Hello and welcome to my first blog. Firstly, I would like to introduce myself – my name is Carol Marlow and I am the (new) Managing Director of P&O Cruises. As James and Nigel are both on leave I will be standing in on the James Cusick Blog until James returns on 18 December.
I have been very fortunate to have worked for a number of cruise lines over the years, including an earlier period with P&O Cruises when I was involved with the launch of Aurora. One aspect of working for this company that has always impressed me is our very loyal customer base. It is an honour to have such a strong following, but it is also something that we don’t take lightly and a relationship that we would like to build upon and strengthen.
In the last few months I have visited all the ships in the P&O Cruises fleet, with the exception of Aurora, which I hope to be joining in the next couple of weeks. As well as familiarising myself with the ships, I have had the opportunity of meeting with our crews and passengers and it has been wonderful seeing some of our regulars and chatting about what is important to them. This sort of interaction is essential so we can understand how to move forward and continue to exceed our passengers’ expectations. And this blog is great portal with which I can keep the lines of communications open with our passengers.
With kind regards,
Carol
Showing newest 13 of 25 posts from November 2009. Show older posts
Showing newest 13 of 25 posts from November 2009. Show older posts
Bay of Biscay - Northbound. The Final Blog.
25th November 2009.
Good day to all my readers!
My final blog before going on leave tomorrow in Southampton. First of all I would like to say a huge thank you for all the messages I have been receiving. This cruise has been very interesting as a great many of our passengers on board had been reading the blog at home (or at their work place!) before joining the cruise, so they have been able to tell me in person how much they have been enjoying it!!! So this is blog forty three and I hope you'll be pleased to hear I will be back again one day doing the blog for P&O Cruises! I set out to give you an insider’s view on the wonderful world of P&O Cruises shipboard entertainment, facts, ports of call etc, etc and I do hope that I have achieved that for you all.
I thought today you might like to hear about what my plans are for my leave and when I actually return to sea.
I am contracted to work 219 days a year but that can be divided up in to work and leave segments just about any way possible, although I should not work over four months at a time. When at sea we work every day, and are on call 24 hours a day so our leave is vital to enable us to re-charge our batteries! I always love to go home, I still get great satisfaction from my job but the real world for me exists at home with my wife Mandy and our son Bradley.
My leave this time only lasts for 20 days before a very busy demanding schedule! I join Arcadia on 18th December for their 23 night Southampton to Southampton Caribbean Christmas Cruise. That is followed by the first leg of the Arcadia World Cruise 2010, Southampton to San Francisco - that lasts 22 nights. I then fly home for three days to Cheshire on leave before flying out to Hong Kong to join Aurora for the last four legs of their Grand Voyage 2010. I will be on board Aurora for 71 days before going on leave again on 19th April 2010!!! I think I may just have a touch of jet lag at home for the three days leave and by the time I get out to Hong Kong I imagine I will be a little jaded!!
I do have a hectic leave planned, Mandy is picking me up in Southampton and we are driving to Bristol to see my mother. We will let my mum have not only her Christmas cards and presents but also her birthday gifts as she is 88 years old on 22nd December and we will not have another chance to see her during my leave. Mother will also give us our Christmas Cards and presents which usually include a bottle of Champagne and Italian Chianti - we have trained her well over the years!!! She is also constantly on the hunt for classic album operatic recordings, for not only our son Bradley but his fiancée Jenni as well, they are both in training to be operatic soloists. I am sure we will be taking some albums home in the car!
After we have spent a few hours with my mother, we are driving up to Broadway in the Cotswolds to stay overnight. Then it’s back up to Cheshire and home.
After a few days of relaxing back at home, Mandy and I are going to Salzburg, Austria on holiday for a few days. It is somewhere we have always wanted to visit and it should be super in early December with their Christmas Markets to browse around and apple strudels to devour!
The night after we get back from Salzburg, Bradley is playing Agamemnnon in the opera La Belle Helene. I am really looking forward to seeing him perform once again. He loves his operatic studies and performing, and both Mandy and I realise how fortunate we are that Bradley is doing something he enjoys so very much. Being an opera student is however very hard work; their holidays are far shorter than university recesses and during term breaks he is performing and singing here, there and everywhere in various music festivals!
Also on leave we will be seeing friends and family, and having Christmas Lunch on 14th December! I know I am hardly unique in that I will be away from home at Christmas, its part of the job - some years I am at home, some years I am away. If I am going away just before Christmas we have Christmas lunch before I go. I know for a fact that this is something that probably hundreds of thousands of families have to do worldwide, not just people who work on cruise ships. Think of all the millions of people who work away from home in the world’s armed forces, merchant fleets, and in the service industries. It is not only people who work away from home who have their Christmas lunches at strange times! Think of those at home as well, policemen, doctors, nurses, fire-fighters and a whole range of other essential service personnel who have to work on Christmas Day!
By the way we really will do the whole Christmas Day routine on the 14th December, turkey, presents, the lot! Wonderful!
A photograph with a difference today, me on leave out for a walk!! When my friend and colleague Deputy Cruise Director Karen Campbell saw this shot she said I looked like something out of the TV programme ‘Last of the Summer Wine’! The Youth Director Carol Ann Montgomery said, ‘You’re now responsible for all the endless nightmares I’m going to have about the strangely dressed being from ‘Father Ted’!!! As you can see I work alongside such lovely girls...........
The shot was taken in the National Trust Property Lyme Park on the Cheshire Derbyshire border, near where we live. Lyme was Pemberley in the BBC Adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In the photograph I am standing in front of ‘The Cage’; it was built in 1580 and rebuilt in 1737. It has been a hunting lodge, a park keeper’s cottage, and a lock up for prisoners. It is a Grade 2 listed building. Looking west from ‘The Cage’ on a clear day you can see the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales and looking east you can see Kinder Scout in the Peak District National Park.
Good day to all my readers!
My final blog before going on leave tomorrow in Southampton. First of all I would like to say a huge thank you for all the messages I have been receiving. This cruise has been very interesting as a great many of our passengers on board had been reading the blog at home (or at their work place!) before joining the cruise, so they have been able to tell me in person how much they have been enjoying it!!! So this is blog forty three and I hope you'll be pleased to hear I will be back again one day doing the blog for P&O Cruises! I set out to give you an insider’s view on the wonderful world of P&O Cruises shipboard entertainment, facts, ports of call etc, etc and I do hope that I have achieved that for you all.
I thought today you might like to hear about what my plans are for my leave and when I actually return to sea.
I am contracted to work 219 days a year but that can be divided up in to work and leave segments just about any way possible, although I should not work over four months at a time. When at sea we work every day, and are on call 24 hours a day so our leave is vital to enable us to re-charge our batteries! I always love to go home, I still get great satisfaction from my job but the real world for me exists at home with my wife Mandy and our son Bradley.
My leave this time only lasts for 20 days before a very busy demanding schedule! I join Arcadia on 18th December for their 23 night Southampton to Southampton Caribbean Christmas Cruise. That is followed by the first leg of the Arcadia World Cruise 2010, Southampton to San Francisco - that lasts 22 nights. I then fly home for three days to Cheshire on leave before flying out to Hong Kong to join Aurora for the last four legs of their Grand Voyage 2010. I will be on board Aurora for 71 days before going on leave again on 19th April 2010!!! I think I may just have a touch of jet lag at home for the three days leave and by the time I get out to Hong Kong I imagine I will be a little jaded!!
I do have a hectic leave planned, Mandy is picking me up in Southampton and we are driving to Bristol to see my mother. We will let my mum have not only her Christmas cards and presents but also her birthday gifts as she is 88 years old on 22nd December and we will not have another chance to see her during my leave. Mother will also give us our Christmas Cards and presents which usually include a bottle of Champagne and Italian Chianti - we have trained her well over the years!!! She is also constantly on the hunt for classic album operatic recordings, for not only our son Bradley but his fiancée Jenni as well, they are both in training to be operatic soloists. I am sure we will be taking some albums home in the car!
After we have spent a few hours with my mother, we are driving up to Broadway in the Cotswolds to stay overnight. Then it’s back up to Cheshire and home.
After a few days of relaxing back at home, Mandy and I are going to Salzburg, Austria on holiday for a few days. It is somewhere we have always wanted to visit and it should be super in early December with their Christmas Markets to browse around and apple strudels to devour!
The night after we get back from Salzburg, Bradley is playing Agamemnnon in the opera La Belle Helene. I am really looking forward to seeing him perform once again. He loves his operatic studies and performing, and both Mandy and I realise how fortunate we are that Bradley is doing something he enjoys so very much. Being an opera student is however very hard work; their holidays are far shorter than university recesses and during term breaks he is performing and singing here, there and everywhere in various music festivals!
Also on leave we will be seeing friends and family, and having Christmas Lunch on 14th December! I know I am hardly unique in that I will be away from home at Christmas, its part of the job - some years I am at home, some years I am away. If I am going away just before Christmas we have Christmas lunch before I go. I know for a fact that this is something that probably hundreds of thousands of families have to do worldwide, not just people who work on cruise ships. Think of all the millions of people who work away from home in the world’s armed forces, merchant fleets, and in the service industries. It is not only people who work away from home who have their Christmas lunches at strange times! Think of those at home as well, policemen, doctors, nurses, fire-fighters and a whole range of other essential service personnel who have to work on Christmas Day!
By the way we really will do the whole Christmas Day routine on the 14th December, turkey, presents, the lot! Wonderful!
A photograph with a difference today, me on leave out for a walk!! When my friend and colleague Deputy Cruise Director Karen Campbell saw this shot she said I looked like something out of the TV programme ‘Last of the Summer Wine’! The Youth Director Carol Ann Montgomery said, ‘You’re now responsible for all the endless nightmares I’m going to have about the strangely dressed being from ‘Father Ted’!!! As you can see I work alongside such lovely girls...........
The shot was taken in the National Trust Property Lyme Park on the Cheshire Derbyshire border, near where we live. Lyme was Pemberley in the BBC Adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In the photograph I am standing in front of ‘The Cage’; it was built in 1580 and rebuilt in 1737. It has been a hunting lodge, a park keeper’s cottage, and a lock up for prisoners. It is a Grade 2 listed building. Looking west from ‘The Cage’ on a clear day you can see the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales and looking east you can see Kinder Scout in the Peak District National Park.
It is with great pleasure that I can tell you that our Managing Director Carol Marlow will be taking over the P&O Cruises blog for a few weeks.
Farewell from me and a very happy Christmas and New Year to you all.
Nigel
Atlantic Ocean - Northbound.
Atlantic Ocean – Northbound.
24th November 2009.
Hello once again, my penultimate blog!
We departed Madeira yesterday afternoon and we now have two days at sea before arriving back in Southampton on Thursday.
Let’s give you an idea of some of the events and activities that are going on around the ship today. The Captain of Oriana Julian Burgess has three weddings to conduct today; all very nicely spread out you’ll be pleased to hear! Our Captains have been conducting wedding ceremonies on our P&O Cruises fleet for many years now and it’s certainly a very special and different way to get married!
This afternoon our passengers get the chance to walk through our main galley (kitchen!), and also get to sample the delights of a Chocoholics Buffet. This buffet is for serious chocolate lovers, to say it's mouth watering is an understatement!
This evening we have our famous Chefs Parade through the two main restaurants; this is a chance for our passengers to see the fantastic galley team we have on board Oriana. 101 personnel work in the galleys onboard and they are led by our Executive Chef Andy Yuill and his number two, Premier Sous Chef Darren Deegan. I host this Chefs Parade and it’s a great honour for me to introduce the Executive Chef and all his team to the passengers, they always get a tremendous reception.
Tonight we have yet another production show from the Headliners Theatre Company, ‘Viva Vegas’. This is, as you can imagine from the title full of glitz and glamour, our costume team have surpassed themselves with this show. We also have a Black and White Ball, (the suggested dress code tonight is Black and White Formal), so we have a full evening of Ballroom and Latin American Dancing available. The music is live and supplied by Natural High (one of the four bands onboard), and the evening is hosted by our Ballroom Dance Instructors Carole and Brian Deluce.
The Entertainment Department in collaboration with the Boutiques onboard this evening have a Fashion Show, one of the Entertainment Officers Mizzie Sanders will be hosting this. We use members of the ship’s company as models but we also ask passengers if they would like to step down the ‘catwalk’ for the evening!!
We also have a James Bond inspired quiz tonight, our usual nightly syndicates quiz and movies screening. A ‘Night at the Video Races’, is also available in our Pub, the Lords Tavern, this is a chance for a little gamble and maybe a drink or two.
Apart from all of that we will still have two venues with live music playing and another bar with no music at all for passengers who just like a bit of peace and quiet!
As always there is a great deal going on, our passengers always are given a huge choice of what they can do.
The photograph gallery today is of the beautiful capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. The shots were taken on 13th November during our call there last cruise.
The 25th April Bridge taken from the north bank of the river Tagus. The bridge has a clearance from the water to the roadway of 230 feet. Christ the King can be seen through the bridge, the plinth is 270 feet high, the statue 90 feet high. It was paid for by the women of Portugal in thanksgiving that their men folk were not being involved in WW2.
The Monument of Discoveries, it was erected in 1960 to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator.
24th November 2009.
Hello once again, my penultimate blog!
We departed Madeira yesterday afternoon and we now have two days at sea before arriving back in Southampton on Thursday.
Let’s give you an idea of some of the events and activities that are going on around the ship today. The Captain of Oriana Julian Burgess has three weddings to conduct today; all very nicely spread out you’ll be pleased to hear! Our Captains have been conducting wedding ceremonies on our P&O Cruises fleet for many years now and it’s certainly a very special and different way to get married!
This afternoon our passengers get the chance to walk through our main galley (kitchen!), and also get to sample the delights of a Chocoholics Buffet. This buffet is for serious chocolate lovers, to say it's mouth watering is an understatement!
This evening we have our famous Chefs Parade through the two main restaurants; this is a chance for our passengers to see the fantastic galley team we have on board Oriana. 101 personnel work in the galleys onboard and they are led by our Executive Chef Andy Yuill and his number two, Premier Sous Chef Darren Deegan. I host this Chefs Parade and it’s a great honour for me to introduce the Executive Chef and all his team to the passengers, they always get a tremendous reception.
Tonight we have yet another production show from the Headliners Theatre Company, ‘Viva Vegas’. This is, as you can imagine from the title full of glitz and glamour, our costume team have surpassed themselves with this show. We also have a Black and White Ball, (the suggested dress code tonight is Black and White Formal), so we have a full evening of Ballroom and Latin American Dancing available. The music is live and supplied by Natural High (one of the four bands onboard), and the evening is hosted by our Ballroom Dance Instructors Carole and Brian Deluce.
The Entertainment Department in collaboration with the Boutiques onboard this evening have a Fashion Show, one of the Entertainment Officers Mizzie Sanders will be hosting this. We use members of the ship’s company as models but we also ask passengers if they would like to step down the ‘catwalk’ for the evening!!
We also have a James Bond inspired quiz tonight, our usual nightly syndicates quiz and movies screening. A ‘Night at the Video Races’, is also available in our Pub, the Lords Tavern, this is a chance for a little gamble and maybe a drink or two.
Apart from all of that we will still have two venues with live music playing and another bar with no music at all for passengers who just like a bit of peace and quiet!
As always there is a great deal going on, our passengers always are given a huge choice of what they can do.
The photograph gallery today is of the beautiful capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. The shots were taken on 13th November during our call there last cruise.
The 25th April Bridge taken from the north bank of the river Tagus. The bridge has a clearance from the water to the roadway of 230 feet. Christ the King can be seen through the bridge, the plinth is 270 feet high, the statue 90 feet high. It was paid for by the women of Portugal in thanksgiving that their men folk were not being involved in WW2.
The Monument of Discoveries, it was erected in 1960 to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator.
The marble mosaic pavement in front of the Monument of Discoveries. This shot was taken from the roof of the monument.
The Museu de Marinha (maritime museum), built in the 16th century as a monastery. This shot was taken from the roof of the Monument of Discoveries.
The Royal Palace, the official home of the President of Portugal. The Portuguese national flag is flying proudly outside.
This shot was also taken from the roof of the Monument of Discoveries. We are looking upstream of the River Tagus. The 25th April Bridge was inaugurated on August 6th 1966. Its total length is 3277.64 metres with a centre span of 1012.88 metres. The upper platform carries six car lanes, the lower platform two rail tracks. Oriana can be seen at her berth on the left of the shot, Christ the King on the right.
I will be back tomorrow with my final blog.
Bye for now
Nigel
The Royal Palace, the official home of the President of Portugal. The Portuguese national flag is flying proudly outside.
This shot was also taken from the roof of the Monument of Discoveries. We are looking upstream of the River Tagus. The 25th April Bridge was inaugurated on August 6th 1966. Its total length is 3277.64 metres with a centre span of 1012.88 metres. The upper platform carries six car lanes, the lower platform two rail tracks. Oriana can be seen at her berth on the left of the shot, Christ the King on the right.
I will be back tomorrow with my final blog.
Bye for now
Nigel
Funchal - Madeira, Thinking about packing!
Funchal – Madeira.
Thinking about packing!
23rd November 2009.
Good Day, (Bom dia), from the beautiful Atlantic Island of Madeira. Funchal is the chief city of Madeira and the largest city of the ‘Madeira Autonomous Region’ of Portugal. Funchal was founded in 1421 and is now a major tourist centre. One of its most famous sons is the Real Madrid, (ex Manchester United) football player Cristiano Ronaldo. When Cristiano was a lad I think he must have trained by walking up the hills here that would get anyone fit! From where we dock, Funchal rises in a natural amphitheatre to almost 4000 feet!
I go on leave on Thursday from Southampton, so after today you only have two more of my blogs coming up. I think I will pack tomorrow! Packing is not a problem to me at all! I left home in 1978 and since then, I have been away from home at least eight months a year. I should actually give packing lessons as I have turned it in to an art form! Not only do I pack to go to work and then to go home, my wife Mandy and I always go on holiday when I am on leave so that involves the ‘P’ word as well! I will tell you about my plans for my leave on Wednesday. When joining or leaving a ship I make sure I am able to carry everything in one go so I have learnt over the years to only take essentials. I still have about 36kg of baggage so I do have to be careful of my old back when I am getting on and off ships, trains, cars, taxis and aeroplanes etc! Most of the 36kg of gear is my uniform, I carry very little of my own clothes with me. I do always have my jeans, walking jacket and boots and a few T shirts but that’s about it. One thing I could not travel without is my iPOD. I just love music and if I get an hour or so at lunchtime clear each day I will be out on deck stripped off sunbathing with my music on! If I select shuffle on the iPOD, I get a very diverse collection of music. My son Bradley is studying to become an Opera singer and he has downloaded hundreds of classic operatic tracks for me! I on the other hand am an old rock fan, and given the choice between Led Zeppelin and Verdi; the Zeppelin wins every time! In fact I saw Zeppelin live four times in the 1970s. Can any of my readers out there beat that? Zeppelin live were something else!
Anyway the cruise so far is going really well. As you already know, we are on a ten night cruise calling at Vigo, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Madeira before returning to Southampton. Last Tuesday we had a very good crossing of the Bay of Biscay, (people were sat outside on deck bronzing!) our day in Vigo on Wednesday was cloudless, we then had a lovely day at sea (with a calm sea and the sun shining down), and the weather in Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria was really very good! Let us get our ‘cards on the table’, you do have to have a bit of luck with the weather this time of year, it is the winter in the North Atlantic Ocean!!
All of our entertainment has been very well received by the passengers; we still have some highlights yet to come including ex England Football Captain Alan Mullery who is giving his after Dinner Speech tonight. Tonight we also have comic Johnnie Casson entertaining, movies screening, bands playing, quizzes running! Another highlight is our Great British Pub Night in the Lords Tavern!! And finally for those who like a good old bop, we are holding a 60s & 70s party night. (Not the age group of course – the music!)
These photographs are of the new cast of the Headliners Theatre Company rehearsing in the Theatre Royal. They were taken on 19th November during the rehearsal of the production show, ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’. The cast on this day started rehearsals at 9.00am and worked through until 6.30pm, before performing for our passengers at 8.30pm and 10.30pm. During the day they did a technical run of the show, plus two dress rehearsals, so in fact they have performed this show full out four times on the 19th November!!!
I hope you like the photographs; I insisted they were not posed at all. They include the Headliners Theatre Company, our Choreographer Charlie Blair, her Assistant Choreographer Jess Bedford, Production Manager Al Watson and Dance Captain (on his hand-over) Richard Farr. I wanted you all to get an idea of how hard this cast actually have to work to get the shows up and running in such a short space of time, and how the passenger performances are just the climax to days and days of rehearsals. I have posted more photographs than ever before, but I think each and everyone is worth a look.
Thinking about packing!
23rd November 2009.
Good Day, (Bom dia), from the beautiful Atlantic Island of Madeira. Funchal is the chief city of Madeira and the largest city of the ‘Madeira Autonomous Region’ of Portugal. Funchal was founded in 1421 and is now a major tourist centre. One of its most famous sons is the Real Madrid, (ex Manchester United) football player Cristiano Ronaldo. When Cristiano was a lad I think he must have trained by walking up the hills here that would get anyone fit! From where we dock, Funchal rises in a natural amphitheatre to almost 4000 feet!
I go on leave on Thursday from Southampton, so after today you only have two more of my blogs coming up. I think I will pack tomorrow! Packing is not a problem to me at all! I left home in 1978 and since then, I have been away from home at least eight months a year. I should actually give packing lessons as I have turned it in to an art form! Not only do I pack to go to work and then to go home, my wife Mandy and I always go on holiday when I am on leave so that involves the ‘P’ word as well! I will tell you about my plans for my leave on Wednesday. When joining or leaving a ship I make sure I am able to carry everything in one go so I have learnt over the years to only take essentials. I still have about 36kg of baggage so I do have to be careful of my old back when I am getting on and off ships, trains, cars, taxis and aeroplanes etc! Most of the 36kg of gear is my uniform, I carry very little of my own clothes with me. I do always have my jeans, walking jacket and boots and a few T shirts but that’s about it. One thing I could not travel without is my iPOD. I just love music and if I get an hour or so at lunchtime clear each day I will be out on deck stripped off sunbathing with my music on! If I select shuffle on the iPOD, I get a very diverse collection of music. My son Bradley is studying to become an Opera singer and he has downloaded hundreds of classic operatic tracks for me! I on the other hand am an old rock fan, and given the choice between Led Zeppelin and Verdi; the Zeppelin wins every time! In fact I saw Zeppelin live four times in the 1970s. Can any of my readers out there beat that? Zeppelin live were something else!
Anyway the cruise so far is going really well. As you already know, we are on a ten night cruise calling at Vigo, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Madeira before returning to Southampton. Last Tuesday we had a very good crossing of the Bay of Biscay, (people were sat outside on deck bronzing!) our day in Vigo on Wednesday was cloudless, we then had a lovely day at sea (with a calm sea and the sun shining down), and the weather in Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria was really very good! Let us get our ‘cards on the table’, you do have to have a bit of luck with the weather this time of year, it is the winter in the North Atlantic Ocean!!
All of our entertainment has been very well received by the passengers; we still have some highlights yet to come including ex England Football Captain Alan Mullery who is giving his after Dinner Speech tonight. Tonight we also have comic Johnnie Casson entertaining, movies screening, bands playing, quizzes running! Another highlight is our Great British Pub Night in the Lords Tavern!! And finally for those who like a good old bop, we are holding a 60s & 70s party night. (Not the age group of course – the music!)
These photographs are of the new cast of the Headliners Theatre Company rehearsing in the Theatre Royal. They were taken on 19th November during the rehearsal of the production show, ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’. The cast on this day started rehearsals at 9.00am and worked through until 6.30pm, before performing for our passengers at 8.30pm and 10.30pm. During the day they did a technical run of the show, plus two dress rehearsals, so in fact they have performed this show full out four times on the 19th November!!!
I hope you like the photographs; I insisted they were not posed at all. They include the Headliners Theatre Company, our Choreographer Charlie Blair, her Assistant Choreographer Jess Bedford, Production Manager Al Watson and Dance Captain (on his hand-over) Richard Farr. I wanted you all to get an idea of how hard this cast actually have to work to get the shows up and running in such a short space of time, and how the passenger performances are just the climax to days and days of rehearsals. I have posted more photographs than ever before, but I think each and everyone is worth a look.
Oriana sailing into Funchal Madeira. Our pilot boarded at 7.15am this morning and we were alongside at 8.00am
Goodbye (Adieus)
Nigel
Goodbye (Adieus)
Nigel
ALASKA - The Last Frontier.
Gran Canaria – Canary Islands.
22nd November 2009.
Hola (hello), from Gran Canaria, the third largest of the seven Canary Islands. We are docked at Los Palmas which was founded in June 1478. It was here that Columbus and his companions heard Mass before setting out for the New World on his famous voyage of discovery in 1492.
Talking about voyages of discovery, I am very, very excited, have you seen the itinerary for P&O Cruises Arcadia Grand Alaska Adventure 2011? It is mind blowing! Sorry to use such language but this cruises itinerary has to be one of the very best I have ever, ever seen! This cruise goes on sale on December 1st and if I am not mistaken will sell out that very day!
The cruise departs Southampton on 12th April 2011 and calls at Madeira before an Atlantic Ocean crossing, then five Caribbean ports. It then transits ‘THE’ modern wonder of the world, The Panama Canal before heading up the west coast of the continent of North America calling in another five ports before arriving at its first Alaskan port of call. Arcadia then remains in Alaskan waters for eleven days calling at five ports and cruising in and around some of its very best scenery! Arcadia then calls at another four ports back down to the Panama Canal which it transits again before heading up the east coast of the North American Continent calling in to eight ports including a two day stop at New York! It then heads east back across the Atlantic Ocean calling in at Ponta Delgada, before arriving back in Southampton 23rd June 2011. This cruise is full of superlatives, it has everything! Full marks to the P&O Cruises planning department for putting the itinerary together.
I am qualified to tell you all about Alaska as when I was working for Princess Cruises in the 1980s, I did three summer seasons there. Cruise Ships visit Alaska between May and September, just the same really as the Norway and Baltic cruising seasons in Europe.
I was in Alaska on the Sun Princess (ex P&O Cruises Spirit of London) in 1984, the Royal Princess, (now the P&O Cruises Artemis) in 1985 and the Island Princess (one of the Love Boats), in 1986. The Sun and Island Princess ships used Vancouver, Canada as their home port on seven night itineraries, but the Royal Princess used San Francisco USA on eleven night cruises.
I have a real soft spot for Alaska and it’s where my wife Mandy and I decided to get married! That is not altogether true as she was in England at the time in 1984 and I was on the Sun Princess! I would like to be able to tell you this was a very romantic story but sadly I cannot! We were avid letter writers, (this was before emails etc), and our wedding came about in 1985 due to letters being posted back and forth from a number of the same ports Arcadia will be visiting on her voyage in 2011, including Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau. I would like to be able to tell you I got down on my knee and proposed to Mandy with the sun setting over the Alaskan mountains, but no – it was by the US Postal Service and our Post Office that our wedding all came about!! Poor girl; she has had a lot to put up with over the years!
Alaska, what can I say? It is awesome, the scenery is breathtaking, and it really is ‘The Last Frontier’. It is one of the most environmentally protected areas on earth, and thank goodness for that.
A few facts and figures about this US State, it is 663,268 square miles in area, Great Britain is 84,556, so you could fit 7.84 UKs in to it!
It was purchased by the USA from the Russian Empire on March 30th 1867 for 47.2 million at about two cents per acre; big mistake!
Alaska has a longer coast line than all the other US States combined at 34,000 miles!
Russian and Alaskan islands are only three miles apart!
Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries!
Alaska has more than three million lakes!
Alaska is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world, at 1.0 person per square miles!
The photograph below is of Oriana in the Panama Canal. Arcadia transits the canal twice on its Grand Alaskan Adventure, the first time is on 28th April 2011 on route to Alaska and then again on 3rd June when she makes her way back to the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean.
22nd November 2009.
Hola (hello), from Gran Canaria, the third largest of the seven Canary Islands. We are docked at Los Palmas which was founded in June 1478. It was here that Columbus and his companions heard Mass before setting out for the New World on his famous voyage of discovery in 1492.
Talking about voyages of discovery, I am very, very excited, have you seen the itinerary for P&O Cruises Arcadia Grand Alaska Adventure 2011? It is mind blowing! Sorry to use such language but this cruises itinerary has to be one of the very best I have ever, ever seen! This cruise goes on sale on December 1st and if I am not mistaken will sell out that very day!
The cruise departs Southampton on 12th April 2011 and calls at Madeira before an Atlantic Ocean crossing, then five Caribbean ports. It then transits ‘THE’ modern wonder of the world, The Panama Canal before heading up the west coast of the continent of North America calling in another five ports before arriving at its first Alaskan port of call. Arcadia then remains in Alaskan waters for eleven days calling at five ports and cruising in and around some of its very best scenery! Arcadia then calls at another four ports back down to the Panama Canal which it transits again before heading up the east coast of the North American Continent calling in to eight ports including a two day stop at New York! It then heads east back across the Atlantic Ocean calling in at Ponta Delgada, before arriving back in Southampton 23rd June 2011. This cruise is full of superlatives, it has everything! Full marks to the P&O Cruises planning department for putting the itinerary together.
I am qualified to tell you all about Alaska as when I was working for Princess Cruises in the 1980s, I did three summer seasons there. Cruise Ships visit Alaska between May and September, just the same really as the Norway and Baltic cruising seasons in Europe.
I was in Alaska on the Sun Princess (ex P&O Cruises Spirit of London) in 1984, the Royal Princess, (now the P&O Cruises Artemis) in 1985 and the Island Princess (one of the Love Boats), in 1986. The Sun and Island Princess ships used Vancouver, Canada as their home port on seven night itineraries, but the Royal Princess used San Francisco USA on eleven night cruises.
I have a real soft spot for Alaska and it’s where my wife Mandy and I decided to get married! That is not altogether true as she was in England at the time in 1984 and I was on the Sun Princess! I would like to be able to tell you this was a very romantic story but sadly I cannot! We were avid letter writers, (this was before emails etc), and our wedding came about in 1985 due to letters being posted back and forth from a number of the same ports Arcadia will be visiting on her voyage in 2011, including Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau. I would like to be able to tell you I got down on my knee and proposed to Mandy with the sun setting over the Alaskan mountains, but no – it was by the US Postal Service and our Post Office that our wedding all came about!! Poor girl; she has had a lot to put up with over the years!
Alaska, what can I say? It is awesome, the scenery is breathtaking, and it really is ‘The Last Frontier’. It is one of the most environmentally protected areas on earth, and thank goodness for that.
A few facts and figures about this US State, it is 663,268 square miles in area, Great Britain is 84,556, so you could fit 7.84 UKs in to it!
It was purchased by the USA from the Russian Empire on March 30th 1867 for 47.2 million at about two cents per acre; big mistake!
Alaska has a longer coast line than all the other US States combined at 34,000 miles!
Russian and Alaskan islands are only three miles apart!
Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries!
Alaska has more than three million lakes!
Alaska is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world, at 1.0 person per square miles!
The photograph below is of Oriana in the Panama Canal. Arcadia transits the canal twice on its Grand Alaskan Adventure, the first time is on 28th April 2011 on route to Alaska and then again on 3rd June when she makes her way back to the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean.
Today’s photograph was taken on 16th November in my office on board Oriana; it’s of P&O Cruises Entertainment Product Manager, Morgan Van Selman and me. Morgan was just on board in Southampton for the morning catching up with me on how the last cruise had gone and discussing future cruises as well.
Maybe now I have got Morgan on the blog he will consider me for the above cruise!!
Adios, from a hopeful.
Nigel
Tenerife - Canary Islands
It’s a rehearsal cruise!
21st November 2009.
Hola (hello), from Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The dominant feature of the island is Mount Teide (El Teide), at a height of 12,198 feet. Mount Teide is to Tenerife what Mount Etna is to Sicily; you can see the mountain from just about anywhere on the island.
We do not depart until 10.00pm tonight so we have taken advantage of this fact and are going to have a sailaway party straight into our Tropical Deck Party. The suggested dress code tonight is casual/tropical so we hope those Caribbean influenced fashion statements are out in force! You may be thinking is that all there is on tonight, no way! We have cabaret with vocal entertainer Ricky Zalez at 7.15pm for our second sitting passengers (who dine at 8.30pm) and that is repeated at 8.45pm for those passengers on first sitting dinner (who dine at 6.30pm). That means all passengers can see the cabaret but still be out on deck for sailing at 10.00pm and the spectacular party that will commence after that. We berth at the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and it’s a great city to sail away from at night, it’s going to look wonderful.
I said I would let you have an update on the new cast of the Headliners Theatre Company and they are doing very well so far. The thirteen boys and girls have already performed two production shows on this cruise with two more still to go. Next cruise they will rehearse and add to these existing four shows with another six more. Then on the cruise commencing 28th December they will rehearse and perform two more shows they have not yet done. So by 18th January they will have twelve different production shows up and running and ready to wow our passengers with!!!
Being a member of the Headliners Theatre Company is very demanding but fulfilling. A performer in a musical theatre show in London’s West End will typically have a six month contract, and in this time they will work six days a week and do eight performances during that time. That’s right, the same show for six months eight times a week!! Our cast members of the Headliners Theatre Company are all trained professionals and have already or probably will in the future appear in the West End or on national musical theatre tours. Without exception the members with experience from the West End would all rather be working on board. Here they get to perform twelve varied production shows in their six month tour on board. It’s challenging and both physically and mentally demanding! Eleven shows to remember, all those different dance routines, costume changes, stage exits and entries, song lyrics, props, wigs, make up, and to top the lot have to contend with a moving platform! On the longer cruises they will get to perform all twelve production shows whilst on the shorter cruises we do not have enough nights to use them all.
Our audition process for the cast members is very demanding; we are only looking for hard working, talented dedicated professional singers and dancers. Once on board we expect a great deal from them as all of our passengers expect West End standards for our production shows and that’s exactly what they get!
It is one of the great parts of my job to work alongside the casts of ‘Headliners’, I am always in awe of their hard work and dedication.
Here is a shot for all the ladies out there, a man in uniform! The good looking one on the left is the Staff Captain of Oriana Chris Bourne. Chris is just back from leave and really looking forward to another tour of duty on board.
He is the Head of the Deck Department and second in command of Oriana. Chris joined the company 19 years ago as a deck cadet and has subsequently worked on eleven ships for P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises.
Adios.
Nigel
21st November 2009.
Hola (hello), from Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The dominant feature of the island is Mount Teide (El Teide), at a height of 12,198 feet. Mount Teide is to Tenerife what Mount Etna is to Sicily; you can see the mountain from just about anywhere on the island.
We do not depart until 10.00pm tonight so we have taken advantage of this fact and are going to have a sailaway party straight into our Tropical Deck Party. The suggested dress code tonight is casual/tropical so we hope those Caribbean influenced fashion statements are out in force! You may be thinking is that all there is on tonight, no way! We have cabaret with vocal entertainer Ricky Zalez at 7.15pm for our second sitting passengers (who dine at 8.30pm) and that is repeated at 8.45pm for those passengers on first sitting dinner (who dine at 6.30pm). That means all passengers can see the cabaret but still be out on deck for sailing at 10.00pm and the spectacular party that will commence after that. We berth at the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and it’s a great city to sail away from at night, it’s going to look wonderful.
I said I would let you have an update on the new cast of the Headliners Theatre Company and they are doing very well so far. The thirteen boys and girls have already performed two production shows on this cruise with two more still to go. Next cruise they will rehearse and add to these existing four shows with another six more. Then on the cruise commencing 28th December they will rehearse and perform two more shows they have not yet done. So by 18th January they will have twelve different production shows up and running and ready to wow our passengers with!!!
Being a member of the Headliners Theatre Company is very demanding but fulfilling. A performer in a musical theatre show in London’s West End will typically have a six month contract, and in this time they will work six days a week and do eight performances during that time. That’s right, the same show for six months eight times a week!! Our cast members of the Headliners Theatre Company are all trained professionals and have already or probably will in the future appear in the West End or on national musical theatre tours. Without exception the members with experience from the West End would all rather be working on board. Here they get to perform twelve varied production shows in their six month tour on board. It’s challenging and both physically and mentally demanding! Eleven shows to remember, all those different dance routines, costume changes, stage exits and entries, song lyrics, props, wigs, make up, and to top the lot have to contend with a moving platform! On the longer cruises they will get to perform all twelve production shows whilst on the shorter cruises we do not have enough nights to use them all.
Our audition process for the cast members is very demanding; we are only looking for hard working, talented dedicated professional singers and dancers. Once on board we expect a great deal from them as all of our passengers expect West End standards for our production shows and that’s exactly what they get!
It is one of the great parts of my job to work alongside the casts of ‘Headliners’, I am always in awe of their hard work and dedication.
Here is a shot for all the ladies out there, a man in uniform! The good looking one on the left is the Staff Captain of Oriana Chris Bourne. Chris is just back from leave and really looking forward to another tour of duty on board.
He is the Head of the Deck Department and second in command of Oriana. Chris joined the company 19 years ago as a deck cadet and has subsequently worked on eleven ships for P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises.
Adios.
Nigel
Lanzarote - Canary Islands.
Let’s Go Around the World!
20th November 2009.
Hello again,
‘Lanzarote an island forged by burning fire, has evolved a unique and never–before–seen landscape which is both lunar and cosmic’. That is what the Lanzarote Tourism Board say and I for one agree with every word; it is a very special island. The excursion to Fire Mountains, (Montanas del Fuego) is a must if you have never been to the island before.
Today I am going to tell you all about our world cruises and how we go about entertaining passengers for up to 104 nights on board!!!
From January 2010 to January 2011 there are five P&O Cruises world cruises scheduled, they range in duration from 82 to 104 nights! Here they are listed below:
Arcadia World Cruise 2010 – 94 Nights
Aurora Grand Voyage 2010 – 104 Nights
Oriana World Cruise 2010 – 84 Nights
Artemis Asian Grand Voyage 2011 - 98 Nights
Arcadia World Cruise 2011 – 82 Nights
All of these voyages can be booked in their entirety or in legs, I know a great many of our passengers do a world cruise over five or even six years doing a leg each year, what a great idea!
You are probably thinking by now how on earth do we entertain passengers on these very long voyages? Don’t worry have great experience in this field having done ‘Round the World Cruises’ for decades and decades.
We have a clear strategy; we plan for the entertainment for passengers doing the entire cruise but also make sure that those doing one leg or more are also taken care of. The Arcadia 2010 World Cruise is 94 nights and we have divided this up in to five entertainment legs, the Aurora 2010 Grand Voyage is 104 nights and we have divided this up in to six entertainment legs.
The passengers doing the entire voyage will get fourteen Headliners Theatre Company production shows. None of these will be performed more than twice, on each leg we intend to perform at least five shows, so the passengers on one or more legs still get to see a number of great shows. On each leg there will be up to nine different cabaret acts, a classical recitalist, bridge, art, craft, dance and language lecturers, two guest speakers and a celebrity speaker! We will also have our usual number of ship’s bands, cocktail pianist, and the entertainment officers onboard. For those ships that are ‘Family Friendly’ we will also have the usual Youth Director and team. If we have any late night or overnight calls in ports we also will endeavour to book a local Folkloric Show to perform on board our ships.
I have had a great deal of input with the planning of our world cruises for many years, and in fact next year I get to go on two! I am on the first leg of the Arcadia 2010 world cruise up to San Francisco and then join Aurora in Hong Kong for the last four legs.
As you can appreciate logistically it’s a complex operation as we have guest entertainers, (cabarets, speakers and lecturers), joining and leaving us all around the world!
For a Cruise Director the world cruises are the ultimate challenge.
Below you can see our After Dinner Speaker this cruise - ex England Football Captain Alan Mullery MBE - and I. Alan played for England 35 times and has successful careers with both Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. After he retired as a player he became a successful football manager, managing six teams in all. His honours include, FA Cup winner – 1967, League Cup Winner – 1971 and UEFA Cup Winner 1972. Alan is a real gentleman and it’s always a real pleasure to have him sail on our ships. The photograph was taken on board Oriana in Southampton 16th November.
Bye for today.
Nigel
20th November 2009.
Hello again,
‘Lanzarote an island forged by burning fire, has evolved a unique and never–before–seen landscape which is both lunar and cosmic’. That is what the Lanzarote Tourism Board say and I for one agree with every word; it is a very special island. The excursion to Fire Mountains, (Montanas del Fuego) is a must if you have never been to the island before.
Today I am going to tell you all about our world cruises and how we go about entertaining passengers for up to 104 nights on board!!!
From January 2010 to January 2011 there are five P&O Cruises world cruises scheduled, they range in duration from 82 to 104 nights! Here they are listed below:
Arcadia World Cruise 2010 – 94 Nights
Aurora Grand Voyage 2010 – 104 Nights
Oriana World Cruise 2010 – 84 Nights
Artemis Asian Grand Voyage 2011 - 98 Nights
Arcadia World Cruise 2011 – 82 Nights
All of these voyages can be booked in their entirety or in legs, I know a great many of our passengers do a world cruise over five or even six years doing a leg each year, what a great idea!
You are probably thinking by now how on earth do we entertain passengers on these very long voyages? Don’t worry have great experience in this field having done ‘Round the World Cruises’ for decades and decades.
We have a clear strategy; we plan for the entertainment for passengers doing the entire cruise but also make sure that those doing one leg or more are also taken care of. The Arcadia 2010 World Cruise is 94 nights and we have divided this up in to five entertainment legs, the Aurora 2010 Grand Voyage is 104 nights and we have divided this up in to six entertainment legs.
The passengers doing the entire voyage will get fourteen Headliners Theatre Company production shows. None of these will be performed more than twice, on each leg we intend to perform at least five shows, so the passengers on one or more legs still get to see a number of great shows. On each leg there will be up to nine different cabaret acts, a classical recitalist, bridge, art, craft, dance and language lecturers, two guest speakers and a celebrity speaker! We will also have our usual number of ship’s bands, cocktail pianist, and the entertainment officers onboard. For those ships that are ‘Family Friendly’ we will also have the usual Youth Director and team. If we have any late night or overnight calls in ports we also will endeavour to book a local Folkloric Show to perform on board our ships.
I have had a great deal of input with the planning of our world cruises for many years, and in fact next year I get to go on two! I am on the first leg of the Arcadia 2010 world cruise up to San Francisco and then join Aurora in Hong Kong for the last four legs.
As you can appreciate logistically it’s a complex operation as we have guest entertainers, (cabarets, speakers and lecturers), joining and leaving us all around the world!
For a Cruise Director the world cruises are the ultimate challenge.
Below you can see our After Dinner Speaker this cruise - ex England Football Captain Alan Mullery MBE - and I. Alan played for England 35 times and has successful careers with both Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. After he retired as a player he became a successful football manager, managing six teams in all. His honours include, FA Cup winner – 1967, League Cup Winner – 1971 and UEFA Cup Winner 1972. Alan is a real gentleman and it’s always a real pleasure to have him sail on our ships. The photograph was taken on board Oriana in Southampton 16th November.
Bye for today.
Nigel
Atlantic Ocean - The Show Must Go On!
19th November 2009.
Hello from the Atlantic Ocean, it was Vigo on the mainland of Spain yesterday and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands tomorrow.
Hello from the Atlantic Ocean, it was Vigo on the mainland of Spain yesterday and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands tomorrow.
What’s on today on board Oriana you may be asking yourself: plenty! We will have our usual packed daytime program with events and activities to suit everybody and tonight it’s the production show ‘Let’s Face the Music’ from the Headliners Theatre Company, this is a great dance show featuring musical numbers from days gone by. We also have movies being shown, a formal night ball, a syndicate quiz, lounges and bars with live music playing, and a game show.
The ‘Show Must Go On’; it’s my job to make sure it does! We go in to each and every cruise with a detailed schedule of how the entertainment will run; normally it runs to schedule but on rare occasions we are required to change it. We have to change it for a number of reasons, it could be the weather, or someone could be ill, for instance a cabaret vocalist without a voice!
My job is to make sure during the cruise we supply all the entertainment we set out to do, even if it’s not in the order we had originally planned! I will give you a classic example of this; last cruise on 10th November we were at sea cruising the Mediterranean and ran in to some rather lumpy weather, a force 9 to be precise!
That evening we had scheduled the Headliners Theatre Company production show, ‘Stop in the Name of Love’, it would have been very difficult for the cast to perform this high powered dancing and singing tribute to the great music of Motown with the stage of the Theatre Royal going in different directions to their feet!!! So I made the decision to postpone the show and ask one of the cabaret acts (singer David Karl), to step in and perform instead. The passengers did not miss out at all, they saw David Karl perform his show, (brought forward from another night), and ‘Stop in the Name of Love’ went on when David had originally been scheduled to perform.
Doing a cabaret when it’s bumpy is for obvious reasons, far easier than trying to run a production show. Usually a cabaret act does not move too much on stage, a production show with a cast of thirteen and scenery changes is quite another matter altogether.
The bottom line is that when we put the Headliners Theatre Company Shows on we want the passengers to see the best possible show and for the cast not to be concerned about potential injuries resulting from the moving stage. Flexibility is the name of the game. A cruise ship is a moving platform so myself and my team have to ‘think on our feet’ its all part of the fun and challenge of working in the entertainment business at sea!
When we do make changes communication is vital. The passengers need to be informed and if it’s a last minute change I will have to make a PA announcement. All other parties involved in my department also need to know like on 10th November; this included Headliners Theatre Company, the ship’s resident orchestra, the entertainment production team, and David Karl obviously as he was the one who I asked to work that night!
The life of a Cruise Director is never ever dull, and always interesting!!
I thought you might like to see our new Headliners Theatre Company!
Here they are at 8.50pm in rehearsals in the Pacific Lounge on the evening of the day they joined 16th November!!!
Left to right;
Ross Millington, Helen Dunderdale, Martin Lawson, Liam Lakin, Bryony Thompson, Laura J Neison, Marc Noble, Lucy Wilkerson, Andrea Brenhan, Adam Berrisford, Michelle Rowsell, Cindy Ciunfrini, Lisa-Jayne Davies.
Bye for today.
Nigel
Vigo, Spain once again!
18th November 2009.
Greetings from the super Spanish city of Vigo, we were only here four days ago! Of course it is a different cruise so the passengers are all different; it’s only the crew going back to the same port so soon!
Thank you to all the readers of the blog who have posted me messages, it’s great to read them and fantastic to realise I have folks as far away as Australia and India following my travels! I am still finding it very strange going on to the P&O Cruises web page and seeing myself!
This morning we have full crew drills and as I have said before safety here at P&O Cruises is our number one priority. Every single week each and every one of the ship’s company takes part in crew drills. The scenarios of the drills vary, but the intent is always the same; the safety of the ship and all who sail in her.
Also this morning I have crew rounds to conduct. This takes place every week when all staff cabins are checked by Senior Officers. This works both ways, the reporting officer can make sure that the staff cabins are in a fit state, but also if anything is wrong with the cabin we can report it and get it fixed. We take care of all of our staff and don’t forget this is their home for up to 6 months at a time for some of them so it is very important both to us and for them. Do not worry, my cabin is checked each week as well and I would be told to get it in order if I had left it in a mess!!
I will try to get off later today for a couple of hours to do my usual hike up to the Castle, I need my creamy coffee and fresh croissant fix!
Tonight in the Theatre Royal we feature comedian Johnnie Casson. Johnnie is a first class stand up comic. His TV credits go way back to 1987 with ‘Summer Time Special’ and right up to date with ‘The Paul O’Grady Show’ this year. He has done just about everything you can do in the world of show biz including appearing at the world famous London Palladium a number of times. Our passengers are in for a great night!
I thought you might like a look at these stunning shots I took in Palma Majorca on 11th November.
Palma Cathedral founded in 1235 and finished in 1601!
Palma Cathedral from the Park de la Mar.
Palma Cathedral and the Aludaina Palace. The Palace was originally the residence of the Moorish rulers, but is now occupied by the Captain General of the Balearic Islands. 
La Longa (Exchange) proudly flying the flag of the Balearic Islands, the Spanish National flag and the European Union flag. La Lonja is considered to be one of the finest civic Gothic buildings in Spain.
Palma waterfront through the bow of Oriana.
Palma harbour with Bellver Castle dominating the skyline. The castle was built in the 14th Century and its dungeons were used for prisoners of the Inquisition and during the dictatorship of General Franco. This shot was taken from deck 12 on Oriana.
Bye for now
Nigel
Greetings from the super Spanish city of Vigo, we were only here four days ago! Of course it is a different cruise so the passengers are all different; it’s only the crew going back to the same port so soon!
Thank you to all the readers of the blog who have posted me messages, it’s great to read them and fantastic to realise I have folks as far away as Australia and India following my travels! I am still finding it very strange going on to the P&O Cruises web page and seeing myself!
This morning we have full crew drills and as I have said before safety here at P&O Cruises is our number one priority. Every single week each and every one of the ship’s company takes part in crew drills. The scenarios of the drills vary, but the intent is always the same; the safety of the ship and all who sail in her.
Also this morning I have crew rounds to conduct. This takes place every week when all staff cabins are checked by Senior Officers. This works both ways, the reporting officer can make sure that the staff cabins are in a fit state, but also if anything is wrong with the cabin we can report it and get it fixed. We take care of all of our staff and don’t forget this is their home for up to 6 months at a time for some of them so it is very important both to us and for them. Do not worry, my cabin is checked each week as well and I would be told to get it in order if I had left it in a mess!!
I will try to get off later today for a couple of hours to do my usual hike up to the Castle, I need my creamy coffee and fresh croissant fix!
Tonight in the Theatre Royal we feature comedian Johnnie Casson. Johnnie is a first class stand up comic. His TV credits go way back to 1987 with ‘Summer Time Special’ and right up to date with ‘The Paul O’Grady Show’ this year. He has done just about everything you can do in the world of show biz including appearing at the world famous London Palladium a number of times. Our passengers are in for a great night!
I thought you might like a look at these stunning shots I took in Palma Majorca on 11th November.
Palma Cathedral founded in 1235 and finished in 1601!
Palma Cathedral from the Park de la Mar.Palma Cathedral and the Aludaina Palace. The Palace was originally the residence of the Moorish rulers, but is now occupied by the Captain General of the Balearic Islands. La Longa (Exchange) proudly flying the flag of the Balearic Islands, the Spanish National flag and the European Union flag. La Lonja is considered to be one of the finest civic Gothic buildings in Spain. Palma waterfront through the bow of Oriana.Palma harbour with Bellver Castle dominating the skyline. The castle was built in the 14th Century and its dungeons were used for prisoners of the Inquisition and during the dictatorship of General Franco. This shot was taken from deck 12 on Oriana.Bye for now
Nigel
At Sea - The Bay of Biscay again!
17th November 2009
Hi readers, it’s the first day at sea of another cruise! We left our home port of Southampton yesterday at 5.00pm and are now heading across the Bay of Biscay to our first port of call at Vigo, Spain tomorrow.
I should let you know that I go on leave after this cruise so my days of blogging will be coming to an end!
This cruise is so different to the last (that was twenty five nights to the Med), this is a ten night cruise the Canary Islands, Vigo and Madeira. That is the real beauty of P&O Cruises itineraries, we give a great choice, and there is a cruise schedule to suit everybody.
As I told you yesterday we have a new cast on board for the Headliners Theatre Company and as I type this they are busy rehearsing in the Theatre Royal for tonight’s show, ‘Award’. They are performing four shows this cruise so they really have their work cut out!
We also have three cabaret acts to entertain the passengers this cruise: vocalist Ricky Zalez, Multi Instrumentalist Robin Good and the well known stand up comedian Johnny Casson. We have a concert pianist David Schofield, four bands and a cocktail pianist. The day time entertainment includes dance instructors, guest speakers and our after dinner speaker is the ex England Football Captain, Alan Mullery. Alan is a regular cruiser with us, not only in his capacity as an after dinner speaker but as a passenger! I have sailed many times when Alan has been on board with his wife Elizabeth on holiday. Alan is a real gentleman and his talk this cruise is entitled ‘Football in the past and present’.
This cruise we also have 105 children on board, so apart from our usual fantastic youth staff we also have a children’s entertainer. He will amaze and entertain the children with his magic shows.
The below photograph was taken of DJ Paul Franklin and myself on 8th November just before I was going to appear on his TV Show. Paul runs a TV/Radio Show just about every night of the cruise and it goes out live on to the passenger TV System on board. I always go on his show every cruise as a guest and have a chat with him about our entertainment in general and any special events taking place.
Bye from the ‘Bay’!
Nigel
Hi readers, it’s the first day at sea of another cruise! We left our home port of Southampton yesterday at 5.00pm and are now heading across the Bay of Biscay to our first port of call at Vigo, Spain tomorrow.
I should let you know that I go on leave after this cruise so my days of blogging will be coming to an end!
This cruise is so different to the last (that was twenty five nights to the Med), this is a ten night cruise the Canary Islands, Vigo and Madeira. That is the real beauty of P&O Cruises itineraries, we give a great choice, and there is a cruise schedule to suit everybody.
As I told you yesterday we have a new cast on board for the Headliners Theatre Company and as I type this they are busy rehearsing in the Theatre Royal for tonight’s show, ‘Award’. They are performing four shows this cruise so they really have their work cut out!
We also have three cabaret acts to entertain the passengers this cruise: vocalist Ricky Zalez, Multi Instrumentalist Robin Good and the well known stand up comedian Johnny Casson. We have a concert pianist David Schofield, four bands and a cocktail pianist. The day time entertainment includes dance instructors, guest speakers and our after dinner speaker is the ex England Football Captain, Alan Mullery. Alan is a regular cruiser with us, not only in his capacity as an after dinner speaker but as a passenger! I have sailed many times when Alan has been on board with his wife Elizabeth on holiday. Alan is a real gentleman and his talk this cruise is entitled ‘Football in the past and present’.
This cruise we also have 105 children on board, so apart from our usual fantastic youth staff we also have a children’s entertainer. He will amaze and entertain the children with his magic shows.
The below photograph was taken of DJ Paul Franklin and myself on 8th November just before I was going to appear on his TV Show. Paul runs a TV/Radio Show just about every night of the cruise and it goes out live on to the passenger TV System on board. I always go on his show every cruise as a guest and have a chat with him about our entertainment in general and any special events taking place.
Bye from the ‘Bay’!
Nigel
Southampton 16th November 2009
Good morning from our home port of Southampton! We have just got back from our last cruise of twenty five nights and at 4.30pm we depart on a ten night cruise calling at Vigo, Spain, Lanzarote, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, and then finally Madeira before returning to Southampton.
I will let you know all about what entertainment we have scheduled for our passengers tomorrow.
The really big change for us today is that the cast of the Headliners Theatre Company change over. The outgoing team have been with us since 9th May and will now go their separate ways, maybe doing a Pantomime contract, back to working in musical theatre in the West End or even doing a national musical theatre tour, they may even be going off to join another ship. The incoming thirteen boys and girls have already been rehearsing in South London for the last six weeks, for some of them it will be their first contact with P&O Cruises Headliners Theatre Company but for others it could be another one of many. The incoming cast will be with us here on board Oriana until 16th June next year.
A team of creative staff will travel with the performers, on their first two cruises. Charlie Blair who is one of ‘Headliners’ Choreographers/Directors, Jessica Bedford Assistant Choreographer, two wardrobe personnel Katy Adeney and Syreeta Wootton and Head Boy/Dance Captain Richard Farr who will remain on board from the last cast to settle and guide the new Dance Captain.
Rehearsals in London are one thing, getting the shows up and running on board with a new cast are quite another! Like all of the ship’s company who newly join, the cast are taken through a number of safety inductions, we also require them to be aware of all the different rules and regulations on board. They will, as soon as they join, have costume fittings for the first of their shows ‘Award’ which is tomorrow night! Some of them will be straight out of dance/musical theatre colleges and apart from it being their very first job they will not have been on a ship before and may never have even lived away from home! Last but not least, a ship is a moving platform, and to perform on board is very different than in a theatre at home!
I know all the of new cast will be thrilled and excited to be joining Oriana and to the ones who have not been with us before, this is probably the biggest adventure of their young lives!
We do all what we can to make them feel part of the team on board and settle them in quickly. The Production Manager, Deputy Cruise Director and myself will all talk to them as a group and make them feel as welcome as possible.
Not only does the new cast arrive, but we will also get new show sets delivered whilst the old ones are being landed. The same goes for the boxes of new and old costumes. It’s logistically challenging and I am sure it will be an interesting day!
I will be telling you throughout this next cruise how the new cast are getting on, and I’ll also take a photograph of them all so you can see who I am talking about!
I will be seeing my boss this morning, who is shore based here in our head office in Southampton. Morgan Van Selman is Entertainment Product Manager of P&O Cruises and he is the gentleman I report to.
Below are some photographs of Oriana from an area the passengers can only see from above! It is the crew deck, Promenade Deck Forward. On this area today the show sets and costumes for our new shows will be craned on, and from here they go straight in to the back stage area of the Theatre Royal for storage until required.
The crew deck as you can see has its own swimming pool and sports nets. The nets are used a great deal by the ship’s company for cricket and football practice and matches. This area is also used by those of the ship’s company who are fond of the sun, and that includes me!
Bye for now, see you tomorrow from the ‘Bay of Biscay’ southbound.
Nigel
I will let you know all about what entertainment we have scheduled for our passengers tomorrow.
The really big change for us today is that the cast of the Headliners Theatre Company change over. The outgoing team have been with us since 9th May and will now go their separate ways, maybe doing a Pantomime contract, back to working in musical theatre in the West End or even doing a national musical theatre tour, they may even be going off to join another ship. The incoming thirteen boys and girls have already been rehearsing in South London for the last six weeks, for some of them it will be their first contact with P&O Cruises Headliners Theatre Company but for others it could be another one of many. The incoming cast will be with us here on board Oriana until 16th June next year.
A team of creative staff will travel with the performers, on their first two cruises. Charlie Blair who is one of ‘Headliners’ Choreographers/Directors, Jessica Bedford Assistant Choreographer, two wardrobe personnel Katy Adeney and Syreeta Wootton and Head Boy/Dance Captain Richard Farr who will remain on board from the last cast to settle and guide the new Dance Captain.
Rehearsals in London are one thing, getting the shows up and running on board with a new cast are quite another! Like all of the ship’s company who newly join, the cast are taken through a number of safety inductions, we also require them to be aware of all the different rules and regulations on board. They will, as soon as they join, have costume fittings for the first of their shows ‘Award’ which is tomorrow night! Some of them will be straight out of dance/musical theatre colleges and apart from it being their very first job they will not have been on a ship before and may never have even lived away from home! Last but not least, a ship is a moving platform, and to perform on board is very different than in a theatre at home!
I know all the of new cast will be thrilled and excited to be joining Oriana and to the ones who have not been with us before, this is probably the biggest adventure of their young lives!
We do all what we can to make them feel part of the team on board and settle them in quickly. The Production Manager, Deputy Cruise Director and myself will all talk to them as a group and make them feel as welcome as possible.
Not only does the new cast arrive, but we will also get new show sets delivered whilst the old ones are being landed. The same goes for the boxes of new and old costumes. It’s logistically challenging and I am sure it will be an interesting day!
I will be telling you throughout this next cruise how the new cast are getting on, and I’ll also take a photograph of them all so you can see who I am talking about!
I will be seeing my boss this morning, who is shore based here in our head office in Southampton. Morgan Van Selman is Entertainment Product Manager of P&O Cruises and he is the gentleman I report to.
Below are some photographs of Oriana from an area the passengers can only see from above! It is the crew deck, Promenade Deck Forward. On this area today the show sets and costumes for our new shows will be craned on, and from here they go straight in to the back stage area of the Theatre Royal for storage until required.
The crew deck as you can see has its own swimming pool and sports nets. The nets are used a great deal by the ship’s company for cricket and football practice and matches. This area is also used by those of the ship’s company who are fond of the sun, and that includes me!
Bye for now, see you tomorrow from the ‘Bay of Biscay’ southbound.
Nigel
The Bay of Biscay
15th November 2009.
Good day from the Bay of Biscay, one of the most famous stretches of water in the world. If you are travelling to the Mediterranean from the UK or any part of northern Europe by sea you have to cross it! It has a rather fearsome reputation and I have been across it in every conceivable sea state and weather condition from flat calm to severe storm, from clear and sunny to pouring with rain, to even a snow storm! It is 350 nautical miles across, and so at our scheduled speed of 18.87 knots, from (Vigo to Southampton); the crossing of the ‘Bay’ will take around eighteen hours. We entered the ‘Bay’ last night rounding Cape Finisterre, Galicia, Spain at around 9.00pm. So we should be through the ‘Bay’ at around 3.00pm this afternoon as we pass around Ushant in Brittany, France. We then enter the English Channel and start our run up to Southampton.
It’s very sadly the last day of this cruise before Southampton tomorrow and our hectic turnaround; it has been a great Mediterranean cruise. Twenty five nights in all, fourteen ports of calls, a real voyage. The highlights for our passengers have been the beautiful days we spent in Venice and Istanbul; in both ports the weather was perfect. To have either Venice or Istanbul on a cruise itinerary is a highlight to say the least but to have them both in one cruise is simply outstanding.
The longer the cruise, the more challenging it is for the entertainment department! Just how do you entertain people for one night, let alone twenty five nights and twenty four days! What we do is give a whole choice and range of day and night time entertainment and that way there is something for everybody. It has been a super cruise, my team and I hope that the passengers have enjoyed it as much as we have.
I will be back tomorrow from our home port of Southampton. It’s going to be even busier than usual as our Headliners Theatre Company cast change, thirteen boys and girls off, thirteen new cast members on!
A photo galley of Vigo, Spain, which we called in to yesterday.
El Castro, built by Philip IV, King of Spain.
Good day from the Bay of Biscay, one of the most famous stretches of water in the world. If you are travelling to the Mediterranean from the UK or any part of northern Europe by sea you have to cross it! It has a rather fearsome reputation and I have been across it in every conceivable sea state and weather condition from flat calm to severe storm, from clear and sunny to pouring with rain, to even a snow storm! It is 350 nautical miles across, and so at our scheduled speed of 18.87 knots, from (Vigo to Southampton); the crossing of the ‘Bay’ will take around eighteen hours. We entered the ‘Bay’ last night rounding Cape Finisterre, Galicia, Spain at around 9.00pm. So we should be through the ‘Bay’ at around 3.00pm this afternoon as we pass around Ushant in Brittany, France. We then enter the English Channel and start our run up to Southampton.
It’s very sadly the last day of this cruise before Southampton tomorrow and our hectic turnaround; it has been a great Mediterranean cruise. Twenty five nights in all, fourteen ports of calls, a real voyage. The highlights for our passengers have been the beautiful days we spent in Venice and Istanbul; in both ports the weather was perfect. To have either Venice or Istanbul on a cruise itinerary is a highlight to say the least but to have them both in one cruise is simply outstanding.
The longer the cruise, the more challenging it is for the entertainment department! Just how do you entertain people for one night, let alone twenty five nights and twenty four days! What we do is give a whole choice and range of day and night time entertainment and that way there is something for everybody. It has been a super cruise, my team and I hope that the passengers have enjoyed it as much as we have.
I will be back tomorrow from our home port of Southampton. It’s going to be even busier than usual as our Headliners Theatre Company cast change, thirteen boys and girls off, thirteen new cast members on!
A photo galley of Vigo, Spain, which we called in to yesterday.
El Castro, built by Philip IV, King of Spain.
View from El Castro of the city of Vigo and Vigo Bay. Oriana can be seen at her berth in this shot. 
Cafe Bar O’Castro, for the very best creamy coffee and fresh croissants in town!
Myself outside Cafe Bar O’Castro, creamy coffee and fresh croissant at the ready!!
Two of the superb pieces of art work in Vigo.
Swimmer.
The Fishermen.
Oriana at her berth in Vigo 14th November 2009.
Bye from the ‘Bay’.
All the best
Cafe Bar O’Castro, for the very best creamy coffee and fresh croissants in town!Myself outside Cafe Bar O’Castro, creamy coffee and fresh croissant at the ready!!
Two of the superb pieces of art work in Vigo.Swimmer.
The Fishermen.
Oriana at her berth in Vigo 14th November 2009.
Bye from the ‘Bay’.
All the best
Vigo - Spain
14th November 2009.
Buenos Dias from Vigo, it is the largest city in Galicia Spain. Vigo has the largest fishing port in Europe. It’s a port we visit many, many times and is very popular with our passengers, I really do like it. If I get a spare couple of hours, I get the boots and jeans on and hike up to the Castle, (El Castro) that dominates the city. There is a cafe up there that does a wicked creamy coffee with fresh croissants and is always full of locals. I just love sitting up there and people watching.
In the last year a large shopping centre has been built just outside of the passenger terminal which is very popular with passengers and the ship’s company! What I really like about Vigo is its authenticity, it is a working Spanish City and is not touristy at all which for me is its greatest charm. Being a fishing port it has some of the best seafood restaurants in Europe and they are always full of the locals. What better recommendation can that be?
I will try to get up to the castle today and should have some ‘blog shots’ for you of the ‘El Castro’ tomorrow.
Today I am going to tell you about the ‘unsung heroes’ of the entertainment department, they are our Entertainment Production Team. Without these nine gentlemen our entertainment on board would come to a grinding halt! We have a Production Manager who reports to myself but runs his team; we then have two Deputy Production Mangers, two Entertainment Technicians, a Senior Entertainment Assistant and three Entertainment Assistants. Their past experience ranges from working in theatres, opera houses, conference centres, musical theatre tours, rock and pop tours etc etc.
Between them all they operate and run the sound, lights, and stage for our Headliners Theatre Company Production Shows, cabarets, classical recitals, game shows, etc. They also take care of and are responsible for all the day to day events and activities, setting up for the guest speakers and any lecturers we have onboard, which can be dance, bridge, art, language, craft etc. They also build the sets for the production shows, move and set up for the bands on board, and run sound and lights for our sail away parties.
The Production Manager is responsible for our stock holding, all stage safety requirements, pyrotechnics and entertainment environmental issues.
The team take care of all our sports gear; quoits, shuffleboard, table tennis, golf equipment, deck tennis, carpet bowls, deck football, deck cricket and even deck hockey!!!
If we have new sets or costumes arriving for our production shows, these chaps get it on board and stow it away.
It is also their job at Christmas to get all the decorations onboard!
Their list of responsibilities is just about endless; so as you can see, without them we could not operate!
Production Manager Alan Watson and Deputy Production Manager ‘Mitch’ Mitcham in the control booth of the Theatre Royal, 6th November.
The Entertainment Production Team 8th December.
Left to right, Clifford D’Costa, Shan Osman, Mike Barry, Mitch Mitcham, Sandash Chavan, Alvito Pineiro, Prisco Rodrigues and Alan Watson.
Entertainment Technician Iggy Fernandes at the controls on 7th November during the Headliners Theatre Company Show, Fun Al Fresco.
Fun Al Fresco being performed by the Headliners Theatre Company on deck at the Riviera Pool Area 7th November.
I will have tales of the ‘Bay of Biscay’ tomorrow!
Adios
Nigel
Buenos Dias from Vigo, it is the largest city in Galicia Spain. Vigo has the largest fishing port in Europe. It’s a port we visit many, many times and is very popular with our passengers, I really do like it. If I get a spare couple of hours, I get the boots and jeans on and hike up to the Castle, (El Castro) that dominates the city. There is a cafe up there that does a wicked creamy coffee with fresh croissants and is always full of locals. I just love sitting up there and people watching.
In the last year a large shopping centre has been built just outside of the passenger terminal which is very popular with passengers and the ship’s company! What I really like about Vigo is its authenticity, it is a working Spanish City and is not touristy at all which for me is its greatest charm. Being a fishing port it has some of the best seafood restaurants in Europe and they are always full of the locals. What better recommendation can that be?
I will try to get up to the castle today and should have some ‘blog shots’ for you of the ‘El Castro’ tomorrow.
Today I am going to tell you about the ‘unsung heroes’ of the entertainment department, they are our Entertainment Production Team. Without these nine gentlemen our entertainment on board would come to a grinding halt! We have a Production Manager who reports to myself but runs his team; we then have two Deputy Production Mangers, two Entertainment Technicians, a Senior Entertainment Assistant and three Entertainment Assistants. Their past experience ranges from working in theatres, opera houses, conference centres, musical theatre tours, rock and pop tours etc etc.
Between them all they operate and run the sound, lights, and stage for our Headliners Theatre Company Production Shows, cabarets, classical recitals, game shows, etc. They also take care of and are responsible for all the day to day events and activities, setting up for the guest speakers and any lecturers we have onboard, which can be dance, bridge, art, language, craft etc. They also build the sets for the production shows, move and set up for the bands on board, and run sound and lights for our sail away parties.
The Production Manager is responsible for our stock holding, all stage safety requirements, pyrotechnics and entertainment environmental issues.
The team take care of all our sports gear; quoits, shuffleboard, table tennis, golf equipment, deck tennis, carpet bowls, deck football, deck cricket and even deck hockey!!!
If we have new sets or costumes arriving for our production shows, these chaps get it on board and stow it away.
It is also their job at Christmas to get all the decorations onboard!
Their list of responsibilities is just about endless; so as you can see, without them we could not operate!
Production Manager Alan Watson and Deputy Production Manager ‘Mitch’ Mitcham in the control booth of the Theatre Royal, 6th November.
The Entertainment Production Team 8th December.
Left to right, Clifford D’Costa, Shan Osman, Mike Barry, Mitch Mitcham, Sandash Chavan, Alvito Pineiro, Prisco Rodrigues and Alan Watson.
Entertainment Technician Iggy Fernandes at the controls on 7th November during the Headliners Theatre Company Show, Fun Al Fresco.
Fun Al Fresco being performed by the Headliners Theatre Company on deck at the Riviera Pool Area 7th November.
I will have tales of the ‘Bay of Biscay’ tomorrow!
Adios
Nigel
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