P&O Cruises

MS Aurora

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Operator: P&O London
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2000 / 2000
Length / Tonnage: 886 / 76,000
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 920 / 2,000
Officers / Crew: British / Italian
Operating Area: Worldwide

She was tied up at the Queen Elizabeth 2 Cruise terminal, QE2’s normal berth, at Southampton’s Western Docks, not far in fact, from where the TITANIC made her final departure. Squat and slab-sided as all modern cruiseliners AURORA looks from a distance very similar to her near sister the ORIANA. Up close the differences become more marked. Immediately obvious are the extra balcony cabins; three and a half decks of them, and a complete redesign of the top of the superstructure.

AURORA’S design and layout follows that of ORIANA fairly closely. Two decks of mainly public spaces at the top, then three decks of accommodation, two more decks of public rooms and finally a single accommodation deck. Communications between decks are improved over ORIANA with the 3 elevator / stair towers, having 10 elevators, all having access to Lido Deck 12. Sun Deck 13, though, can only be reached directly by the forward elevators. (It’ s nice to see P&O Cruises, after wavering for a few months, going back to calling it Deck 13. Most other lines go straight from Deck 12 to Deck 14.)

The gangplank led up to an entrance on F Deck (5) at the bottom of the four deck high atrium. This space seems much more open than ORIANA’S and lacks the many easy chairs and other furniture found on that ship. Although this might change when the vessel goes into service.

The elevators are swift and efficient and have the now mandatory vocal commentary on your journey. While a boon to the visually impaired this feature can become very irritating when you’re in a lift by yourself. How long before you start holding meaningful conversations with your lift and worse still how long before they start answering back.

The Crows Nest is an observation lounge, bar and small cabaret venue right forward on Sun Deck 13. Seating 282 persons it is a large space. It appears more open than the similar area on ORIANA, due in part to the sit-up bar being smaller and sited further aft. Behind the bar, a splendid model of the 1931 STRATHNAVER 22,547 gross, internally lit by fibre optics, lends a nautical flavour to what will undoubtedly become one of the AURORA’S favourite watering holes.

The lounge has large windows for 270 degrees and is set on two levels. One disappointment though is the forward view. The Crows Nest is set back from the top of the Bridge on the deck below, and this somewhat restricts the view of the foredeck below. Like ORIANA, AURORA has two annexes to the Crow’ s Nest. In AURORA’S case they are named the HIMALAYA Room and the UGANDA Room; splendid P&O ships both. These rooms are perhaps smaller than ORIANA’S but are more connected with the main lounge and will make ideal venues for private parties.

Deck 14, on top of the Crow’s Nest, has a protected observation area forward and plenty of sunning space. This is the best area to watch dockings and undockings, but unlike ORIANA, you will not be able to see the Captain at work in the Bridge Wings, AURORA, has succumbed to the modern disease of the totally enclosed bridge.

The forward superstructure of the new vessel is much more slab-sided than her near sister. The aft bulkhead of the forward deckhouse could easily take a climbing wall almost of VOYAGER proportions. The Mast?, on top of this forward block deserves some comment. It is a work of surrealistic sculpture, like two giant croquet hoops joined together with a set of park railings. It owes more to Gaudi than Naval Architecture.

Sun Deck 13 is a verandah deck with cutouts for the two swimming pools on Lido Deck 12 below. The after pool, Crystal Pool, can be covered by a ‘Skydome’, which limits the available deck space when it is open. Games nets, golf nets and P&O Cruises first Golf Simulator can also to be found on this deck.

The biggest improvement over her predecessor of the new ship is undoubtedly the Skydome. Unlike their Caribbean contemporaries, British cruise ships spend a lot of time sailing in less than ideal weather conditions. Most of ORIANA’S Lido Deck becomes almost unusable after even the briefest drizzle. The metal deck becomes very slippery when wet and only the hardiest and most optimistic remain under such conditions.

Even in the Indian Ocean on World Cruises, outdoor entertainments and other events have had to be cancelled, night after night, on ORIANA because of the weather. The new ship has added a vast area of usable public space, which will become a dependable entertainment locale as well, particularly for ‘Island Night’ and the like.

There is a balcony on Sun Deck 13 surrounding the Crystal Pool with an internal staircase down to Lido Deck 12. A large landing on this staircase provides ample room for a small band to set up their instruments and their playing recalled something of the ambience of the Wintergardens of old. In a change from their reliance on heavy plastic recliners, P&O have surrounded the Crystal Pool with new canvas-like fabric covered models. The design looks comfortable as well as chic. However there must be some doubts over their long-term robustness. Elsewhere it’s back to the infuriating thick plastic, uncomfortable, unadjustable beds. We pride ourselves on the progress we make; yet surely nobody has yet improved on the steamer chair of the 19th Century.

The Crystal Pool itself is the ships biggest pool and has a depth of 1.3 metres. One end is specially designed for the less mobile with steps providing easy entrance. Dominating the pool is a splendid bronze sculpture called ‘The Pearl Diver’ by the renowned artist Alan Sky. Two whirlpool spas complete the facilities.

The Crystal Pool area has a full service bar and plenty of space for diners from the nearby informal restaurant, ‘The Orangery’. On the starboard side just forward of the pool is another eating opportunity. The Sidewalk Café offers hamburgers and the like all day. It is a stand-up affair and may well prove popular with the younger element.

Aft of the Crystal Pool, The Orangery seats 424. Similarly located to ORIANA ’S Conservatory it seems bigger. Brighter colours predominate and are less intimidating than the earlier ship’s garden greens. The layout is better too. With food serving areas more separated. Although a question mark must remain over how well it will cope with maximum numbers. Some of transit routes provided are very narrow. More modern coffee machines have been installed and the coffee tastes the better for it. It is pleasing to note also, that P&O Cruises Danish Pastries have lost none of their excellent flavour.

Right aft is a covered deck area and the Pennant Bar. This is located in an island arrangement, which frees up a lot of space and thus provides an ideal location for sailaway parties. A downside, when it is raining, is that the bar staff will get wet. The canopy over the bar right aft is totally inadequate.

Like ORIANA the view over the stern from Lido Deck 12 is magnificent. The series of curved terraces going down to Devana Deck 8 lends a character to the vessel that is lacking with ships boasting square cut off transom sterns.

Forward on Lido Deck 12 is the Riviera Pool, complete with its own full service bar. While forward of that is given over to balconied staterooms. This area on ORIANA housed the health spa and beauty treatment areas which on the new ship have been moved to a midships position. While the line will be pleased with the increase in revenue, some passengers will regret the loss of the indoor whirlpools and the forward sun lounge, also used as an aerobics floor. Another loss is ORIANA’S protected games area forward and the observation deck directly above her bridge. This said these areas are rather underused and it is easy to see how economics won out.

Entrance to The Oasis, AURORA’S health spa is through central doors at the forward end of the Crystal Pool, with the treatment rooms located off to port of the midships stair tower. The usual treatments are offered as well as some that seem positively unusual. Walking through the narrow corridors with little rooms, containing frightful-looking equipment, leading off on either side, reminded the uninitiated of a torture centre and made them glad to escape.

The best space in this area is the Orange Room, a relaxation room, located half way between Decks 12 and 13. It overlooks the Riviera Pool and is furnished with well-padded Wooden Loungers.

The midships staircase leads down to Arcadia Deck 11. This is an accommodation deck with the exception of the centrally located Gymnasium called ‘Weights and Measures’. The stair foyers, although large, are wasted spaces. No attempt has been made to place seating, to help the aged and infirm waiting a lift. Indeed the design seems to militate against it. A poor design that could be improved upon.

The Gymnasium has a centrally located, sprung, wooden aerobics floor with exercise machines on either side. Twenty of these machines are provided, including the much-prized Northtrack Cross Trainer, an all over body trainer that is the latest thing in the fitness world. The area benefits from being off a through route. On ORIANA a constant stream of onlookers pass the struggling fitness tyros and do little for their self-esteem.

The layout of Arcadia Deck 11 is almost a standard now in the cruising industry. Two long uninterrupted, alleyways run from bow to stern and are connected at intervals by cross alleyways and stair tower foyers. There are more inside cabins on AURORA than on some ships and P&O have stuck to their policy of providing self service laundry facilities. The inside space on A Deck provides serried ranks of washing and drying machines, as well as irons and ironing boards.

Right forward on A Deck there is a forward facing balcony open to passengers. However, with any sort of weather, it will be unusable when under way. Right aft is the small sunning terrace. Elsewhere is accommodation.

Canberra Deck 9 is another full accommodation deck, most cabins having balconies. Devana Deck 8 has cabins forward and public rooms aft of the atrium. It is also the boat deck. The upper level of the atrium known as Raffles Court is home to the Library, Writing Room and Cyberstudy complex and to Raffles Bar. This last is extremely well done. Art Deco Glass decorates the walls and the furniture has that deep varnished lustre so beloved by our colonial forebears. The bar serves chocolates and speciality coffees, seats 66, and bears a passing resemblance to the long bar in the modern Raffles Hotel.

The alleyways of the accommodation and the public spaces are liberally enhanced with works of art. Most are small and understated but every now and then something completely out of keeping with everything else is thrown in and totally ruins the overall effect. This is particularly true in the staterooms. In the Carthage Suite, B221, for instance, there were three paintings adorning the walls. Two beautiful Italianate townscapes done in pastel shades matched against a horde of angry triffid-like flowers that would have given Van Gogh a turn on a bad day. The 25 or so works hung in the Art Gallery on Promenade Deck 7 were much more acceptable.

Aft from raffles Court is Vanderbilt’s, the card room. A much-expanded space compared to ORIANA. Brought about no doubt by the almost religious fervour with the game of Bridge is played aboard P&O ships. Then comes the Playhouse, the cinema. Similar to ORIANA’S Chaplin’s, AURORA will use the space for classical concerts, as she lacks her sisters Curzon Room. This is a retrograde step and the music will be the poorer for it.

Children’s facilities occupy most of the remaining space on Deck 8. One area where children of all ages will be welcome is Intergalactica, an interactive computer games arcade that is full of noise, bright flashing lights and more noise.

On Promenade Deck 7 there is a full wrap-around promenade deck surrounding a full deck of public rooms. The design follows that of ORIANA closely. With a full theatre forward and a show lounge right aft. A disco / nightclub occupies the midships area with bars either side of it. Anderson’s, a repeat from ORIANA, is more comfortable than ever, while Champions, the so-called Sports Bar is a dismal disappointment.

It is a poor excuse for a bar in the Cricketer’s tradition. It is all skew-whiff and the bar doesn’t seem to match up with the seating area. Although billed as a sports bar, only six miniscule TV monitors are provided and due to their being located in an overhead facing, persons sitting at the bar can’t see them. Again the area is straddled by a main thoroughfare and altogether must be considered an unmitigated disaster. When one thinks of what was achieved with the Oval on ARCADIA (the former STAR PRINCESS) one can only hope that the space does not survive for long in its present form.

At Deck 7 level in the atrium is Mayfair, a shopping opportunity and Charlie ’s Champagne Bar. A strangely diffuse affair, which seats only 18 and serves caviar as well as bubbly. It is in areas like this, that the mania to open everything up, comes most unstuck. Except in Boulevard Cafes, where they add to the ambience, being under observation by a continual stream of passers by is disconcerting. Especially when enjoying a special treat. Strangely it would be in the Company’s interest to provide more intimate spaces. They would be sure to sell more caviar for a start.

One leaves AURORA the same way as one boarded, from the bottom of the Atrium. Looking up the four deck high space, the full extent of John Mills' thirty foot high so-called Lalique-style sculpture can be appreciated. The work is rather flat and uninspiring and compares unfavourably with that provided to her sister. This seems to indicate that P&O need quickly to change their artistic advisors, before poor art turns into poor business.

The two restaurants are aft on Ellora Deck 6, separated by the galley. Staircases leading down from the Promenade deck are an innovation and both spaces have been done well. The Alexandra Restaurant, right aft, has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides and is mutely decorated in a pseudo-Egyptian style. With glorious sunshine pouring through those windows it would seem to be ideal place to take a leisurely breakfast. But P&O have decided in their wisdom, that the restaurant will only be open in the evenings for dinner. Which makes one wonder why they bothered to provide the windows in the first place.

Further aft on Deck 8 is the Café Bordeaux, AURORA’S French-bistro style, 24-hour dining spot. The introduction of such a facility on a P&O Cruise ship is an innovation, but experience on the Princess ships has shown it to be very popular. 24-hour dining seems likely to spread throughout the P&O fleet. The café, which seats 128, is laid out around a circular staircase, which leads down to Promenade Deck 7. Tables for two and four predominate and a sit up bar is provided for inveterate loaners. This is an excellent place to eat and the only criticism is the fact that the main thoroughfare runs along the café’s port side and thus diners may find it disconcerting to be under continual scrutiny.

Aurora has a total of 920 cabins, including 10 suites with balconies, 20 mini-suites with balconies, 94 staterooms with balconies, 282 standard cabins with balconies, 210 standard outside, and 266 standard inside. She has 22 cabins for the disabled

Cabin A177, an outside twin cabin with balcony on the starboard side, at 175 square feet is bigger than suites on older ships. It features twin beds that are convertible to a king-size double, a two-seater sofa in a separate sitting area and a vanity / writing desk combo. The cabin is neatly decorated with plenty of light woods and boasts ample wardrobe and drawer space. The now mandatory large artwork in this case completely ruins the rest of the design. A bilious representation of red flowers would play havoc with stomach of any passenger with suffering from seasickness.

The bathroom, although small, was adequate. That is, if you avoid taking a bath. The bath provided must rank as the smallest of kind to ever be found on any sort of a ship. It would be difficult enough standing in it for a shower, and not even a sub-midget could stretch out full length in it.

The balcony, with the usual plastic furniture, is a pleasant place to enjoy a sundowner, but suffers from the usual deficiency of failing to provide complete privacy between adjacent balconies. Plenty of spaces have been left in the side panels to allow you to enjoy the smoke and the noise of your neighbours.

Britannia Deck 10 has the most expensive cabins. Right forward are two Penthouse Suites, arranged on two deck levels; the Library Suite to port and the Piano Suite to starboard. The Piano Suite B101, so-called because it houses a baby grand piano, is huge. Wood and wood-effect are used sparingly and large areas of pale off-white are perhaps overdoing the minimalism. The overall effect though is pleasing.

Marred only by another display of flesh-eating flowers this is space to covert. Forward on one side is a large writing desk in front of forward-looking sloping, windows, while to the other is a sofa complex that would comfortably take eight. A full-sized dining table is provided as well as a huge bar. So big in fact that one could easily think of setting up in opposition to the Crow’s Nest. It is the ideal setting for a cabin party, all you need is a good piano player. But perhaps at this level the Company will provide even that.

The sleeping quarters and bathrooms are reached by a metal spiral staircase and are on a slightly less grand scale than the lower floor. The king-sized bed seems somewhat too big for the available space and although the bath in the main bathroom has all the latest gadgets including whirlpool effects, it still seems too small.

The Library Suite although similar is more subdued than the Piano Suite. Perhaps due to all the books provided. The Piano Suite is the better place to hold a party. Both suites are provided with full Butler Service.

As you might expect for a P&O vessel, she attracts a mostly British crowd. Many of your fellow passengers are likely to be veteran cruisers with the time and money to take advantage of the ship's extended itineraries.

Aurora's innaugural season has her sailing in the Mediterranean through the end of the year. In January she embarks on a world cruise for 90 days. Here world cruise itinerary takes her from Southampton westward to North America, the Pacific, the Orient and the Far East.

To sum up, the new ship is a welcome addition to the P&O fleet, her good points far outweigh her bad points and most of those can easily be put right. The best innovation is the Skydome, the worst, the Champions Bar. AURORA points the way to a future where strictly-British Cruises will merge first with the European style and then into a completely international product, indistinguishable, on the basis of nationality.