Our third cruise - and the first with P and O - was to the Norwegian Fjords. It was somewhere I had wanted to go for a long time and this cruise did not disappoint! We drove to Southampton the previous day and stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn, which was only five minutes from the ship, and offered an inclusive stay and park package with an excellent included breakfast. The room was first class and we had a view of cruise ships from our window.
The ship:
Aurora, fresh from last year's refit, was a superb ship; yes, she is one of the smaller, older ships, but this meant elegance and space, and it never felt crowded despite having over 1800 passengers on board. The general appearance was good evidence of the refit, with very attractive décor and furnishings - it felt like we were in an old, elegant, hotel, and yet there was much that was modern and classy. P and O have done a wonderful job here! Fellow passengers were generally older, but there were quite a number of young couples with young children on board, and there seemed to be excellent facilities for child care available.
Because of booking fairly late there wasn't a lot of choice, and we were on the lowest passenger deck in inside cabin F119. Turned out to be a good position, close to the self-service laundry for some first-day ironing, and on the same level as reception - at the bottom deck of the three-tier Atrium. The cabin was more than adequate with good storage and wardrobe space, decent bathroom (shower only), and well-furnished. It was well-kept by our steward, Domingos, who looked after us well. The big plus with P and O is, of course, the provision of a kettle, tea and coffee in the cabin!