MV Oriana 2005 World Cruise Review

With Reuben Goossens

Cruise’n’Travel Journalist / Cruise Reviewer & Maritime Historian

P&O Cruises

(A Carnival PLC Company)

MV Oriana

All photographs on this review are © Copyright & taken by Reuben Goossens & Mr. Hun-Eng Tan

Please Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site. The author has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the future.

Harlequins

Band stand and dance floor – looking aft to port

Harlequins is located amidships on deck 5 (Promenade Deck). This is the ships only dance venue. Outside at her entrance there is a double harlequin statue, her external walls are in a white marble like covering. The double doors are of glass with high gloss steel frames, as are the windows along the Promenade passage.

Inside the room is warm and cheerful. Colourful lights with dozens of spots make the dance floor feel like you are in the movie Saturday Night Fever. As the ship carries two bands, on our voyages these were the magnificent Powerhouse and The John James trio, who were replaced in Hong Kong by the brilliant Jeff Wraight Trio.

For non English passengers, the type of dancing was, well strange, as everyone basically danced as led by two dancing instructors. They would call the dance style then everyone would stand around the edge of the dance floor and danced in unison. Boring and very English! There was no freestyle dancing, except at the Disco, which commences at midnight and on two occasions during our 42 day cruise, when Powerhouse was permitted to let loose and play some great 60 to 80s ballads and rock. Sadly the bands were restricted to play whatever they were told to play do by the cruise director and dance instructors. International passengers just love to get on the floor and dance as they feel. Don’t expect this on a P&O (UK) cruise, it just does not happen, except on the odd occasion. There are no other dance venues on board. Yet, there is a bandstand and dance floor in Crow’s Nest, but the dance floor was not used. Again as stated on the cruise review, Oriana is a English ship for the English, this means all other nationalities are rather left out. Which is a crime, for on a world cruise, Oriana should be run as an international voyage catering to all nationalities.

The port side Promenade passage and the Harlequins Entrance - looking aft

During the day it is a bright and colourful room – looking starboard to aft

At night, Harlequins becomes an intimate yet elegant dance venue – looking aft

Harlequin statuettes along the starboard wall - looking aft

The port side Promenade passage – looking aft

View the Deck Plan

Return to Page One of the Oriana Review

All photographs in this review are © Copyright & taken by Reuben Goossens & Mr. Hun-Eng Tan

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