Oriana

[Gwendy]

Good morning

I am thinking of booking a Northern Lights cruise for next year. I have never cruised with P&O UK before but I am a fairly experienced cruiser, see details below. Has anyone any info that might be useful. What is the general age of most people on this ship? I am 63 and am thinking of travelling with my son who is 44. Are there lots of activities on board during sea days? Any info appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[kathsmum]

Oriana is my favourite ship. It is very traditional in that the public rooms are all separate. The ship is now child free which means it tends to attract an older clientele, (I'm 67 and feel quite young). It has a show lounge as well as the theatre and a separate dance floor - Harlequins which doubles as a nightclub, but this is not usually very well attended due to the age group. It also has a separate cinema. The usual daytime activities include traditional shuffleboard and quoits as well as golf nets etc. I am going on a cruise on her in August to the Fjords so I could perhaps give you more information if you have specific questions.

[Sea Green]

Im mid 30s and was just about the youngest on my Oriana cruise. Tends to the older crowd but tehgre were a few younger ones around. It really varies from cruise to cruise - there were lots of activities (it was the Music Festival cruise) and we were never at a loss for things to do.

 

Oh and Harlequins was always buzzing as there were dance lessons and demonstrations going on

[jeanlyon]

My favourite ship too!

[Gwendy]

Thanks all for replies, still thinking. Not sure if I am comfortable with an older sailing group. (Sometimes I forget I too am old). LOL

[Scriv]

Well, I went on ther Fjords cruise last year on Oriana and am off again to the Baltics on her very soon. She is a lovely ship.

 

My experience re ages was different to the above poster's ....My OH was 63 and I was 60 and I felt our age group was the average one - I would say most people 55 -65.

 

There were obviously over 67s to be seen and also 45-55s. Fewer 35-45s, but there were some! It was a nice mix for my age!

Edited June 11, 2014 by Scriv

[silver surfer 2010]

We did the Northern Lights cruise this March and it was fantastic. The scenery was spectacular and the weather was very kind to us. In fact 300 miles above the arctic circle there were some passengers in the jacuzzi (with their beenie hats on of course) and the icicles hanging off the steps up to the pool. The night we went on the excursion in search of the Northern Lights it was minus 26 degrees at 2-30am. We only saw rain on one day and plenty of snow whilst we were sleeping. (We didn't see that of course)

You must go - as the cruise was only a 12 day one the age group was very mixed. From 30's to late 70's - after all you are only as old as you feel. I had my 76th birthday aboard.

David

[Host Sharon]

Oriana is my favourite ship and I too went on the Northern Lights cruise in March - it was fabulous.

 

Because it was a shorter cruise (12 nights) and to (very) cold ports, it attracted a much younger passenger base. However, because the decks were covered with snow, the activities were limited from their usual offerings - Wii bowling, quizzes, dance lessons etc . This was not a problem as there were few sea days anyway.

 

I have photos here.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/114801993219771801790/OrianaNorthernLightsCruise2014#

With the right clothing - it was arguably my favourite cruise ever!

Edited July 3, 2014 by Host Sharon

[Clodia]

I love Oriana, traditional and beautiful. Sailing on her on the 11th, and can't wait.

[Pompeyboy]

For info P & O have just adjusted the sailing dates of the 2015 Arctic Circle cruises. The second ones departure date has been brought forward 2 days to ensure a better view of the solar eclipse on 20th March and the duration extended to 14 nights. The first one(which we are booked on) remains at 12 nights and departs on the 5th instead of the 7th.

[tring]

We are booked on the second cruise, which now includes a visit to The Faroes to see the solar eclipse. I note the Freedom fare price for new bookings has been racked up considerably, but they are also offering early saver fares. Not surprising about the price hike as Fred Olsen's solar eclipse cruises sold out very quickly.

 

Sharon, if you (or anyone else who can help) is/are reading this can you help with a query I have about your review. It appears that the preliminary meeting for the northern light trips in Alta was held on an afternoon, rather than just before the trip, so I am wondering if we will miss this if we go on another trip on the afternoon of the first day in port and book the northern lights trip for the second day.

 

That sounds confusing - what I meant is was there just one preliminary meeting on the first day for all northern lights trips which go out on the first and second day in port, or was there another meeting on the second day for the trips going out on the second night in port.

 

Any help with that would be most appreciated.

[majortom10]

In March there was 2 preliminary meetings one each day and you went to the one on the day you were going on the excursion later that evening.

[Host Sharon]

We are booked on the second cruise, which now includes a visit to The Faroes to see the solar eclipse. I note the Freedom fare price for new bookings has been racked up considerably, but they are also offering early saver fares. Not surprising about the price hike as Fred Olsen's solar eclipse cruises sold out very quickly.

 

Sharon, if you (or anyone else who can help) is/are reading this can you help with a query I have about your review. It appears that the preliminary meeting for the northern light trips in Alta was held on an afternoon, rather than just before the trip, so I am wondering if we will miss this if we go on another trip on the afternoon of the first day in port and book the northern lights trip for the second day.

 

That sounds confusing - what I meant is was there just one preliminary meeting on the first day for all northern lights trips which go out on the first and second day in port, or was there another meeting on the second day for the trips going out on the second night in port.

 

Any help with that would be most appreciated.

 

The one we attended was at 6pm. We were on an afternoon tour to the ice hotel and just (and I mean JUST) made it. I think there were two briefings on each day. They mainly covered your chances of seeing the lights and how to photograph them. The onboard photographers also did a short talk on how to photograph them but in some aspects the two contradicted each other!

 

Bottom line was that you really had to be prepared to be out on deck every evening from Tromso north to Alta to maximise your chances. I saw them well on two nights (Tromso and Alta) but also a very pale poor sighting on the second night in Alta. Some passengers on our cruise never saw them at all - mainly those who were on the evening tour to the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso and who chose the second night Lights Watching tour in Alta. If they had been on deck on the first night in Alta they would have seen them. Of course it is also down to luck and weather as to whether they appear at all. The colder the better it seems.

[Host Sharon]

This thread may be useful for anyone going next year.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2015561&highlight=northern+lights

[tring]

Thank you very much for the gen regards the meetings, much appreciated.

 

I have heard the 'colder it is the better', but have also seen that qualified in some official site about the lights, (forget what but it was quite scientific), as the fact that when the sky is clear, the temperatures drop much lower and that a clear sky is the main thing that is needed -the cold is just a consequence.

 

My father in law is from a countryside area near South Shields, just south of the Tyne and they used to be visible from there from time to time. They walked up a local hill to view them. He did not know what they were, but just some strange lights that appeared at times in the winter - no light pollution then!!

[majortom10]

The obvious main criteria is a clear cloudless night and the darker it is away from towns due to light pollution the better it is. Because it is a natural occurence there are never any guarantees and we we were very lucky to go on the excursion on the first night in Alta and had a magnificent unforgetable experience.