Wanted christmas away in the sun. Was extremely dissapointed with the flight, in the back of a Thompson so called dream liner, no leg room dreadful food pay for everything on a transatlantic flight !!! Got to New Orleans and finally got to our cabin , not too bad outside with balconly but so I should think for what I paid. First meal was dinner and was Ok was however surprised by the drinks prices seeing as most of the time we were in international waters Was actually surprised by some of the clientelle as I said Benidorm afloat if you get my meaning caught a cough and still have it as does my partner and most of the folks aboard. Was dissapointed with the stop overs why did the ship have to leave at 17.30 when the trip tyo the next port was only 21 mies away Simple P&O saving dock fees and getting more from the passengers whils at sea My whole impression was of a money grubbing operation the whole thing cost me 5 figures and for that I expect a heck of a lot better and the worst bit was the flight back again stuck in the back of a grotty thompson so called dream liner, Great aircraft by the way its just thompsons again money grubbing attiude and craming people in , lousy food and no free drinks Overall a terrible waste of money Read Less

The cruise itinerary fitted perfectly with our Christmas holidays. We booked well in advance because it was expensive over the festive period and we like a balcony cabin. Our flights from Manchester to New Orleans and back from Barbados on the Dreamliner were excellent. We were in Premium and thought it was much better than Business Class on both Virgin and BA. We were quickly through customs and onto the coach and there was no delay checking onto the ship. Unfortunately things went downhill from there. Our cabin was ok, not great compared to other ships. No bath robes? Never been on a ship that doesn't supply them before. We bought some and brought them home. However, our steward was very good. We had anytime dining in Peninsular Restaurant. We always asked for a table for 2 and sometimes had a buzzer but never a long wait. Service was usually good, although it often took ages to get wine. Menu choices uninspiring, although the soups were always hot and tasty. We ate in all the speciality restaurants. Liked the Glass House best. The service at all these restaurants was always good. The buffet! Poor. Luke warm food, no service at all. Staff couldn't care less. Stayed away from the sail away parties, it's just not our thing. Enjoyed the terrace pool on sea days as it was handy for our cabin. Overall we enjoyed our holiday although we prefer a more cosmopolitan atmosphere on board. Read Less

Having previously sailed the Baltic in Arcadia, we decided on this fly cruise to New Orleans, Florida and the Caribbean over Christmas. We flew from Birmingham Int Airport which was overflowing, took us over an hour in the queue to get to the check in desk. When we finally took off, we were at least half an hour late. The flight was extremely long, eleven hours in total due to weather conditions, but mercifully quite smooth with little turbulence. We arrived at New Orleans airport, and the immigration procedure was mercifully quick, on the coach to Azura, and another fairly quick embarkation process. We decided to go to the Restaurant for a bite to eat as airplane food isn't exactly enormous and we were fairly hungry. After a tasty meal we returned to our cabin to unpack. The time was now gone ten thirty and no sign of the cases. We waited, and waited. Finally I rang reception and after twenty minutes I finally got through. I explained our dilemma regarding the cases and was asked for a description and cabin number. They would, I was told, ring me back with any news. As anxiety rose between us regarding the lack of luggage, and the prospect of spending Christmas in our travelling clothes, my Wife sat on the bed close to tears. Not a good start. We waited and waited with no forthcoming phone call until about 1am when my wife heard a noise outside the door. We opened the door to find our cases just left there, no knock or phone call. Whoever left them there must have bolted as there was no sign of anyone outside! More than a little miffed and very tired from the extremely long day we literally fell into bed after unpacking, (we had a trip booked the next morning and had to be up early). Our cabin was pleasant enough but markedly smaller than ours on Arcadia. The balcony was smaller also. We had two recliners but only one footstool. The bathroom (shower) was clean, but there was a smell of urine from the w/c which was present all of our trip. Christmas Day arrived, and so did a sore throat for my Wife. Boxing Day delivered mine also. These quickly developed into really horrible chesty coughs and colds. I also developed an infection in both eyes. We then began to notice a dawn chorus of coughing all along the starboard side of the ship. I met our neighbours on the balcony's who were in exactly the same state as we were in. We were healthy before we set out, but felt dreadful two days in. Talking to a member of staff we learned that quite a few of them had been taken off duty ill. We have been home now two days, and are still not fully well. We caught similar bugs whilst on Arcadia, one of the downfalls of cruising I suppose. We soldiered on, determined not to let this setback spoil our holiday which we had paid a lot of money for. The trips were mainly very good but we felt overpriced, one in Puerto Rico was really poor for what we paid. We elected for Freedom Dining which worked well for us. The first dining session we shared a table with six older folk who when realised that we weren't interested in talking about Golf or Cricket all evening, pointedly ignored us. Not wishing to repeat this we were lucky enough to be allocated a table for two for the remainder of the journey. We found the meals both in the restaurant (Meridian) and the buffet to be excellent generally, with attentive and pleasant staff throughout. The entertainment from the Headliners was very good we thought, and Gareth ( a semi finalist on Britain's got talent) was excellent. Also good was Mick Miller, a comic from the old school who had us in fits of laughter which really hurt after all that coughing! We can't comment on the Christmas and New Years Eve parties as we were too unwell to join in sadly. Overall we felt that the Azura had more than a tinge of Butlins about it, not helped by the silly noisy games and the ludicrously over the top leaving port party involving Brittania which was berthed alongside in Granada. The din was deafening even with the cabin doors shut! We are very young at heart retirees who enjoy rock music and we're certainly not stuffy, but this was more suited to the Ibiza club scene! So here we are now back home having paid not much under £9,000 inc trips. Sure, we've been to some wonderful places but never again. This has finished us with cruising. Two cruises and gotten ill on both has drawn a line under a less than pleasant experience. Read Less

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First cruise with P & O although our 12th cruise. Impressed with transfer arrangements which were extremely efficient. Cases checked in at the airport and not seen again until they were delivered to our cabin. Similarly, on disembarkation, left outside our cabin and reclaimed at UK airport.Flights on Thomas Cook charter were very uncomfortable as there was virtually no legroom for a 8-9 hour flight. Very bad for tall people and worse if, as in my case, you get a large person next to you! A couple of people on our return flight became unwell through being so cramped. P & O should not use charter flights like this which are not designed for long-haul. Balcony cabin was roomy. Bathroom with shower over a small bath. Beds were a bit hard but we got used to them. In queen configuration we got two single duvets, would have preferred one large duvet. Decor rather plain but okay. Showergel supplied but no shampoo or conditioner supplied. Even 3 star hotels do this P & O !!! Only 2 pieces of soap in two weeks. No robes supplied. Ship decor overall was pleasant and we did not find it difficult to get around. Lovely wrap around teak promenade deck with space to walk and relax. Dining - Meridian. Waiter service was the best we have had. Food was okay but my husband had a few tough steaks and I had tough lamb cutlets. Belvedere Food Court. P & O could learn from Princess on efficient layout. Too far to walk for things like omelettes and pancakes. Food cold when you sit down. Bottlenecks all the time at the drinks.Tables not cleared quickly and staff in there seemed unenthusiastic and unsmiling. Excellent English Breakfast. Afternoon teas served between 4 & 5 other ships serve these too early generally. Entertainment - Palladium. A couple of good shows but some were not so good. Not much atmosphere in the casino but perhaps this is a British thing.Good piano recitals in the Crows Nest.Good atmosphere in the pub. Overall - On a child free ship I missed having all age groups on board as the younger people add a buzz to a ship.We also prefer a mix of nationalities as this adds to the interest. It was a lovely holiday but not the best ship we have been on. More 4* than 4*+. Many people said they would not fly out to a P & O ship again because of the cramped conditions on the plane. They will lose custom if they continue with this as it stays in your mind when you Read Less