Aurora Review For R820

Where do I start, well Aurora was the first ship that Karen and I went on together in 2008 and so we have always had a soft spot for her.  This was the first time that we have sailed on her since then.  Both of us remember bits of the ship but so much has changed in ten years.  They have added the Beach House and Sindus and she has been refurbished a couple of times.
We had an ocean view cabin (E129) on E Deck in twin configuration. These cabins are mainly on E and F Decks I would describe them as bijou.  There was plenty of room for our cases under the beds and we had two double wardrobes with a drawer at the bottom of each.  There was a chest of four drawers and each bedside cabinet had another four drawers.  Each cabin has a small chaise longue, a small table and tea and coffee making facilities.  There was a fridge and safe, to use the safe a four digit code is required and is personal to you.

These pictures don't show it but I was able to stand my rollator at the bottom of the bed, still leaving us enough room to walk around.  For people who can manage in a standard cabin the bathroom step was 9.3cm, it was the usual shower, toilet and vanity unit with mirrored cabinets.  For anyone like myself who can manage a standard cabin these are ideally situated for the Medina Restaurant (freedom dining) which is at mid ship on E Deck.  Our cabin was near the forward lifts and we found the easiest way to move around Aurora was to go up to the Promenade Deck and walk through without problems.

I generally found Aurora to be very accessible but there were however a few things that could be improved if given a little thought.  

The Curzan Theatre had two viewing areas for full time wheelchair users, but for those of us that use other mobility aids it is not very accessible unless you can climb a step to access a row or are able to use steps within the auditorium.  They have several rows at the back of the auditorium, with several end seats being reserved for disabled people, but unless you are able to climb a step they are useless.

The cinema again had viewing areas at the back for wheelchair users, but again each row had a step to negotiate which again made it difficult for me to access alone with my rollator.

The three main access doors on either side of the ship that give access onto the promenade deck are manually opened and are both heavy and awkward.  I was unable to access the promenade unless I was with Karen, limiting my independence.  It would be a help if they were replaced with automatic doors.

We ate in the following places the MDR, Beach House and Glass House.  Each gave excellent access.  However, in the MDR I was often taken to the far side of the restaurant using my rollator.  This was commented on several times by other passengers who wondered why a table closer to the main entrance couldn't have been found for me.  At times it was difficult to manoeuvre especially when busy.  Generally most waiters were very helpful with taking it away and returning it at the end of a meal, but one or two did watch me struggle to close it and find a suitable place for it to stand.

At home I consider myself to be independent but I have to say on Aurora I found it hard at times.  Unlike younger ships (Azura, Ventura & Britannia) which I have cruised on and have been able to use the theatre and promenade deck on my own.  In her refit in 2019 I would suggest that they should look at changing manual doors into automatic as her clientele will be changing to adult only and I suspect the age of passengers using this beautiful ship will rise.