Bilbao - 6th April 2011

Azura

We set sail from the port of Lisbon at 4pm on the 4th and sailed the whole of the following day finally arriving in Bilbao on the 6th April. We had no excursions booked and assumed we could get off and have a wander around the town, like you could in most ports, however we docked some 6 miles from the centre of Bilbao, add to that the unexpected 30 degree heat and the armed police that kept an eye on us, we decided to spend the day on ship.

I did say that this wasn't going to be about the ship but I do get asked an awful lot of questions, how big was it, what was your cabin like, did you attend the formal nights? So I thought I would answer some of these questions.

Our ship was Azura and she is massive! We have previously travelled on a mid-sized ship and thought that was big, but little could have prepared us for the enormity of Azura. As our coach pulled onto the dockside at Southampton there was a gasp, everything else was dwarfed in comparison, in fact every port she docked she dwarfed her surroundings. After the incredibly easy check-in we arrived at our deluxe balcony state room to find champagne and chocolates waiting for us. I cracked open the bottle and stepped out onto the balcony to listen to the brass band playing on the quayside.

The facilities that a ship like this has to offer are pretty spectacular. You can choose from at least 6 restaurants, an alfresco spa, open air cinema, numerous bars and a shopping arcade to name but a few. As for the pools, there are 4 with 6 spa pools, there is a sports court, an English pub and plenty to keep the youngsters entertained including the sail away party.

We had 2 formal nights where we donned our finest frocks and our most glittering jewels, we were greeted by the Captain and had our formal pictures taken, we dined in restaurants were the food would not be out of place in top London eateries and we sipped cocktails at sunset whilst gazing out onto the sea behind us.

I have said more than I wanted to and I apologise that I can't give you my views on Bilbao, but I hope you get a sense of how wonderful cruising can be. The destinations are excellent and the ships are unbelievable.