Named after the Goddess Aurora, the P&O cruise ship Aurora is certainly a goddess amongst modern cruise ships. Yes my favouritism is coming out again and I make no apologies for the length of this review. The final British ship designed for the UK market and based on her older and slightly smaller sister Oriana (herself based in part on Canberra), she has character even for a 7 year old. Back in June 2006 my friend Rowan and myself were deciding which short cruise to take the following year despite not having done one at that time thus finding out how seasick she would get. So I suggested a balcony for immediate fresh air instead of rushing to the deck. She quite fancied Navigator of the Seas in June until discovering Aurora went to two ports rather than one on the 2nd September, excetly three months after the Navigator one. I had already booked a visit to Aurora for the end of October four days before Rowan committed but went ahead with it to give me an idea what to expect. I came away more in love than ever with the ship. The balance was taken out shortly before I went to stay with Rowan in Plymouth so we booked our shore excursions while I was there. Unfortunately while there I discovered they'd changed the gift catalogue and the books about their ships were no longer being offered. As Rowan's birthday was the day after our return I had planned to get one one, as well as one for myself and also for Amy's Christmas present. So I emailed P&O and a very nice man called Chris phoned the day before I was due to return home. He called back on the Monday to say they weren't selling so were stopping them. He emailed Aurora to find out if they had any copies. They didn't. Four of Oriana which I didn't want so he contacted the rest of the ships in the fleet and found some on Oriana! She wasn't getting back until the 3rd August so I didn't mind waiting.just over a week as he had been so kind. Unfortunately the following week was the last Chris had in that particular job before moving to the corporate side of the company and on the 10th we'd arranged to have them delivered to the cabin. That way, if I changed my mind, I could hand them to reception and the library could re-sell them. His replacement phoned on the 13th to say that was not possible as with three ships in they could get lost. Well so could anything ordered from the gift catalogue on that basis! She said she would get them delivered that week They arrived on the 27th, personally delivered by a woman from P&O so I was possibly the only person to get post on a Bank Holiday and what post it was! The tickets had arrived on the 4th August, my dad's birthday but I got the presents. No luggage labels. You have to ask the porter for them. I certainly don't like dragging my luggage around with me, especially hand luggage when you are allowed to board early for lunch. I'm not a juggler and neither are a lot of people. After the bruises on my wrist I received on Navigator I wasn't going to add a suitcase to the equation. One slight niggle is not being allowed access to the Cruise Personaliser up to five days before the cruise. What if they upgraded you and you received no notification? Bit stupid telling the porter your cabin number for the labels if it was wrong.
Rowan arrived from Plymouth on the 31st August in time to see the QE2 sail after we went to the marina. She was pleased to gaze over her again as she loves Lizzie so much and is really looking forward to our Fjords cruise next year with Amy and Jason. As Nick from the Let's Talk Soap board and his partner Geoff were doing their first ever cruise the next day on Sea Princess from City Cruise Terminal, we decided to go to Mayflower Park for a recce to see which gangway they were using in the hope whatever they had, we would too only to be told by an port employee the new ones weren't being used all month. Oh heck! Going over on the ferry also gave Rowan a chance to look over Oriana, who was in the QEII Terminal as we passed, while Oceana was in Mayflower. She enjoyed seeing the ships so has been successfully corrupted! Discussing our forthcoming cruises with Nick made it more exciting as we shared the countdown and packing hassles. We went down the marina in the afternoon to wave Nick and Geoff off. Just 24 hours it would be us! Ooooooh!!!!
A 4am wake-up call to see them all arrive. Grand Princess arrived first to dock at QEII. Rowan reserved judgement until seeing her in daylight. Arcadia was next, heading for Mayflower, which she didn't bother about as her opinion hasn't changed nearly eleven months on. Aurora was last, clearly making an entrance to impress! She liked her as soon as she came round the trees. I was interested how Rowan would find Aurora after QE2 which is a hard act to follow. I have no such problem. Aurora replaced Canberra as my favourite existing ship which isn't difficult with Canberra sadly gone from these waters ten years this October. But Canberra will always be my all-time favourite. Rowan had no hesitation wanting to book a longer trip after ours on QE2 so would she feel the same about Aurora? She had only seen the ship on the end of a DVD I took to her house last year which the last twenty minutes of featured her being built and developed a curiosity. Being a Sunday there was only one bus an hour and Rowan insisted on the 10.30am one which would have been too early, as she worried about the heaviness of her case. To sit where we wanted on the ferry we had to get down the pier early to be first in the queue to board and it is a nice stroll in good weather, which it was that morning but the wind did whip up a bit during the twelve minute crossing to Town Quay. So there were the girls! Rowan decided she liked Grand Princess after all apart from the blue. Still loathed Arcadia though. |
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