P&O Cruises’ brand new Cruise ship Azura to debut in April 2010

Azura is the newest addition to the P&O Cruise fleet and you must experience to believe it. Book your cruise holiday to the Mediterranean now on P&O Azura, which will begin operations in April next year.

The 3,100 passenger superliner will set sail from Southampton to the most wonderful of cruise destinations like the Baltic, Canary Islands, Norwegian Fjords, the Caribbean, and so on.

Azura’s maiden voyage to the Mediterranean is a classic 16-night cruise with ports of call in the central Mediterranean like Venice and Dubrovnik.

Among the features that will add to your unique experience aboard the P&O Cruises’ ship is the Indian fine dining restaurant, Sindhu, steered by Michelin-starred Chef Atul Kochhar. It will also offer fine British cuisine. Pan-fried lobster tail in coconut milk and other exotic delicacies will tempt you into this restaurant, which is just one of the 11 dining venues on board.

The ship will also have an open-air cinema-at-sea, an open-air spa and single cabins.

TV wine expert Olly Smith has been pulled in to help create a new wine bar and restaurant concept – The Glass House. A must for wine lovers, The Glass House menu will feature different wines recommended with each course, all served by the glass and expertly matched by Olly.

You can enjoy a great night life at sea at Manhattan, an entertainment venue inspired by the dynamic city of New York.

And with all the different cuisines to taste and relish, a visit to the ocean view gym will help you keep fit in a fun way on your cruise vacation.

P&O Cruises Azura combines traditional cruise values of service with the flexibility and choice that today’s contemporary customer. The high level of early bookings for April 2010 Azura cruises goes to prove how popular P&O cruise line is.

British cruises with P&O are snapped up!

P&O Cruises have sold out on their new itineraries featuring UK ports in just over half an hour. This is the first time P&O Cruises have offered such holidays in the UK and judging by the reception they look to be the holiday hit of the summer.

Among the trips on offer are cruises to ports such as Newcastle, Milford Haven and Belfast. So step aside St Tropez, Barbados and Venice – the hot new destinations for cruise ships seem to be much closer to home. P&O Cruises have introduced only one cruise on board P&O Atermis so far to gauge demand but it now looks like there is a strong desire to see parts of the country you couldn’t normally combine in a holiday.

Next year P&O Cruises will be deploying both Artemis and Oriana on round-Britain routes so if you missed out this time make sure you get in early for next year. Michele Andjel, a spokesperson for the cruise line, commented: "There's a strong desire to see parts of the country you couldn't normally combine in a two-week holiday. Programmes like Coast have been really popular, and the whole surge in interest in the provenance of British food has helped give people an appetite for exploring their own country."

In related news, cruises on board P&O Cruises newest ship Azura have recently gone on sale. Along with its sister ship P&O Ventura, Azura will be the largest ever built for the cruise line.

P&O Cruises Azura Spices It Up

There are to be a number of exciting innovations for Britain’s newest superliner, P&O Cruises Azura set to launch in 2010. On board there will be an Indian fine dining restaurant called Sindhu (picture of proposed design above), the creation of Michelin starred celebrity chef Atul Kochbar. Indicative of the meaning of its name (Sindhu means meeting point, amalgamation or fusion) the menu will offer a fusion of fine British and Indian cuisine. Guests will have the chance to try delicious dishes such as pan-fried lobster tail in coconut milk and tamarind sauce.

There will also be 18 single staterooms, a first in the P&O Cruises fleet and two large suites that will be ideal for families or groups of friends to share. To further enhance the cruise experience on board Azura, P&O Cruises has enlisted the help of TV wine expert Olly Smith to create a new ‘Select Dining’ restaurant and wine bar concept to be named The Glass House. Wine lovers are sure to love the menu which will feature different wines recommended for each course, all served by the glass.


There will be a whole host of exciting new design highlights. On the top deck by the Aqua Pool there will be an open air cinema as well as a secluded spa area, The Retreat, with private cabanas for al-fresco massages and luxurious sun loungers, all topped off with personal water service.


Currently under construction in the Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, Azura will be ready to make her maiden voyage in spring 2010.

Keel laying ceremony for P&O Cruises newest ship Azura

P&O Cruises latest superliner currently under construction at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Treste, Italy, is to be named Azura and along with her sister ship Ventura will be the largest ships ever built for the British cruise market.

A keel laying ceremony took place today however it was much a lower key ceremony than planned in respect of the tragic death of a worker on the Ruby Princess that happened last week.

Keel laying involves placing one segment of the ship’s hull in the dry dock. This section is made up of six pre-manufactured blocks which weigh up to 650 tons and is ready-fitted with piping and other interior composition. The keel laying follows from a concentrated period of design and development. Fifty sections and several supplementary interconnecting steel blocks will be used in the construction of Azura.

P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, commented: "Evoking images of the ocean and capturing the thrill of cruise travel, the name Azura is very fitting for this most sophisticated of superliners. It is also appropriate for a ship that will be a haven of serenity and the embodiment the choice and service excellence for which P&O Cruises is renowned."

Azura is set to float out in summer 2009 before her delivery to P&O Cruises in spring 2010. Set to begin her maiden voyage in late spring 2010, Azura will feature 15 public decks; have 11 restaurants, five boutiques, four pools, two lounges and over 900 staterooms with private balconies.