Azura A510N

[GillD46]

Oh dear, Naples HAS been cancelled. While Naples itself isn't amazing, it is a great gateway. Enjoy the remaining ports, Ray.

[Raybosailor]

Got the text to confirm what gbman posted and Cheryl is really dissapointed that Naples is off the itinerary that was the one place she wanted to go.
Cadiz and Monte Carlo were on my list so 1 out of 2 for me. I would have preferred Gibraltar to be missed and replaced by Cadiz, we have been to Gib that many times we could do the whole place blindfolded.
On the P&O Facebook page there are posts from passengers on board saying that they have been given £100.00 OBC and their cruise has been extended, food and drink, entertainment and a bed for the night. All we have been offered is 15% refund which equates to the two missing days we paid for and enough change for a drink in the Planet Bar, and we have to find accommodation and food for the next two days.

[Raybosailor]

Gill if we hadn't already left for Southampton before we got the call and they could have told us the itinerary we would have cancelled.
We will definitely be looking at other cruise companies for future bookings as we feel let down by P&O, I know you cant foresee these technical hitches but P&O don't seem to be offering much as an incentive for loyalty. Lets see what comes up on Sunday we have to give them a chance and they will have a lot of sorting out to do in the next couple of days.
Sat in hotel with a cuppa and going out for a meal and a couple of drinks so things might look a bit rosier by tonight.
Will keep you informed how things go,
Ray and a snoring Cheryl

[Gill W]

You must be feeling quite deflated at the moment, Ray

Hopefully they will pay all out of pocket expenses, so hold on to your receipts etc.

I've been reading Facebook, and, as you say, they're refunding 15% of the fare, as 15% of the holiday has been curtailed. I believe there's also 10% off on a future cruise, which for many people won't be very attractive at the moment, as they are probably not in the mood for another P & O Cruise.

I have to say I'm surprised that they are not making some sort of additional immediate goodwill payment to try and sweeten the bitter pill

I can't help thinking back to the recent Oriana cruise that was delayed for one day. This was the 4 nighter, but Oriana couldn't dock due to high winds.

From memory, people were given 50% of the fare back. This was a 4 night cruise reduced to 3 nights, so the cruise was curtailed by 25%. People seemed very happy with the 50% refund, and P&O got a lot of praise.

At the time I thought it was VERY generous, especially as it was a weather related event, which was out of P&O's control.

This time it's the ship that's the problem, and compared to the response with Oriana, the 15% does seem very paltry. I'm not into 'compo', but I am into Treating Customers Fairly, and on the face of it, it doesn't seem fair to the Azura passengers. I think the Azura passengers have every reason to feel a bit disgruntled at the moment

I suppose they are taking a different line, as 50% of a longer cruise costs a whole lot more, not to mention there's at least a 1000 more passengers on Azura, so that'd cost even more.

Hopefully you'll have a nice meal tonight Ray, and hold on to those receipts!

[GillD46]

I agree with Gill, compared to the response to the Oriana problem, this one does seem rather paltry. But wait and see, if enough passengers complain, thing CAN change, and again, keep all receipts as I think you should have your out of pocket expenses met.

It's rotten when things go wrong, ships do have me mechanical failures but it's how it's handled that impacts on how the bad news is received.

By Sunday evening, you'll be feeling a lot happir I'm sure.

[daib GC]

Got the text to confirm what gbman posted and Cheryl is really dissapointed that Naples is off the itinerary that was the one place she wanted to go.
Cadiz and Monte Carlo were on my list so 1 out of 2 for me. I would have preferred Gibraltar to be missed and replaced by Cadiz, we have been to Gib that many times we could do the whole place blindfolded.
On the P&O Facebook page there are posts from passengers on board saying that they have been given £100.00 OBC and their cruise has been extended, food and drink, entertainment and a bed for the night. All we have been offered is 15% refund which equates to the two missing days we paid for and enough change for a drink in the Planet Bar, and we have to find accommodation and food for the next two days.

If you miss Gib. Then there are other consequences. First you will not be able to buy duty free. Second they will have to increase all items bought on board by UK VAT as the cruise would not then go out of the EU. So you are stuck with Gib.


Dai

[Raybosailor]

I did wonder why they always stop in Gib Dai, to be honest we spend about 4 to 6 weeks in Andalusia every winter so we will probably drive down to Cadiz and spend a few days there.
Are you the same Dai we met on Arcadia J217 to the Caribbean ?

[Raybosailor]

GillW and Gill46 I am not complaining about the delay of the ship as it can happen at any time and unlike some people who have posted on P&O Facebook page I am not asking for large amounts of compensation. But what really annoys me is customer services are presenting this 15% as compensation for loss of two cruise days and all they are doing is giving us a refund of what we have paid.

The Oriana situation was caused by bad weather and was out of P&O's control but they still offered pax a substantial refund, the Azura situation was caused by failure of equipment owned by the company and completely under their control and we are offered nothing over what we have paid for.

Anyway we have put our extended stay in Southampton to good use as today we went over to Hythe on the ferry and we had a walk round the town and a spot of lunch. Tomorrow weather permitting we will take the Red Funnel Ferry over to Cowes, a place dear to my heart as I learned to sail there and it is a while since we have been to the I.O.W.
I will post up and let you know how things go on Sunday.
Ray

[daib GC]

I did wonder why they always stop in Gib Dai, to be honest we spend about 4 to 6 weeks in Andalusia every winter so we will probably drive down to Cadiz and spend a few days there.
Are you the same Dai we met on Arcadia J217 to the Caribbean ?

Indeed Ray we were on that cruise. Nov. 2012.

[Manoverboard]

.... and due to the delay with Azura it totally screwed up the disembarkation of Adonia this morning at the same terminal and WE will get NO compo of course.

[Raybosailor]

Well I have never been so glad to get home after a holiday, if losing two days of the cruise and two missed ports wasn’t bad enough the hordes of near to death passengers checking in with coughs and sneezes was a nightmare. I have not had a cold or flu for years and boarded Azura fit as a fiddle and rearing to make the best of a bad start to the cruise, but (you know what’s coming) someone decided to share their germs, probably on one of the few occasions I used the lifts.
The ship left Southampton a little later than the 15:00hrs. due to congestion at check in and late arrivals but with the ship being berthed up for the previous night we were able to go straight to the cabin. The cases had already arrived and our cabin steward Agostinho was there to help us bring them in so after a brief chat with him we went down and had a spot of lunch in Verona. By this time the call for lifeboat muster was called and we made our way to the muster point. The problem was there were still people embarking due to the hold ups so the muster drill had to be delayed for about forty minutes to allow the late boarders to get sorted.
Muster drill over we decided to go on Lido deck for the sail away party which turned out to be a jolly affair as we were the first of four ships leaving and being at Mayflower we had to pass them all. Flags waving people on all ships cheering and ships horns blowing it was a noisy send off for us. The weather was fair so we stayed on Lido deck until we neared the last point on the Isle of Wight and we still had a phone signal so we chatted to the family before going down to get changed for dinner.
Will post up more later.

[Raybosailor]

Due to the cancellation of Cadiz we are steaming all the way to Barcelona so Cheryl is not pleased as the sea is a little bit lively and extra time at sea without the respite of a port visit is not going down well with her and many other passengers.

Barcelona : We arrive in Barcelona without a shore excursion booked but we intend staying in the city so we take the port shuttle down to the drop off point, when we get off the shuttle there are HoHo buses waiting to tempt us to take the open top tour of the city. I want to just walk down the Rambla but Cheryl is keen to take the tours so after some deliberation and of course I always give in (less earache) so we pay 54 euros for two tickets and off we go. First part of the journey is around the port ?, I have seen and photographed most of this from top deck of Azura but what the heck other half is happy so I sit it out. The rest of the route was around the Olympic water sports village and then round some old warehouses that have been converted into flats and on to the city centre. This is where every thing goes pear shaped, the guide told us that if we wanted to go on the Blue Route we would have to walk to the other side of the square which we did. On arrival at the Blue Route we find a very large que so being British we stand and wait, and wait, and wait some more, after waiting for what seemed an age I went to the front of the que to ask what the delay was and while I stood talking to the guide she received a call on the walki talki to say the police had shut the road leading to the square. After another ten minutes she received another call to say that the buses were being diverted to another point on the route which was another ten minutes walk away. We decided to bite the bullet and take the ten minute +++++ minutes walk to the next pick up point where there was another large que but after two buses we were able to board and got two seats on the top deck. After a winding journey through streets of no particular interest we arrive at the Goudi cathedral where a few people got off but looking at the que to get in the cathedral and the que waiting to get back on the bus we decided to stay on. The bus then went through some of the old part of the city and up toward the Goudi Park but looking at the ques to get back on we stayed put as time was passing quickly.

By the time we reach the Camp Nou Stadium it was getting late and Cheryl was on the edge of her seat thinking about the last shuttle bus back to the ship so I popped downstairs to have a word with the guide who advised us to get off at the next stop which was an interchange for the different routes and we could get a bus back to the port. Things go from bad to worse here as another large que awaits us so another word with the chap at the front of the que, I am told that the next bus when it gets here will take fifty five minutes to reach the port. I went back to Cheryl and whispered "follow me" and when we turned the corner I told her the situation and the reason for whispering was I didn't want about a hundred Americans to hear that I had spotted a taxi rank and it was our only hope of getting back to the ship. If the Americans had heard me we might have got killed in the rush for taxis as most of them were also on a cruise ship like us.

So 54 euros for a useless bus tour and 15 euros for a taxi back to the ship we saw very little of Barcelona and to rub salt into the wound we were talking to a couple who had just done a walk up the Ramblas and had beer and tapas in the indoor market, just what I wanted to do in the first place but for the sake of peace I didn't dare comment on it to Cheryl.

I am not slating the HoHo bus system or Barcelona in any way it was just one of those days where things just kept going wrong on the day we were there, but I think to take full advantage of the four routes available you need to be able to start early in the morning and continue into the evening which is not possible on an eight hour ship visit.

Next port Monte Carlo : more woe but not quite as bad as Barcelona.

[Manoverboard]

Oh dear, what a tale of woe.

Barcelona is such a beautiful City and very easy to walk round ... if you know where you're going. A bit of research with a decent Guide Book purchased on e-Bay for a few ££s is all that is needed.

The Sagrada Familla-ish is best booked in advance ( not cheap ) through a local operator because you will then be able to go inside without queuing ... Goudi Park is a 10 -15 Euro taxi ride from the port, plus another ten back to the Picasso Museum or wherever.

[Raybosailor]

I agree MOB, usually I do research on places but when we booked we had no intention of doing too much in Barcelona as we had excursions booked for Cadiz and Naples. We didn't find out about the two cancelled ports until Saturday morning by email so it was too late to make alternative arrangements, and when we phoned the Shore Excursions team on board there was little choice left so we entered Barcelona blind.

There are a lot of people on the P&O Facebook page criticising Azura passengers for moaning but I don't think they realised how much extra sea days out and two missed ports changed the mood of a good many passengers on board.

We did our best to enjoy the cruise like many others but there were far too many changes to our original plans and expectations for it to be a holiday to remember for the right reasons.

There were several weddings to be rearranged and quite a few people had booked select dining for birthdays and other special occasions that did not happen on the correct days.

Still we are not the sort to pack up at the first hurdle and things do happen so we will still look at cruising for our future holidays, whether that be with P&O remains to be seen.

[Manoverboard]

I personally didn't read any of your comments ( RayboS ) as a ' moan ', rather an honest assessment and criticism of a very disappointing cruise which given the circumstances you were fully entitled to make. Clearly a cruise that was doomed from day 1, a one off in reality but a great pity that you ( and indeed many others ) had to be on it of course.

P&O's Face-ache site is best ignored as far as I am concerned, it has been seen to have too many keyboard warriors lurking in the wings waiting to pounce in a hostile manner.

[Raybosailor]

To be honest MOB I rarely use Facebook myself apart from keeping in touch with family & friends when away but apart from a couple of emails the only information coming from P&O was updates on their Facebook page.

Quite a few passengers I spoke to in the hotel and on the ship said the first contact they had about the delay was via Facebook or texts from friends who had seen it on Facebook. There was a party of 60 who had booked through a travel agent and when they contacted the travel agent they knew nothing about the the situation. It must have been a huge operation for P&O to contact 3000 plus passengers, coach transfer companies, port authorities, and excursion suppliers so hats off to them for salvaging the cruise from a nightmare start.

[Raybosailor]

Monte Carlo: As previously stated apart from the shore excursions that were cancelled we had nothing booked and the excursion team told us that most of the trips were booked up, but on our return from Barcelona we spotted a billboard offering an extra trip. Nice and the Little Train excursion has had an extra tour put on and we book two tickets as they are selling fast.

On our voyage from Barcelona to Monaco Captain Neil Turnbull made an announcement that we would encounter the Mistral winds and the forecast was that they would be quite strong, the forecast was correct as Azura rolled about a bit through the night.

I was up at 06:00 and armed with a mug of builders and my camera bag I climbed up to Lido deck to capture the approach to the port, as soon as I opened the door out onto the deck the wind hit me and although I am no lightweight I was struggling to walk straight. I was surprised to find that the open decks were still open to passengers in a strong wind like this but I found a sheltered spot and took a few photos, the camcorder stayed in the bag because I had forgot how to switch the mike off and the wind would have ruined the video quality. After another couple of brews in Verona I decided to check on Cheryl who had suffered in the night with the ships movement, thankfully she is never sick but feels dizzy. Back at the cabin other half is up showered and dressed so we go to the Oriental for breakfast as we have to be in the Playhouse early to get our tender stickers. We go down to get our stickers and are told to sit down and wait for the announcement to go to the tenders. An announcement came from the captain who said that due to the high winds the tender operation would be delayed.

The wind had been force 10 gusting 11 overnight and was now force 8 which was still too strong to risk putting the tenders out, there was a fair bit of unrest as passengers realised that the possibility of Monte Carlo being cancelled was on the cards. We sat there for quite a time but eventually they said that the sea conditions had calmed down to attempt tender embarkation, I personally think that if it wasn't for the two day cut in itinerary they wouldn't even attempt the tender operation into Monaco. Two numbers were called out before ours and then it was our turn so we followed the the girl that was appointed as our tender marshall (who was a nurse from the medical team ??) and we were soon on the tender. Quite a choppy ride into the harbour but we were soon on dry land again and with the cover of the steep cliffs it was quite warm.

On the coach for Nice we did a circuit of the Grand Prix track and up the hill into France with a lovely drive along the coast road through some lovely villages and down into Nice where we had an hour to walk at leisure before we boarded the little train. Cheryl and I went to the flower market and found a nice cafe where had a drink and took advantage of the free WiFi and toilets.

The little train took us round the narrow streets of Nice and then up the steep hill to the castle ruins where the views were amazing, and there was time to walk round and take photos. Nice is a place I would recommend for a day visit or even longer as it is a nice clean resort with a lovely bay.

Back at Monte Carlo we went straight to the tender point where there was a large que, the wind had increased again and tenders were suspended again and an officer was going down the que telling everyone that there would be no movement of tenders for at least two hours so we made our way to a cafe to get a seat and a bit of shade. Here we are with the possibility of being stranded in one of the most expensive places in the world things have got to get better. Luckily we could see the tender que from where we were so I left Cheryl with another drink and set off to take a few photos of the Grand Prix pits and nearly got arrested by the police for standing under the cabin that the crown prince sits in to start the race.

Eventually the wind calmed down to force 5 so the tenders started running again and despite expecting to be on board by 13:00 we were glad to be back on Azura for 16:00.

Next port of call Civitecchia.

[Gill W]

They don't seem to be having much luck with tendering at Monte Carol recently

When we were there in March, the tendering back to the ship in the afternoon, was dodgy, bordering on dangerous at some points.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'd second that! I wonder if it's something to do with the geography? I remember our Captain explaining about the swell reflecting back from the shore causing the problem.

[Raybosailor]

The tender journey was interesting to say the least, but quite a few passengers were really uneasy about the way the tenders pitched in the swell and when we came alongside there was a gap of a metre or more between the stage and the tender. Not good for people a bit unsteady on their feet and I found myself thinking why do these people put themselves in this situation ?.

The shape of the sea bed has a lot to do with the swell too, the Bay of Biscay is a good example of this, fortunately the weather calmed down on our return journey.

[Raybosailor]

Civitavecchia: We had no shore excursion booked for Civitavecchia as we didn't want to do Rome and the other trips did not appeal to us so we took the shuttle and had a walk round the town. There is a lovely castle right on the harbour side that we intended to visit on our way back to the ship, but we spent too much time walking round the old town so we decided to give the castle a miss this time.

There are some lovely narrow streets to walk round and we found a market that was bustling with locals and tourists alike, part of the market was selling fresh fruit,vegetables and local produce and the other side was like a flea market. There was a stall selling tools and some of them were antique woodworking tools which I collect so Cheryl had to drag me away, I probably wouldn't have got through security with some of them anyway.

We found a nice cafe very adjacent to the shuttle station (details on the WiFi in ports page) where we were able to catch up with folks back home on the iPad, the internet speed was quite good and our video on Facetime was unbroken. The cafe/bar was like a tardess as it looked quite small from the outside but there are two rooms that go back quite a bit.

We decided to go back to the ship and grab a couple of sunbeds on lido deck and after a dip in the pool we had a snack from the pool bar before getting involved with the sail away party aided by a cocktail of the day which was Hurricane (this should have been served in Monte Carlo).

Next port Cagliari, Sardinia.

[Raybosailor]

Cagliari Sardinia: Up early again this morning for our approach into Cagliari, the bridge had warned that there was a possibility of rain today and the tour advice given on the cabin t.v. said that Sardinia shuts on a Sunday so we were not expecting much from our day here. I don't know if P&O use this Sardinia is shut on a Sunday statement as propaganda to get you to book their shore excursions or whether they are completely out of date but we found it a very lively place.

After a good full Jotter in the Peninsular Restaurant and copious amounts of builders tea we go to the shuttle bus were there is a large que as we are sharing with a Celebrity ship but the que soon went down and we were dropped adjacent to the main road of the town. A short walk across the pedestrian crossing we found a lovely covered archway that was full of shops,coffee houses and restaurants all of which seemed to be open including a department store on the lines of John Lewis. We stopped for a coffee and hooked up to the free WiFi to Facetime the family back home and then we took a walk up the hill into town which was also busy, they have their fair share of lucky lucky men trying to sell their fake goods and usual souvenir items. There was a competition between our table and the table adjacent to find the best and tackiest souvenir so we bought a fridge magnet that was a wine rack with little wine bottles which I thought would win the tackiest class.

It was a correct forecast by the bridge as at the top of the hill my bald head which always catches the first raindrop told me we should take cover, bodega with a sign that was invisible to all but yours truly that read " don't get wet outside come in and get wet inside" so we did. I had to laugh at but also applaud the lucky lucky men who magically changed the fridge magnets,selfy sticks and other tat for umbrellas for which they did a roaring trade.

After getting absolutely wet through in the bodega we noticed that the short shower had turned into a warm sunny day again so we wandered through the narrow back st,reets going back down to the port.

Back on board we went for a small meal in Verona before finding a sunny spot on Lido deck for a snooze before the entertainment crew woke us for sail away fun and song which we always enjoy.

Would you believe it? the fridge magnet we bought to enter for the tackiest class didn't win it, it won the best souvenir of the cruise so far to our surprise and it now sits pride of place on our fridge door.

Next port Gibraltar: As our son worked in "Ilkeston In The Sun" as we now call it we know every inch of the rock because in the few years he was there we spent quite a lot of time there, for Cheryl to see her baby boy and a free holiday for dad. We intended going ashore to have a drink in a bar we had made our own but as it was only a short visit we changed our mind and got pole position on the sunbeds. It was the hottest day of the cruise and unusually for that side of the rock there was very little wind so we roasted a bit out there despite regular dips in the pool. All the time we had been on Azura I had never watched a film on the sea screen so I lay there in the pool watching "esiotroT" about a tortoise for those that have not seen it. The problem is when you are in a pool with a bald head on a scorching day you soon realise what a boiled egg feels like, I spent most of the film underwater trying to escape the sun. The Americans probably invented the outdoor cinema but I wonder how many Yanks have watched a film underwater?.
Next port aaaaaahhhh!! Southampton: Not much to report about this port as it was a full jotter in the Oriental, walk down the gang plank, chuck cases in old Zafira and foot down all the way back to Nottingham.

I will do a review of events on board like dining, entertainment and ship amenities later.

[Gill W]

Civitavecchia was a surprisingly pleasant place to walk around when we were there in March. We mainly walked along the sea front, so we didn't come across the flea market, unfortunately. I love that sort of thing - next time maybe.

Thanks for posting your reports, I'm enjoying them

[Broadside]

Hi all
We were also on this cruise but unlike Ray our experience with P&O was quite different. We were contacted early on Wednesday evening and given a full update of the situation and had regular text and emails the following day giving us new boarding and sailing times.
Our boarding time was 10.30 but we arrived just before 10 unloaded the car, straight through check in and onboard and by the pool with a drink by 10.20. Quickest check in ever.
A few observations about Azura. First the good points, the inside cabin was spotless and our steward was excellent. We dined in Epicurean, Sindhu and Glasshouse (lunch twice dinner once) all of which we recommend. Most of the meals in the main dining room we enjoyed but the final 'GALA' meal was a big disappointment. Most of the entertainment OK although not all. The not so good points tables in self service slow to be cleared and cleaned, this was also evident in the poolside areas, blockages in public toilets around the ship. Disembarkation was chaotic to say the least, we were over an hour later than our original allocated time. Probably caused by shoreside not being able to put cases in deck order.
Congratulations to the Captain and crew on the handling of the Monte Carlo tendering operation under very difficult weather conditions.
Overall we enjoyed the cruise but not sure we would go on Azura again.

[GillD46]

Sorry to read your cruise wasn't what you had been hoping for, Ray. Hopefully your next will be better. We got back from Britannia yesterday and really enjoyed it.