Travel Gossip Senior Reporter Kelly Ranson joined agents on a Canary Islands fly-cruise aboard P&O Cruises’ Azura following its multi-million pound refurbishment.
First Impressions
Azura turned 15 this year, but the ship has just received a bit of a facelift, which included new curtains and upholstery in the cabins and new carpets in the cabins and corridors.
Suites have been refreshed, with lavender and neutral tones, upgraded lighting and USB chargers.
Restaurants and bars have been spruced up, with Indian dining venue Sindhu now featuring metallic accents and traditional fabrics.
An Elemis spa shop is new, there are six additional whirlpools, and the deck furniture has been updated.
Facilities
Azura is very similar to sister ship Ventura, but has some small differences, such as Azura doesn’t have a retractable roof on the sun deck.
It has 1,557 cabins, with a maximum capacity of 3,100 passengers, so it isn’t on the mega-ship scale, but it does take a few days to get your bearings and navigate the slightly confusing layout, with some of the lifts providing access to only part of some decks. On more than one occasion, I ended up at a dead end on Deck 6 by the Oriental restaurant!
The three-deck Atrium serves as the ship’s hub. Here you’ll find the reception, Java coffee shop (serving Costa coffee, for a fee), a small library, various shops and a cocktail venue, The Blue Bar.
On Deck 6 is Brodies Sports Bar. Open from 12pm until late, it’s where you can watch football on giant screens or join in daily quizzes. There’s also a casino with fruit machines, roulette, and poker tables.
Most of the daytime action is centred on Azura’s Lido on Deck 15. Here you’ll find two of the ship’s four pools and a lively atmosphere. On a sea day, it is packed, so it can be hard to find a sunbed, or a spot in the shade.
To get away from the hustle and bustle, there’s The Retreat, Azura’s VIP spot, which boasts more luxurious sunbeds, serves chilled soft drinks and snacks, including an afternoon tea box. There’s no pool, but guests can use the Oasis Pool adjacent. Entry to The Retreat costs £69 per person per day, or £229pp per week.
An alternative way to get some R&R is to buy a two-hour Oasis spa pass for £29pp, which gives access to the sauna, steam room and relaxation areas.
The gym has benefited from some new equipment during the ship’s refurbishment and there’s plenty of it, from treadmills to spin bikes, and free weights.
Azura also offers an abundance of daytime entertainment from arts and crafts (think painting or origami) to dance classes and sports competitions, which are all detailed in the daily programme, Horizon, that is left outside the cabins each evening.
Evening options include the popular Silent Disco up on deck and ‘Deal or No Deal’ games in the Manhattan Bar.
The Headliner Theatre Company stages multiple performances throughout the week in the Playhouse Theatre. I caught the ‘Electric Avenue’ show, an energetic eighties tribute to Michael Jackson, Madonna and Duran Duran that left me exhausted just watching. I thoroughly enjoyed it, with my only complaint being there was no Wham! on the set list!
On warm evenings, the giant poolside screen (pictured above) shows films. There’s also a sports court for football, basketball, short tennis and cricket.
The Reef has kids’ club facilities for two- to 17-year-olds, and there’s also a nursery and night nursery (until 2am) for ages six months to four years, which are all free. The night nursery must be booked a day in advance.
Dining
Azura has 22 bars and restaurants. There’s the Venezia buffet serving traditional British cuisine all day from 6am till 1am, and three main dining rooms, and a number of specialty restaurants, which cost extra.
Of the main dining rooms, The Oriental, on Deck 6, operates on a two-seating dinner service (6.30pm and 8.30pm), and the Peninsular (Deck 6) and Meridien (Deck 5) run on P&O Cruises’ Freedom Dining concept, meaning you can dine any time from 6pm to 9pm. If they’re busy, you can join a virtual queue on the My Holiday online planner, which sends notification when your table is ready.
You can also use the planner to book speciality dining. Two of the ship’s speciality restaurants, Sindhu and The Glasshouse are located on Deck 7. My favourite meal of the cruise was in The Glasshouse, which feels like a stylish, yet intimate wine bar with light and contemporary furnishings.
Two of P&O Cruises’ ‘food heroes’ have helped craft the menus in The Glasshouse – wine expert Olly Smith has selected the wines, while Spanish chef Jose Pizarro has designed a selection of tapas dishes.
I had a medium glass of English Bacchus which cost £7.25, and my table shared a selection of tapas (seared scallops, squid croquetas and grilled tiger prawns), which cost £10.50 for three dishes in total.
Mains have a little more British influence, with haddock and chips (£7.25), Sirloin steak (£10.50) and mini-burger sliders (£7.25) on the menu.
I didn’t eat in Sindhu, fellow guests said the Signature Plate (£13.50) with coconut Prawn masala, Chicken Tariwala Curry and Lamb Bhuna was a highlight.
Epicurean on Deck 17 is a good suggestion for a special occasion. Its fine dining menu costs £35pp and comes with a bit of theatre – such as hand-carving Iberico ham at your table and lighting up the room with a crepes suzette for dessert. The dinner usually lasts around two and a half hours.
Cabins
While the cabins have been refreshed, the wood and hard furnishings in the standard cabins have remained, so the décor still feels a little dated compared to the public areas around the ship.
That said, there’s plenty of space and storage and the beds are comfortable. Facilities include a kettle and tea and coffee, a fridge, hairdryer, and a small TV. There are two UK plug sockets in the cabin, too.
However, the bathrooms do still have those hated, potentially clingy shower curtains, but the White Company toiletries are nice touch. There was no hand and body lotion in my cabin, but when I asked my cabin steward for some, it arrived within minutes.
My standard balcony cabin (A703) was located on Deck 12, right near the aft lifts. I was initially worried it might be a little noisy with passing footfall, but it was surprisingly quiet. In fact, I found the location convenient for the buffet restaurants and the pools.
The balcony wasn’t huge, but there was enough room for two lounge chairs and a small table.
As my sailing was pretty much full, I wasn’t able to see other cabin categories, but they range from inside, seaview, standard balcony, superior balcony and suites.
I heard from passengers on my sailing that the upgrade from a standard balcony to a superior was worth it as you get more space and lounge area with a sofa. On a seven-night Canary Islands cruise next November, you will currently pay around £829pp for a balcony cabin and £999pp for a superior balcony cabin.
There are also 31 accessible cabins for wheelchairs across all categories, and they are located close to the lifts.
For solos, Azura has six inside and 12 outside single cabins, all located on Deck 6.
What’s included in the fare?
All meals in the buffet restaurants and the three main dining venues, plus breakfast in your cabin, should you choose.
Water, tea, coffee and fruit juices are also included.
Costa coffee, speciality tea (TeaPigs) and both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks are not included.
Prices for a glass of wine start from £6.50, a bottle of beer from £5.55 and a cocktail is £9.50.
Drinks packages are available to pre-book. A ‘refresh’ package starts at £16pp per day for soft drinks only; there’s an alcohol-free package for £29pp for soft drinks and speciality tea and coffee; a Classic package for £50pp per day, which includes up to 15 drinks, including alcohol; and a Deluxe for £60pp per day, which includes an extend range of cocktails, double spirit measures and large glasses of wine.
Drinks packages can be bought in advance, and there are often discounts of up to 20%.
Shore excursions cost extra, but onboard entertainment, including evening shows, silent discos and cinema screenings, are free. Use of the gym is also free, but spa facilities come at a cost (as detailed above).
Wifi is also not included and costs from £14 per day.
General vibe
Fun, friendly and unashamedly British, Azura blends a relaxed atmosphere with a warm service, quality food, and genuinely good entertainment.
Crew members belt out songs from The Proclaimers or S Club 7 around the pool deck and passengers join in with karaoke and quizzes.
And for those who want to dress up for dinner, there’s still the chance to put on your black tie or cocktail dress, with two formal nights on every week-long cruise.
Little surprises
While the pool areas were always busy, the Oasis pool at the front of the ship generally appeared quiet and peaceful during my cruise. I don’t know if guests thought it was just for those using the adjacent spa, so they stayed away, but I was told it was open to all guests.
Little niggles
P&O Cruises doesn’t have water bottle refill stations around the ship. It does have them in the restaurants or you can fill up using the tap in your cabin, but I spoke to a few guests who said they wish they had more spots to refill their own bottles.
Who would you sell it to?
The average passenger age on Azura is 53, but it’s also excellent for families, given the facilities. School holiday sailings can have up to 600 children onboard, while off-peak cruises are far quieter. My November sailing, for example, had 160 kids onboard.
See more: Agents get hands-on training with P&O Cruises onboard Azura
