Onboard ORIANA

The Library

For the literature lover the place to be onboard ORIANA is the ships Library and The Thackeray Room located amidships on Deck 8
Like most of the other rooms onboard ORIANA they are designed both to be timelessly elegant and also to fit in with ORIANA’s combination of classic and modern facilities.
Theses areas continue ORIANA’s royal connections by featuring furniture designed specifically for her by Viscount David Linley nephew of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Viscount David Linley.

With the exception of a few other modern cruise liners including fleet mate AURORA, a dedicated library space is becoming quite a rarity with the modern trend tending to be a smaller room which also features computers creating more of a combined Library/Computer Study space.
In its character the library is another of ORIANA’s rooms which continues the ocean liner feel which is prominent throughout many areas of the ship it is achieved here by having the room panelled in a dark wood with all the wooden bookcases set into the walls, of note is the light fixtures in the room which bare more than a passing resemblance to those featured on the Olympic class liners of the early 20th century, its dark green carpet completing the classical relaxing effect.
The Library invites passengers to linger around its large octagonal table which often can be found with a large jigsaw puzzle on it for passengers to work on at their own leisure.
Like many of the public spaces onboard ORIANA there is subtle reminder to passengers that they are indeed on a ship, in The Library this is done by the inclusion of a Atlas on its own dedicated table, always available for the passengers to look at the destinations being visited the cruise.
Like any good Library there is on offer a good mix of both Fiction and non-Fiction books for passengers to indulge their literary passion, with a selection of books being available for purchase.
During the last days of a cruise onboard is usual for the library staff to have a book sale normally in the atrium which includes books of all genres and for all ages.
During the hours the library is open the desk is manned by a Liberian who is more than willing to help with any enquiries passengers may have.
The Library is open for borrowing from 8am to 8pm on sea days and open 8am to 1pm and then again from 4pm to 9pm on port days.

After choosing a new book to read or seeking a restful place to write a diary entry or letters home passengers might choose to relax in the refined writing room The Thackeray Room named for the renowned 19th century author of Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray who travelled on several of the company’s vessels for a free cruise to Egypt in 1844.

William Makepeace Thackeray.

The room features more of Viscount Liney’s furniture including a elegant grandfather clock.
It continues with a similar theme to The Library with the predominate colour being green with wooden highlights, adding to the country house feel.

The room invites passengers to read with its high back comfortable chairs or to write with its elegant writing tables and desk lamps,
The Thackeray Room is the perfect place to find a quiet comfortable place either before or after dinner to relax having a good read.
On the opposite side of The Library is Crichtons a venue which hosts another Ocean liner tradition - card games.
Named for one of P&O’s former directors Sir Andrew Crichton, it is popular with many of the more senior passengers for whom the card tournament is still a must ,although no longer played for reward it is a past time that generations ships passengers have enjoyed.

Sir Andrew Crichton.

The room offers a elegant and quiet venue with many tables to socialise over a game of cards or for one of the number of board games on offer.

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Use of Chichtons is mostly unsupervised for card and board games with most being families or groups of friends arranging games amongst them selves.

Of organised activities during the cruise there is various card tournaments and a nightly syndicate quiz with the prize at the end of the cruise being a bottle of P&O’s own label wine.
With many of her fleet mates lacking a games room, the activities traditionally associated with such a room are usually found another often unsuitable venue.

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