Favourites spots and useful tips about Oriana.

[Ocean_Liner_Traveller]

We are new to P&O and we shall cruise on the Oriana. I know she is a special ship, closer to what P&O used to be in the 'good old days', elegant and charming, and I would like to learn as much as possible about her from those who have experienced her.

 

More than a decade ago we were docked in Port Said, during a little cruise in Eastern Mediterranean. I woke up in the morning, looked out of our window and there she was, less than a quarter of a mile from us...Oriana, beautiful, like a sea goddess. I stayed there marvelling at her wonderful lines.

 

We saw her again in Haifa. Back then she was among the largest ships afloat and she dominated the port. Memories of the British Empire came to mind for a moment...In the evening I talked about her to the barman, a kind Egyptian. He said he had worked on her and what a beautiful ship she was.

 

So, if you have any special memories, favourite lounges, bars, restaurants or even pools, any insider tips about life on her that you would like to share and make a newbie's cruise more enjoyable :), please know that your input would be greatly appreciated!

[Brayman]

My favourite outside daytime bar is the Terrace Bar on Lido deck, lacking back over the wake and sheltered from the wind. Best daytime inside bar is the Crows Nest. Favourite predinner drink bar is Andersons. Tiffany's is good for a quiet drink at any time.

Personally I wasn't that keen on the Lord's Tavern.

 

If you like music, then just see where Natural High are playing, mostly in Harlequins (for the ballroom dancers) but also in the Crows Nest and on deck by the Riviera Pool.

 

Al Fresco's looks good but it is very popular and small, so popular we could never get in there!

 

For sailaways, anywhere on the rear decks from Deck 8 (D Deck) upwards, quite a sight looking at the tiered decks full of waving passengers.

[bazzaw]

Where is the best spot (signal strength-wise and convenience/comfort-wise) to connect to the ship's internet system by WiFi using a laptop. The obvious answer would/should probably be in the ships Internet computer room - but that is also used by people without their own laptops and using the ships desktop computers so may not be that good from the point of view of laptop WiFi comfort/convenience.

 

 

Barry

[BrianI]

Barry,

At 50p/min with an extremely slow connection, you wont want to be connected that long and it may be best to wait until you are in port and use somewhere ashore. The costs come down to 35p/min if you buy a package. I have seen people using laptops in the computer room.

 

When we arrived back in Southampton just before the world cruise, a team of people came on board and ripped out most of the computer room. It looks like they were doing a major upgrade of the facilities so might be quite good now. However you will still limited by the very slow satellite speed.

Brian

[bazzaw]

Hi Brian

 

Yes - thanks for that. I intend to get a package as we want to be able to send/receive emails while cruising from Brisbane to Southampton and return as basically it will be the only means of communication between us and friends/rellies at home - would be nice to know if the house burns down while we are away ! :rolleyes:

 

I will compose everything offline - so it "should" be a reasonably simple matter to send/receive every few days - even if the connection is poor.

 

"just before the world cruise, a team of people came on board and ripped out most of the computer room" I take it that you are referring to Oriana here??

 

Barry

[BrianI]

"just before the world cruise, a team of people came on board and ripped out most of the computer room" I take it that you are referring to Oriana here??

 

Barry

Yes, it was Oriana. We got back on 23 Sep. It looked like a major upgrade of the facilities.

Brian

[Slow Foxtrot]

Having just returned from the first leg of the World Cruise aboard Oriana I can confirm that the Cyber Room has about 10 computers for the use of passengers and also several desks for the use of passengers with their own laptops.

If I remember correctly the charge for a package of 250 minutes was £75.

That's 30p per minute. So, by far the best way is to take your own laptop, compose all your e.mails in your cabin, then go up to the Cyber Room and simply log-on and send.

Just for the record you can also log-on from your laptop in parts of the Crow's Nest which is wi-fi enabled. Incidentally, the Cyber Room manager is very helpful and does his best to explain all the procedures to newcomers.

 

Slow Foxtrot

[Merlin7]

My favourite outside daytime bar is the Terrace Bar on Lido deck, lacking back over the wake and sheltered from the wind. Best daytime inside bar is the Crows Nest. Favourite predinner drink bar is Andersons. Tiffany's is good for a quiet drink at any time.

Personally I wasn't that keen on the Lord's Tavern.

 

 

Al Fresco's looks good but it is very popular and small, so popular we could never get in there!

 

For sailaways, anywhere on the rear decks from Deck 8 (D Deck) upwards, quite a sight looking at the tiered decks full of waving passengers.[/quote

 

100% in agreement. However, time it right for Al Fresco and you will have a treat, it's great.

[LibraLass41]

As Oriana is a family ship, it can get a bit noisy and busy around the pools at lunchtime on a sea day. To escape this, go to Tiffanys bar for a light lunch and a drink. Its very quiet and child free , all the kiddies are around the pool or at kiddie clubs:

 

 

 

They have a light lunch menu we had for example the chilled salmon salad and a bannoffee pie. A little haven.

[Stackerman]

My favorite room on Oriana was the Curzon Room, now I am afraid no longer. I used to love the classical concerts in the evening also a good relaxing room during the day. Now changed to a Gary Rhodes restaurant.

[BrianI]

Andersons is good place for a pre dinner drink. Styled like an English country house with no background music. Nice comfortable high backed chairs. You get served little crackers and canapes with your drinks at no extra cost

 

I would agree with Sue about Tiffanys if you want a light snack lunch or a drink anytime. The lunch menu changes every four days. In the evening there is a pianist there.

 

Brian

[Slow Foxtrot]

My favorite room on Oriana was the Curzon Room, now I am afraid no longer. I used to love the classical concerts in the evening also a good relaxing room during the day. Now changed to a Gary Rhodes restaurant.

 

Absolutely right. The Curzon Room was very elegant, especially on 'classical' nights. Many original Oriana enthusiasts tend to think that the switch to the Gary Rhodes restaurant was a retrograde step and that the move was counter-productive. Having spent around eight weeks on Oriana since last year I must say that on most occasions when we glanced through the door the restaurant was very sparsely occupied, and sometimes empty. Perhaps couples are thinking twice before spending £60 plus for a meal when excellent meals are available free in the main restaurants. However, each to his own but it is a great pity that the elegant atmosphere of the Curzon Room has been lost.

[tartanexile81]

Been on Oriana a couple of times and really enjoyed the great, friendly atmosphere. We especially like the Crows Nest, especially on sea days when we sit quietly reading etc and as it's right at the front and very high up there are amazing views. Also quite like it as good place for pre-dinner drinks. We like Tiffany's after dinner so often enjoyed a night cap there. Again just like the atmosphere and the themed decor. Not keen on the Lords Tavern which is the English pub which can be noisier with quizzes etc but on the other hand Anderson's is just a bit too quiet for us, and in our experience not very well used.

[Slow Foxtrot]

Just a correction to the cost of eating in Oriana Rhodes on a previous post.

The basic cost of £60 would be for two couples (£15 per head) although the cost can go over £18 per head for special dishes.

Last year the dinners in the Marco Pierre White restaurant aboard Aurora were just £4.95. per head. The food and service were excellent. Quite a difference!

[Ocean_Liner_Traveller]

Many thanks to all for your helpful answers!

 

When do you suggest that we make reservations to Oriana Rhodes? (Although according to your post it does not get much crowded :))

 

Our favourite time of the day is pre-dinner. We cannot decide between Crow's Nest (our usual pre-dinner spot in some other companies), Anderson's or perhaps Tiffany. Could you shed some more light here, please?

[BrianI]

Many thanks to all for your helpful answers!

 

When do you suggest that we make reservations to Oriana Rhodes? (Although according to your post it does not get much crowded :))

 

Our favourite time of the day is pre-dinner. We cannot decide between Crow's Nest (our usual pre-dinner spot in some other companies), Anderson's or perhaps Tiffany. Could you shed some more light here, please?

For Oriana Rhodes, I suggest you look at the cruise overview, which should be in your cabin when you arrive. This gives you a summary of where you will be each day and what the dress code is each day. From that you can then make a decision on what day to visit Rhodes to fit in with your other activities.

For pre-dinner, its down to personal choice. Crows Nest is good if there is something to see rather than just open sea as the other two dont have windows. Tiffanys has a pianist but one part of it there are people walking through all the time. Andersons has a very nice ambiance, with nice high back chairs and there is no music so its quiet for a chat and a drink pre dinner. Personally, we prefer Andersons pre dinner and Tiffanys late evening if we fancy a drink or hot chocolate or something and Crows Nest if there is some scenary.

Brian

[LibraLass41]

Andersons is very popular for pre-dinner drinks - it was always full with nowhere to sit when we got there which was 20mins before dinner, but I suppose a bit earlier would be fine. They used to serve canapes in there too (May 09) not sure if they still do.

It is also a short walk from the restaurant, Crows nest being a lot further away.

[BrianI]

They used to serve canapes in there too (May 09) not sure if they still do.

Yes they still do, or did in September

Brian