Aurora R221 Christmas and New Year Caribbean 2012

[Suekersh]

We travelled down from Lancashire the day before sailing and stayed in the Holiday Inn at Eastleigh. This was a comfortable hotel and a relaxing start to the cruise.
Boarding was stress free as we had priority boarding and we were on ship before noon and enjoying the complimentary champagne and lunch in Carmens. We had our hands squirted with gel 5 times before we actually got into Carmens.

Cabins were ready for 2pm and we were pleasantly surprised by how clean it was and the amount of storage. It is a few years since we last had an inside cabin but as the balconies on this ship are at a premium we decided to book inside. The cabin was compact but it did fit everything in and we had taken a lot. Our cabin steward was friendly and professional as were all of the crew we came into contact with. The Captain Neil Turnbull was a character and probably the most informative Captain we have sailed with. His influence on the crew was apparent and it was a happy ship.

Lots of different venues on this ship with many choices of entertainment. Large Cinema, theatre, show lounge, nightclub, crows nest, and various bars. We sampled them all during the 22 nights we were on board. The show lounge Carmens has a super dance floor and most nights there was ballroom dancing in there to a live group or CDs. The theatre shows were very energetic but this is an older ship and the theatre productions were more limited than on the newer ships. The Cabaret artistes were varied but no big names for a Christmas cruise.

We had booked 1st sitting dining as we enjoy the evening entertainment and find there are more choices for early diners. We ate in the Alexandra restaurant on a table for 6. Great table companions and the food was probably the best MDR food we have encountered. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the alternative dining restaurants. These were very mixed in our opinion and not up to the same standard as the other ships in the fleet.

The weather was rough up to Madeira and the ship hit many pot holes. I am not a good sailor but managed okay with over the counter medication. After Madeira the weather was sunny and got warmer each day.

There were many sea days and lots of activities around the ship. We wanted a lazy relaxing cruise so didn't attend any of the day time activities. The pool areas were quite small for sun worshipers but the aft desks make up for this with lots of spaces for beds and chairs. The prom deck is wide which is also a bonus.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very special with carol services, and the children watching out for Father Christmas. The Christmas Eve deck party was great fun with live music and dancing. Nothing better than spending Christmas Day on a sun lounger with a bottle of Champagne.

At the ports of call which in the Caribbean were Barbados, Antigua, Tortola and St Maarten, we did our own thing. The trips were expensive and as we had been to all the islands many times decided to DIY.

Vigo : The day was dank and rainy but not particularly cold. We walked around the shops then had lunch at one of the many fish restaurants. The oyster ladies were selling their wares. A very different port in the winter compared to the busy summer months.

Madeira : There is a shuttle bus out of the port area which drops off close to the shop. We made 2 stops at Madeira a full day on the way out and 1/2 day on the way back. We have been here many times before so just enjoyed the sun, did some shopping and went back on board ship . The very colourful market is well worth a look at for the many flowers and traditional craft stalls.

Barbados: We took a taxi to Harbour Lights 5 US dollars each way. 2 sun loungers and umbrella 15US for the day. Free WI FI reasonable price drinks. Very busy as there were many ships in port. Very nice beach and calm seas which stay shallow for a few metres out.

Antigua: A little cloudy and threatening rain so did not go to a beach. Stayed in port area where there are very good shops and bars with free WI FI.

Tortola: Took a taxi to Brewers Bay. Very uncommercialised with only 1 bar. We had the beach to ourselves for the first hour shared only with the Pelicans diving for breakfast . There is a reef close to the beach with great snorkeling. I saw the biggest fish I had come across snorkeling. Gave me a bit of a scare but it was more frightened of me. I got it on my underwater camera so Garry can't say it is down to the very strong rum punch.

On the way back to the ship we called at the market to purchase a tropical shirt for the deck party that evening. Unfortunately it was so windy it was transferred inside to Carmens. Not quite the same atmosphere.


New Years Eve there was a deck party again. This was well attended and the Captain counted in the New year. Not sure what time the party went on till but early hours of the morning. On the return journey the weather was warm and sunny right up to the day before Southampton. We should have called at the Azores but this was changed to a 1/2 day call in Madeira due to a passenger becoming seriously ill after we left the Caribbean.

Overall we liked the Aurora but it is in need of some TLC. There were strange smells in the corridors and buckets made regular appearances to catch water dripping from the light sockets. We were on C deck so not sure if this is the only deck with this problem. I think that we prefer fly cruising as this means more port of calls but this was certainly a relaxing cruise.

Disembarkation was a breeze because we had priority and were off the ship by 08:30 collected the luggage without problems and car from CPS and were on the road before 9am.

Sue

[Debbie W]

Great report Sue, thanks for posting. I love the new profile pic too

Debs

[aurorabore]

We too were on this cruise - and yes my favourite ship is looking a bit tired - she does need some TLC - she is due to have a refit, but I don't think it's this year - But with Oriana having been done recently and Oceana, Aurora is the only one that hasn't had anything done and she is in desperate need of it. Our inside cabin as recommended by Capt Jack from cruise connections was indeed massive. I wouldn't think twice about booking it again for further cruises.
Re the water coming out of the light fittings - one night I awoke and could hear dripping - I thought hubby had used the bathroom in the middle of the night and not turned the tap off properly - but no the noise was coming from outside in the corridor.

Met Sue and Garry briefly at the priority lounge, then at the get together (there was myself, Sue and Garry, Maureen and Robert) - shame more didn't come up or find us As I said we too were along the same corridor as Sue and Garry, saw Garry Madeira morning but didn't bump into them very much after that - we used to hang out in different areas to them.

Sue, did you eat at the grill? We thought the food was very good at the grill, but Cafe Bordeaux was much better when it was celebrity chef endorsed IMO!

Spookily enough we shared the same table as Sue and Garry but we were on 2nd sitting dinner with our in laws!

The weather from Madeira onwards was magnificent - the sea days were wonderful and I have a lovely tan - thanks to the CapTain for taking us on a more southerly route before heading across to the caribbean. Yes we ventured to a beach in Antigua - Jolly beach - but it rained on and off the whole time we were there - but the guys went and played golf somewhere else on the island and they didn't see any wet stuff! Trust me to pick the wrong beach

[Suekersh]

Hi Elaine,
Yes tried the grill but wasn't impressed. We went the night the pianist was playing. We thought it would be romantic eating outside in the Caribbean with the background music.

My prawn starter at a supplement was excellent, we both chose the haddock and salmon main. The haddock was good but the salmon way over cooked. Garry had the knickerbocker Glory again at a supplement which turned out to be 3 scoops of ice cream with tinned cherries. So not impressed. The ambiance which was the main reason we booked was spoilt by smokers at the bar and noise from the other side of the bar which drowned out the pianist.

Not the best night on board.

Cafe Bordeaux again was mixed. We were there the same night as you as we saw you arrive. Caravan were playing and they were fantastic. My food was excellent but Garry was not impressed at all. He had wanted to order the steak but the waiter told him that it was fatty and gristly and he may not like it. He went for the chicken casserole but it was more like soup with a pastry covering.

The food in the MDR was excellent in comparison.

It was a great cruise and our experience in the select dining would not put us off booking again if the itinerary was right. We will stick to fly cruising for the Caribbean though will still do the one way TA.

Sue

[qbman1]

I suspect the smell on C-deck was due to all the hot air eminating from the laundrette !

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and I will try to get around to posting a few personal views soon

[aurorabore]

Lol qbman!

They told Tom the same about the steak, but I think because it was rib eye he wanted they were just trying to cover themselves, but we know that rib eye is like that (that's what makes it so tender)!

We went to the grill a couple of times and it was OK - the knickerbocker glory sounds like a case for trades description!! Lol

Just booked a celebrity cruise for the summer (well Sept)!

[Quizzical Bob]

Well it looks like the old gang is getting together again! Thanks to qbman for pointing me in this direction and David 63 for setting this up. Now the fun angd games can begin!

[Quizzical Bob]

For all those who were on R221 there's an article on the Daily Mail website about the passenger who was taken off at Madeira with a serious medical condition:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/holida ... ay-up.html

[Suekersh]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for posting this article. I am so pleased to hear that the gentleman survived as the Captain was very unsure that he would. At least the bank have come good but what an awful time for his two daughters.

Sue