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Page 1 of 8 |
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To me, the name P&O has always conjured up images of
shuffleboard, tranquil days at sea and tea with milk. With
ships known for their classic exteriors, endless open decks
and stylish interiors, P&O Cruises obviously makes use of
the fact that they practically invented cruising some 160
years ago. Flagship of the fleet is
Aurora,
a modern ship with graceful lines which entered service in
2000 and has since seen all four corners of the world. And
now that P&O Cruises is part of the gigantic Carnival
family, I more than ever wanted to see what this cruise line
is all about. So what better way to get a taste for it than
embarking on
Aurora
for a wintry two-night party cruise to Belgium? |
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Together with
my friends Lucy and Ilona I travel to Southampton on a bleak
and chilly December day. Using planes, train and automobiles
we finally reach P&O's Mayflower Terminal, which has been completely
rebuilt in recent years. Offering acres of space to handle the
thousands of guests today's mega ship carry, we are
pleasantly surprised to see how fast the check-in lines for
this fully booked departure are handled. |
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Decorated in
bold purples and oranges, the huge departure
lounge at the Mayflower Terminal holds a tiny bar and an equally tiny
self-service area offering all the things we love to buy in
the UK, i.e. flimsy cucumber sandwiches and salt & vinegar
potato chips. With boarding scheduled at 3:00 pm, it is a
long wait. But after P&O's Portunus Club members are called,
it is time for us to get up and set foot on Aurora! |
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Cruise Line: |
P&O Cruises |
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Year built: |
2000 |
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Price tag: |
US$ 320
million |
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Yard: |
Meyer Werft,
Germany |
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Gross Tonnage: |
76,152 |
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Length: |
270.0 m (885.8 ft) |
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Beam: |
32.2 m (105.6 ft) |
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Passengers
(norm.): |
1,878 |
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Passengers
(max): |
2,290 |
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Crew: |
936 |
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Service speed: |
24.0 knots |
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Flag: |
Great Britain |
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Our two-night
Party Cruise initially called for a trip to "Nowhere" (one of
my favorite destinations), but instead of a day at sea, P&O
Cruises later added a call at Zeebrugge, Belgium with tours
available to Bruges and Ghent. Hailing from the Low Lands
ourselves we opted to spend our full 40 hours on Aurora to get
to know this fine ship inside out. And now: boarding
commences! |
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