Azura - Cruise Break

I took the opportunity to take a two night break on the Azura in October this year. The stop was Zeebrugge with the option to visit quaint Brugge if you wished. However, as it was pouring with rain that day I just took the free shuttle to Blankenberge and was pleasantly surprised that there was enough to do there to pass away an afternoon. Although not as impressive as Brugge would have been, Blankenberge has interesting architecture and is by the sea. Some shops to top up on some gifts and clothes too. The two or three night 'party' cruises have a different atmosphere when on board and the average age on board tends to be lower than on longer cruisers. Many are first time cruisers trying it out. I decided to drive to the port and without any traffic jams I was straight into the Ocean Terminal and parked directly opposite the ship. I can highly recommend candps parking for convenience. Once in the terminal there was a slight delay in boarding as everyone seemed to arrive at the same time, ie 1.30! However, P&O has a procedure in place so that you could take a seat, grab a coffee and wait to board, which took about an hour. So avoid the peak times if you want to avoid hanging around. After boarding, I headed down for some lunch at the Frontiers restaurant which was very busy due to everyone boarding going straight for food. I think I would have gone to the main restaurant and had some waiter service if I have known, so note to self to do this next time. As it was such a short cruise I tried an inside cabin. Having never experienced one before, I thought it would be a good idea! It was a good size (same as the balcony but without the additonal balcony space) with a walk in wardrobe still there and the same size bathroom (albeit small) but adequate. I had the best night's sleep as no light came in the cabin however if you needed to see what the weather was like outside the webcam is available on the TV. Eating in the Main Peninsular restaurant both nights, I found the food of a good standard but if you want to treat yourself the speciality Seventeen or Sindu are available for an extra charge. The menus looked amazing and I am definitely going to treat myself next time I am on board. There was one formal night (men require a dark jacket) and most did dress up which was nice to see. The other night was smart also. There is lots of entertainment on board, including bars, disco, theatre show and even karoke. Too much to get round in one night so lots to suit all tastes. If I had more time I would have spent some in the beautiful Oasis spa. I did have a brief look around and although no-one was in the gym (!) there were some in the spa's jacuzzis and others enjoying spa treatments (extra charge). Looked very relaxing. Some passengers watched the large screen by the pool as the football was on (important match apparently, but don't ask me which!). The mega sized TV screen is a feature of the Azura and you can watch a film under the stars or while lounging in the pool by day. Afternoon tea in the main dining room at 4pm was a treat and if you wanted a snack and/or lunch it is self service at the Frontiers restaurant. All in all a great break away and I would definitely sail on the Azura again.......