Sue Kersh live from Oriana

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Dennis The Menace
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Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#1

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Travel to Southampton, overnight stay, embarkation and first night.

Finally after booking 20 months ago for this Xmas and New Cruise on Oriana the day had finally arrived.

We left home just after 9 am, with the car packed to the rafters, looking like we were setting off on a 3 month cruise rather than a 3 week one.

It was a fairly easy drive down, for me anyway as I wasn't driving but the traffic kept flowing and there wasn't much swearing going on.

We arrived at the Elizabeth House Hotel, before 2 pm and were pleasantly surprised to be have been allocated one of the newly modernised rooms at the rear of the hotel overlooking their garden. The room was made up for 3 persons and was huge. The bathroom was also newly refurbished and loads of space.

Luckily the wine I brought down ready chilled (almost frozen) in the freezer bag had stayed nicely chilled and by 2:30 I was chilling nicely with it. We ate in hotel and would certainly do so again. Home cooked food at a very reasonable cost.

After a huge breakfast and a taxi to the port we got our first view of the elegant Oriana. A speedy check in and we were on board ship by 12 noon and in the priority lounge drinking champagne and eating again.

Our cabin was ready for 1 pm and we were very pleasantly surprised. It is one of the new ones on D deck and it is huge. Loads of room to move around without getting in each other's way. After sneaking a peak at other cabins in the area we realised that ours and the one next door were the only ones with the extra space.
Our cases were delivered and by 2 pm we had unpacked and settled in. After spending a long time on Arcadia with 2 very small drawers each, Oriana is pure luxury. 4 deep drawers each in the bedside cabinet, 4 by the dressing table plus one knee hole drawer, and another 4 huge drawers in the dressing room area. The wardrobe space is not extravagant but adequate for this 24 night cruise.

There was an energetic Sailaway party at the Terrace pool where I caught up with some of the entertainment team that we had met on previous cruises.

We have opted for Freedom dining so that we can dine whenever we want to. We went to Andersons for a pre dinner drink and noticed the long queue for Freedom dining and decided if it was still as bad after our drinks we would dine in Sorrentos instead. However ½ later and we walked straight in. We recognised the restaurant manager and he us. It is such a friendly ship. We had a lovely waiter called Douglas. I had informed them that I was vegetarian / pescatarian before we sailed and the special diet waiter introduced himself. Douglas asked me what pescatarian meant as he had not heard of it before. Garry told him it meant I was a pest which he thought was very amusing.

After dinner we went dancing in Harlequins to the Heritage trio which for a first night was quite busy. This bodes well for some good dancing nights on board.

By 10:30 the ship had started to rock and roll which I am told continued all night. I slept like a log until our room service steward arrived with breakfast.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#2

Post by Dennis The Menace »

First and second Sea days en route to Ponta Delgada.

Lots of entertainment going on around the ship, which is still moving about quite a lot.
I opted for line Dancing with Coyote Karen which was an easy pace to let the beginners catch up. Luckily as a Harlequins is midship there was done movement but not as bad as at the forward and aft ends of the ship.

After line dancing it was Zumba taught by Natalie Milverton the entertainments Manager. A lot of passengers turned out for this. Natalie was an excellent instructor and really put us through an energetic work out.

Battle of the sexes at noon where the ladies carry forward a 20 point lead over the men. Another good turn out which will no doubt dwindle as the weather improves as we cruise further South.

I finally caught up with Garry in time for a relaxed lunch in the restaurant at 1 pm.

The activities I had planned for the afternoon, shuffleboard and quoits were cancelled due to the winds on the open deck, which gave me chance to have an nap ready for the evening.

I think that the Captain suspected that it was going to be a rough crossing as the usual Captains Welcome on board Party and Formal night is being held tomorrow night. Tonight's is Smart Jacket required. We had another excellent dinner in the MDR. My vegetarian dish was lacking in vegetables which our waiter soon remedied by providing a dish of fresh mixed veg. Nothing is too much trouble.

Adrian Walsh was performing in the theatre. We had seen him on previous cruises but he is one of the performers who do update their act regularly. Unfortunately after 10 minutes of sitting in the theatre the movement was so bad I had to get out of there. He is performing again on Sunday so hopefully we will get to see that one.

We went to Harlequins which was much more stable and we even managed a few dances. There was a lady sat in front of us giving her partner a real ear bashing about his dancing ability. She continued to harangue him throughout the evening and like a wimp he sat there and took it. We kept looking at each other in disbelief. We felt so sorry for him, but were surprised he didn't just walk off and leave her to it. He is now known as the forger as she was accusing him of forging ahead instead of gliding and brushing his feet along the floor, she repeated this statement many many times getting louder and louder as he didn't give her any reaction.

Saturday and the sea had calmed down and the sun appeared. What a difference, the prom desk was busy with walkers, and the seats on the port side in the sun were in great demand. I spent the morning the same as yesterday with Line dancing, Zumba and the Battle of the sexes quiz where the gents got their own back. After lunch in the MDR, I went outside to see if the deck sports were on. It was bitterly cold. I played shuffleboard and got through to the final but got well and truly thrashed. I needed a hot drink with something alcoholic in it when I returned to the cabin.

Captains cocktail party was held in two different venues. The drinks flowed and the Captain gave us the forecast for the Azores which at present is favourable, he explained the reason for changing ports from Tortola to St Kitts was due to tendering and as we already have 2 tender ports this cruise in St Lucia and Horta.

The meal in the MDR was the Marco Pierre White menu and it was excellent. So far all the food in the MDR has been top notch.
We missed the Headliners show and instead spent the evening dancing in Harlequins to the resident band. It was very busy but the floor is large enough to cope and it has a better atmosphere with more people in the room.

By midnight after an extremely busy day my bed was calling. There was a Motown party going on in the Pacific Lounge but when we went to check it out it was virtually empty.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#3

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Almost at Ponta Delgada.

It is feeling warmer outside but unfortunately a murky foggy morning so another busy inside day. Line dancing, Zumba straight through for the first time followed by Battle of the sexes where the ladies regained their lead over the very boisterous and argumentative men. Very bad losers and such a shame as this is usually a good spirited quiz with friendly rivalry. I put it down to the alcohol.

Lunch in the MDR was a long affair mainly due to one lady having heard 2 other ladies give their cabin number to the waiter for their special diet decided she would do the same. Eventually the waiter came back very apologetic saying that they did not have a pre order for her. She said well you wouldn't have you haven't even asked me what I want yet…… This of course delayed lunch by about 15 minutes. I do despair some people shouldn't be let out on their own. I feel so sorry for these poor waiters and what they have to put up with.

It was a drizzly afternoon and too wet for shuffleboard or quoits.

After another excellent dinner we went to the theatre to see comedian Adrian Walsh. Extremely funny and the audience certainly appreciated his humour.

We finished the evening dancing in Harlequins I am certainly getting enough exercise this cruise.

Tomorrow is Ponta Delgada and hopefully some sunshine.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#4

Post by barney »

Keep it up please Sue :thumbup:
Empty vessels .. and all that

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david63
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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#5

Post by david63 »

I believe that a certain Mr Kane is also on this cruise

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barney
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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#6

Post by barney »

Michael ?????

I bet not a lot of people know that !!

(I'll get my coat) :silent:
Empty vessels .. and all that

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oldbluefox
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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#7

Post by oldbluefox »

barney wrote:
Michael ?????

I bet not a lot of people know that !!

(I'll get my coat) :silent:
Don't be daft, barney. Harry - should have been playing us on Friday but must be injured. :roll:
Thanks for the reviews Karen. I must say I liked Natalie Milverton as a cruise director.


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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#8

Post by Ray Scully »

Hi Sue
You will be becoming a resident of the Caribbean the number of trips you take there ;-). We booked again for March after returning home twp weeks ago

Ray

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#9

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Seasons Greetings all. I received a new batch of reports from Sue last night, enjoy : :)
Ponta Delgada
We woke to a very rainy morning but after Eggs Benedict for breakfast the rain stopped and the sky started clearing. We wanted to be off ship early to get to the local supermarket to stock up on the schweppes tonic water and a bottle of gin before the hoards of Oriana passengers cleared the shelves. Mission accomplished and as we were queuing to pay we recognised fellow pax (mainly by their wheeled bags) and smugly informed them which aisle the tonic used to be on and that it needed restocking.

Next we headed for the free Wi Fi in the shopping centre and face timed our granddaughters. The benefit of being there early is that the signal was fast and strong. Whilst there I was approached by at least 10 fellow pax having problems logging on. I class myself as a complete technophobe mainly because of our sons computer expertise, and surprised myself that I was able to help them all. There were many offers of free drinks once back on board.

The shopping centre was very festive. A class of pre school children escorted by their carers were visiting to see the huge tree and grotto. It was lovely to see their wide eyed amazement and excitement at the sights.

By this time the sun was fully out and after a quick perusal of the shops we wandered back to the ship with our loot stopping at a bar with seats in the sun and a view of Oriana to sample the local beer.

After a quick lunch I found a sunbed on the terrace pool and spent a leisurely couple of hours reading and soaking up the Rays. The Christmas sailaway party was well attended with an assortment of Christmas jumpers and hats. The entertainment team were very energetic and suddenly it began to feel a lot like Christmas.

The Captains announcement as we were departing was not very cheery. There was a tropical storm brewing and he was heading further South to try to avoid the worst of it. This would add a further 300 miles to our journey so we were delayed departing Ponta Delgada whilst extra fuel was boarded. He assured us that we would still reach St Kitts at the expected time but that we would have to cruise at faster pace. Oriana holds the Golden Cockerel for the fastest ship in the fleet so this should not be a problem. Hopefully we will avoid the storm.

Dinner in the MDR could have been a disaster but was saved by our observant attentive and courteous waiters. Firstly my pre ordered starter of Avocado pear salad was Salmon tart. Once pointed out this was swiftly changed but the Avocado was so firm that it was virtually impossible to cut through. I was just going to leave it when our waiter said that it shouldn't have been served like that and he replaced it immediately. The rest of the meal was up to the usual standards and very enjoyable.

Maxine Mazumder was singing as Dusty Springfield in the theatre and we followed this by dancing in the Pacific Lounge to the Heritage Trio before finishing the evening in Harlequins and the 60s and 70s party. The Oriana is not known as a party ship but Harlequins was full. And many had dressed up in their 60s and 70s outfits. I think it was the best turned out 60 s and 70s party I had attended on any of the ships. Usually the ents team have to entice pax on the dance floor but not this time. The floor was full all night.

When we returned to the cabin I noticed a wet patch in front of the bed. Somewhere there had been a leak and the carpet under the bed was very wet. We reported it to reception who said it would be investigated but did not give us a time. We fell asleep waiting for someone to arrive.

Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, Ponta Delgada, Ilha de São Miguel, Portugal

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#10

Post by Dennis The Menace »

23 December

Sea days en route to The Caribbean.

We woke to a larger wet patch on the carpet. Garry went to reception to enquire as what was being done about the leak but they had no knowledge of the leak being reported from the previous night. An officer arrived within a few minutes to inspect, apologised profusely about it not being attended to last night and explained that he would get dryers in the cabin.

We left them to it. The weather was not great. Although getting warmer as we sail further South the skies are not clearing as they have in previous transatlantic sailings we have done and it was still very windy on the open decks.

It took the plumber until after 11 am to arrive and during this time the dryers were drying the carpet and the leak was wetting them. At 1 pm we were informed the carpet was dry and we could use the cabin from 2 pm. We went for lunch and returned to the cabin to find the dryers removed and the carpet wetter than it had been all day. The leak had not been mended and water was still soaking through. There was no one around so we went to reception to make a formal complaint. We saw an officer in charge who gave us a cabin to be used for the rest of the day and assured us she would get answers for us. We realise leaks happen but it is how they are dealt with that matters. We feel that this has been like Fred Carno's circus. We finally returned to our cabin at 6 pm to enable us to get ready for the evenings formal night and the dryers would go back into the cabin as soon as we left it. We had booked into the Ocean Grill and the meal was delightful. We tried to forget the frustrations of the day and concentrate on enjoying the evening. Ocean Grill was only about 25 % full but they are apparently booked up for the next few evenings over the festive period.

I started with the soft shell crab followed by superbly cooked salmon supreme. Garry had the Prawn cocktail followed by fillet steak. We both opted for the Sherry Trifle Wally Ladd which was as delicious as we remembered it. Another 'When Harry met Sally moment'

It was the Ladies night Ball in Harlequins which was well attended despite the competition from vocalist Philip Browne performing in the theatre and the Headliners Abba show in the Pacific Lounge.

By the time we returned to the cabin, the dryers had been removed and the cabin freshened and all looked well, but on closer inspection the carpet was still wet. The saga will continue tomorrow.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#11

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Xmas Eve

Christmas Eve

We gained another hour hour during the early hours of this morning putting us 2 hours behind UK time and 2 hours in front of Caribbean time.

The early morning sky looks brighter and the temperature at 7 am is 20 degrees.

Our cabin carpet is still drying out but we have been assured the leak is fixed.

I managed to find a sunbed in the sun and out of the wind and spent the morning relaxing with my kindle. It didn't half feel good to feel the warmth of the sun. After the lunchtime quiz where the ladies were again victorious we had lunch then had a look round the Xmas market in the Atrium. Garry bought me some guess sunglasses then I spent another couple of hours in the sun before the Christmas sing song on deck and Santas arrival at the funnel. Great fun but as the sun set the wind began to bite again. The mulled wine they were serving was very welcome.

It was the Indian dinner buffet and the first time this cruise I had eaten in the Conservatory. The food was very good and the tables were set. The waiters had their Santa hats on and as usual the indian buffet was very popular.

After dinner we returned to the cabin to see our lovely steward Sunhil and pass him his Christmas envelope. Santa had called at our cabin whilst we had been away but we decided to leave opening them until tomorrow.

The Christmas party was held in the Pacific lounge and although not full to capacity there were enough lively pax to give it the festive atmosphere.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#12

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

We woke to brighter skies but the wind was still gusting, causing the ship to move around. The outside temperature is 22 degrees at 7 am.

We opened our Christmas presents from the ships company. Garry's was a portable speaker shaped like a dice and mine was a very nice toiletry/make up bag.

We would normally have had a champagne breakfast but as we have been invited to a friends cabin for champagne at 11 am we decided we had better stick to orange juice for now.

There is lots going on today around the ship including a Carol service this morning, the usual deck sports and lectures, the passenger choir are performing in the theatre, battle of the sexes before lunch and this afternoon Philip Browne is performing two matinee shows in the theatre.

The sun was out so after breakfast I had a couple of hours in the sun before going to our friends cabin for the champagne. There were 10 of us so the men stayed on the balcony. After a few glasses of champagne we staggered down to lunch. We have booked the Ocean Grill for our Xmas dinner but the wine list in there is very French. We spoke to the wine waiter who arranged for a bottle of our choice to be sent up there ready for this evening.

I spent another hour in the sun, then went to deck 12 with the intention of playing quoits. There were a lot of hardy people up there but the wind was gusting so I gave it a miss and went back to my sunbed by the Terrace pool.
Phil Browns afternoon performance was standing room only and by the time I got out of there I called into the conservatory expecting a piece of Christmas cake for afternoon tea but had to make do with a mince pie. I haven't even had a sniff of a piece of Christmas cake all cruise. This sea air certainly makes me drowsy so back to the cabin for a nap before getting ready for dinner.

The meal in the Ocean Grill was sublime. We were greeted with a glass of Champagne whilst we pretended to peruse the menu. In fact we had been salivating at the menu virtually every time we passed the grill so knew exactly what we were going to order. Our bottle of wine was there ready for us. I started with a Stilton and port soufflé and Garry the tomato and Paprika soup. The next course was an amuse bouche of pumpkin soup. The flavour in this little cup of soup was intense. For my main course I had Halibut and Garry went traditional with Turkey Breast. Both dishes were once again cooked to perfection and the vegetables complimented the dishes perfectly. For desert it was my turn to go traditional with the Xmas pudding and Garry stuck to the Sherry trifle Wally Ladd, which I think should be re named Harry met Sally sherry trifle. We finished the meal with mince pies and chocolates and a glass of port. An excellent way to enjoy Xmas dinner and no cooking or washing up.

We went to the Christmas Bauble Ball to dance off some of the food excess, then to the Theatre to see the Headliners show Cruising Into Christmas.

An excellent Christmas Day on board Oriana and we get an extra hour in bed tomorrow as the clocks go back to GMT -3.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#13

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Boxing Day

Oh yes! Wall to wall sunshine (well almost) and hot hot hot. I didn't plan a lazy day in the sun reading but that is exactly what I did.

The ship has been cruising for 4 days at 20+ knots to get us to the warmer weather sooner and to miss the worse of the Tropical Storm. Having got through that we are now cruising at a more sedate 15 knots.

A couple of light rain showers early morning before it settled down.

The benefit of having a cabin so close to the terrace pool is the convenience of being able to use our own bathroom and make a coffee or whatever.

My butler was was watching football but regularly came to visit me to see if I required anything, sun lotion rubbing in my back, drinks etc. He ordered room service for lunch and served it to me outside. The Oriana does not serve hot food for room service but the Tuna wrap was more than adequate to put me on until the evening meal.

During the afternoon the officer on the bridge came on the Tannoid to warn us that we were about to go through a rain storm which would last 10 minutes. We swiftly packed up and got inside just as it hit. It certainly cleared the decks and lasted exactly 10 minutes. As soon as the sun reappeared I returned to my spot and continued to bask in the warmth. This is exactly why we come to the Caribbean for Christmas.

Good news. My butler went to see what was on offer for afternoon tea and finally I got my first and second piece of Christmas cake. Well worth waiting for.

The evening entertainment was Maxine Mazumder as Lulu, dancing in Harlequins and a Boxing Day Party which should have been on deck but disappointingly was moved to the Pacific Lounge because of the strong winds across the decks. We had a couple of drinks in Andersons and Harlequins and called it a night. Sunbathing is tiring and I must get my strength up ready for another exhausting day tomorrow lying in the sun.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#14

Post by Dennis The Menace »

27 December

Final Sea Day.
Another fabulous sunny day on deck and another lazy one for me. I was out early before 8 am but wasn't the first on deck. I stayed there all day slowly roasting.
Lunch on deck brought to me by my very own personal butler
I did have a swim and got off the sun bed long enough to play a game of deck quoits although I didn't play very well and lost in the first round.

Entertainment officer Paul performed his own show in the Pacific Lounge. He has a lovely voice as well as being exceptionally good looking and a great personality.

For the first time this cruise we went for a drink in the Crows Nest. It has great views from here but when it is windy it certainly moves around. I had my first Margharita of the cruise and it certainly won't be my last.

We ended the evening with dancing in Harlequin to The Katherine Stone group. We are still very impressed with this group but they are better when the dancing instructors are acting as dancing hosts and giving them play lists. It seems to take ages between dances for them to decide which dance to do next and then which music to play to it. A bit of forethought and they could have there playlist ready.

Update on the cabin leak. Although the leak was fixed the carpet is still damp and is now smelling very musty. The deck officer has assured us that whilst we are off ship tomorrow the carpet will be thoroughly dried and the cabin refreshed.

Tomorrow St Kitts.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#15

Post by Dennis The Menace »

More from Sue and "butler" Garry:

28 December
St Kitts.

A glorious sunny day and great to finally reach land. We now have five Caribbean ports to look forward to.

It is Sunday which of course means scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast.

We had arranged to share a taxi to the Shipwreck bar on South Friars beach with some friends and disembarked early. We were the first at the beach and chose our spot. I wanted to get in the water early before the other snorkelers arrived and disturbed the fish. I was not disappointed and within 5 minutes I spotted a large turtle just resting on the coral. He was probably on the look out for his breakfast. I managed to get a photo without disturbing him but after a minute he must have sensed my presence and gracefully swam off. Lots of other brightly coloured fish and the water was crystal clear.

I spent the morning in and out the water and basking in the sun. I just love the Caribbean. A bucket of beers 15 US dollars and strong rum punch 5 US dollars.

As we returned to the port we got our first view of the ships funnel being turned Blue. The painters appeared to be dangling from ropes and the sun was beating down on them. It was well into the 30s by mid afternoon. Back at the port some of the shops had opened but being Sunday many had decided to remain closed. Oriana was not expected to call here and even though we knew as soon as we boarded in Southampton the port authorities had not passed this information to the locals.

We returned to the cabin to find that they had cut out the carpet that was affected worse by the flood and replaced it. We had asked for this to be done 4 days ago. Better late than never.

As we were in port until 10:30 we had booked Sorrentos and had an Al fresco meal on deck. It also gave me an opportunity to discuss our choice of table for New Years Eve with the restaurant manager. The food as usual was exceptionally good and for the small supplement of £5 each well worth it just to be able to eat outside in the Caribbean.

It was the Tropical night party on deck and as we were still in port it was calm with very little wind. Perfect conditions and as the Caribbean ports are so close together I do wonder why they don't stay in port for longer in the evenings more often.

Tomorrow Antigua.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#16

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29 December

Antigua

We shared a taxi to Valley Church Beach with friends. I had seen it on trip advisor and cruise critic. What a fabulous bay. Very picturesque and the colour of the sea was turquoise. There was a large swimming area roped off so that it was safe from the jet skis. 2 beds and a brolly 20 US here so double the price of yesterday. There was free wifi at the bar but unfortunately it was not working.

We had four hours there and baked nicely. Well 3 of us did and Garry stayed in the shade. No Snorkeling here but the beach was off a Caribbean picture postcard. They had run out of the local beer Wadali but the Banks which is the local beer of Barbados went down equally as well.

Back at the port we stocked up on Tonic water and Coke then went a bar called Cheers. Not sure where they got their name from but certainly not from their happy, helpful staff. If they smiled their face would crack. The wifi here was also not working. The beer was luke warm and served in a glass not a bottle so we won't be going there again.

We returned to the ship quick shower and change then I left Garry and returned to the shops. I checked the perfume prices but though they were doing a good trade the prices were more expensive than the ship for the brands I was looking for.

There was a party sailaway at the Terrace bar but it had finished before we actually departed due to two passengers who were delayed returning to the ship. No calls were made for them and we can only presume they were on an organised excursion - maybe the Helicopter ride over Montserrat. The Captain was not concerned as we could virtually swim to St Maarten our next port of call.

Entertainment was Ben Makisi who sang a mix of opera and classical music. Extremely good voice and he was very much appreciated by the Oriana passengers.

After dancing in Harlequins there was a line dance party on the terrace pool. In the classes there must have been between 70 - 80 pax each morning but the turnout at less than 20 pax was very low for the party. It was a bit more exercise though to combat the fact that the sea air is shrinking my clothes and we still have 12 days of the cruise left.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#17

Post by JenniC »

Loving your reports Sue, sounds like you are having a ball. It is heightening the excitement for our upcoming cruise on Azura.. 10 days to go. Just booked No 1 Gatwick lounge as an extra treat, especially as there are eight of us. Looking forward to further reports......
Jenni

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#18

Post by Dennis The Menace »

30 December

St Maarten

Another 4 ships were docked in St Maarten but at least we had the prime spot with the shortest distance to walk to the port gates. The man driving the little road train was doing a brisk business from the ships to the water taxi.
It was sunny to start with then the clouds started forming mid morning. We had some rain or liquid sunshine for a few minutes but nothing to spoil the day.

Garry treated me to some lovely earrings to match a necklace he bought me in Sri Lanka earlier this year. I chose the stones and the settings and they were made within an hour, whilst we did our other duty free shopping. They are for my birthday but I will be itching to wear them before then.

By the time we got back on board the sun was shining again and I spent the afternoon by the Terrace Pool, reading and snoozing.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve and where better to spend it than on a beach in St Lucia.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#19

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New Years Eve in St Lucia

A fabulous place to spend New Years Eve. Not a great start as with 4 ships in there was no room at the port for Oriana and as she was the smallest ship with the least passengers we drew the short straw and had to anchor outside and tender in. The trips were not meeting until 9:45 so this gave all independent passengers a window from 08:30 to 09:45 to disembark. Well planned P & O so far but they had enlisted the help of a shoreside vessel to get passengers moving quickly. It was total chaos. The sea was choppy and two strong men were virtually lifting everyone on board. It took over half an hour to get everyone on board as the boat held 180 passengers. The journey to shore was about 15 minutes then another half hour to disembark everyone.

The taxi drivers were waiting for us and we negotiated a price of 10 dollars each, each way to Pigeon Island which is about a 20 minute drive. Some people were complaining about the price they had been quoted 40 US dollars each way for 4 of them to get to Rodney Bay, which was on the way so as there was room with us he told them he would do it for 7 dollars each, each way.

Pigeon Island which was getting ready to host a New Years Eve party that evening. Very exclusive at 100 US dollars a ticket but looked like it would be great fun.

We found our spot on the beach in the sun by the sea for a couple of hours, then as it got busier we moved further into the National Park to a bar. From there the snorkeling was good as not as many people disturbing the fish.

The taxi driver collected the Rodney Bay pax first then us. We realised when we got back to the port area that they thought the 7 dollar fare was for both ways and were arguing with him. We passed over our 20 dollars each and left them to it. I hope the taxi driver stood his ground as he was doing them a favour anyway at 7 dollars.

We looked around the craft market and then got the tender back to ship to have a rest before the New Years Eve party.

We had booked a table for 8 o clock for 8 people in Sorrentos. It was wonderful to eat outside in the balmy Caribbean. It was warm and sheltered from any wind and the food was delicious as usual. Most of the table went for the fillet steak on the lava Rock but I had the special sea food dish which included lobster, squid, scallops and King prawns. It was a fun evening and when a group of young officers sat on the tables behind us they joined in with our banter as well. One of our men had a dickie bow tying competition with them but unfortunately he let us down because his end was too big. Bragging or what? The jokes got even more lurid after that. All good fun though.

After dinner we went on deck for the party. It was in full swing when we got there and the deck certainly wasn't sheltered from the wind. It was very windy but very warm. We danced the night away and saw the New Year in with champagne. There was a fantastic atmosphere on deck.

Tomorrow is Barbados and our final Caribbean port.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#20

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Sounds as though you're having a good time. Enjoy the last day.
Gill

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#21

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1 Jan

Barbados

I woke feeling relatively okay after last nights festivities. I think I was so busy dancing that I didn't drink as much. We had arranged to meet friends at 9 am to get a taxi to Rockley Beach and the Tiki Bar.

The early morning rainstorm cleared as we met our taxi driver. All the fares are set and there is a board with the rates set out. The Tiki bar was exactly as I had imagined it. Wide beach with soft powdery sand, turquoise blue sea and all the facilities which were clean and well maintained. 30 US dollars for 2 beach chairs and a brolly but they then give you back 60 Barbados Dollars in vouchers which can be spent at the bar. This works out at 2 free cocktails each or 10 bottles of beer. Which is really good value. They even give Barbados dollars in change if your drinks order doesn't add up to the amount of the voucher. The bar has free wifi which reaches right down to the waters edge.

The sea was quite choppy because of the winds so no snorkeling but it was great fun jumping the waves. The sea is shallow for a long way out. Mostly sandy but some rocks. This definitely a place we will be visiting in future. It was sad leaving knowing that this was our final beach day of the holiday but at least we know we are back again in March.

We departed just after 9:30 pm and there was an evening BBQ on deck and a Caribbean steel band playing. It was still windy on deck but very warm. I am not a fan of BBQ so we ate early in the MDR then headed up to listen to the band. Headliners were performing Stop in the name of Love a show we hadn't seen previously. Great American 60s music. Later the orchestra were in the Pacific Lounge playing a Glen Miller tribute.

When the Captain announced the later stay in Barbados he said it was for operational reasons and give him time to consider options regarding the challenges he may face on our home bound route.

The guessing games begin as to what this means. Will we get into Horta which is notoriously difficult and is a tender port so unlikely.

Where will we go instead? Madeira? Lisbon or Vigo? Maybe straight to Southampton. Time will tell.

27° Rain Showers
H7, Bridgetown, Barbados, Barbados

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#22

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2 Jan

Ist Sea Day Homeward Bound.

Beautiful day on deck but still very windy. The wind certainly has been a feature of this cruise. I was on deck before 8 am, not the first out but chose my spot for the day. There are lots of activities going on around the ship but I will catch up with those once the weather cools. I want to make the most of the sun whilst I can.

Garry had a productive day and managed to bag the last washing machine at 8 am. When he went back to check on it as it had nearly finished there was a war going on. What is is it about the launderette on board that brings out the worst in people? He had to fight his way through the queue to empty the machine to allow the next in line to use it. Stupid woman wouldn't let him through and told him to join the queue! Perhaps the sea air shrinks brains as well as clothes.

Once he had recovered from the Battle of the Launderette, he went to discuss Next years Christmas cruise with Charlotte one of the Loyalty/ Future cruise ladies on board. Some good deals with extra incentives for booking on board. We are now all booked for Arcadia Caribbean Christmas 2015. The future cruise desk has been exceptionally busy this cruise and I suspect a lot of the same pax on this cruise will also be on the Arcadia next year.

We lost an hour today and as soon as the bell rang for midday it was 1 pm.

At around 2:30 I was thinking that I had had enough sun when the clouds came over and it started raining. It was only a shower but it gave the incentive to move before I burnt in the very hot sun, and it was a good time for a siesta.

The Guessing game continues but no announcement from Captain Cook.

The evening entertainment is Julian Smith a saxophonist in the Theatre, and David Kidd as Tom Jones in the Pacific Lounge. There was dancing in Harlequins but the ship was moving around too much to risk it. A lot of other pax must have felt the same as it was very quiet in there.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#23

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4 Jan

2 nd Sea day Saturday 3 January 2015

We lost another hour at lunchtime. It's amazing how one hour makes the day feel so much shorter.

A mixed day starting hot and sunny, clouding over, rain, sun, cloud rain sun with the wind being a dominant feature. The rain showers lasted from 15 seconds to 5 minutes but were heavy enough to have everyone running for cover and clear the beds. The Terrace pool was closed all day and the motion of the sea was causing it to empty on the decks. Not nice but the entertainment was the pax who came out late and saw a bank of unoccupied sunbeds. They got settled with their towels, sun cream etc then within a few minutes the pool water rose up like a wall and drenched them. Small things etc…..

Black and White night which was very well supported. Lots of elegant gowns around. Entertainment was the Classical singers Duetto in the Pacific Lounge and the Headliners performing Night of a thousand stars in the theatre.

We gave them a miss and after dinner went to the pub quiz then to Harlequins for the Black and White Ball. The movement of ship appeared to be steadying so hopefully tomorrow the winds may have lessened.

3rd Sea Day. Sunday 4 January 2015

Another relaxing day at sea. I did go back to the line dancing class but after that I lay in the sun. The wind had dropped a little as had the temperature. Still 70 degrees but the clouds were still a pain during the morning. By mid afternoon they had virtually disappeared.

It was the Peninsular Cocktail Party and we attended the 8 pm one. We had started to wonder if the Captain was unwell as we had not heard from him since Barbados on New Years Day but he appeared fine. He did not have anything new to say and is still hoping that we can go to Horta. Let's see if that puts paid to the guessing games. It is amazing how many Captains there are on this ship. Everywhere I go I meet another one. They must be retired but for some reason they all think they know better than our Captain Cook.

We had met friends in the Lords Tavern before going into the party and the drink waiters looked after us very well. Hic.

The saxophonist was performing again in the theatre and dancing in Harlequins before DJ Orlando took over with Disco. Give us a Clue was on in the Pacific Lounge.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#24

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Monday 5 Jan Another sea day.

All these sea days blend into one. I keep thinking that the sun is going to disappear and that this will be our last sunbathing day. Another hot one today with less wind and cloud than yesterday but the temperature is certainly dropping as we continue our North Easterley Course towards Horta.
After eggs Benedict for breakfast in the MDR I found a spot in the sun at the terrace pool and hardly moved all day, with my Butler waiting on me every half hour or so. There is plenty of time to catch up on the ships activities once we lose the sun. There is a problem with the Terrace pool area in that whilst the ship is sailing the pool has been roped off but not emptied. The motion of the ocean causes the pool motion to build up and regularly causes huge amounts of water to cascade onto the deck area. This makes a huge amount of the deck unusable for sunbathing. I had expected that as the days went on the pool would gradually empty and this would happen less often but the pool refills automatically.

It was the crew Panto in the theatre. This has got to be the highlight of the cruise as far as entertainment goes. I was crying with laughter as were most of the audience. Karen the Assistant Entertainment manager must have spent hours coaching some of the bar waiters and other crew in their routines. The Horse was hilarious. I have seen some great crew shows over the years but this one stands out from the rest.

After the Panto there was dancing in Harlequins which should have been to the orchestra but unfortunately they were not able to perform so the Katherine Stone Band stepped in. It was Motown night in the Pacific Lounge with DJ Orlando.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from Oriana

#25

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Last Sea Day before Horta.

A bonus day as far as the sun is concerned. From 11 am wall to wall sunshine. Another great lazy day day on board Oriana. I managed to read today as the wind had calmed considerably, so had the pool, this meant not as many laughs watching unsuspecting passengers getting soaked.

We ate at the Ocean Grill to try Menu 2. My smoked Salmon starter was a meal in itself, Garry chose pea and ham hock soup. The peas and ham are put in the centre of the dish then the creamy hot soup poured around it. For the 2nd course I had the seafood brochettes which was 2 brochettes of cod and salmon, one of prawn meat and one with 3 scallops, and a slice of squid. I ate all of the fish but left the hand cut chips as I needed to ensure I could eat the Sherry Trifle I have re named as Harry and Sally. All delicious as usual with unobtrusive service.

After dinner David Kidd was performing as himself rather than his alter ego Tom Jones. Another entertaining show, he certainly has a wide singing range.

Tomorrow the guessing games will end. Will we or won't we get into Horta?

We are not due to arrive until 10 am and depart at 5 pm. From the pax I have spoken to that have actually managed to get there previously this is 5 hours longer than is actually needed to see what there is to see in Horta.

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