ORIANA's new look

As the end of the year draws near so does the end of an era for ORIANA and P&O Cruises, following in the wake of fleet mate and "half sister" AURORA and foreshadowing the arrival BRITANNIA, ORIANA will receive the new look livery featuring the new look blue funnel with P&O rising sun logo Union Flag hull art and larger blue "P&O CRUISES" lettering on the hull as demonstated on this on board poster featuring the fleet.

Briefly on the 18th December ORIANA met AURORA in Southampton during the wind swept early hours of the morning ORIANA passed AURORA fresh from her refit berthed in the Queen Elizabeth II terminal showing ORIANA what is to come for her.

AURORA docked in Southampton seen from ORIANA.

Provisionally scheduled to receive the new look late next month/ early February along with OCEANA it seems that P&O have started early with ORIANA's crew already repainting the famed CANBERRA inspired funnel blue during her current Christmas/New Year cruise.

 Time to say goodbye...ORIANA's buff funnel proudly illuminated in Lisbon, 15th December 2014.

As is expected when a long standing feature such as a livery is changed it causes a fair amount of discussion among cruise fans and ship fans alike, mostly from cruise fans there has been a fair amount of  praise the new look feeling the older livery needed renewing after its use for over 8 decades, while others mainly fans of the ships them selves are more resereved about the look feeling it is in some ways a loss of  P&O's identity and not in keeping with the lines of ORIANA and AURORA both having been designed with the clean lines not featuring any hull art.
Whatever peoples views are one thing is for certain it can be hoped that P&O sort out the lettering used in the livery otherwise they will end up spending a lot more having them reapplied regularly.