Ally

Fireworks lit up the sky over Southampton last night as the city based cruise ship Aurora left on a voyage that will take her to the other side of the world.

The P&O Cruises ship will be away for a total of 103 nights before returning to Southampton early on the morning of April 22.

Aurora, right, will cross the Atlantic to South America where she will round Cape Horn on January, 31, before a Pacific passage to New Zealand, Australia and on to the Far East.

The ship will then set a course back across the Pacific, transit the Panama Canal and cruise through the Caribbean on her way to Southampton.

Aurora passengers paid anything from £8,800 up to more than £30,000 each to be on board for the complete voyage.

A firework display has become a regular part of ship departures as vessels leave the docks for long winter cruises.

Last week Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 set sail from Southampton on her 25th annual world cruise to the sound of fireworks and on Monday evening as P&O Cruises' ship, Oriana prepared to leave for a 94 night long circumnavigation there was a glittering display over the Western Docks.

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Ally - CruisingTalk Administrator

1965 - Cunard Queen Mary
1967 - Cunard Queen Elizabeth
1970 - Cunard Queen Elizabeth 2
1971 - P&O Oriana
1972 - SS France
1975 - SS Leopard
1977 - P&O Canberra
2005 - NCL Norwegian Jewel - Shakedown Cruise - Jersey
2005/6 - NCL Norwegian Crown - Chile, Cape Horn, Falkland Islands, Uruguay & Argentina - Christmas/New Year cruise
2006 - Fred Olsen Braemar Mini Cruise - Amsterdam & Zeebrugge
2007 - Fred Olsen Braemar Transatlantic - Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Bermuda & Azores
2007 - Fred Olsen Braemar Mini Cruise - Guernsey & Amsterdam
2007 - NCL Norwegian Gem - Shakedown Cruise - Amsterdam
2008 - Costa Allegra - Hong Kong, Philippines, Borneo, Brunei, Singapore, Saigon, Da-Nang & Sanya

Coming up next.....

10/10/2009 - Costa Classica - Grand Oriental Cruise - Shanghai, Nagasaki, Tokyo, Kobe, Naha, Keelung and Hong Kong - 16 Nights Cruising in: 274 day(s), 17 hour(s), 16 minute(s)

middy

A world cruise sound heaven. Pity I have so many years till retirement.

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Middy


Cruises completed on.
Edinburgh Castle, Thomson Topaz, MV Van Gogh (2) Thomson Emerald. Airtours Seawing. Thomson Spirit. Princess Sun. Thomson Celebration (2). Splendour of the Seas. Celebrity Constellation. Fred Olsen Braemar.Thomson Calypso (2). NCL Gem, Celebrity Century, Independence of the Seas. P&O Artemis