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All these P&O Cruises - Oriana Ship Cruises Reviews are written by REAL cruise passengers & we DO NOT moderate or change any of the review. You can agree or disagree by posting up your own comment. If you write your own review we will send you a Fodor's Guide to Cruising forFREE, Get Fantastic Cruise Deals FromSouthampton 2012
Having just returned from the 7 day cruise of Northern Spain, France and Guernsey on Oriana, it was interesting to read the two reviews already posted. I can agree in parts with both reviewers!
We booked as a party of 4, 2 couples, on a relatively last minute basis and were, therefore, thrilled with the very reasonable cost for an outside cabin and £100pp OBC. Overall, we were very pleased with the cruise mainly because the weather was so good - we could not have envisaged this in the last few weeks - and the itinerary turned out to be far better than we could possibly have imagined. Let's face it - Corunna, Bilbao and Brest are not exactly in the A league of cruise attractions but the first two were delightful, whilst a trip to the medieval town from of Quimper from Brest was super, although Bordeaux and the ride through some of the most famous vineyards in the world was our favourite. The only downside to the latter trip was that the port 'Le Verdon' is a total dump and is a two hour drive from Bordeaux.
Turning to the ship, we were generally impressed. We have been on many Princess and P&O ships but always noted the very good reviews of Oriana. The positives :- the public rooms are all roomy and attractive, there is plenty of deck-space in 'Lively' and quieter areas, there never seemed to be a real problem obtaining sunbeds, there is a good choice of eating (dining) areas - we used the Conservatory buffet for breakfast and lunch ( it could get crowded but the food was excellent) and were in the Peninsula Restaurant for dinner, where we had very good service and generally good food, the entertainment was also good, I totally agree with previous comments about the standard of the shows and performers, and finally the overall P&O experience with food, entertainment and atmosphere all geared to the British.
The negatives :- the cabins reveal the ship's age, our outside cabins were well appointed but very cramped whilst both of our cabins had non-flushing toilets on a number of occasions - this is ridiculous for a 'top-class' cruise-ship, particularly one that does world cruises, the very limited number of balcony cabins, there is a definite judder to the rear of the vessel, the crew generally were ok but our cabin steward was always surly and unfriendly, the officers were invisible (this seems to be a growing trend on all cruise lines) whilst the captain did make two announcements each day but we never saw him once around the ship - perhaps we were unlucky.
In summary a delightful cruise which, despite the negatives, highlighted the value of cruising with a British-geared line. The comparison with its sister company 'Princess' is remarkable - 15% loading on all drinks (for your convenience) as opposed to a 7% discount for all onboard purchases for Portunus menbers, £ Sterling as on board currency, no automated tipping leaving the client with the (rightful) decision of who (or who not) to tip.
Looking forward to the Azura in January!
Quality of Food
Generally excellent. Breakfasts and lunches in Conservatory, Dinner in Peninsula
Entertainment
Shows by Headliners Theatre group were outstanding. David Copperfield comedian/singer was good.
Shore Excursions
Undertook just 2 - Full day to Bordeaux via Medoc vineyards. This was rewarding but a long day. Simple transfer to delightful Brittany town of Quimper from Brest.
Staff
Generally OK - certainly better than experience on Artemis but still believe that the Indonesians and Phillipinoes on other lines are far more friendly and welcoming. At times it is like being served by the British!
Children's Facilities
n/a
Onboard Activities
n/a
Seemed to be plenty of choice but we were not involved.
Cabins
Outside cabin with large picture window. Cabin was well presented and fitted out but quite cramped. Toilets in both cabins refused to flush on a number of occasions
.jpg_thumb.jpg "Santorini sunset")
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