Oriana
P&O Line
June 14, 2001 ~ Southampton to Norway
An American on Oriana
by Hall Coons
Just back from an extended trip to
Europe that included a one week cruise on P&O's ORIANA. It was a
seven day trip from Southampton up to Norway. We visited four ports,
including three fjords and the city of Bergen. First of all I just
want to say that I was thrilled with the whole experience, both ship
and Norway. Although, I have sailed Princess several times this was my
first trip on the parent company of Princess, which is P&O. The
P&O line caters almost exclusively to the British cruise market. I
was the only American on board the June 14th sailing as far as I could
tell. 1800 total passengers, with 1 American (me), 20 Germans, 10 Japanese,
and everyone else from the U.K. So I definitely had a very British
Experience.
The Oriana is a handsome all white
ship with the traditional P&O buff funnel. The name Oriana (a
memorable name !) is a nickname for the first Queen Elizabeth (the
monarch, not the ship). The ship was built in 1995 and is extremely
well maintained. She looks almost brand new with no signs of wear and
tear anywhere to be seen. Although she does look slightly
"boxy" as many of the new ships do, her interior design is
where she really shines. I recently sailed on the new Seven Seas
Mariner, which also has nicely decorated interiors, but they have no
"character". The ORIANA interiors have lots of character and
do not follow the recent hotel style of chrome, mirrors, and soft
tans. There is a wide variety of public rooms on board. None are
extremely large excluding the main showroom. Each of the small to mid
size lounges seems to have been designed by a different designer, as
they are very different and unique. In many lounges you felt you were
in an English House with lots of P&O ship history memorabilia.
This design theme reminded me somewhat of the Holland America
interiors but was better IMHO. I loved the full 360 degree outdoor
promenade deck...which was also unusually wide and well used by the
passengers. 3 large outdoor heated pools, which the Brits jump into
whenever the sun comes out and the temps rise above 60 degrees F ! My
cabin on Canberra Deck (9) was an outside with a really big window,
about 160 square feet of space. Only bad thing about cabin was that
the bathroom was very small, even for a cruise ship. The ship has two
seatings for dinner, and uses two dining rooms, one midships and one
aft. Both dining rooms decorated in same style with handsome crystal
lighting fixtures, comfortable chairs and large windows. An excellent
Crows Nest bar overlooking the bow of the ship was well attended for
both pre dinner and after dinner drinks.
Food & Dining:
This is the only area where I could find something to complain about.
The food was good to very good at dinners, but lunches and breakfasts
only fair in my opinion. Surprisingly, the well attended afternoon
teas featured the poorest food of all ! I was use to the rather
elaborate and formal afternoon teas presented in the lounges by
Cunard. However, on P&O the teas only in the Conservatory (i.e.
the informal cafeteria style restaurant) and the "tea food"
was very plain and nothing to brag about. Several dinners were
memorable including excellent beef Wellington and very good soufflés
for desert. However, you definitely got the feeling at dinner that the
meals were "mass produced" and not of true gourmet quality.
Poultry dishes were particularly poor. I must say the soups were
excellent and pasta surprisingly good for a British ship.
But service in the dining room (and
throughout the ship) was some of the best I have experienced in recent
years. Certainly MUCH better service than my recent experience on Radisson's
Seven Seas Mariner, a much more expensive ship. We were well attended
in dining room by two waiters from India. All wait staff appeared to
be from India. Women were always served first and I particularly liked
the promptness of the service. Vegetables (excellent by the way) were
served by the waiters separately and individually to each dinner.
Every line use to serve vegetables this way with evening meal, but I
have noticed lately that many just lump them on the dish with the main
entree and do not serve them separately. Excellent cheese dishes also
as an alternative or addition to deserts. Being in the second seating
we never felt rushed and often lingered over the table , with tea and
coffee, to discuss the days events.
Entertainment:
Unlike many cruise passengers I usually do not even attend the major
evening production shows. However, on Oriana I have to admit that
these were very well done, but again with a British emphasis. One
night the shows theme was more or less British Patriotism with such
songs as "Britannia Rules the Seas". I actually found this
very interesting and entertaining as it was a new experience for me.
The staff gave all passengers little Union Jack flags to wave during
the performance. The Theater Royal is an excellent show lounge and
each seat has a little air conditioning duct, which is certainly
unique and works quite well. The expected production shows on
"Broadway" and "Hollywood" were all done, but
again these were of a very high quality both in the dancing and
singing. Costumes seemed very elaborate for a cruise ship. I actually
have to admit that I enjoyed these shows on Oriana, but often tore
myself away from them to go out on deck to see the passing scenery.
Spa & Pool Facilities:
The Oriana has three large outdoor heated swimming pools which were
well used by the British passengers. If the sun is out and the temp is
over 60 degrees F, the British will go for a swim. Also excellent children's
swimming facility with one pool designated mainly for kids, and one
pool off limits to kids. Lots of open deck space and deck chairs on
the ship. The rear tiered decks on Oriana are a particularly nice
place to sit out of the wind and read a book in your deck chair or
just watch the ship's wake. The ship has elaborate Spa facilities
which I did not use, but they looked very modern and were well
attended. Also an excellent gym facility.
Notable Lounges & Facilities:
The ship has lots of small lounges each with their own decor. The
Tiffany's lounge at the top of the atrium is nicely decorated with a
Tiffany glass ceiling. Breakfast and Lunch were also served in this
small lounge. Anderson's was decorated like a British Living Room and
was well attended for pre dinner drinks. Steward Service in all
lounges and bars was excellent. Perhaps the most beautiful lounge is
the Curizon Room which is done in creams, light colored woods, and has
unique tapestry wall coverings. Classical music concerts given nightly
in the Curizon Room. Oriana also has excellent no-charge laundry facilities
on two of the passenger decks, which came in handy for me as it gave
me a place to do laundry in the middle of my extended European trip.
Norway:
I have always dreamed of sailing in the Norwegian Fjords and I was not
disappointed. The scenery was simply stunning. We visited three ports
mainly for the Fjords 1)Eidfjord, 2)Olden, and 3)Geirangerfjord. In
Eidfjord we had a brilliant sunny warm weather day. Sailing down the
Fjord in the late afternoon was something to look forward to at the
end of each day. I was glad I did not have the 6:30 pm early sitting,
because if so you missed some of the most stunning scenery of the
trip. The waterfalls in Geirangerfjord were stunning. I signed up for
three hiking tours given by the ship and these were all excellent.
However, they were more difficult than advertised and several older
passengers had to give up the hike before completion. One hike was
right up to the edge of a Glacier, so close you could touch it.
Another hike involved visiting a waterfall and then being able to walk
BEHIND the waterfall, lots of fun. The only thing I was slightly
disappointed with was Bergen, which seemed a little too
"touristy" in the central area for my tastes. However, the
hiking tour in the mountains above Bergen was excellent. One thing
that impressed me in Norway was the very long days. One clear night I
had to wear my sunglasses as late as 11 pm because the sun was so
bright.
The Oriana was an excellent way to
visit Norway in comfort on a cruise that was only 7 days long. Most
Norwegian cruises are much longer than 7 days, but on our 7 day trip
we got to visit three different fjords and the city of Bergen. Many 14
day Norway trips visit no more than 3 fjords. If you enjoy a more
formal British atmosphere the Oriana is an excellent choice for the
American traveler. However, be ready to fit in with the British
passenger. Would be glad to answer any questions any reader may have.
Hall
Coons, Maryland, USA
Copyright ©
2001 Hall Coons
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