Aurora, my favourite ship

Having cruised with P&O for over 20 years, it is really noticeable how things are being brought down to the basic level.

Aurora is still as lovely as ever and the staff as friendly and helpful as they always were but there are now so many things missing. There are no printed port guides or lectures, no evening cabin service, butter and chocolates in the restaurants seem to be severely rationed. The safe in my cabin did not function correctly despite an engineer’s visit on the first day of the cruise. WiFi is vastly overpriced and frequently did not seem to function correctly. Table service was often rushed to the extent that we were asked for our wine choice before actually sitting down on some occasions, and plates were cleared before our fellow table guests on Club dining had finished eating. I feel that some waiting staff need more training. The films being shown in the cinema were, for me, awful and the shops displayed a dismal range of clothing for women. The library was very well stocked.

The itinerary was excellent, as was the weather. During the whole 19 days I never once saw the Captain, which was a shame. I will be sailing again on Aurora in a few weeks and hope that maybe there will be some improvements.