Ramblings of a Salty Seadog

When P&O acquired Princess Cruise in 1974 Island Princess’s first cruise season was basically Mexican Cruising. Pacific Princess joined...

My first 21 months at sea whizzed past, they were exciting and thrilling, with many new experiences and challenges. The first twelve...

Joining Oriana back in I973 as a junior assistant purser I did not realise the extent that I would be involved with entertaining the...

How times have changed. Back in the day it was the Cruise Director and his staff along with willing members of the ship's company that...

Spirit of London with P & 0 Funnel in 1972 Spirit of London was to have been a sistership to Norwegian Caribbean Line's Southward, to be...

In 1974 P & O which by 1960 had become the world's largest shipping company, with 320 oceangoing vessels, acquired Princess Cruise Lines....

Having set sail on my maiden voyage as Junior Assistant Purser on Oriana in November 1973 we headed out of Southampton, after a brief...

What a treat to leave Pago Pago in America Samoa early in 1974. Flower petals are sprinkled over Oriana from the cable car as she departs...

Coming from a middle-class working background l was a little surprised when I joined P&O to find that rank and class still had a large...

There was always great excitement when two P&O liners passed by each other. Here we are Mediterranean cruising in the summer of 1974. Fun...

Here you have the original team on Island Pricess when the ship was taken over by P & O in 1974 with Captain Biddick at the helm. We are...

Before we finished our induction training at Beaufort House, we had of course to get our Merchant navy discharge book and Seaman ID. I am...

Having left Australia in spring 1974 we voyage back to the UK on Oriana. San Fransisco is always a great place to visit. Back in 1974 ...

At the end of my first voyage with P&O we left Sydney to return to the UK in the Spring of 1974. The atmosphere was fantastic, the...

Recently I was in the Aldgate area of London and thought I would retrace my youth trying to find Beaufort House, St Botolph Street where...

Joining your first ship I remember how excited I was to join SS Oriana for a training cruise as a Purser Cadet. It was a seven-day cruise...

Shock horror the Duchess is a man. HOW DID IT ALL START We have been visiting the quirky bohemian island of Key West, Florida for more...