Ramblings of a Salty Seadog

When taking up a career as a P&O Pursers officer back in the 70’s, you were not just signing up to pen push and count cash you were also...

I would say the Purser’s office was the heart of the ship, of course the deck department and engineering department might argue...

In the early 1970 work started on El Salado wharf (where the current cruise terminal is located), making Puerto Vallarta the first...

If you remember the early days of Princess Cruises, then you will surely remember Pietro Corsi who was VP Hotel services for Princess...

When I joined SS Oriana as my first ship in 1973, I was informed that a ship was like a floating city and with almost all services...

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

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....

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...