Final sectors of the 2009 Oriana world cruise

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Final sectors of the 2009 Oriana world cruise
Reviewed By: Agland, Cleveleys on 16th Jun 2009
Cruise Line: P&O Cruises	Times cruised before: 3-5
Cruise Ship: Oriana	Sailed: March, 2009
Destination: World Cruise	Age: 56-65

We were on the Oriana for the final sectors of a world cruise (1st March - 1st April 2009). We joined the ship in Hong Kong and sailed back to Southampton. We really liked the ship - this was our first experience of P&O. The Oriana is was very spacious and the promenade deck has room for sun-loungers, chairs and promenaders. All public lounges and bars are comfortable and welcoming. The pool areas were also good with no problems finding a lounger poolside. The staff on the ship were excellent and the captain Chris Wells was a real 'entertainer' - everyone loved him. So often you do not really get to know what a captain is like. While we enjoyed our cruise very much one thing to bear in mind when joining for part of a world cruise is that it is very different to the usual 2 week cruise when everyone gets on and makes as much of the two weeks as they can. When we boarded the ship a lot of passengers had been on for 3 months and we found that some of the activities (the ballroom for example) were not very well attended. More than once we went to the ballroom for a pre-dinner dance to find we were the only ones there. We enjoyed dining in the Oriental restaurant despite the constant shuddering which is a feature of this area of the ship. We enjoyed the LIDO restaurant less mainly because when we got into the med and onwards towards Southampton it was very cold because of the automatic doors constantly opening and closing and also it was sometimes difficult to find somewhere to sit. The food was good but not as good as that on our previous cruise with Cunard or on our subsequent cruise on Holland America's Amsterdam. The dining room staff were wonderful and really added something to the dining experience. Nothing was too much trouble. Drink and wine prices on board were very reasonable with happy hours every day. We paid the supplement to dine at the Rhodes Restaurant and it was well worth the visit - service was top class as was the food. We also dined at the Terrace Grill for a small extra charge again - well worth it. Our inside cabin was more than adequate but I still think I would pay more another time for an outside berth. If an inside cabin is all that is available or all you can afford I certainly wouldn't let it put you off. The itinerary was good with stops at Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Kerala, Sharm El Sheik, Suez (for the Pyramids), Rome and Barcelona. Some of the ports were several hours away from the real sights you would want to see. Laem Chebang for Bangkok and Port KeLang for Kuala Lumpur for example. This means you do not have as much time for enjoying the sights as you think you are going to have. One stop was in the Malaysian port of Kemaman where we took the Kuantan On Your Own trip which was basically a shuttle to Kuantan. Don't waste your time and money on this trip because there is very little to see - we were dropped off at a very uninteresting shopping mall with very little else to do. Having said that the trip to the Backwaters of Kerala was fascinating (port of Cochin) as was the trip the the Pyramids despite quite lengthy drives. Mumbai was magical and it was very easy to do your own thing there. Anyone thinking of surfing the net/emailing - the internet experience is expensive and very very slow. All in all although there are one or two negatives in this review it was a really fabulous holiday with excellent on board entertainment particularly 'Natural High'. Their jazz evenings in the Crows Nest Bar were a highlight and very well attended. We would travel with P&O again.
Quality of Food

Entertainment

Shore Excursions

Staff
Preston and Annand our restaurant waiters were first class and had a great sense of humour
Children's Facilities	n/a

Onboard Activities

Cabins

Overall Rating