Azura - our first cruise in the Caribbean

Easy and straight forward after a great flight with Virgin Atlantic

Food - where do I start with this. This is a challenge given the range of preferences from our party, so I'll write it from my perspective and throw in a couple of observations from other party members. We had chosen Select dining and the first sitting. We were allocated the Oriental Restaurant and the majority of our meals were eaten in there (there's a reason for this!) although my wife and I sampled each of the Speciality restaurants as well, with the exception of The Beach House. The Oriental first - breakfasts in here were a delight. Civilised, very good quality food and great service (I'll cover this in more detail in the staff section). Evening meals were varied, a good selection of options to choose from (note our fussy eater didn't find a problem eating 3 courses every single meal) of a good standard and something you wouldn't have any complaints paying good money for in a restaurant (and I'm not talking TGI Fridays either!). On one occasion a few of us chose the Lobster tail and in my view was overcooked, so maybe one complaint out of the whole cruise! On one morning we chose to take breakfast in the Peninsular restaurant as a comparison. the food was basically the same, so very good, but we didn't end the service anywhere near to the same standard we'd had in the Oriental with long waiting times. Buffet wise, we only ate in there for one evening meal, a few lunches (sea days) and a handful of breakfasts - there's a reason for this - the food isn't up to the same standards as in the restaurants (but then in my view this is to be expected) and I was surprised just how busy they were - it was often very difficult to find a table and a lot of the food was repeated up there - again, they are catering for a running buffet, so I kind of expected this. The food however was more than edible, we just chose not to use it and opted for a more relaxed approach to our dining, we're on holiday after all! Speciality restaurants. Well worth every penny in my view. I'll start with the Epicurian; we sat outside on the balcony as we were departing a port, were served a wonderful array of foods with excellent service which wouldn't have been out of place in a Michelin starred restaurant. The dishes prepared at the table were an added spectacle - just do it! Sindhu; We only had the Tiffin lunch, not an evening meal in here, and this is kind of a regret for me as the Tiffin lunch was exceptional. Having worked in India I was delighted to be eating authentic Indian fare, rather than the 'English Indian' we get served in the UK. Again recommended. Glass House; well I do like my wine, so this was one we weren't going to miss out on and we weren't disappointed. The food was again excellent and Olly has picked some great wines to go with it. Let Olly guide you with your choices and you won't be disappointed. Overall 8/10 (assuming you're not eating in the buffet every meal!)

Entertainment - This again is a mixed bag, but I find it very difficult to complain about it, because one persons entertainment, is another persons idea of hell. P&O have tried to cater for every taste, and in my view this is where the complaints come from. I'll give you an example - Bingo is my idea of hell, but there were several sessions laid on for those that wanted to go to it. I just didn't go. The same with the acts in the Playhouse - if it didn't look like something I'd enjoy I didn't go. The Headliners varied - they seemed to get better as the week went on, their last show being by far the best. Acts brought onto the ship throughout the cruise were good and with a little bit of research into the acts we always found something to go to each evening. As I mentioned though - everyone has different tastes in their entertainment, so it's difficult to criticise, but credit to P&O for trying to keep it varied.

The Staff - now this one was a mixed bag for us. We experienced from the exceptional (and they were handsomely rewarded at the end of the cruise) to the average, to downright rude. In general, all the staff were pleasant and courteous. Officers on board would always great you with a smile, acknowledge you, say good morning etc. The Captain (Neil Turnbull) was always happy to talk, even though I'm sure some of the conversations must have bored him stupid - sorry for asking about the buoyage system if you're reading Neil! Although he really does need to vary his morning jokes for the daily announcements! Java (Costa Coffee) was the most disappointing for me. The staff really gave the impression they didn't want to be there. I even had one member of staff argue with me over a drink I'd ordered, telling me I was wrong, despite several people with me agreeing it was wrong. The slamming of trays etc. afterwards just compounding the situation. In fairness his manager came over and apologised and rectified the situation, however the waiter in question refused to look at me for the rest of the evening, to avoid having to serve me again. The surprise for me was the cabin steward. Despite tips now being included, this was one person we were intending to 'thank' when we disembarked. I have to say this didn't happen. He didn't do anything particularly wrong, however there was no effort to engage with us, or indeed make us feel special. He spoke to us as little as possible, even when seeing us in the corridor. Don't get me wrong, the room was kept clean and if we specifically asked for anything it was delivered on time, but nothing else. I even wondered if P&O had told their stewards to be remain in the background, but on speaking to other guests they had said how good theirs were, so maybe not. Now I've saved the best until last - our waiters in the Oriental Restaurant were exceptional. They made every effort to get to know us, what we liked and were very engaging. They knew what our fussy eater would have most evenings, if they thought you hadn't enjoyed a meal would offer to bring something else and if you couldn't make your minds up between certain a couple of desserts would bring you both. They had suggestions for shore visits if you didn't have things planned and always asked how the day had been. They really did go above and beyond to make you feel special, if they saw you around the ship, or onshore they were exactly the same - a big shout out to Shambhu and Raj you are a credit to P&O!

The Ship - well, she's a big one! Personally I found her very easy to find my way around (including the secret location 😉), although there were members of our party who were still having fun and games at the end of 2 weeks. I suspect the difference here being that I spent the first sea day walking the whole ship and getting my bearings, where as other members of the party tended to follow like sheep. There are certainly areas where she's starting to look tired. Examples being, some of the sofa fabric/cushions need renewing. We found a couple of chairs in the Playhouse where the wooden trim had come astray, there are areas on the outside where rust is clearly visible (she's a ship spending life at sea people, you should expect this!) but she is far from tatty. None of what I've mentioned spoilt the holiday, the decor is very nice inside and let's be honest. If everything was perfect, she wouldn't be going in for a refit! Overall 7/10

Cabins - Cabin wise we had 3 adjoining Superior Deluxe Cabins on D deck, midship on the Port side (again a deliberate choice) D504, D506 &D510. The cabins are extremely spacious and we all loved the extra living space with the settee and second TV. The beds were very comfy, the sofas were the one area you could see that the refit is needed as some of the cushions are looking a little tired. The bathrooms are a good size and benefit from a bath, rather than just a shower. The decor in these is a little dated, but nothing more than that (plus she's a ship, not a hotel!). I have seen people comment that they don't like the balconies for these cabins as they are overlooked. I can get that, however if you're not doing anything on them untoward, what does it matter - they are a good size and in reality they are the only balconies with no roof at all so they benefit from the sun all day long (when it's on your side of the ship of course). Additionally, in terms of being overlooked, if you are sitting with you back to your cabin, you're only really overlooked if someone (and then only really C deck or deck 16) is leaning over their balcony - otherwise all they see is your legs. C deck balconies are slightly bigger, as are suites, but C deck cabins don't benefit from the inside living space - you have to decide which you prefer. Overall 7/10