Farewell beautiful Oriana

Her final voyage  - Norway & Spitzbergen

Monday 22 July 2019

My taxi took the Motorway route to Southampton (M5, M4, M3) arriving about 11.15 so excellent time. In fact I was there even before my friend who lives locally! I checked in to assisted embarkation and had a short wait before they began at 12am. I was on board and having the Peninsular Lunch by 12.30, joining a table of seven friends. They had saved me a place, much to the disgust of a P&O regular! We all booked the Captain’s Lounge Sailaway from Honningsvåg, then four glasses of wine later we set off for our cabin. We had booked an Inside Guarantee and it was a little smaller than I was hoping for but adequate for 18 nights – three wardrobes, four long drawers, three small drawers and two-drawer bedside tables each. Our luggage had arrived so we unpacked. Muster drill was at 4pm but it seems my card didn’t register on their machines because a day later I got a letter telling me off about not attending! At sailaway we sailed pas t the brand new Saga ship Spirit of Discovery who was on her Maiden Voyage. I had a particular interest since I am booked on her in October. We are on Freedom dining so had dinner about 8pm on a table for six and then went to the show – Stage Door. 

Tuesday 23 July 2019

The cruise began with a sea day travelling up round Cornwall and then up the Irish Sea. I was finding the mattress uncomfortable so asked for a duvet to be put under the bottom sheet but it took two days for this to happen. After the Solos and Facebook get-togethers I went to the Battle of the Sexes at noon. In the afternoon I sat out on the aft deck and got quite sunburned. I had no idea it was as hot as it was and my nose peeled for the remainder of the cruise. My fault of course - I know that the sun is stronger at sea. It was in fact a perfect cruising afternoon – warm sun, light breeze, long wake and dozens of dolphins playing in it. It was our first formal night and the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party. Our party was in the Crows Nest where I met Captain Sarah Breton again, reminding her of our encounters on Artemis. There were very few people there though. We arrived for dinner about 8.45pm so had to settle for a table for two. 

Wednesday 24 July 2019

Another lazy day. The weather was wet and foggy. Went to the Travelling Alone coffee meet before attending a tender briefing for those of us with mobility problems, where I emphasised I WAS at the muster drill. I then wandered into the talk on Zultanite jewellery - one of my favourite stones since seeing it in Turkey shortly after its discovery. In the Atrium the ‘Oriana Fun of the Fair’ games had been set up so photographed my friend having a go. I dozed in the cabin in the afternoon as my hips and knees were suffering from all the extra walking I had been doing. Had earylish dinner on a good table for 8 after which we went to the Glen Miller Show and then the Syndicate Quiz.

Thursday 25 July 2019 – Torshavn

The weather was overcast but dry with hopes of the sun making an appearance. My friend went off on a tour but I decided that, as I did a tour last year when I was here, I’d explore the town itself this time. It’s very Scandinavian with tarred wooden houses with turf roofs. The reflections in the harbour were beautiful and with Oriana berthed at the end, gave some good photo opportunities. 

I went into a small café for a latte and warn cinnamon bun (these must be local specialities since I had them ashore throughout the cruise). 

I then continued up the main street to a souvenir shop where I bought some postcards and a small wooden bird. On the way back down I saw a shop was selling local Faroese yarn so bought some in natural colours and some at half price in a lime green. These colours will reflect the local walls of stone with lichens on them. By midday I had had enough – Torshavn is very hilly! – so caught the shuttle bus back to Oriana. 

I got back just as Caryll was off on her tour. I considered a shower as I was hot and sticky. It was humid out and I didn’t really need the heavy fleece I had put on. After a light lunch – the ‘Can I Help You’ guys in the Conservatory are really good, getting my food for me and carrying it to a table - I relaxed until sailaway at 4.30pm. All around were little groups of eider ducks in the water as well as several boats with rowers. Torshavn went the extra mile, laying on a fireboat to salute Oriana on her final visit to The Faroes. The heavy fog that rolled in was a nuisance but soon dissipated. 

Friday 26 July 2019

Another sea day of intermittent fog patches. I spent most of the day on the promenade deck whale watching and photographing gannets. The seas have been very calm – perfect for spotting wildlife.

Saturday 27 July 2019 – Leknes, Lofoten Is

An unbelievable day of hot sun, clear blue sky and a terrific private tour with Pukka Travels. We arrived at 8am and anchored in the most beautiful setting. I was on the tour with two Australian friends who had organised it. We had arranged to meet at 10am but as we were all ready earlier we met up at 9.30am and got the tender ashore – our only tender port on the cruise. 

It was flat calm and we were soon ashore just outside Leknes where I browsed the souvenir shop and took photos while we waited. You needed a shuttle to get into town but we were being picked up at the tender landing stage. The vehicle was a smart Mercedes minibus driven by Steve with three Austrian tourists already on board and we were soon heading for Haukland Beach. The beauty of a small group is you can adjust the itinerary as needed and the hot sun (26C) over a weekend was causing traffic chaos at popular sites. We abandoned the idea of getting out at Haukland Beach due to parking gridlock and just went to other similarly stunning beaches. 

We saw an eagle gliding high overhead there while we were stuck for a short time. We travelled south through small settlements and over bridges or through tunnels that link the many islands. One stop was beside some stockfish drying racks - yes, the smell was strong. 

Our last stop was atReine and after a visit to the town we had coffee and cakes and a short pause on the bridge for photos before the hour-long drive back to Leknes. I stayed ashore to take photos of Oriana as the light was much better than this morning, then boarded the tender back. The evening was so lovely we stayed out after we sailed and then came out again after dinner to photograph the near sunset at 11.30pm.

Sunday 28 July 2019

The nice thing about this cruise is a port day is followed by a sea day. After going to the church service, I spent much of this one on the promenade deck or aft on Deck 9 since there was a fair amount of whale activity. Two friends and I were chatting at one point when a pair of humpbacks blew quite close to the ship. It was a formal night so we ate about 7.30pm and went to the Syndicate Quiz later.

Monday 29 July 2019 – Honnigsvåg

We booked a cabin breakfast so we could be out on deck as we docked at 9am. As both of us have been to the North Cape before, we had booked a P&O tour to Magerøya Island and Skarsvåg. We left Honningsvåg via the shores of the Skipsfjord to Kamøyvær. Here we had time for photos and to visit the East of the Sun Gallery. I bought two prints as I loved the work of the artist. She spends the winter making up collages which are then printed and sold to visitors. On the way we spotted some reindeer on the mountains. Our next stop was Skarsvåg and the Christmas and Winter House. I had last been here in 1978 when we tendered ashore from Vistafjord to visit the North Cape. It didn’t appear to have changed much at all. After a quick look round the shop, before the toilet queue blocked the whole shop, I wandered outside. I suddenly heard a noise and turned round to see a huge reindeer herd coming down from the mountain and along a road. 

A vehicle stopped them in their tracks and they then milled around for a while, eating wild flowers and plants in the gardens. Since they belong to the Sami people and are protected, you are not allowed to chase them away! A group of passengers was gathering with me taking photos when one man started getting ever closer to them until one decided to do a half-hearted charge at him. One wandered off along the road while the rest slowly made their way back up the mountain. When he returned to find the rest of the herd had vanished his expression was quite comical. It had been a special moment. We then drove back to Honnigsvåg via a photostop on the high plateau looking out to the Horn, a cliff formation protruding from the North Cape, spoiled somewhat by fog.

The scenery was very different here – bleak tundra with low-growing plants and small lakes. Back in Honnigsvåg, we set off round the town, first to find a cafe where I had a coffee and the now ubiquitous cinnamon bun. Then we looked in a few shops and round the small harbour. That evening we had booked the Captain’s Lounge Sailaway, expecting to round the North Cape. In the event it seems we did that at 5am that morning and were not going out the same way which was disappointing. We met in Reception at 4.15pm and were escorted up to Deck 10 to the Captain’s Lounge where we were met with Prosecco and canapes and still had a good time with plentiful alcohol – champagne and cocktails – as we left the mainland of Norway behind and headed north towards Spitzbergen. Unfortunately the weather was drizzly but there was a beautiful double rainbow as we left. 

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Another quiet sea day. I saw a whale at breakfast but no more. We passed Bear Island mid-morning but it was not nice enough to tempt me outside, being misty and damp. We had our Peninsular Lunch and were on a table with Sam, the Port Presenter who was very entertaining. During the lunch, the Captain came over the tannoy and announced we had a very sick passenger on board. The plan was to medevac them as soon as possible, but we were in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The Norwegian Coastguard were coming from Tromsø, refuelling at Bear Island and then coming to us. We therefore had to stay in the vicinity until the operation was completed. 

Bear Island

I went to Ian Fraser’s talk. He had been Cruise Director on Oriana’s maiden voyage and was very amusing, bouncing anecdotes off Commodore Ian Gibb who was in the audience (Oriana’s first Master). Just as we were coming out of the talk, the tannoy requested Hands to Flying Stations and we heard the helicopter overhead. The whole stern of the ship was evacuated and we were not allowed back to our cabin until we were given the all clear. In the evening we went to the Headliners Killer Queen show before dinner. Unfortunately there was a technical issue requiring the show to be stopped for about 10 mins before resuming but I enjoyed the music.

Wednesday 31 July 2019 – Longyearbyen, Svalbard

The early morning cloud soon cleared to reveal blue skies again. It is funny how the sea days are cloudy and grey but every time we arrive in port the sun seems to come out. The last time I was here was 41 years ago and a lot had changed. To begin with, we had to tender then, now we were berthed, fairly close to an ex-P&O Normandy ferry (Tiger), now an Arctic cruise ship – Expedition. 

We caught the free shuttle bus into the new part of Longyearbyen. The “Old Town” with the church and souvenir shop that I remember from 1978 was across the river to the right, under the mountain. 

It looked pretty much unchanged but I didn’t feel the need to walk that far over to see it. My friends and I wandered into the tourist information centre to see if there were any tours available, but there was only one, leaving at 11am, so we decided to explore the town ourselves. The main industry here was coal mining and evidence of that was all around us, but the last mine closed a few years ago and now tourism and scientific research has taken over. We wandered up the main road and then back down a pedestrianised area. There was good free Wi-Fi in the Co-op store. 

Enterprising locals

I had brought my postcards with me so bought some stamps in the post office and posted them. The stamps were lovely – polar bears etc, and the service very good – all my cards arrived home before me, but they were not franked Svalbard as I had hoped. After a while, we went into a café/shop for a drink. The shop area was full of yarns and of course I couldn’t resist a browse, buying some lovely Norwegian wool in pale blue and teal to remind me of the glacier colours. It was on sale so even better. We bought a few souvenirs and gifts too before I then decided to head back to the shuttle bus and ship. Just outside the port gate, a couple of local girls were selling carboniferous fossils of ammonites and I couldn’t resist one for 10 euros. It stands on my shelving unit in my sitting room to remind me of this bleak but fascinating island. It was amazingly warm and I sunbathed on deck for an hour or so in the afternoon. Who would have expected that? Sailaway wasn’t until 6.30 so we had plenty of time here. That evening the group of us were booked into the Beach House  but there would also be a lot of scenic sailing, so I dressed for outdoors, took my big bag with hat, gloves and cameras and met everyone for the meal. It was the same menu as before so I chose a sizzler plate of turkey strips but there was so much food I left before dessert, being full up but  also because the scenery was getting spectacular. We sailed up Templefjord and to the Nordenskiold Glacier and past the abandoned Russian mining town of Pyramiden. That is it was supposed to be abandoned but there was a small feather of smoke from one chimney as we sailed past the first time en route to the glacier. The weather was perfect. Clear blue sky, glassy water, lots of birds – kittiwake and fulmar as well as puffins, little auks and cormorants. 

In front of the glaciers, the captain spun Oriana 360 degrees. The wind coming from over the ice was markedly colder and I popped into the cabin for a few more layers. It was truly hard to process the fact that it was close on midnight when it looked like 3pm on a sunny afternoon in summer back home. The sun never dipped close to the horizon. The glaciers sparkled white and turquoise. 

There was an occasional sound like thunder as pieces of the glacier dropped off into the fjords. The mountains glowed in burnt orange colours with patches of snow in sheltered hollows. On one beach, two reindeer grazed unconcerned by us or the potential lurking polar bear. We stayed out until gone 1pm before going to bed. This was one occasion an inside cabin was an advantage as it was dark.

Pyramiden

Thursday 1 August 2019

There was plenty of wildlife about today as we sailed southwards back to the Norwegian mainland. I think I saw three Orca at breakfast and there were many whales in this – the Greenland Sea – fin whales, minke and humpback as well as very acrobatic dolphins. Three puffins flew past the ship too, flapping their short wings like mad.  

Fin whale

Pair of fin whales

Five or more whales feeding

Humpback whale

Friday 2 August 2019

We have been so lucky with the weather on this cruise. The seas have been calm and the weather mostly dry if cold but then we are in the Arctic! 

Saturday 3 August 2019 – Tromsø

As we sailed up Kvaloy Sound to Tromsø, it was another lovely sunny day. We were on a tour to Sommarøy Island. We drove through the outskirts of Tromsø, and then through more fabulous scenery, crossing the Sandnessund Bridge to Kvaløy Island and Sommarøy, a place of white sand beaches and pretty harbours. 

At the island, we had coffee and a waffle with jam and cream or a strange brown goats’ cheese in a small hotel, before returning to Tromsø along the Kattfjord. 

On the way we stopped at a viewpoint - I was beginning to understand why the Norwegians find it hard to comprehend our love of their amazing scenery. With so much beauty around every bend, you behind to suffer scenic overload.  Wild flowers lined the roadsides in bright purples and white and we saw wild reindeer in gardens and on driveways. One was standing on a pavement being photographed by a lady who had stopped and got out of a car. 

They were looking at each other with quizzical expressions! Two others were being shooed down a driveway. When we returned, my friend shot off ashore to look around Tromsø while I went into the tent set up at the cruise terminal where there was a Sami woman manning a stall of hand-made items. I bought an unusual reindeer-antler necklace and a carved wooden butter spreader. She wore a huge Norwegian Solje silver brooch which I asked her about and she said she won it about 40 years ago for reindeer herding! 

Back on board I had lunch and sat out on deck in the warm sunshine again. I suddenly heard a ship’s siren and saw the Hurtigruten vessel Midnat Sol arriving at her berth the other side of the bridge. Today was the last ever Great British Sailaway for Oriana, so, although I am not keen on them, we stayed out on the aft decks and drank our complimentary champagne as we slowly left Tromsø and sailed down the fjord to the open sea. There were all the usual songs of course – Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem etc, but the best moment was when Cruise Director Hughie Taylor was pushed fully-clothed into the pool. The other funny point was when Hughie asked if we remembered the days of throwing streamers over the side at the Southampton sailaways, and asked us to pretend we all had them again and throw them on the count of three… 

I wandered over to the ship’s side to watch the pilot disembark as one of the Emergency helicopters passed overhead after delivering a patient to the hospital. I assume that, given the terrain, they are more in use than road vehicles. In one of the common but odd co-incidences you find on board ship, I found I had a common friend with the random and perfect strangers we had dinner with.

 

Sunday 4 August 2019

Another relaxing day as we hugged the coast south to Alesund. I went to Ken Vard’s morning talk on Liners in Art and at the end, got him to sign the copy of his book I had managed to claim from the library in their give-away to clear the books before the end of the cruise. As we were talking I spotted a cruise ship sailing past up in the distance. I managed to shoot out and photograph it – Mein Schiff 3 heading up towards Norway. 

Monday 5 August 2019 – Alesund

As both of us had been in Alesund more than once before, we were on an all-day tour along the Trollstigheimen Scenic Drive, a place I last visited in 1978 and was interested to see the changes if any. The weather again was dry with some low clouds. We set off along the shores of the fjords, through pretty settlements of white timber houses, often with turf roofs, set amidst fields of strawberries. Some of the churches were an unusual octagonal shape with central steeples. 

Our first stop was at Gudbrandsjuvet – a gushing waterfall through a narrow gorge. A little further on, we passed a group of old Norwegian timber cabins with turf roofs – part of an open-air museum. 

The road then gradually climbed ever higher, and the scenery changed from lush grasslands to tundra-like rocks and mosses with small pools and lakes of turquoise water (the glacial sediments provide the astonishing colours). Huge mountains rose up in front of us, casting deep shadows in the bright sun. 

At the top we arrived at Trollstigheimen – and to a thick fog!  The fabulous views were zero! Despite this the guides clearly still wanted a 40 minute stop so they could have their coffees. I meanwhile browsed the gift shop – a few times – but seeing nothing I wanted, just waited for the driver to return to open the coach. It was disappointing, but that is Norwegian weather. 

The drive back down the Trollstigen Road, via 11 hairpin bends was more rewarding as we soon emerged from under the cloud layer and could see the spectacular views we had missed from the top. We had a couple of stops on the way down and at the bottom to take photos and appreciate the incredible engineering effort it took to cut this road in the 1930s. 

The Stigfoss Falls drop nearly 800ft down the rockface, the road crossing in front of them on stone bridges, giving incredible views. The water is glacier melt and the falls are frozen for three months of every year, during which time the road is closed. Incidentally - maybe not a tour if you aren't keen on heights! The next stop was a campsite with gift shop and café, where we had a buffet lunch. Naturally, salmon featured heavily on the menu and was delicious. However, I had hoped for some of the local strawberries. Since they were not to be, on wandering around after lunch taking photos, I found punnets of local raspberries on sale in the icecream hut so treated myself to those instead. Our final stop was at the famous Trolls’ Wall. 

This is part of Trolltindene mountain range in the Romsdalen valley and, at 3,600ft high, is the tallest vertical rock in Europe. It is very popular with climbers and base jumpers. By the time we arrived mid-afternoon, the sun was perfect, illuminating the daunting rockface. It was then a longish drive back to Alesund, with a short tour of the city before delivering us back at the berth. Once again, it was warm in the sunshine so we stood out on the aft deck as we sailed away from this, our last Norwegian port.

Tuesday 6 August 2019

It was a mixed day, weather-wise as we sailed through the Scottish islands and the Minches.  There were occasional fog patches but the day culminated in a lovely sunset – yes we had left behind the midnight sun. 

On board, we were disappointed in the lack of special farewell events or merchandise. Today there was supposedly a Farewell Market, but it was just a sale of left-over logo items no-one had wanted before. The biggest event was the Oriana Auction in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. I would have loved the lot containing a tender pennant and Oriana sign from a check-in desk, but with people willing to pay silly money - £600 in this instance, it was pointless. Clocks go back one hour tonight so we will be back on GMT +1.

Wednesday 7 August 2019 – Belfast

Oriana berthed at Stormont Wharf with views of the Harland & Wolff Samson & Delilah cranes and the Titanic Museum. Four of us had booked a Black Cab Taxi Tour for the day. As instructed, we disembarked as soon as the ship docked – 7am! Charlie was waiting on the dockside for us and we soon established what we wanted to see – or at least what we didn’t want to see. We agreed to head up to the Giant’s Causeway, via Ballycastle, Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge and The Dark Hedges before heading back into the city for a quick ride around the political murals and the wall. Charlie also took us to Balintoy – another Game of Thrones location that was a beautiful little harbour and offshore islands. Despite occasional heavy showers, we had a great day and the sun shone when it mattered. Our first stop was at the harbour at Ballycastle. Of course, we were so early everywhere was shut. Then it was to the bridge where the sun came out again so our views were so much better than last time we were here in 2014. 

Carrick a Rede rope bridge

Balintoy Church

Balintoy

Next to Balintoy Church and harbour – a beautiful little place. No wonder the Game of Thrones location scouts had used it for the Iron Islands. We wandered here for a while enjoying the sunshine and views. The Giant’s Causeway was our next stop but unfortunately the rains came down again. This meant we were not so long there as Charlie had allowed and we had to turf him out of the pub where he was having a coffee. Sorry! 

A short drive brought us to The Dark Hedges. I have only seen the first series of Game of Thrones so didn’t know this as the King’s Highway, but had seen photos and thought it a lovely place to visit anyway. The trees were planted as a feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to the Georgian mansion, Gracehill House. Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland. Because the high volumes of traffic were causing damage to the ancient beech trees, you are only allowed along the avenue on foot now. Charlie dropped off at the house end, and we set off. It was eerily quiet as the tunnel of branches enclosed us and even with the many other visitors there was still a hush, broken only by birdsong from the nearby cornfields, visible where some of the trees have been lost in gales. A magical place indeed. 

After this we started the long drive back to the city. We asked Charlie to take us to a cafe and his choice of Belfast Castle was inspired. There was a great little restaurant/café in the cellars, where we opted for home-made scones with jam and cream. From the grounds we had views over the river and could even see Oriana. When we arrived back in the city centre it was raining again – making the depressing sights of the political murals, memorials and the dividing (and divisive) wall even more of a downer. However, it had been a good day. After a change and a rest, we took a deep breath and went to Deck 9 aft for the final ever port sailaway for the ship. – the Grand Farewell Party – as it was termed in Horizon. Originally it was planned for the Pacific Lounge but the weather was clearing and they acknowledged not everyone would be able to get into the lounge, who wanted to attend. As well as the usual sailaway songs there were crew performances, a passenger sang a song written about Oriana and the opera singer, Gordana Kostic performed. It was emotional and a good send off, but it left the last sea day feeling very odd and flat! 

Thursday 8 August 2019

Our final full day on board - ever - and it felt as if we waiting for something special to happen, which never did. I went to the Solo’s coffee morning – to sign someone's book, and then spent the morning packing before going to Battle of the Sexes – the women won of course. In the afternoon I went to the interview of Commodore Ian Gibb by Hughie Taylor, which was very entertaining. At the end Captain Sarah Breton returned the sword to him (presented to him by the Queen on the naming of Oriana in 1995 and displayed on board ever since) and got him to sign the official visitors’ book so the last page bore the signatures of the first and last captains. Unusually it was a formal night tonight and people were lingering in the dining room to see the Parade of Chefs so we were late eating. Everyone was given a glass of Champagne to toast Oriana. After dinner we went to see Claire Sweeney and then went back to the cabin to do the final packing and get the cases out. Despite there being no rush to disembark tomorrow, we still had to get up early to see the fire tug we hoped would welcome us home.

Friday 9 August 2019

Disembarkation day and I had set the alarm for 6.30am so we were up and ready to go on deck as we reached Fawley. Our timing was perfect. There were only one or two people about and we managed a front row position on Deck 12 as the fire tug came out and turned on the jets. 

Now it hit me that this really was good bye to a lovely ship. She had taken me to some of my favourite locations in the world – west to the Caribbean, east to the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean, and north to Greenland, Spitzbergen and the Arctic. I had seen snow on her decks, icicles form on her superstructure and hot sun burnish the teak decking. She had taken me on pilgrimages to the Holy Land and down memory lane to places my parents had visited before I was born such as Cyprus and Egypt. Cruises had varied between 3 and 24 nights and I had grown to love her traditional features and style. Sadly it seems her like will not be built again, at least by P&O/Carnival. Farewell Oriana. I wish you calm seas and hope your new life brings pleasure to as many people as your old one has done.