ORIANA in Bergen

Highlights of ORIANA's most recent call in Bergen on 23th May 2012. Bergen and other ports of the Norwegian Fjords will have a special coverage soon here in the blog and in our facebook page that you can visit Here.
Photographic Achivement by Nuno Jesus.

Comparison of exteriors

A most important aspect of a cruise liner's 'personality' is its exterior appearance which give a impression of the ship to those who see her in port.
While many none ship fans are none the wiser to a ship's appearance many either saying it's either big or small to those of us who take great pride in ships and shipspotting  it takes on a greater significance towards while watching the ship in port.
As we have discovered over the past weeks while ORIANA and VENTURA are fleet mates in and as we have seen offer the same levels of high standard service and amenities they are also vastly different this is most apparent their exterior lines.
The reasons for the differences are quite interesting in its self relating to changes in the cruise industry and ownership of the company.
 VENTURA's appearance has very few differences to the rest of her class  the main differences being mainly aesthetic ones including the glass window screening being tinted green instead of blue as on the Princess ships and the lack of white "frame" around the funnel.
The design's history dates to the late 1990's when P&O developed the Grand Class ship for Princess brand of P&O's cruise operation ,at the time it was the largest in the world.
Since then the design has had several modifications resulting in a increase in tonnage from initial 109,000 to VENTURA and AZURA's 115,000 tons.
As can be seen below VENTURA's most visible features are her balconies which account for a majority of her hull which is keeping with modern trend for ship design to allow for this her hull shape is shape is typically sqaure with the ship's stern finishing very abruptly allowing for maximum number of balconies.

   In comparison ORIANA's appearance is altogether more unique and distinctive as seen below lines are much sleeker and even with the addition of her new duck tail of sponson have not been spoiled.

 Her long sharp bow, which contrasts greatly with VENTURA's rounded one gives a impression of speed its sharp angle allowing her to easily deflect heavy waves away from the ship making her more suited to longer transoceanic cruising and also cruising through less than ideal seas whereas the design for VENTURA is more suited towards regional cruising such as Caribbean cruising with a occasional positional voyage.
ORIANA's overall look is influenced by her predecessor CANBERRA from whom she inherits several design features such as the slight recline in the dividers on the life boat recesses and most prominently her well formed funnel which is designed to evoke the image of CANBERRA's twin funnels  in comparison to VENTURA's which can be described more as a collection of pipes inside an incomplete metal shell than a funnel, however to attempt to give a more customized  feel to the ship a yellow shape similar to ORIANA's funnel has been added to either side of the funnel
The large difference can be seen between the two below.

Reaching ORIANA's stern perhaps on of he most visible and appreciated features her handsome terraced open decks the likes of which terrace down until they reach the terrace pool and a brand new deck seating area, originally the on deck children's play area.
They are only really equaled by the same feature on board AURORA with no other ships featuring such a stunningly elegant stern shape

ORIANA's stern with and without her sponson as both showing an elegant shape.

 As mentioned before VENTURA's stern in the main is mostly square to allow for as many cabins as possible, in this case  balconies of most of the suites on board are located there while on the upper decks a small terraced area complete with pool is featured it both rather small and not enough to save the look of the stern its self.

   VENTURA's stern showing its completely flat, balconies shape and small terraces recessed behind the red ensign.

Photos Copyright João Abreu & Steve Martin

ORIANA and the Golden Cockerel

When ORIANA met with CANBERRA off of Cannes in 1997 near the end of the veteran liner's final cruise ORIANA recived from her mother one of the most prestigious honours a P&O ship can receive the Golden Cockerel awarded to the fastest ship in the fleet, which CANBERRA herself had received from the previous ORIANA.

 ORIANA and CANBERRA meet for handover of the Golden Cockerel, Copyright  P&O Cruises

  

The Golden Cockerel on the starboard bridge wing proudly displayed, Copyright P&O Cruises

As well as being the fastest in the fleet ORIANA is also the third fastest ship within the Carnival Group portfolio being marginally beaten by COSTA VOYAGER and QUEEN MARY 2. 
When compared to her forerunners ORIANA's capabilities become even more impressive, while her maximum service speed is 24 knots with the right conditions and run to maximum she is able to attain a speed of 30 knots equal to the maximum reached by her namesake as well as other famous ocean liners and is a slightly faster speed then was reached by CANBERRA, her maximum being 29.27 knots during her sea trials in 1961.
Even with less than favorable conditions ORIANA can still exceed her maximum, during her own sea trials the brand new ship reached 27.2 knots in rough seas she encountered in the North Sea and on her return to Southampton in April this year ORIANA was averaging 25.6 knots in what was initially seas with 6 metre waves all proving that an excellent design was created for P&O's most prestigious and beautiful ship.

ORIANA and QE2's first encounter

17 years ago today the 25th May 1995 while outbound from Southampton for the Mediterranean on her 4th the cruise ORIANA met and exchanged horns with her Cunard's world famous QUEEN ELIZABETH for the first time.
As well as being a interesting sight for passengers on both ships it was also symbolic with the new flagship of the British Merchant fleet exchanging greetings with the previous ones. It is said that while passengers cheered and Commodore Gibb waved from the port bridge wing the crew on board QE2 were less than pleased to see their new and smart rival.
While QE2 was louder Commodore Gibb ensured his ORIANA had the last word,
Below is a brief P&O video of that meeting.

ORIANA in Stavanger; Norway

ORIANA is here seen outbound Stavanger on 20th May 2012 after a sunny spring day in this famous norwegian cruise port.

Like many other cruise ships, ORIANA will call regularly to the Norwegian Fjords and Baltic until September, taking advantage of the good weather of Nothern Europe now in the Summer.
Images of ORIANA leaving the port of Stavanger by Harald Oanes. Click Here for more of Harald's ship photos and more.

Ambiance and atmosphere

As we near the end of our comparison series of posts today we look at how the atmosphere and ambiance on board  ORIANA and Crown Class VENTURA compare.
Firstly it was noting as was mentioned by ORIANA's first master Commodore Ian Gibb in our interview with him several months ago it is not only a the ship alone that creates atmosphere but the ship's crew who serve both the ship and her passengers who are the key with this in mind it is only fair to sat that the same level of high service which is the hallmark of P&O's cruising style is available throughout both despite ORIANA being a mid sized traditional ocean liner styled cruise ship and VENTURA being a more mass market cruise ship.
While the cruise experience from the two ships are vastly different they do both at offer at heart the P&O style of cruising  albeit with their own individual flare.
So what exactly is the P&O experience that ORIANA and fleet mates shares?
Put simply it is effortless elegance in traditional and modern surroundings with a distinctly British atmosphere.
While mostly aimed at the UK market P&O does also attract other repeat passengers of other nationalities mostly but not exclusively during their world cruises who find the cruising style to be a enjoyable one, while most on who cruise with P&O find the expeirance to be a excellent on occasion those who have previously

cruised with more international aimed lines the "Britishness" can be a little overbearing at times in particular with the Cunard clientèle whose perceptions of a British Experience are somewhat different from P&O's.

 Dinner on board ORIANA is always a high class affair as it is with her fleet mates.

 Until November last year ORIANA and VENTURA both offered the family cruising product to their passengers both having ample space mostly aft dedicated to the younger passenger, in the opinion of the author ORIANA with her size and passenger numbers and passenger to space ratio was more effective as keeping all age ranges happier than was the case with VENTURA and her larger size.

VENTURA when she entered service was heavily marketed towards the family and as such features so called family cabins, larger suites which alongside the main bedroom,sitting room, Bathroom and Balcony it also features a second bedroom to accommodate large families and groups, VENTURA still attracts older passengers although in a strange enigma those among the older passengers who are unhappy around the younger passengers yet they still return the ship on a regular basis.
As a result of being a ship aimed at a broad range of passengers VENTURA is a much more informal ship than some some of her fleet mates, instead of the 3 evening dress codes Black Tie,Smart and Casual she only has 2 Black tie and casual  the idea being that along with OCEANA she would able to cater for passengers who preferred the more informal approach such as regulars of the disbanded Ocean Village brand. 
 Of course the differences are now more apparent between ORIANA and VENTURA with the former now being a dedicated adults only ship like her fleet mates ARCADIA and ADONIA.

Having not yet cruised on board ORIANA since her conversion it is hard to tell if the change in role has had any effect the ship's on board atmosphere although review of a recent cruise on board refers to ORIANA as being a very formal ship with everyone board turning out in their evening best on the formal, this indicates at least she reveals that she retains the air of formality which has made her famous for her traditions and elegance a point perhaps enforced by a shot of a formal night on P&O's website being on board ORIANA as seen below.

 Interestingly the review continues to say that ORIANA's Main Restaurant's food was far superior than on board QUEEN ELIZABETH with much better choice available and the quality being far higher.

Another aspect of the two vessels which varied a lot was something which is harder to define than atmosphere and that is character.
ORIANA has a very distinct character created by the such things as the various public rooms designs and layout the flow of passengers and general surroundings.
Often as is the case with VENTURA being a larger ship there is a slight hint of character forming after 4 years in service but I think it will be several more years before she distinguishes  herself, the character she already has is indeed a very good one and one fitting of P&O and its history and elegance in the case of VENTURA though it is slightly harder to distinguish herself being one of class of almost identical ships including AZURA who's interiors in some respects almost duplicate each other  .
While VENTURA is still attracting new passengers and building her own character she does remain a valued and elegant member of the fleet
ORIANA on the other hand has a very distinct, and established personality of her own , this of course has been building over the past 17 years and is greatly aided by not having an identical sibling but as her first master Commodore Gibb revealed during her Maiden Voyage despite resevartions by some and a famous namesake to live up to she had already developed part of her own in just a short time in service.

ORIANA & AURORA near Norway

Currently the both cruising South off of the coast of Norway bound for Bergen, a popular destination for ORIANA after departing Olden earlier this evening she is currently on course for a rendezvous with her fellow Meyer Werft built "half sister" AURORA who is cruising Northwards towards Alesund as shown below.

At present the two ships are about 16 Nautical miles ( 29.6509 km) from each other.
Being as mentioned above popular destination for ORIANA we will be reporting on her presence in Norway very soon.

ORIANA: Commodore of the Fleet

In the Merchant Navy a commodore it's what the senior captains within a company are titled, therefore we can assume that ORIANA is like a commodore in the P&O Cruises fleet, being the oldest in their mates, a title that suits her very well.
In consequence her facebook profile was needing a fresh refit, so a new format was created dedicated to our beloved ship, in which we invite all of our dear readers to make a visit and like this new page, where you can share your thoughts, info and images about ORIANA. Click HERE.
In the image above ORIANA arrives in Funchal in the first leg of her 2010 World Cruise.

A Royal visit for ORIANA

As well as being present with her 6 fleet mates in Southampton on the 3rd July for the 175th anniversary Grand Event ORIANA will also have the distinction of being visited by her fleet mates AURORA and OCEANA god mother HRH, The Princess Royal, Princess Anne.

Princess Anne at the double naming of OCEANA and the previous ADONIA.

After leaving ORIANA she will perform in her role as Master of Trinity House a review of the P&O Fleet from the Trinity House owned vessel THV PATRICIA shown below.

Afterwards the fleet will depart and sail in convoy before heading off to their various destinations.

The below P&O animation which has been widely circulated on the internet has been produced by P&O to publicise the event.
 

Photo Copyrights: P&O Cruises & Trinity House.

ORIANA arrives in Funchal

Words can't really describe what is to watch ORIANA arriving in Funchal, for me it's always a must to do if it's morning, afternoon, night or sunny, cloudy, rainy... I never get tired of admiring her authentic and unique look slowly approaching the bay.
That's what happened last Monday, 14th May ORIANA made a full day and evening call in Madeira returning home on yet another well knowned Caribbean Transatlantic, this one of 22 nights.

The sun hadn't shown his bright face yet when ORIANA was already visible from behind the harbour, the usual route when ships arrive from the West, in her case from Bridgetown, Barbados in the famous exotic Caribbean.

On this very warm day in Funchal, the sun rays started to "paint" ORIANA with light as she waited for the local ferry LOBO MARINHO to depart. Gently she manouvered her 69,000 GT to starboard soon to proceed astern to her designated berth where she would stay until the early hours of the following day.

 João Abreu

Comparing layouts and design features

Continuing with our comparison of ORIANA with fleet mate VENTURA we today look at another aspect of the ship's design the layout of public rooms etc.
ORIANA's layout is as most know designed to pay homage to her famous predecessor CANBERRA allowing for veteran cruisers of the old ship to have a sense of familiarity and also a continuation of brand identity giving new cruisers a sense of and traditional cruise experience
On board ORIANA with a few exceptions the majority of her public rooms are arranged on her promenade deck with a second run of rooms above on deck 8 each easily accessed by the upper two flights of the atrium staircase.


On board  VENTURA the design follows pretty much the same formula as the earlier Grand/Crown Class which in its self features some aspects which are similar to ORIANA, firstly the theatre is located at the forward end of the deck on both ships and located at the aft end is the a cabaret lounge both coincidentally named after distant shores being named the Pacific lounge and Havana respectively.
Below is a comparison of ORIANA's promenade deck with VENTURA and GRAND PRINCESS for reference.

As can be seen the modern trend of having a photo gallery being more of a walk through corridor rather than a dedicated room is present on board both ships
This design ensures that photos are visible to the passengers ensuring that a there is always a opportunity to make them part with their money.

The deck plan of ORIANA also shows what many consider one of the ships simplest yet most effective features having a inside passenger corridor running alongside the public rooms, meaning unlike many other ships including VENTURA passengers can reach one of the bar's or lounges on board without having to walk through other rooms instead a simple lamp lined corridor provides access on the promenade deck to all the venues there only requiring passengers to pass through the photo gallery on route to the aft end Pacific Lounge
During ORIANA's maiden voyage this feature proved to be a popular one with her passengers who all had high praise for the logical and well thought out layout allowing for excellent flow of passengers, unfortunately this was a design feature that wasn't to remain with the fleet long with ORIANA and AURORA being the only ships in the fleet this is possible. 

Catering for the larger passenger numbers means that the venues themselves on board VENTURA take up more deck space on board than their counterparts on board ORIANA.
This coupled with the fact the design is derived from class of ship originally developed  for the US cruise market means that feature favoured by most British cruisers is sadly absent from VENTURA which is a decent sized promenade deck.
ORIANA's is over double the width and encircles the majority of the ship from the superstructure front to the stern.

  VENTURA's starboard promenade deck top compared to ORIANA's.

 The size comparison between the two can be seen between the two can be seen in the images by the amount of space available between the sun lounger/deck chairs and the deck rail as well as being demonstrated below in these images showing the appearance from outside both ships, note how ORIANA's lifeboats are able to fit almost completely inside the recess above the promenade while VENTURA's are left protruding beyond the ships side.

In addition the deck on VENTURA does not it self encircle the entire ship ship it instead requires passengers to take steps up one deck at the forward end to continue round to the other side before once again descending.
This of course being possible only during good weather conditions or at the Captain's desecration.
Another often derided feature of the deck as with many new builds is the use plastic decking instead of the traditional teak decks on board ORIANA, this has two rather unfortunate effects, firstly when wet the decks become somewhat slippery and secondly the appearance of the deck is rather cheap.
 Returning to the layout of the interior of the deck also reveal something of a shift in emphasis for P&O, while on ORIANA the deck is entirely made up from Bar's with various styles to create different atmospheres for the different personality's of passengers on board.
While VENTURA also has this with her featuring an English styled pub, Spanish Tapas bar and a nightclub among others we can also clearly see how the design of VENTURA features multiple dining venues showing  a shift away from traditional main dining rooms and increasoing the presence of the  surcharge alternative dining venues as can be seen above on the promenade deck plan with East the on board Asian fusion dining option
If we compare with ORIANA we see that VENTURA features 3 main restaurants compared to ORIANA's 2  the third on VENTURA catering for the "Any time dining."
 The main "club dining" Restaurants on VENTURA Saffron and Bay Tree (named for eastern spices) are amidships and aft on deck 6 and arranged each side of the main galley in style dating back to the ocean liners which would have the 1st and 2nd Class restaurants arranged in a similar fashion and is also the same arrangement used for ORIANA with her Peninsular and Oriental main restaurants. as can be seen below.

  

When ORIANA met QE2 in Funchal

It was a fantastic and unique moment, when ORIANA and QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 met in the port of Funchal on 3rd January of 2008, two of the most emblematic british cruise liners today and I speak in the present because I believe many ship enthusiasts and cruising fans especially those who were more close to this great lady in the UK, are still pride besides her withdrawn and laid up in Dubai and hope that one day she will return where she truly belongs.

At the time both ORIANA and the QE2 were returning home after a Christmas and New Year's cruise to the Caribbean.

After a short morning call, ORIANA unberthed at aproximmatly 1 pm ready to proceed astern and pass by QE2 to whom she honked some horns, being as so reciprocated. The rest the images speak for themselves. Let this photographic achievment of a memorable day serve as our homenage to the great Cunarder, QE2.
Special thanks to Nuno Jesus for sharing these photos with us and whom without this article wouldn't have been possible.

Technical comparison

Before we continue with our comparison of ORIANA and VENTURA’s interiors and on board style next week we thought we would take a little time to look at the differences and similarities between another important aspect of the ships the engineering and technical side of the two.

Firstly below we have a comparison chart showing the general specifications of each ship.

 

While mostly overlooked by  shipping  for being one of a class of modern passenger ships VENTURA is in many ways a remarkable piece of machinery proving recently that she is able when the needed she can exceed her maximum speed even if not  the same margin achieved by ORIANA

To power her VENTURA has 4 Wartsila 12V46 and 2 Wartsila 8L46C engines when their total output is combined they produce 21,000kw, these power produce electricity to run all her on board AC machinery to supply power to the hotel services and also the ship’s 2 main propulsion motors.

Built by Dynamowerke these units each have a maximum speed of 150 revolutions per minute and have a shaft power of 21.000kw and are supplied by a voltage 4,250 volts AC

The motors are synchronous meaning that they rotate at a speed which is proportional to the voltage being supplied.

To enable the ship remain operational if a fault develops in either motors the units are divided into in to half motors.

 VENTURA's starboard engines.

One of VENTURA's propulsion motors.

On board ORIANA in comparison main power is supplied by 8 medium speed diesel engines in the  “father and son arrangement” built by MAN B&W which combined generate a total of  47,750kw 2 of these engines are connected via clutches and gearboxes to  the propeller shafts which when augmented  by booster motors to allow ORIANA to easily achieve speeds in excess of her service speed of 24 knots with each shaft producing 28,000hp.

  One of ORIANA's engines seen from above.

The remainder of the engines act as auxiliaries and provide her on board power for her electrical systems and hotel services in the event of a problem with auxiliary engines her main engines can power shaft driven generators arranged through the main engines gearbox.

Being very different sized ships is obvious that the two have slightly different fuel storage capacity VENTURA having 3200 tonnes compared with ORIANA's 2346 tonnes.
When ORIANA's fuel tanks are full this gives her a range of 5800 nautical miles (10748.467 km )
At a speed of 24knots ORIANA can travel 21 metres (69 feet) per gallon of fuel burned,
VENTURA in comparison when at cruising speed of around 17 to 18 Knots can cover 19.2 metres (63 feet) per gallon of fuel burned

Below the water line ORIANA propelled through the water by two 4 bladed 35 ton 5.79m (19ft) controllable pitch LIPS propellers giving the ship a faster response time to speed changes since the ship can be taken for example from All Ahead Full to Full Astern with out stopping and reversing the propellers direction.

    ORIANA's propellers and rudders during refit, 2004.

 VENTURA's propellers are 2 6 "skewed" bladed 5.6 metres each weigh around 16 tons and when at full revelation can propel  her at around 22 knots.
Being designed for regional cruising with only occasional repositioning cruises between Europe and the Caribbean she is generally not required to attain higher speeds only really requiring to so to avoid rough weather.

In these environmentally aware times ships need to play their part in reducing impact on the planet these range from small things such as energy efficient light bulbs to exhaust economisers and heat reclaim facilities.
 

In order to reclaim heat normally lost, both use a steam boiler plant which absorbs heat from the gases which is in turn used to produce steam which can then be used in a number of ways on board from heating and cooking in the galley, hot and cold water production for the hotel side of things to heating fuel before it is combusted in the ship’s engines

Below is a basic diagram showing  the type of vertical steam boilers used on board ship as a part of the heat reclaim system.

On board VENTURA the system comprises of two Danish built oil fired Aalborg vertical water tube auxiliary boilers with six exhaust economizers.

ORIANA features a plant that consists of two vertical down fired boilers, two Diesecon water-tube exhaust -gas boilers and two Diesecon twin water-tube exhaust gas boilers.
  
Photos Copyright: P&O Cruises.

Memories of ORIANA in Tenerife

Our friend Antonio Saez sent us these beautiful images of ORIANA in Tenerife's main port of Santa Cruz, during a call the P&O cruise liner did on 11th May of 2010.
The harbour of Santa Cruz is home for several ferries that run daily crossings between the islands of the Canaries archipelago. Something we can notice as ORIANA approached on a lovely morning sceane following the ferry VOLCAN DE TAMADABA as one of Fred Olsen Express's fast ferries the Hsc BENCOMO was leaving.

With the pilot onboard ORIANA turned hard to port performing a circle manouver then to enter the harbour on that same orientation.
To conclude some appropriate images of her departure later that afternoon, with ORIANA heading astern until reaching the turning point where she swung to portside and proceeded with her cruise.

Photos and Source: Antonio Saez.

Comparing first impressions

Continuing on from our post several weeks ago,  today we are looking at the difference in between the look of P&O Cruises New builds and ORIANA.

As announced last time we are looking in particular at the 2008 built Crown Class VENTURA and occasionally her 2010 built sister AZURA.

To begin with this week we will begin to look at the interiors of the 2 vessels, to see how the P&O style has developed since 1995.

In order to do this we will compare several different areas on board VENTURA to their ORIANA counter parts

We will begin the first of these posts by comparing the first impressions that passengers get when boarding each ship with the structure which forms the heart of each ship’s accommodation -the atrium.

For many the atrium is an important addition to a passenger ship as serves not only as a “crossroads” through the ship but also as the introduction to the ship and it’s on board style.

 On board ORIANA the atrium takes the form of a spiral shaped staircase ascending through 4 decks from decks 5 to 8 where it is topped by an elegant art deco glass themed ceiling which lends its name to the coffee bar located surrounding the top landing of the staircase the Tiffany’s coffee bar.
Behind the staircase the wall of marble mounts a waterfall which runs the full hight of the atrium.

Each level of the atrium is also named Deck 5- Garden Court, Deck 6-Queens Court, Deck 7-Royal Court and Deck 8- Tiffany Court  

The lower level of ORIANA's atrium on deck 5.

The Tiffany styled glass ceiling above the atrium staircase on deck 8 .

On board VENTURA the atrium although on a larger scale than ORIANA’s is a three deck high structure which has a staircase on either side which tier down the levels and is ‘crowned’ by a glass ceiling which is lit from above with colour changing lighting.

  View of VENTURA's atrium form deck 5.

Both offer similar services with a similar coffee themed bar Tazzine serving as an equivalent to ORIANA's Tiffany's being located at the bottom of VENTURA’s atrium a feature carried forward to newer sister ship AZURA where an almost indistinguishable venue is Java is located with the port side of the upper level of the atrium being a bar area.

Java on board VENTURA's sistership AZURA.

The overall design while attractive has changed little from its counterparts on the original Princess Crown Class ships the only real differences being in terms of décor.

At each level the atrium on both ships there is on offer a selection of the shipboard services such as shops on board ORIANA the shops are smaller “boutique” styled shops located on decks 6 & 7 respectively as can be seen the image below of the deck 7.

On board the Crown Class VENTURA there is something more akin to a shopping Centre feel around the shops with their polished floors and bright airy open plan, even being marked as “Shopping Centre” on the in cabin television map . 

 The deck 5 shop from VENTURA.

On board ORIANA the atrium is located just aft of the forward stairway and lifts being it being a matter of short walk to reach them in comparison the atriums of the Crown Class are located directly forward the midships stairway and lifts creating a small lobby area for 6 lifts two of which glass fronted offering views out over the atrium.

 A view looking down VENTURA's atrium showing the two glass lift shafts.

Photos Copyright :P&O Cruises & Steve Martin