Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Where EXACTLY do we dock??

For any fellow passengers who will be on the same legs of the Oriana and Arcadia "Round the World" cruises as us - and if you have an enquiring mind as to just exactly where we dock, berth or tender to in our many port stops - you can see at the following links to Google Maps what I have ascertained so far.         For OrianaFor Arcadia

If you ZOOM right in to any of the ports shown, you will see exactly where the ship berths (as far as I can ascertain). If anybody knows of any errors, then please let me know. I figure it is important to know just where the ship docks in each of these ports, as it can give us an idea of whether we can simply stroll around in that local area before, after or instead of taking a ship's shore tour. For example, you can see that in Acapulco, it is quite a short walk to the famous place where they do the cliff diving - only a little over 1 kilometre.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Dress for Dinner???

I have just discovered in our online "Cruise Personaliser" that P&O have now advised the different onboard dress codes for the ship during  the 6 week cruise on Oriana to Southampton ("Dress of the Day", as we used to call them in my Navy days). There will be 13 FORMAL , 9 SEMI-FORMAL and 19 CASUAL. Hope the first night we board in Brisbane isn't "Formal" 
 
The definitions of these are:

Formal
This is the opportunity for ladies to wear formal evening wear such as an evening dress, smart trouser suit or a cocktail dress. For men, a dinner jacket or tuxedo are the norm, otherwise a dark lounge/ business suit and tie or formal national dress is fine. (Applies to all ships.)   I understand that on P&O UK ships it is normal for 90% (or more) of men to wear tuxedos on Formal nights - and that the dress code applies right across the ship.
Semi-Formal
Ladies can wear anything from tailored trousers to smart separates or an elegant dress, while men are required to wear a smart shirt and trousers with a jacket such as a blazer or sports jacket. A suit and tie may be worn but is not compulsory. (From April 2009 Semi-Formal applies to Arcadia, Artemis, Aurora, Azura and Oriana only.)
Smart Casual
Stylish resort or leisurewear is ideal, for example casual separates or dresses for ladies and open-neck polo shirts and casual trousers (not shorts) for men. A jacket and smart trousers may be worn but are not compulsory. Smart dark denim may be worn however we request that the following items are not worn: sportswear, e.g. trainers, football shirts and tracksuits. Bring your brightest clothes for our Tropical evenings. (Applies to all ships.)