P&O Aurora

I'd been looking forward to visiting a P&O ship for a while. I've been on a Royal Caribbean ship, two Cunard ships, but had  yet to see any P&O ships, the most popular cruise line in the UK.

As you're reading the following review you may get the sense that I was slightly disappointed with the ship. This wasn't true at all, she was fantastic and delivered 'everything it said on the tin'. My disappointment, I think, was my own fault. My last two cruises had been on Cunard ships and I couldn't help but compare them; which isn't fair. They're two different brands offering completely two different things. So if you're looking for a recommendation for the Aurora I'm happy to give it. She did everything a cruise ship should do and whilst personally I prefer the bigger ships like Azura or Ventura I'm happy to say anyone booking aboard should have a great time.

The Queen Mary 2 - Two out of three now

I've just got back from my little trip over to Cherbourg aboard the QM2 and I absolutely loved every minute of it! I didn't actually get off the ship when we docked so what follows isn't a review of the cruise but the ship herself.

Magnificent, elegant, stylish and beautiful. Everything you expect when you think of the Cunard brand. There wasn't loads to do during the day compared to say the Independence of the Seas but then, they're aimed at different markets and if you're happy to just chill out, relax in the spas, while away a few hours in the Library and then enjoy a long lunch up in Kings court or at the Golden Lion then this is the cruise ship for you. You truly can just chill out and unwind surrounded by opulence.

Check out some of my pictures below for a quick(ish) tour of the ship.

I’ve just been on Queen Elizabeth – Wow!

First impressions of the QE? Wow!

Well, once I was onboard anyway. My actual first impression from the outside was that the hull looked more matt grey than Cunards traditional jet black, but that’s only a very minor point on a gorgeous ship. If you click the read more button below you will be able to see some of the pictures I took whilst onboard with my opinions of the ship, although as always please forgive the photography, unless you're completely surrounded by her elegance any picture you see will never do her justice.

Oceania - The Regatta

It's official, I'm absolutley exhausted! I've just got back from a day trip to the Oceania ship Regatta, where I was treated to a tour of the ship and given a free lunch- It's a hard job but I supose someones got to do it.

I breifly discussed Oceania yesterday, they're an American brand that pitch themselves as five star plus, but actualy end up getting rated by passengers as six star. Check out some reviews, they have a repeat business number of 40%, and we all know cruisers vote with their feet.

They're all about attention to luxurious detail onboard, from the large cabins, to the 700 thread Egyptian cotton sheets, (soon to be replaced by 1000 thread cotton sheets - that doesn't mean much to me but I felt the bedding and man was it comfy!), to the 28 day dry aged beef served at dinner.

I expected to find the ship quite stuffy and formal, not from what I had heard from past passengers but just from my own preconceptions of six star cruise liners, but they were anything but.

The best way to describe it is country club casual, elegant but relaxed,informal but still luxurious.

But enough of me going on, we all know a picture tells a thousand words so let me know what you think..............
Again ignore the dates on the photos, I still haven't figured out how to change the date on my camera.

Independence of the Seas..............

I was recently given the opportunity to visit Independence of the Seas on a turn around day down in Southampton. If I ignore Oasis of the Seas, this was the ship I have most wanted to see in the flesh, not having had a chance to sail on her yet.

I wasn't disappointed.
The ship is amazing.
Absolutely huge.
I know that a large ship isn't for everyone but for families, or someone like me who gets bored easy it was unbelievable.
I could go on and on here about the Royal Promenade, the numbers of bars, restaurants or nightclubs available. The entertainments and activates offered onboard, but I've tried writing this blog a couple of times now and it always ends up feeling a little hollow. You can get a brochure and fine out about the gross tonnage of the ship or the exact amount of bathrooms it has, instead what I have decided to do is upload all the pictures and let you try and see exactly what kept me amazed.
This wont be easy.
To start with words or pictures will never do this lady proud. You really do need to be there. See it in 360 degrees, experience it for yourself. Plus I had lost my camera so had to borrow a friends so some of these pictures could be politely described as awful.
My best advice really would be to book yourself on board; you will have a great time!
By the way, try and ignore the date stamp on the pictures saying 2007, I forgot to set the date and time before I started snapping, (again sorry about the new camera).
So here goes...........................

A Brief History of Cunard

  We all now Cunard is one of the most historic and iconic brands available in cruising. Its name synonymous with style, luxury and grandeur, but it wasn’t till speaking to a Cunard rep. recently that I realised how much history this brand had behind them. What follows is just a quick summary of this iconic brands history through numerous depressions, wars, disasters and upheavals to give us today the brand we all know and hopefully love.

  1839- Samuel Cunard, the founding father of the line is awarded the contract for carrying the Royal Mail to Canada and the U.S. of A, forming the North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, also called the Cunard Line.