A Visit To A'Rosa Blu

A'Rosa Blu was originally built for Princess Cruises (P&O Princess - and so ultimately Carnival are the parent company of A'Rosa) as 'Crown Princess'. Quite often when a ship is redeployed to a different market the refit does not go far enough and it is still possible to say, "you can tell this ship was built for...................". With A'Rosa Blu nothing could be further from the truth and one begins to wonder whether the ship did actually serve the North American market in its previous life!

Light and airy is the only way to describe the overall decor of the ship which now caters for the German market. Interestingly the first language for the bulk of the crew is English and many crew transferred from Princess Cruises with the ship. An ongoing teaching programme of German ensures that all hotel service staff do have a good grasp of their passengers' mother tongue.

From the array of public rooms it is easy to understand the ship is aimed at those wanting a refined but more casual holiday experience. Formal (waited) dining is an option (at a supplement) rather than the standard. Instead there is a range of self service buffets and cafe areas.

The buffet selection on board is exceptional - not only catering for the traditional German palate with extensive cold meats, sausages etc. as well as cooked specialities, but also there was an abundance of seafood and salad items - and of course plenty of pastries (and fruit) to follow! House wine and beers are served at meal times and are included in the fare. Certainly the luncheon we were so kindly provided with was of excellent quality.

Like many ships for the German market, A'Rosa Blu has a spa; however A'Rosa Blu's Spa is the largest afloat and spans the forward end of two decks. Numerous treatments are available (too many to list) and most are conducted from rooms with fantastic views overlooking the bow.

One room has to be mentioned - 'The Brain Room'. On entering one finds the floor to be soft and spongy and the room in all but darkness save for a glowing orb in the centre of the room. Settling into the soft chairs that mould around you a sense of weightlessness takes over. Soothing sounds add to the effect that supposedly brings total relaxation. Personally I felt disorientated and nauseous and I have to wonder what effect a heavy swell would have!

Something 'new' for the German market was the size of the Casino on board - apparently the largest on a German ship and no doubt P&O Princess / Carnival have identified this as an on board (revenue generating) facility that needs to be encouraged.

There really were few downsides to the ship and probably the most notable (to me) was the smell of cigarette smoke that was everywhere. Looking round it was virtually impossible to spot passengers who were not smoking.

All-in-all despite being a ship aimed at the German market, I got the distinct impression that few nationalities would feel unwelcome. The crew on board were friendly and courteous and the mixing of officers and passengers is encouraged, a practice that many lines are now sadly discouraging.

One other commendable scheme that A'Rosa operates is the crew rewards scheme. Once a month one member of crew (of any rank) is awarded the title of Crew Member Of The Month; their reward is to be a passenger for a day - with full run of the passenger facilities. This is apparently highly coveted by all crew and obviously encourages them to excel in their work.

A'Rosa Blu really struck me as a happy and friendly ship serving its market well.

Review and photographs by Stephen Shirley, August 2003

For further information on A'Rosa Blu & A'Rosa Cruises click here

Reveiw And Photographs Ann Haynes, April 2004