We arrived this morning and are due to sail at 5.00pm this afternoon on our next cruise which is a 25 night Mediterranean cruise, more about that tomorrow.
Whichever port the passengers are finally leaving and joining is a turnaround port for us, for most of the year it’s Southampton, for our P&O Cruises six ships, but during the winter months of this year into next, three of our ships are deployed to Caribbean cruises and turnaround mainly in Barbados; our passengers fly out from the UK to join the ships there.
I will give you a few facts and figures about today’s turnaround: we have 1746 passengers disembarking and 1749 joining, with 6 passengers staying on from last cruise. The passengers leaving will have their approximately 3800 cases taken ashore for them and placed in the Mayflower Cruise Terminal and the passengers joining will arrive with approximately 4200 cases which will then be taken from them and delivered to their cabins! You are probably wondering why the discrepancy in the number of cases being taken off and the number coming on, this is due to this next cruise being longer than last, so passengers bring more baggage with them!
Here is the list of stores coming on:
22 tonnes dairy Products
59 tonnes dry Products
66 tonnes frozen products
68 tonnes bonded products
78 tonnes Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
293 Total Tonnage, just like the weeks shopping in Waitrose!
We will also take onboard 12 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables in Piraeus, Greece, on 3rd November.
Also we will be loading 1350 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil; I hate to think what that would cost at your local petrol pump!
We also have 148 ships company disembarking to go on leave and 155 joining and have 36 entertainment staff leaving and 41 joining!
Turnaround days are logistical wonders - everyone onboard and from our head office in Southampton act as one big team make it happen.
The day started bright and early for Captain Julian Burgess and the Deck Department: we embarked our Southampton Pilot off the Nab Tower (off the Isle of Wight), first thing, and his job is to assist the Captain in our transit of Southampton Water until we are secure alongside our berth. The Pilot is there to assist; the Captain is in command of Oriana at all times.
Personally, I always have a very busy day on turnarounds and today is no exception - at 8.00am I have a meeting with the Entertainment Product Manager of P&O Cruises Morgan Van Selman, at 9.00am I have a meeting with the Entertainment Services Manager of Carnival UK Anthony Radford and at noon another meeting with Anthony Radford. Meetings in Southampton with shore side based managers is usual, it is a chance for them to see us and us them! We will start embarking our passengers early afternoon and I do like to start getting around the ship as soon as they come onboard to say hello to previous passengers I know and ones I have not yet met. At 3.45pm we are on standby for the Passenger General Emergency Drill (which is a requirement of law), which all passengers must attend. It takes place at 4.00pm. We are due to sail at 5.00pm and as soon as the Passenger GES Drill is over our play off band (today it’s The Royal Corps of Signals of Blandford Garrison), will strike up and play until we have cast our lines and have moved off the berth. Sailing from Southampton is always an occasion and our passengers will line the decks and even maybe enjoy glass of Champagne! Myself and my team will all be out for sailing meeting and greeting passengers, old and new!
A Southampton Pilot will once again assist the Captain in our transit of Southampton Water and disembark off the Nab Tower early evening.
Once we have sailed, I and my entire team will get around all the public rooms in the evening, meeting and greeting, and needless to say a full entertainment schedule is in place for our passengers.
I will hope to get to my cabin no later than 12.15am, and I can assure you once my head hits that pillow I will be out like a light!!
See you tomorrow with details of this ‘Magnificent Adventure’ we are about to embark on.
Nigel
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