Aurora Review
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BACKGROUND We are relatively new to cruising, and had been on five cruises before. I won't fly, so we only cruise from the UK, usually starting with holiday dates and looking for good itineraries that fit in with them. Because itineraries are more important to us than cruise lines, we had cruised with four different lines: Fred Olsen (Braemar) to the Norwegian Fjords and North Cape, Princess (Sea Princess) to Iceland, Norway and the British Isles, Cunard (QE2) to the Central Med as far as Turkey, Royal Caribbean (Jewel of the Seas) to the Baltic, and back to Cunard (Queen Victoria) to New York, New England and Eastern Canada. Not much chance of collecting many loyalty points like that!
We liked the idea of trying P&O, but don't fancy anything as big as Ventura or Azura, have read some uncomplimentary reports of Artemis and didn't really like the idea of Aurora with her history of mechanical problems. We were really looking to try out Oriana, but it was an Aurora cruise that fitted the bill this year on the combination of dates and itinerary, so after quizzing a friend who loves Aurora we took the plunge and booked a 16-night cruise on her to the Adriatic. It only called at one port we'd been to before (Malaga) and offered two full days in Venice, which we gather was a selling point for quite a few people.
Although we had taken balcony cabins on our previous two cruises, we decided on an outside cabin this time, partly because the enclosed balcony design on Aurora didn't really appeal and partly because she has such good public deck areas that a balcony isn't quite as essential as it is on some newer ships. We booked less than two months before departure so we were offered a very good deal on a guaranteed cabin basis, but I had noticed that some of Aurora's outside cabins face onto public decks which we didn't fancy so we paid a little more for a nominated grade KC cabin on D-deck (deck 8, or Devanha Deck) just forward of amidships on the port side. The K grades are the lowest grade that gets you a bath as well as a shower.
Cabin Review
Outside Stateroom with Bath/Shower
Well-located - very handy for the forward stairs and lifts but not on too busy a thoroughfare, and handy for the many public facilities on decks 6, 7 and 8. The doorways from the public part of deck 8 to the cabin area are quite discreet and don't invite use by people not occupying cabins on that deck. The cabin, which had a bath as well as a shower, was on the small side, but not unusually so for a cabin of this grade. As usual, having the beds made up as a double rather than twins meant a bit of a squeeze between the desk and the bottom of the bed. It was reasonably well-equipped, with plenty of hanging space, a hair dryer and basic toiletries. A bowl of fruit drop sweets and a couple of small bottles of mineral water were provided and tea and coffee-making facilities. Drawer space was a bit tight, but otherwise we found the cabin perfectly adequate. The bathroom had storage behind the outer wings of a triple mirror, ideal for preening. Tea and coffee ingredients and biscuits were replenished and mugs washed twice a day. Pillow chocolates were still provided, but not origami towel animals. Only one electrical socket was provided, and this was of the British type. The decor was pleasant if unexciting, with light-coloured wood and walls and large prints of English scenes.