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.