Aurora - A Bear, Sweep and Others Go Baltic!

[Megabear2]

Good morning. This is not a live from and will be a random selection of posts as and when the whim takes me. Basically a quick dip in here and there iif something we see/do seems worth noting.  For context we are a large group consisting of some first time cruisers, some P&O regulars, some fans of Aurora and some (like myself) who have never been on either of the P&O small adult ships.  

 

I'm finding this a baptism of fire. The smallest ship I have ever sailed on was QE2 and I feel a little like I'm living in miniature!  It's going to be an interesting experience for me personally as a result.  My overall impression so far is that the ship is very pretty but I personally feel like I'm in a time warp and it is going to take me a while to adjust. Strangely despite my nearly 70 previous cruises I'm actually the one in our group who feels like the newbie here and my SIL who's on her only her second cruise is taking me in hand!

 

A great example was suitcase gate so many thanks for the advice on suitcases elsewhere.  In the end I put one in the wardrobe and one under the bed, not ideal but it works! I'm astonished by the number of coat hangers we have but perplexed with only on shelf being so used to Britannia, Azura etc with the walk in storage area.  The drawers are really useful, however I now have an inbuilt dread of them making a noise - I think my daily read of Selbourne's Caribbean adventure has heightened my senses to the perils of what they can do to your neighbours!!  Certainly I noticed that soundproofing is not Aurora's strongest feature so i was tip toeing around when we returned to the cabin last night!

 

Anyway ur little drama on storage is now past, others in our group however have slight more interesting hurdles to clear! 

 

One of my BIL's had his hard shell suitcase arrive badly broken and another had a flooded bathroom on arrival.  It seems there are a small group experiencing this and I hope it's not catching.

 

The broken suitcase is an interesting one.  After three different people have had their say on it it's been taken away to the engineering depot to see if they can  mend it.  Now told my BIL if it's not fixable he'll be given OBC which he has said no to because quite simply he wants a suitcase/bag to put his clothes in to get off the ship at the end not money to spend on things he neither needs nor wants.  Looking at the damage I can see this one running for the next 16 nights. My SIL.thinks she may end up with a collection of carrier bags for the foreseeable!

 

So apart from luggage dramas and floods, we wake to meet a new day!

 

I can confirm dinner was very good, no complaints although we are dotted around the restaurant rather more than expected. It's a work in progress to seat us near each other apparently.  I get the impression that rent a crowds like us are a little unusual on Aurora who seems to be a little over awed with all of us being used to more genteel couples and solo travellers.  

 

My OH and I were for the first time ever anywhere looked up and down by another guest yesterday evening when we walked through Andersons while looking for my sister.  Our sin? Wearing the tshirts we boarded in as we hadn't had time to change after the dramas.  I confess i felt uncomfortable after that and it has rather put me on guard as to what and who my fellow passengers think we are.  I joked many months back that I thought people seeing us invading Aurora would think we were gypsies and the looks given to my OH and I last night have rather heightened my anxiety on that one.

 

Anyway it is going to be interesting!

 

General observations. I am astonished at the huge difference in pricing on some of the bottles of wine from our January cruise.  One particular favourite was £36 on Britannia in January and is now ,£49.50 on here!  I passed. When sailing on Queen Anne in May although priced in dollars i now see only about 50p difference in that bottle's price which i found noteworthy. It seems P&O are definitely now looking to push up the bottle price on the "higher" end wines.

 

I've also noted a huge cut in the number of wines by the glass and also those included in either drinks package - none of us have one on here but I'm interested as I do have the Deluxe one on Britannia in December.  It will be interesting to see how many other things are now not available in those packages.

 

The good news is the sun is out. I also like the balcony as I can lay in bed and see the sea.  

 

As I said my small ship experience is going to be an interesting one.  I was never sure it would be for me and only time will tell.  The main thing is the luxury of all of our family being together for the first time in.i catell you how many years.

[Sussexboy]

Your comment about the hangers made me smile. On Arvia back in May I ended up stuffing all the unused hangers into a drawer on the first night as they were driving me up the wall with their incessant noise due to the large swell. 
 

Have a lovely cruise!

Edited August 27 by Sussexboy

[david63]

On the point of the damaged suitcase - do they not sell them onboard? I'm sure I have seen them in the shop in the past. If they do then just ask for as much OBC as is needed to buy a new one.

[P&O SUE]

Hope your experience gets better MB, looking forward to the rest of your reports!

[purplesea]

Thanks for taking the time to relay your experiences. I hope things impove and you have a lovely cruise.

[Eddie99]

Thanks!

I’m looking forward to hearing your *not live from*

 

[Cathygh]

Looking forward to this, hope you enjoy!

[Purdey16]

Thank you megabear for your first post on Aurora, she’s a lovely ship and small enough to get to each end without getting to puffed out 😁 , I hope your family member gets the right result for there suitcase, normally there’s always a luggage shop to buy cases in each port you go to , I’m sorry I’ve forgotten where you are travelling to , if it’s Norway then scrap that 😂 but if going to the canaries you have a much better chance of buying a new one to come home .

I hope you have a fantastic time and plenty of sunshine, glad you sorted the suitcase under the bed out , ours didn’t fit until we lifted the bed and put them under , re the coat hangers you could tie the unused ones all together with a bathrobe belt if you have one or a scarf and clothes put on each end on the hangers onwards so the spare ones are totally in the middle not moving.

Have fun 

[SausPud]

love the big and the small ships.

I'm doing the Arcadia in December this year and just booked the Aurora for the Summer 2026. She is getting a major refit next year, around April, so looking forward to maybe seeing USB ports in the cabins and any thing else exciting they might add, rather than carpets and new chairs.

 

I'll be reading with excitement for you.

Enjoy the cruise and baby ship.

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

On the point of the damaged suitcase - do they not sell them onboard? I'm sure I have seen them in the shop in the past. If they do then just ask for as much OBC as is needed to buy a new one.

We shall look if they insist on OBC, thank you.

[AchileLauro]

46 minutes ago, SausPud said:

love the big and the small ships.

I'm doing the Arcadia in December this year and just booked the Aurora for the Summer 2026. She is getting a major refit next year, around April, so looking forward to maybe seeing USB ports in the cabins and any thing else exciting they might add, rather than carpets and new chairs.

 

I'll be reading with excitement for you.

Enjoy the cruise and baby ship.

Personally if I had to make a choice I would rather have new carpets and worn furnishings replaced rather than USB ports in cabins. When I get on a holiday cruise one of the first things that I do is switch off the phone and lock it in the safe and only take it out if going ashore.

 

The P&O "app" was tried a couple of times but found to be totally useless so I don't have a need for a phone when at sea.

[FangedRose]

3 hours ago, SausPud said:

love the big and the small ships.

I'm doing the Arcadia in December this year and just booked the Aurora for the Summer 2026. She is getting a major refit next year, around April, so looking forward to maybe seeing USB ports in the cabins and any thing else exciting they might add, rather than carpets and new chairs.

 

I'll be reading with excitement for you.

Enjoy the cruise and baby ship.

I've been on Aurora twice this year and both times Capt Simon Love has repeated that passengers won't see a massive change after the refit. Most of it is behind the scenes and in the engine room. Don't hold your breath.

[FangedRose]

2 hours ago, AchileLauro said:

Personally if I had to make a choice I would rather have new carpets and worn furnishings replaced rather than USB ports in cabins. When I get on a holiday cruise one of the first things that I do is switch off the phone and lock it in the safe and only take it out if going ashore.

 

The P&O "app" was tried a couple of times but found to be totally useless so I don't have a need for a phone when at sea.

The "app" is brilliant for checking your account without traipsing to reception and wasting paper, it also has The Horizon on it which saves carrying sheets of paper around, also it has Britain Today with more pages than the wasteful printed copy. It was also very useful for booking a replacement tour when a port was changed before the tour desk opened and avoided queuing.

[Sheila127]

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Good morning. This is not a live from and will be a random selection of posts as and when the whim takes me. Basically a quick dip in here and there iif something we see/do seems worth noting.  For context we are a large group consisting of some first time cruisers, some P&O regulars, some fans of Aurora and some (like myself) who have never been on either of the P&O small adult ships.  

 

I'm finding this a baptism of fire. The smallest ship I have ever sailed on was QE2 and I feel a little like I'm living in miniature!  It's going to be an interesting experience for me personally as a result.  My overall impression so far is that the ship is very pretty but I personally feel like I'm in a time warp and it is going to take me a while to adjust. Strangely despite my nearly 70 previous cruises I'm actually the one in our group who feels like the newbie here and my SIL who's on her only her second cruise is taking me in hand!

 

A great example was suitcase gate so many thanks for the advice on suitcases elsewhere.  In the end I put one in the wardrobe and one under the bed, not ideal but it works! I'm astonished by the number of coat hangers we have but perplexed with only on shelf being so used to Britannia, Azura etc with the walk in storage area.  The drawers are really useful, however I now have an inbuilt dread of them making a noise - I think my daily read of Selbourne's Caribbean adventure has heightened my senses to the perils of what they can do to your neighbours!!  Certainly I noticed that soundproofing is not Aurora's strongest feature so i was tip toeing around when we returned to the cabin last night!

 

Anyway ur little drama on storage is now past, others in our group however have slight more interesting hurdles to clear! 

 

One of my BIL's had his hard shell suitcase arrive badly broken and another had a flooded bathroom on arrival.  It seems there are a small group experiencing this and I hope it's not catching.

 

The broken suitcase is an interesting one.  After three different people have had their say on it it's been taken away to the engineering depot to see if they can  mend it.  Now told my BIL if it's not fixable he'll be given OBC which he has said no to because quite simply he wants a suitcase/bag to put his clothes in to get off the ship at the end not money to spend on things he neither needs nor wants.  Looking at the damage I can see this one running for the next 16 nights. My SIL.thinks she may end up with a collection of carrier bags for the foreseeable!

 

So apart from luggage dramas and floods, we wake to meet a new day!

 

I can confirm dinner was very good, no complaints although we are dotted around the restaurant rather more than expected. It's a work in progress to seat us near each other apparently.  I get the impression that rent a crowds like us are a little unusual on Aurora who seems to be a little over awed with all of us being used to more genteel couples and solo travellers.  

 

My OH and I were for the first time ever anywhere looked up and down by another guest yesterday evening when we walked through Andersons while looking for my sister.  Our sin? Wearing the tshirts we boarded in as we hadn't had time to change after the dramas.  I confess i felt uncomfortable after that and it has rather put me on guard as to what and who my fellow passengers think we are.  I joked many months back that I thought people seeing us invading Aurora would think we were gypsies and the looks given to my OH and I last night have rather heightened my anxiety on that one.

 

Anyway it is going to be interesting!

 

General observations. I am astonished at the huge difference in pricing on some of the bottles of wine from our January cruise.  One particular favourite was £36 on Britannia in January and is now ,£49.50 on here!  I passed. When sailing on Queen Anne in May although priced in dollars i now see only about 50p difference in that bottle's price which i found noteworthy. It seems P&O are definitely now looking to push up the bottle price on the "higher" end wines.

 

I've also noted a huge cut in the number of wines by the glass and also those included in either drinks package - none of us have one on here but I'm interested as I do have the Deluxe one on Britannia in December.  It will be interesting to see how many other things are now not available in those packages.

 

The good news is the sun is out. I also like the balcony as I can lay in bed and see the sea.  

 

As I said my small ship experience is going to be an interesting one.  I was never sure it would be for me and only time will tell.  The main thing is the luxury of all of our family being together for the first time in.i catell you how many years.

Reading with interest as I will be on Aurora soon for the first time! 

[Megabear2]

We are blessed with beautiful weather as we traverse the North Sea.  Lots of action with oil rigs, we had to slow down for one being towed this morning.  

 

We have news on suitcasegate.  It can't be mended, and someone from the ship is going to source a replacement ashore in Kiel. Apparently they will try to find an identical one so that will be done with.

 

Despite the beautiful weather the inside areas are very busy, no hope of a seat in the Costa area so no iced coffee for me today. We have Celebration Night and the welcome onboard party this evening.  Hopefully a nice dinner to follow.  

 

Very unusual for us we were late risers today so breakfast became a problem.  We wandered down around 8.30 to be met by a very long queue, something I've not encountered for a long time.  After we didn't move in 15 minutes we gave up and went to the buffet where again finding a seat was a bit challenging.  We will ensure we are up early tomorrow as all the rest of the family had no problems.

 

For us the water in the indoor pool is quite chilly but our determined open water swimmers have enjoyed it.  The outside pool however has been in full sun and was quite pleasant this afternoon.  Many are enjoying the open decks.  A big plus from me, literally hundreds of towels available on deck and no need to break out my own ones brought along as we couldn't get one on Britannia.

 

There have also been two interesting lectures which were repeated this afternoon.  This was much appreciated as it meant we could take a break from being indoors but not miss one or the other.

 

One thing I have noticed is the ship is extremely hot, particularly at the front.  Overall things are generally working although there is a man outside in the corridor pulling copious amounts of wires from z cupboard.  We have several.lights not working so perhaps this will mend them.

 

We have the Flyrites tonight who I recall as being very entertaining so hopefully a good night ahead.

Edited August 27 by Megabear2

[david63]

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

We have several.lights not working so perhaps this will mend them.

Or that is what has caused them to not work😄

[FangedRose]

46 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

 

Despite the beautiful weather the inside areas are very busy, no hope of a seat in the Costa area so no iced coffee for me today. We have Celebration Night and the welcome onboard party this evening.  Hopefully a nice dinner to follow.  

 

Go to The Glasshouse. It acts as an overflow for the Costa cafe with the same selection of drinks. Ample seating in there.

[Cruising Nomads]

They also use the Sindu for seating for Raffles during the day when it gets busy.

[FangedRose]

1 hour ago, Cruising Nomads said:

They also use the Sindu for seating for Raffles during the day when it gets busy.

Didn't last week. Sindu was roped off. Never seen it used for Costa and I've been on Aurora four times in the last two years.

[gsmt47471015]

6 hours ago, FangedRose said:

I've been on Aurora twice this year and both times Capt Simon Love has repeated that passengers won't see a massive change after the refit. Most of it is behind the scenes and in the engine room. Don't hold your breath.

The narrative surrounding the refit has not changed in two years ,most of the money is to be spent on things passengers do not see , perhaps an odd new carpet here and there and some general tidying up ,we are on her before the refit and six weeks after it and are not expecting a great deal of change

[annieuk]

Regarding hangers, I always pack my things on wire hangers, the type you get from the dry cleaners.  Then it's easy to transfer from case to wardrobe.  We always put the wooden hangers into one of the empty cases then put them back when we pack to disembark.  Regarding not being in formal wear after 6pm in Andersons.  I remember seeing someone being asked to leave as they were in there wearing shorts after 6pm.  I hope you enjoy Aurora, she's my favourite ship, the nearest there seems to be to a traditional cruise ship left in the fleet.  I do recommend the Glasshouse for lunch or dinner.  The extra charge is small compared to the quality and variety of the food on offer.  It also serves my favourite Ice Peller Cuvee wine, made in Canada and absolutely lovely.  

[Megabear2]

7 hours ago, annieuk said:

Regarding not being in formal wear after 6pm in Andersons.

I would agree with a standard of clothing being maintained under normal circumstances but as this was boarding day and we were passing through not looking to stop and on a ship we have no knowledge of so were unaware it even was Andersons. It was 5.45pm and we were also wearing in my case linen full length trousers and in my OH's case smart chinos and the tshirts were high quality plain affairs from Crew so not exactly scruffy leisure wear.  

 

The Glass House as you mention is lovely and we did retire to there after dinner to enjoy the wine offerings.  Sadly no Indian wine onboard as P&O have no longer a contract but we not only found our favourite Gruner Veltliner Austrian wine but also an interesting Macedonian one. 

 

We plan to eat dinner there  our wedding anniversary later in the trip.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28 by Megabear2

[Selbourne]

Good morning @Megabear2 I hope that you have a fabulous cruise on Aurora. There’s a lot that we like about her, not least her fabulous promenade deck. I was interested to read that there’s still an issue with areas at the front of the ship being very warm. During our 65 nighter the forward lifts were like sauna’s 🥵 At least the lifts on Aurora are a good size, unlike the newer ships. 

 

Another vote here for the Glass House. Service is usually great (I suspect that AJ the manager and Dennis the wine host aren’t on her anymore but, if they are, they will be sure to look after you). Like @annieuk we love the Peller Ice Cuvée (I prefer the white, my wife prefers the rose’) and my favourite dishes are the surf and turf with peppercorn sauce and the sea bass with curried broth 😋 It’s the best place to eat on the ship IMHO. 
 

Talking of food, if you dine late (as we do) and on a port day return to the ship mid / late afternoon feeling a bit peckish, be aware that between (I think) 4.30pm and 6pm you can’t get food anywhere on the ship. The buffet closes for the setup for dinner, the deck grill is closed and even the freebie sandwiches and cakes in the coffee shop are removed. This seems to be an issue on most cruise ships but catches me out every cruise!

[Megabear2]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Good morning @Megabear2 I hope that you have a fabulous cruise on Aurora. There’s a lot that we like about her, not least her fabulous promenade deck. I was interested to read that there’s still an issue with areas at the front of the ship being very warm. During our 65 nighter the forward lifts were like sauna’s 🥵 At least the lifts on Aurora are a good size, unlike the newer ships. 

 

Another vote here for the Glass House. Service is usually great (I suspect that AJ the manager and Dennis the wine host aren’t on her anymore but, if they are, they will be sure to look after you). Like @annieuk we love the Peller Ice Cuvée (I prefer the white, my wife prefers the rose’) and my favourite dishes are the surf and turf with peppercorn sauce and the sea bass with curried broth 😋 It’s the best place to eat on the ship IMHO. 
 

Talking of food, if you dine late (as we do) and on a port day return to the ship mid / late afternoon feeling a bit peckish, be aware that between (I think) 4.30pm and 6pm you can’t get food anywhere on the ship. The buffet closes for the setup for dinner, the deck grill is closed and even the freebie sandwiches and cakes in the coffee shop are removed. This seems to be an issue on most cruise ships but catches me out every cruise!

Thanks Selbourne.  Re Glass House following the recommendation we wandered long hoping for lunch in the same way as we do on Britannia and Azura.  Met by a lovely man when we asked if he had the food menu to which he replied "Sorry not on this cruise, boozy only".  Not sure if that's just for lunchtime, we will need to find out, but we ended up in the dining room for lunch.

 

The rest of the family are happy with the buffet, myself, my husband, SIL and BIL are not so that's a huge disappointment for us today.  It's been sunny but extremely windy today and most areas are full as a result. I feel a little cheated if the Glass House is only "boozy"!

 

I can confirm Dennis is indeed in the Glass House. We had a great time with him the night we boarded.

 

The heat inside is quite intense in areas.  We cannot get our cabin cooled down at all and I resorted to opening the balcony doors into the early.hours yesterday night.

 

Six of the family are in the very front Lido deck ibside cabins in the "secret corridor" and I do not know how they can sleep there it's so hot.  Also in the dining room (aft) a considerable number of gents were untying ties and a few jackets were being removed at Celebration Night yesterday.  

 

Have to note the food is very good so far, staff are charming and seem happy.  

 

As you will recall we all.swim, a big part of our day.  Even the indoor pool is freezing - Lauren the lady who.looks after the pools advised they are not going to get any warmer anytime soon. Rear hot tubs only one is hot, she's trying to get it fixed.

 

Hot and cold seems to be an issue across the board at present! 

 

We are enjoying the prom deck particularly for early strolls, it's very pleasant.  My favourite P&O ship Britannia could do with one of those!

 

We are enjoying ourselves, everyone is loving being together. 

 

At the Captain's welcome party yesterday he said we should continue to have nice weather with Kiel predicted tomorrow at around 26 degrees.  What's not to like I ask!

 

Oh and for the duck officianados - I can confirm 3 found to date and say it quietly a pineapple has been sighted ...

Edited August 28 by Megabear2

[showingdiva]

16 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

 

Oh and for the duck officianados - I can confirm 3 found to date and say it quietly a pineapple has been sighted ...

 

😳  🍍

Edited August 28 by showingdiva