Inaugural season images

Available to purchase on board ORIANA during her Inaugural season/Maiden Voyage the images show some of the memorabilia passengers could pick up in ORIANA's Photography shop.
Always a popular "port of call" while on board passengers often pick up photos availble to buy, however being on board the newest and most advanced passenger liner ever built picking up photo souvenirs such as the two below  

The first showing ORIANA shortly after completion looking resplendent with her freshly painted hull and being fully illuminated.

The second ORIANA cuts a fine figure at sea with a fine shot of her at speed and signed by Commodore Gibb.

Ships Monthly August 1994 - Introducing the ORIANA

The August 1994 Ships Monthly the could not be any more prestigious than a preview of P&O's newest and largest liner ORIANA.
With an excellent computer generated image of the still incomplete Super Liner which instantly gave a striking impression of both how elegant and traditional the ship would be.
In the text it gave the introduction "She will be the fastest cruise liner built for 25 years with an operating speed of 24 knots.
Her high speed an technically advanced hull will enable ORIANA to operate the best and most and most far-reaching itineraries world-wide and she will be specifically designed and equipped to operate round-the-world cruises, unlike most modern cruise ships."

Early Concept Image

Below is an early concept image released in the early 90's before Meyer Werft involvement was announced and although has several features that would be incorporated to ORIANA it also features some rejected features reminiscent of CANBERRA such as the rounded superstructure front as well as a different shaped Crow's Nest/Observation Deck area. More information about ORIANA's Concept and Design can be found at our History In The Making Section.

Image Copyright P&O

ORIANA's early promise

When ORIANA first enter service in 1995 she had to gain her own following of loyal fans in much the same which CANBERRA had gained in her 34 years of service.
Being the newest ship in the UK market would initially give a high interest and and amount of bookings but only time and good reviews would tell if she would prove to be a success.
Helping her on way was a review from prestigious holiday programme "Wish You Here...?"
With a episode dedicated to her the presenter summed up her time on board by saying experienced and novice cruisers would feel at home on board "My first impressions are that she will, she's a lovely ship and they have paid great attention to the detail in the design"

ORIANA during her maiden season : Copyright P&O Cruises.

Further images of ORIANA

Continuing with the theme of ORIANA in Passenger shipping literature we have below two more images of ORIANA.
The first is again from P&O Port Out , Starboard Home by David L Williams and appears to have been taken prior to her hand over to P&O in March 1995, this is evidenced by the lack of P&O's house flag and the Meyer Werft company flag flying on her Mast.

The second is from the 2009 published P&O Princess The Cruise Ships by Roger Cartwright and shows ORIANA docked sometime in 2008 although the port where the photo was taken is not mentioned.

Photo Copyrights Bettina Rohbrecht & Roger Cartwright.

A maiden meeting

15 years after her own inaugural cruise while passing through the straits of Messina ORIANA met very briefly with her newest fleet mate AZURA during her own maiden cruise
Below are several photos of that transit taken from AZURA's starboard promenade deck on the 22nd April 2010

Photos Copyright: Steve Martin