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2 User Reviews of Oriana Cruise Ship
My husband David and I took a nine-night cruise on P&O's Oriana June 23 from Southampton to the Canary Islands, Madeira and back. This was our eighth cruise. These are my impressions.
The embarkation was smooth. Our luggage was taken as we arrived, and we saw it again once we reached our cabin. We waited for about 45 minutes before embarkation, seated comfortably in the terminal where you could buy drinks, newspapers, magazines and other odds and ends. Quite tranquil. Boarding proceeded according to cards handed out as you checked in...all hassle-free.
First we were taken to one of the beautiful lounges on this ship, Andersons. We made our own way to our cabin after a decent interval, as nobody seemed to be coming to escort us. We were highly impressed on our first glimpse of the interior...the ship is most tasteful and the three-deck atrium was quite stunning. The Oriana has a high level of cleanliness, which was maintained throughout the cruise.
We were on Deck 9 in the forward section of the ship...which was very long. I certainly got some exercise getting there. The cabin, C128, was an outside cabin witha very large window. It measured 150 sq. ft., including the bathroom. This was the smallest cabin we have ever had. The bathroom had a tub with shower, and it would have been more spacious if there had been just a shower. The cabin used large mirrors judiciously to enhance the size of the room. The bed was six feet wide--two singles joined together. We did think to separate the beds to make extra space in the middle, but were too lazy to bother. The wardrobe space had three doors, with the rails front to back rather than sideways. This was irritating, as you had to reach in trying to unhook those wretched hangers! To be fair, we had adequate space and were able to store our large suitcases under the beds. We had two chests of drawers, one on each side of the bed, with four drawers in each, plus a dressing table with four very spacious drawers.
A special plus was the fridge--so much better and cheaper than a minibar. We took on board our own wine and drinks. Also, there was a kettle and mugs plus tea, coffee, milk and sugar, so you could make your own refreshments. There were biscuits and chocolate drinks as well. We thought this was a great plus; we found making our own 'cuppa' whenever we wanted was wonderful. There was a TV with remote, and we were able to get BBC World, CNN etc.
While I am on this topic, congratulations to P&O for screening the World Cup Matches not only in the Pacific Lounge, but also in our cabins--my husband was delighted!
The bathroom was well equipped with liquid soap over the shower...Molton Brown, no less, quite an up-market brand. There was also a bag of goodies including cotton balls, sewing aids, nail files etc. The two bathroom cabinets were quite adequate. All in all, the cabin was good...very light.
Walking around the ship, it appeared to us that the inside cabins were equal size with outside. We also found that cabins in the same letter grade were priced according to location...we were KC forward. KAs were on a higher deck and were also in a better location, mid-ship.
The next grade of cabins, D grade, were a much better size and were also well located, but on the port side of the ship they had 3-4 people and were used by families. We would look for a D grade cabin if we could get a special price, but if we really wanted a cruise we would go the same grade as this time. The sound insulation was quite good, although we had only couples next door to us and we heard no noise from above.
Dining & Food
We were late bookers and thus had no choice of dining. We were assigned to the first sitting and at a table for six. The others were two couples travelling together and all were very pleasant, so no problems there. The food was quite good...not as good as QE2 or Crystal, but nevertheless offering plenty of choice and well presented. Our waiters were very good. All came from Goa, and were most professional.
The portions were generous, and there was always a fish dish and vegetarian selections. Considering the number of passengers, the dining experience was good. We ate in the Peninsular restaurant but the other, the Oriental, was a better-looking room, because it was at the stern with a wraparound window. Dining rooms were assigned based on cabin location, so we were placed in Peninsular. We did sneak into the Oriental for some breakfasts and lunches, but this was discouraged. (We were asked which restaurant we normally dined in, and we of course told a lie. Our readers need to know these things.)
Breakfast in the dining room ended at 9 a.m.--a grave mistake, in our opinion. We feel that breakfast should last until 9:30 at least. Dinner began at 6:30 p.m., second sitting at 8:30. Because we do not like to dine so early, we took advantage of the restaurant in the conservatory--the Lido. Each evening, part of this restaurant was transformed into Le Jardin and there was a cover charge of £3.50 per person, which was well worth it in our opinion. We were able to sit in the perfect location overlooking the water with our own waiter taking care of all our needs and the food was really good and very well presented. We ate there more often than in the dining room, as we enjoyed the experience so much.
Turning to breakfast and lunch in the conservatory, I simply do not like the hugger mugger atmosphere of these places. They are generally crowded and noisy, and this was no exception--kids shouting, others crying, and a generally un-relaxed atmosphere. Give me the starched tablecloths and the dignity of the main restaurant any day.
There were no theme dinners and no baked Alaska nights. Good!
My birthday happened during the cruise, and we managed to avoid the usual happy birthday song, but when we got to our cabin there were the balloons on the door and inside, a plate of Belgian chocolates and a card signed by the captain...very tasteful and much appreciated.
The dress code was always adhered to, and we were impressed with the standard of dress on formal nights. People on the Oriana were, in my opinion, better dressed than on QE2. Of the nine nights, three were formal, four were informal and two were casual (first and last nights). There were more men in tuxes than I had expected, and I certainly never felt overdressed in my finery.
Ship's facilities
We found the staff at all levels very helpful and polite, except for one waiter who took umbrage when I asked for fresh tea at breakfast. (The cup he poured was stewed.) He told me many people liked it like that and made a big production of it. Then he asked my husband if he should go and get another pot of hot water to serve the coffee...very sarcastic.
On-board shops had a lot of stock, but the evening clothes for sale were pretty awful, and one dress was marked as though it had been worn. They sold lots of jewelry and perfume. Not much to talk about really though quite adequate. There were two shops one on Deck 7 and another on Deck 6. They did give a talk about Tanzanite, which I had seen in the Caribbean. The young woman giving the talk seemed to read the details and knew very little. When I went to look at the display in the jewelry section, I thought it was vastly overpriced, as was the Swarzovski jewelry. The Pave was good, and they had a reasonable selection.
The Casino gave me a pain. I just love to play the slots but I was convinced that these were calibrated to give least return...I went through £10 in about 10 minutes and this was the worst result on slots that I have ever had. The other gaming room was well organized and attended, but we did not play.
We looked at the equipment in the gym, which was on a high deck. It was very good, and there was a spa there, too, which was always deserted. Dear reader, I took all my gym clothes but after looking at all the young men and women exercising ferociously, I just did not get round to my regular exercise.
The decks at the aft section where the pools were situated were always crowded on fine days at sea, and I have to tell you the German towel syndrome was well in evidence (please do not take offense, German readers...this is a British joke). In my opinion, British people are very guilty of the towel-on-deck-chair habit. This was a great drawback for us. You simply had to go out and stake your claim about 9 a.m. to get a chair. I was unable to get one except on the side promenade deck during the entire cruise. I don't want to sound too snobbish, but the types who do this kind of thing were a bit down-market, and I would not have liked to confront them.
The Jacuzzis were also quite crowded.
I did not visit the hairdresser. I find them generally overpriced and not that good, so prefer to take my own dryer and fix my own hair.
I looked at the cyber study, but sessions on the Internet were very expensive and I did not use it. Nor did it ever seem crowded. I liked the library, though I do wish there were some audio books to borrow. I always take one or two as they are amazingly soporific, and I never get to listen to more than one side before I am asleep. You could borrow two books at a time, and titles were up to date, including some very new ones. You could also buy paperbacks on board, a good idea. The Tackeray room attached to the library was a lovely relaxing place in which to read. I used it all day on the rough day we had on the way home.
My husband was disappointed by the lack of bridge players on board. There were eight others and nobody else came, so he did not get a game. We went to the trivia quizzes. One was at 5:30 p.m., a stupid time as those going to first sitting found it inconvenient. Still, there was always a good crowd there.
The Oriana had lots of bars to drink in, but I am not that interested in this, so I can only say that if bars are your scene, you will not be disappointed. We loved the Tiffany Court, where a pianist tinkled away before and after dinner. We sipped our cocktails and listened to his great improvisations.
I have to say that drink prices on Oriana were very reasonable. I think the drinks were cheaper than on any other ship we have cruised on.
I have nothing to say about discos...I am well past that age!
The Theatre Royal was highly impressive--a large theatre with tiered red plush seats, complete with individual air conditioning in each seat...how different! This was the best theatre on board that I have seen. The shows were fine. We heard that they had changed the dance troupe and were trying out a new company...well done, P&O, as we enjoyed the music and verve of the artists.
There were two nights of classical piano recitals in the Curzon room. Most music was well known and well played, and I found them most enjoyable. Another artist was an excellent illusionist, plus a stand up comedian on a couple of nights...and that was it.
The ports of call were well known to us:
Vigo, for Santiago De Compostela. We had done the tour before so went shopping in Vigo.
Lanzarote, where we took our only organized tour. The guide was one of the best we ever had, and the landscape of the island was highly dramatic. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Santa Cruz Tenerife, where we wandered around the town of Santa Cruz and found it most relaxing.
Madeira, the last port of call. We had been there twice before, but always like to wander around the town of Funchal. Our table mates said they enjoyed their tour greatly. There was always a bus to get into town, except in Funchal where a boat was laid on to take you to the middle of town...all very satisfactory.
We had one very rough night on the second night out. I was rather scared, but that was just because it was uncomfortable. The only other rough weather was just after we left Madeira, when a strong wind whipped the sea up and we spent a most uncomfortable day indoors.
How would I improve this cruise experience?
There were 200 children on the ship...children got very heavy discounts. I think some even went free under a certain age. For us, this was one of the downsides. We have grown children and teenage grandchildren, but we do not like to spend our cruises with kids. We thought that in June the kids would still be in school and I have to say I heartily disapprove of parents removing their children in term time to go on vacation. I know it is expensive to go during the school holidays, but we were surprised to see quite so many children. They were well catered for on board and I am sure they enjoyed themselves.
We certainly did not like them around at mealtimes. Why is it that young children wait until mealtime to bawl, scream and generally carry on? This was especially apparent in the conservatory, which I advise you to avoid if you are looking for tranquillity.
Next: cinema listings. The cinema is superb, and was underutilized both for talks and decent films. They showed Charlotte Grey and A Beautiful Mind, but films were poorly advertised and I have written to P&O to suggest they have a notice outside the cinema to say what is showing. The films shown in the cabins bore no resemblance to the written program. I am a real film fan, and so I was disappointed, especially as the cinema is so good. I saw Harry Potter and Monsters Inc. Both were rather spoiled for me because parents dropped their children in the cinema and left them, whereupon some played merry hell.
Guest Speakers: Where were they? There was an erudite gentleman who spoke about ports and the tours. We enjoyed his knowledge and thought he was great. There was one other guest speaker, a lady who spoke twice about getting your life in balance. She used quite a bit of jargon, and I have a really great balance in my life and did not go on a cruise for self-improvement.
This lack of guest speakers was a great disappointment to us, having been on other cruises where the guest speakers were pure enjoyment.
The under-utilization of so many wonderful lounges: The lounges on this ship were some of the best I have ever seen. How great it would have been to take afternoon tea in such gracious surroundings. But no! Afternoon tea was served in the restaurant or in the dreaded Conservatory...not at all gracious. I like a serene room with a musician in the background and waiters in elegant gloves serving finger sandwiches, scones and cakes, using elegant china. Is this maybe too much to ask? This is a British ship, and we should be doing tea in style!
Overall, though, I really did like the Oriana, especially as I paid only £799 for this cruise, booked only three weeks in advance. There were many other passengers who had paid the same price as us. An inside cabin could be had for £699...so who can complain? I think that the World Cup affected sales and so we were lucky. We booked via www.cruisesandvoyages.com; Wayne Frieslander is very efficient--tickets and info on time, etc. I understand P&O also offered this fare direct to customers as well.
I would score the cruise a 7 on a scale of 10, and would have given a better score except for my moans outlined above.
Since taking our first cruise in 1995 we find it one of the most addictive forms of vacations available, there is nothing quite like stepping on board, unpacking only once and seeing a host of different countries without the hassle that goes with doing the same on a land trip.
After several fly cruises with Princess/RCI/Celebrity we decided to try sailing from the UK with P&O and being impressed with their new ship Aurora in June, within 4 days of returning we booked to sail on Oriana for our Wedding Anniversary in September.
We also decided to sail on Oriana, when several people we had met whilst on Aurora raved about her, and the atmosphere on board, so she obviously has developed a following whose loyalty is quite exceptional.. It also seems that P&O in general have a very loyal following as you can see below just how many repeat passengers were on board.
I would also like to point out that this report is based on what "I observed" whilst on Oriana, other cruises could vary bearing in mind - different passengers, other itinerary, weather differences and so on, so please keepthis in mind whilst reading this review and I appreciate all of you who take the time to read it through to the end.
"Oriana" was built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. She was the first ship designed and built specifically for British style cruising, with a wide range of bars and intimate spaces, huge expanses of teak open deck areas including numerous private and secluded corners. Christened by the Queen in April 1995, she is a ship which maintains the classic traditions of style and service which P&O are justly famous.
Day 1 Embark Southampton, England
Day 2 At Sea
Day 3 Vigo, Spain
Day 4 Lisbon, Portugal
Day 5 Lorient, France
Day 6 Guernsey, Channel Islands
Day 7 Disembark Southampton, England
Pre-Cruise: Travelling down overnight from Scotland 2 days before departure, once again we decided to stay at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel, this 5 star hotel is ideally situated for both the port and exploring Southampton and has a view over Southampton Water. We arrived at 08.15 am and even although the hotel was full we were allowed entry to our room when normal check in time was 2 pm. When we stayed here in June it was the same so this kind of service to happen once is excellent, to happen twice is astonishing.
Our visit also coincided with the BT Global Challenge Round the World Yacht race which would be starting a week later from Ocean Quay, this meant there was a carnival type atmosphere with big bands on stage, street theatre, jugglers, fancy dress competitions etc, and culminated in a spectacular fireworks display in the evening, so this was a nice start to our cruise on Oriana.
We also took the opportunity to see Aurora sail out of port on the Saturday evening, we walked the few minutes from the hotel to the Mayflower Park to watch the spectacle, she was so close we could see the passengers on deck waving as the cars and people were lined up to see her off, it was like poetry in motion as she sounded her horn three times on her way past, I was glad that only the next day we would be on Oriana as that somehow relieved my feeling of homesickness for Aurora.
Embarkation: We used Andrews Shipside Services and details of this service were covered in the Aurora review.
Boarding began at 14.30 and being one of the first on board, we were met and escorted to our cabin by a white gloved cabin attendant who carried our hand baggage for us, the rest of our luggage was already at the cabin awaiting our arrival.
Departure time of 6 pm grew near and with the formality of Life Boat Drill over, the crowds gathered along the promenade deck to wave to friends and family on the raised gallery opposite, so we opted to watch the sail away from Lido Deck 12 directly above the open bridge wings where we watched the Captain give a small flick of the little joy stick and Oriana was pushing away from the dock, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon so the atmosphere was set, with the streamers being thrown, and the accompanying band on the quay, someone on the Visitors Gallery appeared dressed in a black and white furry cow costume, much to the amusement of the crowds and to Captain Richard Fenelow as he drew out his handkerchief and began waving it. As Oriana began to move away from the pier one isolated voice from the crowd of spectators could be heard so clearly shouting "I Love you Mum", which was a very poignant moment, I am think that mother surely had tears in her eyes.
We were soon on our way down Southampton water and on passing Hythe pier on our starboard side people were lined up, many happily giving Oriana a wave. Dropping our pilot off at 20.40 hrs we took a General SW heading down the English Channel towards Vigo 675 nautical miles away at an average cruising speed of 21.7 knots.
Cabin We were in Cabin B133, classed as a Stateroom with Balcony. It measures approx. 210 square feet in size, and is decorated in light woods, complimented with greys/blues/golds. There was ample drawer space, double wardrobe with two shelves above, small safe, empty refrigerator, a full sofa come bed setee, coffee table, the two twin beds were pushed together to form a king size bed, tea and coffee making facilities, biscuits replenished daily, nice fluffy terry towel bathrobes and slippers, even a set of binoculars were provided.
The bathroom comes with a full size bath with the shower situated over the bath, so there was plenty of room in the shower, and the bathroom was a reasonable size, again there were ample shelves behind mirrored doors. Soap and Sports Wash were provided, and a small toilet bag with amenities like shower cap, sewing kit, cotton balls etc.
The balcony was approximately 9 foot long by 7 foot wide, had two nice lounge chairs and two small tables.
The only time we heard our neighbours was when we stood at the rail. Our cabin was well placed to watch the officers on the open bridge wings as we entered and left port.
General Our first day was a sea day cruising through the Bay of Biscay which was relatively smooth, with sunny skies, the officer of the watch pointed out dolphins and whales, and these could been seen on and off for a period of several hours.
Having said it was smooth going through the Bay of Biscay I must mention the night that we left Lorient to head round the tip of France towards Guernsey it did get quite rough, when watching the Comedian in the theatre which is in the bow of the ship, even he made comments, as you could feel the rise of the bow which just seemed to hang there forever then come crashing down through the water with a serious thud, and as our cabin was in the forward part of the ship it was quite a sensation standing on the balcony before retiring to bed watching the rise and fall of the ship and listening to the thunderous sound of the seas. Needless to say my husband thought I was mad, he stayed firmly inside the cabin.
Passenger Nationality Breakdown
American 6
Australian 4
Belgian 2
British 1739
Canadian 1
New Zealand 2
Swedish 1
Ecquador 1
Greek 1
Irish 12
Japanese 13
Maltese 8
South African 3
Swiss 1
1440 of these were repeat passengers.
There were 94 Children on Board
Under 1 = 2
1-3 years = 24
4-11 years = 35
12-17 years = 33 Once again we found the children on board to be inconspicuous in their presence, and their behaviour was extremely admirable.
Ship Oriana has no fewer than 9 bars and lounges but I will not try and describe the ship room by room but mention ones that I found most memorable.
Andersons Bar Named after one of the founders of P&O, Arthur Anderson born 1792 in the Shetland Islands, met up with Brodie McGhie Willcox and formed the Peninsula Steam Navigation Company and so it began.
Andersons has that country club atmosphere to it, decorated in limed oak wood effect, pastel striped sofas, and Queen Anne type chairs, it turned out to be one of my favourite bars. The situation of the bar like many rooms on Oriana meant that at certain tables you could look through the large glass windows into the hallway and do some serious people watching as the passengers drifted backwards and forwards moving from various lounges and venues.
On formal nights a jacket and tie is required after 6 pm and no children are allowed in this bar.
Crows Nest Bar The Crows Nest Bar is on Deck 13, two decks up from the Bridge, it has a clear view out over the bow, and it is decorated in blues and golds, and was a favourite for pre-dinner drinks by a lot of passengers, on each side of this lounge were the smaller more intimate lounges of the Iberia and Medina rooms.
"Canadian Suite" provided the nightly entertainment here, and there was a small dance floor to trip the light fantastic if you wished.
Curzon Room This is the most stunning room I have seen on a ship, it is not a large room but is for the sole purpose of listening to the classical concerts performed there, of course you could sit here at any time taking in the peacefulness and grandeur of the room. The walls are adorned with tapestries, in its centre is the most wonderful grand piano, it is decorated in creams and beige's and beautiful wood featured walls, to top it off are large crystal chandeliers, it's a pity there is no equal to this room on Aurora as the classical concerts were performed in the Cinema, and I am sure they would not have the same atmosphere as in this room.
Oriana has three full sized swimming pools, one aft surrounded by those wonderful teak decked horseshoe tiers, if you were early enough you could settle down in the nook at the end of one of those tiers and have a wonderful view over the stern of the ship.
All lounge chairs are padded and quite comfortable.
There is no covered pool like on Aurora, but as the weather was very kind to us we did not miss this feature on this cruise, however considering Oriana does World Cruises starting in January from Southampton, I think I would prefer Aurora with her covered pool so you do not miss out when the weather is cold.
Ports Vigo - Spain - 05.09.00 - 79 deg. Sunny. Vigo is a great seaport built on and around the slopes of Monte de Castro, it overlooks Vigo Bay, one of the world's great natural harbours. At 32 km long by 5 km wide, with very deep water, it has been said that it is large enough to hold the combined fleets in all of the world! At the mouth of the estuary the rocky and picturesque Cies Islands shelter the bay from Atlantic gales.
As the clocks were moved forward one hour it meant that at 7 am our entry into Vigo Harbour was in darkness, but I could see the bright headlights of the Practicos (Pilot) approaching the ship, it barely stopped as the pilot got on board and we were soon docked and alongside the pier starboard side in, and as our cabin was on this side we had a good view of the city.
It is an easy walk to the start of the shopping area, but as Vigo sits on a hill it means there are a lot of steep climbs, so it may not be suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
About 30 minutes before the ships departure a small group of musicians dressed in local costumes appeared on the quayside to play and entertain the passengers as we left, as the ship began to prepare to slip its moorings they left, but one solitary player whose instrument was a type of pipes appeared from nowhere and started playing "When the Saints" and held his hand out and it was not long before the passengers were throwing pesetas onto the quay for him. I do not think he belonged to the original group but was a rogue player who had thought of this enterprising idea.
At 1800 Oriana let go her lines and moved ahead off her berth swinging her bow to port before following reciprocal courses back out towards the pilot station and the Atlantic Ocean. At 1830 hours the pilot disembarked and then Oriana took a southerly heading for Lisbon 246.4 nautical miles away at an average speed of 18.6 knots.
Lisbon - Portugal - 06.09.00 - Sunny - 90 deg. We arrived in Lisbon at 7 am to the most wonderful sunrise, as the ship was heading towards the Suspension Bridge the dark red globe of the sun appeared on the horizon, quite a spectacular sight. On the approach to the port we passed by the Belem Tower and the Monument to Henry the Navigator. High on the hill overlooking Lisbon stood the colossal statue of Christ the King similar to the statue in Rio di Janeiro in Brazil.
Today we took the Scenic Southern Hills and Tagus Bridges tour at £22.00 per person. We drove over the River Tagus on the 25th April Bridge 230 feet above the water and the second largest suspension bridge in Europe, taking a photo stop opportunity at the Statue of Christ the King and a view over the city of Lisbon. We carried on through the Serra da Arrabida mountain range with some twisting and turning roads and drops into the ocean, not for those with vertigo, but did offer some magnificent views of an unspoilt beach of almost 7 miles in length. Our next stop was the town of Setubal, the third largest port in Portugal and had a population of 100,000, a lot of street repair work was being done so spoiled the effect of the narrow streets and old buildings.
On the return drive we crossed the recently inaugurated Vasco de Gama Bridge, which is currently the longest in Europe and the third largest in the world at a length of 9 miles. This tour was worth taking but the air conditioning in the coaches could not cope with the extreme heat so made it a bit uncomfortable.
Lorient - France - 07.09.00 - Sunny - 75 deg. Oriana silently crept by the Passe de L'ouest at 0630 hours for the 5 mile northerly river passage to the berth amid another beautiful red sunrise, the entrance to the harbour was quite narrow and as we passed some fortification I noticed a tug boat coming close behind her stern, I am not sure if this was to steady her as she docked or not. Although there were pretty views of sandy beaches and nice buildings on our sail in we docked in an industrial port and were transferred by shuttle bus into town. We intended to take a tour to Vannes but did not notice that the tour bookings closed two days before instead of one, so we missed out, therefore we decided to take the free shuttle bus to town and make a few purchases instead.
Lorient, an important U-boat base in WW2 was bombed extensively and the town left in ruins, so that means there are no buildings of great historical antiquity. The sea remains the dominant influence in the life of the town - with commercial and fishing harbours, marina, and is a military port. It is also the gateway to some of the most attractive places in Brittany.
Oriana was due to sail at 6 pm but the departure time was changed to 7.45 pm it was explained to us by the Captain that slack water was needed as it was a very tricky and narrow exit from the harbour, she made her way gingerly through the narrows at a place called the Citadel and took a Westerly course towards the Bay of Biscay and the Traffic Separation Scheme off the Isle of Ushant.
Guernsey - Channel Islands - 09.09.00 - 75 deg. At 0700 hours the pilot joined us and Oriana turned to the north into the approach channel for St.Peter Port when she was lined up her starboard anchor was dropped and by 0745 the continuous tender service commenced.
Being familiar with the Channel Islands and the Island of Jersey, this turned out to be my favourite port as Guernsey was just a smaller version of Jersey where we spent our honeymoon so it brought back many fond memories. There was a person from the Guernsey Tourist Board handing out tourist information as we got off the tender so we enquired as to the nearest Car Hire office, it was only 10 minutes walk away and by 9 am we were on our way around the beautiful island of Guernsey. Nothing could have been simpler, it cost £28.00 for the day including insurance and petrol, .it was a brand new car with only 20 miles on the clock and came complete with air conditioning which considering the temperature was greatly appreciated.
I was delighted to see that honesty boxes were still around in Guernsey, many cottages, farms and small holdings, had flowers, tomatoes, melons, strawberries placed out in front of their homes with boxes beside them for placing the money in. It showed that honesty still prevailed in this small island community.
There is a speed limit of 35 miles per hour which is logical considering the narrowness of some of the roads, the freedom of having a car meant that we could stop off at any of the beautiful bays and beaches and could go to any of the many attractions on the island when we wished. During the day we returned to St.Peter Port to check it out, there were some good bargains to be had here with jewellery, watches etc, and most passengers were pretty well laden down on the return tenders.
At 1800 hrs Oriana weighed anchor and with all tenders recovered made her way out of the bay. She then turned to the north once clear of Sark, and headed up towards the Alderney race and the English Channel, crossing the busy traffic lanes in the late evening on her short passage to Southampton.
Food The two restaurants on Oriana, the Peninsular and Oriental, were both quite stunning rooms, the Oriental situated aft, and the Peninsular midships,
Catering to British tastes we found the food to be good, not haute cuisine but with generous portions during dinner, there were four different vegetables silver served along with your entree. P&O always serve their Lobster as Lobster Thermidor, but I prefer it grilled and served with melted butter, so on speaking with the Head Waiter it was arranged that it would be served as I preferred it, and it was delicious. However if you see "Tarte a l'Oignan (a light Onion Tart with Emmental Cheese) on the menu avoid it, the pastry chef must have had a bad night as you would have needed a pick axe to cut through it, other than that there was nothing we could have complained about.. There were a few deliciously memorable desserts, and generally we were extremely satisfied with the food.
The dinner menus are printed daily with the date on them and some are adorned with artwork of previous P&O ships, they are presented to you on the last evening of the cruise by your Waiter - a nice memento to keep.
Buffet Dining The food in the buffet dining area was of a good selection and quality, and hot food was always hot. There were several hot dishes each day at lunch and a wide variety of salads, cold cuts etc, and always one hot sweet of the day, as well as the usual type desserts. The famous P&O curries appeared daily on the menu, and one evening there was an Indian Buffet dinner in the Conservatory dining area.
There was also a separate Pizzeria restaurant serving various type pizza's and a salad buffet.
Several days there were themed buffets on deck as well as all other dining options which made for a very wide variety of food being served.
Entertainment There were no fewer than 8 different bands and groups performing around the ship as well as the Stadium Theatre Company whose usual Review type shows with beautiful costumes were well received. The tribute to Freddy Mercury show was performed once again in the Pacific Show lounge however we felt the show on Aurora had more atmosphere and excitement but it was nice to see it done once again.
The comedian was John Martin from Liverpool who was excellent, his ability to adlib was tremendous, one night after the show had commenced people kept arriving in the theatre this continued for 10 minutes or more, he had the lights put on and he proceeded to continually barrage them until they stopped coming, it was the funniest thing I have ever seen, his quick fire comments were brilliant. I would not hesitate to see this man again and again.
Various days the band "Natural High" played at the Riviera Pool and one day they performed "I'm the Music Man - what can I Play" and it was most amusing to watch most adults (not all) completely let their inhibitions fly in the breeze and get really into the song, in fact there was one guy on the top deck overlooking the pool so into the actions that his wife walked off and left him, I think she was bit embarrassed when it came to playing the Bagpipes - he launched into a full version of the Highland Fling, but this made for a great time by all who joined in, myself included.
There were all the usual variety of events throughout the day, including quizzes and the one that we participated in was obviously attended by the regular experts each day, but I noticed when the totting up was done and it was won by the same team that had won the previous day one point was deducted from them to give the others a chance, so it was a draw which I thought was a very fair way of dealing with the teams who obviously are so good that they would win nearly every quiz they entered.
There was a £40,000 Lotto special night, five tickets cost £10 with an extra ticket thrown in for free, we did not attend this and I never did hear if anyone won the jackpot.
Miscellaneous P & O are more laid back about trying to extract more money from the passenger, I did not see any cocktails in fancy P&O glasses being pushed, the photographers did come round during dinner but disappeared quietly if you said no, there were no pirates accosting you as you left the dining room, glasses of champagne were offered at a cost on sail away from Southampton but they were not being pushed strongly, a large bottle of mineral water only was in the cabin on arrival and when it hadn't been used by the next morning it was removed without ceremony. There are no boxes of sample menus being charged at 6$ etc, the menus for the cruise are presented free of charge as I mentioned above.
There was the usual Inch of Gold and Watch sale, but they were only a few tables outside the shopping area and were pretty unobtrusive. There were no announcements other than the noon announcement from the Officer of the Watch, and on entering and leaving port disembarkation/embarkation details. There were announcements to the crew when they were doing Safety Drills on a port day, however these drills have happened on most ships that I have been on.
At the Captains Welcome Aboard cocktail party we attended, the drinks flowed freely with none of your watered down cocktails being offered, there was a good selection of spirits, wines etc, and these were offered again and again, in fact we were amused when we overheard a conversation between two elderly gentlemen sitting at the pool, one said that he could down 5 Whiskies during the cocktail party, I would liked to have been at his table for dinner I bet he was entertaining.
Disembarkation I was looking forward to seeing the QE2 when we arrived in Southampton as she was bound for a transatlantic later in the day as was Oriana, the first transatlantic for P&O in almost 30 years, but it was not to be, having just got to bed at around 2 am soon the fog horn was being sounded as we were in the deepest of fogs, so on arrival at Southampton we could see nothing other than the quay below. I later found out that QE2 was late into port but Oriana was smack on time fog or no fog.
Disembarkation was done by colour (like on other cruise lines), we were given the third to be called colour but like on Aurora a visit to the Pursers desk explaining we had a 8-9 hour drive in front of us, could we change to the first colour called, this was met with a smile and no problem madam, so we were in our car by 9 am and on our way home. Driving out of the port I wanted a last lingering look at Oriana but she was still shrouded in fog so that wasn't possible.
We enjoyed our cruise on Oriana but for some reason or other we preferred Aurora but I would sail on any of them again in a heartbeat.


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Press Association –
Google, Facebook and other major companies must be regulated as they pose a greater risk to personal data than the security services, a former intelligence worker-turned-MP has said.
Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North) said large capitalist firms were harvesting data from individuals and selling it on to make billions of pounds yet, unlike the state, they were not subject to regulations to protect people.
Mr Wallace, who worked in intelligence in Northern Ireland, said he would rather have the security services grooming his internet as democratic bodies were in place to oversee their work.
But the Tory said he had yet to hear one criticism, fear or demand from fellow MPs to regulate the private sector.
The Guardian must produce evidence British spies are breaking British laws, Mr Wallace added.
He said the newspaper's public interest defence for publishing leaked intelligence from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden hinges on whether the security services or Government have committed a crime.
Mr Wallace also said his former intelligence colleagues hated the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000) also known as Ripa, which indicated they are accountable for their actions.
He said the laws did not introduce any new powers but made sure people registered how they used their existing ones.
Mr Wallace told MPs: " Privately, without being a member of the security service or a government, I can find out where every one of you in this room shops, I can find out where you live, I can find out where you bought your car, I can find out your credit rating, I can probably get hold of everybody's details without very much effort.
"But what I find interesting is I've not yet heard one criticism or fear or demand that we regulate the private sector. The big capitalist companies in America – the Googles, the Facebooks – harvest our data without your leave, sell it on to intermediaries on and on and on.
"They make millions, billions of pounds, avoid tax – I haven't yet heard anyone saying how they all keep their servers offshore to avoid tax – and that's the area that needs regulating and protection.
"I'm proud that our security services are regulated. I'd rather have the state than the private sector all over the world grooming through my internet capabilities because I know that we are first of all oversighted.
"Forgive me but we're in the Houses of Parliament, we're all elected, we are democratically elected to this House and this is the first part of the oversight. We have a home secretary appointed by a prime minister put together in a government through a democratic process.
"There's a second part of the oversight. We have an Intelligence Act 1994, that actually started mentioning the intelligence services as if they are normal bodies like everything else.
"We have the Ripa. There's something about Ripa, lots of colleagues criticise Ripa. I was operating before Ripa. I didn't have to sign-off anything. I didn't have to put a log. I didn't have to register with anybody what I wanted to do. Ripa actually didn't give people new powers, it made people register how they used their powers.
"Actually a good bit of legislation, not a negative bit of legislation. My former colleagues still hate it and that's a good sign that they are accountable for how they use their powers."
On The Guardian's revelations, Mr Wallace said the paper is perfectly welcome to publish information of British spies breaking British laws at any time.
He said: I would be delighted to have a meeting with the editor of The Guardian and he can publish it. But until he does that he doesn't have a public interest defence, other to say, 'Yahoo, look at how exciting technology is, look what we can do'.
"Well, that is not a public interest defence. That's trying to sell more newspapers."
Mr Wallace said Britain spied on other countries to protect itself and to further its interests.
He told MPs: "I think we should be proud that we do it particularly well. Not only do we do it well, we do it better than most across the globe and it gives Britain a place at the top table."
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text:
Get Some Zzzzzzzzz
Finally, It's Thanksgiving!
Makin' a Case.
Be the first of your friends to get your very own "Just Bea" phone or accessory case!
Click here to get yours! http://www.kekacase.com/designer-cases/birgit-keil.html
It Takes A Village.
When the Birmingham Covington Middle schooler's reached out for me to help illustrate and produce their video to help raise funds for a tractor and water pump in a remote village in Zambia – I had to say yes! Funds were raised for not one – but two tractors! These students are truly inspiring, click the link to see….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx3P4Ll9mK4


text:
What was designer Jean Pierre Lepine thinking when he overengineered this ballpoint pen for his Free Ride Collection? Maybe he was thinking that as soon as enough people bought it for its retail price of $190, he would be the one getting a free ride. Check out the gallery for a look at it all the weird colour choices that are available. Then, jump over to the next page and let's see if we can parse exactly what each one of these strange parts does on this pen that looks like a cross between a penis and a mechanical dachshund.
Each one of the yellow areas along the length of the pen near the tip are for cushioning your delicate hands. That strange roller is supposed to be an easy-to-use clip, but makes the thing's dimensions so deep it would be positively bulky in the pocket. And look there, on the end—there's a push button that's also heavily padded, with an oversized spring along its stalk. It's a positively insane design.
However, even though this Free Ride Collection looks completely impractical, that's probably why we still like it and want one in each color. [Joon, via Oh Gizmo]


text:
Palm: revenues up, expectations down
'Deeply disappointing'
Despite a surge in sales, Palm CFO Doug Jeffries predicts that the smartphone maker's immediate future won't be a happy one.
These revelations came today in a conference call with analysts and reporters as Palm announced its third-quarter results for fiscal year 2010. Wall Street immediately spanked the company's stock in after-hours trading, driving it down over 12 per cent.
Compared with the same quarter one year ago, Palm's balance sheet looks almost rosy. At that time, the company endured a $95m net loss on revenues of a mere $90m. This year, net losses totalled just $18.5m on $349.9m in revenues. Revenues, in fact, beat both analysts' expectations and Palm's own projections.
But losses are, after all, losses. CEO Jon Rubinstein candidly told those listening in on the call that issues with his company have been "deeply disappointing to me".
Jeffries had the unenviable task of announcing that next quarter should be a rocky one, with revenues projected to be $150m or less. According to the Wall Street Journal (paid subscription), analysts were expecting fourth-quarter revenues to edge a bit over $300m.
When asked about the roiling speculation that Palm might be a takeover target, Rubenstein dodged the question, giving only the time-honored and prudent comment that the company would entertain any ""reasonable offer".
Palm is in a tough position. Its webOS operating system - especially in its latest incarnation - is attractive and well-featured. The company's Prē and Pixi smartphones, however, have failed to gain traction against the juggernaut that is the Apple iPhone and the steadily increasing competition from phones based on Google's Android OS.
If you're interested in some solid smartphone intellectual property, now might be a good time to give Rubenstein a call. Or, perhaps, you might choose to wait until after what's shaping up to be a challenging fourth fiscal quarter for Palm. ®
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text:
All references are based on the 2011 edition of the NEC.
A Real Can of Worms
I discovered this problem when I tried to replace this motion sensor and floodlight fixture at a customer's house. A simple job turned into a big can of worms when I discovered every outdoor fixture was installed without a box. The paint outline and the hole cut into the clapboard appear to indicate there may have been a recessed box at some point. Perhaps the installer couldn't figure out how to match a round cover with a rectangular box so he simply screwed the round cover directly to the clapboard and stuffed the wires and splices into the wall. Whatever the reason, it created some Code violations and increased the risk of fire.
Section 300.15 requires a box to be installed at outlet points and when splices are made in non-metallic sheathed cable. Because splices are a weak link in the circuit, a box is needed in part to enclose the splices and prevent any arcs and sparks caused by loose connections from igniting the surrounding combustible wood. This installation also violates the intent of 410.23, which similarly requires combustible surfaces exposed behind a luminaire canopy or pan to be covered with a noncombustible material.
A House-Sized Toaster
This situation is always scary to see. Concealed knob and tube wiring embedded in thermal insulation can become a real fire hazard. The thermal insulation traps the heat generated by the load on the conductor and causes the wiring to seriously overheat, acting like a giant toaster. This "toaster element effect" can ignite the combustible wood anywhere along the length of the wood that the knob and tube are mounted. The end result can be catastrophic.
You might be surprised to know that Sec. 394.10 does permit concealed knob and tube to still be installed in the hollow spaces of walls, ceilings, attics, and roofs for extensions of existing installations or elsewhere with written approval of the AHJ. However, 394.12(5) clearly prohibits concealed knob and tube from being used in those hollow spaces when such spaces are insulated with loose, blown-in, rolled-in, or foamed-in insulation that envelopes the wires. I want to emphasize the words "shall not be used" in that requirement. This means wherever concealed knob and tube wiring is present, it must be disconnected and discontinued from use whenever the walls, ceilings, floors, or attics get thermally insulated.


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text:
Hello all,
I am completely confused...... Tried to speak to a company about what type of antenna I would need and somehow got even more confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've tried searching the forum and the web but it's not making any sense.
So, here goes...
I want to buy a Fun Cube dongle. It is for an exhibition at the museum I work in and I want to use the waterfall effect as a back drop to an exhibit. It would be nice to decode some of the data too but that's not absolutely necessary.
So what exactly do I need to buy? A dongle, a USB extension and an antenna of some description? I really don't know which type of antenna I should buy. I'd like to pick up Fun Cube and anything else in the region. The guy I spoke to said there were loads of antennas available and I would need to know what frequency range I wanted to pick up and an idea of where in the range satellites would be passing in my area. I am based in Paisley, near Glasgow Scotland.
Can someone please help me as I'm tearing my hair out here!
Thank you very kindly,


text:
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The executive producer of "Downton Abbey" says there are no plans to wrap up the British television drama.
The pre-World War I show about a members of a wealthy family and those who serve them at their country mansion was a ratings hit when it aired in the United Kingdom and United States.
A second season is airing on British television now and is to premiere in America early next year.
"The show's impact has been greater than anyone could have ever imagined. When 'Downton' was originally conceived, it was mapped out across three series," producer Gareth Neame told The Hollywood Reporter. "But with ratings continuing to reach 11.4 million viewers, our expectations have obviously changed and there is no reason why the show won't run and run, as long as there is still an audience for it."
The series stars Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Penelope Wilton, Brendan Coyle and Maggie Smith.


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Romance galore for the past season! Not to mention that there were so many good ones: Sukitte Ii na Yo, Sakurasou, and apparently Chuuninbyou and Tonari are also really good but I did not watch them. Kamisama Hajimemashita for me stands out as the best though. Why? Execution.
For the people who haven't heard me repeat this over and over yet: the director of this series is Akitarou Daichi. He did Fruits Basket, Kodocha and Bokura ga Ita before so yes, he can direct really good romance, and yes, he can do this incredibly consistently. Kamisama Hajimemashita feels the most like 13 episodes of Kodocha, with a bit of its energy calmed down. Though it's still a series that is full of energy, especially if you watch its first episode.
The trick with this series is that it has perfected its timing: shots last for the exact right duration. Jokes are timed perfectly. The energy is built up over each episode really well. The show managed to use its camera work to bring out the emotions of the characters really well, and especially the feelings of love and laughter. This show is really good at juggling these around, making you laugh hard one moment and feel sorry the next. No other romance this series was as balanced as this series.
And the thing is, that this is not the most ambitious series: the characters are simple, they don't try too hard to be likable at all. The storylines are also really quite simple when you boil down to them. The character development too: simple. Yet this series shines in it, and due to this simplicity and polish it is really enjoyable. Not to mention that without exception, it manages to end every single episode with a really charming climax that is full of warm feelings (that ED works brilliantly with it). I don't see many other shows pull the same.
The problem mostly is that this series really needs to be a 26 episode series. With 26, its story just cuts off in the middle with a hasty end boss, and the characters don't develop as well as they could have. It loses most of its points on that.
|9/10 – Awesome timing, really uses its simplicity well and knows really well how to build up.
|8.5/10 – Simple but effective characters. At first they might not seem much, but they grow on you.
|8/10 – Well drawn camera angles, although they don't move much. Catchy soundtrack.
|8/10 – It's the same old setting about youkai, but well used.
– Kodomo no Omocha
– Bokura ga Ita
– Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge


text:
Choosing speaker audio settings on Xbox One
If you're just plugging your Xbox into your TV, you won't need to change any audio settings since both sound and video go to your TV over the same HDMI cable. However, if you have an audio receiver or other sound setup, you may want to change your audio settings. In System > Settings > Display & sound > Audio output:
HDMI audio - Keep this set at Stereo uncompressed unless your HDMI cable is plugged into a receiver that can process 5.1 or 7.1 uncompressed signals or bitstream formats. If your receiver works with these formats, select whichever one best matches your system.
Optical audio - If you don't have an optical (SPDIF) cable plugged into an audio receiver, don't worry about this setting. If you do, choose a setting that works with your sound system.
Bitstream format – Once you've set HDMI audio or Optical audio to Bitstream out, you can select one of these formats. These formats are typically used with compatible audio receivers or optical headphones. Formats labeled "HDMI only" will turn off Optical audio.
Note If you choose the DVI TV connection setting over in Video output, you can only get sound over optical audio, not HDMI.
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text:
Cast Size: Small (1-10) • Medium (5-21) • Large (14+). Vocal Demands: Easy • Moderate. Dance Requirements: Extensive • Some Dancing Required • Minimal. Good For: High School • College/University • Amateur/Community • Professional Theatre • Religious Organization.
To request the rights to make merchandise for this show email [email protected].
Fan Info:
Present ONCE UPON A MATTRESS from Oct. 1, 2009 Oct. 1, 2010 and your opening night royalty is on us! read more
As anyone who has ever worked in the musical theatre can attest, there are few moments in the production process as exhilarating as hearing the orchestra for the first time. read more
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS History
Many moons ago, in the summer of 1958, at a resort in the Poconos called Camp Taminent, three young writers (composer Mary Rodgers and lyricist/librettists Marshall Barer and Jay Thompson) adapted Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Princess and the Pea for a week-long run. In the true tradition of "hey kids, let's put on a show," this one-act musical proved so popular that it was held over and, before you could say "Mickey and Judy," the show was snapped up by producers for a commercial run in New York.
By the time it opoened off-Broadway in May of 1959 at the Phoenix Theatre (now a multiplex movie theatre), the show had acquired an additional author, Dean Fuller (who had previously worked with Marshall Barer on NEW FACES OF '56) a new director—the estimable George Abbott—a second act and a new title: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. Casting had undergone many changes, but the biggest was the result of George Abbott's desire for a new face to play the starring role of Princess Winnifred. It was Abbott's daughter, Judy, who "discovered" Carol Burnett, a new comedienne then appearing at New York City's famed Blue Angel nightclub, and recommended her to Barer and his collaborators. Not long away from California, Burnett had made a splash with a funny piece of special material called "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles," which she performed on several TV variety shows and which resulted in her club date. Upon her arrival in New York Burnett had determinedly insisted to her younger sister that she was going to be the star of a Broadway musical directed by the famous George Abbott—this piece of irony taking place long before anyone in The Big Apple had even heard the name Carol Burnett. The rest, as they say, is history. The reviews were great and Carol Burnett became a star.
The show had a healthy run of 460 performances in an extraordinary Broadway tour, moving from the Phoenix to Broadway's Alvin (now the Neil Simon) to the Winter Garden and then to the Cort and then finally to the St. James Theater. It was produced for television first in 1964 and again in 1972 with Ms. Burnett reprising her role both times. And the show? Well, what happened to this charming musical is a fairy tale as well. Over the next 35 years without anyone paying really close attention (except maybe the authors) it has ranked consistently among the top five shows licensed from Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals, with over 300 productions annually in the US alone. Not bad at all for a show that began life as a 45-minute divertissement!
In the fall of 1995, Dodger Productions (whose previous Broadway efforts included the Tony Award-winning revivals of GUYS AND DOLLS and THE KING AND I) set about putting together a creative team to bring ONCE UPON A MATTRESS back to Broadway. The anchor for any …MATTRESS production is Princess Winnifred, and to play the part they signed an actress who was then the toast of New York—for playing the part of a dog. But in addition to her winsome turn as the canine title role in A.R. Gurney's off-Broadway comedy SYLVIA, Sarah Jessica Parker also had extensive stage credits going back to Broadway appearances in ANNIE, THE INNOCENTS and THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, as well as a considerable film career. And of course, though no one knew it then, she was a few years away from mega-stardom for her turn as Carrie Bradshaw on HBO's acclaimed Sex and the City. Here at last, everyone agreed, was a Winnifred to charm contemporary audiences.
Carol Burnett appeared in the ABC television version of …MATTRESS in 2005, this time as the imposing Queen Aggravain, while the esteemed British comedienne Tracey Ullman stepped into Winnifred's moat-swimming shoes. The production was directed by Tony Award-winning director Kathleen Marshall.
Tony AwardsJanuary 12, 1970 — 1 Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical
January 01, 1997 — 1 Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical
Vocal Range of Characters:
// Photos
I made a special effort to catch the Hartford opening of the bus and truck company of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, because Edward Everett Horton had been a major idol to me since I was a kid -- and now -- at 80! -- he was playing King Sextimus. I had decided to watch the first performance from backstage and was standing in the wings, promptside, then Horton came and stood beside me, waiting for his cue. Suddenly the stage manager gasped: 'Mr. Horton! You're on the wrong side of the stage! Your entrance is stage left!' 'Ohmigod, yes!' said Horton. 'What are we to do?'
Written By: Marshall Barer
The only way to the other side was through the dark, narrow space behind the cyclorama. The stage manager handed me a flashlight and asked me if I could help the actor across. I was pleased to, of course, and we made it without mishap, and even with a moment to spare. Long enough for the Adorable One to brush off his robe and straighten his crown; then in the instant before he made his entrance (into a scene I had written!) he turned to me and in three short words managed to blow away every negative thing anyone has ever said about Life In The Theatre.
With his world-famous twinkle, he whispered: 'Isn't this fun?'
AccompanEase: This product is a rehearsal tool that allows for unlimited teaching, training and practice of individual vocal parts or dance sequences. Contact Realtime Music Solutions for more information: www.accompanease.com, via email: [email protected], or via phone: 212-620-0774.
InstrumentalEase: This product is an orchestra enhancement instrument capable of augmenting a traditional ensemble of any size. Contact Realtime Music Solutions for more information: www.rms.biz, via email: [email protected], or via phone: 212-620-0774.
RMS Mix® is a new app from Realtime Music Solutions that can be added onto your purchase of AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase and brings rehearsal and performance tools to your mobile devices. RMS Mix® syncs with AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase to allow your creative team, cast and instrumentalists access to rehearsal tracks on their own computer, tablet or smartphone. Customized changes made on AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase can be exported to the RMS Mix® app, so that rehearsing for your production is as easy as hitting play!
Contact Realtime Music Solutions for more information: www.rms.biz, via email: [email protected], or via phone: 212-620-0774.
This unique resource is designed specifically to meet the needs of productions that want convenient, cost-effective access to these hard to find keyboard sounds. We have carefully assembled all sounds required for a given show. Everything is laid out in correct sequential order, so you can easily progress through each song in each keyboard book with professional, authentic, show-specific sounds. All you have to do is connect any standard keyboard (or multiple keyboards) to your laptop and you'll be ready to perform. And we'll help you every step of the way.
Demo KeyboardEase for Mac or PC.
Contact Realtime Music Solutions for more information: www.keyboardease.com, via email: [email protected], or via phone: 212-620-0774.
MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYBILL! Playbill VIP allows you to create your very own Playbill Program. We have provided Playbill with all of the credits, song listings, musical numbers and more so that most of the work is already done for you. Just add your productions details, photos of the cast and share it with all of your friends. Learn more: www.playbillvip.com
- ONCE UPON A MATTRESS - Orchestration Package (18 Books/16-19 Players)
- 2 – Piano Vocal Scores
- 1 – FLUTE (Doubling Piccolo)
- 1 – Bass Clarinet
- 1 – GUITAR (Acoustic with amp)
- 1 – PIANO (Doubles Celeste)
- 2 – VIOLINS (Divisi)
- 1 – VIOLA (Divisi)
- 1 – CELLO (Divisi)
- 1 – Bass
- 1 – PERCUSSION (see "Materials Notes", under "Production Information")
- 1 –
- 20 – Libretto-Vocal Books
- 1 – Digital Logo
- Rehearsal Set (22 Books)
- 20 – Libretto-Vocal Books
- 2 – Piano Vocal Scores
- 1 – Digital Logo
- Libretto/Vocal Books 10 pack
- 10 – Libretto-Vocal Books
- 1 – Libretto-Vocal Books
- 1 – Piano Vocal Scores
- MATTRESS - Partitur
- Once Upon A Mattress Flat Bundle
- 1 – Flat Banners
- 1 – Flat Facebook Tabs
- 1 – Flat Poster
- 1 – Flat Print
- Once Upon A Mattress Layered Bundle
- 1 – Layered Banners
- 1 – Layered Facebook Tabs
- 1 – Layered Poster
- 1 – Layered Print
- 1 – Layered Facebook Tabs
3 Women
6 Men
1 Woman
1 Man
Singing and dancing ensemble consisting of Ladies-in-Waiting, Knights, Soldiers, Servants, and Musicians.
Pantomime Characters
Princess No. 12
Lady Larkin
Queen Aggravain
Prince Dauntless
King Sextimus the Silent
Sir Studley
Sir Luce
1st Knight
2nd Knight
3rd Knight
1st Lady-in-Waiting - Rowena
2nd Lady-in-Waiting - Merrill
3rd Lady-in-Waiting - Lucille
Sir Harry
Kitchen Wench
Princess Winnifred
Lady Mabelle
Ladies-in-Waiting, Knights, Soldiers, Servants, Musicians, etc.
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS takes place many moons ago in a far off place.
A Large Room In A Medieval Castle
A Castle Corridor
The Castle Courtyard
Winnifred's Dressing Room
Tents in the Courtyard
The Great Hall
A Room in the Castle
The Wizard's Chamber
Winnifred's Bedchamber
The Banquet Hall
Materials Notes
Featured News
Present ONCE UPON A MATTRESS from Oct. 1, 2009 Oct. 1, 2010 and your opening night royalty is on us!Read More
As anyone who has ever worked in the musical theatre can attest, there are few moments in the production process as exhilarating as hearing the orchestra for the first time.Read More
Media Rights
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We are searching for THREE talented designers to join our team!!
We are looking for designers that love to work with all types of paper crafts!
If you enjoy creating handmade from the heart treasures, then this call is for YOU!
Here are the details of the call:
DT Requirements:
- An Active Blog
- Initial Term - 6 months (JULY - DECEMBER with possibility of staying longer)
- Create 2 project per month posted to our DT blog in a timely fashion and to be posted to your personal blog as well. (Beginning with our July 12th challenge.)
- Responsible for hosting the challenge in rotation form. YOU get to choose the theme of the challenge you will be hosting. (If there are 6 Sisters, you will host a challenge once every 6th challenge. Approx. once every 3 months.)
- Comment on Challenge Entries. You will be assigned numbers (0-9) and it will be your responsibility to comment on entries that end in that number. e.g. 1; 11; 21; 31 etc.
- Take Quality Photographs of Your Project
- Try to Submit Your Project to at least 3 Other Challenges. This helps promote our Sisterhood Challenge Blog as well as your own personal blog
What We Offer:
- A pleasant and enjoyable team environment.
- Free sponsor products (when available)
- For first time DT members, you will gain experience and exposure
- For veteran designers, you will expand your crafting resume and exposure
- A chance to learn from a community of your peers.


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Hey guys, I haven't done a realistic tutorial in a while so I thought I would get back into the swing of things by fulfilling this request for a wolf tutorial. This is an advanced tutorial but I think everyone should be able to learn something from it. So, let's get started!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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It should surprise no one that Peyton Manning's new No. 18 Broncos jersey and Tim Tebow's new No. 15 Jets jersey were the NFL's top two selling jerseys in the months of April and May.
The key word there is "new." New teams, new look, new jerseys. The only question is who would be No. 1. Manning has long been the NFL's most popular player, as evidenced by his high number of national commercials appearances — and the income he makes from them.
Tebow arguably became the most well-known athlete in American sports history during the 2011 season.


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zachary.chen necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 108 diseños de 23 diseñadores freelance.
10 Best SF
We have a website which we will be launching soon as a city guide for the San Francisco Bay Area. The site will also cover New York and Los Angeles, but we will be using the same layout for the three regions, but will need slightly different images put onto each one, corresponding to the location that the site will focus on. The web pages will be city guides for people looking for the best food, entertainment, and local services in each city (San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles).
Our target audience will likely fit between 18 and 45 years old.
The website will be http://www.10bestsf.com/ .
These pages will provide news and information about top food options, bars, places to work, service providers to hire, etc. We want to have a very hip, youthful style. The site will be geared towards sharing on social media. We want to have a bit of the look and feel of a web-based magazine.
Please Review the Attached PDF Prompt
Home Page (x3)
We need a home page that uses the exact same layout for each city, but fits with each of the locations (San Francisco, New York City, & Los Angeles). Make sure the design is captivating and can draw in a younger viewer, as well as maintains a professional appearance. We want this to have the feel of a web-based magazine.
(See http://www.10bestdesign.com/)
Menu Page
We need a page that will help guide users around the site. They need to be able to see what lists are available in each sections (Perhaps through filters). This area must be easy to navigate to different ranking pages within various ranking page sections (Ie. Menu Page > Best Events > Best Networking Events > Best Fashion Events).
Ranking Page
As you will see in the attached document, there will be a great many types of "ranking lists" (Each beginning with the word "Best" in the PDF). They will all use the exact same layout, so you only need to make one generic layout that will work for each of these sections.
See http://www.10bestdesign.com/firms for an example of how our existing ranking page looks. We will need to be able to include the exact same amount of text, as well as an entry name and image, for each of the 10 entries that will appear on each ranking list.
Individual Page
When on each of the ranking pages, there will be 10 entries (companies or services or brands, etc.) on every list. Each company will have it's own individual page. This will serve as a profile for that entry. It must have space for roughly 500 to 700 words of text, as well as space for 3 screenshots of their website with a title for each screenshot.
About Page (x3)
Again, we want the exact same layout for the three cities, just include images of each city in the designs. This will be a fairly straight forward page which talks about the website, its purpose, and why we have made this as a source of information about local opportunities in the area. This page should look unique to the location that is relative to - SF, NYC, or LA.


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AkroBins are heavy-duty and securely stack on top of each other, sit on shelving, and hang from Akro-Mils racks, panels, rails and carts. Unaffected by weak acids and alkalis the sturdy one piece construction is water, rust and corrosion-proof. Finger grip allows for easy handling. Large label slot for easy identification of contents. Autoclavable up to 250° F. Guaranteed not to crack or break under normal load conditions as stated in the 1-year limited warranty. Optional dividers and labels available, see Related Items tab. AkroBins available in Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Black, Stone, and Semi-Clear. FOB Shipping Point.
Surcharge may apply.


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WOW that's a pretty beastly list of stuff.I've thrown a pretty sizeable bid on Actraiser OST but I doubt I'll be able to hold it. Good luck all. That'd be a great thing for Yuzo Koshiro to sign when he's in the US (MAGFest, WashD.C.) in January.One question: what's the deal with that Secret of Evermore "promo" CD? Was that officially sent out by Jeremy Soule, or is that just some bootleg rip-off?


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2019-30 Prague - Institute H21.
A presentation in the Senat (the Czech House of (elected) Lords) on 15th Sept.
And here's the corresponding talk and power-point presentation.
A blog: " De Borda abroad." From Belfast to Beijing and beyond... and back. Starting in Vienna with the TEDx talk, I go by bus and/or train for more debates in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Tehran, before flying - sorry about that - to Urumqi in Xīnjiāng, followed by more debates in Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Taiwan... but not in Pyongyang. Then back via Mongolia (where I was an election observer last year) and Moscow (where I worked in the '80s).
I have my little fold-up Brompton with me - surely the best way of exploring any new city! So I fly hardly at all; I go by train, boat or bus if possible, and then cycle wherever in each new venue; and all with just one plastic water bottle... or that was the intention!
The story is on: https://debordaabroad.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/de-borda-abroad/
Inclusive voting app
(Currently under re-construction.)
The Hospital for Incurable Protestants
The Mémoire of a Collapsed Catholic
This is the story of a pacifist in a conflict zone, in Northern Ireland and the Balkans. Only in e-format, but only £5.15. Available from Amazon.
The director alongside the statue of Jean-Charles de Borda, capitaine et savant, in l'École Navale in Brest, 24.9.2010. Photo by Gwenaelle Bichelot.
Welcome to the home page of the de Borda Institute, a Northern Ireland-based international organisation (an NGO) which aims to promote the use of inclusive voting procedures on all contentious questions of social choice. For more information use the menu options above or feel free to contact the organisation's headquarters. If you want to check the meaning of any of the terms used, then by all means have a look at this glossary.
As shown in these attachments, there are many voting procedures for use in decision-making and even more electoral systems. This is because, in decision-making, there is usually only one outcome; but with some electoral systems, as in any proportional ones, there can be several winners. Sometimes, for any one voters' profile - that is, the set of all their preferences - the outcome of any count may well depend on the voting procedure used. In this very simple example of a few voters voting on just four options, and in these two hypothetical examples on five, (word document) or (power-point) in which a few cast their preferences on five options, the profiles are analysed according to different methodologies, and the winner could be any one of all the options. Yet all of these methodologies are called democratic! Extraordinary!
A presentation in the Senat (the Czech House of (elected) Lords) on 15th Sept.
And here's the corresponding talk and power-point presentation.


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Agreed. It's counterfeit intellectualism.
Anyone with comparable cerebral development doesn't need a $20 logo and an overused noun to feel as though they fit in. True enough, a simplistic label can help like-minded people get together and talk about interesting subjects, and I do enjoy pissing off religious people by wearing my Atheist t-shirt. Challenging a person's world-view isn't going to be made any easier by having a cheesy label.
Intellectuals don't spend their time thinking about what they're going to call a social movement of rational people. That just seems, irrational and self-centered.
My $.02
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4th Australia-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations
Australia and Japan – Cooperating for peace and stability
Media release
14 September 2012
Common Vision and Objectives
1. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr, the Australian Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, H.E Mr Koichiro Gemba, and the Minister of Defense of Japan, H.E Mr Satoshi Morimoto, met in Sydney on 14 September to discuss regional and global security issues and ways to advance security and defence cooperation between Australia and Japan.
2. Australia and Japan are natural strategic partners sharing common values and interests, including a commitment to democracy, the rule of law, protection of human rights and open markets.
3. Australia and Japan share a common strategic objective of ensuring long-term peace, stability and prosperity in the changing strategic and security environment in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
4. To help achieve that objective, Australia and Japan are committed to working even more closely on security and defence matters in the following ways:
Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific
5. Deepening exchanges and working together to strengthen regional cooperation on issues that have the potential to undermine the stability of the region.
6. Ensuring mutual support for our respective alliances with the United States, which continue to help underwrite peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, and working together as active partners to maintain and strengthen comprehensive US engagement in the region.
7. Enhancing trilateral policy coordination and practical cooperation among Australia, Japan and the United States on a range of regional and global issues through the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue.
8. Continuing to build positive, comprehensive relationships with China, in support of China's responsible and constructive participation in the international rules-based order and role in promoting regional prosperity and stability while encouraging improved openness and transparency with respect to China's military modernization and activities.
9. Strengthening mutually beneficial relationships and cooperation on security issues with other countries in the region, including India, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN countries.
10. Working with parties concerned to achieve long-term peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including through strongly urging the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fully comply with the relevant UNSC Resolutions and its commitments under the 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement, and to resolve humanitarian concerns in the DPRK, such as the abductions issue.
11. Strengthening regional architecture, particularly the East Asia Summit, to promote cooperation on political, security, economic and other challenges facing the region.
12. Welcoming the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and supporting cooperation and practical activities in the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus.
13. Promoting regional adherence to norms of maritime security and safety, including freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful commerce, and the rules-based peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea and beyond in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
14. Advancing cooperation on development issues, including by assisting developing countries in the region to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and by supporting the establishment of the UN's post 2015 development agenda.
15. Strengthening joint efforts in support of sustainable development in the Pacific, including through the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM), and in accordance with the PIF Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific and other internationally recognised principles on aid effectiveness, by:
- encouraging and supporting democracy, economic reform and good governance;
- improving health, education and infrastructure;
- promoting environmental and resource sustainability, including in fisheries;
- enhancing maritime surveillance; and
- adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
16. Deepening exchanges and cooperation on the impacts of climate change and food, water and energy security.
Cooperation on international security issues
17. Deepening cooperation in global and regional fora, including the United Nations, to address international security concerns.
18. Pursuing regional and global action to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, including through cooperation in the Proliferation Security Initiative and supporting Japan's role as chair of the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation in 2013-2014; and to uphold the international legal frameworks of non-proliferation and disarmament.
19. Working to achieve the resolution of legitimate international concerns about Iran's nuclear activities. Working to enhance regional and global focus on the control of and trade in WMD-related goods based on the relevant international norms and obligations.
20. Working with partners in the Australia-Japan established Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative to give practical effect to consensus outcomes agreed within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) framework.
21. Preparing regionally for the 2015 NPT Review Conference through Australia, Japan and the Philippines' 2012-2014 co-chairing term of the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
22. Continuing cooperation bilaterally and amongst the Co-author's Group on international efforts to agree, as soon as possible, an Arms Trade Treaty to regulate international trade in conventional arms.
23. Strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation on disaster management, including through improved coordination in the civil and military areas, and on disaster preparedness and response. Working proactively to realise tangible outcomes at the third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction, which Japan has expressed its intention to host.
24. Exploring opportunities for information exchange, sharing of expertise and joint exercising between Australian and Japanese agencies responsible for disaster preparedness and response.
25. Working together to confront increasing threats in cyberspace by shaping international and regional dialogue on cyber issues, including on the development of international frameworks for cooperation.
26. Strengthening cooperation on space-security issues, bilaterally, trilaterally with the United States and with other parties, particularly on the development of international norms and confidence-building measures for space. Working together to take forward the proposed International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. Engaging the region more on space issues, including in the ASEAN Regional Forum.
27. Enhancing cooperation on counter-terrorism through strengthened collaboration in the United Nations, the Global Counterterrorism Forum and regional fora, and with other partners, including the United States through the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue.
28. Enhancing cooperation towards the early realisation of United Nations Security Council reform, including Japan's permanent membership.
29. Cooperating to support stability and sustainable development in Afghanistan.
Bilateral defence cooperation
30. Strengthening practical bilateral defence cooperation to enable the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and both defence ministries to work closely, effectively and at short notice in order to address regional and broader international security and defence requirements.
31. Strengthening interoperability between the two countries' defence organisations, to enable Australia and Japan to conduct operations together in the fields of maritime security, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and evacuation operations.
32. Maintaining an action plan that promotes an effective and flexible bilateral defence relationship with a forward five year focus.
33. Conducting regular air, land, and maritime exercises and engagement to boost interoperability and increase the skills and capabilities of both defence organisations.
34. Deepening bilateral information exchanges at the strategic, operational and tactical levels in support of interoperability.
35. Expanding people-to-people links and exchanges, including exchanges of strategy, policy and science personnel.
36. Deepening Australia-Japan science and technology cooperation in the field of defence, noting Japan's 2011 Guidelines for Overseas Transfer of Defense Equipment.
37. Initiating information exchanges in defence science and technology fields of mutual interest.
38. Deepening the relationship and linkages between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) of Australia and the Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) of Japan.
39. Examining opportunities for defence capacity building cooperation in South East Asia and the Pacific.
40. Through early activation of the Australia-Japan Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement deepening Australia-Japan cooperation, including the conduct of exercises, operations and other practical exchanges.
41. Building on the cooperation between ADF and JSDF in the Republic of South Sudan, explore further opportunities to work jointly to contribute to international peace building efforts.
42. Reviewing existing bilateral cooperation frameworks to ensure they meet the needs of the expanding Australia-Japan relationship and developing additional arrangements if necessary.
Trilateral defence cooperation
43. Strengthening trilateral defence cooperation with the United States.
44. Strengthening interoperability amongst the defence organisations of all three countries.
45. Focusing on robust, regular and practical cooperation among Australia, Japan and the United States through the Trilateral Defence Ministers' Meeting, the Trilateral Security and Defence Cooperation Forum (SDCF) and trilateral service-specific talks.
46. Developing and implementing an action plan that promotes a strong, dynamic and flexible trilateral defence relationship over the remainder of the decade.
47. Conducting trilateral exercises with a focus on improving each country's ability to enhance maritime security through air, land and maritime cooperation.
48. Conducting observer exchanges to respective exercises with the United States.
Consultation and information exchange
49. Consolidating further the Australia-Japan foreign and defence ministers 2+2 meeting as the key bilateral mechanism with oversight of the security and defence relationship.
50. Establishing a 2+2 senior-officials mechanism, supported by a working-level consultation process, to enhance bilateral consultation and coordination and maintaining the existing regular political-military, military-military, and service-to-service talks.
51. Building on the signing of the Information Security Agreement between Australia and Japan, including by considering practical ways to facilitate sharing of information and strengthening cooperative endeavors in this area.
Media enquiries
- Minister's office: (02) 6277 7584
- DFAT Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555


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There are two reasons why we think this 360 degree tabletop fan is great. One is obvious: It's a 360 degree table fan that can cool everyone in the room (just about) at the same time.
The other reason is because it looks like something you could stick a bird into and torture it with. No, we're not sadistic. We were sexually abused by a parakeet when we were kids.
Product Page [Front Gate via Red Ferret via uber gizmo]