Read Authentic Ratings for the Azura

On January 21, 2025, the cruise ship 'Azura', sailing from Las Palmas to Santa Cruz, urgently called for a medical evacuation approximately 15 nautical miles east of Gran Canaria while navigating the Traffic Separation System. The speedy response came from Salvamento Marítimo, which deployed the SAR helicopter Helimer 202 to the scene. After successfully hoisting the patient from the vessel, the crew transported them to the helipad of Dr. Negrín Hospital in Las Palmas, ensuring they received the necessary advanced medical attention.

On December 26, 2022, the cruise ship 'AIDAnova' made an unscheduled early arrival in Funchal, advancing by approximately seven hours from its original timetable. This change was necessitated by an urgent medical incident aboard the P&O vessel 'Azura', which requested a modified docking time to expedite its end of emergency operations. Due to the large dimensions of 'AIDAnova', it can only access a specific berth in Funchal if no other vessels are present. If 'AIDAnova' had arrived later than 'Azura', it would have been unable to secure the berth. In response, 'AIDAnova' accelerated its voyage in order to reach Funchal around 10:30 PM. However, passengers faced a delay in disembarking from the ship, with disembarkation only commencing at the regular hour of 6 AM the following day. This situation was compounded by the Christmas holiday, which limited the availability of additional security and port personnel on shore.

In an unfortunate turn of events, 1,170 passengers aboard the 'Azura' found themselves stranded in Monte Carlo on September 28, 2023, owing to turbulent weather conditions. Primarily consisting of British tourists, these individuals were transported to shore by tender boats at 10 a.m., only to be kept ashore as the choppy waters rendered the return trip to the cruise ship impossible. Instead of being accommodated in hotels, a significant number of these passengers had to make do with camp beds on a basketball court, some even resorting to sleeping on tables or the floor, as suitable lodging options were scarce. After a challenging night, they finally managed to return to the 'Azura' on September 29. The ship then continued its journey, making a stop in Cartagena on September 30 before ultimately returning to Southampton on October 5. For further details and images, visit the reports by The Sun and Daily Mail.