ORIANA meets fleetmate OCEANA in Funchal

It is a meeting that happens more often in Southampton, but on this 15th February it occured in the port of Funchal instead, where P&O cruise ships call in a regular basis, happening so for the second time, as both ORIANA and OCEANA have already met here 4 years ago, on 30th July 2014, but still with the old company livery at time.
Having arrived precisely from their home port early morning, almost at the same time, both remained in port until the afternoon, with ORIANA leaving first and thus starting a true horn festival in Funchal, as either one seemed very determined in having the last "word"!
Afterwards, ORIANA continued with her Canary Isles cruise bound to La Palma, while OCEANA departed approximately 1 hour later, westbound to St. Kitts, on her current Caribbean Transatlantic itinerary.
It is possible to check in the video above who won this great horn fight, and we also share bellow another video, this one recalling the first time that ORIANA met with OCEANA in Funchal.
We also wish to extend our appreciation to Francisco Correia and José António Silva, for their precious contribution to our most recent video.

ORIANA back in Funchal with a former fleetmate

After nearly seven months after her last call in the port of Funchal, in May, ORIANA returned to this destination she knows very well and vice versa, last Saturday on 16th December 2017, while on a 14-night cruise around the Canary Isles.

Having arrived early morning from the Island of La Gomera, she found the company of a former fleetmate, the ARTANIA. Also in port, but for a brief period of time, was fellow Carnival mate AIDA VITA of AIDA Cruises, whom departed some 20 minutes after ORIANA's arrival, thus ending an overnight call in Funchal.

When ORIANA entered service in 1995, the ARTANIA was cruising for slightly a decade more in Princess Cruises, a P&O subsidiary, as ROYAL PRINCESS, therefore we can refer to both as being mates within the P&O group at that time.
The two even met once in Funchal, on the 25th April 2000, at the occasion of ROYAL PRINCESS' last call with her name in this port. The following images taken by Nuno Jesus depict the meeting:

Five years later, and when P&O and Princess were now sister companies under the ownership of Carnival Corporation, their relationship become even more closer, as ROYAL PRINCESS was transfered to P&O and renamed ARTEMIS. The two became fleetmates, cruising out of Southampton and meeting quite often in their homeport.
Nevertheless, one of the many meetings occured far away from Southampton, in Madeira's capital port, on 31st December 2010, when both met to welcome the new year together, as seen bellow:

It was precisely in 2011, that ARTEMIS left the P&O fleet and started operating for her present owners, the German based Phoenix Reisen and so renamed ARTANIA. Curiously later that year, ORIANA entered dry dock in Hamburg, and after several exterior and interior changes, she re-appeared as an adults only cruise ship, thus replacing that void left in the fleet by ARTEMIS.
However, and after all this time, it seems that ARTANIA didn't forget about the close relation she once had with ORIANA, and at the moment of her departure last Saturday, she was very insisting in having a horn salute with her former mate, after some six long blasts when passing by her side, horns that were of course sent back by ORIANA on a funny fashion to say the least. A great moment witnessed in the port of Funchal!
The video bellow depicts the horn salute:
Another interesting fact that both of them share, is having two Godmothers of the British Monarchy, as the ARTANIA was christened by Princess Diana in 1984, and ORIANA by Queen Elizabeth II eleven years afterwards, both ceremonies held in Southampton.
ORIANA remained in port until the evening, offering her guests a chance to see the Christmas lights around the city, and afterwards she left bound to Lisbon.
But already on the 21st of December, she will depart from Southampton bound to Funchal again, on her Christmas and New Year's cruise, and is scheduled to arrive four days later, on the 26th.

Images: João Abreu (unless refered otherwise).

One fleet many changes

Since April 1995 the P&O fleet has seen one constant in the form of ORIANA 'The First Super Liner Built For Britain' joining an ageing fleet of the venerable CANBERRA and VICTORIA.
Two years later in September 1997 CANBERRA made her emotional farewell after 36 years in service to be replaced by ARCADIA (former STAR PRINCESS) in 1998.

ORIANA & CANBERRA together in Funchal, Madeira, Copyright: Luís Filipe Jardim 

ORIANA docked with ARCADIA (III) in Funchal,Madeira, Copyright: Nuno Jesus

With the dawn of the 21st Century ORIANA  was joined by perhaps the only ship which is comparable to her from the same yard of Meyer Werft AURORA joined the fleet in May 2000.

ORIANA docked with AURORA in Southampton, Copyright: Vitor Francisco

More changes came in 2002 when VICTORIA Bid farwell and Princess's SEA PRINCESS and OCEAN PRINCESS were renamed ADONIA and OCEANA respectively.
The following year ARCADIA made her final cruise with P&O becoming the lead ship of the then just founded Ocean Village brand, it was also in 2003 that P&O Princess PLC merged with Carnival Corp and in 2005 the first non P&O group designed new build joined the fleet as the fourth ARCADIA and the former ROYAL PRINCESS joining the fleet as ARTEMIS who served until 2011.

ORIANA and ARCADIA in Funchal, Madeira 21st December 2009 Copyright: João Abreu

Since 2008 the fleet has continued to expand with the Crown class VENTURA followed two years later in April 2010 with AZURA and a second ADONIA a former R class ship joining in 2011 to replace ARTEMIS.

ORIANA with AURORA,ARCADIA and VENTURA during P&O's 175th anniversary celebrations, July 2012
Copyright: Simon Jones

Last year reaching her 20th year in service ORIANA received the largest of her fleetmates BRITANNIA based off of the Princess's Royal Class.

Earlier this week P&O annouced that a new arrival to debut in 2020 one of the first in a new breed of LNG powered 'green' ships of 180,000 tons

Reunion with two fleetmates in October 2015

When ORIANA arrived in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife early in the morning of 27 October 2015, on yet another cruise to the Canary Islands, she was about to meet for the first time, and far away from home, her newest mate and flagship of P&O, BRITANNIA, in service from March that year.

ORIANA seen from BRITANNIA as she approached the port of Santa Cruz.

Due to the lack of space in the south harbour wall, ORIANA docked in the north terminal of Santa Cruz.

Just like BRITANNIA, ORIANA was also the flagship of the company 20 years ago, and at the time was amongst the largest cruise ships in the World with 69,153 GT and a 1,975 pax. cappacity. On the other side the new flagship has 143,730 GT and is able to accomodate up to 4,372 pax. which is a clear sign of the growth, not only of the cruise industry, but of the British cruise market as well, with more and more people willing to go cruising from their "doorstep".

BRITANNIA in Tenerife on her eastbound positional voyage to the Caribbean, where she is spending the Winter months.

This reunion between the two was almost like a surprise one, since BRITANNIA was originally scheduled to call in Funchal on her maiden transatlantic crossing, but the lack of available berth space led to the decision of chaging the call to Tenerife, where she could dock instead of staying at anchor in Madeira.

Two days later, on 30 October, ORIANA met in Funchal with a more familiar fleetmate, the ARCADIA, cruising for P&O since 2005. In fact this was the second time the two have met in Madeira's capital, the first occured 6 years before, on 21 December 2009.
At the time (Oct. 2015) ARCADIA was returning to the UK after a Caribbean transatlantic cruise, and made quite a curious meeting with ORIANA, both displaying a contrast of P&O liveries, the classic white and buff against the new blue livery respectivaly.

At the end of the day, as both ships were ready to depart to their homeport of Southampton, a horn salute took place with ORIANA successfully having the last word! The video bellow depicts the moment:

To watch the 2009 horn salute click here.

Photographic Achivement [Tenerife]: Marcial Fernandes

Photographic Achivement [Funchal]: João Abreu

A meeting at sea

As we have mentioned previously ORIANA when seen with her in fleet mates makes quite an inspiring sight from being seen with her equally unique half sister AURORA  or those siblings which come from various classes such as the Crown Class VENTURA and AZURA or the Vista Class ARCADIA.

ORIANA and ARCADIA seen together in Funchal, Madeira on the 30th of October

ORIANA and AZURA docked in Funchal on the 8th October

In the early days of her career ORIANA would on occasion be seen with her venerable 'mother' CANBERRA and in contrast to the meetings we see these days the two reflected a certain affinity with each other ORIANA proudly displaying elements and styling adapted from the older ship's distinctive design.
On at least one occasion during the last weeks of CANBERRA's service life she and ORIANA met at sea and for a time sailed together.
Below a video from David Taylor, a well known cruiser also known on line as Cruisa, taken in September 1997 from ORIANA it shows the two ships both with their upper decks full, sailing together back to Southampton.

More videos and photos from David can be found at his website  http://www.cruisa.co.uk/

Photo Copyrights: João Abreu