A422 - The Good, The Bad and the Renamed

Reports about cruises on Azura
User avatar

Topic author
gouty-man
Cadet
Cadet
Posts: 37
Joined: April 2013
Location: Herefordshire

A422 - The Good, The Bad and the Renamed

#1

Post by gouty-man »

THE GOOD:
Our 9th cruise and we are still finding new places to visit! Athens and Olympia were stunning; Mykonos pretty (but for a whole week?!) Shipwreck Cove on Zakynthos was fun, but nothing like the photos – about 1000 extra people! Palma was much nicer than we expected and Vigo gave us a different sort of Spain.
Crew were, as ever, brilliant. Food was up to standard (especially for us on special diets) and fully plated meals seemed to work well. Extra veg brought on the occasions we felt portions were going to be a little small (only twice, I think). Standard in the Buffet was also high – especially on Tandoori night! Taster menu in Glass House changed from last year but just as good, and excellent value at £30 per head when you consider that includes four glasses of plonk. Book early!
Of the big girls, Azura is still our preferred option. We’re on Britannia next year, which we are looking forward to, but I do still yearn for the refinement and intimacy of Aurora…
Amid the usual middle-of-the-road duos and the desperate-to-not-look-too-bored house bands and the four, yes FOUR tribute acts (I really don’t appreciate tribute acts!) shone the brightest star, and I use that term advisedly, who was P.P. Arnold. Those of you of a certain age will remember her as one of THE artistes of the late sixties/early seventies, who was really part of the pop/rock/soul scene. She has lost none of her power or talent and it was a joy and honour to see her belt out her act in the intimate setting of the Playhouse (well it’s intimate if you’re on Deck 6!). Wonderful!
Adherence to the Dress Code was very high; my wife thinks they were the best dressed group of passengers we've ever sailed with, but...see below.

THE BAD
I try not to find too much that is “bad”, mostly things just aren’t to my taste, but I draw the line at the cocktail pianist. It’s our second year sharing a cruise with him and he hasn’t improved. He can play the piano for sure but his singing is questionable and his performances self-indulgent. Never has one man made so many different songs sound exactly the same.
This was a school holiday cruise, like all the others we have taken, owing to the fact that we have a 12 year old son. This year the rules for the middle age group kids (9 – 12) has changed so that they have to be signed in and out of the kids club by their parent/guardian. My son felt it was an infringement of his liberty, and to be fair, it did take away some of the limited independence he has enjoyed for the previous 2 years, but he likes the club so lived with it. It appeared that some other kids did not want that restriction (or perhaps their parents couldn’t be bothered to make the trip to and from the club), with the result that I saw more groups of 10 – 12 year old kids hanging around in groups in stairwells and cabin corridors. Not being unruly, but making their presence felt in a way I’ve never noticed before. Something P&O might do well to reconsider…
Peoples interpretation of the term “smart denim” continues to vary enormously, from dark Armani jeans to artificially pre-worn Primark versions. Far easier to revert to “no denim” in the evening.

The biggest single criticism I can mention is a certain lack of organisation - small things, but irksome, none the less:-
The Azura Vocalists were formed early in the cruise and numbers were good but there was some confusion as to who was in charge between the conductor and the pianist which never helps a performance. Also the exact date of the show was not confirmed until very much later, and it turned out to be the last night, rather than the usual last Formal night. Disappointing.
Someone has had a great idea of making one nights theme “Red White and Blue”. It was on the day of our evening Sailaway from Gibraltar. This would have been a great occasion, but for two things: there was no notice pre-cruise of the RWB night (although a good number made the effort to dress accordingly – us included); and the Great British Sailaway was two days later from Vigo! A potentially superb evening was missed by lack of foresight. Duh!
More organisational mismanagement was in evidence when the last MPW Gala Menu was served on an Evening Casual night. Sloppy planning, I think.

THE RENAMED
The renaming of certain job-titles has arrived on Azura, the most obvious being that the Cruise Director is now the Entertainment Manager. In the past CDs have been given the credit for well run cruises, so I'm afraid unless someone can tell me it's not their responsibility, I'm going to have to lay the blame for the organisational problems at the office door of the Entertainment Director. Could do better!

Sorry, this is longer that I thought it would be, but once you get started....

Return to “Azura Cruise Reports”