My thoughts - Mail redirection

This is what the post office have to say about setting up mail redirection: How do I set up a Redirection?

1. All you need to do is fill in a redirection form, available from your local Post Office™.
2. You can pay by cash or cheque (with a guarantee card).
3. And you'll also need two forms of original ID: one of each from the list on your application form dated within the last six months (for bills, statements etc.)
4. ID for each different surname at the same address
5. Next, just pop it in the post along with your payments and ID - using the Freepost envelope provided.
6. We accept joint cheques and ID, as long as both surnames are shown clearly.
   

Don't forget: If everyone on the form has the same surname, we only need to see ID from the main applicant

1. Everyone who wants their mail redirected must sign the aplication form
2. Children under 16 need their forms signed by their parent or guardian
3. Make copies of all your ID before sending the originals to us. We'll return the originals to you in ten working days
4. We'll write to confirm when your redirection will start

How long does it take to set up?
Normally five working days from receipt of your application, as long as we receive your fully completed form, along with your ID and payment. We won't accept applications without valid ID for each surname.

How long does it last?
You can have your mail redirected to a temporary or permanent new address for up to two years.

What happens if something goes wrong?
You may be entitled to a goodwill payment if something goes wrong but you need to make your complaint within one month of the incident

So, this is worth exploring to save ending up with a pile of post sticking out of the door, but great care has to be taken over the setting up in time for holiday. I must make sure that my passport and drivers liscence are not the items required because - in all fairness I cant afford to lose these items just before a three month holiday.

I must sneek to the post office and find out about the specifics of Mail redirection. I am happy to flash my passport to local staff - but I wouldnt trust Royal Mail with anything so important - and certainly not when time is critical! If you had read my other blog you would know just how much I hate the postal service - it gives me that sick feeling way too often.

My thoughts - What am I taking

P&O Cruises Official Website Any questions

OK - to save you going off to look at the page here is briefly what it says: What should I pack?

1. Don't forget those essential extras, specifically if you have a favourite brand of sun-cream or pair of sunglasses.
2. For hotter climes it would also be advisable to pack some insect repellent to help avoid irritating insect bites. If you are taking any personal medication, please ensure you bring sufficient to last the duration of the cruise.
3. Dressing gowns are only provided in suite accommodation. Towels are provided for the bathroom. For the swimming pool, towels are provided at the poolside.
4. Also, don't forget your camera!
5. However, in the event that you do forget anything, our on board shops are very well stocked with 'ordinary everyday' goods.

The secret of packing for a P&O Cruises holiday is "keep it simple".

1. By day, casual shirts, shorts and beachwear are ideal.
2. For going ashore and walking on deck, flat comfortable shoes are a must.
3. You’ll also need a lightweight jacket or coat for cool evenings and occasional showers.
4. Don’t forget sun protection cream, a sun hat and sunglasses – the sun is much stronger at sea!
5. A spare pair of glasses and an ample supply of any medicines you’re taking are a good idea.
6. Although cruising isn’t nearly as formal as it once was, people still love to dress up and we have a variety of Formal, Informal and Smart Casual evenings.
7. On formal evenings, for ladies this is the opportunity to wear something glamorous and dressy such as a formal evening or cocktail outfit. For men a dinner jacket or tuxedo are the norm, otherwise a suit and tie is fine.
8. On Informal evenings many gentlemen will feel comfortable with a jacket and tie, others will be pleased to know that smart shirts that do not require a tie and can be worn with a linen jacket or blazer-style jacket are also in order. For ladies the options range from tailored trousers to cocktail dresses, while for Smart Casual evenings stylish resort or leisurewear is ideal, eg open-necked shirt and long trousers for men (jackets are most definitely not required), casual separates or dresses for ladies. We would request that sportswear, eg trainers and track suits are not worn.
9. Bring your brightest clothes for our Tropical evening. Don’t worry if you do forget something as our shops on board carry a wide range of leisure wear and formal clothing. As a guide there are normally four Formal evenings, four Informal evenings and six Smart Casual evenings on a two week cruise. However, in extremely hot temperatures these suggested dress codes may be relaxed. For example, for Arcadia and Oceana’s Caribbean seasons, there will be four Formal nights and ten Smart Casual nights.

So, what can one assume on a 12 week cruise which covers equator to pole (with a strong equator bias) I will work on 8 weeks being equivilent to the caribbean season and 4 weeks on a more traditional split of formal to informal.

So for the cooler climate I look to double the figures provided in point 9. This gives me 8 formal, 8 informal, 12 casual. For the warmer climate times I have to quadruple the figures. 16 formal 40 smart casual. I make this the following likely breakdown of dinnerware required

• 24 Formal
• 8 Informal
• 52 Smart casual

I sure hope the boat doesnt just have a laundry but also a dry cleaning facility. I do not think many Tuxedos would take being washed and i know my posh dresses are dry clean only!!

P&O directions

I have looked around the P&O website for days when you add the odd hours together here and there - but today was the first time I have seen road directions. I wonder if they appear periodically before a cruise commences - I have seen a couple of ships heading back towards the UK.

Anyway here is what P&O says about directions:

Car Travel

Below are directions into Southampton using the M3 and M27 (eastbound) routes from the M3.

1. Exit the M3 at Junction 14 and join the M27 for Poole.
2. Exit the M27 at junction 3 and join the M271, heading towards Totton.
3. At the roundabout at the end of the M271 take the exit towards Southampton (A3024 - Mountbatten Way).
4. Turn off the A3024 where signs direct you to Dock Gate 10 and Ocean Village.
5. At the first set of traffic lights (opposite the Novotel Hotel) turn right into Southern Road.
6. After the security gatehouse, turn right at the roundabout, proceed approximately 250-300 metres, taking your next left. Public car parking is available taking your next left approximately 200 metres on the left.

The website also has a section "From the M27 (Eastbound)" but that is just the above directions without Step 1. Guess it isnt rocket science to miss that step

For all other routes, please use the AA RouteFinder link provided below.

Web link: The AA Routefinder
Web link: Google map showing where to find Dock Gate 10

I hope this is going to prove helpful nearer the time! At least now i will always have the directions should they disappear again from the web

My thoughts - Manaus, destination for birthday weekend

The P&O website has loads to say about Manaus:

"New York was built on granite, London on clay. But Manaus was built on rubber. As the furthest navigable port on the Amazon, some 1,000 miles from the ocean, the city sprang up as a centre for rubber exports from the Brazilian plantations and became a focal point for trade.
Taking its name from the Manaos Indians who inhabited the region, the city became a huge boomtown at the end of the 19th century, as more and more rubber was harvested from the surrounding rain forest.

As the economy thrived, the locals erected monuments to their success. The most flamboyant being the huge golden-domed Opera House, which was imported, stone by laborious stone, from Europe. At its height, it also boasted palatial mansions and a hedonistic life-style.
Nowadays, the rubber industry has died away, but the city, with its vast crumbling civic building, remains a fascinating gaudy metropolis, set amidst a sea of dense rain forest. "

This blurb makes the place sound exciting and worth visiting but what is definately worth remembering is when you view the Quickbird images of Manaus you see it is a huge city with a central business district, surrounded by residential areas surrounded by poorer residential areas. Very much like any other city. Much like London the town spreads itself along the river bank, but due to the width of the Amazon the city is entirely on one side of the river.

Am I getting excited about spending my birthday in a city like any other city? What am I expecting? What am I doing? I cant help but recall the words of my Rough Guide to South America which basically says that Brazil is one of the places in South America where you are most likely to run into trouble. Should I be spending my evening on the boat? Is the idea of spending my fortieth birthday up an ancient ruin with a bottle of local hooch no more than a pipe dream that is likely to leave me moneyless, passportless, and possibly even dead? Does doing this trip alone put me at more risk than actually travelling with someone? Is the independence of travelling alone worth the personal cost?

Which reminds me, I must get my will sorted out.

Want to add a comment?

One of my friends visited my blog asked how they and the children could leave comments on the blog. Once you know how it is really simple...

... At the end of each posting, there is a line that indicates who posted the posting. In the same line, there is a link that says "Comments," which identifies how many comments have been left.

Step 1
Click on the word "comments," and a box appears with instructions.

Step 2
Type your comment in the space provided.

Step 3
Below the space where you typed your comment, you will see a set of letters that look like they have been stretched. Type these letters into the "Word Verification" box that appears below them. This is a feature designed to stop spammers from having computers automatically leave comments on a blog.

Step 4
Choose an identity. If you have a Google or Blogger account, you can choose the first choice and identify yourself this way. Otherwise, choose "Other" or "Anonymous" . I will not be offended if you want to remain anonymous!

Step 5
Finally, click on "Publish Your Comment." (You can preview the comment before this if you want to and make changes.)

My step 1
Whenever a comment is posted, I am notified by email so that I can check over the comments. I am looking for two things:

• personal details about me that may make it possible for me to be identified. This is a concern because being away for three months it could put my home security at risk; and just as importabtly anything which may lead to personal identity as theft.
• offensive material, spam, and anything 'inappropriate'.

I do not intend to censure people - but some people find it funny to post purely for offence.

My step 2
Once I have checked over the posting it will appear on the blog.

Once comments have been left on the blog, anybody can read them by clicking the "Comments" link at the end of the posting. When there are multiple comments to a posting, they appear in the order they were made.


I will try and post these instructions again just before I sail - so - if you follow these instructions and find them confusing please let me know so I can amend them before reposting.

THAT is it! Good luck, I hope to hear from you soon.

My thoughts - Is the cruise fully booked yet?

Wow, what can I say - all the expensive cabins have been booked already!! This really doesnt bode well for the potential 'upgrade' the lady who took my deposit mentioned.

I was hoping that I might get an upgrade to a room with a balcony and have it all to myself. Alas it seems that there is a waiting list for people wanting those kind of rooms. Aah me - no chance of that upgrade it seems.

Grade . . Availability . . . Broc. price . . . Discount . . . Price you pay
Suite
AA . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £62,129 . . . . £27,959 . . . . . . . £34,170
AB . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £47,099 . . . . £21,195 . . . . . . . £25,904
AC . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £43,329 . . . . £19,499 . . . . . . . £23,830
Stateroom with balcony
CA . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £32,179 . . . . £14,481 . . . . . . . £17,698
CB . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £30,529 . . . . £13,739 . . . . . . . £16,790
CC . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £29,429 . . . . £13,244 . . . . . . . £16,185
Twin cabin with balcony
IA . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £24,229 . . . . £10,904 . . . . . . . £13,325
IB . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £23,449 . . . . £10,553 . . . . . . . £12,896
IC . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £23,249 . . . . £10,463 . . . . . . . £12,786
Outside twin cabin
KA . . . . Limited . . . . . £18,179 . . . . £8,181 . . . . . . . £9,998
KB . . . . Available . . . . . £17,879 . . . . £8,046 . . . . . . . £9,833
KC . . . . Available . . . . . £17,529 . . . . £7,888 . . . . . . . £9,641
KD . . . .Available . . . . . £17,049 . . . . £7,673 . . . . . . . £9,376
KE . . . . Available . . . . . £16,949 . . . . £7,628 . . . . . . . £9,321
KF . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £17,429 . . . . £7,844 . . . . . . . £9,585
KG . . . . Waitlist . . . . . £17,149 . . . . £7,718 . . . . . . . £9,431
MA . . . .Available . . . . . £15,999 . . . . £7,200 . . . . . . . £8,799
MB . . . .Available . . . . . £15,929 . . . . £7,168 . . . . . . . £8,761
MC . . . .Available . . . . . £15,849 . . . . £7,133 . . . . . . . £8,716
MD . . . .Limited . . . . . £15,649 . . . . £7,043 . . . . . . . £8,606
ME . . . .Waitlist . . . . . £15,349 . . . . £6,908 . . . . . . . £8,441
NA . . . .Limited . . . . . £14,929 . . . . £6,719 . . . . . . . £8,210
NB . . . .Available . . . . . £14,879 . . . . £6,696 . . . . . . . £8,183
NC . . . .Limited . . . . . £14,779 . . . . £6,651 . . . . . . . £8,128

Now I think about it - lets just hope that I am lucky enough not to have to share - I think that it would be even better perk. Watch this space in December for what actually happens :D

My thoughts - Two people, one cabin safe.

There are 1001 questions I am going to want to ask between now and when I get on the boat. Hopefully the staff wont get too fed up of me between now and then. I will try not to ask any SILLY questions, but a question is a question and 3 months is a long time to be unhappy with something.

Anyway here is my first enquiry:

PO Cruise enquiry
Name: johanna *******
Email: *******
Phone: *******
Comment: Artemis: A south American Odyssey. *******As a single person I am quite disappointed that charges arent per room and I have found it necessary to cabin share to make this cruise affordable. So, my concern is FAIRLY simple. How can I ensure the safety of my possessions in a shared cabin? Are there two safes in a cabin? Is there a central safe where people can leave valuables/money? MANY thanks Johanna

Anyway here is the reply to my first enquiry:

Dear Mrs *******

Thank you for your email.

I regret to advise that there is only one safe within the cabin. If you are sharing a cabin with someone, I would suggest that you discuss who would leave their belongings in the safe, as the other passenger can leave their personal items in the safe deposit boxes, which are found in Reception. I hope this information has helped to answer your enquiry and look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

Kind regards
Claire *******
P&O Cruises


I confess I am hoping that I beat my fellow traveller to the room and can claim the safe for myself. If the other person beats me to it- I am hoping that they wont be making the full trip - that way for at least some of the journey I will be on my own and I can use the fact that I will get more use out of the safe than the other person!!

I hope this isnt being sneeky - I see it as just being practical!

My thoughts - Why remove the loungers?

The Oriana is now at Vung Tau (for Ho Chi Minh City), and the staff in thier cute white uniforms with thier white matey style caps are taking the sun loungers of the deck right now.

I wonder why? Is it a party? Is it the Soviet rule? Anyone got any ideas?

Who was this Artemis?

The daughter of Leto and Zeus, and the twin of Apollo. Artemis is the goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals. Artemis was one of the Olympians and a virgin goddess. Her main vocation was to roam mountain forests and uncultivated land with her nymphs in attendance hunting for lions, panthers, hinds and stags. She was armed with a bow and arrows which were made by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.

Being a goddess of contradictions, she was the protectress of women in labor, but it was said that the arrows of Artemis brought them sudden death while giving birth. As was her brother, Apollo, Artemis was a divinity of healing, but also brought and spread diseases such as leprosy, rabies and even gout.

She was often depicted with the crescent of the moon above her forehead and was sometimes identified with Selene (goddess of the moon).

The worship of Artemis

Artemis was worshiped in most Greek cities but only as a secondary deity. However, to the Greeks in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) she was a prominent deity. In Ephesus, a principal city of Asia Minor, a great temple was built in her honor, which became one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". But at Ephesus she was worshiped mainly as a fertility goddess, and was identified with Cybele the mother goddess of eastern lands. The cult statues of the Ephesian Artemis differ greatly from those of mainland Greece, whereas she is depicted as a huntress with her bow and arrows. Those found at Ephesus show her in the eastern style, standing erect with numerous nodes on her chest. There have been many theories as to what they represent. Some say they are breasts, others that they are bulls testes which were sacrificed to her. Which is the true interpretation remains uncertain, but each represent fertility.

There were festivals in honor of Artemis, such as the Brauronia, which was held in Brauron; and the festival of Artemis Orthia, held at Sparta, when young Spartan boys would try to steal cheeses from the altar. As they tried they would be whipped, the meaning of Orthia and the nature of the ritual whipping has been lost and there is no logical explanation or translation. Among the epithets given to Artemis are: Potnia Theron(mistress of wild animals) this title was mentioned by the great poet Homer; Kourotrophos (nurse of youth's); Locheia (helper in childbirth); Agrotera (huntress); and Cynthia (taken from her birthplace on Mount Cynthus on Delos).

When young girls reached puberty they were initiated into her cult, but when they decided to marry, which Artemis was not against, they were asked to lay in front of the altar all the paraphernalia of their virginity, toys, dolls and locks of their hair, they then left the domain of the virgin goddess.

Artemis the guardian of young children and patron of women in childbirth
Artemis was born one day before her brother Apollo. Her mother gave birth to her on the island of Ortygia, then, almost immediately after her birth, she helped her mother to cross the straits over to Delos, where she then delivered Apollo. This was the beginning of her role as guardian of young children and patron of women in childbirth.

Artemis the Chaste

Being associated with chastity, Artemis at an early asked her father, the great god Zeus, to grant her eternal virginity. Also, all her companions were virgins. Artemis was very protective of her purity, and gave grave punishment to any man who attempted to dishonor her in any form.

Actaeonwhile out hunting, accidentally came upon Artemis bathing naked in a secluded pool. Seeing them in all their naked beauty, the stunned Actaeon stopped and gazed at them, but when Artemis saw him ogling them, she transformed him into a stag. Then, incensed with disgust, she set his own hounds upon him. They chased and killed what they thought was another stag, but it was their master.

Artemis and Orion

There are a number of tales of the death of Orion(a giant and a great hunter) one involving Artemis. It is said that he tried to rape the virgin goddess, so killed him with her bow and arrows. Another says she conjured up a scorpion which killed Orion and his dog. Orion became a constellation in the night sky, and his dog became Sirius, the dog star. Yet another version says it was the scorpion which stung him and was transformed into the constellation with Orion, the later being Scorpio.

Artemis and the Battle of Troy

Artemis was very possessive. She would show her wrath on anyone who disobeyed her wishes, especially against her sacred animals. Even the great hero Agamemnon came upon the wrath of Artemis, when he killed a stag in her sacred grove. His punishment came when his ships were becalmed, while he made his way to besiege Troy. With no winds to sail his ships he was told by the seer Calchas that the only way Artemis would bring back the winds was for him to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Some versions say he did sacrifice Iphigenia, others that Artemis exchanged a deer in her place, and took Iphigenia to the land of the Tauri (the Crimea) as a priestess, to prepare strangers for sacrifice to Artemis.

My thoughts - Thank goodness it isnt a live webstream

I have been getting more and more excited over my holiday as the days have gone by. Considering I only booked the holiday just over a week ago I think I will become absolutely annoying to my friends well before I actually board the ship.

Anyway, I have just been chatting to Deb and I sent her a link to the P&O website. While I was talking to her she managed to find a way of looking inside my cabin.

Can you believe it - from the website you can tour ANY room. Wow. The room looks very nice check out P611 for yourself! P&O Cruises Official Website Virtual Tour

How great to see your room before you get onboard!

My thoughts - Transport accessability

Having agreed to spend £10,000 on a cruise you would hope that the extras don’t keep on piling up... but they do. Right now, I want to talk about travel costs.

I have been forced to give up my privacy or to pay double the costs to join the cruise in the first place but this is where the problems only begin. I confess that even now I am angered by the cruise liners discrimination about single people (and will look into that later - trust me) but that only seems to be the tip of the iceberg (Hmm. Iceberg, cruise-liner. Antarctic, global warming. Let’s not go there)

The best thing about traveling on a cruise liner is the luggage limit. P&O allow you to take as much luggage as you like (as long as it fits in the cabin) but they ask that no single item of luggage exceeds 30 kilos. I have to say that apart from the fact it is impossible to establish how much fits in a cabin without actually going inside one that that is a FANTASTIC piece of news. Lets face it a three month cruise which covers everything from the arctic circle to the equator means an extensive variety of clothing; that has to be made even more difficult by the fact that you need casual wear, smart wear and formal wear – not to mention swim wear. Ooh lets not forget three months worth of medication and ‘personal bits’!

So, what do I envisage taking on this trip? One large suitcase, possibly a rucksack with my laptop in it, and one or two other large holdall of clothes and personal effects. I guess that’s a lot of luggage, but I am a girlie, and do need to dress for a wide selection of conditions! So, with a potential of 4 items of luggage the logistics of actually getting to the Artemis becomes a significant challenge. A rucksack can be carried on your back but I know from experience that even two pieces of luggage can be a real nightmare to travel with.

So, how do I get to the Artemis?

Route 1
Cab to local underground station and travel to Waterloo having changed at Embankment station.
Mainline train from Waterloo station to Southampton.
Cab from Southampton Station to P&O Departure lounge.

Route 2
Cab to local underground station and travel to Victoria station.
Manhandle luggage from Victoria station to Victoria coach station.
Take P&O coach to P&O Departure lounge.

Route 3
Cab to local underground station and travel to Victoria station.
Manhandle luggage from Victoria station to Victoria coach station.
Take any coach to Southampton
Take cab from Southampton coach drop off point to P&O Departure lounge.

Route 4
Drive down to P&O Departure lounge
Park in P&O approved car park.
CPS - Parking Services

Route 5
Find a friend willing to drive down and see me off.

Do you realise that it would cost £415 to use their car park for a 84 night cruise? You spend £10,000 on a holiday and they want a further £415 to park locally. Why do they not offer a courtesy minibus from the station? Is this just an attempt to take MORE money from my pocket? I think it probably is.

I confess that route 5 is my favoured route, but its a fair old journey for someone, so I rather than as I decided to look into parking. It is a great blessing for me that while I have been looking into this quagmire Jan, a dear friend, has offered to drive me there - and bring me back! My friends ARE my greatest blessing.

P&O Cruises Official Website | Artemis Cruise P718 - Artemis South American Odyssey Ports and Excursions

P&O Cruises Official Website Artemis Cruise P718 - Artemis South American Odyssey Ports and Excursions


Up until now I have written my thoughts down quite happily. I have asked a number of questions that were open for answers and discussion, I have asked which could easily have been taken as rhetorical; but now I ask a question for which I truly want an answer.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like being prepared for things. My question right now is what should I be doing on my 40th birthday. I am aware that P&O don’t release their excursion list until shortly before the trip but using last trips selection of excursions I am still at a loss as to how I should be celebrating my birthday.

People who know me better will probably have the advantage, but who knows we are all full of surprises and even I might go for ‘something different.’

Perhaps it is too early to worry about it at the moment, but I would hate to not get my choice because I was too slow in picking; for almost any other day it would be less important, but I really want my birthday to be one to remember.

Do I want to spend my birthday in the middle of the Amazon drinking the local hooch? Which tours should I take?

I am confused in a way I rarely am.