We promised you more about engines - the ship has been running on one engine since we arrived in Muscat. The effects of this problem have been twofold really. Firstly it has meant late arrival to Dubai and therefore an expected even later arrival in Mumbai. Secondly the ship has been vibrating continuously for 3 days. Thinking back, it didn't sound too healthy leaving Southampton, but we are told that was to do with changing gear (oh yeah!!!), and a couple more t...

After 4 leisurely days at sea we arrived in Muscat, Oman today 21 January. Surprisingly the temperature has not risen significantly yet and we even felt a few drops of rain during the day. Again, we decided to do our own thing rather than an organised tour. After being dropped off at the port gates we negotiated a rate for a taxi for 3 hours. There were highlights of Muscat which we really wanted to see and the driver was happy to oblige. En route to the Grand M...

We continue to enjoy life aboard Oriana. Our concerns that we might not enjoy the sea days were unfounded. Now that temperatures are in the high 20s and the sun is shining we spend most of the day on deck reading, writing the blog and,people watching, the latter being a fascinating study into the psychology of the human race as you can probably imagine!!! Our preference is to sit at the back, sorry, aft, as it is more open than the sun decks in the middle of the ...

Today is the first of 4 days at sea as we sail south east along the Red Sea towards the Gulf of Aden - pirate territory. Although only one attempt has ever been made to capture a cruise ship, here, on board, security is being taken very seriously. Preparations have been in place for a few days now to ensure the ship and those on board are kept safe as we sail through the area renowned for hijacks by Somali pirates. The area in which they operate in the Gulf of Ad...

We arrived bright and early to Sharm - clear skies and wall to wall sunshine, albeit a bit chilly. A Costa cruise ship had beaten us to the only berth alongside; clearly their captain had taken the shortcut, as Italian captains seem wont to do! We noticed it was strongly tied to the dock, presumably to prevent it rolling on its side. Coincidentally our captain, known to us as Dave, had broadcast earlier in the day, to calm the twittering masses by assuring us tha...