Goodbye Oriana!

You’ve probably all seen the news by now, of the sad news that the P&O are retiring the Oriana from the fleet.  This is sad news as she is a mid-size ship and adults only.

Oriana has the capacity for 1,880-passengers and she joined the cruise line back in 1995 and has been widely known for providing guests with “traditional cruising at its best”.

The retiring of Oriana follows the move last year of small ship Adonia to operate as Azamara Pursuit for the destination-focused line Azamara Club Cruises.

P&O Cruises senior vice president Paul Ludlow said: “Oriana is an original, and a much loved P&O Cruises ship.

Whilst we will miss her, her departure will allow us to focus on our remaining mid-sized and larger ships as the fleet expands with Iona and her sister ship in 2020 and 2022 respectively.

Oriana will be with us until August next year so there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate her time with us.

“Those guests who have sailed on Oriana will then be able to enjoy holidays on Aurora and Arcadia, both of which are exclusively for adults and have a very similar on board feel, and experience the revitalization taking place over the next year.

Meanwhile, Aurora will be refitted next spring before it is re-launched as a ship exclusively for adults.

New cabins will be also be added as well as fixtures, fittings, soft furnishings and enhancements to public spaces. Cruising today is perceived as a contemporary and aspirational holiday yet it is still one which has very small penetration in the holiday market as a whole. Our vision is to break these barriers by listening to feedback from our loyal guests whilst expanding the audience of new cruisers.

The additions will include new excursions across our itineraries, new dazzling theatre shows and daytime activities which reflect today’s trends.

“We will be investing in Aurora’s refit next year; Food Hero Eric Lanlard has devised an entirely new afternoon tea for all the ships, which will be very special, as well as refreshed menus and cocktails across the fleet.”

A special final sailing by Oriana will be announced by the company shortly, along with details of new passenger experiences.

I haven’t personally sailed on visited Oriana, but after this news, I may book on to the final voyage, as I believe it will be a send off to remember?

What are your memories of the Oriana?  Are you booked to sail on her before she retires?  If you would like to book the Oriana before she “sails off into the sunset” visit our website here for some great offers and to book call me on 0333 300 2662