P&O Cruises Jan 2012 to Mar 2013

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P&O Cruises brought out the sociable side to Dermot Murnaghan; fun was had by all it seems when he and his family holidayed on board Aurora.

A small, tousled-haired, four-year-old boy, steps tentatively up on to the stage at the on board talent contest – approaches the microphone with a degree of trepidation – then falteringly asks the question “What do you call a wizard with a runny nose?” “I don’t know”, says the compère, “what DO you call a wizard with a runny nose?” A pause – then comes the reply – “Harry Snotter!” Cue raucous laughing from the assembled audience of adults and children, and one very pleased-with-himself four-year-old returns in triumph to his glowing parents.

Needless to say the boy was our Jack and his moment in the limelight at Aurora’s children’s talent show marked not just a glorious episode

for him (that was relived weeks after the holiday ended) but for me it was the point at which I realised that even the things I didn’t intend to get involved in before we went on the cruise (i.e. the communal stuff) can, in actual fact, be great fun.

Let me rewind to the beginning. Like many families with children, we face the annual summer dilemma of going somewhere and doing something that can keep four children between the ages of four and fourteen happy – not to mention their parents! We’d done the beach club holidays – but had found them no more than adequate – the childcare was OK, but the surroundings never change, and the accommodation always seemed a bit on the spartan side.

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We’d gone for the gîtes option a few times. It’s not bad if the weather holds up – but one or two days of dodgy weather and the boredom creeps in and the niggling starts. Then you’re left frantically driving

round the countryside trying to find something to do. So we opted to cruise – P&O Cruises Aurora – going round the Med in August. With one proviso from me – that I was having nothing to do with the on board activities. After a stressful and tiring year I declared it was a pile of books, a sea view lounger and a glass of something cold in my hand for me. But like all the best resolutions it didn’t last long – about half an hour actually.

As we departed Southampton on day one my spirits had been so lifted by the ease of embarkation that I found myself leaning over the railings with everyone else cheering along to the shore-based band playing loudly as Captain Ian Hutley expertly eased Aurora out of her berth.

The beauty of cruising is that the journey IS the holiday – and it starts the moment you board. Our first destination was to be Barcelona – but that was two days away.

After exploring the cabins, which were just like good hotel rooms – with the added bonus of an eternally changing panoramic sea-scape outside – we roamed the ship trying to get our bearings. With nine passenger decks, three pools, shops, restaurants and 13 bars it takes a few hours – indeed days – to work out where you are.

Next step was enrolling the offspring in the free children’s clubs. We managed a representative in each of the four offered, Jack was in Splashers (for 2-4 year olds), Alice in Surfers (for 5-8 year olds), Molly in Scubas (for 9-12 year olds) and Kitty in H2O for 13+.

FAMILIES

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