Created by 3GoExploring.
Our 16-night voyage to Scandinavia and the Baltics onboard P&O Aurora has unfortunately come to an end, but what a brilliant time we’ve had and here is our review.
Boarding Aurora was an incredibly seamless process, we did have a late boarding time of 15:15 with all aboard at 15:30. However, the weather was brilliant and we explored Southampton and grabbed a quick bite to eat.
For parking we used Cruise & Parking Services (CPS) they provide secure valet service for cruises longer than 3 nights and 2 nights are a self park service. The embarkation terminal was Mayflower terminal which is approximately 1.5 miles to WestQuay shopping centre and you can walk out of the terminal with no issues, you do have a busy road to cross. As you arrive at the terminal you will be directed to the CPS drop off where the crew working for CPS will register your car and take photos, once this is done you can unload your bags into trolleys and a short walk to the luggage drop off and the next time you see your bags they will be waiting for you outside your room.
As a stoma user, going through security prior to boarding was very nerve-wracking as you never know if the stoma bag will be picked up. However, we find having documentation of a medical letter helps reduce anxiety. Fortunately, we’ve never had any issues going through the scanners. In terms of hand luggage, all medical supplies are carried onboard just in case there is a delay with getting our luggage from the terminal. Once we have gone through security, boarded and mustered we can relax at last, the holiday has begun!
Looking at the itinerary, it was great to tick off so many Northern Europe countries as we have only cruised (so far) to Norway, Iceland and the Canaries. We did have multiple itinerary changes but these were for the better with Klaiediepa, Aarhus, and Helsinki all becoming overnight stays in port. This provided us with ample time to explore on foot and see these beautiful ports.
Now, Aurora… ‘an intimate classic’ is what she is known for by P&O and she certainly is. Aurora provides this cosy feeling with a niche library overlooking the ocean with a calming atmosphere to delve into a novel. The ship is over 20 years old and she does show her age but this is a part of her charm, don’t expect the high tech of the modern ships. We chose an inside cabin located on deck 5, F206, we had one Pullman and two single beds with a small sofa to lounge but could not be converted to a sofa bed. Again, the furnishings are dated but the room is fully serviceable and clean with ample storage for three adults, plenty of room to store all suitcases under the bed. The ensuite room only has a shower with the dreaded shower curtain that sticks to intimate parts of your body! The TV has USB and HDMI ports. We made use of USB with an external hard drive for movies, as the TV channels are limited and not on demand like the modern ships.
Our dining was a mixed bag of experiences, we ate in the Medina Restaurant (freedom dining),Horizon Buffet, and Lido Grill and did not opt for speciality dining. For us we prefer freedom dining as we can choose to enter the restaurant from 6pm - 9pm and it does vary depending on sailways or late nights in port to when or if we eat in the Medina or grab a quick bite to eat. Our detailed experience of cruising with an allergy can be found on our page which may be useful for soon to be cruisers. The Lido Grill is amazing with delicious pizzas and burgers open from 11am to 16:30, gluten free pizzas are available. The Lido Grill is the best grill we’ve had so far onboard the P&O fleet.
The Medina is the sit down restaurant where your served three course meals in the evening and five courses on celebration nights. If you find a table you like, you can request that table each time you enter the restaurant. At busier times you will be given a pager to return once it alarms but there were no waits for us for a table of three. We try to plan going to the Medina restaurant in time for the 8pm show in Curzon Theatre, expect on celebration nights to be in the restaurant longer but the atmosphere is buzzing on formal nights with energy.
The Horizon Buffet offers a selection of foods throughout the day. We have not experienced any issues with availability of seats within the buffet, most seats by the window are in a format of two seats, but there is no harm in moving two tables together for bigger parties. Breakfast in the buffet offers the full range including continental and on demand omelettes made to your taste. You can also get unlimited refills of juices until 11am. We have found the selection of foods at lunch if eating after 2pm can be slightly limited due to changeover from Lunch to Afternoon Tea. Food in the buffet can become repetitive and we like to go to various food stations so you have a variety of food, if in doubt the salads are always delicious and a favourite of ours.
The entertainment is varied with guest speakers to comedians and naturalists, overall the entertainment was great and having the talks of ‘Learn Something New’ helps to break up the monotony of a sea day. In the evenings you are spoilt for choice with typically two different shows occurring in Curzon and Carmen's Theatre. The Headliners Theatre Company were truly spectacular and we were lucky to catch the premiere of Unbelievable with Jonathan Wilkes unveiling the show.
Overall, we had a memorable time onboard Aurora, polar opposite to the larger ships like Iona and Arvia. Is she going to be everyone's favourite? Probably not. Does she have an older clientele? Yes. Is she showing signs of age? In places, yes. We still along with countless other cruisers love her and will be returning on three more adventures including seventy-five nights around South America.
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