A Day In Modern Luxury On Board Azura!

On Tuesday 1^st October I was lucky enough to get on board the Azura, as many will know I have been lucky enough to also see the Oriana in September and having been on the Oceana and Aurora I was looking forward to seeing how the Azura compared to the older ships in the fleet.

The Azura is the newest ship to join P&O with the exception of the Adonia, although she was not a brand new ship. Azura joined P&O in 2010 and is the most modern ship in the fleet and along with the Ventura these are the biggest ships sailing for P&O.

The Azura and Ventura are sisters and purpose built for P&O to be the larger family ships offering hours of endless fun whilst on board, with an array of accommodation to suit family’s from 2 to 6 people in one stateroom. Totalling 19 decks you will find yourself lost for the first couple of days until you find your bearings.

The Azura and the Ventura are 115,000 gross tons and registered in Bermuda to allow weddings at sea.  Azura holds 3100 passengers and 1226 crew. Now although Sisters and the ships are almost identical in layout, the décor is different from the Ventura, so if you are looking to travel only on the Ventura please feel free to use this as a guide however as I have yet to go on the Ventura, this is completely based on the Azura.

So we arrived at Southampton early in the Morning, she was laid up again in the Ocean Terminal.  I spoke about this in my last write up so I won’t go on about it and bore you all.  I will say this however – this terminal building has had an major refurbishment and is an excellent terminal to get around. Extremely modern and contemporary.

On Boarding we were taken on at F Deck. This is one of the lower decks and is the middle of the main atrium. Travelling on some of the larger decks the atrium was a bit of a disappointment If I am honest.  It felt small and being only 3 decks high it didn’t seem to have much of a wow factor although other areas in the ship do make up for this. I think as I have seen larger ships, the atriums have been more of a focal point. The bottom floor of the atrium which I will get to in a moment is more of a meeting point which is fantastic however the higher decks of the atrium look down on to this area.

So let’s do this from the bottom to the top to give you the best idea of what the Azura could offer you!!

G Deck which is the lowest passenger deck of the ship contains only the Medical Centre, so as you come up a deck to P Deck, on the front of this deck you have Ocean view staterooms and these have a completely clear view. Something to note from talking to passengers who have cruised on the Azura is that this is a great place to be as its quiet and there is no vibration to be felt down here.  There are also some inside staterooms down here and as you walk from the front to the middle of the ship you pass The Gallery which holds countless pieces of beautiful art. Other than that, it is just staterooms down here so this is one of the reasons it’s so quiet down here.

To the middle of this deck is one of the main hearts of the Azura. Java is the onboard Coffee shop although it is at a supplement as the coffee is supplied by Costa, although it is the same prices as on land so you are not paying any more than you would in a Costa Shop. The cakes and patisseries are all included in your cruise package here.

In the centre of the atrium on the bottom level you have a large sitting area which is great to relax with a coffee and have a chat with whoever may come your way and there are two grand floating staircases and four glass fronted lifts which overlook the below atrium as you go up to the higher levels. In the evenings you may find that the chairs are moved back and they will put a band here for people to dance to, although this is not always guaranteed.

The Atrium itself was extremely fresh and modern with lots of marble and sleek straight lines, you can tell it’s a new ship by the style and the modern feel.  There is also a feature chandelier in the shape of what I would say to be the sea, with bubbles coming off it.

Also on this level you have Explorers which is the Shore Excursions desk and the Future Cruise desk to help with any future cruise queries.

Your will also find Chronicles next to Explorer’s and this is a small shop stocking lots of Magazines and books. There is also a large amount of stationery and little bits and pieces to browse on those long sea days.

The Library is also present on this level, and I must say offered a large amount of books to hire. Although in a compact area there were about five chairs and a large sofa. If you are looking to hire a book I would suggest taking it to read elsewhere on the ship. There are also computers here which you may use and you can also hire a kindle for the cruise.

Finally you have the Meridian Resturant which is one of the main dining rooms. On the Azura there are three separate dining rooms and again, after travelling on larger ships, I was a little surprised that the dining rooms are only one story where as some other ships have had one main lower level with the upper levels overlooking the bottom level so it’s tiered. I hope I have explained this fully!! It has its pro’s and its cons as if it was one large restaurant you have an element of space as its open and 2 to 3 levels high, whereas with the way it is done on the Azura it offers a more intimate form of dining. It depends if you want a big open ship such as the Independence of the Seas or if you want a large ship with lots of intimate spaces which is what the Azura is all about.

As we go up a level we get to F Deck and this is the second level of the main atrium area. On the very back of this deck you have The Oriental Resturant, although it’s worth noting you have to go up to the next deck and come back down to get to the restaurant.

Toward the middle you have the third main dining venue which is The Peninsular Resturant. There are a number of dining options on the Azura to a set dining time, early or late and with the option of doing the Freedom where you just turn up and have a table once free.

Toward the middle of the ship you’ll find the main atrium is a balcony effect which is overlooking the main lower level below. On the outskirts of the balcony you will find lots of different shops from Jewellery, clothes, sweets and goodies to P&O branded goods.

Towards the front of this deck is Brodies and this in effect is like the sports bar – if there is a football match on they will broadcast it in here and you will also find an array of evening entertainment and should you wish to take part on some nights there is Karaoke in here. The colours used in here are quite dark, with deep reds complimented with silver. A large amount of browns, blacks and gold’s are also used in the colour scheme. This is a great place to come and relax and enjoy a drink and I would imagine to be one of the more lively areas in the evenings.

Just on the other side of Brodies and open to view from the bar area is the Casino where there are a number of different tables which you can have a flutter should you wish, or maybe have a go on the slots. It is also quite nice as if you want to watch but not join in.

To the left of the Casino and accessed by another corridor are the single staterooms. There are a handful of Inside and Oceanview. These do sell out fast so please be aware of this. I will touch on this later in the review however on one note I was surprised by how big these staterooms were considering they are for single use.

At the very front of the ship you have The Playhouse. This is the main show theatre onboard. This is where you will find the Broadway shows, cabaret shows and all other sorts of entertainment. The Playhouse is a large seating area which is two decks high. You will find two shows in here each evening, one after each dinner seating.

Directly behind the Playhouse you have The Karmala Room which is a large conference room which can be hired out for private parties or conferences should you wish to hold one on board. This is great if you are after something different! Do a mini cruise and hold all the meetings in here throughout the cruise.

So that is everything covered on F Deck, so up the stairs to the Promenade deck. On this deck the outside promenade almost wraps around the whole ship with the exception of the very front of the ship. On the front of this deck you have the top part of the Playhouse.

Moving down the ship you have one of the supplementary restaurants which is the Glass House by Olly Smith. He can be found on selected cruises and has been brought in by P&O to select different wines on all of the ships which best compliment the food being served. It is only on the Azura and Ventura that he has a particular area dedicated to him. This space is extremely light, with glass cases filled with bottles of wine dotted all other the place. The walls have been kept very light creams and the furniture is reds and browns. The bar is my favourite part of this restaurant as it is extremely modern with lots of glass used. There is a large use of long rectangular glass pieces hung on the ceiling dangling down. Food is served in here, although at a surcharge. You would expect to pay around £4.50 for a starter, £6 for a main course and about £2.50 for a dessert.

As you walk towards the middle of the ship you reach the top of the main Atrium and if you have a head for heights, if you look down you can see down to the main level of the Atrium. This shows off the atrium in all its glory with the main centre piece being the bizarre shaped light hanging in the middle.

The balcony surrounding the top deck is all glass giving a feel of light and also making for a grand view to the decks below. On the left hand side of the ship you have the Blue Bar and this is one of the areas which is adults only in the evenings. It is a very open space with large picture windows lighting the area with views out to sea. The furniture in here is all cream and brown with the exception of the bar which is surprise! Blue with a hint of green.

On the right hand side you have Eternity which is the on board Jewellery shop.

On the middle to back of the Azura on the Promenade deck is where it is all going on. As you walk towards the back you enter Malabar which is Morocco at Sea complete with palm trees. The furniture in here is very much black cane, with a Moroccan pillar as the centre piece and there is a stage at the front of the seating area which has been tastily finished with little coloured lights. This feels like you are outside but in fact you are inside. The fair left and right sides of the bar which runs the full width of the ship has been left to be more of a private and intimate area, complete with pretty lights, and backed with the picture windows looking out to sea, all of the picture windows in here have been fronted by a red string netting allowing for enough, but no too much, light to seep in.

So as you leave the Malabar you can only leave on the left hand side.  This leads out to an extra wide corridor where they have the photo gallery so any photos taken on board, or at any time by the staff will be on display here for you to purchase should you so wish to do so.

On the right hand side you have the Celebrity chef’s restaurant and this is Atul Kutcher. This is called Sindhu and is influenced by Atul’s life growing up in India and what he has learnt from living here.  Using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, he has developed a unique style of cooking. Sindhu again uses a large amount of red and green furniture and we also see the red string netting return in here. Sindhu is one of the supplementary restaurants on board the Azura and it’s worth trying to get the experience of a Michelin Star restaurant, at a fraction of the cost.

On the very back of this level you have Manhattan which is the show lounge on board and this is where you can come to chill out and relax, enjoy the evening comedian or mind readers. In the evening this then turns in to the Disco venue and you can dance the night away and for all those that don’t want to dance you can watch your family and friends from the various televisions dotted about as there are cameras pointing on the dance floor. The theme in here – as the name suggests –  is American.  There is a huge amount of yellow’s and blue used in here as you can see.

As you go up from you here you go from F to Riviera deck as all the ones in between are accommodation decks. The reason I have pinpointed the Riviera deck is as she has a hidden gem on this deck and although this is an accommodation deck, if you go to the back you have a terrace pool and this tends to be the quieter area.  If you are looking for a good place to pick a stateroom. I would aim to be near this as I have always found these area’s great for peace and quiet as many will opt to use the main pools.

As you go up the back another deck from Riviera to Lido you hit the main pool deck. Starting at the back you have a sun terrace with a pool bar overlooking the terrace pool. As you leave the pool area which is also complimented with lots of seating you enter in to Traittoria which is the select Italian restaurant on board in the evening. This is very light with floor to ceiling windows with views out to sea and the colour scheme in here is lots of beige’s and browns. During the day this is one of the buffet restaurants on board Azura.

Both buffet restaurants are named after Italian places with the one above being the Verona restaurant and the second buffet which is just across the corridor from the Verona being Venezia (translates in to Venice).  This is a very airy light space complimented by the use of different shades of blue.

As you walk through the Venezia restaurant you lead on out to the main pool deck.  Azura has two main pools on the pool deck, one being called the Aqua Pool which is the largest pool on board and has two whirlpools.

This is also home to the Sea Screen, Azura’s on board open air cinema. During the day they will have movies and shows on here for your enjoyment and in the evenings this turns into ‘Movies under the Stars’. This area is surrounded by lots of sun loungers on different levels to maximise the amount of seating without affecting peoples viewing experience – there is nothing worse than when you get someone right in front of you blocking the screen.

There is also a large pool bar here stocking drinks and treats for you to enjoy during your movie. The two main pools are spilt into two different zones – the divider is part of the raised tier to allow more sun loungers for the Sea Screen.

 

As you walk towards the back of the ship, on the left hand side you have the poolside pizza and ice cream parlour.  All pizza’s here are made freshly on board and ice cream is from the world famous Carte D’or.

 

From here you have the Coral Pool.  With a further two whirlpool spa’s, this is the quieter part of the pool deck – again plenty of sun loungers to sit and relax on. There is also the Coral bar here where you can grab a quick cocktail.

Next to the Coral bar you have the poolside grill which is an ideal place to come and grab a quick bite to eat from Burgers to hot dogs and a new introduction is the wraps they are now serving on board.

Further forward on Lido deck are balcony staterooms.  You will also find the Thermal Suite for the Oasis Spa.  This is a fantastic place and along with the family aspect on Azura, she also has the most amazing Spa.  The Thermal Suite is made up of five hot beds and four separate saunas and there is also an array of rain fall showers in here making for a truly relaxing retreat.

As we go up a deck to the Aqua deck, you find the main part of the Oasis Spa where you have a handful of treatment rooms, a large gymnasium and an aerobics centre.  These are all on the front of the ship and have floor to ceiling views out to sea.

There is also a large salon on board for you to take advantage of whilst on your cruise. It is also worth noting that they will do reduced treatments in the salon and also in the spa on port days as many generally tend to get off. This is not always guaranteed but if you are docking somewhere you have been it might be worth staying on and having a couple treatments and taking advantage of the empty ship.

On of my favourite parts is the Oasis Pool.  This is great and is sandwhiched in between the Salon, Gym and Aerobic’s centre to give people ultimate privacy whilst using this pool.  It is has two whirlpools and a built in wave machine.

It is also worth noting that access to the Oasis Spa is at a cost of around £20pp per day.  It will be discounted should you wish to pay for access for the whole cruise, depending on how much you are likely to use it.

Now for the Crème de la Crème on Azura.  She has the retreat and this is my favourite area located on the Sun deck (we have come up a deck for the moment). The very front of the ship is also dedicated just for Spa members and is completely covered. This is set up like a lawn club, with an array of cane furniture from sets of chairs to sun loungers, with oversized plant pots with trees in, hedges and plant pots full of lavender. This area is surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows with outstanding views out to sea. There is also a private cabana up here for massages and spa treatments. Azura is an amazing family ship but this proves that families and adults only will mix if done correctly.

This is an outstanding area of the Azura and is certainly worth a day visit at least.

Back down to Aqua deck on leaving the Spa you have the Ivory Suite and this is where they will perform weddings at sea although it was not set up for a wedding and therefore didn’t really give an impression as to what it would be like.  Large and bright, I am sure it would be the perfect place for your special day.

As you leave here, you come to Breakers Bar which is a large outside bar area with outstanding sea views and the perfect place to meet to have an afternoon drink.  This also has great views out and over the pool area below.

The back of the Aqua deck has been dedicated to the younger generation. If you don’t have children, you probably would not even come up here.

There are different kids clubs depending on how old your children are with H20 for children aged between 13 and 17 years old, Scubas for children aged between 9 and 12 years, Surfers aged between 5 and 8 years, Splashers are aged between 2 to 4 years and finally there is an Under 2 club.

The Seabed is the on board night nursery and a great place to settle the children whilst you go for a slap up meal. The night nursery is available for children aged 5 or under and is available from 6pm to 2am.  There is also a slumber time for 5-8 year olds from 10:30pm to midnight. They will also give you a pager should they need to contact you.

So what is included for the children? Full access to The Reef, their supervised children’s club with H20, Scubas, Surfers and Splashers. You will find a wide range of entertainment offered from 9am to around 10:30pm and a bit later for the older children which has been specifically designed to appeal to each age group. The children will find personal appearances from Noddy and Mr Bump from the Mr Men show. There is a children’s tea served daily and the use of travel cots.

Looking at the different spaces, you have the Hub which is for the surfers kids club and this is a bright and airy space where they have the Slumber bed in the evenings but during the day the is an active and fun place to be where the children can take part in mini Olympics, enjoy the personal visits from Mr Bump and the Mr Men show or watch a movie amongst the bean bags.

Next up you have the Seabed which is the night nursery for the under 5’s. They do really take care of the under 2’s and you can request bottle warmers, infant milk and baby food should you wish.  Although there is not actually a club as such for this age category, this is somewhere you can bring them so you can have the evening without worrying about the little ones and they are well taken care off.

Next you have the Beach Hut which again, is a fantastic area made for the Splashers.  It has access to an enclosed outside area with toys for them to play with whilst getting some fresh air and there is also a more secure door leading out on to the back of the ship where there is a splash pool and the children can use it under supervision.  There is also a ball play area, soft play area and television zone.

Opposite the Beach Hut you have Frontiers which is for the Scubas and again it has an outside enclosed area and access to the splash pool and there is also a soft and ball play area to have fun in along with a television area.

Next we move on to Game On which is a child’s dream play room complete with about six large flat screen televisions which link up with Xboxes and Wii’s for unlimited fun. A large open space for lots of fun.

Finally we move on to Apartment 16.  This is the H20 club for the older children and is complete with everything from table tennis and football, interactive games and discos in the evenings. Plus during the holiday season they run activitIes such as sports coaching and talent shows.

Also on Aqua deck, the middle of the ship is set aside for sun seekers and has great views out to sea in one direction and views overlooking the pool in the other. There is also a shuffle board court here should you wish to play a round or two.

The next deck is the Sun deck and is spilt in to two parts with The Retreat which is part of the Oasis Spa and on the other end is a very special place which is a select restaurant called Seventeen.  You would need to make a reservation to dine here although if you did just turn up you still may get in.  This is a very contemporary restaurant with smaller tables and fantastic sea views. This restaurant is very sleek and unique also offering  Al Fresco dining on the top tier of the back end with fantastic views over the splash pool and terrace pool and then out to sea.

The two upper levels, the Ocean deck and Sky are smaller decks.  Ocean deck contains a bar called the Planet Bar which each day is set to a place in the world and the landmarks in that place are shown on a large plasma television wall and you will find a special drink at a special price from the country on show. This is an Adults only area and has complete floor to ceiling windows and is kind of like the Crow’s nest which normally sits on the front at the top of the ship however on the Azura it is on the back with views out to the pacing world – a great place to be as leaving port in the evening.

The very top deck which is called the Sky deck is more of a small sun terrace with golf nets and a sports court.

Well that’s the Azura, she sure is a fantastic ship offering family entertainment around the clock, with an array of dining choices. There is plenty to keep the children busy and places for you to relax in the tranquillity of wherever you may be!

As normally I just want to run over the type of accommodation that can e found on the Azura as there is such a wide choice.

All of the accommodation on board Azura has the following:  Daily steward service, television, radio and telephone, hairdryer, refrigerator, safe, tea and coffee making facilities, air conditioning ,vanity and writing desk with chair and wardrobe and drawer space.

On the Azura, there are single Staterooms in the form of Inside and Oceanview.  Arcadia is having single Balcony staterooms added so this is something we may see soon added on the Azura.

I must say, I was really surprised by the size of these and they didn’t seem much smaller than the twin cabins. The beds were larger and there is plenty of space to hang lots of clothes and a large desk complete with television with a full bathroom with shower. These are approx 130 square feet, and in comparison with some twin Inside and Oceanview staterooms these are 137 square approx. You will also find a Pamper pack and Mineral water on arrival in this and all staterooms on the Azura.

The twin Inside and Oceanview staterooms do range from approx 137-181 square feet.  They have a walk in closet whereas the single staterooms it’s all combined in to one, which is why I think there was a more open plan feel. The twin staterooms can be made up as a twin or king. Some of these staterooms will have bathrooms with shower only or shower over bath.  Again the rest of the facilities are as standard in the staterooms. There is a desk with chair and a television should you wish for an early evening in your stateroom.

 

The next type of stateroom is the standard Balcony.  These are the ones higher up with the lower grades of Balconies being on the front and back and the higher grade being the midship staterooms.  These are the ones that look down and overlook the Superior Balcony staterooms.  The size of the standard Balcony staterooms ranges from 178 to 237 square feet including the balcony. These have a full bathroom again either with a separate shower or the shower over the bath-tub and a walk in closet.  The bedroom area is also a fair bit bigger allowing space for a chair and cocktail table to be in the stateroom.  The balcony is found through the floor to ceiling glass door giving you the best of both worlds should the weather not be suitable for going outside you can always see the sea.

One thing I wanted to flag up on is the Superior Balcony staterooms.  These are fantastic as they are larger.  Located on D deck with a couple on E deck, the staterooms are longer and are more of a mini-suite style.  The balcony staterooms that sit above on higher decks do look over the balconies so if you are after complete privacy, these may not be the best option for you. I do have pictures if you would like to see what I mean – please drop me an email or give me a call and I will be more than happy to send them across.

The Superior Deluxe Balcony staterooms are only found on the Azura and Ventura due to their size, bearing in mind the standard balcony starts at 178 square feet, these are a mammoth 317 square feet so equalling the same size as mini suite on lines such as Princess Cruises. These have a full size bathroom with bath and shower, a large walk in closet and a master bedroom and there is also a separate living area with chairs and sofa leading on to a spacious balcony with reclining chairs. Other benefits of being in one of these these are as follows:  Mineral water on arrival, pamper pack, bathrobe and slippers, atlas and binoculars, fruit basket, flowers, champagne and chocolates on arrival, canapés once a week and a magazine selection (also available on all Suites).

Suites found on the Azura range from 449 to 753 square feet depending on what suite you go with. Each suite has a full ensuite bathroom with a full size whirlpool bathtub and separate shower and dual sink vanity unit. You have the separate living area with sofa, table and chairs and a master bedroom with a walk in closet. In the suite you will also find an iron, ironing board and trouser press.  There is also a mini stereo and large balcony with table, chairs and steamers. In addition to this you will also receive a Butler which is inclusive but optional, mineral water on arrival and a luxurious pamper pack, coffee machine, bathrobe and slippers, magazine and newspaper selection, atlas and binoculars, fruit basket, flowers, champagne and chocolate on arrival and daily canapés.

There are two large penthouse suites which are on the back of the ship with wrap around balcony and would have the addition of a dining room for in-suite dining from your butler.

Although the of a similar layout the Penthouse Suite is bigger and has a dinning area in.

There are also two very special family staterooms on the front of D deck (D106 and D105).  These staterooms are capable of sleeping 6 people and there are two points of entry.  As you enter in to the main part of the stateroom, you have the master bedroom complete with walk in closet and full ensuite bathroom with whirlpool tub. There is also a separate large seating area and you also have a large balcony overlooking the front of the ship. As you walk round you have an internal stateroom within the main cabin. This also has its own bathroom with shower and a separate closet with its own door, so you could treat it as two separate staterooms and should the children be in bed you won’t disturb them as you have your own entrance. An great option for Gran and Grandad and the children in the internal and Mum and Dad in the main suite.