7 Nights Central Mediterranean Cruise

Fantastic cruise throughout

We have just returned from a Med cruise on Azura and we loved it. Gorgeous ship, friendly staff and fabulous food . It has had a refurb of public rooms but cabins were a bit dated- no problem though - they were spotlessly clean. . Mixture of ages but attention was given to providing something and somewhere for everyone.. Shows were especially stunning and packed every night. Great ports, though Rome, Puglia, Sicily and Livorno were big container ports and the excursions weren’t all that great. Loved Corfu, Cephalonia, and Corsica. Valetta is unique and stunning. We are planning another cruise on Azura but this time Miss out Italy and her huge ports. We were in a balcony cabin on B deck - ,we may choose C or D deck next time for a bit more space. This was our 10th cruise - 8 with P&O . I do miss lovely little Oceana though . - my first love!

Traditional Cruising Still Exists

AZURA REVIEW It's important when giving a high score to provide some context. If you had just jumped off a RC or MSC mega ship and loved it. You would probably be very disappointed with Azura. Also, if your previous cruise was on a premium cruiseline. You may also be disappointed with Azura. However, if you like traditional cruising at an affordable price. You will be highly satisfied. The main dining room, entertainment and decor where in keeping with the age of ship and price point. Entertainment is cruiseship standard. There is a reason why the are not working on Broadway or the west end and watching them is free. And that Is the context. I was able to bring the equivalent of three bottles of wine on board. Which meant we had enough wine for each dinner of the cruise - Excellent Embarkation was very smooth and only took a few minutes - Excellent As a Christian, travelling on a tour of St Paul's missionary journey. Having a Bible in the cabin was brilliant - Excellent On some ships, even the top suites don't have a walk in wardrobe. With the cabin design on Azura and Ventura, it is Standard - Excellent. I don't like cruiseship buffets. However, the Azura provided one of the least painful buffet experiences I've had. Always easy to find a place to sit and even the ‘latenight snacks’ had hot cooked food. The Azura didn't seem to handle groups very well. Despite having a group of almost 50, they only offered us a corner of a restaurant to meet. In fact we had to persuade them to even give us the corner of the restaurant There was no app or any way to communicate with fellow group members or family. Again probably down to the age of the ship. However, i do think p&o could figure out a away to use same aeroplane mode WiFi, so people can communicate. The online cruise planner was fairly good. But I found it very difficult to login without the QR code on theTV screen in the cabin. The QR code was not displayed anywhere else in the cabin or ship. Silent disco was awesome. Unlike on a mega ship we went on. There seemed to be an unlimited amount of headphones. Also, the free WiFi for an hour was a really nice gesture. There was wifi at every port or roaming. So all you needed for each roommate or Spouse to use the free hour on each Sea day and you would have Internet every day - Excellent Probably my favourite aspect of this ship was the promenade deck. It served 4 purposes, found on bigger or more modern ships. Walking/Running Track A Park for a walk or sit A Balcony Deck chair for relaxation Excellent + The entertainment was ok. I found some of the acts did too much talking between songs. You had to arrive 25 minutes early for each show, to get a seat. The audience were very subdued. The performers deserved a bit more than that. However Leanne Jarvis (The voice Runner up) was outstanding and Adele standard 10/10 - but still didn't get a stand up from a very reserved audience. I will review the ports separately. Long excursions i would do through the cruiseline for safety. I won't enjoy my day, if I feel there is slight chance I will miss the ship. I will pay the extra for peace of mind.

Great Cruise

Second time on the Azura and in all honesty can't fault it for the money you pay. We stayed in an inside cabin so no windows but decent room with everything you need. Beds/mattresses are ridiculous comfortable and I have the deepest sleeps ever, prob due to no light so cabins are dark when lights out! Destinations were great and my fave was Kusadasi as went to Mary's house and then Ephesus which was outstanding! We didn't manage to stop at Rhodes due to weather, disappointing but safety first. Food..well what can I say about the food apart from you can eat 24-7! Ha. Always plenty of variety and different places to go to. The majority of staff are hands down one of the reasons cruising is special! They are so friendly and obliging and nothing is too much trouble. The organisation on cruises is second to none as well, you say bye to your luggage at airport and say hello when it's outside your cabin door, same when going home except you pick up from carousel! For the price you pay with p&o, they are hands down one of most reasonable!