X315 to Ireland, Iceland & the Faroe Islands

[Not so ancient mariner]

Part the first.

Oriana X215 to Ireland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands

Wednesday 24 July

We stopped at the Rownhams service area just short of Southampton, to get all the luggage sorted so that unloading at the docks would be straightforward. We were soon joined by four Eavesway coaches carrying Oriana stickers, so we thought it might be politic to get to the ship before they got there and discharged some 200 or so passengers.

Arriving at Mayflower, the usual boarding procedures proceeded smoothly and we were soon aboard, and having something to eat. We became aware of a commotion down on the dockside and it became evident that two people had fallen when leaving the ship and were being attended by ambulance personnel. One was ‘walking wounded’, but the other appeared more seriously hurt. We made enquiries about them once we returned to Southampton yesterday, and were informed that fortunately neither were seriously injured, just suffering bruising and scrapes.

We went to our cabin, and…wow! We had a basic balcony cabin, but compared to those on other P&O ships we have been on, it was huge. Not only that, but dressing gowns, slippers and an atlas – which we have never had before - were also provided.
I later discovered that binoculars should also have been present – but weren’t, but we had our own, so it wasn’t a problem.

Departure was accompanied by the usual sailaway and glass of champagne, but was a little late as the gangway involved in the earlier incident had been taken out of use, and an accident on the M3 had delayed the arrival of a couple of coaches. At 6.30 we weant down for dinner in the Orient MDR and discovered what was meant by the ‘Oriana Rumble’. We were on table 28, right aft on the port side. Yes it did seem very noisy as we sat down, but after a while you didn’t notice it as much – just the occasional buzz from the table lamp vibrating.

Thursday 25th

A pleasant day to be sailing along the south coast at Oriana’s economical speed of 14 knots, and passing Fred Olsen’s Balmoral going the other way. Just after lunch, we passed between the Scillies and the mainland, turning north-west and heading for Dublin. We had Roy Walker on board, returning to his roots as a stand up comedian, and he put on a truly excellent performance in the Theatre Royal.

Friday 26th.

We anchored in Dublin bay early on a bright sunny morning, and the tenders were already in the water before we got up. We had a tour ashore, so a quick breakfast, and down to the tender. As it happens we had a ‘Dublin Bay Tours’ boat with twice the capacity of the ship’s tenders, which had no doubt been brought in to speed up the disembarkation. Our tour took us down to Glendalough where we visited the remains of the old monastery, and had tea/coffee and an enormous freshly baked scone.
As we were due to leave the tour guide received a message saying not to go back to Dun Laoghaire as the ship was going to Dublin – but no explanation as to why. We were dropped off at the same place as the shuttle buses were to pick us up, but the first one would not be leaving for another 2 hours (not that that was a problem) – and that the last one would not be leaving until 11 pm! So we found ourselves some lunch, and visited the museums, then headed back to the bus.
Then the heavens opened, and we had to seek shelter as it was anything but ‘soft’ weather, more a monsoon!!
After about 20 minutes it had eased off enough for us to get to the bus stop, and the shuttle back to Oriana, which we found at the inner end of a dog-leg shaped dock, in a berth about 100ft longer than the ship, and the Caribbean Princess moored just astern of us. Clearances were very tight getting past her, which explained the time it took for Oriana to reach her berth.
More thunderstorms and heavy rain came and went, and with some passengers returning to the ship absolutely dripping, we decided to remain on board for the evening.
Why had Oriana moved? Fog had come down over Dublin Bay, drastically reducing visibility, and one of the tenders got ‘lost’ and had to be ‘rescued’ by the pilot boat, so for safety reasons tendering was discontinued, and the ship moved to Dublin.


Saturday 27th.

We awoke to the sound of the Ships Foghorn sounding as we headed north in thick fog. The sun gradually burned this off and was very warm when it broke through, though horizontal visibility remained much reduced for much of the day. Roy Walker put on another superb performance in the evening.

Sunday 28th

Another uneventful day as we continued North West towards Iceland. We spotted whales passing the port side a couple of hundred yards away, and were told that dolphin had also been seen much closer off the starboard side. Weather cooler as we continued north, and overcast and damp.

Monday 29th

Arrived Reykjavik, weather very dull with low cloud. Things went pear shaped with getting the gangways fixed, and consequently the tours were late departing (45mins in our case). We went on the ‘golden circle’ to the Hellisheidi geothermal power station, the Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir and its associated hot springs, where we had lunch) and on the way back visited the Thingvellir National Park. Once we left the power station the weather cleared, and remained warm and sunny.

Gullfoss falls were magnificent, and although Geysir (from which all others get there name) no longer erupts spontaneously* it’s neighbour Strokkur was in fine form, sending up a spout of water & steam 75ft or so up in the air every few minutes.
*Apparently you can still get Geysir to erupt if you pour soap solution into it, but this isn’t allowed any more, and I didn’t have a bag of uncle Ben’s rice with me to see if that would work………well it does in the advert!!

At Thingvellir we stopped to admire the magnificent scenery, and to walk down the fissure resulting from the American and European tectonic plates moving away from one another. Still in magnificent weather, and then it was back to Reykjavik, where it was still as dull and grey as when we left.

We left shortly afterwards and headed north towards out next port. The skipper did say that there was a good chance of whales being spotted later that evening, but as far as I know, none were.

[HK phooey]

An excellent report notso, I look forward to reading the next part.

[Not so ancient mariner]

Oriana X315 to Ireland, Iceland and the Faroe islands

Part the Second


Firstly, apologies for having the dates out by one day in the first part. The days of the week are correct though.

Tuesday 30th July. Isafjordur.

We anchored offshore in slightly choppy waters, but it was still sunny and warmer than we had expected. We decided to go ashore mid-morning and have a look around the town, before going on our coach tour in the afternoon.

When the tender arrived at the dockside, the ships security officer appeared at the top of the steps, and in real NCO fashion barked out the information we might need, eg. “That tin hut behind me is the information centre!” and where the tour buses would be, and the time of the last tender back to the ship etc.. He finished with “Right!! Any questions?” to which a voice from within the tender replied “ No… SIR!!”
Cue much mirth amongst passengers and crew.

This ‘tin hut’ had 3 computers with free internet access. The only trouble being that Icelandic keyboards do not have the @ character on them, which can be problematic when you are trying to send emails. Eventually I resorted to selecting and copying it from the character map – but no doubt there is an easier way of doing it.

We then had a wander around the town, discovering a house that was presumably occupied by an expatriate Jock, as it was named ‘Litla Glasgow’
We bought some lunch from the old bakery, who had an old Model T Ford van outside the front as an advert. Surprisingly it was displaying an old British tax disc, which had been issued in Keswick, Cumbria in May 1998.

We also came across a very friendly long haired cat, which was white, with two black spots on its head, and a black tail. My wife had somehow managed to pack a part pack of cat treats in our luggage, and some of these were much appreciated by the said Icelandic moggie.

The first leg of our coach trip lasted a whole 25 yards before we came to an abrupt stop to let two latecomers join the tour. Then we headed up the long tunnel out of Isafordur which is ‘interesting’ as it is single track with passing places. To save arguments, traffic heading towards Isafjordur has automatic right of way. Traffic has now built up to the level where this arrangement is starting to be inconvenient, and they are trying to figure out a way to make it two lanes throughout, without having to close it entirely for the work to be carried out.

Our first stop was the village of Flateyri, where we were treated to some local folk songs in the local church, then drinks and cakes etc in a café, and had time to visit the local 2nd hand book shop – which sells books by weight! - at the fixed rate of 1000Kr per kilo! I also met an expatriate Londoner who now lives there. The winters, he said, were not particularly cold, but had too much snow – for too long!!
The whole area provided magnificent scenery, again enjoyed under a cloudless sky.
Our next stop was Skrúður Gardens, the first Icelandic botanical garden, founded in 1909. It was the idea of the former minister and principal of Núpur—the cultivation pioneer of Iceland. He grew plants and vegetables that nobody ever dreamed could germinate so far north. It seemed strange seeing what to us appeared just a run of the mill vegetable patch, within a botanic garden.

Then back to the ship, with a rather bouncy tender ride through the choppy waters, and some of the crew getting soaked by spray that was coming right over the cabin.

More magnificent scenery for the sailaway up the fjord, and spectacular sunset as we headed around then north coast to Akureyri. In spite of clear skies there was no chance of seeing the northern lights, as although the sun went below the horizon for a few hours, it remained far to light for any displays to be visible.

Wednesday 31st July

The skipper said last night that the wind was going round to the north, and that the weather would deteriorate. He was right! The temperature had dropped considerably, it was very overcast, and the wind was adding a ‘brass monkeys’ chill factor. It took Oriana longer than usual to get alongside as the wind was blowing directly off the jetty and she was having to maneouver broadside on into it in order to dock. Once alongside she was secured by just about every mooring line they had available.

We departed on the ‘Jewels of the North’ tour, and headed out over the mountains towards Lake Myvatn. No tunnel this time, but maybe next time, as it is under construction. We drove past Godafoss, which confused some passengers that were preparing to get off, and continued to the Myvatn nature baths. These are much like the Blue Lagoon, but on a smaller scale. The water may have been hot, but the wind way bl**dy cold, with intermittent light drizzle. Next stop was the lunar landscape just over the hill at Namaskard where we found steam vents boiling mud pools and sulphur deposits - and the whiff of bad eggs (hydrogen sulphide gas).
The description of this as a ‘lunar landscape’ is no exageration, indeed the guide informed us that NASA sent the Apollo astronauts here for part of their training.
A stop for coffe & cake at a hotel by the pseudo craters at Lake Myvatin, followed, and the a stop at Godafoss waterfall on the way back to the ship.
Back in Akureyri, several passengers asked if they could get a hop-on hop-off bus to the Santa house there. Unfortunately we could not find a Ho-Ho bus in Akureyri, and anyhow I was told that to visit Santa, I would need the Ho-Ho-Ho bus!!
Those on the whale–watching trip were not so fortunate as they had to turn back because the sea was too rough. One chap left his iPad in a pocket of the survival suit that each passenger had been given for the boat trip. He remembered in time to go back for it – but then had to search though a huge pile of them to find the one he had been wearing. He did find his iPad though….

Thursday 1st Aug

Things got a bit rough last night, the skipper having forewarned us to make sure valuable items were not put anywhere they could fall off. – and I did hear of several people finding the clothes in their wardrobe making a bid for freedom. Things calmed down somewhat once we turned to the south, and had the swell coming from astern instead of the port beam. However, the skipper also had some bad and good news.

Bad: the expected wind and sea conditions at Torshavn meant it was highly unlikely we would be able to dock there.

Good: There was an alternative port: Klaksvik. This location was sheltered at the end of a fjord so he had reserved the berth there, and most – but not all - of the planned shore excursions would still be able to go ahead.

Were also informed that instead of returning via the North Sea, we would be heading through the Minches between The Outer Hebrides and the inners one/Scottish mainland, and then down through the Irish Sea as per our outward journey. This he said would give us much better scenery than we would see from the North Sea.


Friday 2nd Aug

Klaksvik

We arrived here after a long journey down the fjord in low cloud and rain. Someone on the bridge did a good job manoeuvring the ship, as some of the turns were so tight as to require the use of the bow thrusters, and the final docking required us to do a 180 degree turn in a fjord that cannot have been much wider than twice the length of the ship. The rain Had eased when we went ashore. Our tour (or at least an equivalent thereof) was still on and we duly set off.
This tour gave us the lowest point of the cruise, as the tunnel across to the Island of Esturoy takes you down to 150 metres (almost 500 feet) below sea level.
On Esturoy we visited the fishing village of Nordragota, and had a look at the tiny church and traditional fishermens cottages, some of which are still in use. These are absolutely tiny – but fully functional. They reminded me of crew quarters on a warship! From here we visited a modern church, and a tax free shop where the goods were very reasonably priced by Nordic standards. Then it was back to the ship for lunch. Because the rain had stopped I decided to go ashore after lunch to take some photos of the ship at her berth. I had got about 150 yards up the road when the heavens opened. I got my photos – but I also got very wet!
The sailaway party was cancelled because of the weather – which was so wet and gloomy that the Terrace Bar needed its lights on. Ironically, within an hour of getting out to sea, we were in bright sunshine once again.

Saturday 3rd Aug

I am sure that the view of the Highlands and Islands would have been very nice – if we had been able to see more than the grey shapes that the prevailing weather conditions permitted, but at least – as the 2nd officer put it – the weather kept the fishing boats out of our way. Visibility did improve later and we got a clear view of the coasts of South West Scotland and Northern Ireland as we headed south between them.
This was the ‘meet the departments’ day when representatives of the various trades on the ship set up stall in the atrium and show you how they do their respective jobs. I spoke to several of the engineering officers who informed me that the main reason for returning via the Irish Sea was cost. Although it is marginally further by this route, it is not subject to the emission control regulations in place for the North Sea, so the ship doesn’t have to burn the more expensive ‘low sulphur’ fuel when navigating the Irish Sea. I had earlier noticed that when Oriana was steaming at low speeds, the port propeller was doing most of the work, with the starboard one barely ticking over. The officer explained that this is actually the most fuel efficient way to do it, though I didn’t fully understand the technicalities behind this. We also discussed the ‘buzz’ going around about future changes in the P&O fleet. He dismissed the rumour of Oriana being sold to Fred Olsen – at least not before 2016 (if then) as Oriana is the P&O flagship, and he believed there were celebrations planned for its 20th year - which coincides with the new ship joining the fleet. The only thing he could say about the new ship was that her name will definitely end in ‘A’ as this was stipulated when crew members were invited to suggest a suitable name for her. One interesting titbit he had was the possibility (nothing stronger than that) of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth being transferred to P&O.

Sunday 4th August.

Wind: Force 7. Sea State: Moderate. This was causing some movement to the ship, but nothing to get excited about. It was, however, bright and sunny, though the wind strength kept the temperature down. One interesting side effect of the conditions was the rainbows produced as the sunlight caught the spray blown from the wavetops. We marked out last night on board with a meal in the Sorrento restaurant.
This was superb, and arguably the most enjoyable meal I have had on a P&O ship.

Monday 5th August.

Up early as we returned to the Mayflower terminal, unusually berthing facing up-river. We were ashore by 9.30 found our luggage with no problems, and were on the road before 10.

What did I think of Oriana? Well, the balcony cabin was the best I have been in, The theatre and show lounge were essentially equivalent to those on Oceana, and most public areas were also comparable. I prefer the Atrium on Oceana, and also think the Yacht & Compass is preferable to Anderson’s: but Oceana has her self service restaurant (The Plaza) situated forward above the bridge, whereas Oriana has the ‘crows nest’ bar in this location, and her equivalent restaurant (The Conservatory) at the stern – which I find a much better layout. Overall, I think Oriana has it by a short head - in spite of her vibrations; but I am more than happy to sail on either ship, and the itinerary & price are likely to be the considerations with most influence over the choice of ship for our next cruise

[Not so ancient mariner]

I forgot to include the bit about our loo going bananas the morning we were in Klaksvik. Basically it kept flushing repeatedly. After 10 or so flushes it would have a breather for 30 seconds or so...... and then off it would go again. We decided to leave it to it and go ashore, informing the cabin steward of the problem on our way out. By the time we returned at lunchtime, the problem had been sorted.

[poole boy]

not so ancient mariner.
we were on Oriana on the cruise before yours x314 the captain did a q&A session he was asked if there was any truth in the rumour doing the rounds that Oriana was going to be sold to make way for the new big boat.
his answer was that it was complete rubbish as p&o had spent 22 million on her last refit and they would want to get there money back before they thought of selling her, he also went on to say that there was a smaller refit planed for 2016 .

[sunseeker16]

Thank you - I enjoyed your report

[Gill W]

Fab report, thanks for taking the time to post it.

I did some similar tours in Iceland and Ireland last year.

It sounds like it was an enjoyable cruise.

[qbman1]

Excellent, AM, thanks. Makes me realise just how lucky we were with the weather up to Iceland a couple of weeks ago - 3 or 4 foggy days at sea but essentially flat calm all the way. Glad you liked Oriana despite the throbbing! Those balcony cabins are indeed exceptional - just a shame they are only on B-deck

[Not so ancient mariner]

As a post script to this report, I notice that following the problems we had with tendering into Dun Laoghaire, the itinerary for Oriana's next visit (X317) has been changed to show her docking in Dublin, as per previous years.