Oriana

In Piraeus, I was very briefly able to have a look at the Cruise Critic and Oz Cruiseclub Forums on the Internet. This was the first time that I could do this since we left Brisbane. I noted that one Forum contributor had asked for some more information about this ship Oriana- so after five weeks onboard and only one more to go before we arrive in Southampton, UK - perhaps now is the time for that. I have been reluctant to say too much about the ship for a number of  reasons. Firstly, what we think about it will not necessarily be what others think. Ships are referred to as "she/her" - and men will understand that when it comes to women, what one man considers to be admirable and desirable may be a turn-off to another. Secondly, the ship is an entity that is made up of more than just the nuts and bolts making the ship. The ship's staff are an extremely important contributor to passenger's perceptions of satisfaction - and these important people change all the time -in the case of this World cruise, even in mid-cruise. Thirdly, a passenger's thoughts about a particular ship, or even a particular cruise, are largely determined by what their expectations are before they start out and also by what they are prepared to accept. Christine and I are generally fairly easily pleased and we do not have high expectations because we understand that this is always the path to disappointment. We are also realists and know that  things go wrong - and the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

THE SHIP -- This is the fourth cruiseship we have travelled on and we have liked all of them. Of course, they all have their good and bad points. We cannot find many bad points about this ship (only one). The VERY good points are the big wide Promenade Deck (and it's good number of deckchairs and tables - as opposed to sunbeds, which we don't like), the large Cinema, the Theatre (for shows and other entertainment. It is
a theatre only - not a theatre crossed with a cocktail lounge which I think doesn't work very well in either direction), the Pacific Lounge (Cocktail lounge), Crow's Nest, Oriana Rhodes restaurant and tiered stern. The one BAD thing this ship has is VIBRATION in the rear of the ship - more specifically that felt inside the Oriental Restaurant. I would strongly recommend to all intending future passengers that they attempt to get a table in the Peninsula Restaurant.

THE FOOD -- We have enjoyed the food onboard, especially that served in the the main dining rooms and in Al Fresco. We have not been as enthusiastic about the food in the Buffet (Conservatory). I will admit that I am probably more critical about this than is Christine and, as a more general rule, I am not very fond of any buffet dining in any ship. I do like the atmosphere in the main dining rooms - although I can see that for some, the need to dress each night for a long cruise becomes a chore. This ship does have a LOT of Formal nights - and I found them to be unsuitable in Tropical areas. There are parts of the ship where the airconditioning does not cope very well in hot humid conditions (our cabin was one of them) - now that we are in cooler northern waters, I don't mind getting into a Penguin suit at all.

DRINKS -- If you are a drinker, you will like this ship (especially if you are an Aussie and have cruised on Aussie P&O ships). 500 ml bottles of full strength British Ale (Old Speckled Hen, Marstons Pedigree, Green King IPA, Spitfire - my favourite for this cruise) sell for around 2.70 UKP (around $4.85). This compares VERY well against the $5.50 we are charged for 375 mil cans of half strength Aussie lager (which is horrible stuff anyway). 330ml bottles of European lagers (like Stella Artois) are also sold for around the same price as the Brit Ales - although you can also get 600ml pints of Stella on tap for that price. It was so popular that they ran out a couple of weeks ago , and I understand got some more kegs of it from Aurora when we were both docked in Piraeus..There are two cocktails which are sold as "Cocktail of the day" (they change every day) for around 2.80 UKP (around $4.90). I think that Aussie cocktail drinkers would like this price. They also sell litre bottles of spirits that you can take to your cabin for consumption there - I bought a bottle of Gin for $7.50 ($13.50AUD) and a bottle of 5 year old Portuguese Vintage Port for 10.50 KP($20). Wine onboard Oriana varies widely in price from cheaper stuff to very expensive - but there is a very big selection of International wines (including Aussie), so any wine lover with a suitable budget would enjoy the selection. "Happy two hours" are from 2PM to 4PM in three of the bars onboard. The Brits don't do Happy Hour like Aussie establishments do (where everything is half price) - they only sell pints of Ale and Lager during Happy Hour (plus the promotional Cocktails of the Day), but these beers are only 1.30 UKP ($2) - which is VERY CHEAP!!! Only problem is that the Ale is Boddington's - which I am not all that keen on - but at $2 a pint, what do you think I have mostly been drinking????? Every now and then, I lash out on a hoppy Shepherd Neame Spitfire.

WOULD WE CRUISE ON ORIANA AGAIN ? -- Yes and no. YES, because there is absolutely no reason for us not to and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to experience a BRITISH ship (note that the word British has been accentuated!). NO - because this World of ours offers us so many wonderful ships and other things to experience, and at my age I can no longer afford (timewise) to do the same thing twice.