First port of call after the 2018 refit

ORIANA seen departing after yet another call in the port of Funchal, Madeira bound to La Palma, in the afternoon of 3rd February 2018, very fresh from the recent refit at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg.
As published last week in our blog, ORIANA finished a 22-day period in dry dock on 29th January, and departed homeward bound to Southampton, to embark for this 12-night itinerary around the Canary Isles, being Funchal the first port of call.
After the present cruise, ORIANA will once again head south to this Atlantic region for a similar itinerary, of the same duration, and this time she is expected to meet in Funchal with fleetmate OCEANA, on the 15th February.

Images: Francisco Correia.

ORIANA departs Hamburg

Yesterday amidst grey skies ORIANA departed from Hamburg sooner than was expected and is now en route to her home port Southampton ready to re enter service tomorrow.

With a tug at her stern ORIANA edges out of dock.

After 21 days in dry dock ORIANA finally afloat in the River Elbe. 

Members of ORIANA's crew on her terrace decks Photos: Jens Hagens

At an average speed of 17 knots ORIANA is due to arrive in Southampton at around 8:45PM where she will be docking at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal.

With ORIANA returning service earlier than expected she will depart tomorrow on a 12 night cruise to the Atlantic Isles and Portugal calling first in a faviourte port of her's Funchal, Madeira before heading down to the Canary Islands full details on the cruise can be found here: http://www.pocruises.com/x801p/
Two further replacement cruises will see ORIANA heading back on the same itinerary for a further 12 nights http://www.pocruises.com/x801q/  and a 2 night city break cruise to Bruges, Belgium, http://www.pocruises.com/x801r/

ORIANA looking as good departing Hamburg as new Photo: Schiffe,Mx & Co

More images of ORIANA

Straight from Germany we share some more images of ORIANA from her drydock.

 ORIANA with the wintery Hamburg behind serveing as her backdrop, Copyright P&O Cruises/Carnival UK

Alongside the technical work taking place as seen below ORIANA is also undergoing some more cosmetic 'treatment' seen here with her bow crest.

ORIANA with her anchors lowered and work being carried on her crest

ORIANA towers over a crewmember

 And as with other photos taken during the drydocking  there is pleanty of time for posing underneath ORIANA's stern with her mighty propellers as seen below.

ORIANA once again provides a dramatic backdrop

 With even her current Commander, Captain Derek Gray stopping for a photo or two.

Captain Derek Gray and Food & Beverage Crewmember Rijil Madhav

Photo Copyrights: Rijil Madhav

ORIANA in drydock

Continuing with images from ORIANA's crew today we share some images from the drydock floor focusing these photos from crew member Aquilino Chavez.

Normally below the water line ORIANA's port rudder and propellor serve as backdrop to some of her crew

Far from the biggest but ORIANA's propellor still makes quite the impression

From this point of view which is rarely seen it is easier to see the form of ORIANA's steering and propellor arrangement.

ORIANA's starboard propellor and stern thruster. Photos Copyright: Aquilino Chavez

With work continuing apace ORIANA looks set to return to service on schedule ready for her Northern Lights cruise, which has become something of tradition for her over the past 4 years.

ORIANA in Andalsnes during a previous Northern Lights cruise. Photo Copyright:Paul Crane

Images of ORIANA in drydock

Today we take a quick dockside look at ORIANA from Hamburg's drydock 17 as we share some images of the ship undergoing maintenance.

ORIANA illuminated in Dock 17

 While looking at ORIANA 'high and dry' in the dock it gives something of the sense of scale and work involved with ship maintenance.

Views fore and aft below the waterline. Photos Copyright: Bharat Yogi

With over a month remaining until ORIANA returns to service her crew have been moved from their own cabins into the passenger accommodation for the duration of the drydocking.

ORIANA looms as cleaning progresses on her bow, Copyright: Julius De Lima Turallo

ORIANA towers above Dock 17, Copyright: Hamburg Blider

ORIANA arrives in Hamburg

Following her departure from Southampton yesterday morning ORIANA headed into the North Sea and maintained a steady speed of around 18.5 to 19.5 Knots and by around 2pm today ORIANA approached the town of Cuxhaven on the entrance the River Elbe.

ORIANA approches Cuxhaven

Passing the entrance she slowed to 13kts to navigate the Elbe.

ORIANA from a distance

 Continuing up river throughout the remainder of the afternoon, slowing as she did, ORIANA arrived in Hamburg around 6:30pm local time.
Being assisted by a tug ORIANA made her way to Blohm + Voss yard drydock 17, the dock which she was refitted in back in 2016, where she slowey edged her way into position before the dock gate was floated the dock pumped dry.

ORIANA entering drydock

Under the dock's floodlights work on ORIANA begins

ORIANA back in Southampton

Yesterday afternoon at around 2:00pm ORIANA arrived back at her port of Southampton.
Originally scheduled to arrive this morning the change most likely was bought about with ORIANA's upcoming required technical work.
ORIANA was due to depart for Hamburg and the Blohm+Voss shipyard at 10:30am and got underway at around 11:10am heading down Southampon Water at 6.5 knots.

ORIANA seen on AIS departing the Mayflower Terminal

ORIANA is due to arrive at the Blohm +Voss yard tomorrow evening at around 6:45pm local time where she will enter drydock for over a month of technical maintenance.

View from ORIANA's webcam passing the QEII terminal and VTS tower.

ORIANA is due to return to Southampton on the 24th of February.

ORIANA to return to Drydock

In a surprise announcement yesterday P&O revealed that ORIANA will be returning to Drydock in the new year to undertake  three weeks of technical maintenance with the the planned 50 night USA & Caribbean cruise being cancelled to allow the work to take place .
In their on line statement posted on their social media page P&O's  Senior Vice President  Paul Ludlow stated
"We apologise to those guests due to travel on ORIANA's X801 but our technical team has advised us that it is necessary for ORIANA to undergo a three week technical maintenance from January 6 2018. As a result we will be cancelling this cruise.
We have contacted all those affected guests today and we are extremely sorry for the late notice and disruption.
It is presently unkown what the issues are which will be addressed  however when asked if they are related to technical problems ORIANA expirenced with her boiler plant earlier in the year P&O responded that the maintenance is not related to any previous technical problems.
There has been as expected quite a lot of activity on P&O's social media pages relating to the news on the company's Facebook page many of their past passengers have been critcal of their decsion to withdraw her from service for 3 weeks and the effect it is having on the passengers who were booked to sail while others were more concerned if other sailings will be affected to which P&O replied -
" this cancellation is due to the dry dock facility becoming available and so we are taking the opportunity to undertake a range of technical work on her. This will not affect her other sailings."
 With the sudden change to ORIANA's schedule it is no surpise that also has been a certain amount of speculation around the reason with several even suggesting that the work was in prepration for the ship being sold this was quickly dispelled as P&O replied "rest assured we have no plans to sell ORIANA at present. We are simply to take this opportunity to undertake a range of technical work on the ship as the dry dock facilities are available." 
As of writing it is not confirmed where ORIANA is to drydock but it is very likely that she could return to the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg where she was refitted last November and December.

ORIANA in Drydock in December 2016