quinta-feira, 27 de setembro de 2012

ORIANA returning to the Garden Isle

We mentioned previously that ORIANA would be making  her next call at Funchal, Madeira in October during a return crossing from the Caribbean as the last port of call before returning to Southampton.
However due to a strike in Ponta Delgada in the Azores originally planned as the first port call ORIANA will now be calling in Funchal tomorrow, where she will join GRAND MISTRAL and SAGA RUBY making for a trio of contrasts.
ORIANA will instead call in the Azores on her return journey to Southampton.
ORIANA during her last call at Madeira.  

Photo Copyright: João Abreu

sábado, 22 de setembro de 2012

Latest literature relase

As mentioned in an earlier post this year has seen the publication of two books to feature ORIANA and AURORA as their subject matter the second of which ORIANA & AURORA Taking UK Cruising into A New Millennium went on sale this week.
 Written by Sharon Poole and Andrew Sassoli-Walker the book more than lives up to the promise of its cover photography by detailing the ship's careers to date and interviews with crew members both past and present revels little known characteristics and stories relating to the ships accompanied by many photographs of each ship.
Beginning with a forward for each ship from Commodore Ian Gibb and former P&O's Managing Director Gwyn Hughes respectively Sharon and Andrew's book serves as a excellent tribute to undeniably the two finest liners built in modern times and the true successors of P&O's famed CANBERRA.

quinta-feira, 20 de setembro de 2012

ORIANA in Crime fiction

"As the Passengers join ORIANA in Southampton they are hoping to leave troubles behind them for the peace tranquility and the unexpected delights of a summer cruise.
Not are on board for pleasure. There are those who seek revenge, hide a guilty secret or are escaping from an adulterous past. Others are mere opportunists
As the Captain steers a smooth course towards the warm waters of the Mediterranean, the passengers start to relax and romance begins to flourish
Then Murder strikes......" 
The above is the  interesting and somewhat fanciful synopsis of  The Cruise: A Novel of Murder & Romance which was published in 1995 offers "an a tale of consequences full of mystery and passion" which was set on board ORIANA.
The book written by no less than 14 authors among  them Bernard Cornwell, famed for his Sharpe series of novels, was the brainchild of the Dyslexia Institute who would receive a donation from each copy sold.
It also marks something of an usual use for a cruise liner while the great ocean liners of the past often may have played host to the odd murder mystery and even Britain's' most famous Secret agent 007 abseiling  down the side of the original QUEEN ELIZABETH it is a rarity, some might say mercifully, for a modern liner to play host this kind of fiction.
Having enjoy several cruises on board I can not help but be puzzled by how the authors envisioned such a fiendish plot within ORIANA's opulence.

quarta-feira, 19 de setembro de 2012

ORIANA at the Garden Isle

Yesterday ORIANA once again graced the Port of Funchal, Madeira with her presence as the first port of call on her current  10 night Atlantic Island cruise.
Arriving shortly before 9am she displayed her graceful lines in the morning light as she turned to dock.
Departing at 5:30pm she procced to her next port of call Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
ORIANA will return to the floating Garden in October when she will make an Afternoon/Evening call after Atlantic crossing from the Caribbean.
Below are some photographs showing her arrival yesterday.    
Photos Copyright: João Abreu.

domingo, 16 de setembro de 2012

Cruise Experience 2012

10th June-At Sea

As P&O's mighty flagship had  made her way into the North Sea and onward towards Norway during the early hours of the morning she had done so in the grace and style which her regular passengers had come to expect and certainly the passage overnight had been a comfortable and calm one so much so that it was only at about 8:15am that we awoke.
Being that it was Sunday and ORIANA's beds being impossibly comfortable it was fair bet that many other passengers were doing the same enjoying lying in and resting on the first full day on board and in contrast undoubtedly there had been some early risers who would have been up early making the most of ORIANA's spacious decks while they were empty.
Shortly after getting ready for the day our first stop was breakfast in The Peninsular Restaurant which was only partially filled which was to be expected with other passengers  having either eaten earlier or in one of the alternative venues specifically The Conservatory and Al frescos.
Prior to the previous night The Peninsular had been the only main dining venue which I had been allocated to dine in on board so it was with a little fondness that I was found my self once again seated in it and like the rest of the ship it looked as good as it ever has done not the slightest sign of wear.
After a good breakfast the day began proper and firstly to see what the first day on board had to offer.

For many certainly among the ladies on board it would be the opportunity to get ready for the evenings Gala Reception with the Captain while that was some hours away beauty therapy in the Spa and retail therapy in the shops would be a must.
For us it simply offered the chance to enjoy the ambiance of the ship and to reminisce over times and how our friendship began courtesy of the ship we now had the pleasure of sailing on.
For what would doubtlessly be the first of many occasions we headed out onto ORIANA open decks firstly to the forward open area directly forward of the deck tennis courts and Oasis spa.
The view ahead was as always inspiring watching as ORIANA's slender and sharp bow pushed ahead despite it being more than a little windswept the was no waves to speak of and no pitching motion just ORIANA's bow seemingly gliding through the water.
Not wanting to freeze in the wind a quick walk to the terraced decks which offered protection from brisk North Sea Breeze.
 With enough photographs for the time being from the decks and with fingers rapidly turning blue heading back inside to the warmth seemed a good idea.
By now ORIANA was the typical animated scene of a ship at sea with her passengers going about their day in their own unique way it was interesting to note that my initial concerns that the new role as an adults only ship may have in many ways affected the on board atmosphere this was not the case since the being on board like the ship herself was as good as it ever had been.
A tale of two ORIANA'S- Part of the 175th Anniversary images. 

Retuning to the cabin to place our jackets and cameras there we found that Daniel having already been efficient and the cabin was made up with day covers on beds and as reminder the invitation to the Gala Reception had already arrived.
While it would be an event to look forward to it was many hours away and wasn't the foremost on either of our minds.
One of the features which never ceased to amaze me and even more so this cruise was the amount of space on offer despite being a virtually full with 1,800 or so passengers all on board going about the first day on board there never seemed to lack free space and unlike her fleet mates even AURORA there were several comfortable and inviting seating areas on various levels of the atrium which were not linked to a bar area
Along with The Crow's Nest, which we would undoubtedly visit before the morning was over,another favorite venue was Tiffany's the Coffee bar atop of the atrium and given its relaxing ambiance by the over head stained glass ceiling and the sound of the waterfall and offered us the perfect venue to talk about the cruise thus far, it also was also the perfect reminder of the attention to detail that ORIANA's designers put into her interiors not only with larger features such as the Tiffany styled ceiling and waterfall but also in the smaller details that most wouldn't give a second glance here that was most visible with the wood carved wall panels which lined the bar and corridor leading to the forward stairway.
Like its counterparts on ORIANA's fleet mates Tiffany's now offered the popular Costa brand coffee which made the perfect companion to an in depth discussion relating to ORIANA and maritime subjects.
In fact a mixture of the conversation and surroundings led to us being there for some considerable time.
Elsewhere on board other passengers occupied themselves with many of the other activities taking place on this first day at sea, the activities had began early with complimentary keep fit class in the Spa and fitness centre as well as a 'walk a mile' around the promenade deck.
Following on from the class there was Tai Chi  taking place and while on this cruise it was intended to make use of the Spa as another 'first' at some point that would be certainly for relaxation rather than exercise.
Away from the spa in Chaplins Cinema passengers with an interest in politics would find a the days film The Iron Lady a worthwhile watch .
For the ladies who were looking something a little different a talk on Perfumes with the on board expert along the same lines later in the day a talk relating to Diamonds scheduled certainly if any ladies had expensive tastes their husbands would be keeping them from the talks!
The sound of church bells played over the Public address system marked in a traditional manner the beginning of the multi-faith religious service that was being held by Captain Pembridge in the ship's theatre.
As we contemplated moving from Tiffany's several of the Entertainment teams began setting up for a quiz the first of the day.
By now most of the bars were open and the passengers who were not engaged in working out or taking part in activities were enjoying the morning sat in the bar much like on land only in much finer surroundings  the different age groups going about their own things younger to middle aged men were sat to the bars enjoying a beer or two while the older generations sat together in groups discussing anything and everything.
One of the advantages of being on board a ship of course was that one could completely disconnect so to speak with the outside world choosing too cut temporarily all ties with land and  because the ship is its own enclosed world it is an option many would enjoy however for this cruise many on board would be focused on the small matter of Football, while the Lord's Tavern was at present a fairly calm venue that would certainly change later in the day with the Euro 2012 tournament being shown . 
Outside despite the North Sea breeze passengers took the time to leisurely take the air on the promenade deck ORIANA's leisurely.
The old saying of time flies when your having fun was certainly very appropriate in this case as a combination of the ship's relaxing ambiance and good company passed the time quickly.
Having a little time before midday we took to The Crow's Nest which after hosting some talks earlier was now fairly empty.
The view although a little overcast was of a fairly calm sea with the occasional tanker passing and in the distance the shape of several oil rigs were discernible.
With a chime from the Public address system the officer of the watch announcing the time at midday as the ships bell struck 12 times an afternoon on board ORIANA began.

sexta-feira, 14 de setembro de 2012

It's all ORIANA's Fault!

While ORIANA has been now successfully in back in service for over 8 months and looking like new it seems that her £25,000,000 (30,000,000€) refit has had a less than favorable effect on fellow Carnival Corp ship QM2 or at least in the opinion of some ship aficionados. 
Since her own re entry into service last December the Cunard flagship has suffered several technical difficulties including engine problems during her world cruise and it has also been noted by some her paintwork had appeared to be peeling mere months after the refit.
These along with other maintenance issues raised recently in a review have been put down by some down to the extended time was ORIANA in refit and funds and resources were diverted from QUEEN MARY 2.
Thus the result being a rushed job and use of an inferior paint for her hull. 
While it is true that the two vessels are the most iconic flagships of Carnival and both have several points of comparison it does seem quite amusing and novel that enthusiasts would consider such a line of thought.

domingo, 2 de setembro de 2012

Comparison of fleet mates

Without question the most iconic and authentic ships of the modern P&O Cruises fleet are ORIANA and near sister AURORA.
As is well known amongst fans of these remarkable ships AURORA was initially  designed to be a sister to ORIANA featuring more of the formers signature features including the CANBERRA inspired funnel and arrangement of the upper forward decks.
Many of the changes to the design was made by Swedish designer Anders Johansson who was approached by P&O to contribute towards the design it was his intention to create a more 'streamlined' ship.


The image below shows an early rendering which features a curious mixture of ORIANA's features with several which would feature on the completed ship