Our Cabin: R246, On board P&O’s Azura Ship – August 2016
You may remember the last cruise we did in November 2015 on board Oceana. This time we sailed for a week along the Norwegian coastline.
Booking Your Cabin
We booked our cabin with Thomas Cook on board the P&O Cruise Ship Azura in June 2015 to sail alongside the beautiful Norwegian Fjords. When you book with P&O you have the choice of Select or Standard price, with the prior having a few more features and benefits. We went with the select price as it meant we could choose the exact cabin we wanted. A balcony cabin seemed like the obvious choice and the best way to see the Fjords as we sailed by in the early morning and late afternoon. It is really lovely to be able to have your own private outside space.
When booking with the select price you are able to choose the type of cabin, the deck and the cabin number. I believe when you use the standard option you select the type of cabin you want and then it is allocated to you nearer the time you set sail.
P&O’s Free “Upgrade” Option
This is a tricky one. Personally, I do not recommend that you keep this box ticked if you are happy with your cabin. We believe this option was mis-sold to us by basically telling us if we selected yes to a complimentary upgrade, we may get a bigger room, perhaps even a mini suite or some extra amenities in the room. This was not the case and around seven weeks prior to our cruise we were upgraded to a cabin mid-ship and with an overlooked balcony. We specifically said we didn’t want an overlooked balcony as I would feel a bit self-conscious with people looking down on us.
The balconies are partially covered, lower down on the ship and ideal for those that need a bit more space. When we asked about this as we couldn’t really see how an overlooked cabin was an upgrade we were told that it was a higher grade balcony but they couldn’t explain how. There was no mention that it was slightly bigger in the cabin. We were also told that we would be unlikely to get seasick or feel much of the ship’s movement on this deck midship.
However, my partner and I do not get seasick so this seemed irrelevant. After speaking through Twitter with the very helpful Francesca who answered all my concerns promptly and politely she was able to move us back to our room and un select the upgrade option on our behalf.
I have also read and heard complaints that guests have had this option to upgrade for free selected and in fact been moved to a smaller room. My recommendation would be to select the upgrade option if you are in an inside or outside cabin with the hopes of being moved to a balcony. In future, if we decide to cruise again with P&O we will only select this option in those instances.
Cabin R246
Our cabin was situated on Riveria, Deck 14, in the front of the ship, port side. We had a clear few of the bridge and excellent views when coming in and out of the port from our balcony. The room is very spacious and was plenty of room for the two of us during our week away.
Features – Two single beds that can be made up into a king size bed. Very comfortable and a really good size considering Adam is 6’5” and I am a chunky lady. We both felt comfortable and had enough space between us. The beds are made up daily with white linen, a bed runner and two cushions. Each night there is a turn down service by the cabin steward who left us with little bedtime chocolates. A lovely touch.
This cabin has an ensuite with shower. The bathroom is very compact with plenty of shelves for toiletries. Included is a bottle of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and soap all from The White Company and is a jasmine and rose scent. They smell lovely and will last a couple quite a while before they run out. A shower cap is also included for those that need to use it and above the shower is a small line for hanging clothes. There are plenty of towels in the bathroom including two big blue towels for you to take to the pool. I believe in a port where you may visit a beach, these blue towels can also be taken ashore to use there. Close to the ensuite bathroom is the walk in wardrobe which had so much space. If you’re wondering on what you should pack for a cruise I wrote a post about that here.
The cabin has three British style plug points, one American plug point and a shaving plug point in the bathroom. There is plenty of lighting including lamps and a light on the balcony too. A travel kettle and regularly replenished tea and coffee is available for that morning cuppa. However, if you like a decent cup of coffee or even a hot chocolate to wake up to, you can fill out a ‘wake me up’ card and hang outside your door for the next day, or simply call the 24-hour room service.
The cabin also benefits from a desk and two chairs, mini fridge and two bedside cabinets. Azura also has a lovely walk in dressing area with plenty of space to hang your clothes and a tall cupboard which contains a safe for any valuables, money or passports you may wish to keep locked up. This is controlled by a pin that you choose so you are the only person that can access the safe. There is also a mini fridge where you may find a mini bar on longer cruise journeys alongside your bottle of mineral water. This is one bottle of mineral water per person for the duration of the cruise. These can be filled with the tap water in the cabin which is safe to drink.
The cabin also has a television. Azura benefits from having a selection of movies and television shows for you to watch at your leisure however, the better films do come at a cost of £2.99 each. If you are wanting to listen out for announcements then keep the television tuned to the navigational channel which is full of useful information.
Our Experience of Cabin R246
We were well looked after by Glenn, the cabin steward, who was very polite, friendly and kept our room looking clean. Everything was always kept in good order and we felt very looked after throughout the cruise. The room was very spacious and the addition of a balcony was truly lovely. The only thing that was a bit frustrating was the size of the shower in the bathroom however it was fine just to get cleaned up after a day exploring the port.
There is plenty of space to store your clothes and belongings and keep the cabin looking clean and tidy. The chairs, bed and balcony seats were all very comfortable and made us feel we could relax without constantly have to sit on the bed in a tiny space. There was plenty of room to move around at our leisure without getting in each other’s way. The balcony was very private however when leaning against the edge it was easy to speak to the people next door, very handy if you’re travelling together in a group.
I do not really have any complaints about our cabin during the cruise, it was the upgrade option prior to us which we feel was mis sold a little however it all turned out well in the end.
Glad you got moved back to the room your preferred. I would hate to be overlooked too. Glad it all turned out well in the end too, it sounds amazing! Xx
Yes we were so happy to be moved back to our original choice of cabin! It was a lovely trip, thank you for commenting 🙂 x
This is so interesting – I’ve never been on a cruise, but it’s something that intrigues me. Some fantastic tips here, thank you 🙂 #MarvMondays
Helen x
http://www.treasureeverymoment.co.uk/
I absolutely love to cruise! It’s the best way to travel for us 🙂
I get really sea sick so I am nervous to travel on a cruise. I would like to as I’ve heard great things about cruises, but would hate to spend the money and be sick the whole time. Your cabin looks great, plenty of room. #MarvellousMondays
My step dad gets sea sick quite badly too but it hasn’t stopped him enjoying a holiday. There are tablets you can get from your GP to prevent it and a medical practitioner on board which can give you an injection to prevent seasickness in extreme cases, that does come at a cost though! X
This sounds so lovely! I always think of cabins as being so tiny and having bunk beds, yours sounds very luxurious!
It was a lot bigger than we thought it would be which was great! They do take advantage of the space when it comes to clever storage solutions 🙂
ooh it looks lovely! Glad you had a great time in the end x #MarvMondays
Thank you, it was a lot of fun 🙂
While I would love to see the Fjords (what a holiday!) the thought of a cruise really doesn’t appeal to me. I think its the thought of being in a giant floating hotel that does it. We never chose big, all inclusive hotels for our holidays for the same reason. However I’m glad you had a good time and I’m glad you sorted out the ‘upgrade’ issue. #TwinklyTuesday
I think everyone has their own ideal way to holiday. We are both non drivers so hiring a car and staying out in the sticks just couldn’t work for us, I also absolutely hate to fly so cruising is a lovely way for us to see the world. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for sharing. It is so interesting. I have never done a cruise and don’t know anything about them. It is lovely to get a glimpse of the cruising life! I’d love to try it one day! I hope you had a lovely time. #TwinklyTuesday
Thank you 🙂 I absolutely love to cruise! It was a great holiday!
The room sounds and looks lovely. Everything looks so compact but luxurious. I think most showers would be small on a cruise ship but a balcony would definitely be a bonus. The last couple of times, we did not have a balcony because we have small kids and did not want to be worrying about them. Thanks for sharing with #bigpinklink
Thank you for commenting! Yes I think you’re right about most showers, Adam is 6’5″ so I think he will always struggle! We love having a balcony and when we take Evie she’ll be at least six so old enough to understand the dangers I think. We haven’t taken her before though as not sure how she would handle it!
I’d love to take a cruise like this someday – maybe when my daughter is a little bit older. The idea of visiting Norway is really appealing, and I like the idea of having a cozy little room on a ship! #DreamTeam
A cruise totally doesn’t appeal to me but that said your cabin looks lovely! Hope you had a lovely time #bestandworst
I think everyone likes to holiday in their own way! This is the post convenient and family friendly way for us, especially as I hate to fly! It was a great holiday! 🙂
I’ve never been on a cruise so this was an interesting read! I am not sure if i would ever have the guts to go on a cruise either, although I’d love too!
#MarvMondays
Ohh this looks good,I would like to go on a cruise but do worry somewhat about sea sickness!! Thanks for linking up lovely and hope you’ll stop by again #bestandowrst
We know a few people who swear by cruises, so it was really fab to get a chance to see your VLOG on what to expect in the room. It looks like everything is really well thought out, and what a view. Good to know about the upgrade tick box! Thank you for linking up to the #DreamTeam x
Sounds like you had a lovely time! We’ve never taken a cruise so I found your post really useful and helpful to get a good feel for what its like to take a cruise and what to do if we every book one. Great post, thanks for sharing it on #MarvMondays. Emily
Thank you so much, I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 Great for little ones too with plenty for them to do!
I never realised that there was so much complexities around the cabin, and also choosing your cabin too. Glad you got moved back. Hope you had a fab trip. Thanks for linking up at #fortheliveofBLOG. Claire x
I’ve been on a med cruise & loved it. Would really like to do a Norwegian one. #bestandworst
Oh I would love to do a med one, def on my list of cruises I need to do haha!
ooo I’ve never done a cruise before, but this looks lovely! Thanks for giving us a sneak inside into your holiday adventure! #eatsleepretweet
I love to cruise and this was fab! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
After all the cabin problems I hope you enjoyed your holiday. I have never been on a cruise before but would love to one day! xx
Thanks for linking up to #EatSleepBlogRT
We’ve been pricing up a cruise holiday this weekend so your post has been really helpful. P&O is one of the cruise companies we were looking at, but their price came in at just under £10k so it’s a no go at the moment! Having never cruised before, I’m not sure what to expect from the cabin, in terms of size and amenities, so I found your post helped me to get a better idea of what it would be like – thanks for sharing!
So glad you found it helpful. Personally, whilst P&O are a nice cruise line, I think you can get more for your money from other companies. We are really loving the look of Norwegian Cruise Line for our next cruise, as it seems to suit families perfectly, or even Royal Caribbean, as there seems to be a lot more to do onboard these ships. Happy choosing, cruising is my favourite way to travel!
I know cabins are small, but they are perfectly formed aren’t they? I do love an aft cabin, you don’t get to much sun, and the view of the wake surf on the sunset is gorgeous, I think cruising is my fave way to travel x #mondayescapes
Great tip about the upgrades box. You would never expect that you’d get something less appealing by ticking it. I love the sound of the walk-in wardrobe in you cabin. What luxury! Thanks so much for sharing this with #MondayEscapes.
I’m glad it is helpful to know about the upgrade box, especially if it comes across that you’ll get something a lot better and end up being disappointed like we were. I’m so glad we got our cabin back!
We are travelling onboard the Ventura for the first time in a few weeks so I read your article with great interest! Off to check now whether I ticked the upgrade box or not!Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes
I’m super impressed with your room! It’s so spacious & the bathroom is fab too. I want to cruise the Norwegian fjords someday! Your video room tour was fun to watch & brought back cruise memories for me. Xx
Ah thank you lovely, cruising is totally my favourite way to travel and yes the room was so spacious which really helped us!! 🙂 xx