Firstly I’d like to say I enjoyed our cruise, however there are a few issues that P&O need to address.
Sunbeds! There was a big issue with these , towels draped over them to “reserve ” them, I was under the impression that these would be removed by the staff if they were left too long, this didn’t happen which brings me to my next observation.
Staffing Levels!
It seems as if P&O have cut back on the number of staff, on previous cruises all you had do do was to sit down somewhere and a smiling staff member would be there asking what you wanted, this time it rarely happened, I had to go looking for someone and they looked quite surly and this also applied to the waiting staff in the dining rooms which brings me to the food.
Generally the quality of the food was quite good however there seemed to be less choice than previously and the portions seemed smaller which isn’t really a bad thing.
The ship itself, I like the Azura having sailed on her before but she’s now started to show her age a little, some of the fittings are a bit worn and the carpets are a bit threadbare in places but I believe the ship is due a refresh which should address these problems.
Our itererary, we sailed from Valletta to Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu and Taranto, the places were nice however as we were there in July the temperatures were late 30’s and over 40 degrees in one day which meant it was too hot for for some serious sight seeing, but you can’t blame P&O for that!
Entertainment, to be honest we only went to one Headliner show which I enjoyed, the ships band ” Pulse ” were ok to be fair they have to cater for all tastes, we usually finished our evenings in the Planet Bar where there was usually a pianist who had a nice enough singing voice but her choice of songs needed to be more upbeat!
So in conclusion, we’ve been on a few P&O cruises and one Royal Caribbean, so would I go with P&O again? The jury is out at the moment, I think it’s time we give another cruise line a go.
