Overnight while her passengers had slept ORIANA had, under the careful watch of her officers, continued on her southern course on route for the infamous Bay of Biscay passing throughout the night the French coastline.
ORIANA at sea.
Waking early so as to make the most of my first day at sea my first destination on board was a visit to the promenade deck where unsurprisingly there was no other passenger around; it almost felt as though I had an entire 69,000 ton luxury cruise liner to myself a dream indeed!
Being that ORIANA was; according to the Cruise log about to enter the Bay of Biscay it was perhaps appropriate that the weather was overcast with grey cloud and a small amount of rain joined with the slight spray which washed just clear of the deck rail.
An empty Promenade deck.
Heading back inside the atrium was empty except for a solitary member of the housekeeping crew who was dusting the light fixtures of the main staircase.
The atrium which was normally bustling as passengers made their way through the ship was uncharacteristically quiet the glass art deco ceiling illuminated with a dark blue hue.
Walking slightly aft from the atrium Andersons like all the other public rooms was empty having just been cleaned peering in only the lone portrait of Her Majesty the Queen met my gaze as it stood a silent watch over the room.
Heading to the forward and deciding that walking up the forward was better than using the lifts, I ascended the stairs slowly heading up towards The Crow’s Nest it seemed the best place to stand for a while watching ORIANA’s progress into the Bay of Biscay watching as the spray danced from the swells which were playfully breaking ahead of ORIANA’s bow.
By now the sky and sea were of the same grey colour not an overly interesting or welcome sight but I mused, part and parcel of cruising taking the good with the bad in terms of weather.
It may not have looked the most favourable conditions but ORIANA at least was doing her best to keep her passengers comfortable and at present there was no rolling and only the slightest amount of pitching, although it was not enough to break my step.
Despite the not so perfect weather conditions it was none the less interesting to stand looking out to sea having next to me a classically designed compass binnacle while traditionally one would have stood directly in front of a ships helm on the bridge, it suited this room particularly well and always made an interesting item for newcomers to ORIANA to look at.
Heading outside onto the open sun deck and feeling the full chill of a morning breeze on the Atlantic.
By this time some of the passengers were beginning to rise and looking down onto the Rivera pool some of those who had a similar idea as me to have a pre breakfast walk around the ship.
While my own plans for breakfast where to have it in the Peninsular Restaurant when it opened for open sitting in at 8am some of the passengers were having an early continental buffet breakfast being served from 6.30am until 7am in The Conservatory and from 6.30am to 11am a more regular breakfast.
Before walking back inside the next stop on my morning tour was to the stern terraces one of ORIANA’s many elegant features.
Back inside and by now more passengers were up and about and on returning to the cabin checked the information channel for the latest update on our progress.
Since we were on route for Spain the on boards clocks had been brought forward by 1 hour and as such the information channel was displaying message reminding passengers who may have forgotten.
Of more interest to me was the navigational information being displayed on the screen, ORIANA was at present was at 17knots and was edging her way through Biscay on route to Spain.
Arriving a short time later at the Peninsular Restaurant we given a seat a table for 8 which was coincidently near our table for evening dining, soon to be joined by other it was fortunate that they were all in particularly good frame of mind and all up for a good conversation.
While most of those at the table were senior citizens they seemed more than talk with someone such as me who was at least 4 decades younger.
The first topic of conversation which was started by one of the couples was one which was particular interest to me, they previous cruise before this one had been on board AURORA and as avid fans of ORIANA they were telling their opinions on points of comparison.
Being that AURORA was built by the same yard and shared many of ORIANA’s outstanding external features it was interesting to hear their opinions, which as it turned out was negative and lacking any of style sophistication of ORIANA.
Although they said in AURORA’s defence it was purely that ORIANA was more to their tastes and while ORIANA & AURORA shared some minor interior similarities for them it was in the small things such as light fixtures which ORIANA won out on.
While most at the table had also cruised with other companies on both large and smaller ships their preferences were all to P&O and to ORIANA, AURORA & ARCADIA, in time all three ships I would have the opportunity to enjoy time on board.
With good conversation, excellent unobtrusive and friendly service from the waiters breakfast quickly past and just before its end the Navigator made his morning announcement from the bridge.
The announcement just gave passengers an update on ORIANA’s current movement, weather conditions etc in this case overcast with moderate seas and the chance of rain showers, not the best weather but it wasn’t exactly weather which we could not cope with before ending his announcement the officer left passengers with wishes for a good day on board ORIANA.
Breakfast over and new acquaintances made, a full day on board was well and truly beginning.
Now that ORIANA was ‘fully awake’ she had taken on another character in fact she had taken on several, her elegant surroundings and beautiful public rooms gave for her passengers the timeless feeling of being on board classic ocean liner while also offering modern amenities on the other hand for those who chose there option of being more resort casual and for the youngest passengers was offering more than enough entertainment to keep even the most stubborn teenager occupied.
Watching as group of 10 year olds went bouncing on space hoppers with the Youth bouncing after them passengers and a passing crew member couldn’t help but break into laughter as the spectacle passed by.
So what exactly does ORIANA have on offer for passengers while at sea?
A question which I had not been able to answer from my first cruise, and also one I was eager to find out for myself.
If I believed what was written on some of the cruise review websites then all they offered was the chance for P&O’s aged clientele to reminisce and moan about the loss of their beloved CANBERRA while drinking all day long, however with the ships name being spelled as ORURA I somehow doubted the review had any basis in reality!
The answer as I soon found out was different things to different people.
For those who were health & beauty conscious the forward Lido deck would be where they want to spend their time in the Oasis spa and nearby gym was located and for those who were interested the day was beginning with tour of the spa as well as many different lectures being held on various treatments being held throughout the day, with the evening playing host to the Captains Gala reception many of the passengers were booking with both the hair salon and Spa.
For me the day was all about settling in and not to be rushing from one activity to the other and being fan of all things maritime headed towards the library for any books on shipping.
Even in this respect ORIANA didn’t disappoint with the books on offer, in fact it was difficult to choose but in the end CANBERRA In the wake of a legend the official P&O book commemorating her retirement and also Cruise Ships An Evolution in Design both by maritime writer Philip Dawson.
As the morning passed unfortunately the weather, as it was predicated to do, deteriorated and as the waves grew in size from a vantage point in The Crow’s Nest the effect of passing through a rain storm in a room almost entirely created by floor to ceiling windows was quite striking as the rain bounced off.
Although ORIANA herself was remaining fairly steady being at the highest most forward room on board the ship the motion felt greater than it actually was.
Despite the slight movement the waiters were still walking with their drinks trey full of glasses without breaking their step or for that matter any glasses!
On neighbouring table a passenger was discussing some of the worse weather he had encountered in his many years of cruising which had been a year before on board QUEEN MARY 2 while on the North Sea on a Norwegian fjords cruise,
When asked if he thought that being on board QM2 made it a more comfortable experience he said not really the pitching motion had left many cabin bound and the theatre show cancelled.
It was my guess that the others had yet to experience the liner as they were basing their assumptions on what friends had told them about a Atlantic crossing.
On days like this on board it appeared that ORIANA with her venues proved as well as having activities she is also perfect for finding a quiet corner to speak to chat and relax in.
At midday the officer of the watch made hi noon announcement from the bridge preceded by 12 rings of the ships bell.
After giving some of ORIANA’s navigational information, including currently she was continuing at 17.1 knots and had travelled 304 nautical miles (563.367 km) since her departure from Southampton the previous day and although was not travelling at near her top speed she was travelling at a high enough speed to reach the first destinations of La Coruna the next morning and to be clearing the Bay of Biscay by no later than 7:30pm.
Finishing with the navigational information he moved on to a brief description of some of the areas undersea features which made the area so infamous with ship passengers as well as some of the local sea life often seen in the area such as whales and dolphins
Concluding he wished all an excellent afternoon on board, which was really assured.
While the open sitting lunch was being served in The Peninsular restaurant there were still many activities going around ORIANA from the Lord’s Tavern Battle of the Sexes quiz, something of a favourite among quiz fans which was being followed by music from the guest duo Rebound.
While appreciators of fine arts were given the opportunity to look at the some rather overpriced paintings which were on display in the Pacific lounge before having the opportunity to bid on later in the day during one of the cruises Art Auctions.
Elsewhere on board for those who wanted to brush up on their dancing steps for the evening’s Gala dance were ready.
While not enjoying the activities on board passengers were spending the evening getting ready for the gala evening beginning with the Captain’s Gala Reception.
Much like the year before the Invitation for the Reception had arrived during the day and the arrangements were similar to last year with 1st & 2nd sittings being hosted in The Crow’s Nest for passengers dining The Peninsular and The Pacific lounge for diners in The Oriental.
Despite still inclement weather passengers were busy shopping for accessories for the night’s dinner, quite how one good accessorise for dinner was something of mystery to me but was none the less interesting to watch.
While the weather progressively worsened ORIANA although still not suffering from much movement had many passengers who were beginning to feel the effects of sea sickness and with the fear of missing the cocktails & Champagne at the Captain’s Reception were in search of remedies from the Emporium shop either in form of a herbal remedy or for pressure point therapy by motion sickness bands.
By about 5:30pm the sea conditions were improving dramatically as ORIANA passed left the worse of the local weather conditions in her wake as all on board were ready to enjoy a good gala night courtesy of ORIANA and her crew.
Arriving deck 13 the queues had already formed and as the doors opened we were able to see unlike the year before Captain Reid was personally greeting all the passengers in a friendly and enthusiastic manner.
Many Cocktails followed and the Captain’s speech was met with round of applause.
With lounge music filling the air complimenting the sound of glasses meeting as the passengers enjoyed the beginning of another formal night on board ORIANA.
Concluding at the Reception next stop was Diner where the head waiter ensured each lady in the room had a single rose to take back to the cabin with them.Another excellent night on board was assured.
