Oriana Review 09/2006

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Oriana 09/2006

 

We had a relaxing and enjoyable cruise in what in my view is one of the two best vessels in the P&O fleet (in terms of both indoor and outdoor layout/facilities) and overall ambiance/decor. Most of the shortcomings and disappointment we experienced from our recent, previous cruise (Oceana July '06) was not repeated and I would therefore propose that cruising with P&O ex.UK in a lower grade cabin with a good discount remains excellent value for money.

 

ARRIVAL

========

 

We arrived at the terminal about 1 hour later then we had planned (13:30 instead of 12:30) due to delay in taxi arrival and very heavy traffic conditions. We only live 40 mins away from the terminal and underlines my view that if you are coming any great distance, travel down the day before. Check-in was quick. The X-Ray machine started to "chew" my hat-box which probably explained why my appearance on the embarkation photo showed me to look somewhat "emotional & excited", as one is faced with a ships photographer as you turn the corner into the embarkation lounge. I must admit I would have preferred to have been able to sit down for 10 minutes or so and sort myself and things out prior to this being taken, but as it happens embarkation was taking place straight away and within a couple of minutes we found ourselves on board.

 

The standard outside cabin (Mrs Kane insists on daylight) on F deck was of slightly more generous proportions then her Oceana equivalent and was full of light, assisted by a large window facing mirror and two attractive still life prints. We unpacked our 4 items of hand luggage, had a quick scan of the in-cabin literature, accounted for our 9 pieces of luggage and then went off to buffet lunch up in the Conservatory which we ate out on the open Terrace bar deck. We then returned to the cabin to unpack speedily (assisted by most garments being on hangers) and placed 4 lots of nested cases under our beds with shoes, bags and garments (for later in the cruise) left in 3 of the innermost. Our cabin steward took 2 other cases away to the baggage room. We then had about 40 mins left to enjoy some mild weather up on deck with a drink before the safety drill required attending to.

 

ORIANA

=======

 

It has been 6 years since we last stepped on to this ship (and indeed 5 years since being on any P&O UK spec'ed ship) and were struck by how much more tasteful and restrained her decor is and the intelligent layout of her, compared with ex.US market ships. She has mellowed and improved in my view and will hopefully remain in P&O's ex.UK service for many, many years to come. Few changes to report in those 6 years with only the creation of a Cyb@Study in the former Iberia room (mis-identified by me on a report a few days ago as the Uganda room) and what appears to be an upgraded Al Frescos from a day time pizzeria to a 24 hour cafe offering differing items according to time of day (a la Cafe Jardin or Bordeaux).

 

One retrograde step has been to allow the "virus" of art auction inventory to spread around areas of the ship other than in its designated area and indeed replace some of the original interesting and coordinated Modern British art-work with a hodge-podge of "art" that quite frankly belongs on the rails of Green Park on a Sunday morning.

 

When Oriana was launched, a highly interesting and carefully commissioned body of British art (coordinated by Tom Tempest-Radford) was placed around the ship to enhance and inform the overall decor, design and ambiance. The most jarring area is now the corridor from Queens Court to the Peninsular Restaurant where the harmonious and restrained oil pastels of Seraphim 1 to 8 have been replaced by a collection of "kitch", jarring, unconnected, unbalanced, mainly representational "art", that is totally out of context with the setting. The art auction inventory in my view should be confined to the "art" gallery plus during the viewing hours of the actual auction venue, for those few passengers who seemed to enjoy this offering. I went to an auction once on the cruise (to observe) and there were about 30 passengers in attendance (out of c.1800) with only a few bidding/buying.

 

The best facilities of the Oriana are:

 

Her Crow's Nest - the best in the fleet in my view.

 

Her outdoor areas and pools.

 

Her Theatre

 

Her dedicated cinema. In new cruise builds this seems to be a dispensable amenity.

 

The wrap-around promenade deck.

 

The indoor promenades linking the various public rooms across decks D & P.

 

PASSENGERS

===========

 

This may well have been an "Adults Only" cruise as there was only c.6 children on board ( 2 or 3 babies/toddlers, a couple of c.12 year olds and 1 or 2 older teenagers) all who seemed to be well taken care of by both their parents and the youth team (about 1 for every pair of "kids"!).

 

No doubt due to length of cruise, time of year, and special theme (Music Festival at Sea), most passengers were of retirement age and beyond, with many very elderly together with lots confined to wheelchairs/electric buggies and sticks and zimmers.

 

By & large most of the passengers were a good humoured lot and I did not hear many moans & groans.

 

This was certainly the first cruise I have been on where the FIRST sitting was over subscribed and it was noticeable that the 2nd sitting never seemed to be very full with tables near us being empty throughout the cruise.

 

It was announced during the Portunus Party that the Sapphire/Gold Cocktail parties were the largest since the inception of the club and that the 1st sittings had to be split across 2 venues (Crow’s Nest & Pacific Lounge).

 

Certainly the ship felt quieter when we would come out from dinner to attend an entertainment c.22:30 and was virtually completely asleep by 23:45 with just a few "younger" sorts in the bars, casino or Harlequins then (Harlequins body count c.midnight: about 12).

 

We were not aware of the Special Theme at the time of booking. With a large contingent of musicians, this theme did dominate both evenings and sea days and no doubt met the wishes and aspirations of the majority of the mature passengers.

 

Entertainment

===========

 

We went to one show (Eurovision) which was enjoyable, a Karaoke evening in the Lords Tavern which was not, due to poor choice of songs available and only a few takers to the mike (myself included), a couple of game-shows, but with no invited passenger participation (other than to be the audience), a couple of late night cabaret spots (Maurice Grumbleweed who did his best with what was a small audience and was okay and Jimmy Cricket who was buttock-clenchingly awful with an audience of c.20 who just didn't seem to adapt to the situation (his pacing for example seemed to be allowing for uncontrollable laughter and mirth from the audience between each "joke" when all he was getting was embarrassed silence) and a highly enjoyable crew show hosted for the last time by Ian Fraser.

 

The balance of our evenings was spent usually in the syndicate quiz which was always bursting at the seams. We usually arrived only just in time (with no room for a spare one to join a table) and would take a "seat" out in the Thackery room. As a syndicate of 2 we seemed to still do well as we often came 2nd. Although I won a few individual quizzes the pattern many days seemed to be coming 2nd or just missing out on the tie-break (always the bridesmaid, never the bride!).

 

Other than port days the vast majority of our time was spent on the open-decks relaxing and reading. Again, due to the advanced age of many passengers there always seemed to be plenty of sun-beds available (even on the many sea days), many of the passengers electing to spend the day in doors attending Music at Sea, handicraft classes, interest seminars, bridge, etc. On one sea day I spent from 7am to 7pm out doors on one of the aft terraces only moving to have lunch or a comfort break.

 

CUISINE

=======

 

My confidence in P&O cuisine has been restored, after our poor, recent experiences on the Oceana, with a much improved quality of cooking and serving. I can only report on 1 duff dinner main course out of 16 eaten in the main restaurant (we ate on 2 other nights at the Indian & Asian buffet, but did not feel the need to spend extra dining alternatively, as we were enjoying both the main dining room offering and our table companions).

 

The desserts were often a delight and the service from our table stewards was good and attentive. It would be fair to say that our table was made up from "younger" elements of the passengers together with one of the engineer officers from whom we got some amusing and interesting stories regarding ship life. Our table was a good humoured one and many a pleasant evening was spent over dinner and the coffee/mints. We also gained an entry along with other passengers to the Chief Engineers Cocktail party in the Captain's lounge.

 

By bringing on board some BYO (both from home and at a port call) and being charged £7.50 (less Portunus discount) corkage, as well as supplementing from the P&O list, I felt that I has "improved" on the wine offering. The £7.50 charge represents good value considering that some of the wines I brought on board would have been described as premium.

 

DESTINATIONS

=============

 

LISBON:

=======

 

A 20 minute walk to a cheap, frequent and quick train service. We went to Estoril which turned out to be disappointing. Our activity was somewhat curtailed (I would liked to have walked on to Cascais) as the afternoon call was shortened by one hour in length, as Oriana had lost time (due to strong currents) and arrived 2 hours late. As we had 3 sea days ahead of us I could not understand why an hour could not be clawed back in order to arrive in Athens on time.

 

ATHENS:

========

 

30 minute walk to Metro (Piraeus streets and traffic, interesting but a bit mad). Metro service quick, frequent and cheap into Athens.

 

We mooched around the Plaka for a few hours and enjoyed an al fresco lunch.

 

ISTANBUL:

=========

 

The sea approach is wonderful. The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and Topkapi Palace in the foreground on the Stamboul with what remains of the Theodossian Sea walls of Constantinople presenting a most fantastic spectacle.

 

We took a taxi to the Blue Mosque and were mildly ripped off for about 10 euros and dropped off about a quarter of a mile from the mosque at a "bloody" carpet shop. That mild annoyance aside, we enjoyed the interiors of the Mosque. We then went to the Hippodrome and took in the various columns. The highlight for me was the Hagia Sofia, and unlike the P&O tours you are able to go up the steep and potentially slippery ramps into the upper galleries where the priests and Imperial family of Byzantium would commune with the Holy Mosaics, closely. A guide book to the Hagia Sofia is a good idea to buy outside, before venturing in,to get full value from your visit there.

 

We then walked up to Constantine’s Column which was covered in cladding due to restoration on our way up to the Grand Bazaar, where we spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening shopping until it closed.

 

We then walked down to the Galata Bridge and took a taxi (it was starting to get dark) where I regret to say I believe we ripped off by a "card-sharp" of a taxi driver who literally snatched notes out of my hand and then returned them on demand, but at a different denomination and didn't even drop us off at the right gate. Due to this experience and as we both felt tired and care-worn, we decided to stay on board for the evening.

 

The next morning we took a taxi (negotiating the price before hand and insisting on no visits to carpet shops) to the Topkapi palace where besides the usual sights there, we paid for a conducted tour of the Harem (they do not permit individual visits there). Highly enjoyable and interesting.

 

We retuned to the ship by taxi sharing the cost / "risk" with another couple also doing the same.

 

The afternoon sailing was then one of the highlights with cruising up the Bosphorus and out towards the Black Sea. This has got to be one of the most interesting waterways to traverse by cruise ship and once again did not disappoint.

 

We then hit some fairly "squally" weather (the first on the cruise) and confirmed the Black Seas reputation as an unpredictable body of water.

 

YALTA:

=======

 

We spent an enjoyable few hours ashore.

 

Few changes have occurred in this resort although some cranes and new building away from the centre was in evidence.

 

We were struck by the attractiveness of the young tall Crimean women although a favoured clothing style does seem to consist of a Eurotrash Soft-Porn Star look

 

 

ODESSA:

=======

 

Tremendous changes in the “Southampton” of the Ukraine in just 6 years when she still felt then like a “Soviet” City. All kinds of retail and leisure outlets have opened, with building and construction going on everywhere and traffic, traffic, traffic! In the first hour walking the streets I clocked Ukrainian plated late model Bentleys and Maseratis! We had a delightful al fresco lunch in a “traditional” Ukrainian restaurant. My favourite menu item translation was the Crazy Rabbit which I presume was meant to be Wild Rabbit!

 

Due to our timings for leaving Odessa the next day not only did we once more enjoy a transit of the Bosphorus, passing Istanbul again (with a glacial calm Back Sea beforehand and a glacial calm Marmara after), we then had a most wonderful transit of the entire length of the Dardenelles in daylight. A special mention should be made of the Port Lecturer Bill Allison who gave a most well informed deck commentary on these transits.

 

PALMA:

=======

 

A short taxi ride to Palma Nova/Magaluf to stock up on duty paid in the EU spirits and liquers (for take home), and then the purchase of daily Saturday Telegraph and then camped ourselves for 2+ hours in an open air café reading all the supplements with a large jug of Sangria. Interesting to watch the Union-Jacked, tattooed, shaved-heads brigade emerging around noon with their copies of today’s Sun. Rather like the Yalta young ladies, the favoured fashion this summer in Palma Nova amongst some of our countrymen were highly abbreviated shorts – which set-off very nicely against their England t-shirts and beer-bellys.

 

WEATHER:

=========

 

Perfect virtually the whole way. Black Sea threw up a bit choppy Northbound during the late afternoon / evening and on the 1st evening & 2nd day at sea home bound after Palma was about the choppiest. The last day at sea, Biscay was a glacial calm with clear blue skies and a last lovely afternoon up on deck after the packing.

 

All in all a most wonderful cruise, if a bit lacking in my perspective from the entertainments and distractions I personally seek.

 

A special mention to a recently promoted to Captain, Charlie Carr. A most engaging Master with the passengers and crew, who gave many an amusing comment from his announcements from the Bridge.

 

“The Monocled Mutineer”

 

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[The Welsh Man]

Derek,

 

As always a superb informative post.

 

I'd like to say thank:) s for all the advice I've received from you over the past few years on the P&O Website.

 

You are a huge bonus to this site.

 

Take Care

 

Carl:)

[greybeard]

Thanks for the informative review, which is of double interest to me as I shall be sailing in the Black Sea in May on board Spirit of Adventure, and because I plan to sail on Oriana in October.

 

One query - you mention early on in the review that you had not been aboard a P & O ship for five years, and yet later on, discussing the cuisine, you refer to your "recent" experiences on the Oceana.

 

Totally agree with your comments on "art" auctions, by the way.

[mancunian]

The Monocled Mutineer. Thank you for your interesting review. The ports in question are largely the ones we will be visiting on Marco Polo in October.

 

Greybeard. Lucky you. We went on Spirit of Adventure in November and are keen to go again. Unfortunately it will not be this year as we already had cruises booked with Orient and P&O.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

... my statement of not sailing with P&O for 5 years:

 

The reference to 5 years was with regard to travelling on a P&O ship built specifically for the ex.UK market. Oceana was a build for Princess serving the ex.US market before it was "converted" to a UK ship in 2002.

[bee-ess]

Great review, I have been on most of the P&O fleet and Oriana closely followed by Aurora are my favourites. Interesting to read your comments about the entertainment, we really enjoy the shows but don't really enjoy the Carbarets that are usually well known acts from the TV in the UK, bit oftern well past their sell-by-date.

[pkfamily]

I found this review excellent as we are new to cruising. It is really helpful to find information about the Oriana as we travel on her in July 08. If the people on the cruise are half as friendly as this site I will be booking my next cruise before I leave the ship.

 

many thanks Paul.

[tom_uk]

I found this review excellent as we are new to cruising. It is really helpful to find information about the Oriana as we travel on her in July 08.....

 

I'd like to echo these sentiments from 'pkfamily'. I wasn't an observer or poster in this forum when the review was posted, but it's very useful now as our first P&O cruise will be a mini-cruise on Oriana at the end of May. We're looking forward to it enormously.