Oriana is looking as good as new but chef Marco is left under the weather

The distinct aroma of new carpets still hangs in the air on P&O cruise ship Oriana, back home briefly after its first cruise since the recent multi-million pound re-fit to adapt it to an adult-only vessel.
The kids’ club is gone, replaced by 27 new cabins, two of them dinky little singles at the stern. It was interesting to discover that not all the fittings from the club ended up in a skip at the Hamburg shipyard where Oriana’s dry-dock refit took place; a few “heritage” items have been placed in storage, and some pieces of equipment have gone to other vessels in the fleet.
Lots of new flooring has been laid throughout the ship, from the atrium area outside reception on Deck 5, past the photo gallery and Lord’s Tavern on Deck 7, to the completely re-fitted Oasis Spa on Deck 12.
And today, while I had a look round, the vacuum cleaners were getting rid of the Christmas glitter clinging to the deep pile as the decorations were being taken down for another year.
Work was still going on to complete the last of the renovations, particularly around the new Sunset Bar which has been created alongside the former children’s pool at the stern. It’s going to be the best place to relax on the ship, once it reaches warmer waters. The spa looked particularly resplendent, with its new relaxation area (above) and the popular Al Fresco cafe was more inviting than ever with its new tables and chairs (below).
Passengers were queuing to check in for the 97-night circumnavigation via Suez to Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Honolulu, San Francisco and the Panama Canal as I did my quick tour and sat down to lunch in the new Ocean Grill restaurant with chef Marco Pierre White.
We tucked into two of his signature dishes – deep-fried soft-shelled crab, and a fillet steak and king prawn surf ‘n’ turf combo.
The usually ebullient Marco was not at his best – a bout of flu not only left him under the weather but also meant he would not be able to join the cruise, as planned, for the first few days to Oporto. The ship’s doctor advised him to stay at home rather than spend the next few days mingling with passengers at book signings.