Oriana - failure to dock

Sorry if this is elsewhere but I cannot see it.

Apparently, Oriana has been trying to dock since 6am this morning and has had a number of issues. The port was partially closed overnight due to the rescue of a pilot from a capsised tug causing delay. Since then she has not been able to safely moor at the QE Terminal. I’m told that they have heavily hit the quayside at least twice with possibly some damage to the ship.

Been talking with people on board and they are now being treated to free wine and beer as all accounts were settled overnight so charging not an option. They have been advised that a final attempt at offloading will happen at 1930. If not successful then will have to spend the night on board. Even if successful, issues will be had as car park attendances, coach drivers etc will all be out of hours to move passengers home.

Oriana was due a deep clean today due to norovirus and am hearing reports that next cruise (short break) will be delayed by 24 hrs at best, or cancelled if there is damage to ship.

Looking on Marine Traffic, Oriana appears to be moored up so am assuming that this relates to offloading passengers and baggage safely rather than actually mooring up.

Sorry if this is elsewhere but I cannot see it.

Apparently, Oriana has been trying to dock since 6am this morning and has had a number of issues. The port was partially closed overnight due to the rescue of a pilot from a capsised tug causing delay. Since then she has not been able to safely moor at the QE Terminal. I’m told that they have heavily hit the quayside at least twice with possibly some damage to the ship.

Been talking with people on board and they are now being treated to free wine and beer as all accounts were settled overnight so charging not an option. They have been advised that a final attempt at offloading will happen at 1930. If not successful then will have to spend the night on board. Even if successful, issues will be had as car park attendances, coach drivers etc will all be out of hours to move passengers home.

Oriana was due a deep clean today due to norovirus and am hearing reports that next cruise (short break) will be delayed by 24 hrs at best, or cancelled if there is damage to ship.

 

Looking on Marine Traffic, Oriana appears to be moored up so am assuming that this relates to offloading passengers and baggage safely rather than actually mooring up.

Many posts on FB. The next cruise is delayed 24 hrs and the passengers are getting 50% discount. She is moored but cannot unload. At berth 40, upriver from the QE2 terminal. She did hit the berth opposite Ocean when attempting to berth. Added complication is the Aida ship which is on the QE2 and cannot get off she is over 24 hours late now.

I understand they will try to move Oriana at 19.30, weather permitting.

All true! We are meant to be on her right now but instead we are at home with cases at the ready! I have to say that P&O have been excellent at keeping us informed about what's happening. They can't help the weather and safety is paramount. It's disappointing to miss one night but in the grand scheme of things it's not the end of the world. Will just have to make the most of the 3 nights!

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BBC South news tonight said she will dock this evening.

No mention of failed attempts resulting on damage.

Next cruise delayed for 24 hours, and, again according to BBC South news, passengers on that cruise are getting a 50% refund.

Highest gust last night here in Devon was 71 knots!! Not nice.

All true! We are meant to be on her right now but instead we are at home with cases at the ready! I have to say that P&O have been excellent at keeping us informed about what's happening. They can't help the weather and safety is paramount. It's disappointing to miss one night but in the grand scheme of things it's not the end of the world. Will just have to make the most of the 3 nights!

 

 

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Just out of interest - will you be missing a port? Or losing a sea day?

Losing a sea day :-(

Losing a sea day :-(

Shame! But then I suppose losing a port day would cause quite a few problems with tours etc.

Hope you get away safely tomorrow and enjoy your cruise :)

Just been reading some of the FB posts - majority (for a change) praising P&O and not moaning!

The updates have been excellent from P&O but we were enroute and at Salisbury when notified of 24hr delay. Proceeded to Ocean Terminal and transferred to hotel. If it happens to you....never accept the holiday inn Portsmouth ....the food is dire, even with the complimentary wine! Then they closed the buffet after we'd only had the starter. The lounge menu was slightly better but poor. I know it could be worse but when it's a special day you do expect memories of a different nature! Back to the warm wine!

Oriana is now safely berthed at Ocean Terminal. Aida Mar due to leave at 22.00.

Not long arrived home after disembarking Oriana this morning. A lot of hanging around yesterday and at one point (early afternoon) we were told that we would be disembarked late yesterday, which was very alarming as we would then have had an 8 hour journey home, so would have been searching for a hotel late at night! As it happend they announced a couple of hours later that it would be a late night docking and that we could stay onboard overnight - we has been given access back to our cabins by then. Poor cabin stewards effectively had 2 change around days though as they had already done the cabins for new arrivals.

We did not dock until soon before 9pm, when only self help disembarkation people could get off. Luggage was then taken ashore and other people could disembark if they wished, between 11pm and midnight. P&O also ran a shuttle for anyone wanting to go into Southampton between about 10.30pm and 1pm.

We were glad to get off the ship as we had been quite ill for the last week with a chest infection, (diagnosed as flu for my husband - it seems the flu injection is not very effective this year). He was prescibed Tammyflu and we both had ant-biotics. I was also sick that last night, (norvirus onboard), so was given an injection by a nurse, which made me just about well enough to get home. Just about everyone was coughing for the second half of the cruise. I missed the second day in Alta and we both missed Begen and Stavanger as ports, although I went for a short walk in Bergen.

I missed the Northern lights trip, but did see them from the ship the day we were sailing back south near Tromso. The good news is that we did see the solar eclipse, but no thanks to P&O who would not give the Captain permission to spend that time at sea, so we were more likely to see the eclipse. As it happened it was too windy to dock that morning and the Captain managed to let the ship drift into a very small area of clear sky, so we saw totality and some of the partial eclipse as the cloud cover varied, (but was almost complete). I rekon there must have been a lot of calculation being done on the bridge at that stage, as the sky was almost covered in cloud. We would not have seen the eclipse if we had been docked as per schedule and according to P&O instructions.