Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

Reports about cruises on Oriana
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Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

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Southampton to Cadiz

Wednesday 23 May 2018 - Southampton

Ben from Cruise Park Southampton collected us at the port to take our Duty free to the car. The border control were out in force waiting for passengers to disembark but as we were only carrying a handbag and wheely bag we didn’t get stopped. After dropping off our loot at the car Ben dropped us in Southampton city for a bit of shopping. Great service Ben thank you very much.

Glorious day in Southampton but with a cool wind. It was lovely having the ship virtually to ourselves. A few people were being shown around but the aft deck was deserted.

We had the priority buffet lunch and bubbles in the restaurant then went to sit in the sun again, booked the Beach House for Messina night and to the gym for the dreaded weigh in. 3 lbs on since Cadiz I blame Sindhu last night, and 8lbs on in total since leaving home. I need to cut down on the alcohol but I know I won’t so hey ho elastic waist bands for the last cruise.

The aft deck filled up for the sail away even though the official sail away was at the Riviera pool. It was hot on deck and many were in swim wear and must have decided to leave their unpacking until later.

We had dinner in the Oriental fixed dining restaurant and met our waiters Godwin and Santana along with Anniban our diet waiter and Roseanna the wine waiter who kept our glasses topped up.

The entertainment was the Welcome aboard show and we were very happy that the resident group had changed to Inspiration who we first met years ago on Arcadia. A great group to listen to and strict tempo to dance to.

Thursday 24 May 2018 - Sea Day to Cadiz

At 6am the sky was clear and the sun was on the aft deck but by the time I got up to the gym at 7am the sun had disappeared and only thick cloud could be seen.

A few passengers were sitting out as it wasn’t particularly cold just not sunny although the sun did keep trying to burn off the cloud. The sea was very calm and the Bay of Biscay once again like a Millpond.

I met some fellow facebookers in the Crows Nest at 11am and put some faces to names. It was a good meet up but not as many as Gareth who had organised it was expecting. It had a lot of competition as the jewellers were offering free bubbles at the unveiling of the new collections, the spa was holding a raffle to win various treatments, Guest speaker Howard Nicols was in the Theatre talking about the Mystery of the ship the Mary Celeste which I had always thought was called the Marie Celeste, there was a Dance Class in Harlequins, a Bridge Class in Crichtons, the first practice for the Oriana vocalists in the Pacific Lounge and the shuffleboard competition.

I met Garry for lunch before going to the Battle of the Sexes quiz which is still being hosted by the comedy duo Maxine and Yasmin. It was the men’s turn to win today but plenty of time for the ladies to catch up.
Next on my agenda was the hair show in the Pacific Lounge. Plenty of passengers turned up for this but no presenters. After sitting there patiently for a while a lady went to make enquiries. It turned out that whilst we were in advertised venue the Pacific Lounge the hairdressers were in the Medina Lounge which was the venue they had requested.
Left and Right springs to mind or as one lady said P*ss up and brewery.
We all hightailed it up to the Medina which is completely the other end of the ship and on deck 13. The hair show had to be cut short (ha ha) as the acupuncturist had booked the room for 14:45.

At 4pm exactly Captain Sarah Bretton announced that the new ship would be called Iona with an in depth explanation of how and why the name was chosen. So the shortest name for the largest ship in the fleet.

The evening entertainment was Roy Locke with his music from the musicals show or Phil Melbourne the comedian who bored me half to death in February in the Pacific Lounge. We opted for the early evening dance date in Harlequins as the group Inspiration were playing followed by a drink in Anderson’s bar where they serve the special gin tasting.
A creature of habit I chose the Northern selection again which was the Anderson’s gin with a slice of grapefruit, Two birds London Gin with Lime and a Seville Orange Gin all served with Fever Tree tonic.

We finished the night back in Anderson’s dancing to Inspiration. I certainly got enough exercise today.

We clock goes forward an hour overnight in readiness for our 1st port of call Cadiz on Saturday.

Friday 26th May 2018 - 2nd Sea Day to Cadiz

Due to the hour change it was still dark when I got to the gym. The numbers had dwindled down to three again.
Another cloudy morning as we sail down the Portuguese coast and quite windy on deck.

Later in the morning the sun burned the clouds off and I had a hour or so on the deck whilst Garry went to listen to the speaker in the theatre. The theme today was The Titanic.

Although the sun was hot the wind had a chill to it but skimpy swimwear was being worn by those determined to make the most of it. I was happy in my jeans and top. Hopefully when we get into the Med and away from the Atlantic the wind will not be as cold.

After lunch it was the Battle of the sexes where the ladies won but only by 10 points so we are still behind the men.

Most of the afternoon was spent in the cabin as my butler had designated today as my hair colouring day.

First formal of the cruise and the Captains Welcome on board party. Captain Sarah was very informative and gave out the weather forecast for the ports up to Venice. Sounds like we are in for some very hot weather.

We are preferring fixed dining to freedom. Having the same waiters every night is a bonus and we mentioned last night to our wine waiter that we would like a bottle of Billy Billy Shiraz and it was there waiting for us. Great service.

The Headliners performed Stage Door which we saw last cruise so we gave that a miss.
Inspiration in the Pacific Lounge and the Orchestra were playing for the Formal Ball in Harlequins.

Cadiz tomorrow and more tapas and sangria.

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

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Post by KaiRose »

A very interesting review, thank you. I am looking forward to reading more about your lovely cruise. Oriana is a ship that interests my husband & I. We have cruised once or twice with P&O but have yet to try Oriana. May I ask what type of cabin you are staying in and what you think of it and the ship in general? Thank you so much.

Best Wishes,
Rose

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

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Oh good, more from Sue. Looking forward to this as usual.
Gill

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Cadiz to Messina

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Saturday 26 May 2018 - Cadiz

As the Captain promised Cadiz was sunny and hot.

As usual I started the day in the exercise classes and as it’s a port day it was a double session. Weigh in day and 1/2 lb lost since we left Southampton on Wednesday.
My butler decided it was a good day to do the laundry whilst everyone else was rushing to get off the ship.

We disembarked mid morning and took our time meandering along the narrow streets, me walking on the sunny side and Garry keeping in the shade. We have been here many times but still manage to come across somewhere we haven’t seen before. There seems to be plazas and gardens at the end of every narrow street. I bought a card but then had to find a tobacconist to buy a stamp and then a bar to have a beer and write the card. Luckily the Post office was right next to the bar so we stopped for another beer.

Cadiz has an old market area which is where we had planned to find a tapas bar and have lunch. First stop was to find the loos as the ones in the bar weren’t functioning. They were down steps in a basement area of the market. The first door was the men’s which which was wide open with a Spanish man relieving himself in full view, I averted my eyes and walked to the ladies to find another Spanish man using them without having closed the door. Charming, suddenly the need to ‘go’ disappeared.

We found the tapas bar we had eaten at last year and being creatures of habit decided to have lunch there again. There are so many bars to choose from and although this one was excellent we decided that next time we are here we will be more adventurous and try the one next door. I had another loo episode there when I walked in to find another Spanish man using it without having locked the door. Why did I apologise and feel embarrassed. It was a communal loo but even so it did have a working lock. Maybe it is just the men of a certain age in Cadiz who are exhibitionists.

I spent the rest of the afternoon on the aft deck in the sun and after the beer and sangria I know I fell asleep. I just hope I wasn’t snoring.
The sailaway party was on the top deck and I went up there for a while to watch the antics of the energetic entertainment team whilst we sailed away from this lovely city. This is the only Spanish port of the cruise with the rest being Italian, Albanian or Croatian and finally Gibraltar.

It was such a fabulous sunny evening that we decided to give the entertainment a miss and sit out on deck with a bottle of wine. We could see the Coastline of Spain on one side and Africa on the other as we sailed through the gut which separates the cold Atlantic from the warm Mediterranean .

Garry watched some of the football which was being shown in the Lords Tavern and the Pacific Lounge but also on the cabin TV which he found when the sun had gone down and we returned to the cabin.

Two sea days now before our next port of call Messina.

Sunday 27th May 2018 - Sea Day to Messina

Just 30 minutes exercise class today which was Abs, bums and thighs.
After the Abs section the instructor asked if my Abs were okay, I said they were fine but had gone into hiding under the excess flab.

I looked out at the aft deck at 8am before breakfast to find that many of the beds in the prime position were already taken. My butler had already breakfasted whilst I was in the gym so he offered to secure me a bed and sat on it in his fleece until I returned.

It was about 9:30am before the sun found its way over the funnel and onto the aft deck but when it did it was hot. I knew I wouldn’t have long there as I needed to be back in the cabin showered and changed for the Ligurian lunch.

The wine flowed well as usual and our host Fodos the safety officer kept us entertained with his life at sea.
Determined to make the most of the sea day I was back on deck for 2pm and managed to get a bed in the sun.

The entertainment was a choice of the Headliners or the comedian Phil Melbourne. It was another lovely night on deck so once again we we spent our evening out there but after so much food and drink we had an early night and watched a film in the cabin.

Monday 28th May 2018 2nd Sea Day to Messina

It was a cloudy start to the morning and when I went up to the gym I realised the decks were very wet and there had been a torrential downpour.
It soon dried up and once again the sun was hot and on the aft by 09:30.

I had breakfast in the MDR as Monday is Eggs Benedict day. There was almost an incident when an elderly lady asked me about getting wi fi in Messina. Before I could reply the man next to me asked her what an old lady wanted wi fi for. The table gasped in horror but lucky for him he was Scottish and she hadn’t understood him. She obviously realised something had been said but he had the sense not to repeat it. She threatened him with her fork and told him that she was old enough to be his mother and he should show her more respect.

I had a very lazy day and soaked up the lovely sunshine. I didn’t even move to get lunch as Garry who generally finds the buffet adequate at lunch time reported back that there was nothing there that looked appetising. We could have gone to the front of the ship and used Al fresco or to the main dining room but I was settled and it certainly wouldn’t do me any harm to miss a meal. There doesn’t appear to be a ready made salad bar on Oriana or maybe we haven’t looked hard enough.

It was too nice an evening to spend it indoors so once again after dinner we sat outside with a drink and enjoyed the evening. There are quite a few differences on Oriana compared to last September. The aft deck was always well used on sunny evenings with background music playing and the bar open. Now it is just a dead space and such a shame. Hopefully the bar will reopen in the evenings but I won’t hold my breath.

Tomorrow we dock in Messina, Sicily.

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

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prefdavid wrote: 29 May 2018, 09:43
The first door was the men’s which which was wide open with a Spanish man relieving himself in full view, I averted my eyes and walked to the ladies to find another Spanish man using them without having closed the door. Charming, suddenly the need to ‘go’ disappeared.
The 'cheek' of it. :oops: :oops:

Great review - keep them coming.

Maureen

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Messina

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Tuesday 29 May 2018 - Messina, Sicily

Another beautiful sunny day and after an hour in the gym for the port day exercise class, I had room service breakfast before disembarking to find the coach for our transfer to Taormina. The coach filled quickly and we set off 20 minutes early. The guide gave me a headache. She never shut up and although her English was good she was quite difficult to understand because of her pronunciation.
I couldn’t wait to get off the coach and away from the ‘voice’.

There was a rear exit from the coach as well as a front one . A rather large person nearest to the rear exit stood up and blocked the exit but insisted she was going to wait to use the front exit so everyone behind her had to wait for the passengers at the front of the coach to get off before we could move. Common sense should have told her to stay sat down and wait for the coach to clear instead of blocking the exit.

Coaches are not permitted in Taormina and park up in an underground coach park, there are several large lifts to take passengers to the top and because our coach had set off early there was no wait for the lift.

A fabulous day greeted us at the top and the view of Mount Etna was awesome. Standing at 11,000 feet above sea level there was still some snow on the higher slopes of the volcano and smoke was gently puffing out of the crater. It has erupted 130 times since records were kept but the peasant farmers still continue to live on its slopes because the volcanic ash has made the soil so fertile.

The guide gave us our meet up time of 12:30 which was ridiculously early but was exactly the 2 1/2 hours that had been advertised.
Having been here before and not had time to see the ancient theatre we headed off there first. It was quite a trek down through the narrow Main Street of the town then up a steep hill. We were the first to arrive from our coach and the queue for the 10 Euro ticket was short. We checked our watch and it had taken about 20 minutes to get there at a fast pace.

The Greco Roman theatre was amazing with much of the old architecture still standing. It is still used for performances every year and some modern seating had been installed but the higher seats were still stone. The views were spectacular and we spent an hour here before retracing our steps back through Taormina at a more leisurely pace. We purchased an Italian ice cream as there would be no time for lunch and ate it whilst wandering along taking in the sights of this pretty well looked after Italian town. Tiny steep streets led both up and down from the main road with tiny bars and restaurants dotted around. There just wasn’t enough time to discover everything this place had to offer.

We stopped for a local beer and Garry had a ‘How Much’ moment when the bill came to 6 Euros for the smallest beer I have ever drank. It didn’t touch the sides.

As we had the meeting point in sight with 10 minutes to spare we stopped for a lemon granita which is the local delicacy very similar to a sorbet but not as solid. Far more thirst quenching than the mouthful of beer.

A great trip out just a couple of hours too short but enjoyable all the same.

The comedian who was due to perform did not arrive at the ship so the entertainment was quickly rearranged.

We ate in the Beach House where it was still warm enough to eat outside. I ordered my favourite seafood hanging kebab. We had a great view sailing past the coast of Sicily and a pod of dolphins kept us entertained.

Tomorrow we are in Sarande - Albania.

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

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looking forward to hearing their views on Sarande - a marmite kind of place!
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We rather liked Sarande, although it does need a bit of a cash injection.
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we liked Sarande - but not the beggars
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Sarande and sea day

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Wednesday 30 May 2018 - Sarande, Albania

Another glorious day and a tender port. No rush to get off so my butler decided to do the laundry as the launderettes are closed from 10am tonight until after we have left Venice. I went to the double exercise class then met up with Garry after he had finished the laundry and I had breakfasted.

We thought that there would be a long wait for a tender to shore but collected a ticket and were sent straight down to the waiting tender. The sea was like a lake and the journey across to the dock very short. Probably the easiest tender operation we have ever witnessed.

Albania is an extremely poor country and the signs of poverty were everywhere. Sarande is a coastal town on the Albanian Riviera on the Ionian Sea. Corfu can be seen in the distance across the bay. Once off the tender there is a 200 yard walk up a very steep hill then about 100 steps back down onto the promenade. This made it very difficult for passengers with disabilities and many passengers stayed on ship. It would be so easy for the port to open the ferry terminal for passengers to walk through from the tender directly onto the promenade. This however would bypass the 50 plus taxi drivers touting for business.

We walked along the promenade and stopped for a local beer by the marina. The fishermen were selling their catch from their boats. Everything appears very laid back here. We were heading for the market that had been here last year but there was no sign of it. There were new upmarket shops and the lady in the information office told us that the market had been closed down although a few of the traders had set up their stalls along the promenade.

The beach here is shingle and stones rather than sand and the sea very clear. A group of teenage school children were enjoying jumping in the sea from a stone diving board. It obviously got deep very quickly. I was tempted to join them as it was so hot but instead went to another bar to sample the local beer.

The sun was on the aft deck and once again that is where I spent the rest of the afternoon. As the ship was at anchor it kept moving around and it was a relief when this meant I was in the shade for a while until it moved back again.

The evening entertainment was Giselle Summers a vocalist singing songs from the usual musicals in the theatre and CJ and Inspiration in the Pacific Lounge. We opted for CJ and Inspiration and were not disappointed. I don’t know where she gets her energy from. It was a fast paced show featuring the best British female singers.

Thursday 31st May 2018 - Sea Day to Venice

Another glorious morning with calm seas and hot sunshine. Just 1/2 an hours exercise class today which was circuit training. There were only 2 of us there, no doubt everyone else was either still in bed or enjoying the early morning sun before it got too hot.

Garry had set up camp on the aft deck and it was busy very early. I stayed there for the rest of the day reading dozing and chatting with fellow passengers. Garry can only stand so long in the heat so he disappeared at regular intervals and always returned with either a drink or food. He went to listen to the speaker before lunch.

The 2nd formal night of the cruise with 3 more to come.
Headliners performed Destination Dance in the theatre. We have seen this many times and not one of my favourites but this troupe are so talented we thought it would be worth seeing it again. The singers and dancers were brilliant but I won’t go and see it again. The material is still the same.
We finished the night in the Formal Ball but it was Inspirations well deserved night off so after a few dances we returned to the cabin to prepare for our early start in Venice tomorrow.

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Venice

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Friday 1st June 2018 - Venice

An early start to the day so no time for the exercise class today. I had ordered room service breakfast for 7am and watched our sail into Venice. We have visited Venice by ship a number of times and this was the first time that there has not been a running commentary as we sail in. It was a fabulous morning with the sun shining and already the temperature was 24 degrees.

We were one of the first off the ship at 8am and Captain Sarah had very kindly docked close to the People Mover Station which is a monorail that runs to the Piazzale Roma where the vaporettos sail from. We bought our day pass for 20 Euros, validated the ticket hopped on the vaporetto only to find it was going in the wrong direction. Oops! We got off at the next stop and waited for the next vaporetto going back to Piazzale Roma and then to Fondemente Nova which is where we changed to line 12 to Burano. It is a great way to see Venice and we certainly saw parts we had never seen before.

Burano is lovely with coloured houses and ladies in local dress selling lace. Lots of jewellery shops selling the Murano glass and of course I couldn’t leave here without letting Garry dig deep into his pockets and buy me some. I treated him to some cuff links but had to let him pay as he hadn’t given me enough spending money.
Burano has canals and bridges just like a miniature Venice but is more open and with less visitors.

We lunched at a local trattoria of which there are many to choose from. Once again we looked where the locals were eating. I ordered a sea food pizza and was amazed at the size and it was loaded on top with mussels, clams, calamari and a huge prawn. It could easily have filled 2 people but as Garry won’t go near anything with molluscs, he ordered a tuna pizza.
We were both well and truly stuffed when we left.

P & O were doing the usual trip here after calling at Murano but they only had 45 minutes which is just not long enough to explore the island and lunch as well.

We wandered around walking off some of the lunch and feel like this time we have definitely explored Burano.

The return journey went smoothly with no incidents but it was extremely hot on the boat which was very busy. The only air con on the Vaporetto was the small opening windows. Once we had reached Piazzale Roma we purchased a gelato to eat whilst we were walking back to the ship.
Customs were in force and insisting on seeing passports as well as cruise cards but there was no queue and we were soon back on the air conditioned ship.

It was a late 9pm sailing so after dinner we went onto the aft deck and were delighted that they were cleaning the tables and opening the bar. Unfortunately this hadn’t been advertised in the Horizon so if it is a trial to see if it is worth opening up at night it won’t be a true reflection.

The show in the theatre was the comedian Rudi West who had missed the ship in Sarande, The John James Trio in the Pacific Lounge and our favourite group Inspiration in Harlequins hosting the dancing. After the miles we had walked today there was no way we wanted to do any dancing and the Comedian certainly can’t compete with seeing Venice lit up at night.

We stayed on the Aft deck and watched the lights of Venice disappear into the distance. As the city is intending to ban ships from entering Venice by the Giudecca Canal this may be the last time we see the sail in and sail out of this magnificent city.

Tomorrow we will be in Croatia.

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are they stopping all ships? I thought it was just the massive ones
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Zadar, Croatia

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Saturday 2 June 2018 - Zadar, Croatia

It was a stunning sail into the beautiful Croatian Port of Zadar. I had trouble concentrating in the exercise class as I just wanted to look at the views outside. The sea is a perfect Azure Blue and so clear.

The shuttle took us to the huge Sun dial known as the Monument of the Sun which is a hop skip and a jump from the Morske Orgulje which in English is the Sea Organ. This was man made in 2005 by installing 35 pipes of different lengths into the steps of the Quay side. The sea forces air through the pipes and it sounds just like organ music being played.

From there it was a short walk into the city centre. We stopped on the way in a small park and found a seat in the shade to make some phone calls and pay for our next cruise in October. The sun was exceptionally hot. We passed St Anastasia Cathedral and many other churches and old buildings. Zadar suffered badly in World War ll and again in 1991 to 1993 when after that war a major rebuilding programme started immediately.

There were many upmarket shops as well as the market area where the locals were shopping. We wandered around looking at the sights and shops before the sun got too much and I needed some lubrication in the form of local beer. Luckily the bar we chose although full of locals accepted our Euros. It was only when other passengers passing by told us that they had tried many bars which only wanted local currency that I had visions of Sri Lanka all over again where I was held as ransom whilst Garry went to find a money exchange.

The last time we were here we had a fabulous lunch in Konobo Martinac and decided to pay them another visit. The Konobos are family run restaurants in the owners home. The food is all fresh local and cooked to order. We ate in the courtyard garden and even though it was only 12:30 there were very few tables left. I had the seafood with salad and Garry chose the chicken breast. All cooked in garlic so I don’t think anyone will want to be near us tonight. All delicious and inexpensive.

Back on the ship I had a swim and stayed on the aft deck for an hour or so. The sun was intensive and the deck filled up as more passengers returned from trips.

After dinner we went back on the aft deck but unfortunately it was all closed down for the night. Obviously last night was a one off. We stayed there watching the sun go down at least with the bar not opening we are drinking less this cruise.

The Headliners performed Killer Queen in the Pacific Lounge followed by Rudi West’s late adult only show. There are no children on Oriana anyway.

The Headliners were fantastic again. A very energetic show for which we had front row seats.

Tomorrow we are in Dubrovnik.

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Dubrovnik to Sorrento

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Sunday 3 June 2018 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Another hot sunny day and I was up early but no time for the exercise class as we had an early trip booked. I had ordered room service breakfast and then watched the sail in. The scenery was absolutely stunning as it is a very mountainous country. We passed lots of small inhabited islands. Every island has its own doctor and a school to teach children up to the age of 10. After that they catch a ferry to school on the mainland.

As soon as the Deputy Captain had made the announcement that the ship had been cleared we were off and raring to go. The trip was called A taste of the Adriatic and by the end of it I certainly felt that I had.

Our first stop was a 250 year old Olive oil press and although the owner Mr Matthews now has new machinery he has kept the old press going for tourists to see the old way of obtaining Olive Oil. His horse Perla was well trained and knew exactly what to do to work the press and grind the olives into mush or pig food, and how she was going to be rewarded.

It was then Mr Matthews turn to do the hard work and separated the water and the oil by hand using a scoop. It was very interesting but Perla stole the show. I was given a chocolate treat to feed the horse with, which she quickly guzzled down.

We were then invited onto his terrace where the views were magnificent and the tables were set up. We struck lucky as I wanted a seat in the sun and everyone wanted shade. Our table for 8 only had 7 people on it and one lady wasn’t eating or drinking. Salads were brought out which had been picked fresh from his garden, followed by 2 huge platters per table of olives, ham, cheese, tomatoes and baskets of bread. A jug of water and a jug of home made wine which was 60% merlot. Even though it was still only about 10am the wine went down a treat. We purchased a couple of small bottles of their home made liquor, one was walnut and the other pomegranate.

The next stop was about an hours journey through more stunning countryside to Ston a coastal town famous for its Salt pans. There was a wall which looked very much like a smaller version of the Great Wall of China which had been built hundreds of years ago to protect the town from the Venetians. Our guide gave us a brief explanation of the town and then led us to the Konoba Stagnum which is the old name for Ston.
The Konoba was quite large with beautiful terraces which seated at least 60 people outside with more room inside. Here we sampled home made strudel and were offered a drink of either local beer, wine, water, juice, or coffee. After we had finished we had some free time to explore Ston. We had a look around but then went back to Konoba Stagnum as I wanted to sample another local delicacy which are the Oysters. They were so fresh and tasted of the sea. All too soon it was time to leave this beautiful place and head back to the ship.

There were some stalls set out at the port side which we looked at and made a donation to the local economy before getting back on board Oriana. The air conditioning was most welcome as I was melting in the 30 degrees plus heat.

It was certainly a great day and one of the best P & O tours we have taken. Excellent value for money.

After resting for a while I went out onto the aft deck to watch us sail away from Croatia. The Sunset bar closed the minute we set sail. They obviously want everyone up on the Riviera deck for sail always but the view from the aft is far better.

After dinner we went back onto the aft deck to enjoy the sun set. The bar wasn’t open and we had the deck to ourself. Just like our own private balcony.

The entertainment was a ventriloquist in the theatre and the 60s and 70s party night on deck.

Tomorrow we have a much needed sea day to recover from our three manic consecutive port days.

Monday 4th June 2014 - Sea Day to Sorrento

A lovely relaxing sea day with calm seas and hot sunshine. After the early morning exercise class I found Garry already on the aft deck with my bed set up for the day.

He had just had a laundry incident when a selfish passenger had taken all three working tumble driers for one wash load.

I hardly moved for the rest of the day other than to move my sun bed to follow the sun around. My butler supplied some fruit and cheese for lunch.

The third formal night of the cruise and we skipped the entertainment in favour of our favourite spot on the aft deck as we sailed through the Messina straights back into the Mediterranean Sea.

We finished the night at the formal Ball dancing to the music of CJ and Inspiration.

Tomorrow we are tendering into Sorrento


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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#15

Post by Whynd1 »

I did this excursion a few years ago and it remains of my all time favourites.
Stunning scenery and fabulous food.
A much better option than going into a heaving Dubrovnik.
Enjoying your reports Sue.

Lindsey

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prefdavid
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Sorrento

#16

Post by prefdavid »

Tuesday 5th June 2018 - Sorrento, Italy

It is a couple of years since we last called here and then we took the ferry to the Isle of Capri.
As it is a tender port we couldn’t get off the ship until 9am, which gave me plenty of time to do both exercise classes and have room service breakfast.

Another lovely day and we had a short wait for the tender and quite a choppy crossing to the port. Sorrento port area was mad busy with people catching ferries to Naples or the Isle of Capri. We found the small shuttle bus to take us to the top of the town as it is perched on high cliffs and a hell of a steep walk up. There is a lift but we didn’t see it. We wandered around the narrow streets. It is a lively and cheerful town and reminded me very much of Taormina with winding narrow streets off the main thoroughfare which was pedestrianised.

We stopped for a drink and the waiter was very helpful giving us the shortcut to Marina Grande which was our lunch destination.
The shortcut was very steep with many steps but so picturesque and brought us out right by Porta Marina the restaurant Garry had researched for lunch.

First we explored the small fishing marina which was very busy. The small beach was full and all of the bars appeared to be doing good business. We found the bus stop which would save us the long hike back up to town and the supermarket that sold the bus tickets.

Lunch was delicious. The restaurant is owed by brothers who are fisherman and only serves fish that they have caught. Once again it was where the locals were eating. I had a local beer whilst perusing the menu. So much choice that in the end I couldn’t choose so ordered the Grilled mixed fish which was squid, swordfish and sea bream with a huge prawn and Garry ordered Grilled Prawns. A huge salad between us to start and Half a litre of local wine to wash it all down with.

The last shuttle back from town to the tender port was early at 3:30pm with the last tender at 4pm. Luckily we had left ourselves plenty of time as after purchasing bus tickets the bus didn’t arrive. We waited until 2 pm then saw a taxi dropping off so hailed him down. A bit of a rip off at 15 Euros to the top but there was no way we wanted to climb back up the many steps in the heat of the afternoon. It had taken us a good half hour to walk down so walking back up would have taken longer. The journey up the narrow streets was quite slow and I would not want to drive here. Anywhere else it would have been one way only so although an expensive 10 minute ride the driver earned his 15 Euros.

There was a queue in the blazing sun for the shuttle but they had put enough mini buses on to cope and as most passengers were already back on the ship there was no queue for the tender. It was another choppy crossing and I was glad to get back onto Oriana.

The entertainment was Jimmy Tamley the ventriloquist who we had missed seeing a couple of nights ago. Everyone I had spoken to had said how funny his show had been so we went to find out for ourselves.
It started okay and he was very skilled as a ventriloquist and quite funny even though the jokes were old. After about 20 minutes he had run out of material and improvised by turning it into a children’s show. Amazingly many passengers joined in mimicking the monkey doll, making monkey sounds and shouting No when he said yes and vice versa. We just looked at each other astounded and when he got the mask out to put on a passenger we quickly left.

The Tropical party which should have been on deck had been moved to the Pacific Lounge because of the wind. Once again very bad planning as we have had so many fabulous nights with no entertainment on deck and they plan a Tropical Party as we are sailing North.

Tomorrow we are in Cagliari, Sardinia.

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#17

Post by Kenmo1 »

Sue, the lift is in the city park and for a Euro it took us down to a walkway behind some beach huts and the tender port was off to the right as we exited the lift. I think the area is called Marina Piccola. We didn't notice it when we got off the tender so used the shuttle but I think if you had walked through the shuttle bus area you might have noticed the walkway under the cliff.
Jimmy Tamley's first show had us crying with laughter. The second show not so funny. We booked yesterday for the Round Britain cruise for next Monday - will you still be on there ? Maureen

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Cagliari to Gibraltar

#18

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Wednesday 6 June 2018 - Cagliari, Sardinia

It was a disappointing start to the day weather wise. I had a double exercise class then went to breakfast but the weather was still cloudy after I had finished.
We have been here a few times and have done the sights so had planned a beach day. Luckily we hadn’t booked the P & O trip as even though the weather wasn’t suitable for the beach the trip went ahead.

We decided to stay on ship and wait for the weather to make its mind up.
This is not an attractive port so it seemed a bit pointless getting off without a plan.
I set up on the aft deck as it was not cold and waited for the sun to make an appearance. It tried hard but never succeeded and then it started to rain. We had been so lucky with the weather up to now.
It got worse after lunch so we wrote the day off and as I had unlimited free wi fi I watched the latest Coronation St episodes and saw Phelans well deserved grisly end.

We went to the early Peninsular cocktail party as we wanted to see the show after dinner. It was much busier than the later party usually is but the waiters did a great job to make sure everyone got a drink or two.
Captain Sarah thanked everyone for their continued loyalty and introduced the deputy Captain who paraded around showing off the photograph album which is the prize that no one wants to win. The champagne that goes with it though does make it worth winning.
The loyalty team were next and once again thanked everyone for attending.

The group in the theatre were 4 female vocalists called Ida singing a mixture of pop and classical music. They were very good at the pop but the classical seemed to lack something.

We moved to the Pacific Lounge as CJ and Inspiration were playing Motown party music. It was very busy in there with many up dancing.

Tomorrow is a sea day to Gibraltar.

Thursday 7 June 2018 - Sea Day to Gibraltar.


Another disappointing start to the morning. It was cloudy and stormy at 7am when I went to the exercise class. Only me today so another one to one tuition.
It still didn’t look promising but during breakfast the sun started to break through. I couldn’t get away quick enough but made it to the aft deck just in time to get one of the last two sun beds.
It turned out to be a glorious hot sunny day as we sailed by the coast of Spain. I stayed there all day whilst my butler waited on me.

It was the 4th formal night and Black & White night and we had booked a meal in Sindhu. Another fabulous dinner and excellent service. Passengers had obviously taken advantage of the early dining free bottle of house wine offer as it was quite busy when we got there. We prefer to pay for and choose our own wine and eat later. Once the early bird eaters had left it went very quiet with only us and another 2 couples in.

Tomorrow we are in Gibraltar our final port of call on this cruise.

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Meg 50
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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#19

Post by Meg 50 »

someone on FB said that your Captain has gone off sick and the Oceana captain is being flown over to Gib to replace them.
Meg
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Gibraltar and Sea Day

#20

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Friday 8th June 2018 - Gibraltar

Overnight we left the bad weather behind and arrived in sunny Gibraltar. There was no rush to get off as we were only there until 1:30pm so had just planned a shopping day. We have visited Gib so often in the past, that other than if it is a full day call, we just go for a walk along Main Street and pick up some duty free on the way back.

After a double exercise class and breakfast we left the ship and our first stop was the duty free shop at the port. We made some purchases and they kept them safe for us to collect on our return to the ship.

We wandered up Main Street enjoying the atmosphere and the sunshine but left before it got too busy. We were back on board loaded up for 11:30am. We had expected to have to hand the duty free booze over at the collection desk but it wasn’t set up so took it straight back to the cabin.

I set up on the aft deck in the sunshine and stayed there for the rest of the day. The sailaway party was on the top deck but I got a glass of champagne and along with many other passengers enjoyed the views from the aft as we sailed away from our last port of call on this cruise.

We now have two sea days back to Southampton.

Saturday 9th June 18 - 1st Sea Day to Southampton

It was just coming light whilst I was at the exercise class. Only me again so one to one tuition. Both of the gym instructors although young are experienced and challenge me to work harder when no one else turns up to the classes.

My butler was on laundry duty whilst I went for breakfast in the main dining room and afterwards I got a sunbed on the aft deck. The weather looked promising as we sailed up the coast of Portugal but it flattered to deceive and the Atlantic wind was vicious. I gave up and went to do some packing and unpacking. I had packed clothes specifically for the UK cruise so the jumpers, jeans and fleeces came out of the suitcase and were replaced by the clothes that wouldn’t fit me any more and most of my sundresses as the forecast for the UK cruise is not hot.

After lunch I had another half hour in the sun but it was still a cold wind so I decided to show my face again at the Battle of the Sexes. Unfortunately the men are still winning and increased their lead today.

It was the last formal night of the cruise and the Parade of the Chefs. Yummy Port marinated Stilton to finish the meal.

They are changing the wines with 30 new ones coming on from the next cruise. The Captains collection is changing and our two fav wines Stoneburn Sauv Blanc and Billy Billy Shiraz will no longer be available on the package. They will still be available on the wine menu but not discounted.

Another visit to Anderson’s for the Gin flight. I think this is the most popular bar on the ship.

The entertainment was the Headliners performing ‘We will meet again’ in the theatre and the Orchestra playing Dixieland in the Pacific Lounge.
Inspiration were in Harlequins for the final formal Ball.

Final sea day tomorrow.


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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#21

Post by Whynd1 »

Shame about the shiraz that's my favourite. It will be interesting to see what the new wines are.

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#22

Post by Kenmo1 »

prefdavid wrote: 10 Jun 2018, 13:51
I had packed clothes specifically for the UK cruise so the jumpers, jeans and fleeces came out of the suitcase and were replaced by the clothes that wouldn’t fit me any more and most of my sundresses as the forecast for the UK cruise is not hot.
What !!!! I've packed cotton trousers and t-shirts and a cagoule, just in case. Plus I've packed enough repellent to kill all the midges in Scotland because I have just read that there is a huge increase in the amount of them this year. I wondered why the cruise was going so cheaply - now I know.

Maureen


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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#23

Post by Whynd1 »

I'm doing this cruise next year Maureen and would have pushed in a fleece and a pair of jeans.
Also a good raincoat,we are calling in at the Faroe islands.
Have a lovely time,what ever the weather.

Lindsey

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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#24

Post by Kenmo1 »

Thanks Lindsey. Still room to squeeze thicker hoodies in and some jeans. Wet I can cope with - -midges definitely not.

Maureen.

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barney
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Re: Oriana X808 - More tales from Sue and the Butler

#25

Post by barney »

We've had a solid fortnight of scorching weather Sue, hope it continues for your next trip !
Empty vessels .. and all that

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