After travelling on Cunard & celebrity cruises very successfully on several occasions we decided to try P&O as we had heard that prices were reasonable in the bar etc. We subsequently travelled on The Oriana to the canaries in January 2015. What a let down !! We had no hot water in our cabin on five different days & had to shower in the spa. Although some public areas have been updated the ship is very tired & in need of a refit - public loos / seats and handles mmm.... We were late into port on two occasions that included getting into Southampton. Apparently this was due to engine problems, but I think we had already diagnosed this ourselves as there was terrible vibration in our aft cabin which nearly shook us out of bed! It was so bad that we were unable to sleep and had to move our pillows to the foot of the bed away from the wall. Communication from the officers was really poor & we were not fully updated as to the problem although it was obvious from the way we limped slowly into port.

It is such a shame as many of the people we spoke to were longstanding P & O cruisers who are loyal to the company and are fond of the old ships. However, all commented on the obvious cutbacks especially with the food and I think many of them will be looking at other companies in the future.

The one thing P & O have got right is the staff who were unfailingly polite and helpful. The waiters and our steward were superb and nothing was to much trouble. Also, having a great choice of current movies available daily was welcome in the variable weather conditions. Read more