Oriana’s Final Christmas Cruise.

[Suekersh]

Hi all, sorry I have been a bit lax posting. I am sat on the aft deck in the sun with temperatures around 21 degrees.

The Cruise so far has been amazing and certainly our best ever Christmas Cruise.

Oriana’s Final Christmas and New Year Cruise to Canaries .


Friday 21 st December Boarding Day

We travelled down to Southampton yesterday and set off early after reading that the forecast was for congestion on the motorways. It was raining but as we reached the Midlands the sun came out and stayed with us all the way down to Southampton.
The journey wasn’t too bad and we arrived at the Holiday Inn early afternoon.

We boarded Oriana at the QE terminal and had barely time after check in to have a drink before we were called to board and were through security and in the Pacific Lounge drinking champagne just after midday. A great start to the cruise. The lunch was the usual hot buffet with a few Xmas extras mince pies and Christmas cake. We met many passengers, crew and officers who we know from previous cruises and we were especially happy to see Kenneth again who is the Food and Beverage Manager. It was just like coming home. Such a shame this lovely ship is leaving the P & O fleet.

Oriana is looking very festive but still classy. The decorations are beautiful but not ‘over the top’.

We spent the afternoon unpacking and sorting out the cabin. We had brought cabin door decorations and battery fairy lights to go around the mirror and Christmas Cards from family and close friends. The stewards had already put a small but ‘ real’ tree in the cabin and a small decoration on the cabins mail box.
Oriana cabins have loads of drawers, shelves and storage space. The only problem for me is the height of the wardrobes as all of my evening dresses trail on the floor. We had brought with us a tripod hanging rail which just fits in the corner of the cabin and works a treat keeping my dresses of the floor.

The obligatory muster drill was at 4:30 pm. It never changes and as usual there were passengers who no matter how many times they are told not to put the life jacket on either don’t understand English or completely ignore instructions. The Captain is Alan Hawkins who we met on Aurora last January. We found his broadcasts very informative and he keeps passengers up to date with port and weather information.

The Christmas sailaway was on deck 12 and we were amongst many passengers wearing Christmas jumpers and hats. It wasn’t as cold as I had anticipated but I sampled a mulled wine anyway. The entertainment team were out and the Christmas songs along with the mulled wine were getting everyone in the mood for a party.

We had requested our favourite table in the Main dining room and this had been confirmed with the card in the cabin. It is for a table for 4 but is often left as a table for 2. No one joined us for dinner but we may have dining companions tomorrow. We met our waiters Greenidge and Suruj along with our wine waiter Juliana. We were very happy when we saw that Maria was on board as head of Wine. We keep trying different bottles of Red to try to find one that lives up to the Billy Billy Shiraz but we are still searching. Billy Billy was so popular but P & O decided to take it off the wine list.

It was the Welcome Aboard show and we got our seat in the theatre but the ship was moving around and Orianas theatre is not the place for me in bad weather. I headed back to the cabin and the sea sickness tablets and decided to stay there.

The forecast for tomorrow is good with the wind and sea calming down.


Saturday 22 December 2018 - 1 st Sea Day to Lisbon.

I dragged myself out of bed to attend the 7 a.m exercise class which appears to have been changed back to its original format of early morning stretch followed by fab abs or body conditioning class. This suits me much better to get it over with early morning.

After breakfast I found I was picking up a French wi fi signal which lasted about an hour. It was a Sunny morning but the decks were still closed due to strong winds.

We went to the theatre to listen to a talk about Southampton by Guest Speaker Penny Legg. The title was Bloody Southampton: Pirates, Pillagers and Pestilence. The title made it sound much more interesting than it actually was and I actually found myself nodding off.

After lunch in the main dining room I went to the Battle of the Sexes which because of 22 men kicking a ball around a field had been demoted to the Pacific Lounge. Alejandro hosted the event and unexpectedly there were as many men there as ladies. It was a close competition but the ladies won the round by 5 points.

I had a relaxing afternoon whilst Garry watched the football. I called at the loyalty desk to determine which day our lunch was being held. There will be 2 Top tier lunches and as one of them falls on a formal night we requested to be seated on the other one.

After dinner we went to Anderson’s where I sampled the Northern Gin flight before the Headliners show started in the Show Lounge. We have seen this show before but it is one we would see overs and over again as the music is from our era.
The entertainment in the theatre was Paul Hughes singing classics from the Rat Pack era.

Another Sea day tomorrow.

Sunday 23 December 2018 - 2 nd Sea Day to Lisbon

After my usual morning routine of Exercise Class followed by breakfast in the main dining room it was almost time for the Christmas Market event in the Atrium. The food and beverage team had been extremely busy and overnight the Ginger bread village had been built. There were tasty samples of gingerbread in the shape of a Xmas tree being given out as well as Christmas cake slices. I bought a glass of mulled wine which came with a mince pie which I gave to Garry.

The shops were doing a roaring trade and with every purchase made you got a raffle ticket to win various prizes. These were drawn every 15 minutes. The booze and smoke shop was doing a roaring trade as there was 15% off tobacco and 10% off various bottles of whisky.

The Sun was out and the seas quite calm but some wind across decks. It still wasn’t hot enough to sit out.
A meet up for Internet forum users had been arranged for 11 am in the Medina room. There was a reasonable turnout but no tea and coffee provided.

After lunch it was the Battlele of the Sexes which was held back in its usual spot in The Lords Tavern. The theme today was music from the 70s. The men stole the lead off us but there is plenty of time to catch up.

Our first Formal night, and the Welcome Aboard Party. Our invite was for the Pacific Lounge which for us was a better venue than the Crows Nest. Captain Alan had to dash between the two venues to do his Welcome on board speech. There are 304 new to P & O passengers on the cruise.

Marcos Beef Wellington menu for dinner which was excellent.

Josh Adams a comedy entertainer in the theatre and the Formal night ball in Harlequins.

When we returned to our cabin the invites for the Ligurian lunch had arrived along with the invites to the Captains sailaway Party from Lisbon tomorrow afternoon.

Monday 24 December 2018 - Xmas Eve in Lisbon

I didn’t go to the exercise class this morning mainly due to the excesses of last night. I think I am becoming a Lightweight.

After the Special of the Day breakfast of Eggs Benedict we watched the sail into Lisbon along with Ventura and Balmoral. We were docked between the two ships. The sun was breaking through and although cool it was at least dry. Lots of Xmas jumpers and hats around as well as Christmas Spirit.

We found our coach to Óbidos which was about an hour and 15 minutes drive through the Portuguese Country side. The tour guide was unlike others we have had in the past who suffered from verbal diarrhoea and only spoke when she needed to point something out. It made a nice change to be able to enjoy the scenic drive.

We arrived in the very quaint medieval walled town and were through by the guide who pointed out various buildings along the way. All the shops were decorated for Christmas and it was so lovely. We arrived at the top of the village into the Christmas Village area. This was man made and very commercialised but the villagers had really put in a lot of effort and the children were loving it. We wandered around for a while but decided that the old village we had walked through had more to offer so headed back that way. I sampled the local liquor called Ginja which is served in a chocolate cup, as well as the delicious custard tarts.
It was a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve.

The coach journey back took us through the centre of Lisbon which was beautifully decorated and very busy with three ships in port. We went through the duty free and the queues were horrendous to buy booze. We were going to leave it when Garry noticed another till just opening.

When we got back on board it was a quick dash to the cabin to get showered and changed ready for the Captains Sailaway Party in his private lounge and forward facing balcony. It was a great party with about 25 guests and numerous drinks to choose from. The food was Canapés supplied by Sindhu and Santa made an appearance with his elves . It was great fun.

Dinner was a special Christmas Eve Menu. We both felt that much more effort had gone into celebrating Christmas than on our previous Christmas cruises.

The evening entertainment was the Headliners Christmas show followed by dancing in Harlequins to the John James trio. We finished the night in the Pacific Lounge where the Nauticals were playing Christmas hits. The entertainment team were on the floor dancing along with passengers.

When we returned to the cabin Santa had been with a Christmas Cake from the F & B team and tins of Shortbread biscuits from P & O.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Tuesday 25 December 2018 - Christmas Day at Sea Oriana Style.

P & O Oriana started Christmas Day off with a glass of Buck’s Fizz at breakfast along with 2 specials of the day. I opted for the eggs Benedict style with Avocado instead of ham on the muffin. Delicious. The other special was smoked salmon and scrambled egg. I was tempted by both but decided to pace myself.

There was the usual church service with carols and various quizzes around the ship. The sun was shining and quite warm on the sheltered aft deck but the wind was blowing on the upper decks.

We went to see the Entertainment team perform their Christmas special in the Pacific Lounge. It was so very unrehearsed and Camp was an understatement but it was so very funny. The entertainment team on this ship just gel and work so hard to keep us entertained. It is such a huge difference compared to last year on Aurora where the ents team played hide and seek with the passengers.

We decided on a light lunch in Tiffany’s with a coffee and sandwich before I went to the Battle of the Sexes and Garry went back to the cabin for a Xmas siesta. The men increased their lead slightly but they can still be easily caught.

Dinner was earlier than normal at 17:45 as it was a special gala meal with extra courses. Not ideal as we feel 18:30 is too early but 20:30 is too late. On Arcadia we book the Ocean Grill for 20:00 but on Oriana the Beach House was closed which only left Sindhu as the speciality restaurant. We opted for the Main dining room and weren’t disappointed. The food was amazing and the courses just kept coming. The waiters and the whole food and beverage team worked so hard and surpassed any of the other Christmas cruises we have experienced. The Headliners sang in the dining room towards the end of the meal.

The officers choir performed in Tiffany’s. I found the timings of this very odd. The first performance was at 18:00 when early Freedom diners were eating as their meal was 17:30 and early Club dining were eating at 17:45. This meant that only the late sitting passengers could attend. The 2 nd show was at 20:00 when of course everyone could attend but by the time we got out of dinner all of the seats in the small venue were taken by late sitting diners who hadn’t wanted to see the early 18:00 performance. The main show in the theatre was Graffiti Classics a very talented and humorous group of 4 playing Cello, violins and viola.

Paul Hughes was singing songs from the Rat Pack era in the Pacific Lounge. We opted for the Christmas Bauble Ball in Harlequins.

Tomorrow we are in Madeira for an overnight stay.

Wednesday, 26 December 2018 - Madeira

I did the early morning stretch class and stayed for the fab abs. Hoping in vain to undo some of the damage that the copious amount of food and drink I consumed yesterday.
Whilst I went to breakfast My butler tackled the laundry which he reported back was very busy but no gossip.

We docked at 9 am but the shuttles didn’t start until 10am. It was an absolutely glorious day. Hot sunny and clear.
The shopping area where the shuttle dropped off was open and i bought a Cork bag. I bought one 2 years ago which I love but it is a tad too small to fit my kitchen sink in.

Some shops were open but not all and my butler needed a drink to get over the shock of the bag purchase.
After enjoying a local refreshing beer on the front we then see off to see if we could find Andrea the Tuk Tuk driver we used last time we were in Madeira. We were in luck and she recognised us immediately. In May we only had time to do Camera de Lobos but this time we went there had a lovely lunch a quick look at the Fisherman’s chapel and then back on the Tuk Tuk to travel up and up and then even further up the hills of Madeira. Andrea took us the long scenic way round and stopped regularly for photo opportunities.

At the top many people couldn’t believe that the Tuk Tuk had made it up to the top. Andrea explained it has a 4 stroke engine which is a work horse. There is no charge to enter the glass platform even though the ticket machines and turnstiles have been erected ready for when Madeira runs out of money. The platform is 580 metres above sea level and the awesome views were very clear. Andrea assured us that the Glass was strong and unbreakable and there is evidence of some idiot attempting to break it probably whilst standing on it.

The journey back was much quicker as the Tuk Tuk is allowed on motorways as long as it can travel at 50kmh. We said our goodbyes to Andrea until the next time we visit Madeira which at the moment is on
Aurora next year for the New Year.

We had ore booked the Beach House for dinner and it was still warm enough to sit outside with fabulous views of the Lights of Madeira. The food and service as usual was excellent. By the time we had finished dinner we had missed the Headliners show Night of a Thousand stars.

A local group which we thought were a folk group but who were actually a Carnival group performed for us in the theatre. They were very strange. It started with a man and a woman in hugely flamboyant costumes a bit like the pearly King and Queen with a feathered headdress that touched the ceiling of the Pacific Lounge. Then entered about 20 men dressed in jeans and T shirt playing drums very loudly. Next came the dancing girls in very skimpy but equally flamboyant costumes. These did not leave much to the imagination as they samba ‘d and shimmied on the dance floor. sorry no photos as my battery died ). We made a quick exit as they started getting pax up onto the dance floor .

The Tropical Party was being held on the deck and once again full marks to the entertainment team for their forward planning. A Tropical Party in port is always more successful than one at sea.

[Whynd1]

Many thanks for the report Sue. I was hoping you would send some as I really look forward to catching up with your travels.
Its nice to know they are making more of an effort with the food on Oriana, when we were on in March we felt it wasn't as good as before.
Luckily we are on in June before she leaves the fleet.

Happy New Year

Lindsey

[cruisin_duo]

Thank you for the report Sue, which we always enjoy reading. Sounds like you had a great Christmas.

Slightly envious that you got to go to Obidos, as we have been trying to do this trip for a while. First time we couldn't go because of illness, and the next time we went to Lisbon they weren't runnning the trip. Haven't been on a cruise since that has been to Lisbon. However, we have been to lots of other lovely places.

Enjoy the rest of the cruise and Happy New Year to you both.

[Kenmo1]

Next came the dancing girls in very skimpy but equally flamboyant costumes. These did not leave much to the imagination as they samba ‘d and shimmied on the dance floor. sorry no photos as my battery died ). We made a quick exit as they started getting pax up onto the dance floor .

That would have brightened my husband's Christmas

Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Maureen

[GillD46]

Merry Christmas to you Sue, and lovely to read about your cruise x

[LadyPCruiser]

Really enjoy reading your reports and glad you are having a great time - look forward to bumping into you on your next cruise - We start the packing soon

[Suekersh]

Hi all,
We have just docked in La Palma. Looks like it is going to be another sunny day.

Thursday 27 December 2018 - 2 nd day in Madeira

Two days running I attended both exercise classes. It helps as they are only doing stretch then an abs class and appear to be only doing Body con late afternoon. It is the body con that cause me problems with my knees.
Breakfast was quiet in the MDR. It opened at 07:30 but at 08:30 it was still very quiet. It closed at 9 a.m. and at ten to nine it was like the dam had burst. For the first time this cruise I met an obnoxious rude man. Nothing was right about the ship or the ports. He treated the waiters appallingly so I was pleased to hear the waiter actually sticking up for himself. I just hope I don’t have the misfortune of meeting him again.

We disembarked just before 10 am shuttle into town and I noticed that Artania (previous name Artemis) was docked in front of Oriana. It wasn’t our favourite ship although lots of passengers loved it and still talk of it fondly. The Germans appear to have spent a lot of money on it and it looked superb.

All shops were open as well as the market although there were not as many stalls as usual.
We called at the Supermarket to stock up on a few cabin essentials then went back to the Christmas market to sample some local food and drink. It was much busier today and there were various local dance groups performing on a small stage that had been erected.

The sun was on the aft deck and quite busy by the time we returned and that is where I stayed for the rest of the afternoon.

The entertainment in the Pacific Lounge should have been Maxine Mazumder as Adele but unfortunately she missed her plane connection so will now be joining us tomorrow in La Palma. The Oriana Orchestra stepped in and performed in the Pacific Lounge.

The main entertainment was John Martin billed as an outstanding comedy performer and writer. I am not a fan of comedians but I quite enjoyed most of his act. I had had enough after 30 minutes and although most of his act was original material there was some that had been used by others and everyone knew the punch line before it arrived.

Tomorrow we arrive in La Palma the worlds steepest island.

[barney]

Thanks for the ongoing review Sue.
It's saved me thousands by not having to be there

We had Greenidge as our waiter on a previous cruise and would say that he is the best that we've ever had. (assuming it's the same guy of course)
He was getting married immediately after our cruise but said that he was definitely coming back to P&O.
He seemed to have a genuine passion for his work.

[GillD46]

Hoping there aren’t too many coughs and colds onboard. Last new year on QV, I caught ‘flu and was in bed for 10 days, taking six weeks to recover. Hopefully this year the bugs have stayed away.

[Suekersh]

Friday 28 December 2018 - La Palma

Another sunny hot day. I decided to give the exercise classes a miss today. After a very pleasant breakfast in the main dining room I met Garry back at the cabin after he had finished in the Spa. We were relieved to leave the cabin as a most awful droning noise had started from outside the window.

La Palma is the worlds steepest Island and is much quieter than the better known Canary Islands. It has a sub tropical climate and is known as the beautiful green island.

We walked the short distance into town although there was a limited shuttle service it wasn’t necessary for us to use it. We followed the blue line and 10 minutes later we were amongst the shops and bars.

The first stop was classed as a Spanish shop which was a general store. The first thing I saw was the Whitley & Neill rhubarb and ginger gin. What a find at 16 euros 50.

Lots of shoe shops with sales on but it took me a while and many different shops before my built in shoe radar honed into the perfect pair and my size too. It also honed into a perfect pair of ankle boots but unfortunately not in my size.

We found the small local market and the adjoining bar. Very busy with the locals and cheap as chips for beer. It was in the sun and we rested here for a couple more drinks whilst researching local tapas bars for lunch.

We walked down to the beach area which is black volcanic sand. There were a few people sunbathing there but as it wasn’t weekend and their winter it was very quiet. The beach bars however were doing a roaring trade as they were in the sun and locals and holidaymakers were enjoying the warm weather. My beer was served in a tall frosted glass and was delicious. The food offerings though were very basic sandwiches so after a drink we moved on to find the recommended Tapas bars.

There were not as many to choose from as on the Mainland but as always we ate where the locals eat. My Pulpo Galician style was equally as good as that served in Northern Spain. Garry was not as adventurous but equally pleased with his choice of Tuna Tortilla. After 3 beers in the various bars I opted for a glass of vino blanco which after the first couple of sips was perfectly acceptable but no comparison to the Whaka Papa Sauvignon Blanc we will be drinking tonight.

We made our way back to the ship collecting the Rhubarb & Ginger gin on the way and went back to the ship. Garry wanted a siesta but this was not possible as the horrendous noise we left was still ongoing. I went onto the aft deck to get away from it as Garry phoned reception to ask how long it was expected to last. The deck supervisor came out and obviously hadn’t been aware there was a problem. He reported back that it would be continuing for another hour and was due to the testing of equipment.

The sun which had been out all day decided to go into hiding just as I settled down on a sun bed. Without the sun it was a little cool but still a lot warmer than home.

Maxine Mazumder had caught up with the ship and performed her Adele tribute act in the Pacific Lounge. She was excellent and we couldn’t understand why the packed lounge started emptying. Not just one or two passengers but hoards of them.

The Grafiti Classics performed their final show in the Theatre and there was dancing in Harlequins to the John James Trio.

Tomorrow we will be in Gran Canaria.

[Suekersh]

Hoping there aren’t too many coughs and colds onboard. Last new year on QV, I caught ‘flu and was in bed for 10 days, taking six weeks to recover. Hopefully this year the bugs have stayed away.

Seems okay so far Gill. No sign of Noro either which is unusual for a Xmas cruise.

[Kenmo1]

Tomorrow we will be in Gran Canaria.

I like visiting La Palma. It always feels like a relaxing visit. BUT my favourite place in the Canaries is Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. If we could afford a holiday home it would be my first choice to live there. I love Las Canteras beach and the super shops in the town just behind the beach. There are lots of shops to buy shoes there - Heaven. Might be best to leave Garry on board ship so that he doesn't see how much you are spending.

[david63]

Maxine Mazumder had caught up with the ship and performed her Adele tribute act in the Pacific Lounge. She was excellent and we couldn’t understand why the packed lounge started emptying. Not just one or two passengers but hoards of them.

They probably did not know who Adele is

[Happydays]

We're not fan's of Adele!
Have seen Maxine, didn't walk out but never returned to see her again on any cruise.
As people say everyone is different and enjoy different entertainment

[Suekersh]

Saturday 29 December 2018 - Gran Canaria

The morning started cloudy but still warm enough to not need jumpers and before long the sun broke through the clouds.

We walked through the port and there were 3 other ships in port with passengers disembarking and new passengers embarking. There were people with suitcases everywhere especially where the Aida Nova was docked. With capacity of over 5000 passengers, along with the 3 other ships 5000 passengers meant that the port area was swamped.

We walked to the beach area which was reasonably busy for the time of year and some had ventured into the sea. As it was weekend there were many locals out and about and the bars and cafes were doing a roaring trade.

We had lunch at a small local Tapas bar Tasca de Galeria which we had found earlier this year. It is a tiny place with the smallest kitchen I have ever seen but the food produced from it is exceptional. Chorizo cooked in Cava is my favourite tapas here and Garry reckons the Tortilla cannot be beaten. The bar only seats about 15 to 20 people and it gets packed out with queues forming outside at the weekends. It is not the comfiest of bars and they do not serve coffee which helps with the turnover of customers.

We hailed a taxi back to the ship but it had to drop us outside the port area because the queues to get into the port were horrendous.
Once back on the ship the sun was on the aft deck and I set up there whilst Garry rested in the cabin and watched the football.

Maxine Mazumder performed her Dusty Springfield tribute in the Pacific Lounge. Another excellent show. She is a very talented singer and proved how versatile she is by singing an operatic song. Once again before the end of the show many passengers started leaving. A man explained that they are freedom diners and wanted to get into dinner before the 8:30 queues started forming.

The Headliners were in the Theatre performing their show ‘Stage door’.

Tomorrow we are in Lanzarote.

[david63]

... Aida Nova was docked

Did you manage to get a good look at her as she is a sister of Iona?

[Suekersh]

Sunday 30 December 2018- Lanzarote

Usual start to the day with breakfast in the MDR. Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs as it is a Sunday.

Again as it is a Sunday we had booked a trip to Teguise market. Lanzagrote as it is fondly known hasn’t got much going for it at anytime but on Sunday we thought it safer to book a trip.

This was the biggest market I have ever seen. The Ladies market in Hong Kong is huge but this one was even bigger. It was sunny and just the right temperature for walking around and shopping. There were lots of restaurants and bars dotted around. I bought a real authentic copy Chanel bag for myself and then sent photos to our granddaughter for her to look to see if there was one she liked and one that her younger sister might like. Garrys haggling had been honed over the years and I think the vendor although happy to have sold 3 bags to one customer didn’t want other customers to overhear the prices paid. We left as friends with the promise that we would search her out again next year.
We made other purchases then found somewhere to rest with a couple of drinks. There were singers and dancers performing shows and it really felt like a Spanish Sunday fiesta.

Unfortunately on our return to ship the day went downhill. We arrived in the cabin to the horrendous noise we had encountered a couple of days ago. We immediately phoned reception and the deck supervisor came round again saying he would sort it. An hour later it was still ongoing and he hadn’t been back to us. Another phone call was made to reception but they were no help at all. Garry really needed to rest after all the walking but for our sanity we had to leave the cabin. The cloud had come over so we went to the Lords Tavern so Garry could watch the football before returning to the cabin to get ready for dinner. The noise worsened and really sounded like something was about to explode.
Another phone call to reception when this time Garry insisted on someone more senior come round to experience the noise we were having to deal with. Another officer arrived and agreed that there was indeed a problem and that it was getting worse. He left and within 5 minutes another officer arrived outside the cabin and turned off whatever was making the dreadful noise. This was 3 hours after we reported it as a problem. We have a meeting with the customer services manager arranged for tomorrow to discuss the issue. We have over 5 more weeks in this cabin and need to know how often and for how long we are going to have to put up with this. The cabin itself is perfect for us it is just the machinery outside that appears to be malfunctioning causing the noise issue.

The entertainment in the theatre was comedian John Martins second show. He appeared to go down well with the majority of the audience and Garry enjoyed it but I much preferred his first show. He repeated some jokes, used the audience far too much to get laughs at their expense and some of the gags were very old hat.

The 60s and 70s Party was held in the Pacific Lounge.

[Kenmo1]

Sue, sorry to hear about the problem with the noise in the cabin. The friends we usually cruise with will no longer travel on Oriana with us because of the problems they had with noise and vibration in their inside cabin. They could hardly get any sleep due to a huge fan in the wall of the corridor right by their room. My friend is not good without her sleep (and that's putting it mildly!) and originally were told no other cabin was available. After a few nights of hardly any sleep a cabin did become available because someone had to fly home, rotten for them but lucky for our friends.

Now they won't join us on our next 2 cruises on Oriana. They just feel there are too many things going wrong with her.

I hope things get sorted for you as soon as possible.

Maureen

[Suekersh]

Monday 31 December 2018 - New Years Eve in Tenerife

Another hot sunny day with some cloud over the mountain although Teide could be seen very clearly. We had booked a trip to Puerto de la Cruz and the coach dropped us very close to the San Felipe the hotel we used to stay in regularly in our pre cruising days.
We couldn’t have hoped for better weather and the surf was up and perfect for the many surfers enjoying their New Years Eve holiday.
Most of the shops were only opening for half day and the bars and restaurants were doing a roaring trade. I much prefer the North of the Island to Playa Las America’s the sea here is spectacular both in colour and the size of the waves. We did some shopping, stopping to sample the local brew in some of the bars we remembered from around 15 years ago. We had 3 hours here which was long enough for us but unfortunately although the coach waited for 15 minutes after the time given to be back a couple were left behind. They had plenty of time to get back to the ship as Oriana wasn’t leaving until after midnight.

We got back to the cabin dreading that the noise may have returned but it was very peaceful. The customer services rang to assure us that the problem had been sorted and shouldn’t re- occur. We got another phone call later on from the Deck supervisor also assuring us that it was sorted.

We had booked the Beach House for our New Years Eve meal as we didn’t want to eat at 17:45. Garry spent the afternoon resting in readiness for the evening festivities.
We were surprised how quiet the Beach House was at 8 p.m. A few passengers had opted to eat inside but it was still warm enough to eat outside with the lights of Tenerife as a backdrop. I chose the speciality seafood hanging kebab. It was huge but delicious so I ate it all and left the rice which accompanied it. It was a fabulous meal and perfect timing as we left there and arrived on the Riviera deck just as the Runaround kids started their first of 3 sets.

The Headliners performed Stop in the Name of Love at 7:15 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. which gave them chance to join in the festivities after the show ended.

I sampled the cocktail of the day named Nocturne Noel which was champagne with a dash of Black Raspberry Liquor. Another winner but probably won’t be available again until next year. It wasn’t as busy on deck as I expected so I have no idea where everyone else had gone to celebrate. The entertainment team were trying to get passengers up to dance but only a few participated.
At 11:30 we left the party as we had insider info that the best place to see the fireworks was from from the Aft decks and not the Riviera deck.
Unusually the Sunset bar was open and a few passengers were there but just not the masses I had expected. The fireworks were good but understated compared to Hamburg last year and many passengers used to being in Madeira for NYE were unimpressed. I enjoyed them and much preferred the warmth of Tenerife to the freezing rain we spent last NYE in.

When we eventually returned to the cabin there were 2 bottles of orange juice left for us. No doubt to help reduce the effects of the hangover. A very nice touch P & O.

We now have 3 sea days to recover before our last port of call La Corunna in Northern Spain.

[GillD46]

Happy New Year Sue, hope your cabin issue has been completely resolved.

[Suekersh]

Tuesday 1 January 2019 - New Years Day at Sea.

I woke up in time to make the 7 am exercise class but took 2 paracetamol and next thing I knew it was 8 a.m. I had a later breakfast than normal but still made it into the dining room before it closed at 9:30 am. It was still very busy in there when I left.
Garry took the opportunity of everyone sleeping late and got the last machine in the laundry.

The New Years market was held in the Atrium but I didn’t find anything of interest to buy.

The sun was out and it was very hot on deck as long as you got a spot out of the wind. I managed to get the last sunbed and realised it was because the pool was moving and the water was coming over the side, I just moved the sunbed towards the back and it was sheltered from the wind.

I stayed there all day and gave the Battle of the sexes a miss in favour of the sun. I will miss it tomorrow as well as it is our Baltic/Ligurian lunch day. My butler attended to my every need bringing sustenance at regular intervals that coincided with a break in the football program.

The evening entertainment was all Queen with the Headliners theatre company performing in the theatre and a film Bohemian Rhapsody was showing in the theatre.

Sea Day tomorrow.

Wednesday 2 January 2018 - 2 nd Sea Day to La Coruna.

When we turned the TV on we noticed that Oriana had speeded up, changed course and was heading towards Lisbon. We presumed a medical emergency.

I went to the early morning exercise classes for the first time for a few days. I will feel the pain tomorrow.

It was another beautiful day which was lucky because just after 8 :15 a.m. the power completely cut out on the ship. I had just ordered breakfast but I made do with melon and croissant as there was no power to make toast or eggs. I managed 2 cups of coffee before that ran out as well.

I set up on the sunny aft deck to wait it out. Lots of passengers with inside cabins were in darkness, at least we had some light coming into our cabin. The air con wasn’t working, no water and no toilets. The cabin stewards were helping out elderly passengers who had no light in their cabins. The power loss was so early on that many passengers were still asleep and hadn’t realised what had happened.

The Captain made regular announcements reminding passengers not to use the lift and not to use the public toilets as they won’t flush without power. Alex the entertainment manager made a humorous announcement about the entertainment changes planned for the morning or until power is restored.

We were very lucky with the weather as the sea was like a lake the weather was perfect. Hot and sunny and not a cloud in sight. As the ship was not moving there was no wind, no engine noise and just the sea lapping against the ship. The only downside was the whinging passengers. Compensation being the most uttered word. One person asked why they weren’t bringing free drinks round. I asked why they should as all the bars were open to buy them, they were giving out water from bottles to anyone who wanted it.

We were supposed to be at the Peninsular luncheon today but we realised early on this would be postponed and as I was quite contented on my bed in the sun I was quite pleased when the announcement came at just after 11 a.m. confirming that it was postponed. A bonus sunny day for me.

A BBQ lunch was arranged for the Rivera deck and the buffet had plenty of cold food for lunch. A cold lunch was also served in the Peninsular restaurant. I felt the ships company were so proactive and everything was handled smoothly and calmly. Captain Alan kept us informed with regular broadcasts even when he had nothing to tell us.

Around 1:30 p.m. the Captains announcement was that power had been restored and the air con, lighting and toilets were back on but the engines still hadn’t started.

We finally got moving again shortly after 4 p.m. and before long we were at full speed again. Captain Alan made a further announcement whilst we were in the Peninsular party to say that we would be in Lisbon tomorrow morning and staying until the evening departing around 20:30. Our call into La Coruna has now been cancelled.
The drinks flowed well at the Peninsular party and Alex the entertainment manager took the Captains role of drawing the winning ticket for the much coveted prize ( not) of a photograph album.

The entertainment in the theatre was dire. ( that is being kind). Comedy magicians are not ‘my thing’ but one of the ents officers had assured us that he was great and that his act was very different from the norm. It all went downhill after the first minute when he got a balloon out and proceeded to make a poodle out of it. We stuck it out but mainly because I had new shoes on and thought I might go flying if I tried to do the stairs in the dark. At least then the audience would have had a good laugh.

Steve V King who had been one of the Drifters performed in the Pacific Lounge. He was fantastic and certainly saved the night entertainment wise. I never realised that in total there were 68 Different Drifters over the years and he was number 48.

Tomorrow we will be in Lisbon.

[GillD46]

Wow, I have come across loss of power before, but that was a long time. Glad you recovered eventually.

[Kenmo1]

I haven't thought about being in an inside cabin when the power is off. I have just said to my husband that the first things to be packed in our cases for the next two cruises are going to be torches. A useful and timely reminder.

Thanks for the update, Sue.

Maureen

[david63]

I blame Sue for having the "banging" noise stopped - obviously it was the mice on the electricity treadmill!

[Kenmo1]

I blame Sue for having the "banging" noise stopped - obviously it was the mice on the electricity treadmill!

Well done,David, that cheesy joke made me smile.

Maureen