Cabin C522 on P&O Azura is a standard balcony cabin. Neutral, nautical and practical in design, it had all of the amenities we had come to expect from P&O as standard. Despite its age, the cabin felt well maintained and facilities worked as they should, most likely thanks to a multi-million pound refit of the vessel earlier in the year (March 2025). So what can you expect from cabin C522?
Cabin C522 – The Facts
Grade: HA Standard Balcony.
Deck: 10, C-deck.
Location: Mid-ship.
Berths: 4.
Configuration: Twin/queen. Cabin has two additional beds in the form of two pull-down beds. All pull-down beds are accessible via a ladder. When pull-down beds are in use, lower beds cannot be converted to a double.
Notes: balcony visible from above and/or neighbouring balconies.
4-Berth Sleeping Arrangements
One of the only problems with this cabin is the location of the upper berths. As specified on the deck plan, the main beds have to be in a twin configuration in order to use the upper berths, so there’ll be no canoodling couples here, not even when the kids are asleep! Whilst this is probably fine with most families, as a group of 3 adults and 1 child, we had to draw straws on which grown-up got the top bunk. As the smallest (not youngest), I had to learn to use a ladder again! Thankfully, I knew this was the deal when we booked the cruise.
Disclaimer: I knew about the sleeping arrangements before booking this cruise. Azura and Ventura have the same problem when catering for families unfortunately. If you are a family looking to cruise with P&O however, you will be pleased to know that these issues were addressed before they built Britannia, Iona and Arvia, so if you want a well-configured bed arrangement, consider booking one of these larger ships instead, and don’t be afraid to seek advice from a trusted travel agent. I said to my husband and my mother that we would all be in bunk beds at the time of booking, my son and myself on the top bunks, and due to the price, we all agreed the sacrifice was worth it!
An Overlooked Balcony?
By definition, the balcony is “visible from above and/or neighbouring balconies”. In reality, despite cruising on a busy sailing at the end of August, we never felt overlooked or disturbed on our balcony, and we did spend some time out there. Technically, around half of our balcony was underneath the one above, and half protruded out, so it meant our balcony was sheltered from the wind but still got plenty of sunshine and didn’t leave us feeling totally exposed. Our balcony overlooked the ones below far more, as you can see from the picture below. Personally, I wouldn’t let the disclaimer put you off. Unlike our cabin on P&O Arvia (more on that another time), this balcony is completely useable!
In-Room Facilities
The complimentary refreshment tray included: teabags & instant coffee (regular and decaf), long-life milk, sugar and sweeteners. This was replenished daily, and if we needed extra, we only had to ask. The desk area also had at least two UK 3-pin plug sockets, an internal telephone, hairdryer, information booklets and drawer storage. The in-room TV had everything we could ever really need on it; from safety info, live webcam from the bridge, radio stations, tv channels, on-demand tv and films, onboard account spending totals in real time… it’s practically a smart phone without social media!
In order to travel light, we also made full use of the complimentary bathroom products, all of which are made by The White Company and smell wonderful. Towels were replaced on request, and toilet roll & facial tissues were always in plentiful supply. There was a retractable washing line inside the shower which always came in handy for drying swimwear. Plenty of shelf space both in the shower and around the sink is always a bonus too (our cabin on MSC Meraviglia in 2019 was seriously lacking in-shower storage, and as a pregnant lady at the time, picking up soap from the floor in a small shower when the ship was moving was something of an ordeal)!
Tips & Tricks
- If, like us, you are travelling as a family and want to maximise your storage space, you may want to bring some strong magnetic hooks for your cabin. I like to bring a few to hang our hats & lanyards on. As well as saving shelf space, it serves as a handy reminder to take these items with you as you leave for port each day.
- Don’t be afraid to ask your cabin steward for more hangers. We had plenty on this occasion, but they always have spares if you need them. The tidier you keep your cabin, the more spacious it will feel, so use every storage solution to its full potential. Under the bed is always good for empty suitcases and laundry bags too!
- Pack a little notepad and pen. Pre-covid these were commonplace in your cabin, but since the pandemic, a basic pad and pencil is considered an unnecessary extra, so we always take our own. Need more teabags? No problem – just leave a polite note! Cabin stewards are not mind-readers and are more than happy to satisfy your needs if you ask. They are often very busy, so instead of hunting high-and-low for them in the corridor, just leave a note somewhere visible (on the bed or near the tea tray usually works best).
In Summary
Spacious and well thought-out, cabin C522 on P&O Azura is a decent balcony cabin for a couple or a family, so long as they understand the sleeping arrangements ahead of booking. Unlike other family cabins we’ve stayed in, you can still access the balcony, fridge, kettle and other amenities when the beds are in use, plus there is plenty of storage space for 4 people on a 7-night cruise. The balcony never felt overlooked, and we found the cabin to be generally well located for accessing all areas of the ship. If you can get yourself a great deal on your cruise, you won’t feel short-changed by selecting this cabin.
Gallery
Useful Links
Cruise Deck Plans: www.cruisedeckplans.com
P&O Azura Deck Plan: www.pocruises.com
If you found this article useful, check out our other Cruising posts here!
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