Claire and her family in front of the P&O Cruise ship Azura in the Med
Claire Oliver takes a Family Cruise with P&O Cruises ...
Azura, the family friendly P&O cruise ship, spends most of the summer sailing the Med from Valletta in Malta. With flights included and a fantastic itinerary around the Greek Islands and Turkey, it seemed an ideal family break during the school holidays. We travelled with our two boys aged 11 and 6 and transferred without any trouble straight to Azura, where our luggage was waiting for us outside of our balcony cabin.
The cabin itself had plenty of room for a family of 4 and whilst we have previously stayed in inside cabins as a family and found these perfectly suitable for us, it was a lovely change to have the balcony this time. The boys loved waking up each morning, pulling open the curtains to a different picturesque view and on shore days where we had an early start we enjoyed eating a continental breakfast on the balcony saving us precious time before a busy day ahead! During the evenings once the boys were asleep it was also lovely to sit on the balcony with a nice glass of bubbly and enjoy the sounds of the ocean- my idea of heaven!
Food and Beverages
One of the reasons we have chosen to cruise over the years is the amazing food choices that you have and I have to say that every P&O cruise I have been on has always been of the highest standard and Azura was no exception to this. We opted to eat in the main restaurant every night, choosing the 6.30 sitting- the perfect time for us with young children. Nothing was too much trouble for our waiters and there was a dedicated menu for children with all of the familiar options like chicken nuggets and pasta available every night. However, with such a delicious, varied menu the boys would quite often choose something from the adult menu (always with a side of french fries!) and certainly by the end of the cruise had eaten and enjoyed so many new dishes which was fantastic to see!
During the day we often ate at the poolside grill due to the convenience and it offered food such as burgers, pizza, hot dogs and fries. We also spent a lunch time at one of the speciality restaurants: The Glass House which is open from noon until 10pm each day. The dishes here were individually priced, however on port days it was half price and I can honestly say it was worth the small additional charge to eat here - the food was delicious. As well as the Glass House there were also several other speciality restaurants: The Beach House, The Epicurian and Sindhu all open from 6pm until 9.30pm. Whilst we didn’t get around to eating in these as the boys wanted to stick to the main restaurant, we heard nothing but good reviews from other guests during our cruise and certainly if we find ourselves on Azura again we would love to test them out.
For breakfast you can again eat in the main restaurant but there is also the buffet option available from 6.30am right through until 1am with a variety of different foods available throughout the day and evening, including a kids tea between 5pm and 5.45pm if you find that you want an informal dinner. As for beverages, we opted for the deluxe drinks package. After some rough calculations before our cruise we found that it was definitely worth opting for the drinks package and we liked the fact that once onboard we didn’t need to worry about paying for drinks. We also received 10% off for booking the package before the holiday and it also included a free refresh package for both boys, which included soft drinks, juices and squash. With the deluxe package we had extended choices of wine, beer and spirits as well as a vast array of cocktails and the full range of Costa coffee options that were available.
Entertainment and Dress Code
There is so much to do for families on Azura and what we liked about our cruise was that every day we received an A4 newsletter detailing important information, the dress code for the evening, special offers and all of the activities and shows available that day. We also received an insert in the booklet called “Family Zone” which highlighted specific activities for families around the ship including family archery competitions, basketball shootouts, interactive karting, movies on the sea screen (the outdoor cinema screen by one of the main pools), magic workshops and family bingo just to name a few.
On top of these family activities, there are childrens clubs at the Reef area of the ship. These cater from 6 months through to teens aged 17 split into age appropriate groups. Here parents have piece of mind that the kids are being well looked after and having a great time with a range of activities and things to do, where again, a detailed programme is provided in your cabin at the start of the holiday. On this cruise we enjoyed a variety of shows by the Headliners Theatre Company and for those who enjoy sports (my husband and eldest included) the sports bar Brodies was the place to be.
One of the many things we enjoy about P&O cruises is having an evening dress code. We love to take the opportunity to dress smartly in the evenings and enjoy dressing up in formal wear on the black tie nights- there is something really special about these more formal celebration nights on a cruise and the boys were happy to join in too. With the ships photographers available throughout these evenings it meant we had the chance to take some fantastic family portraits.
Ports of Call
With two boys who like to keep busy it was great to have the chance to visit and explore so many places during our holiday. We took at taxi tour around Athens and visited the stunning Acropolis, as well as the first olympic stadium, the Temple of Zeus and the Presidential Mansion, where we witnessed the ceremonial change of the guard. We visited the markets of Kusadasi, Turkey where our football mad boys were able to buy a range of different kits for a bargain price.
We took a trip to the beautiful Tsambika beach on the island of Rhodes, where we got to swim in crystal clear water and were provided with our own sunbeds and umbrellas as part of the organised trip package, as well as a drinks voucher. Finally, we visited the stunning island of Santorini, which has long been on our bucket list. We were able to visit and sample Santo Wines and make stops at Oia and Fira to take in the beautiful scenery and snap some superb photographs of the famous blue and white buildings, as well as pick up some souvenirs from our trip. Most afternoons we would then spend by the pool relaxing with a cocktail or two!
We certainly did not want our trip to end and we were extremely impressed again that our luggage was taken off the ship and we didn’t need to then worry about it until we arrived back at Gatwick! This definitely made the journey home a lot easier. We had an amazing time with so many memories together and certainly wouldn’t hesitate to cruise again as a family with P&O. The only question now: Where to next?
For more information on booking a P&O cruise visit www.pocruises.com
Claire Oliver August 2023
