Set your expectations accordingly
Azura Cruise Review to United Kingdom
West Europe Mini Cruise
Sail date: March 31, 2017
Ship: Azura
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: A610
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
This was a weekend cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge then back. As such, the demographic was heavily weighted towards groups of friends or work colleagues or hen parties so for us as a couple used to mostly couples-based, longer trips it was a bit of a change but we pretty much expected it to be this way. The ship was a Grand-class ship, similar in layout to several of the Princess line that we'd been on before so the layout was familiar although the darker decor made the ship feel a little more claustrophobic and more like a floating hotel. Service was distinctly hands-off; things we were used to such as being served tea/juice at breakfast or having food cooked for you at the poolside were replaced with already prepared, help yourself offerings instead which disappointed us as we expected a little more than just a floating hotel with some entertainment for the price we were paying. Food quality was average and the service in the dining room across the two nights couldn't have been more different; on the first night it felt like we couldn't be shifted out of our seats fast enough whereas the second night dragged. Bar service was generally good, if just a little too impersonal (with one exception). The pub, Brodie's, had a good range of beers although a lot from the menu wasn't available which I'd understand if picking up the ship in the Caribbean but found more disappointing since it had been berthed in its home port. Loved the wall displays in the Planet Bar. We felt the cruise line deserved another chance to see what it would be like on a longer trip, away from school holidays, away from the sunshine, just to see how an older, more couples-based cruise would pan out so will be trying them again but even if it was exactly the same it would be okay if taken with the attitude that it was to be a cruising experience at the lower end of the refinements scale.
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2 Comments
PinkBellesBlue 7 years ago
picalo 7 years ago