What it’s like to sail on the P&O Azura?

P&O Azura was built in 2010 and is the sister ship to the P&O Ventura. Azura can hold a little over 3500 guests and has 1226 crew onboard. The Azura is a grand class ship and has 14 public decks,  11 dining options, 12 bars & lounges, 4 pools, 2 show lounges and is the only P&O ship to have an outdoor cinema screen.

P&O Azura is primarily a British cruise ship but we felt right at home sailing abroad. Azura is classified as a family-friendly ship but we would not recommend the ship for kids (not really a lot going on for children, especially sailing in colder months when the pools are underutilized). We saw Azura as a great port intensive ship to sail on. A great ship to take you to different areas of Europe. We were on a Norwegian Fjords itinerary and it was spectacular. We loved every minute of our sailing. Nights on Azura are slower that other larger ships we have sailed on but we preferred the quieter nights because it allowed us to not feel like we were missing something on the ship. We were able to have a fantastic dinner, catch a few songs in one of the lounges and then head to bed to get ready for another packed port day.

P&O Azura Playlist (click on playlist arrow in top right corner)

Our Review – All Things Good & Bad

Ship Design –

• The decor around the ship is very traditional. Very elegant and pretty. Lots of wood and brass.
• We loved the mid ship stairway and elevators.
• We liked the decor on Azura a little more than sister ship Ventura
• LOVED the outdoor movie screen. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody while leaving the Norwegian Fjords and it is a memory that we will never forget.

Food –

• Buffet (complimentary B, L, D) – the buffet is very small but what the buffet lacks in size, Azura makes up for in quality. We typically avoid buffets on cruise ships but this was the best buffet food we have experienced at sea. And even though the buffet was on the small side, there were still plenty of choices. (If you like Indian food, don’t miss the Indian night. It was amazing.)
• Main Dining Room (complimentary B, L, D) – Breakfast was good. Great coffee. We had great options for lunch as well. P&O has great options for vegetarians and vegans. We only ate dinner one time and we did not enjoy it. We ate on a formal night and the food was a little too fancy for us. The food was good but it was not great. We would have preferred one of the specialty restaurants for dinner over the main dining room. One thing that was similar throughout the main dining room was speed. Service was extremely slow for all meals. Breakfast took an hour and lunch and dinner took around 2 hours. We don’t really care about meal length but keep the times in mind if you have an activity or excursion. You may need to skip the main dining room and grab something to eat at the buffet.
• Poolside Grill (complimentary) – We loved the grill. It was an easy way to grab some chicken tenders and fries. They even had some grab and go salad and yogurt options. Loved how easy it was.
• Sindhu at East (specialty Indian cuisine) – some of the best Indian food we have had anywhere on land or sea. The food was great and there was so much of it. There was a course and then another and another and another. I didn’t know if the food would stop. Something cool about our sailing is they offered a discount if you dined there the 1st night. I thought that was really cool and it was so great, we booked for another night as well.
• The Beach House (specialty casual cuisine) – The Beach house is a cool restaurant located in the back of the buffet. They transform one quarter of the buffet seating area into the restaurant at night. Loved the menu at the Beach House. Wings, ribs, burgers, steak and so many more. The options were great. We had the Lavarock Steak which was a neat experience. You cook the steak yourself on the stone. Basically the steak comes out rare and then you cut slices off and cook to  your taste. I loved this and the steak was so tasty.
• The Glass House (specialty) – great food and wine pairings. This is a don’t miss restaurant. We had the best steak and the desserts were out of this world. Be warned that the desserts are huge. Definitely shareable.
• The only specialty restaurant we missed was Epicurean. We heard great things but we didn’t have time to fit this restaurant in our schedule. Next time, we will try it out.

Entertainment – Azura is a quiet ship at night with traditional cruise ship entertainment. There was always a main show in the theater and a singer or two in the lounges. We didn’t spend a lot of time out at night because we went to bed to prepare for our next port day. Our favorite places to grab a nightcap was the Manhattan Club and The Planet Bar. The Manhattan Club was a great place to enjoy a drink and listen to the singers and the Planet Bar is the best place to cheers a cocktail, listen to the piano player and watch the sunset.

Onboard Activities – we received the daily Horizon activity guide and there was the typical cruise ship stuff going on all day. The one thing that we recommend not missing is the Great British Sail Away/Along. It is such a fun deck party. Everyone is there. We were given British flags and there is music and dancing. It was the one time where everyone on the ship looked happy and enjoying themselves.

Video Review – P&O Azura