Aurora

The 2001-built P&O Aurora cruise ship is one of the older P&O UK liners. The drydock refit in 2014 made it the first in the fleet with the company's new hull livery - the Union Jack flag.

In February 2018, P&O UK announced that Aurora becomes an adults-only ship, after the scheduled drydock refurbishment in March 2019. The ship joined the adult-only fleetmate Arcadia on April 8, 2019. Both boats are exclusively for adults.

The vessel (IMO number 9226906) is currently Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310556000) and registered in Hamilton.

History - construction and ownership

P&O Cruises is a subsidiary company and two brands owned by Carnival Corporation - P&O UK and P&O Australia. In 2000, P&O Cruises became subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, which merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003. P and O is the world's oldest cruise company, starting passenger shipping operations in 1822 on the routes connecting England with Iberia.

The 1900-passenger ship Aurora operates some of the best luxury ship cruises from England, with cheap affordable cruises from UK ports. This one is among the most family-friendly cruise ships in the UK, featuring the PO Aurora World cruise deals from Southampton by the UK best cruise line. One of the best England cruise ships, P&O Aurora serves predominantly the British market, with a great variety of itineraries (mainly in Europe). With her classic design and tiered stern, she is more similar to the traditional ocean liners, and just like “the good old ones”, she offers sheer luxury, premium cruising experiences, stylish entertainment, and 5-star hotel amenities. The PO Aurora cruise ship reviews often recommend this vessel and its itineraries as presenting the best and cheap options for birthday celebrations and wedding anniversaries at sea, small family reunions, and for spending quality family time together.

Decks and Cabins

P&O Aurora staterooms (981 total, in 20 grades) including 30x Suites, 392x Balconies, 257x Oceanviews, 292x Inside, 10x Single cabins (Oceanview).

Most cabins are sized 150-175 ft2 / 14-16 m2. Most cabin balconies are sized 30-40 ft2 / 3-4 m2.

Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 22.

The largest passenger accommodations are the Penthouse Suites (Duplex Apartments sized 865 ft2 / 80 m2, with terrace 70 ft2 / 7 m2).

The boat has 13 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The decor of the vessel is not from the most exciting that passengers have ever seen and appeals to the older Brits. There is a 2-sitting fixed dining system in the dining venues and dress codes are enforced in the restaurants and in the basic bars in the evenings. The ship's main dining rooms are two (Medina and Alexandria restaurants), both with open-seating (serving breakfast and lunch) and Club dining at dinner (fixed seating). Alternative/specialty restaurant is Cafe Bordeaux (by chef Marco Pierre White) with Mediterranean cuisine. Dinner reservations are required, and a surcharge is applied. The casual Pennant Grill serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea. Another dining option is the self-service buffet restaurant “The Orangery”. Room service costs extra.

Follows the complete list of Aurora restaurants and food bars.

• Medina Restaurant (forward Dining Room; open seating breakfast 8-9:30 am, Lunch 12:15-1:45 pm, Afternoon Tea 4-4:45 pm, club dining with two fixed Dinner seatings (at 6:30 or 8:30 pm/complimentary)
• Alexandria Restaurant (aft Dining Room, dinner only, with 2 fixed dinner seatings at 6:30 or 8:30 p.m.; complimentary)
• Cafe Bordeaux (120-seat French specialty restaurant by Marco Pierre White; at surcharge; open for Breakfast 6:30-11:00 am, Lunch 11 am - 5:30 pm, Afternoon Tea 5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner 6-10:30 pm, late-night snacks 10:30 pm - 6:30 am)
• The Orangery (Lido buffet, self-service, complimentary; open for Breakfast 7-10:30 am, Brunch 10:30-12 am; Lunch 12-2:30 pm, Children’s Afternoon Tea and snacks 5:45-6:30 pm, Dinner 6:30-9 pm/ features themed buffets)
• Sidewalk Cafe (Lido Cafe, fast food bar; offers pizzas, burgers, fish and chips, complimentary; open 11 am - 6 pm)
• "Sindhu" (Indian, by A. Kochhar)
• Pennant Grill and Bar (specialty restaurant, alfresco; surcharge PP applied; open only for dinner/ 7-9:30 pm).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

P&O Aurora liner attracts passengers during the school holidays, but basically, she is loved by more elderly people who prefer a traditional cruising experience. Ship's Sun Deck features a golf simulator, Cyb@Study (Internet), the line’s signature Crow’s Nest (bar&lounge by day, nightclub by night), the Uganda room for private parties, and Crystal Pool with 5 hot tubs. The Lido Deck boasts the Oasis spa-salon-sauna, The Orangery, and Sidewalk Cafe, as well as the Pennant bar. The Riviera Pool and Weights and Measures gym are located on Deck 11. Onboard P&O Aurora, there are a total of 8 bars, 3 pools (1 with retractable glass dome), 2 jacuzzis, up to 3 lectures a day, dance lessons, French and Spanish classes. Additional amenities include: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Internet/WiFi access, supervised kids programme, laundry/self-serve laundromats.

Follows the complete list of Aurora lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Aurora Atrium (4-decks central open floor area and social hub)
• Palm Court Lobby
• Curzon Theatre (600-seat, features grand style productions, with hi-tech lighting and sound equipment)
• Carmen’s Lounge (show lounge and dance club; hosts dancing classes, bingo games, cabaret shows nightly)
• Champions Bar (sports bar); Anderson’s Bar; Charlie’s Bar (wine/piano)
• Monte Carlo Casino; Art Gallery and Shop
• Masquerade Disco and Nightclub
• Raffles Bar (hand-made chocolates and cakes; specialty coffee; a la carte pricing)
• Mayfair Shop (luxury jewelry); Piccadilly Court and Shop (clothes, accessories, sunglasses, logo items); Emporium (duty-free general store: logo merchandise, chocolates, souvenirs, alcohol, tobaccos, special occasion gifts)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; The Library (with Internet computers); Vanderbilt’s Card Room
• Cyb@Study (24-hour Internet computers room)
• Uganda Room (wedding venue, vow renewals; also used for private parties)
• The Playhouse (213-seat cinema)
• Decibels Disco (teens club lounge)
• Terrace Pool and Bar area; Crystal Pool (served by Crystal Bar); Riviera Pool and Bar area (adults-only)
• Toybox Room and Night Nursery; Quarter Deck (kids club room); Jumping Jacks (kids club); Intergalactic (video games arcade)
• Oasis Spa and Health Club (Treatment Rooms, Steam Rooms, Beauty Salon)
• The Retreat (relaxation room with large wooden floor for Yoga, Tai Chi, ballroom dance classes)
• Weights and Measures Gym (complimentary equipment, Fitness classes; Yoga and Pilates at surcharge)
• The Crow’s Nest Lounge (dance floor, a stage for live music; with floor-ceiling windows for panoramic views; hosts art classes, quiz games, cooking demos during the day)
• Power Walking/Jogging Track; Sports Court (tennis, basketball, football, cricket); Shuffleboard, Deck Quoits, Table Tennis; Golf Simulator; four Golf Net cages.

Itineraries

P&O Aurora itinerary program is based on roundtrips from homeport Southampton England, including an annual World Cruise, Caribbean itineraries (ex-UK roundtrip Transatlantic crossings), Canary Islands, Baltic (Norwegian Fjords), Mediterranean, Iceland and Norway, as well as "mini-cruises" from the UK to Belgium.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the ship Aurora was paused through April 2022.

MS Aurora was specifically designed to appeal to the UK cruising market. Since British travelers are more attracted by traditionally looking ships, vessel's hull and superstructure as design resemble traditional ocean liners. Design's basics were taken from mv Oriana, but largely extended and improved (cabins and facilities).

P&O Aurora (Papenburg shipyard/hull number 640) is powered by MAN B&W marine diesel engines (model 14V48/60) generating total power output 56 MW.

A most unfortunate event in mv Aurora's history happened at the very beginning of its service. Vessel's royal godmother (Princess Anne) failed to shatter the champagne bottle in the hull during the christening ceremony in Southampton. And many blamed this for the canceled Maiden Voyage (May 1, 2000) when due to a serious technical problem the Inaugural cruise to the Mediterranean was canceled after only 16 hrs at sea. The ship was taken out of service for drydock repairs, and passengers refund/compensation package cost P&O UK about GBP 6 million. Aurora returned to service 2 weeks later.

The liner was christened on April 27, 2000, by godmother HRH Princess Royal. The list of other P and O cruise ships named by British Royals includes Oriana (April 6, 1995, by HM The Queen), Britannia (March 10, 2015, by HM The Queen) and the ships Oceana and Adonia (Azamara Pursuit since 2018). Both vessels were named on May 21, 2003, by HRH Princess Royal and her daughter Zara Phillips.

The list of P&O World Cruise ships, besides Aurora also includes mv Arcadia.

P&O Aurora refurbishments review

The ship is currently scheduled for a drydock refurbishment in April 2025.

Aurora's renovation project in 2023 (April-May) resulted in new chairs (in all passenger staterooms), new furniture (on all cabin balconies), and new deckchairs/furniture on all open deck areas. Neptune Pool's sundeck was upgraded with new garden furniture (loungers, sofas, tables, armchairs).

Follows the list of deck plan changes after the 2014 drydock refurbishment in Hamburg (Nov 29 thru Dec 18) conducted at Blohm+Voss.

• new livery design. The refit in 2014 makes ms Aurora the first of all P and O cruise ships with the new livery for the P&O line- the Union Jack flag (on the hull/bow) and the funnel’s new livery design will feature a contemporary version of the Union Flag and new blue funnels with illuminated rising sun designs.
• (Deck 8) New Indian cuisine restaurant (“Sindhu”, by Atul Kochhar) replaces the library, which is to be relocated to Deck 13 (where is the  cyb@study).
• (Deck 8) Cafe Bordeaux to be replaced by the wine bar/specialty restaurant “Glass House”.
• Venues to receive renovations (decor and furniture changes): Lido Buffet, Sidewalk Cafe and the Spa (on Deck 12), Reef Club (Deck 8, changes in the kids' rooms names), Champions Bar, Casino, the Theatre and Carmen’s Lounge (all on Deck 7).
• New Grill evening menu (“The Beach House”)
• New venues: Medina Restaurant (Deck 6, with more 2-seats tables), “Grab & Go” food station and specialty “Costa Coffee” bar
• passenger cabins amenities upgrade (new flat TVs, furnishings).

Drydock 2014 refurbishment’s total cost was GBP 26 million (~USD 44 million).

Aurora's drydocking in 2022 (June 9-23) was at Harland & Wolff shipyard (in Belfast, Northern Ireland). Before the 2022 drydock, the boat was drydocked for general maintenance works in March 2019.

Around South America cruises 2023

Next table shows Aurora's 65-night/66-day itinerary (booking code R301) Around South America roundtrip from the UK.

Prices started from GBP 1450 () per person with double occupancy.

P&O Aurora World Cruise 2022 (canceled)

In 2021, P&O UK planned a 100-day "World Cruise 2022" on MS Aurora, leaving roundtrip from Southampton (January 3 thru April 13). Paul Ludlow (P&O UK's President) commented that was "not possible" to operate the scheduled voyage due to the "complex logistics" (COVID impact) involved with a global itinerary.

The canceled voyage was also available for booking in smaller itinerary segments:

• (Jan 3) 49-days Southampton to Sydney
• (Jan 3) 24-days Southampton to San Francisco
• (Feb 21) 51-days Sydney to Southampton
• (Feb 21) 23-days Sydney to Singapore
• (Feb 21) 19-days Sydney to Hong Kong
• (Feb 23) 49-day Brisbane to Southampton
• (Feb 23) 17-days Brisbane to Hong Kong
• (Mar 12) 14-days Hong Kong to Dubai
• (Mar 12) 32-days Hong Kong to Southampton
• (Mar 26) 18-days Dubai to Southampton

Instead, the ship was rescheduled to operate two substitutes/Southampton roundtrips (sales opened on July 6, 2021) leaving in 2022 on February 22 (Transatlantic to the Caribbean) and April 1 (to the Canaries).

The 40-night Caribbean itinerary (priced from GBP 2150 pp) visits La Coruna Galicia, Funchal Madeira, Basseterre St Kitts, Pointe-a-Pitre Guadeloupe, Oranjestad Aruba, Castries St Lucia, St Georges Grenada, Kingstown St Vincent Grenadines, Bridgetown Barbados, Kralendijk Bonaire.

The 12-night "Portugal and the Canaries" itinerary (priced from GBP 600 pp) visits Santa Cruz de la Palma, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife de Lanzarote, and Lisbon Portugal.

A 3rd passenger (in the same cabin) paid just GBP 200 (on both P&O Aurora cruises).