ORIANA in Antwerp

On Saturday, 17 October 2015, ORIANA made her return to Antwerp after calling in the Belgian port for the first time one year ago.
Much like what happened on her maiden call, ORIANA was unable to dock in the Schelde terminals, where cruise ships usually berth next to the city centre. ORIANA's 7,90 meter draught didn't allow her to navigate in those shallow waters, so instead she berthed once more in the Leopoldokk terminal, where her passengers had a regular shuttle service to the heart of the city.

After her visit to the port of Antwerp, ORIANA called in Amsterdam and was back today in Belgium, but this time to the port of Zeebrugge, before returning to her homeport to finish its 5 day Western Europe itinerary.
For more images of ORIANA's most recent and maiden call in Antwerp, visit this gallery of ship photographer Sebastian Peeters by clicking here.

Photographic Achievment: Marc and Sebastian Peeters

Source: Cruiseschepen in Antwerpen

A regular visitor in Lisbon

Ever since her first call in Lisbon on the 20 April 1995, while on her maiden cruise, ORIANA has been a frequent visitor to this port, which as been in touch with P&O ships for a very long time. Her namesake, the SS ORIANA of 1960, made a technical call here during her shakedown voyage.

Truth is the current ORIANA doesn't look quite the same as 20 years ago, when she made her maiden call in the Portuguese capital, nevertheless it is certain that despite of her new livery her distinguished profile is immediatly recognizable, as it can be seen in these images showing ORIANA heading downstream in the Tagus on 29 July 2015.

Earlier this year, in March, we took some similar pictures of ORIANA leaving Lisbon but with her new livery still in the making. The related post can be seen here.

Photographic Achievment: João Abreu

ORIANA meets a fleetmate in Funchal

It was still dark in the morning yesterday when ORIANA made her approach to the breakwaters of Funchal coming from the Azores archipelago, on yet another call in this port. So far nothing unsual, until a familiar sight started to appear alongside the harbour walls, it was none other than her larger mate AZURA, whom she meets quite often in her homeport of Southampton.
As ORIANA passed AZURA by her portside on the way to the designated berth, the contrast between the 113,651 GT and 289.6 meters of the larger P&O cruise ship, against the 69,153 GT and 260 meters of ORIANA could be clearly seen.

But there was another interesting contrast, of the 15 years that separate these two passenger ships, it is possible to notice how much P&O changed over the years when it comes to the order of newbuilts. Back in 1995 when ORIANA was launched by P&O Princess PLC, as the new British superliner and the first built specifically to that market, she was the result of a careful and well planned development in order to fulfill that role. And she had and still has a one of a kind design, with her closest ships being AURORA and the late venerable CANBERRA. This is even more relevant when at that same time, other cruise companies like Carnival and Royal Caribbean were already placing on order classes of several identical units.

It was the beggining of what is nowadays a standart costume in the cruise market, just like AZURA for example, whom along with her sister VENTURA, were built on the basis of a former Princess design, being also identical to the Crown class ships. It was the result of P&O and its subsidiary Princess Cruises, when they were absorbed by the American Carnival Corporation, which applies the same standart and most economical method among their vast number of subsidiaries.

Contrasts aside, it is always nice to have a P&O meeting in Funchal, and ORIANA isn't a stranger in this matter, as seen in previous posts here in the blog, and she ends one meeting having another one on schedule, with ARCADIA on the 30th October, whom she already met in this port in December 2009.
Bellow ORIANA seen leaving Funchal bound for Gibraltar, as the following images depict.

ORIANA and her early fleetmates

We have mentioned previously about ORIANA and her fleet mates meeting in both Southampton and in various ports of call and we are going to look at two calls ORIANA made alongside her fellow P&O ship in Funchal, Madeira.
The first meeting we are going to look at occurred on the 18th December 1996 where ORIANA met with CANBERRA allowing for comparisons to be made between the two great liners showing the elements of ORIANA which were inspired by features of the venerable ship.

   ORIANA passes CANBERRA and arrives in port

Docked with their sterns facing each other CANBERRA once described while seen in Funchal in her early years as a "big white ship in the bay" was dwafted by her year old daughter whose single funnel reflected the shape of the older ship's twin funnels.

ORIANA's larger form and build added to the contrast, the differences between the two ships was later said by historian Philip Dawson to be  like comparing classic cars CANBERRA a classic Ferrari and ORIANA a larger but equally elegant Rolls Royce.

ORIANA and CANBERRA dressed overall

ORIANA and CANBERRA light up the harbour during the evening

The second call we are going to look at briefly happened on the 9th October 2001 when ORIANA was joined by previous ARCADIA formally STAR PRINCESS she entered service with P&O 1997.

 ORIANA and ARCADIA docked

 Unlike with CANBERRA the size difference between the two was not as evident, despite both were purpose built cruise liners their apperences also contrasted vastly each owing to the very different design philosophies which were used.  

 ARCADIA departs the berth while ORIANA prepares fo her own departure

ORIANA had previously met ARCADIA in Funchal for what most certainly the hightlight of festivities in Madeira the New Years Fireworks display more infomation on that call can be found on a previous post  http://orianaof1995.blogspot.pt/2011/04/oriana-in-funchal-new-years-eve-1999.html

Photo Copyrights: Luís Filipe Jardim & Nuno Jesus

ORIANA and her fleet mates

Since her entry into service it has not been uncommon for  ORIANA to meet with her fleet mates in various ports.
In her early years she would often join CANBERRA and VICTORIA and from 1997 the third ARCADIA and later still her new fleet mates such as AURORA seen below in Southampton in 2005.

Photo Copyright Vitor Francisco 

 One of ORIANA and P&O's most beloved ports of calls Funchal, Maderia has also seen ORIANA meeting her fleet mates on several occasions such as the 21st December 2009 ORIANA arrived during the morning with ARCADIA joining her later and docking astern of her.

ORIANA and ARCADIA in Funchal, Madeira 21st December 2009

Just under a year later on the 20th December 2010 in Funchal ORIANA met briefly with AURORA amid rough seas as she departed the port allowing AURORA to dock. 

  AURORA prepares to berth while ORIANA in the background leaves for Tenerife.

Photo Copyright : João Abreu