Christmas & New Year's cruise

On 26th December, ORIANA was back again in the port of Funchal, while on her 16-day Christmas and New Year's cruise around the Canary Isles.
The call in Madeira's capital, was precisely the first one of this itinerary, and not long after she completed her berthing, she was joined by MARELLA DREAM, of newly renamed Marella Cruises, the former Thomson Cruises.

Curiously the former THOMSON DREAM was, like ORIANA, built in the German shipyards of Meyer Werft in Papenburg, but in the decade before, namely in 1986 as the HOMERIC of now extinct Home Lines. She was actually the last ship there to be launched sideways to the water, and at the time she was quite shorter, having been lenghtened some years later, when cruising for Holland America as the WESTERDAM.
Nevertheless, having both of them together on this occasion in Funchal, provided a nice opportunity to watch the 9 year evolution in shipbuilding, as when ORIANA was launched in 1995 she presented herself as Meyer Werft's prime work and a state of the art ship in terms of design and technology.
Later that afternoon, when ORIANA slipped her moorings and passed by MARELLA DREAM on her way out to sea, the two engaged on a nice and persistent horn salute, ending with ORIANA having the last word!
Unlike some past years, she will not welcome the New Year in Funchal, that will be VENTURA's task, instead she will be present in Santa Cruz de Tenerife when 2018 comes into action.
After another call in Lisbon, ORIANA returns to her homeport on the 6th January, and then will prepare herself to return to drydock for the following three weeks, for some last minute and needed maintenance works, as reported here in the blog last month.

ORIANA as seen leaving Funchal bound to Arrecife, in the Canary island of Lanzarote. Image: Peter Gonçalves

We take this opportunity to wish all our readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Images: João Abreu (unless refered otherwise).