ORIANA's Final Voyage

Last Monday ORIANA  set off from Southampton on her Final Voyage for P&O and the last before her handover to Astro Ocean International Cruise Line.
This last voyage for ORIANA is taking her to the North Cape and  among other ports of call Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands to her final port of call as Oriana Belfast, of course the birth place of ORIANA's much missed and beloved mother CANBERRA.

ORIANA departs for her Final Voyage Photo:Patricia Dempsey

Among her passengers for this final voyage is one of loyal followers Bob Bowler who has provided us with photos for this blog over the years and this last voyage is no exception as he has kindly been sending us some excellent photos from ORIANA's final voyage.
From the departure day he captured a view of the newly completed SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY from Saga Cruises like ORIANA built by Meyer Werft although lacking the fine lines of the P&O ship.
Also onboard for this Final Voyage to fittingly to bookend her career her first master Commodore Ian Gibb.

The latest generation of Meyer Werft ship taken from one of the greatest

 Arriving at her first port of call Tórshavn ORIANA was enveloped in fog which lifted quickly as she came alongside.

ORIANA's fog covered Sun Deck looking toward the observation Deck

The fog lifts from ORIANA's aft Sun Deck

ORIANA docked in Tórshavn

 The next call brought ORIANA to Leknes in Norway's Lofoten Islands and while located within the Arctic Circle the weather ORIANA and her passengers and crew found were far from what one would expect instead a temperature sitting around 26 degrees brought visitors and ORIANA's crew to the beach.

A view across ORIANA's terraced decks at Lekness

ORIANA'S Promande deck with tenders lowered

ORIANA's passengers return to her tenders with ORIANA herself on anchor

Following on from Leknes ORIANA has made her way for the final time to the iconic North Cape a destination she has visited many times over her career.

ORIANA passing near the North Cape

 ORIANA is in her final week and a half serving the passengers she was built for and what is clear is that to those who have followed and returned to her over the years and, for those who she was the face of cruising P&O Cruises is no longer the company it once was, no longer dedicated to giving an authentic British cruise experience but rather just another out of touch by the numbers face of Carnival UK.

Photos: Bob Bowler