I chose this cruise for the itinerary. It was my first P&O cruise and it will certainly be my last. My wife and I had completed 18 cruises with various lines all of which were of a much higher standard than P&O. Azura is tired and the service, food and entertainment are well below an acceptable standard. This was Azura's first cruise in Europe and the ship had travelled from the Caribbean to Malta. It became obvious that the ship had passengers and crew in isolation as parts of the ship were not accessible to passengers. After 7 days, on returning to Malta, the captain announced that mask wearing was not mandatory and social distancing in dining rooms was dispensed with. Many passengers failed to wear masks and the result for us was testing positive for Covid immediately

on arriving home. As we tested negative prior to the cruise, a requirement demanded by P&O, we can only have contracted Covid during our 14 day cruise. Food was poor, service in dining rooms slow and menus repetitive. Entertainment was mediocre both in content and technical delivery. Cabin stewards made only one visit to cabins per day for cleaning. Catering for the British pallette is not what I expect to experience on a cruise. Shepherd 's Pie, Rice Pudding and Spotted Dick and custard are far from the exotic dishes other cruise lines provide.

Attractive presentation should be part of the dining experience. Pierre Marco White is the signature chef for P&O. His offerings fall far short of haute cuisine. The total experience was one never to be repeated.