ORIANA returns to Norway

Yesterday ORIANA made her first call of the year in Northern Europe Åndalsnes, Norway.

ORIANA docked in Åndalsense

Arrving fresh from her Caribbean adventure the snow capped mountains and landscape of Norway  offer a vast contrast to the ports she visited on the other side of the Atlantic where her passengers enjoyed swimming and sunbathing on her open decks while island hopping or sailing up the Amazon river.

Larger than any building ORIANA is still dwarfed by nature

Departing Åndalsnes ORIANA is now at sea and en route to the city of Tromsø inside the Arctic Circle.

Photos Copyright: Leif Johnny Olestad

ORIANA returns to Southampton

After 50 nights, a firework send off, a west and eastbound transatlantic crossing and sailing up the Amazon River ORIANA has returned to her home port of Southampton.

ORIANA's webcam view

Having taken her passengers to exotic destinations during their 51 days on board ORIANA returned them during the early hours to a dark and windswept UK.

ORIANA alongside the Mayflower Terminal

Departing again at around 5:30pm ORIANA is now on route to a very different destination to those she has grown accustomed to recently as she heads Norway for a 12 night Northern lights cruise

Passengers brave the cold as ORIANA departs Southampton once mor

ORIANA heads for Cape Verde

After exploring the Americas and the islands of the Caribbean ORIANA is now eastbound crossing the Atlantic on route to the island of São Vincente one of the Barlavento Islands which form the Northern chain of the island country of Cape Verde officially the República de Cabo Verde.
ORIANA, the only scheduled ship call this month, will arrive in the early morning on 15th and is due to depart late the same afternoon.
During her stay ORIANA will be docked at the port of Mindelo the largest city on the island.

View of Mindelo, Baía do Porto Grande and Monte Cara

First settled by the Portuguese in 1795 the port would later become a coal stop for the ships of the British East India Company in 1838 later still in 1850 for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company the future owners of the famed White Star Line.
Despite it's lack of rain and natural resoucrces the island would get caught up in a technological revolution when in 1874 it was connected via Madeira to Recife in Brazil by undersea cable laid by the famous GREAT EASTERN by far the largest ship in the world at that time.
 Departing from São Vincente ORIANA will spend 3 days at sea before reaching the last port of the cruise Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 

ORIANA heads up the Amazon

Following some 'island hopping' in the Caribbean ORIANA is currently heading up the Amazon River for several ports of call in Brazil.
Sailing by the city of Macapa on the way up river ORIANA is on route to Manaus a city whose fortune is built on its rubber plantations.
At 1000 miles (1609.34km) from the sea Manaus is the furthest navigable port on the river and after her long journey up river ORIANA will overnight in the port.

Webcam view as ORIANA makes her way up river

Following her departure from Manaus ORIANA will make two more calls before heading back to sea.
First at the city of Parintins which despite it's remote location is home to the Festival do Boi-Bumbá a local Folklore festival which is the second largest festival is Brazil.
ORIANA will then call at the city of Santarém a historic city which was founded by Portuguese colonists in 1661 on site of  the indigenous Tapajós settlement.

ORIANA continues her passage up river