Ella’s First P&O Ocean Cruise Experience
Day 1
Once our plane had landed into Malta in the afternoon, we boarded the coach to the cruise’s embarkation point, which only took roughly 10 minutes. We then boarded the MS Azura by scanning our cruise cards, making our way to a muster station where the staff informed us about what to do in the case of an emergency. Our cabin was located on Deck 10 which worked out perfectly as we had a large balcony (I would recommend having a cabin here!).
The room had tea and coffee making facilities, biscuits, a hairdryer, a safe, plenty of coat hangers, cupboard space, and comfy beds. Our housekeeper Christian introduced himself to us and to let him know if we needed anything, which made us feel right at home. I logged onto my holiday portal on my phone where I could see the amount of onboard credit and everything regarding Wi-Fi packages, etc.
Our suitcases shortly arrived at the cabin, and we started getting ready for our welcoming drinks. The Planet Bar is amazing for unwinding with a drink watching the world go by due to all the glass windows giving stunning views. After this we headed to the Sindhu restaurant, located on deck 7 for dinner. I had samosas to start, then chicken korma for the main and a banoffee apple pie for dessert which was all delicious! We came across Malabar which is nearby to watch some live music and looked around the ship to get our bearings to know where everything is for the week ahead.
Day 2
Today was our first day at sea, so I started the morning by checking out The Horizon – this is a daily activity guide that you receive outside your cabin each day showing you what activities, (e.g. spa deals, etc) are going on for each day. Then I made my way to The Venezia buffet on deck 15 and treated myself to a full English breakfast! I then attended a meeting to learn all about the wonderful products and services that P&O Cruises provides on their ships and who this would interest. The staff gave a presentation on what life is like working onboard their ships, with many of them being in the industry for many years.
We then got some pool side pizza around midday; my favourite was the meaty pizza. I then went up one deck to breakers bar and ordered a pina colada whilst watching a live band in the sunshine to pass the time. I then took a stroll and ended up back at Coral Pool as there was now live entertainment taking place with music and dances to win vouchers and gifts. I couldn't help myself but get involved in the conga! It was a night of celebration; we made our way for a full group dinner in Meridian Restaurant at 6pm. We were guided to our table and handed the menu that was set for the special evening. The food was delicious yet again as you can see in the pictures!
It was then time for the captain's speech in the Atrium at 8pm where he gave a warm, friendly welcome to all the guests on board and set the tone for the rest of cruise. After this it was time to go to The Playhouse to watch a show based on different 80s movies, including James Bond. There are 900 seats in the theatre, but I would advise getting there a bit earlier as it can get busy. After watching all the dancing and singing, we couldn't help ourselves but go to Malabar afterwards and get involved in some Karaoke singing some Queen to end the night on a bang!
Day 3
This morning was an early start as we were heading out to the city of Rome for our sightseeing tour starting at 7:15am. I had a quick buffet lunch for breakfast and snuck a couple of pastries with me for the journey from Civitavecchia to Rome as this takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes by coach! The guide used an audio guide, so you were still able to hear her if you were a bit further away at the back. It was a day packed with a lot of walking, seeing some amazing sights such as the Colosseum and The Forum. We then travelled to Vatican City. We were now limited on time, however, we didn't want to miss seeing the Trevi Fountain, so we ran through the streets to see the sun beaming onto the fountain. It was a quick stop and photo snap before it was time to run back to the meeting point, grabbing an Oreo flavoured gelato on the way back! The group was then guided back to the coach by the guide and headed back at 5.30pm to the board onto the ship.
Due to the day being so full I just decided to eat at the buffet where I had a roast beef dinner and about 3 different deserts! Me and my group then attended a pub quiz in Brodies which we did very well at and had a look around the different casino games on offer. I then saw on the horizon that there was a silent disco on deck 15, so we made our way up, the headphones had 2 different channels to choose from to dance to which was good if you didn't like one of the songs playing. After this my step count reached 25K for the day!
Day 4
Our excursion was called the Sights and Selfies in Florence and Pisa, which left in the early morning. We arrived at the port called Livorno, boarded the coach, met our tour guide, and then headed to Florence.
Treated ourselves to a glass of wine from a wine window! We then walked to see the Vasari Corridor built in 1565; our guide gave us amazing insight into the history and story behind every sight that we saw. After seeing the sights in Florence, we headed into Pisa which took an hour and 20 minutes. The bus stop was only around a 10-minute walk from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Pisa Cathedral where we took the iconic picture holding it up! When got back to the ship for 6:15pm, I needed to freshen up for the evening, so had a nice warm shower with The White Company shampoo and body wash that P&O supply in the bathroom.
The Meridian Restaurant (main dining) was the next stop where I ate with my group. The restaurant has a good menu with a wide range of variety with the choice to upgrade to something for just a small fee. They also provide a children's menu that has dishes such as mac and cheese, carbonara, chicken nuggets and chips, pancakes and so much more to keep the kids happy. The waiters are amazing at their jobs and attentive to your every need and any food requests you may have!
I then headed to Manhattan on Deck 7 to watch a live comedy show which was hilarious and got the whole crowd laughing. Once she had finished Manhattan then turned more into a lively bar/nightclub around 11:30pm so we stayed up dancing for a bit!
Day 5
The following morning, I woke up in Villefranche located on the south of France and sat on my balcony with a coffee and the sun beaming onto me. In Villefranche, you need to get a tender to the port, you can access the tender on Deck 4 and was a smooth and easy process, there were people with rollators that also did this. It was only a few minutes ride to the port, and the tender was spacious, clean and there weren't many people onboard.
This is a great port to go to because of its location being only a 10-minute train ride from Nice, and Monaco a 20-minute train ride, so you have the option of two must see places! A few of the other travel agents went into Nice doing some shopping and relaxing at beach bars, others to Monaco looking at F1 and luxurious sports cars, me and some others stayed in Villefranche exploring around the boutique shops and taking in the gorgeous scenery as you can see in the photos.
The Glasshouse on deck 7 saw our entrance at 7:30pm choosing food from the tapas menu created by Jose Pizarro and wine hand chosen by Olly Smith. If can choose 3 tapas dishes for £10.50. For my main I had 3 sliders that were chicken, pulled beef and lamb! Once we had finished in the restaurant, we watched some live country music, the singers were both brilliant playing some popular songs.
Day 6
I woke up to yet another gorgeous view from my balcony of Ajaccio in Corsica. I got ready to go kayaking which started at 09:30am and got on the coach for a 45 minute drive. It was two people per kayak, and we were on the water for around 1 hour and 30 minutes and then had some time to relax on the beach afterwards as it was difficult on the open water! Fortunately, we were allowed a tour around the Retreat and Bridge which was very interesting seeing how the captain controls the ship and how relaxing and peaceful the retreat is, I would recommend booking this for a day at sea!
We then took some group pictures and had pre dinner drinks at Planet Bar before making our way down to the main dining restaurant for a large meal, I'd recommend the champagne jelly and sorbet for dessert! Malabar was hosting horse racing which was fun to get involved with and the entertainment crew were fab and funny.
Day 7
In the morning the children's rep guided us around the different children's clubs which are called “Splashers”, “Surfers”, “Scubas” and “The Scene” from children aged 2 to 17 years old, they also have a night nursery onboard for the little ones! There was a BBQ buffet on this day on Deck 15 so grabbed a plate and watched some brilliant entertainment by the poolside were the waiters even got involved in dancing. You can pre-book the children's clubs 2 weeks prior to departure to secure a space if you want to have a nice romantic meal with your partner without the kids.
We then had a last look around the ship walked through the gallery at the amazing art on display. We had then booked dinner at The Epicurean at 7:30pm, I would recommend booking this for 6pm as the experience takes 2 to 3 hours. The dishes were delightful with food prepared in front of you packed with flavours!
Day 8
I had some tasty breakfast at The Meridian Restaurant and said an emotional goodbye to some of the travel agents I had been on the cruise with! I then went into Valletta and walked around the most gorgeous streets before then getting my flight home to London Gatwick in the afternoon. Malta is one of my favourite places!
Overview
I am so glad I have completed my first ever cruise and I would recommend if you have never cruised before to go with P&O Cruises. From start to finish I had the most amazing cruise, and everything ran so smoothly!
