We booked this cruise last minute to give us a few days away and chose this option as it offered good value for money and no flying was involved and took a Guaranteed cabin fare. Having starting out cruising with P&O over 10 years ago we moved on to other companies such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity as they offer a wider range of activities and dining options rather than the more limited ones offered by P&O. We had sailed on Oriana before and felt it a little dated compared to newer and bigger ships, but in this instance we were prepared to compromise and did not raise our expectations.

Embarkation was quick as we had apparently missed the queues of earlier on.We were pleasantly surprised with the general condition of the ship especially considering its age- while a number of the public areas were in need of a refurb there were pleasant surprises as well, with the addition of a renewed gym and spa area which provided a great place to relax.

Our cabin was clean and tidy and offered all you would need for a few days, towels were changed at least once daily and the bed linen was spotless. Staff were friendly and welcoming - the food in both the buffet restaurant and the Pennisular restaurant was tasty and the plates were always hot- salads were rather limited though. Read more