Victoria Onboard Aurora

Victoria has been with Cumbria Cruises for nearly seven years, and in that time has experienced several cruise ships, including Thomon Spirit, Superstar Virgo and Freedom of the Seas. This was her first P&O Cruise, on the Aurora's Mediterranean Jewels itinerary, departing from Southampton on 1 October. Victoria and January were onboard for six nights. 

Contents:
Monday: Southampton and Setting Off
Tuesday: At sea
Wednesday: At sea
Thursday: At sea
Friday: Barcelona
Saturday: Nice
Sunday: Rome and Home
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Monday: Southampton and setting off

My colleague January and I started our journey to board Aurora nice and early, catching the train from Barrow-in-Furness at 6.00am. We arrived in Southampton at 1.40pm with just one change on the way; we then took a taxi to the cruise port which was approximately 5 minutes drive away, and cost about £5.00.

From here it was all very easy and the service from the port staff very quick and efficient. As soon as we got out the taxi there was a porter ready to take our cases (which we would be sent directly to the cabin), and we were able to head straight for the check-in desk. 

So we were now onboard!  We had an outside cabin, situated on F deck towards the bow of the ship.  We took some time in the afternoon to take a quick look at Aurora, before heading to get glammed up for our first evening gala dinner. The first night was very relaxed and classed as Smart Casual in the dress code. Our set dining was 2nd sitting (8:30pm) in the Alexandria Restaurant.

Dining was nothing like how I'd imagined. I was very surprised to see such a mix of ages and families dining, there was a real relaxed and happy atmosphere, with everybody delighted to be underway! The food in the Alexandria, and the Medina Restaurant, is five courses of heavenly dishes which are to die for! I was very impressed with the wide variety of choice available, and I was quite pleased with myself, as I tried several new dishes including Battered White Bait - I thought that this would be like scampi, but it is in-fact a very small fish (like, but not necessarily, herring), deep fried in batter, and sprinkled with lemon juice.

The waiters in the restaurant were fantastic and they worked their socks off for us, nothing was a problem for them and they would do anything to help.  Dining each night usually took about two hours, and we ate at the Alexandria Restaurant every night with one exception, when we tried out the Cafe Bordeaux (more on this later!)

Once dining had finished we had the option to go and watch a show, visit the cinema or casino, drop into one of the many bars or make our way straight to the night club.  We could usually be found in the small hours pulling some shapes on the dance floor and of course having a sociable drink!   

Tuesday: At sea

We got up early and headed for a buffet breakfast, in The Orangery restaurant on deck 12.  This breakfast caters for everybody, there is no way you could say there was nothing to suit you; there are cereals, fruit, yogurts, croissants, toast, plus of course all the ingredients for a Full English! Juice, tea and coffee were all also available.  They had everything!! 

The Orangery was very relaxed and very much informal and there is the option to dine here for all meals if you wish to do so. The selection of food is fantastic and there is a great choice for kids. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring the ship for ourselves and getting our bearings. One of the delights of sea days is the opportunity to really get to know the ship, and see all the facilities on offer.

The evening had been designated a Formal Night - so exciting! We headed up to the salon and got our hair done - Oscar's style! This was reasonable and the cost of £25 was well worth it, just for the atmosphere in the salon, where the staff are hilarious and make such a fuss over you. It was great. 

It was lovely to see everyone in the restaurant in the ball gowns and tuxedoes, everyone seemed to be on such a high, and this made for an amazing atmosphere.

Wednesday: At sea

Today we took the chance to explore Aurora, taking a look at the crèche facilities and the kids clubs. There are fantastic babysitting facilities and a nursery, which is just like walking into any nursery on dry land, it has got everything - sandpits, water tubs, books, painting area, carpet area etc. I was also very impressed by the kids clubs; the kids will never go complaining to mum or dad they’re bored, teenagers have their very own night club type room with a bar (soft drinks!) video games and a huge dance floor, which is done out in a really trendy style.

We ate lunch in The Orangery and felt totally spoilt for choice as here you can get anything from salad and meats to chips and a curry! Not forgetting sandwiches, vegetables and hot meats, rice, pasta, pizza and, of course, desserts!  My eyes were bigger than my belly at the time and think I must have tried everything in there!

After lunch we took a tour of the galley; which is massive and extremely clean - they even have two separate lifts named ‘Dirty’ and ‘Clean’ so that they will never have freshly prepared food in the same lift as food that is being brought back (a very rare occurrence!).  All the rubbish bins are colour-coded and the orders are written out on a whiteboard which is continuously being changed. It all looks very confusing but also very impressive – it really makes you appreciate how much hard work goes on behind the scenes. 

In the afternoon January & I tried out afternoon tea at the Medina Restaurant. This was very elegant but also very relaxed and very popular - the place was packed! Waiters bring out trays of mini sandwiches for you to select from, you can also order crumpets, tea cakes, scones and cakes, which are elegantly displayed three tier stands. 

I know now why people say they have put on half a stone to 10lbs on over their cruising holiday in the past!!  It can so easily be done.  (A good thing is you have always got the gym or aerobics classes to go to work it off in, or simply take walk round the open deck a few times which is roughly about one mile and a bit!) 

After we dined this evening (informal dress) we managed to get to see a show in the theatre. This was a mixture of musicals, all put together and was fantastic and fun to watch. If you miss the show, you can always go to one of the bars or maybe go and try to win yourself some pennies in the casino! 

Thursday: At sea

As we were now getting nearer to our first port of call the weather was gorgeous so I’m sure you can guess where we headed - up to lido deck to do a bit of sun worshipping! I could get used to sitting in a Jacuzzi all day, being topped up with cocktails while a band plays!!

Rather than going to the buffet today for lunch we had a change and ate in Cafe Bordeaux - here you order from a menu and they do sandwiches, baguettes, chips and salad which is all served in nice portions, and isn’t too much. You don’t pay a charge to eat here during the day.  

Friday: Barcelona

I had a very early start today, and I think this was because I was so excited at the opportunity to go into Barcelona; getting into the city centre itself is very easy, as there are courtesy buses waiting at the port to take you to and from the city centre.  We chose not to take an organised tour, which would have been great, so we did a spot of shopping instead. 

Barcelona had a stunning atmosphere and scorching hot weather made it even better.  La Rambles has everything from street performers to pet stalls and of course many souvenir stands also.  Near the main shops there are plenty of nice cafe bars and outside restaurants to have lunch or even just a sneaky beverage!  We found a local café for lunch as a change of pace, rather than eating on the ship.

Tonight was an Informal Night, so we decided to sample the Cafe Bordeaux restaurant.  There is a small service charge but this is well worth it and is nice to have a change of setting. This was again a five course menu, and was very relaxed.  The atmosphere here was fantastic: a band played in the centre of the Café whilst everybody ate, groups celebrating special occasions were all greeted personally by the band, there was even the opportunity to get up and have a little boogie!

Saturday: Nice

Another early start today, as we took an organised tour us around the city centre, which also took in the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral and the Parc du Château, which has been a famous focal point of Nice for generations, and has some very good photo opportunities also!  We then had free time being dropped off on the promenade where there are outside cafes and also a market to explore.  I thought Nice was a very pretty city and the Promenade des Anglais is lovely – I would definitely love to go back. 

Getting back to the ship late afternoon we quickly got some lunch from the Sidewalk Cafe (you just order at a bar and are given a ticket with your order number on - they'll call you when your food is done).  Here you can get burgers, fries, wedges, chicken baguettes and more; you can take these to your sun lounger to eat!

This night was fancy dress "60's".  What a laugh! - only a handful of brave souls dressed up, and we certainly turned a few heads! The waiters and the passengers thought it was great fun and were very amused by us! This was a great night, and as it was to be our last night onboard we made the most of it. 

Sunday: Rome and Home

Home time: We had a quick breakfast as we had to have our cases and be out the cabins by 9am – unfortunately we were leaving the cruise at this halfway point! We had time to say goodbye to Aurora before being collected and transferred to the airport for our flight back to the UK.

I loved Aurora. I thought it that the grand and traditional décor was stunning, and I can now see why she is a firm favourite with passengers of all ages. Having never cruised on Aurora before, I was not sure what to expect, but now after seeing and experiencing the facilities she has to offer first hand I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend an Aurora cruise at all, as I think that passengers of all ages, and first time cruisers too, would enjoy this. 

Photo Gallery

- Take a look at my photo's of Aurora
- Take a look at my photo's of Barcelona
- Take a look at my photo's of Nice

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