Smurfie Live on A626

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david63
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Smurfie Live on A626

#1

Post by david63 »

Preamble

We chose this cruise as, surprisingly enough, the only port that we had visited before was Gibraltar and, with some degree of trepidation, also decided to opt for Freedom dining – well if you haven’t tried it you can’t knock it!

Knowing that there would be four ships in Southampton and that it was also the boat show we decided that it would be a better option to stay outside of Southampton than to try and find somewhere at an inflated price in the city.

Another thing that we did was to use The Baggage Handling Company to take out luggage down beforehand as I am not happy about leaving luggage in the car overnight when staying in an hotel.

About a month before we were due to sail I found out that one of our neighbours from across the cul-de-sac was also going to be on the same cruise.

The icing on the cake was to get an upgrade to a suite the week before we set off – although a few shekels did change hands!

Saturday 17th September

With luggage already in Southampton (hopefully) we set off on what was an unremarkable three hour journey down to Thatcham, near Newbury for our overnight stay at the Regency Park Hotel. This was the first time that we had used this hotel and I must say that we were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived. We had only booked a standard room but it was one of the biggest rooms that I have seen. The hotel is very modern, although it appears to be part of a much older building. We were on a dinner, bed and breakfast package which we thought was excellent value – the food was good but nothing exceptional. It is certainly an hotel that we would use again to break the journey to Southampton.

Sunday 18th September

Having been upgraded to a suite we had a “priority” arrival/check-in time of 12:30 so knowing that it was about an hour’s journey down to Southampton and making allowances for possible delays we checked out of the hotel at about 10:30 so that we would be at the terminal for around midday. One thing that we had not factored in for this journey was the it was the local County Show and some of the roads were closed which entailed us making a few diversions, much to the annoyance of the lady in the satnav who kept wanting us go down the closed roads!

Once we had managed to navigate back onto the A34 the journey was fairly straightforward with just a few minor hold ups as we were getting off the motorway. Having taken the advice of others on the forum I used Dock Gate 20 which totally avoided the city centre and I think we were the only ones using that route. We arrived at Mayflower Terminal just before 12:00. There was a small queue waiting to hand their cars over to CPS but nothing to be concerned about and, once keys handed over, off we went to the Terminal.

This was our first time using Mayflower since its refurbishment and for anyone who has not been it is now of a similar design and layout to Ocean Terminal. Anyway we proceeded to where you show your tickets knowing that we had priority and were told to join the priority queue. Now this is where it started to go downhill. Our arrival time as I said was 12:30, we were there at 12:00 and passengers were already being checked-in. The queue was already quite long which came as a surprise and was hardly moving. It turned out that they were already checking in “goldies”. Eventually we got to the front of the queue and were checked in only to find that there was a “security” issue with one of our cases. This was not a major problem – he just had to check my Swiss Army knife, and then we were on our way on board. We were actually on board about 12:45 with cabins/suites ready at 13:00. We proceeded to our suite to find our luggage waiting, which was a relief. By this time it was time to attack the “curly sandwiches” that we were entitled to. I have to say that it was quite a good buffet and more than adequate.

The next issue was that the “emergency drill” was scheduled for 16:00 so off we, and many others, go yo our muster station around that time and sit there like the good passengers that we are. It did seem a bit strange that there were no crew around but didn’t really give much thought to it at the timr. Anyway after sitting there for ten minutes the Officer of the Watch comes on to say that due to some passengers being delayed because of the traffic the emergency drill will not be taking place until they are all on board – so why could that announcement not have been made at ten to four instead of ten past? Eventually the drill was scheduled to start at about 17:00 but in reality was nearer 17:30 – one lady sat in front of us said that she had left Liverpool at 07:30 and did not get on the ship until 17:00.

OK so emergency drill over it was time to get showered and changed for dinner. Now I will accept that it was the first night and luggage may not have arrived but there were, in my opinion, far too many going around in shorts (some with flip flops) after 18:00 – I just hope this is not a sign of things to come.

We had booked to go to Sindhu tonight and the meal was as good as ever – however as we had booked online before we sailed we paid the usual cover charge of £20, only to find that on the first night there was a one third off offer – this was handled by the staff by moving the origibal reservation to another night so that we only paid £13 tonight. This is something that P&O will need to get to grips with if they want passengers to book in advance.

I have signed up for the Internet package. There is the offer of so much per day or so much for the cruise – which is no different overall – there should, in my view, be an incentive to buy a “whole cruise” package. The Internet is definitely faster than the previous system.

To be continued …

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barney
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#2

Post by barney »

Cheers David :thumbup:

Keep 'em coming.
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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#3

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

david63 wrote:
The Internet is definitely faster than the previous system
Maybe it's faster because they put the prices up so fewer people are using it! Unless there's a deal or something free under the loyalty scheme when they review it I'll certainly not be in future. :thumbdown:

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#4

Post by qbman1 »

Excellent - looking forward to the next instalment.

However....
david63 wrote:
there were, in my opinion, far too many going around in shorts (some with flip flops) after 18:00 – I just hope this is not a sign of things to come.
Steady on, chap, I am the first one to make a fuss about adherence to dress codes - but formal attire at 6 pm for those on second sitting ? Don't you think that's going a bit far ?

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Meg 50
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#5

Post by Meg 50 »

qbman1 wrote:
Excellent - looking forward to the next instalment.

However....
david63 wrote:
there were, in my opinion, far too many going around in shorts (some with flip flops) after 18:00 – I just hope this is not a sign of things to come.
Steady on, chap, I am the first one to make a fuss about adherence to dress codes - but formal attire at 6 pm for those on second sitting ? Don't you think that's going a bit far ?
guilty as charged of shorts and flip flops after 18.00 - for exactly as Cubie says - we're on 2nd sitting and it's about 6ish I decide to stroll back to get changed....
Meg
x

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#6

Post by qbman1 »

He'll be having us in dinner suits and ball gowns on the sun loungers next !!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#7

Post by Manoverboard »

Didn't have all those grandiose ideas until some numpty offered him a cheapo suite ... :roll:
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#8

Post by david63 »

qbman1 wrote:
Steady on, chap, I am the first one to make a fuss about adherence to dress codes - but formal attire at 6 pm for those on second sitting ? Don't you think that's going a bit far ?
It wasn't a case of going back to the cabin after being on deck, this was people going into bars for drinks and not only was it well after 18:00 - it was nearer 20:00

I don't have a problem with shorts as such when they are obviously going back to cabin, or on deck, but the whole demeanor was "I am on my holidays so I shall wear my shorts" attitude.

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#9

Post by qbman1 »

You're right, Moby......delusions of grandeur !

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#10

Post by david63 »

Monday 19th September

This was our first sea day which started off overcast and quite chilly so we had the usual “milling around” that passengers do when they are unable to sit out on deck. The weather improved as the day progressed and we got round into BoB.

Being of the “suite” class we are entitled to use the Epicurian for breakfast and I must say that this is a far more civilised way to have breakfast – at times there are more waiters than passengers. Not only that it is one of those “if we have it then you can have it” places – no just menu items.

In order to pass the time a bit we went to listen to the port talk for Cartagena, which is our second port of call (for some reason we have not had a port talk for Cadiz – the first port). Having been to port talks before in order to glean some “pearls of wisdom” about where were are going we were somewhat disappointed this time as it was more sales pitch than usual – which is why there was no talk about Cadiz – the bookings were closed so no mileage there.

Lunch was taken in the Glasshouse, which is still as good as ever, and then it was time for the afternoon siesta.

Tonight was our first formal night and also the Captain’s welcome. Not impressed with the location of this on Azura as it is round the atrium and you cannot move, so we went up to the Planet Bar for a pre-dinner drink. I quite like the Planet Bar but it tends to be somewhat underused – probably due to its location. This is where we encountered our neighbours for the first time. In general the dress code was well adhered to and it was encouraging to see the little ones dressed up (there are quite a few small children on board). However there were some who can only be described as “scruffy” – torn jeans, tee shirt and trainers – and I am fully aware that “Evening Casual” is allowed in some areas but that was not within the requested definition. Thought of Foxy tonight when the canapes were chocolate dipped strawberries.

There seems to be a new trend now with the lifts – you get in irrespective of where the lift is going so that you don’t miss it coming back. So, for example, we are going up and some gets in who is going down!

Tonight we thought we would try using the MDR as it was one of Marco’s gala dinners. This was our first foray into Freedom dining in the MDR and it was not overly successful. Firstly we had to wait for a table but as that was for only about five minutes it was not too bad, but the main problem was that on the table behind us was a rather loud gentleman “holding court” – in a way glad we were not on club on the same table! The meal was good and they had the Stilton with port at the end (if you asked for it). We will probably try the MDR again before making a final judgement on Freedom dining.

There was not much on in the way of entertainment – Headliners show was Destination Dance that we have seen several times before and a comedian that I have never heard of. One problem that Azura suffers from is a lack of lounge space after dinner – perhaps because we have got used to Arcadia where everyone has their Horlicks at 20:00!!
To be continued …

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#11

Post by qbman1 »

I do hope you dressed for breakfast !!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#12

Post by towny44 »

Smurfie, don't judge freedom dining based on formal nights, it seems far less crowded on a normal night and easier to get a table, as long as you are prepared to share, if you want a table for 2 you may have to take a pager. Even then on most twos you are so close to the others that you may as well be sharing.
Looking forward to chapter 3.
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barney
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#13

Post by barney »

I agree.

We've done Freedom on our last two, and it's the best thing we've done.

We dined anywhere between about 6.30 and 9.00, table for two and it suited us down to the ground.

We always had to take the pager which considerably increased our alcohol intake, but what the hell :lol:

I couldn't imagine going back to Club, now.
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#14

Post by Manoverboard »

We did our first ' Freedom ', albeit on Celebrity Constellation, in June. One's Concierge was able to fix it for us to go for dinner at whatever time we opted for ... couldn't your P&O Butler manage to do the same for you ?
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#15

Post by qbman1 »

Looks like the Smurfmeister is enjoying a nice, sunny day in Cadiz:
azura.jpg
Just a shame he's parked up the back end of a bunch of Germans!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#16

Post by suespud »

ohhh im loving this blog, its making me real excited for us going on Azura in feb next year !!!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#17

Post by qbman1 »

suespud wrote:
ohhh im loving this blog, its making me real excited for us going on Azura in feb next year !!!
I didn't know that. Spuddy. You really kept that one quiet !!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#18

Post by suespud »

qbman1 wrote:
suespud wrote:
ohhh im loving this blog, its making me real excited for us going on Azura in feb next year !!!
I didn't know that. Spuddy. You really kept that one quiet !!

Ohh would you like more details.... :sarcasm:
Tours I'v booked....wine package I'm looking at....restaurant dates... :lol:

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#19

Post by Stephen »

Is it just me or are P&O cramming in more dumbwaiter service stations these days. Whenever we are seated we always seem to end up either right next to one or only a few feet away.

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#20

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Tuesday 20th September

Today started off much brighter than yesterday and we even got sight of the sun for most of the day – so today mainly revolved around trying to find a sunbed. There is a major problem with sun beds on Azura and that is in order to allay the “there are not enough sunbeds” they squash them so close together that you cannot get on one. This problem is exacerbated, understandably, by passengers who move the sunbeds into other positions or, heaven forbid, actually put the back of the sunbed down in order to lie on it. All of this ends up making difficult to move around the deck – it is one of those situations where it is a no win scenario.

Tonight we went up to the Planet bar for a pre-dinner drink and ended up spending an hour or so with our neighbours. We then decided that we needed some nourishment (you know how it is on a cruise with not knowing where the next meal is coming from!) so we decided to try the Beach House.

The Beach House is OK(ish) but was not helped by the fact that we were late in and the staff obviously wanted to get off which meant that our meal was somewhat rushed.

There are a couple of changes that I have noticed.

The first is that it would appear that auto tips are not now taken at the start of the cruise (obviously I don’t at the moment know when they will be taken) but the upshot of this is that they are not being taken out of the OBC and the knock on effect is that we, as passengers, are losing discount – it would seem that the “bean counters” have been at work again!

The other change is that there is an advancement in the technology that is being used. Nearly all the bar stewards/wine waiters now have a tablet device which has a card reader attached. They swipe your Cruise Card and then enter your order. They then have a printer hung on their belt which prints out your ticket for your order. This is all well and good but it does make the waiters look “untidy”
To be continued …

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#21

Post by Stephen »

david63 wrote:
Tuesday 20th September

Today started off much brighter than yesterday and we even got sight of the sun for most of the day – so today mainly revolved around trying to find a sunbed. There is a major problem with sun beds on Azura and that is in order to allay the “there are not enough sunbeds” they squash them so close together that you cannot get on one. This problem is exacerbated, understandably, by passengers who move the sunbeds into other positions or, heaven forbid, actually put the back of the sunbed down in order to lie on it. All of this ends up making difficult to move around the deck – it is one of those situations where it is a no win scenario.

Tonight we went up to the Planet bar for a pre-dinner drink and ended up spending an hour or so with our neighbours. We then decided that we needed some nourishment (you know how it is on a cruise with not knowing where the next meal is coming from!) so we decided to try the Beach House.

The Beach House is OK(ish) but was not helped by the fact that we were late in and the staff obviously wanted to get off which meant that our meal was somewhat rushed.
There are a couple of changes that I have noticed.

The first is that it would appear that auto tips are not now taken at the start of the cruise (obviously I don’t at the moment know when they will be taken) but the upshot of this is that they are not being taken out of the OBC and the knock on effect is that we, as passengers, are losing discount – it would seem that the “bean counters” have been at work again!

The other change is that there is an advancement in the technology that is being used. Nearly all the bar stewards/wine waiters now have a tablet device which has a card reader attached. They swipe your Cruise Card and then enter your order. They then have a printer hung on their belt which prints out your ticket for your order. This is all well and good but it does make the waiters look “untidy”
To be continued …
It must be the norm David as we found the same situation on Aurora, and we arrived around 7pm!The food wasn't up to much either. We won't be going back. We really enjoyed the Glass House one lunch time though. The food and wine were superb. Prices were reasonable as well. Definitely going to try it again when we are on Azura next month :thumbup:

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#22

Post by qbman1 »

Never tried the Beach House - don't much like the look of the one on Aurora where it is just converted from part of the buffet in the evening.

Like you, we love the Glass House too. Only trouble is, lunch tends to last until at least 4 pm!

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#23

Post by Stephen »

qbman1 wrote:
Never tried the Beach House - don't much like the look of the one on Aurora where it is just converted from part of the buffet in the evening.

Like you, we love the Glass House too. Only trouble is, lunch tends to last until at least 4 pm!
Nothing wrong with that. I know we could have easily stayed there all afternoon.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#24

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Not surprised about the lift go up to go down brigade. The buggers are everywhere now. They should fit the lifts with electric cattle prods to push everyone out at the top and bottom. It's so antisocial and dramatically reduces the usable lift capacity. We've even seen people get in and go up several decks in order to go down one.

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Re: Smurfie Live on A626

#25

Post by qbman1 »

It shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to fit the lifts with sensors so that once they reach the top or bottom, they will not move until everyone gets out. They will soon learn then.

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