An adventure and a half!
Azura Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 55
Central Mediterranean
Sail date: September 21, 2019
Ship: Azura
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
I have nothing but complete admiration and support for Captain Stephen Howarth as our 2 week med cruise turned into a magical mystery tour. With the Algerian Migrants, a very poorly passenger who needed removing from the ship and unforeseen weather changes that made a day at shore an overnight stay in Monte Carlo! He was informative and kept us in the know alongside his excellent Teams onboard. Azura is still my favourite ship and it has been quite an adventure!Embarkation
Very well organised. Quick and very friendly helpful staff
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Outstanding. No complaints. We preferred to use the Oriental Restaurant on 1st sitting. Fantastic service from Waiters. The Venezia was open until 1am for anyone wanting some food to soak up all the alcohol! Plentiful food all day, lovely afternoon tea and desserts to expand that waistline, only downside is the toast still breaks your teeth. Glass house a must visit!
Onboard Activities
From 7am stretching there was something onboard for everyone. Plenty of classes to join in with from fitness / using the gym to dancing with guidance from the professional dancers. Shuffleboard and table tennis. Everything catered for. Even the movies under the stars day or night is an experience to be had.
Entertainment
The headliners clearly work so hard. Very talented Team working alongside the Entertainment Team managed by Emma at the time. (Lovely girl but talks waving her hands which became annoying after a while) If you watch any show watch Astonishing in the Theatre! You will be left agog! A couple of the day bands were a bit average to be honest but that's just personal taste. Everyone performed. The Manhattan DJ deserves a shout because he actually played peoples requests not like some who do their own thing.
Service and Staff
Our room steward was always smiling, friendly & helpful. All waiting on staff / bar staff again polite and keen to ensure you had everything you required. The Captain though Stephen Howarth I can not speak highly enough about. Having been aboard with the Algerian Immigrants rescue and the delays in Monte Carlo due to change in weather conditions stranding fellow passengers ashore, he dealt with everything in the most professional way ensuring everyones safety was paramount! I salute you sir!
Ship Quality
Still our favourite ship from the fleet. Just something extra special about her and the staff. All lifts face forward to stop confusion and makes navigating round her so much easier! Yes she looks a little tired and i believe she is going in for refurb but you can actually see that people who work on her care. Always cleaning, touching up areas with varnish, paint. Just adore her!
Cabin / Stateroom
2 issues with cabin. Very dusty behind door so only ever hovered with door open obviously! From day 1 we had toilet flushing issues which stayed with us Intermittently throuought cruise. Leaflets did get put through doors to remind passengers not to flush anything other than loo paper as it was having a knock on effect causing us delays. Not sure how the system works but our parents next door had no problems! Bed comfy, sheets towels always changed. High shelf above hangers was dusty as I found out when I tried to retrieve my Jean's for going home.
Ship tip
Balconys C and D (D is a suite)seem to get the sunlight all day as these stick out. A,B, Lido and Rivera all stacked on top of each other so can become shady. Handy to know if you prefer to chill on your balcony rather than on deck.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
If you want cheap booze go to "Bubbles" (shop name)on the left of the high street as you walk up. Cheapest in town! We never got our alcohol taken off us when we went back onboard. However people buying outside on the quay shop had theirs taken and held till the next day. This happened to a few people and caused some interest! Previously when we were there we did the Dolphin tour which I would still recommend also
Having read previous reviews we headed for coletta beach the furthest away from the port on a hop on/ off bus. However we passed several other beaches on the way (think one was called Victoria) which were less crowded and more spacious, just as nice if not nicer with drink shacks along the way beds and brolleys to hire! We did get a bit stuck as traffic is 1 way, another reason I'd say go for the closer beaches.
Hotel In Monte Carlo
Last day of a boat show meant the town was heaving when we docked. This didn't help with the weather conditions changing forcing fellow passengers to stay ashore in a basketball stadium (all hotels chocker!) If you are a fan of the formula 1 then well worth doing a tour of the track.
Easy to stroll off the ship and walk along the busy high street. Lovely bars along the way and nice shops of interest. We took our time and had a lovely stroll.
Free Shuttle service from ship to harbour which was beautiful. Ideal if you want to sample all the seafood delights! Loads of cafe/bars along a stretch. We took the little pull train on the roads which was a steal at €8 return and took you right up to Notre Dam del Guarda. Walked round the church and came back on returning pull train. ( they run every 15 minutes) beautiful idyllic day!
Visited the new camp. Worth the trip on hop on/off bus. Walk down La Rambla and take in the cosmopolitan feel. Shuttle bus took us back to port. There was a small demonstration in the port from locals not wanting cruise ships in, but we were kept away, well policed and no trouble.
So easy to stay overnight here. Plenty of hotels, bars, dining areas and cinema. Well worth travelling down the day before you cruise and staying over. Everything is to hand!
Disembarkation
Again very well planned. No delays. Off and into car in no time.