Oriana Deck Plans

[Rasa Sayang]

Hi,

 

I'm planning a voyage on the Oriana in Feb 09.

 

Unfortunately, the only cabins remaining are extreme forward in the LF class on E & F decks.

 

Obviously not the best cabins - but are they bearable?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[PandO Boy]

The main disadvantage of the LF cabins is that you have to make do with old-fashioned portholes rather than having the more modern (and larger) picture windows that are fitted to all other grades of outside cabin. I'd ask P&O, or your Travel Agent if you use one, to let you know if a higher grade becomes available.

[Rasa Sayang]

Thanks for the reply P&OBoy.

 

We've booked a cabin in the only available area left - LF.

 

We have also asked to be "waitlisted" for something better if it arises.

 

We dont care where - or the cost - anywhere will do

 

I guess if nothing else, it will teach me to book earlier in future. :o :)

 

Having said all that, it will not stop us enjoying the voyage.:D

 

33 years since we were last in Hong Kong - looking forward to seeing the changes.

[Slow Foxtrot]

......33 years since we were last in Hong Kong - looking forward to seeing the changes....

 

We'll be on that cruise Nick, joining at San Fancisco then via New Zealand and Oz to Hong Kong where we plan to stay about 10 days. Looks an interesting section of the World Cruise. Hong Kong is (or rather was) one of our favourite places but we have not been back since the takeover. And Oriana is a classy ship - I'm sure you'll enjoy it, regardless of cabin.

 

Slow Foxtrot.

[Rasa Sayang]

We'll be on that cruise Nick, joining at San Fancisco then via New Zealand and Oz to Hong Kong where we plan to stay about 10 days. Looks an interesting section of the World Cruise. Hong Kong is (or rather was) one of our favourite places but we have not been back since the takeover. And Oriana is a classy ship - I'm sure you'll enjoy it, regardless of cabin.

 

Slow Foxtrot.

 

Hi Slow Foxtrot,

 

Thank you for the comment.

 

Yes, I'm sure we'll enjoy it, though it would be even nicer if we could move up a grade or two. :)

 

As you say, an interesting section of the voyage - the only minor hiccough may be the area from Brisbane through to Cairns and beyond as it is the cyclone [hurricane/typhoon] season in our part of the world then.

 

Usually fairly good through there though, and there is some beautiful scenery to see - especially in the 74 tropical islands of the Whitsunday group.

 

Rabaul in New Guinea should be interesting as there is an active volcano there.

 

We will be staying with Oriana until Singapore after Hong Kong but are first of all looking forward to the 2 days aboard in Victoria Harbour as we re-acquaint ourselves with a place we used to know and love well.

 

We lived there for two years.

 

It would be nice to make your acquaintance during the voyage - maybe you could email me at wallaby04@lycos.com as the trip approaches if you were interested.

 

We join the vessel in Brisbane.

[Slow Foxtrot]

Hi Slow Foxtrot...we will be staying with Oriana until Singapore after Hong Kong but are first of all looking forward to the 2 days aboard in Victoria Harbour as we re-acquaint ourselves with a place we used to know and love well......We lived there for two years.

 

It would be nice to make your acquaintance during the voyage - maybe you could email me at wallaby04@lycos.com as the trip approaches if you were interested.......

 

 

Yes, it would be nice to meet you on board and I will be in touch as you suggest nearer the time. Incidentally, my wife and I enjoy the dancing on Oriana as it has quite a decent dance floor.

 

I share your enthusiasm for Hong Kong. I was with the military near Fan Ling for over two years in the 1960s and have revisited many times on business since then. Hope Suzie Wong doesn't remember me!

 

Foxy

[Druke I]

Reference the active volcano in Rabaul:

 

We pulled into Rabaul Sep 00, on Sky Princess. The volcano close to the mouth of the harbor was smoking heavily. The ship put up special filters over the engine room air intakes (located near the funnel), and all passengers were issued medical style face masks.

 

That particular trip was fantastic: Sky Princess' last voyage as a Princess ship, San Francisco to Sydney, 27nights, stopping at many South Pacific WW2 battlegrounds. Special guest lecturers were aboard, and many of the shore excursions went to battle grounds and memorials of the Pacific War.

 

We had a large number of WW2 veterans aboard, and it was a very emotionally moving voyage.

[Rasa Sayang]

Yes, it would be nice to meet you on board and I will be in touch as you suggest nearer the time. Incidentally, my wife and I enjoy the dancing on Oriana as it has quite a decent dance floor.

 

I share your enthusiasm for Hong Kong. I was with the military near Fan Ling for over two years in the 1960s and have revisited many times on business since then. Hope Suzie Wong doesn't remember me!

 

Foxy

 

I used to spend a fair bit of time at Fan Ling - chasing a little white ball round in the heat. :)

 

I lived at North Point on the island and was with the Oz military in circumstances I'll talk more about when we meet. Needless to say I have had some "interesting" nights out around Hennessy Rd in Wanchai - as I imagine you would have as well. ;)

 

Druke1: Your trip on the Sky Princess sounds great - as does your description of Rabaul harbour.

 

I'm told by friends who know Rabaul well that the volcanic activity in the area can be quite spectacular at times.

 

Thanks for your input.

[Druke I]

My time with the military (US Army) was spent on the much less interesting island of Okinawa, prior to its reversion to Japanese control.

[Slow Foxtrot]

.......I lived at North Point on the island and was with the Oz military in circumstances I'll talk more about when we meet. Needless to say I have had some "interesting" nights out around Hennessy Rd in Wanchai - as I imagine you would have as well. ;) ...

 

You imagine correctly. In the 60s we knew every bar in Wanchai and all their counterparts across the water in Kowloon - not forgetting the China Fleet Club of course. It was a great time to be in Hong Kong as one soon got to know virtually everywhere, unlike in later years when it just seemed to get too big and more impersonal. And it was always interesting to see the famous white P & O liners berthed close to the Star Ferry, en route to Australia. Little did I know at the time that some decades later I would be using their successors as a matter of course.

 

Foxy

[Novice floater]

Getting back to the original subject of this thread, myself and my husband are booked in to an OF cabin on The Oriana, 27Jan, as we have only just booked and that was all that was available. Could anyone tell me their opinion of these? We are booked on the segment San Francisco to Singapore and as first time cruisers are highly excited!! but don't want it spoiled by a less than satisfactory cabin, although, quite frankly, to do this cruise we would probably sleep in a hammock on deck!!

[Anne Funnell]

As long as that volcano isn't smoking too heavily or you could wake up in the morning covered in ash.

 

Sorry Novice - I can't help you with your question but I hope somebody comes on here with an answer soon.

[chaz cruiser]

I will be joining you for the short segment from Sydney to Brisbane. We have booked an OF cabin so we could be neighbours. It only cost us A$299 each which probably wouldn't even pay for a hotel room!!

 

We are looking forward to this opportunity to check out the Oriana.

 

Cheers,

Charmain:)

[bobbysue777]

We'll be on that cruise Nick, joining at San Fancisco then via New Zealand and Oz to Hong Kong where we plan to stay about 10 days. Looks an interesting section of the World Cruise. Hong Kong is (or rather was) one of our favourite places but we have not been back since the takeover. And Oriana is a classy ship - I'm sure you'll enjoy it, regardless of cabin.

 

Slow Foxtrot.

My husband and I are joining the Oriana in San Francisco on 27th January 2009 and cruising to NZ. Perhaps we can meet for a drink on board?

 

Bobbysue

[bobbysue777]

Are there any New Zealanders flying to San Francisco to join the cruise on the Oriana on 27th January 2009?:):)

[Slow Foxtrot]

My husband and I are joining the Oriana in San Francisco on 27th January 2009 and cruising to NZ. Perhaps we can meet for a drink on board?

 

Bobbysue

 

Yes, why not? Incidentally you were born in the same week and year as my wife and you joined the Cruise Critic forum on my birthday (13th Dec). Perhaps we can get in touch nearer the time and share a drink on board.

Look forward to it!

Regards

Slow Foxtrot.

[kiwipete]

Are there any New Zealanders flying to San Francisco to join the cruise on the Oriana on 27th January 2009?:):)

 

Hi, we and two friends from the Bay of Islands are flying over to SF on 25th to have a couple of days before boarding the Oriana back to Auckland. It's a first time cruise for our friends so they are really excited!! It's not our first time but we are just as excited!!!!!!!!!!!

May catch up with you on board. Only 27 days before we fly out. Yeh!

[bobbysue777]

So pleased to hear we are not the only Nzers leaving NZ that day! Perhaps we could meet up at Auckland International airport or on the Oriana for a drink/chat?

Bobbysue:):)

[kiwipete]

Hi Boobysue, What date are you flying out of Auckland. We fly out 7.30pm on Sun 25th. If we do't see you before we'll catch up for a drink on board!

Kiwipete

[Twigs]

To all who will be on the Oriana in the new year.

 

Our son is one of the dancers with Headliners Theatre Company. Hope you enjoy the shows as we have been informed on another forum that they are excellent. Some say as good as West End shows.

 

We will be on Oriana in May for our first cruise and so looking forward to it.

 

We travelled down to Southampton on Saturday to see Ben when the ship came in on Sunday. We spent a few hours on board and actually saw our cabin which was good.

 

Hope you all enjoy your time wherever you may be joining and a Happy New Year to you all.

 

Twigs

[cruise love]

I book an LF cabin but when I recived my cabin numbers I have been given much higher gradings on the ship

 

i am boarding in Sydney to Hong Kong

 

cruise love

[Rasa Sayang]

I book an LF cabin but when I recived my cabin numbers I have been given much higher gradings on the ship

 

i am boarding in Sydney to Hong Kong

 

cruise love

 

Hi Cruiselove,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

We were also upgraded at no cost.

 

We were late booking and all that was left to book were some porthole cabins way 'forrard' in the LF section, so working on the assumption that any cruise is better than no cruise we took it.

 

We were pleasantly surprised on opening the cruise personaliser recently to see we have been upgraded.

 

We also have our requested dinner sitting and table size, so things are looking up.

 

We board in Brisbane on 18th Feb and are going through to Singapore after Hong Kong.

 

Looking forward to giving our British cousins "a bit of cheek". :p:D:)

 

All good fun of course. ;)

 

Anybody on the voyage who wants to say hello and maybe have a quiet ale whilst on board can email me at odyssey09@gmail.com

[chaz cruiser]

We booked LF on the Sydney to Brisbane leg and haven't yet received a cabin number in Personaliser or on our tickets. I'm not worried anything will be great and the longer we wait for cabin numbers the longer I can dream about an upgrade to a suite!!

 

BTW does anyone know what time we can board in Sydney. There was nothing on our tickets and our Travel Agent is struggling to find out a time other than mid afternoon. Plus I assume we depart from the OPT at Circular Key or is it Wharf 8?

 

Cheers,

Charmain:)

 

Only 41 more sleeps!!

[Hopeful traveller]

We'll be on that cruise Nick, joining at San Fancisco then via New Zealand and Oz to Hong Kong where we plan to stay about 10 days. Looks an interesting section of the World Cruise. Hong Kong is (or rather was) one of our favourite places but we have not been back since the takeover. And Oriana is a classy ship - I'm sure you'll enjoy it, regardless of cabin.

 

Slow Foxtrot.

 

We are looking forward to the same leg of this cruise, but will first be staying in San Francisco for several days.

We are desperate to join a tour to Wai o tapu Winter Wonderland which has received rave reviews. However, Oriana's tour is fully booked and we have therefore identified 1 tour operator in Tauranga who will arrange a similar trip to the "Wonderland," Lady Knox geyser and Rainbow Springs. However we need another 2 (or more) people to join us to make a booking viable. Would you or anyone else be interested?

 

It's the first time we've used the forum so we're unsure how to get any interested parties together to make a booking, though we can advise details of the tour operater so they can be contacted directly.

 

We need to make our tour booking before we leave for the States on 23/01

 

Hopeful traveller

[Slow Foxtrot]

.....Oriana's tour is fully booked and we have therefore identified 1 tour operator in Tauranga who will arrange a similar trip to the "Wonderland," Lady Knox geyser and Rainbow Springs. However we need another 2 (or more) people to join us to make a booking viable. Would you or anyone else be interested?......

 

At the moment we have that area as a possibility but depends how we feel at the time. Hence, we rarely decide until we are there, as we usually prefer the independence of hiring a local taxi to the regimentation of the 'organised' bus tours. And very often there's not much difference in price. Most ports have numerous taxis available near the quay and it would be interesting to know if anyone can confirm if this is the case at Tauranga. Looking at the map it looks as if the 'Thermal Wonderland' is about 45 miles away ... would this be about right?