Oriana is the first cruise ship commissioned for P&O Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft, the vessel entered service in April 1995 as the first cruise ship designed for the British cruise market.
Oriana was constructed at Meyer Werft’s shipyard located in Papenburg, Germany. It was launched in June 1994. The cruise ship commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton on 9 April 1995.
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Oriana underwent a £12m refit in December 2006. The ship was upgraded with the new Oriana Rhodes restaurant. The Lord’s Tavern bar was expanded. The staterooms were restyled with new colour schemes and interiors. Oriana was also re-registered from Britain to Bermuda in the same year to host weddings at sea.
The 69,000grt cruise ship has an overall length of 261m, beam of 32.2m and a draft of 8.2m. Oriana can complement a crew of 800. The maximum passenger capacity of the ship is 1,928.
Oriana cruise ship refurbishment
Oriana entered the dry-dock for a multimillion pound makeover in November 2011. The one month-long refurbishment transformed the ship into an ‘adult-only’ vessel. Oriana was given an additional 27 new cabins on deck eight aft and the Ocean Grill restaurant.
The refit also resulted in a second restaurant, Sorrento, with an outdoor dining area. The aft deck and its bar saw design changes and décor in the public areas and Oasis Spa was revamped.
The Mediterranean-style café, Al Fresco, has been reinvigorated with new looks. The completely refurbished Pacific Lounge received new seating and carpeting, as well as new hand rails to the seating rows.
The new lighting and multimedia equipment have been installed in the Theatre Royal. The Low Carbon Leather supplied by Andrew Muirhead & Son and the Bridge of Weir Leather Company was used in the makeover of leather interiors.
P&O Cruises’ Oriana facilities
The refurbished cruise ship offers 909 passenger cabins located over ten decks. The room categories available include: inside cabin, outside cabin, deluxe balcony cabin, suite and mini-suite.
All rooms are provided with a TV, radio and telephone, hair-dryer, refrigerator, a safe, tea / coffee makers, air conditioning, writing desk and chair, wardrobe and drawer space.
The Peninsular and Oriental are the two main dining venues located on the E deck. Each dining venue offers seating for more than 500 guests. Ocean Grill serves modern British cuisine with a wide range of menu options. The Sorrento is an Italian restaurant offering pizza, pasta and seafood. The Lido Deck has the Al Fresco Pizzeria, Terrace Grill and The Conservatory restaurants.
The D deck features Chaplin’s Cinema and the Terrace Pool. The Pacific Lounge hosts cabaret acts and is also used as a lecture room. Entertainment venues, such as the Theatre Royal, Harlequin’s bar and nightclub, Knightsbridge, Monte Carlo Club casino and Anderson’s bar, are located on the Promenade Deck.
The Sun Deck provides plenty of space to accommodate pools, sports court and golf nets. The Oasis Spa and salon offers new thermal lounges and a dedicated aerobics floor. Other facilities include a steam room and treatment rooms.
Propulsion of P&O’s improved cruise ship
Oriana is powered by four MAN B&W L58/64 diesel engines driving two controllable pitch propellers through two Renk-Tacke gearboxes. The gear boxes are coupled to engines via Vulkan-Rato couplings. The engines deliver a combined power of 37,750kW.
The propulsion system also integrates three bow thrusters, one stern thruster and two rudders.
The cruise ship is installed with stabilisers to reduce the rolling motion by 90% at a speed of 19kt. The shipboard power is provided by four MAN B&W 6L40/54 auxiliary diesel generator sets. The propulsion system provides a service speed of 24kt.
