Aurora Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first time cruising and we are glad that we chose P & O's Aurora to celebrate our special anniversary year.
From check-in to disembarkation, the whole P&O experience was extremely smooth and efficient. We chose CPS parking to leave our car with, and felt like VIPs when we arrived as they unloaded our cases and took our car away. Having been quite independent travellers having to encounter airports over the past few years, we found the whole having your bags efficiently delivered to your cabin for you quite a wonder. Disembarkation was equally as efficient thanks to both P&O and CPS's services, with our bags delivered outside and our car ready and only a short walk away.
Aurora is a traditional mid-size ship with plenty going on, but not so large that you get lost or feel intimidated by too many fellow passengers. The public areas are all very smart and clean and we particularly liked the ‘Crow’s Nest’ bar overlooking the front of the ship. We mainly picked this cruise because of the itinerary (including Venice and Dubrovnik), but we also enjoyed the relaxed sea days between days in port. We had fantastic weather, so spent many an hour sunbathing by one of the three pools or dolphin watching. There were plenty of sun-beds and chairs on deck, so didn't ever encounter any arguments over people marking their favourite spot with towels. The only negative about the Aurora was the onboard gym which was quite small with limited equipment. Even though we are gym bunnies in our home life, the lack of equipment and efficient air-con gave us a good excuse to take a break from the gym and walk the lovely prom deck instead which was much more fun.
Cabin Review
Inside Stateroom with Shower
Cabin was bijou, but clean with excellent storage. There was plenty of room for all the contents of our four cases.
The bed was very comfortable, in fact we slept better than we do at home. This may have been due to the complete darkness of our inside cabin which made us lose all sense of time. We had to make use of the alarm on the phone several times to stop us sleeping all day! The air con in the room was very efficient, as it was in the whole ship (except for the gym!)
Loved the White Company products in the bathroom and the kettle, tea and biscuits in the room, essential for us Brits who need a cuppa first thing.
Our cabin steward Jannet was excellent. Not only friendly and polite, but her attention to detail was excellent. Everyday the room was immaculately clean and we loved the touch of having chocolates on our turned down bed at night. Nothing was too much trouble for Jannet.
Port Reviews
Seville
Cadiz is a lovely, easily accessible city, just a short walk away from the dockside. We loved the fish market and the numerous towers, especially the Tivero Tower with it's amazing camera obscura. We also visited a lovely beach which was walked upon by Halle Berry in the James Bond film 'Die Another Day'.