On 1 January 1954, Oronsay left Sydney on the first Orient Line transpacific voyage to Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, Victoria, Vancouver and San Francisco, returning via the same ports.

Liner services were producing dwindling returns as jet airliner services between Europe and Australia expanded and Oronsay spent more and more time as a cruise ship, but, with declining passenger numbers, P&O could not sustain its large passenger fleet,[citation needed] withdrawals beginning in 1972.

The large rises in the oil price in 1973/4 were the final straw and Oronsay was withdrawn from service, the penultimate example of the six post war 28,000 ton types (Arcadia sailed on until 1979).

On 7 October 1975 she arrived at Kaohsiung to be broken up by the Nan Feng Steel Enterprise Co.[3] Oronsay was one of the ships seen in the 1958 British comedy film The Captain's Table.

Stock footage of all three post war Orient ships was used to depict the fictional SS Queen Adelaide and some scenes were shot on board at Tilbury Docks.