Wonky]

7 hours ago, pennib said:

The buffet on the ship ( and also the same in Ventura) is just about the worst design you could have.

Could not agree more with this! On Azura now and honestly they could have given crayons to chimps and they would have made a better job. You are funnelled from two sides to a small area where the roasts are carved. If you want to get a hot plate they are located perfectly so that if anyone is getting something nearby you can’t get to the plates. If you decide you want to look at at what’s on offer (no menu outside as there was on Ventura) and get to the roast area and decide I’ll have that then there are no plates and you have to got back to the afore mentioned hot plates. I’ve seen so many times people get food in the tongs and realise they don’t have a plate! Bizarrely the desserts section which you are generally at for a few seconds takes up a quarter of the space. 
 

Rant paused!

[Trixie21]

Thanks everyone for all the help.

I'm going to ask another question regarding dining- how does MDR work on Azura? I see something called freedom dining - would this be similar to my time dining on Royal where theoretically you can go when you want,  but may have to wait?

Do they also have set dining where you eat at the same time every evening and you have the same table each night ?

[Fionboard]

22 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

Thanks everyone for all the help.

I'm going to ask another question regarding dining- how does MDR work on Azura? I see something called freedom dining - would this be similar to my time dining on Royal where theoretically you can go when you want,  but may have to wait?

Do they also have set dining where you eat at the same time every evening and you have the same table each night ?

Yes. At present you can choose Freedom or fixed (6.30 or 8.30) dining if you book Select. 

[grapau27]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:37 AM, Trixie21 said:

Hi all!

We are a couple in our 50's from Northern Ireland and cruise regularly (couple of times a year) on Royal Caribbean.

We were looking for a sunshine break in February/March without too long a flight and I came across the P&O canary island itineraries which sail from Tenerife and avoid the journey down through the bay of biscay at this time of year. Royal ships don't come to Europe until April/May.

I have a couple of questions maybe some kind people can help with which help us to decide whether to pull the trigger and book.

 

- Flights are included which we are not used to. It says London airports when I go through the booking process - which London airport is it they use because we will have to get flights from NI to get there?

- You can choose select or saver fare - i can see the differences listed so am clear about that - just curious what most people choose? I normally choose to pay more so I can select my own cabin on Royal - always try to get a cabin between passenger decks to avoid noise. Are there any cabins/decks to avoid on Azura which wouldn't be obvious to me just looking at deckplans?

- Tell me the good and bad about Azura. We have sailed both the Oasis/quantum class ships right down to vision class on Royal and enjoy both for different reasons so we have no issues with Azura being an older, smaller shipmwhixh i know she is.

- Most important question is about food. I will be fine as I can always find something to eat but my wife is Celiac and picky as well and also just out of hospital and will have to be on a low residue diet also. Are the chefs/waiters good at dealing with specific dietary requests and adapting dishes to suit or making off menu items ? We would normally do MDR for dinner and buffet for breakgast/lunch , although would sometimes do MDR for those also. How do I let them know about these requirements in advance ?

 

I'm quite keen to try another cruise line just for a change if nothing else so all input is appreciated , even things you think I should know about which I haven't asked !

We got off Azura on December 2nd and flew from Tenerife back to Newcastle.

Flights for this cruise are Friday and Saturday so maybe your TA could arrange a Belfast or even Dublin flight for you.

We are D+ on Royal and sailed on all their ships.

Azura was in great condition for a 12 year old ship.

The buffet is so so but you can get burgers,hot dogs or pizzas at the poolside grills.

With select fare you usually get a decent OBC as well as picking your own cabin.

We preferred to eat in the speciality restaurants which had outstanding food.

The Glass house is a pay per item and excellent value for money.

We prefer aft balconies and had B754 which was deck 11 and ideal.

I would recommend 2 or even 1 week.

Graham.

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by grapau27

[tring]

Flights are from a number of airports, but if booking for next March, you should be able to get a specific flight on your booking along with flight times, which are mainly at 6am out from the UK.  Is Belfast included in the options for instance (I do not know if it is)?  It is probable some flights are already fully booked for next Feb/March though and some airports are only used for some departures, not all of them.  Manchester is commonly used though and may be more convenient for you if Belfast is not available, especially if you are looking at hotel costs before the P&O flight.  The charge for regional airports is £50 per person, so not a lot in the scheme of things.  As there are so many variables for you with potential lack of availability, I suggest you book by telephone, direct or with  P &O (ring as soon as they open one morning or can spend a good while in a phone queue).  One of the very large cruise booking agents who can book directly on their computer systems rather than having to ring P&O to confirm the booking like the smaller agents do is also a possibility.  Preferred dining options may also not be available now for all departures.

 

I would book select, but you MUST ask to be removed from any automatic upgrade when you book as an, "upgrade" is very often to a less desirable location.  There will be no option to decline an upgrade otherwise.  That is something regular P&O customers are well aware of, some have found it out the hard way.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by tring

[Megabear2]

30 minutes ago, tring said:

Flights are from a number of airports, but if booking for next March, you should be able to get a specific flight on your booking along with flight times, which are mainly at 6am out from the UK.  Is Belfast included in the options for instance (I do not know if it is)?  It is probable some flights are already fully booked for next Feb/March though and some airports are only used for some departures, not all of them.  Manchester is commonly used though and may be more convenient for you if Belfast is not available, especially if you are looking at hotel costs before the P&O flight.  The charge for regional airports is £50 per person, so not a lot in the scheme of things.  As there are so many variables for you with potential lack of availability, I suggest you book by telephone, direct or with  P &O (ring as soon as they open one morning or can spend a good while in a phone queue).  One of the very large cruise booking agents who can book directly on their computer systems rather than having to ring P&O to confirm the booking like the smaller agents do is also a possibility.  Preferred dining options may also not be available now for all departures.

 

I would book select, but you MUST ask to be removed from any automatic upgrade when you book as an, "upgrade" is very often to a less desirable location.  There will be no option to decline an upgrade otherwise.  That is something regular P&O customers are well aware of, some have found it out the hard way.

 

 

We are currently back to select fares for these cruises being around £800 to £1,000 dearer than the saver fares. The OBC is also back to "normal" levels - around £60 for 7 days and £120 for 14.  Depending on how urgently the OP wants to book it might be an option to wait until after Christmas as the offers/fares may well drop.

 

Personally I am tracking a couple of March cruises and the prices are beginning to move downwards already. Quite considerable drops are occurring on late February cruises and it seems to be happening week by week.

[CCFC]

We are doing 7 days on a select fare in February and got £490 OBC for a C deck balcony

[Trixie21]

Some really good information there and a couple of items such as removing the upgrade option which I had no clue about so thanks again!

We will likely book select fare as I like to know exactly where my cabin is.

Belfast doesn't seem to be an option for flights to any destination until May , which I kind of understand as they are moving into peak season then and would be more able to fill them.

Birmingham is actually a good option for us as there are 3 flights per day from BFS and they are quite cheap and also I am very familiar with Birmingham Airport. 

OBC with select fare on the itineraries I am looking at seems to be £80 at the moment which seems to be "normal" level.

We will likely not book until mid January as there are a few health issues on my wife's part which need resolved in the next few weeks.

Anyone know by the way if they do gluten free pizza on board ?

 

[sandancer]

21 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

We have been on Azura several times and much prefer her to Ventura.  We have always booked C deck aft.  Our preferred cabins are the corner cabins looking out over the wake because they are very quiet with no passing traffic and the balconies are larger than standard.

We have B749 booked on Azura. Hope it will be as you describe even though it’s not the same deck. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by sandancer

[thedriver23]

Just so you are aware of flight time.

We fly from Birmingham on 31st Dec and the flight is 6.15am Jet2 - based on that flight time, you would be looking at overnight stay, if traveling from NI

[dino1037]

Myself and my husband are loyal to Royal… done Freedom and all Oasis class ships

We are currently on Azura as booked it for price and dates and a week of hopefully sun before Christmas… with flights included got quite a good deal 

We knew it was old and ready for a refurb and the price reflected that.. we got £420 OBC!

Buffet is poor…. Beige cold food 

MDR is good… tasty meals but tiny portions 

Drinks package no where near as good as RCL…. They have run out of a lot of drinks 3/4 days in and have old tatty plastic glasses that have seen better days…. Like most things on this ship!

Superior deluxe cabin is a good size and kept clean by lovely steward

Ship doesn’t have wow factor… we found it hard to navigate initially….

Fabric of ship is very tired … guests majority over 65 

Alarmingly no one enforces hand sanitiser lol at restaurants and lots of people don’t bother… 

On all RCL ships we have been on there is always some cleaning of stair rails going on… haven’t seen that at all

there is a terrible smell on occasion from drains in various locations on ship

i went to Ladies near to Manhattan bar a couple of nights ago and water and presumably overflow seeped up through drain all over my long dress…

I cruised Allure of Seas in October and was worried as it’s an older a ship… but compared to this boat it was in a fabulous condition 

We have met some nice people and weather today is hot but in our opinion it doesn’t even come close to any RCL ships

Some of the entertainers are dire

For us the ship is lacking any atmosphere… maybe that’s the age demographic… we aren’t young 52/58

I wouldn’t sail this ship again… maybe we would consider  a newer P&O ship as they are much cheaper than the big RCL ships but like everything in life you get what you pay for

Doing Celebrity Beyond next year so will see how that is

If it’s a cheap week you are after I’m sure it will be ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruiseCrew123]

We are usually Celebrity Cruisers but just booked Azura for Xmas 2023 at a bargain price including flights . We have adjusted our expectations accordingly 🙂 

[sandancer]

This year we have cruised with Celebrity, Cunard and Princess. Next year we will cruise twice with P&O. We have cruised with P&O before (inc Azura) and know that there are differences, even between brands under the same parent company. I.e. Celebrity and Royal and therefore as CruiseCrew pointed out, adjust your expectations. However your review of Azura is quite concerning as one of our cruises in 2023 is on her. I look forward to hearing comments from other Azura cruisers following your review. 

[dino1037]

I think it’s each to their own and I’m sure some P&O cruisers would hate RCL but we have loved them all… some more than others 

I like new shiny things and this ship isn’t that but I’ve still enjoyed our trip overall… but unless bargain price wouldn’t spend my money on it again…

Currently sat in blue bar which is lovely … great service 

Maybe Celebrity will disappoint me and that’s cost a lot of  ££££

Its the lack of cleaning - dirty windows , no hand sanitation, sewage smells that I have never experienced on any other cruise which I really don’t like…

DId NCL Epic once and didn’t like that… 

this ship is same

For me RCL is 5 star in all areas… maybe US guests have higher expectations?

This ship is 3 stars in some areas … 4 at best in others

But as  I said what we paid for holiday reflects that 

[terrierjohn]

9 minutes ago, dino1037 said:

I think it’s each to their own and I’m sure some P&O cruisers would hate RCL but we have loved them all… some more than others 

I like new shiny things and this ship isn’t that but I’ve still enjoyed our trip overall… but unless bargain price wouldn’t spend my money on it again…

Currently sat in blue bar which is lovely … great service 

Maybe Celebrity will disappoint me and that’s cost a lot of  ££££

Its the lack of cleaning - dirty windows , no hand sanitation, sewage smells that I have never experienced on any other cruise which I really don’t like…

DId NCL Epic once and didn’t like that… 

this ship is same

For me RCL is 5 star in all areas… maybe US guests have higher expectations?

This ship is 3 stars in some areas … 4 at best in others

But as  I said what we paid for holiday reflects that 

You have pointed out similar issues that I have made over the years, P&O just do not maintain their ships to the same standard as RCI and Celebrity, and even Princess, which is also part of the Carnival group. Possibly your point about US passengers having higher expectations, is one major reason for this, but equally their prices for ex UK sailings are generally much lower than the above cruise lines, however I think I would be prepared to pay a bit more if the P&O fleet was maintained anywhere near as well as RCI.

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, dino1037 said:

Myself and my husband are loyal to Royal… done Freedom and all Oasis class ships

We are currently on Azura as booked it for price and dates and a week of hopefully sun before Christmas… with flights included got quite a good deal 

We knew it was old and ready for a refurb and the price reflected that.. we got £420 OBC!

Buffet is poor…. Beige cold food 

MDR is good… tasty meals but tiny portions 

Drinks package no where near as good as RCL…. They have run out of a lot of drinks 3/4 days in and have old tatty plastic glasses that have seen better days…. Like most things on this ship!

Superior deluxe cabin is a good size and kept clean by lovely steward

Ship doesn’t have wow factor… we found it hard to navigate initially….

Fabric of ship is very tired … guests majority over 65 

Alarmingly no one enforces hand sanitiser lol at restaurants and lots of people don’t bother… 

On all RCL ships we have been on there is always some cleaning of stair rails going on… haven’t seen that at all

there is a terrible smell on occasion from drains in various locations on ship

i went to Ladies near to Manhattan bar a couple of nights ago and water and presumably overflow seeped up through drain all over my long dress…

I cruised Allure of Seas in October and was worried as it’s an older a ship… but compared to this boat it was in a fabulous condition 

We have met some nice people and weather today is hot but in our opinion it doesn’t even come close to any RCL ships

Some of the entertainers are dire

For us the ship is lacking any atmosphere… maybe that’s the age demographic… we aren’t young 52/58

I wouldn’t sail this ship again… maybe we would consider  a newer P&O ship as they are much cheaper than the big RCL ships but like everything in life you get what you pay for

Doing Celebrity Beyond next year so will see how that is

If it’s a cheap week you are after I’m sure it will be ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm fascinated you call Allure and Azura old.  These vessels cost multi millions of pounds with at least 20 year life expectancy and it always amuses me that they are discussed as if they are cars that are part exchanged every 3 or 4 years.  

 

As it happens I've sailed Allure and Azura and as a starting point think its would be an impossible task to actually compare them even when they were brand new.  I can't comment on the maintenance situation but having watched the P&O fleet bobbing around the cold northern hemisphere of Torbay, Weymouth etc clearly that took a heavy toll on overall condition which no doubt is still being caught up on.

 

P&O most certainly should ensure the ship is clean. Very disappointed you have found that not to be the case.

 

You will hopefully love Celebrity Beyond.  The Edge class ships are beautiful and modern. Having sailed Edge herself in June this year I am booked with much anticipation on Beyond for 2024.  However I'm also booked on Britannia, Queen Anne and Queen Mary so 7 years old, brand spanking new and 18 years old as at today.  All different and the better for it.

 

I hope things improve for you.

[purplesea]

I have sailed on Azura on several occasions, the latest May this year, and there was plenty of cleaning of public areas in evidence as well as the use of sanitisers. I do agree that she was looking a little tired in places, but I think some of that has been due to the use of bleach/disinfectant that had been used to spray the corridors. With  regard to the reported smells of sewage, I have never encountered it on any of my cruises. We found that on our last trip the food was not up to the standard that it was pre-covid, but we still enjoyed our meals.

[carlanthony24]

1 hour ago, sandancer said:

This year we have cruised with Celebrity, Cunard and Princess. Next year we will cruise twice with P&O. We have cruised with P&O before (inc Azura) and know that there are differences, even between brands under the same parent company. I.e. Celebrity and Royal and therefore as CruiseCrew pointed out, adjust your expectations. However your review of Azura is quite concerning as one of our cruises in 2023 is on her. I look forward to hearing comments from other Azura cruisers following your review. 

Cruised in October on Azura only time we smelt sewage was in Lanzarote and we were filling up with fuel/oil.  Food was amazing. During boarding and into restaurants they were quite hot on getting people to sanitise. 
 

Only issue we found nothing to do with P&O told to wear masks on the coach to the airport the driver put his down before his chin.

 

I don’t understand how people can compare other cruise lines on things different clientele. I find Royal Caribbean/Celebrity are more for the US market compared to P&O. Also the time of the year kids still have not broken up yet from school and neither have workers.

Edited December 14, 2022 by carlanthony24

[grapau27]

On 12/11/2022 at 3:58 PM, sandancer said:

We have B749 booked on Azura. Hope it will be as you describe even though it’s not the same deck. 

We had B754 which was very quiet.

TV was a small flat screen above the Kettle station and there was no connection to sky or BBC  while docked in Las Palmas Tenerife.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by grapau27