Cruise Experience 2012

9th June :-

Boarding and Departure

After many months of waiting and anticipating finally the time was almost right to return to ORIANA for what would undoubtedly be another excellent cruise on board P&O's magnificent masterpiece, however on this day maybe to heighten the expectation a little further it was different from the previous occasions, for me this would be my 5th time on board joining me for his first cruise on board the ship he eagerly had watched since childhood was my good friend and the creator of this blog João Abreu, such was the allure of ORIANA it had been because of my previous cruise on her I had come to know him and despite living far apart we had become close and valued friends and as we approached the docks and the cranes and containers came into view it was almost time to pay respects to the great lady of the seas who had made it all possible - ORIANA.

 On this occasion all of the terminals were occupied with cruise ships the first to come into view was the mother of the Grand/Crown type ship GRAND PRINCESS docked in the Mayflower terminal once the largest ship in the world she looked impressive until compared to the giant docked in the City terminal  CELEBRITY ECLIPSE beautiful from the inside most certainly and a awesome sight due to her size the one attribute this Meyer Werft ship could not boast was fine lines or exterior elegance.
Next in the Ocean Terminal the last new build for P&O AZURA was docked ready to embark her 3000+ passengers as such the book ends of the Grand/Crown class were present GRAND PRINCESS the pioneer of the Grand Class and AZURA the last member of the derived Crown class ships.
Finally docked by starboard side in the Queen Elizabeth II terminal almost as though she was welcoming her expectant passengers ORIANA, her bow facing towards us as we approached and looking as elegant as ever despite some slight modifications made to her bridge wings, most prominently the addition of a canvas cover on each ORIANA did not look a single one of her 17 years indeed it seemed almost as though she was the youngest the only sign of her age being the fact that ORIANA was the only ship in port that wasn't from a class of mass produced hulls.
Arriving at the terminal almost as soon as we had stepped from the car our luggage had been collected by a porter in a scene almost reminiscent of a embarkation day from the old ocean liners he hurriedly took them away to be loaded on board.

Parting with the driver and with ORIANA looming beyond the terminal we joined the queue to check in, thankfully not very long and in no time at all we were at the desk with passports and tickets at the ready as the process began the check in assistant amused at our matching ORIANA Maiden Voyage T-shirts.
With check in complete another important procedure began with the security screening of course a must and in these days a welcome sight ensuring that all safety procedures being followed completely.

 Once completed all that remained was the customary boarding photograph which on this occasion showed two expectant fans ready to board their favorite cruise liner leaving little doubt the excitement the two shared and then finally a steep gangway leading into ORIANA after swiping the cruise card to officially sign us on board ORIANA's atrium beckoned.
Although some minor differences were  present since her refit these were very slight and didn't affect the ambiance of the atrium its self initially the only differences noticeable was the removal of the black granite panelling around the the Reception desk it being replaced by lighter textures.
As passengers boarded a member of the entertainment team was welcoming passengers on board, with the cabins not being ready she was directing people to one of two areas on board for refreshments, for the passengers travelling in the Suite and mini suite accommodation the spacious Harlequins Bar/ dance venue was serving as an more exclusive buffet complete with champagne and for the remaining passengers a full buffet being was served in the Conservatory on deck 12.
Unsurprisingly the buffet was it is fair to say full of passengers and free seating was few and far between although a slight annoyance since the journey to Southampton often left passengers a little hungry,  it wasn't the fault of the ship's design or company organization more a unfortunate effect of the target market mindset and attitude at times a frustrating one.
While the idea of finding a meal at this time quickly disappearing the business in hand of exploring ORIANA  to find what else had changed during her 2011 refit seemed a good alternative , however on reflection when passing by the Lord's Tavern bar  with a week in front of us do that the opportunity to at first get into the cruise mood with a drink of larger seemed quite a good alternative for us and with pleanty of room avalible the "Tavern" seemed quite an attractive option.

 With its obvious cricket theme eluded to in most every way  possible the room offered an quintessentially English atmosphere in which to enjoy what was sure to be the first of many relaxing moments on board as well as getting well acquainted with one of the waiters introducing him to our fondness of ORIANA and to this blog.
While enjoying our drink the first of many announcements of the day was made advising that all the passengers cabins were now ready, with no hurry our first priority was to finish our drinks before heading up to discover our 'home' for the next week.
For us the journey was up 4 decks to deck 11 or 'A' deck to the starboard side of  the midship area and inside cabin A191.
Reaching the cabin and opening the door the first impression was a good one despite being an inside the cabin was a generous size in fact the main space of the cabin was considerably larger than a standard Balcony Cabin on board fleet mate VENTURA and also in a slightly unusual design feature for a modern cruise ship the cabin featured a bathroom from complete with bath and shower.
Having taken a brief time to settle in to the cabin and been introduced to the  Cabin Steward Daniel who ran through the customary look at the emergency route plan on the back of the cabin and a reminder the location and time the safety drill was being held. in this case our designated muster station was Station B on Deck 8 Comprising of Chaplins Cinema, Library an Crichton's games room.
With the first formalities on board out of the way we began our tour of the beautifully refitted ORIANA.
    Most logically we began from the top and from ORIANA's most atmospheric and stunning venue The Crow's Nest, while the room it self had not undergone any change the area behind the bar did have a surprising difference instead of the large model of the R class ship which had occupied the space since 1995 The display case now was full of plaques and other items relating to ORIANA most prominently displayed in the centre one of ORIANA's bells and below it a beautiful model of the ship herself showing her while it was not stated as such the high level of detail made it quite possible that it was a builders or pre-construction owners model.

One deck below The Crow's Nest the Gymnasium/Spa was the next area of note to be effected by the refit.
Beginning in area which had been the original Gymnasium this area is now almost completely  occupied by a wooden floored aerobic area for aerobic exercises, fitness class, Zumba  etc.
Forward of this area and stretching to the centre of the forward facing windows the starboard side of what had previously been the spa is now the Gymnasium instead of the relaxation which had previously taken place here now it was ready for passengers to be quite the opposite with exercise equipment ranging from weight lifting machines to exercise bikes.

Reaching the centre of the room a divider admitted entrance to the spa area, which despite its reduced size was still fully equipped with Steam rooms, sauna  and whirlpool spa and having been updated during her recent refit with the installation of two heated ceramic beds along with a small relaxation area .

 

Elsewhere on board it was not much of a surprise that there were a  series of reminders of the fact that it approaching P&O's heritage celebrations in the form of an timeline and art deco styled poster on Deck 8 near the cinema.

While our exploration of ORIANA continued it was obvious that the combination of her latest refit and excellent upkeep by her crew the ship was looking as good as the day she entered service nowhere was there evidence of her being 'dated or tired' as befitting for the flagship of the most distinguished British cruise line.

While it was easy to lose track of the time on board we kept an close on time and with the time fast approaching for muster a quick detour to the cabin to collect our lifebelts we made our way slightly earlier than was required even so there was a few passengers already seated we took our places to wait the important announcement from the bridge.
With all passengers at their muster stations the stairway guides relocated from the positions the had taken to assist any passengers who may need it as the Captain ran through the safety and muster procedure in place on board ORIANA.
While it was a lot of information to take in but as had been proved in previous months it was vitally  important to be aware of what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Following the announcements passengers were invited to practice the correct way of putting on a lifebelt before leaving to enjoy ORIANA's impending sail away.
Leaving the lifebelt in the cabin and avoiding the many passengers already making their way onto deck we fairly quickly made it on to the sun deck in time to watch the other ships passing ORIANA.
Firstly CELEBRITY ECLIPSE her huge size silently slipping by her passengers waving enthusiastically.

Next came GRAND PRINCESS and with the ensuring horn battle a memroable start to the cruise however inevitability ORIANA and her distinctive horn won out.

 Finally taking her leave of the port Car carrier AUTOSTAR passed by and shortly after ORIANA began her own departure from the dockside the brass band played as the thrusters began edging the ship away from her berth and then ahead her proud house flag flying on the bow as she picked up speed.

 ORIANA continued her course down towards the Isle of Wight the passengers began to head indoors to prepare for dinner and enjoy the facilities on board, ORIANA the first evening of the cruise was beginning.

Photo Copyrights: João Abreu & Steve Martin.