Aurora - February 2015 - Post 3

Some photos from around the ship.

I like this terracing at the stern - it provides lots of shaded seating.

I had breakfast, lunch and afternoon drinks here most days.

The English world cruisers enjoy the traditional deck games.

My only disappointment with the ship is that the tradition P&O buff funnel colour has been replaced with this ghastly scheme.

A ship's seaman in the tender.

Probably the best lounge in the ship is the forward looking Crows Nest (above and below).

These window pillars remind me of the Crows Nest on the original Oriana.

Very English decor in this lounge.

One of a series of art lessons in progress in the Crows Nest.

Sculpture of Aurora, Roman goddess of the dawn, in the ship's atrium.

Model of the British India ship Uganda.

Two quintessential elderly English ladies.

One of the great bar staff, Cameron from Mumbai. He mostly worked in the Crows Nest lounge (at the top of the ship) leading me to dub that lounge 'Cameron's Highlands'.  He didn't get the allusion.

Ryan, from the Philippines, another of the great staff.

Aurora - February 2015 - Post 2

Early morning arrival at Station Pier, Melbourne 3/3.

Tim Ryan, a good friend, taking photos of the ship sailing from Melbourne.

Above and below: two of Tim Ryan's photos.

Backing up to the berth in Burnie, Tasmania 4/3.

 Other shipping in Burnie.

ICS Silver Lining arriving in evening light to take our Burnie berth. She's under the command of a friend of mine, Captain Andrew Burn.

On arrival at Sydney, the ship had to moor at Athol Bight until Carnival Legend sailed from Circular Quay that evening. We were tendered in to a pier alongside the Opera House.

The ship moored with a sort of Mediterranean Moor with both anchors down and stern moorings to this buoy.

Carnival Legend at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. I'll be joining her in late April for an 18 night cruise from Sydney to New Caledonia, Fiji, Tahiti and disembarking in Honolulu.

Sun Princess, another old regular of mine, sailing for New Zealand.

Carnival Legend sailing for the South Pacific

Heading in to the berth, in evening light.

The Opera House, taken from the ship.

Aurora - February 2015 - Post 1

On 25th February I flew to Auckland to join P&O (UK)'s Aurora the next day. She was in the middle of her 2015 world cruise, having arrived from Southampton via South America and Cape Horn. I spent 9 nights on the ship from Auckland to Melbourne, Burnie and Sydney. The ship then continued back to UK via NZ, Pacific islands, West Coast USA and Panama Canal. She's a very comfortable ship with pleasant fellow punters, great service and good food. I would have loved to stay longer but the ship was fully booked out of Sydney.

Aurora sailing from Melbourne 3/3 - taken by a good friend of mine, Tim Ryan.

At the Emirates lounge, Melbourne, early morning 25/2.

I much prefer Emirates' A380 business class layout to Qantas' who still use the old 2x2x2 format.

Efficient and friendly service on the plane.

An identical plane on the tarmac in Auckland.

I've stayed in quite a few hotels in New Zealand over the years and have been underwhelmed by all of them. However, the one I stayed in this time, the Langham, was very comfortable with good service.

A busy cruise ship day in Auckland with Voyager of the Seas (left) on a cruise from Sydney and Amadea (centre) - ex Asuka, also on a world cruise.

Voyager of the Seas sailing for Tauranga.

 Other shipping in Tauranga.

A friendly shipwright on Voyager of the Seas, loading fresh water.

. . . and a self-important security guard. Why are some of these guys such tossers that they think they're saving the ship by trying to stop people taking photos of them or the gangways?