Port Guides useful to cruisers and travellers. Watching the Doris Visits films will be like you are there, or remembering when you were. Doris Visits is on YouTube and the cruise chat sites on Facebook.
Only small cruise ships can get right up to berth at Queen's Wharf opposite the Tower of London. To achieve that, the Iconic Tower Bridge must lift. The cruise ship Silver Wind makes a spectacular sight going through the neogothic Bascule bridge which was built in 1894. About 40,000 people use the bridge a day, but they all must wait if a ship wishes to go through. It is free to lift, but notice must be given.
The Silver Wind is a luxury ship, which brings her 274 guests right into the heart of London when on a British Isles tour. In 2018 she had a major upgrade and then a re-fit in 2021 and she now has a reinforced Ice Class hull, just in case the Thames freezes over.
Here she is at Tower Bridge where she had two overnights just after the coronation of King Charles III. The bridge sees over 40,000 people use it each day and it lifts when required. The engine room is manned 24/7. The lift takes under 5 minutes.
Located between Rijeka and Split on the Adriatic Sea, this old town boasts many Roman ruins but the history of Zadar stretches back beyond that. It is the oldest continually inhabited city in Croatia with evidence of inhabitance dating back to the late Stone Age and settlements that have been dated as early as the Neolithic, which is between 15 and 8 thousand years BC! Traces of a settlement date back to the 9th century BC with an Illyrian tribe known as Iader. The Romans moved here around 59BC and formed a municipium which was a social contract between them and the locals. Within ten years they had taken more control and roads and infrastructure increased as it became the Roman City of Ladera. Recent history saw it under Italian rule until the second world war when it fell back to Croatian rule. The walled port reveals a network of narrow streets Roman ruins and Romanesque churches. These sit alongside cosmopolitan cafés, medieval churches, museums of culture and vendors. Zadar is not spoiled by tourism and has the only Sea Organ we have ever seen. These are pipes or holes in the stone sea wall through which the sea movement forces air. It also has a Sun Salutation - a 22m square art installation of 300 glass plates that capture the sun's energy during the day. The sea is clean, the food is good, the beaches are first-class if you just want a lazy day and there is an electric tourist street train if you fancy a lazy tour before a cold beer.
The Chest of St Simon the God-receiver is located over the main altar in the Church of Saint Simeon. Zadar's "Kopnena Vrata" (Landward Gate) has the Lion of Saint Mark on it which is the symbol of the Venice Film Festival and a symbol of the Republic of Venice as a reminder of the Venetian rule. Zadar has a borderline humid subtropical and Mediterranean climate with less than 40mm of rain in the summer. Only Dec & Jan can see the temperature dropping to 63F the rest of the year is between 70 and 97F. It is about an hour from Krka National Park for some swimming and walking or Paklenica National Park if you fancy a spot for hiking or rock climbing or you can find a local beach.
Azura is the fly-cruise of the two Grand Class ships. It home-ports in Barbados in the winter, and Valletta in the summer. This means that with just a short break, you can holiday in some fantastic places. We have always been huge fans of the Grand Class ships and have some great memories.
The Azura has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges. She is 290m long and has a beam of 36m. Its 24-knot speed is achieved by two 21 MW electric motors with fixed propellers driven by 6 Wärtsilä diesel generators. It also has three bow thrusters, and three stern thrusters which may not be enough when trying to berth as seen on our film where 3 tugs pushed her into Chania (Souda Bay)
It has four pools. The Terrace pool at the back is the one with steps and a handrail for those who are a little unsteady. It has a hoist with a chair on the Aqua pool. The Coral pool is the one with the pizza, grill, and sea screen. Then, there is the quiet pool, where no children are expected to be, that is the Oasis pool at the bow near the gym. The Oasis pool is the only one that does not have a bar.
The ship has five main entertainment venues. The Manhattan is a nightclub venue which normally has a comedian, a DJ or the occasional floor show from the Headliners. The middle club is called Malabar and now has a singer working to backing tracks, making it more like a club venue. However, the big act is often put in there for their second performance which I feel is such a waste. I have seen both Andrew Browning as George Michael in there, and Owen James as Sting, two of the best tribute acts we have ever seen. The main theatre, the Playhouse Theatre is where all the big acts do at least one of their shows, and the Headliners put on their extravaganzas and shows like 'Astonishing'. The fourth venue is the atrium, which has a dance floor by the Java Cafe. A singer can use this, like the Busker, the resident act that sings around the ship and at some sail-aways. It can also be used for ballroom dancing, line dancing and Fitsteps. Last but certainly not least is the stage in Brodies, where all manner of entertainment happens from quizzes to karaoke, from the Busker to video game competitions. It is also the sports bar and screen. I would not suggest that either the Blue Bar on Deck 7 or the Planet Bar on Deck 18 are entertainment venues, but they can have a pianist playing. The Planet might have the busker or a trio but that seems rare now.
Entertainment can also happen around the pool areas, especially when the weather is good.
There are very few port talks now, so we strongly suggest you look at our filmed port guides and lists of tours which are ideal for research, all listed in the menu.
Restaurants are many. The three main dining halls are the Oriental, the Peninsular and the Meridian. We enjoy a mixed shared table there most nights we are on, for a three-course meal. On gala or celebration nights, these are normally the black-tie formal nights, the meal steps up a notch and is four courses and amuse-bouche. One of the two weeks might be the Macro Pierre White lobster meal, which is lobster pieces in a choux-pastry shell.
The Premium restaurants have become the place to dine out, and on all our recent cruises they were booked to capacity every night, and even the Glass House which does not take reservations is full early doors. The Epicurean is a more formal restaurant with a great meal, meat or fish. The Sindhu is an Asian restaurant with Indian-style food that is quite mild unless you advise them you prefer it more spicey. The Beach House is half the buffet with the tables laid, lights lowered and waiter service. Here the nachos and fish skewers are as much a favourite as steak still cooking on a stone. The buffet is always a good and easy option. The dress code applies to the main dining area, and the Epicurean is smart.
A silly thing that probably won't affect you - there is a net on the top of the basketball court so you can't shoot hoops. Silly thing that may affect you, the shops always have a discount day on most times. It can be a different item discounted on different days or a vast 40% off on the last day. They will normally tell you, but you risk missing something as items do go. There is no deck 13, and you cannot walk through on decks 5 & 6, so have to go up to 7 and come back down.
If you wish to return home without masses of laundry, we recommend using the laundrette early evening the day before the day before you leave. It will be empty as everyone is getting ready for dinner. Dump your washing. Go back shower etc then return and use the tumble drier. You can pick it up just before you go out to dinner. So lovely not to have to face a case full of washing when you get home.
Our new 2023 Azura ship tour will be loaded this weekend, it is far superior to the one we currently show, so we are excited. Here is what to expect when our poor 4Mbps finally loads it. So far it has been 5 hours and we have achieved 58%. That's rural London for you, anywhere in the world would be faster.
My prediction for the long term. I can see the main dining becoming less and less important, and deck 5 Meridian being looked at as a Limelight Club and cinema. I also think that when the two smaller adult ships are released from the fleet, the two Grand Class ships will see their kids club areas converted into cabins as they did when the Aurora was changed up. But that is just future guessing, I have no actual knowledge.
0:00 - Intro Azura
0:26 - Glass Lifts
0:50 - Cabin Steward's new routine
1:05 - Playhouse Theatre D7
1:22 - Glass House D7
1:44 - Shops D7
2:06 - Malabar D7
2:20 - Photogallery D7
2:30 Sindhu Indian R D7
3:07 - Manhattan D7
3:32 - Oriental D6
3:42 - Shops D6
3:52 - Reception D6
4:03 - Casino & Brodies D6
4:37 - Kamala Room D6
4:47 - Excursions D5
4:57 - Library D5
5:10 - Meridian Java Cafe D5
5:20 - Atrium Dance Floor D5
5:38 - Whitewall Gallery D5
5:55 - Ivory Suite D16
6:08 - The Bridge D14
6:19 - Oasis Pool D16
6:50 - Gym D16
7:07 - Deck 18 Sun
7:19 - Coral Pool
7:32 - The Grill
7:42 - Grab & Go
7:52 - Pizza & Ice Cream
8:02 - Aqua Pool
8:12 - Sea Screen
8:20 - Deck Quoits
8:30 - Terrace Pool
8:45 - Epicurean
8:58 - Golf & Sports
9:08 - Planet Bar
9:22 - Kids Clubs
9:50 - Buffet
10:09 - Beach House
10:30 - Main Dining
10:55 - Ship Map
11:04 - Split preview
11:48 - Kusadasi preview
The Azura is the sister of the Ventura. See our Facebook chat group for the Azura. uCruise Azura is a big friendly group. It has chat rooms within the group for specific cruises - see EVENTS.
The Silver Wind is a luxury ship, which brings her 274 guests right into the heart of London when on a British Isles tour. In 2018 she had a major upgrade and then a re-fit in 2021 and she now has a reinforced Ice Class hull, just in case the Thames freezes over.
J