Lisbon farewell

ORIANA seen heading upstream in the river Tagus, early in the morning of 12th June 2019, as she was arriving for her 125th and last call in the port of Lisbon.
The Portuguese capital was one of the fortunate destinations included on her maiden voyage 20 years ago, as ORIANA made her inaugural call in Lisbon on the 20th April 1995, a special occasion which we recall in the video bellow, of the warm welcome given by the locals and Commodore Gibb showing the brand new P&O flagship to the local authorities. In the end, it's also possible to watch her departure from a bridge perspective, with the Commodore having a different opinion than of the harbour pilot, as to the best course to take downstream.

Much like the many other ports where ORIANA has called in a regular basis, Lisbon will keep many good memories of this former P&O and Britain's flagship, we can highlight here one of the meetings with the QUEEN MARY 2, on 9th August 2006, and when the Cunarder left the Alcântara cruise terminal and headed further upstream just to salute ORIANA, before starting her journey down to the open sea.
For our post on that particular day click here.

Special thanks to Luís M. Correia (Ships & the Sea), for his contribution.

ORIANA's 2016 festive cruise

Today we share some photos of ORIANA from her 2016 Christmas and New Years cruise, as is most often the case for ORIANA a cruise around the Atlantic Isles and Iberian Peninsula.
Departing Southampton on the 18th December it was he second cruise and first full length cruise after her refit Nov/Dec 2016 in Hamburg.
The first port of call of the cruise was one of ORIANA's most popular ports and indeed the maiden port of call during her Maiden Voyage over 21 years earlier Funchal, Madeira.
Our first photo from Christmas Eve shows ORIANA alongside in  Las Palmas, Gran Canaria with the Cunarder QUEEN ELIZABETH and Thomson's THOMSON MAJESTY being glimpsed behind.

Christmas Eve meeting: ORIANA with QUEEN ELIZABETH in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

For the last port of call of 2016 ORIANA again returned to Portuguese waters and another port she has visited many times over the years, as she sailed up the River Tagus to the capital Lisbon.

ORIANA under clear skies with bunker ship SACOR II alongside her while docked in Lisbon 30/12/16

From Lisbon ORIANA headed back to sea to spend New Years eve before arriving in La Coruña, Spain on New Years day.
We would like to extend our thanks Bob Bowler for allowing us to use his excellent photographs.

Photo Copyright: Bob Bowler

Celebrating ORIANA - Maiden Voyage Calling in Portugal

Following her maiden departure from Gibraltar ORIANA returned to Portuguese waters.
Firstly to  Praia da Rocha in the Algarve the famous resort region of mainland Portugal where ORIANA once again anchored.
For the final port of call ORIANA headed up the River Tagus to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon a port which P&O has a long history of visiting including the previous ORIANA on her shakedown cruise in 1960.
On this Maiden visit due to work maintaince work ORIANA made her way to the Jardim do Tabaco terminal rather than the preferred  Alcântara terminal.
While ORIANA's passengers enjoyed themselves in the historic city Commodore Gibb and ORIANA's crew played host to the local port authorities and press holding tours of the ships passenger and work spaces, and later to British Ambassador to Portugal and his wife both of whom were eager to see Britain's latest flagship.

 Making the most of the last port of call ORIANA's passengers returned to the ship ready for her early evening departure and to wish the great ship on her way a local folk group preformed on the quayside.

An early morning arrival for ORIANA

ORIANA seen underway in the river Tagus early in the morning of 1 June 2016, having just arrived from her homeport of Southampton and bound for yet another call in Lisbon, as depicted in these stunning photographs by Luís M. Correia, with the ship reflecting the first rays of the sun.
ORIANA is at the moment undertaking a 12-day Iberia cruise, having departed later that day to Cadiz, after the withdrawn of the Portimão call, in Algarve (south Portugal). She is also scheduled to visit the ports of Malaga, Tanger, Oporto and Bilbao before returning to the UK.

Images: Luís Miguel Correia.

ORIANA and the QUEEN MARY 2 in Lisbon

Two of the greatest active icons of the British Merchant Navy, ORIANA and QUEEN MARY 2, were together last Saturday on 12 December 2015, in the historic port of Lisbon.
Both of them belong to a rare breed of passanger ships, unique in their own design, which is almost unexisting nowadays in the cruise industry. The amount of expectation and grandeur prior to their arrivals in 1995 and 2004 respectivaly, could be fairly compared to those of the great ocean liners of the past, having been christened in their homeport of Southampton by the Godmother they share, none other than Queen Elizabeth II.

And to increase the importance of their status, they also belong to the oldest British Maritime companies still active, P&O [178 years old] and Cunard [175 years old], and although the two were great rivals in the past, they presently belong to the same North-American group, Carnival Corporation.
After spending the day in the Portuguese capital, ORIANA left her berth first in the afternoon, followed some hours later by the QM2, who was forced to delay her departure due to a small fire in the engine room, that was shortly put under control. Also ORIANA, who was already underway some miles south, returned to the Tagus in the evening and docked at Jardim do Tabaco berth [where QM2 was previously docked] to disembark an ill passenger. She then left her moorings again and went on for her day at sea voyage to Casablanca, Marocco, having arrived on schedule today.

It isn't the first time that ORIANA and QUEEN MARY 2 meet in Lisbon, it also happened on 9 August 2006, and on that particular day the Cunard flagship, after leaving the Alcântara terminal, went upstream to give a traditional horn salute to ORIANA, before turning downstream again and bound to the open seas. One of those emotional and incomparable moments that only the ships and the sea can provide.

QM2 gives a horn salute to ORIANA in Lisbon - August 2006

Photographic Achivment [2015]: Ricardo Martins

Photographic Achivment [2006]: Luís Miguel Correia

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

The Maiden Voyage V - A Maiden Wedding

Leaving Africa behind ORIANA next arrived at Gibraltar on the 18th April, for her passengers a home from home.
Entering the Gibraltar strait at 6am and boarding the pilot shortly after ORIANA continued her course where she arrived at her berth at 9:01 am.
For two of her passengers however instead of a typical day ashore exploring they were instead getting married with the rest of the cruise serving as their honeymoon
There has always been a romantic side to ships and it could truly be said that ORIANA's career from the start was full of romance.

Departing Gibraltar ORIANA again headed north for her last two ports of call, having called first in the   "Cruise Capital of Portugal" she now called at the mainland.
Firstly Praia Da Rocha on the Algarve on the 19th where she spend the day anchored off the coast and the finally on the 20th ORIANA sailed up the Tagus to the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
P&O's ties to the city had began early in the company's life with it being a major port on the regular mail route their liners of time were engaged in, by the 1920's the authorities had even agreed to extend one of the berths to accommodate the new class of liners which were then being built,
Later still ORIANA's namesake would visit the city many time over the years including during her shakedown cruise in November 1960 prior to her own Maiden Voyage.

With her last port of call of the cruise behind her ORIANA set off for home.

ORIANA in the Tagus

ORIANA seen transiting the river Tagus on the 2 March 2015, after another regular call in the port of Lisbon and bound for the open seas, for her homeport of Southampton.

Photographs by João Abreu - World Wide Shipspotting

ORIANA leaving Lisbon

Images depicting ORIANA leaving Lisbon yesterday, as she proceeded downstream the Tagus river bound for her next port of call, Cadiz, during the present 17-day Mediterranean cruise.
The sun shone brighton on the Portuguese capital, and ironically shined on the new sun logo placed on her blue funnel. Maybe Lisbon will see her return later this month with a new bow feature?

Photographs by Luís Miguel Correia.

A cruise of meetings

During ORIANA's current cruise she has had several meetings with her fleetmates firstly OCEANA in Funchal, Santa Cruz de La Palma and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
On the last occasion to the ships sailed towards Gran Canaria almost in tamdem sailing 2.5 nautical miles (4.63 km) as can be seen from the AIS image below.

Today ORIANA was calling in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon where she met with another fleet mate this time AZURA as seen below, the Crown class ship was moored ahead of ORIANA.

To round off the cruise ORIANA is currently on route to Southampton where again she will meet with her fleet mates this time in the form of ARCADIA and ADONIA.

ORIANA the video star

Like many subjects ships and shipspotting features in many videos on video shareing sites such as Youtube and of those many feature our very own ORIANA one such video is featured below and shows ORIANA departing Geiranger, Norway on the 12th June 2012  and was filmed from the then brand new AIDA MAR.  It offers a great view of the ship as slides serenely past the AIDA MAR and even features the authors and founder of this blog among the passengers standing above the bridge forward of the Oasis Spa and Hair Salon.

 Meanwhile back in the present today sees ORIANA returning to one of P&O's favourite ports of call Funchal in Madeira and makes the second Portuguese call in so many days having sailed from Lisbon on Monday.

ORIANA's passangers watch the approch to the Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) departing Lisbon.

Webcams showing ORIANA in Funchal.

ORIANA is due to depart Funchal at 17:30  when she sails for La Palma.

Maiden call in Lisbon

On the 20th April 1995 ORIANA made the final call of her maiden voyage the Portuguese capital Lisbon like many ports of call during the cruise including the first Funchal in Madeira a port with a long established history with P&O, indeed ORIANA's namesake had visited the city during her pre-maiden voyage shakedown cruise in 1960 although the association with the port stretched back much longer to the company's earliest days.
Due to maintenance in the port and other cruise activity ORIANA berthed in the Jardim do Tabaco terminal rather than the preferred  Alcântara terminal.
During the day while her passengers enjoyed tours of the historic city ORIANA played host to a group of local journalist and later in the day to the British Ambassador to Portugal, Stephen Wall.
To complete the final call of the cruise a local folk band played on the quayside as ORIANA prepared to sail out to the Atlantic and back to Southampton.
Below is a short video of ORIANA's maiden departure from Lisbon.

ORIANA in Lisbon

For her first port of call as an adults only ship ORIANA is today in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
Arriving according to schedule at 6:20am she is due to sail 4:30pm.
For the majority of her stay the weather had remained overcast and foggy until around 3:30pm. Due to MSC FANTASIA being berthed in the Alcantara Cruise Terminal ORIANA is berthed slightly up the river Tagus at the Santa Apolónia Terminal.
ORIANA has something of history with Lisbon since her Maiden Voyage where she called as her last call of the cruise on that occasion ORIANA berthed at the Cais do Jardim do Tabaco due to repairs being performed at the Alcantara terminal.

Still the ORIANA in Lisbon

More photos of ORIANA during her most recent call in Lisbon. Ricardo Martins photographed her underway in the Tagus leaving for Bilbao, displaying her elegant profile on such a historical seaport also blending very well with the city's most important landmarks such as the 25 de Abril bridge and the Christ the King monument.On her way to the open sea, sailing off Alcântara, ORIANA passed one of Costa's modern giants, COSTA PACIFICA, a cruise ship she previously met in the port of Vigo.

ORIANA in Lisbon

ORIANA has made today yet another visit to the portuguese capital, on her 7 night short cruise to the Iberian Peninsula.
Having arrived from Vigo early in the morning, she then proceeded underway in the Tagus towards her designated berth in Santa Apolónia terminal, where she's seen fully secured in these images kindly sent by Rui Agostinho.
It was a busy day in Lisbon as 3 other cruise ships were also in port, AZAMARA JOURNEY, EUROPA and COSTA PACIFICA.
After have finished her call, ORIANA left the capital to once again navigate the western iberian coast, this time heading north inbound the spanish port of Bilbao. Still in this short cruise, ORIANA has a scheduled call in Brest, France before returning to Southampton to end the cruise and disembark.

ORIANA leaving Lisbon

ORIANA seen berthed in the Santa Apolónia terminal in Lisbon harbour and afterwards leaving the Tagus river, on 24 August 2010, inbound Vigo on yet another Canary Islands cruise that included Madeira and two ports of call in the Azores, Ponta Delgada and Horta.
Photos kindly sent by Rui Minas Agostinho.
Rui Agostinho is one of the best and most active ship photographers in the Tagus borders, having already a large collection of photographs. You can see some of his work here.