Penultimate call in Funchal

Sadly, gone were the days when writing a post like this was unthinkable, but still the worst came... We all were sure that we would write about ORIANA for many many years to come, but seems like the bad omens became true, in the end P&O is not the same company as it was 25 years ago, so she wouldn't have the same treatment and such long career as her predecessor CANBERRA had, said and done! The result of the current trend of modernization and massification of the cruise industry.

Yesterday it was ORIANA's penultime call in Funchal, a city which will always have a special connection to her, the first landfall of her inaugural voyage 24 years ago, after departure from the homeport Southampton on 9th April 1995.

At about 7 am she was making her way into port, coming from Praia da Vitória, Azores archipelago, while on a 16-day itinerary around the Atlantic Isles, and after a typical cruise day visit, she left her moorings at nearly 5:30 pm, casting off slowly and silently too, which almost felt like a sign of the demise that is about to come upon her. Soon the pilot disembarked and she was bound to La Palma, Canaries.

The last call under P&O's flag will happen next month already, on the 7th June, and most certainly in Funchal that day the emotions will be on a high level, just like on that historic overnight call on 12/13th April 1995, but on a total opposite feeling.

Images taken with a mobile phone, thus the not so good quality, but between capturing the moments or not, best to capture with what we have.