Oriana gets a makeover

Oriana is the latest P&O Cruises vessel to receive the new livery including a contemporary Union Jack-inspired hull design and an iconic blue funnel with the illuminated rising sun emblem.

Last month saw the unveiling of Aurora as the first in-service cruise ship sporting this new look. Previously Britannia had been the only cruise ship photographed with the new livery during her sea trials.

These photos from P&O Cruises show Oriana receiving her new blue funnel.

(Photo credit to P&O Cruises)

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Winter Cruises from Broadway Travel from £299pp

Set sail with Broadway Travel this winter. They are offering a Belgium Christmas Market cruise from £299pp and a 12 night Atlantic Coast Cruise from £539pp.

£299pp - Five-Star Queen Victoria Belgium Christmas Market Cruise with Balcony Cabin

Bruges, Belgium: Spend three nights, full board, exploring Belgium this Christmas.

The Queen Victoria offers a range of dining options to suit every guest and also offers two swimming pools, a spa and four whirlpools. Guests can explore the cities of Bruges and Ghent – perhaps the best preserved medieval cities of Northern Europe with their cobbled streets, medieval edifices, glassy canals and of course their magical Christmas markets.

Ship departs and returns from Southampton from 16 December 2014.

Prices based on two sharing.

P&O Oriana, Iberian Cruise

£539pp - Four-Star 12 Night Atlantic Coast Cruise 

Spain & Portugal:  Beat the post-Christmas blues with a 12 day full-board winter cruise. Relax on board the P&O Oriana around one of the pools or the ships own spa. The ship will set sail to destinations across the Atlantic including Casablanca, Malaga, Cadiz and Lisbon (above).

Ship departs and returns from Southampton on  11 January 2015.

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Adventure Cruising blog

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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The Joys Of 'Sampler' Cruises

Our Managing Director has just returned from his very first cruise (he IS new to the business, after all) and is raving about the experience - as we expected!

His voyage was a 4-day short-break cruise with P&O Cruises to Gent (and Bruges), and helped to showcase the many attractions of cruising as well as the great value of this 'sampler' type cruise, when people can invest in just a few days to see if it really is for them.

Sailing from Southampton, P&O are a perfect option for this type of voyaging as they can pack a lot into the relatively short time involved and really showcase their highlights, notably with the many entertainment options.

And, with that in mind, here are a couple of similar short-break cruises you can still try with P&O in the coming months...

Singer Katherine Jenkins is performing on the Oriana's four-night November 27 sailing, departing from Southampton and calling at Bruges (from Zeebrugge) and overnight in Amsterdam. Prices start from just £349 per person for a Getaway Fare, to include a free upgrade to an outside cabin, full-board meals, daily afternoon tea and entertainment.

Exclusively for adults, Oriana’s facilities include three pools, the Oasis Spa, gym, theatre, cinema, sports court and traditional deck games, plus numerous restaurants and bars, including the Ocean Grill by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White.

To see more about this cruise, follow this link: http://www.pocruises.com/X326

Alternatively, there is a two-night short cruise break to Bruges (from Zeebrugge) on Oriana departing April 18, starting from just £229 per person. The price includes an inside cabin, full-board meals, daily afternoon tea and entertainment.

Link: http://www.pocruises.com/X408.

Have you subscribed to World of Cruising magazine yet? We have a fabulous offer for all new subscribers this year - 50 per cent OFF the regular rate AND the chance to win a cruise in our free prize draw offer. See this link!
 

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Welcome, Cruise Miss!

Time Spent At Sea is delighted to welcome a new blogger to our cruise fold, Danielle Fear - otherwise known as Cruise Miss from her own blog and Twitter accounts - who will be providing periodic thoughts and reviews from her own travels.

Danielle, a keen twenty-something cruiser from England, became a convert to cruising in 2007 when she took her first voyage with P&O Cruises on their venerable Oriana. From there she has both worked in and written about the cruise business and has become a noted authority on the subject, especially when it comes to cruising for younger people. She says: "My first cruise was the complete opposite to everything I had imagined a cruise to be. It was lively, fun, full of energy, the average age was definitely not 80 and I didn’t have to wear a dress every evening as I had expected. 

"Those 12 days on board really were amazing and it is fair to say I definitely caught what is often referred to as 'the cruising bug' (and, no, I don’t mean norovirus!)."

Danielle is frequently quoted in the media, including the likes of Travel Mole and Cruise Industry News, about various cruise issues and will be undertaking her next voyage with MSC Cruises this week when she will report back on the experience of sailing with the world's third-biggest line (at least until Norwegian Cruise Line launch their new Norwegian Breakaway at the end of the month) in due course.

You can also look up more of her cruise thoughts at www.cruisemiss.com and you can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cruisemiss.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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P&O's New Fly-Cruises For 2014/15

P&O Cruises has launched a new programme of holidays for 2014/15, including new fly-cruise holidays in the Mediterranean for the first time.

The new broader programme of great value holidays on offer for 2014 is available to book from April 8. Highlights include:

• Some 269 cruises, visiting 218 places (including 17 new destinations) in 77 countries, with itineraries to Norway and Iceland, the Baltic, Iberia, Canary Islands, Mediterranean and Caribbean, plus three world cruises.
• The first P&O fly-cruise summer holidays in the Mediterranean.
• More short cruise breaks than ever before - 35 in total.
• Unique itinerary cruises, including ‘discovery ship’ Adonia’s river cruising into the heart of Seville and Bordeaux, a visit to Kiel during the Kiel Week Festival and a cruise around Britain, plus Arcadia’s cruise to the USA and Canada.
• Expanded Northern Lights cruises on Oriana in 2015, and a sailing to the Arctic Circle.
• More cabins for solo travellers, including the first single balcony cabins on newly refitted Arcadia.

There will also be more themed cruises, following on from the success of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing series, and cruises with celebrity chefs and wine experts, plus 2014 celebrates the 30^th anniversary of P&O's Music Festivals at Sea.
 

The onboard dining choices have also been broadened, with the Freedom Dining option available across six ships. There are Vantage Fares with enhanced appeal, backed by a strengthened Price Promise offered on all cruises, plus early-booking savings on all cruises.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's leading cruise agent specialists.

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Oriana Returns After Major Refit

P&O Cruises welcomed Oriana back into Southampton recently after a month-long dry-dock refurbishment which transformed the ship so it is exclusively for adults. The refit saw the addition of 27 new cabins and the introduction of an Ocean Grill restaurant by Marco Pierre White, now proving very popular on P&O's Adonia.

The multi-million pound overhaul to the ship named by HM The Queen in 1995, also includes the addition of Sorrento, the new Italian restaurant concept also launched on Adonia, but this time with an outdoor dining area; a newly designed aft deck with bar; refreshed decoration in the public areas and Oasis Spa, which also now features thermal loungers and a dedicated aerobics floor; and a new look to the Al Fresco Mediterranean cafe. Oriana departed on her latest 97-night world cruise yesterday (January 5).

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's leading cruise agent specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Southampton's £10million World Cruise Windfall

P&O Cruises will boost the local Southampton economy by some £10million in January as around 6,000 people depart on four world cruises from the South Coast port for the first time.
 
Collectively, the four cruises will visit 148 ports of call and highlights include overnight stays in Buenos Aires, New Orleans, Sydney and Cape Town, as well as scenic cruising in the Amazon, Cape Horn, Beagle Channel and the Amalia Glacier in Patagonia.
 
All four ships will be flying the 175th Anniversary flag as P&O kicks off a full year of celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the formation of the famous Peninsular Steam Navigation Company.
 
World cruises offer unrivalled value for money with prices for the 2012 itineraries starting at £82 per person per night, including all meals, entertainment and accommodation on board. They are also increasingly seen as the ideal way to travel the world in comfort and style.

The record quartet of 2012 world cruises are:

·        Aurora (pictured, above), 98-night westabout full world circumnavigation, departing January 4
·        Oriana, 97-night eastabout full world circumnavigation, departing January 5
·        Arcadia, 109-night Grand Odyssey, departing January 9

·        Adonia, 87-night South America Grand Adventure, departing January 13
 
A number of cabins are also still available on the full Aurora world cruise, with prices from £8,799 for the 98-night voyage.  A range of shorter sectors of the world cruises are also available and priced from £1,349 for a 17-night voyage from Southampton to Dubai on board Oriana.

For booking details, be sure to check with the UK's leading cruise agent specialist of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.