Reviews of Arcadia Cruise Ship, Arcadia, P&O Cruises

My wife and I decided on this...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr T R Glover

Comments:

My wife and I decided on this Caribbean Cruise to celibrate our 50th wedding anniversary. To put the icing on the cake we decided to have a flight upgrade for £300.00 each. This promised us dedicated check in on the aircraft and registration at the ship, First class seating on the aircraft, a special enternainment package, first on/first off the aircraft, mood lighting and improved menu. The only thing we got was first class seating on the arecraft although on the teturn journey

my wife and I were not seated together and my wife was seated adjacent to a toilet and the emergency exit. Although I explained that my wife was registed disabled and should not be seated near the exit (I THOUGHT THIS WAS AGAINT THE LAW) and she needed my assistance with eating, we where treated as troublemakers and our comments were completed ignored. We have been on cruises with other lines before but we have NEVER exsperianced such an appalling holiday before, not only the flight but certain aspects of the cruise itself. NEVER AGAIN WITH P&O.

Not having used P & O for...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs P Hardy

Comments:

Not having used P & O for about 5 years we thought we would try them again. What a mistake! My husband has just been diagnosed with incureable cancer so we thought a good holiday was what was called for.



We joined the ship as one of the many disabled passengers and boarding went very smoothly. Once on board we were directed to the canteen style Belvedere restaurant where we struggled to find seats. The lunch was ok, nothing to write home about. No juice was available only tea or coffee and water unless, as we realised later, we had purchased juice or other types of soft drinks at extortionate prices.



The weather in Southampton was a bit chilly so we did not fancy going up on deck and found the Orchid Bar where we asked for a latte coffee, we were told that this was not available yet so back to the over priced soft drink.



We then heard a tannoy message telling us our cabin was ready so we found it quite easily as it was only one floor below the Belvedere. Our suitcases arrived in dribs and drabs but we were able to get unpacked by dinner time.



The restaurant was very noisy and seemed a bit cramped. We joined our table and were served by two very nice and efficient waiters. Fortunately our table companions were very good company. The meals were ok, nothing spectacular. As my husband had lost his appetite due to the chemotherapy treatment we were hoping that the food served throught out the trip would tempt his tastebuds but this was not the case the food was mediocre and the choices small. Breakfast and lunch in the main restaurant was free seating which meant, unless arranged the day before we only got to eat with our table companions one a day. Tea time anywhere was mundane with brusque waiters who obviously had no reason to give a good service as free seating meant that they did not have to create a good impression to get a good tip at the end of the cruise.



We used the cabin service menu on a few occasions and the sandwiches available were ok but again very unimaginative. One evening we rang through for hot chocolate and cheese and biscuits, the hot chocolate arrived but no cheese and biscuits as the waiter said 'we haven't got any'! The hot chocolate was awful just hot water and a packet mix. We could have made it ourselves in the cabin if we had realised that was what it would be.



As I have already mentioned, their were a a lot of disabled passengers who struggled to manage stairs. What we found amazing was crew members using the passenger lifts for exporting goods on large trolleys leaving people in wheelchairs having to wait for another lift. On the last night, when luggage was being collected up, most of the lifts had been comandeered by the crew which was fair enough, but trying to get down to dinner was a nightmare, it took us 20 minutes to get down to level 2. Woukld it not have been more customer friendly to suspend the crew using the lifts until dinner had commenced.



We went on a few trips which were great once we had got off the ship. On one such day we were called down, my husband was in a wheelchair, when we got down to the area to wait for the tender vessel we were kept queuing up whilst waiting for tenders to unload other returning passengers. This created a log jam, with people trying to get off lifts to join the queue blocking the way of re boarding passengers. There was also a lot of crew attempting to navigate through the queue with cases of water etc. which added more to the aggravation. When I tried to get an officer to address the situation he asked me what I expected him to do about it!



The entertainment was below par, there were a some 'spotlight' singers whose voices were ok but their material was very samey and self- indulgent. One girl singer an Australian with an contrived English accent, name dropped through her performance then did her version of three different parts from 'Chicago' which was appaling. The only cabaret that we would class as professional was the comedian Nicky Martyn. The regular cruise singers and dancers did their best but the singers seemed to think the louder they sang the better it was and ended up shouting!!



There were a few films advertised to be shown which we were quite interested in but there is no specific cinema on this ship. We ended up sitting in a seminar room on very uncomfortable chairs for 1 to 2 hours so could only bear to watch a couple of them.



A lot of the entertainment was full of product placement requiring one to spend money. The art class required you to spend at least £25.00 on equipment, the Art Auction is self explanatory. And what was our biggest bug bear was the fact there was no comfortable chairs to relax in. The sun loungers were uncomfortable just hard plastic, the only outside seating that was had any type of cushion were the chairs on the promenade deck and these were few and far between.



The main swimming pool area was very dull and unexciting for what is supposed to be a new ship.



I posted 6 cards at the onboard shop, purchased the appropriate stamps and posted them into the ships post box, none of them have arrived as yet (5 weeks later).



Leaving the ship was very upsetting. We were all herded (the disabled that is)to the Rising Sun pub, which stunk of cigarette smoke. All seemed to be going well and the woman organising us kept telling us so, also how well they were doing for such a large amount of wheelchair bound people. As the schedule slipped she then started making more and more excuses. She made us feel very uncomfortable and that we were a nuisance. The chap that finally came and helped us of the ship was excellent and apologised for the delay. He located our luggage obtained a porter and escorted us to the area where our transport was waiting.



All in all, we have agreed that if we ever manage to take another cruise it will definitely not be with P & O. This is not the P & O that we were used to. We shall probably go with Royal Caribbean or such like. It is a shame as my husband used to work for P & O and was very proud of them but not now.

having cruised before on the...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

caribbean delights

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

bolsover cruise club

Submitted By:

Mrs D Daley

Comments:

having cruised before on the arcadia myself and other fellow passengers thought the ship had slipped alittle in the self catering restaurant (belvedere) on many times no plates, cups or even cutlery were available for a short time which meant queues, the shows wasn't as good as previous and the pools could do with some paint. The cabin steward was the only thing which was up to a standard as before. lastime i attended the chocolate and ice sculptures they were fantastic and told everyone to go but this time it was very disappointing.

Enjoyed very relaxing cruise on...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Medditeranean Medley

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Ms W.K New

Comments:

Enjoyed very relaxing cruise on lovely ship. Food & service wonderful.



Entertainment by the ships company fantastic and 8/10 for the visiting entertainers - only complaint there was one show/act was repeated after just 2 days!



Cabin couldn't be faulted, spotless and kept just so by really nice steward.



Only thing I didn't rate was demonstration by visiting celebrity Chef (who has his own restaurant on board). I had been quite interested, but felt it was more about personality than food and it put me off wanting to book. And why when the quality and range of the meals on offer included in the price of the cruise would you want to pay extra just to eat in his restaurant on board? I had thought that for a special occasion you might want to 'push the boat out' (excuse the pun) but the menus didn't tempt me and the thought of him hovering at the table to see how I was liking it was a real turn off! I stuck with the main Club Dining, which was faultless.

Just returned from a cruise on...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2007

Tour Operator:

ILKESTON CO-OP

Submitted By:

shimsham

Comments:

Just returned from a cruise on Arcadia Southampton-Barbados we booked this trip through Ilkeston Co-op and the young lady who handled the trip (Kirsty) was absolutely delightful to deal with she was knowledgeable on cruise ships. She took us through all the procedures from departing from East Midlands airport by bus to returning from Barbados by Thomson fly.



The cruise was great, cabins spotless, food good, only a couple of things was not a good as could be expected the entertainment was very poor, and the swimming pools are not very big for the amount of people on board.



But what we paid for this cruise was good value for money and yes we would travel on Arcadia again.

Just recently returned from the...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2007

Tour Operator:

co-op

Submitted By:

Mr C Davies

Comments:

Just recently returned from the Southampton -Barbados sail like many other people on the forum we were very disappointed with the trip.



We were particularly aggrieved at although there were 2 restaurants only 1 was used for breakfast and lunch so you can imagine what breakfast was like where you had only got a 90 minute window to eat. The service for evening meal was pathetic I cannot remember how many times the waiters got our orders wrong.



As like many other people said the entertainment was very,very, poor, we had a karaoke on 3 different nights and the singers in that were better than the ships entertainers, all in all a very overrated ship, will we go on her again? NO.

We sailed from Southampton on...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Norwegian Fjords

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Cruise Deals

Submitted By:

Mr D A W Green

Comments:

We sailed from Southampton on Sunday 22 July 2007 with the P&O Arcadia on their 13 day cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. It was our second cruise and our first with P&O and Arcadia



In 2006, we cruised with Celebrity Cruises Millennium Class vessel ‘Constellation’ on their Baltic Capitals tour. We hope that this resume will help others to decide for themselves whether to try the Arcadia and to give some help to others who perhaps have never cruised before and are wondering if it is for them. Finally, we hope that it will give a balanced and helpful insight into the Norwegian Fjord cruise and particularly the P&O version.



The booking procedure was very straightforward and everything arrived on time and exactly as described. Extra discounts were available by shopping around and we chose www.CruiseDeals.com who were friendly, efficient and gave the best discount, but I am sure that there are plenty of other agents giving similar good service in this very competitive market.



The P&O website gave basic information on a good website and we waited with anticipation for the Excursion booking portal to become available. This opened several days before the printed book came through the post so if you are particularly keen on any excursion and want to ensure that you obtain a place, I would recommend using the P&O Excursion website.



However there seems to be plenty of room on most excursions on this trip and bookings were still available for many excursions right up to the evening before docking at any port.



In this part of the world, the weather is a particularly important feature and although we were very fortunate in the weather throughout the cruise, we would have been pretty frustrated if we had paid pre-booked £50 a head in England to see nothing but clouds on a scenic trip of mountains and fjords.



Generally it is not possible on this cruise to find any independent way of seeing the countryside. This method is more suited to cities on other cruises.



Southampton Dock Terminal is efficient if rather unglamorous. We were processed very quickly and it really helped having pre-registered our details on the P&O website. All that was left to do was to swipe our passports and our credit card and we were given our security card that was to allow us access to and from the ship at every port and to act as our on board credit card for purchases to be billed against and paid for in sterling at the end of the cruise.



From the time that we arrived on the coach to the time that we were in our cabins was no more than 30 minutes and the longest queue was 6 people in front for the x-ray security machine. A wonderful improvement on airport queues!



We boarded Arcadia with excitement and must admit to being a little disappointed at the initial lack of impact. There was no ‘Wow’ factor at all and most of the welcome party was security staff. On Constellation, we had arrived in the main Atrium with its massive staircase and were greeted by an officer, passed to a steward who helped us find our cabin and introduced us by name to our cabin steward.



On Arcadia, we arrived amongst the lifeboats, entered by a small doorway, were not greeted, and had to find our own way to the cabin. This is not as easy as it sounds because the Arcadia has a bizarre but very British way of labelling its decks. Deck numbers start at the bottom and work upwards but with a confusing bottom deck called A Deck. However they also like to letter their decks and couple these letters with names of countries and continents from past P&O glory days.



Guess which way the letters start!! That’s right – the alphabet starts from the top accommodation deck and works downwards. So A (Australia) deck is near the top and is numbered 8 and the lowest accommodation deck is G (Grenada)Deck which is number 1Deck.



You get used to it in time but the arrival on board should be improved upon as first impressions really do count - and especially so if one is mentally comparing with previous ships and cruise-lines.



However the welcome from the cabin steward was both genuine and warm. He was charming, helpful, and quietly efficient. He had obviously been well selected and trained and was forever attentive. Practically all the front line staff on Arcadia are from India.



Their English is good and they are the most charming people. Smart, attentive, harmonious, well trained, and supervised, they are a real credit to themselves and also the years of association with P&O. We certainly felt more at home on Arcadia than Constellation where we found that the language skills were much poorer and the staff came from all over the world - although the staff were just as well trained.



The cabin itself is of a good proportion and well equipped. Although P&O say that the cabin is equipped with 240 volt British style socket, this is being slightly economical with the truth. There is such a socket but only the one.



Other voltages and socket shapes are also supplied so if you are like us with a variety of battery chargers etc, it would help to bring an adaptor and/or a continental adaptor so that you can use the other sockets as well. There is a kettle and endless supply of free tea and coffee sachets and milk.



All other drinks are charged for but continental breakfasts can now be ordered to the room free of charge. There is a fridge in the room and no one checks any drink or food that you bring on board.



The bathroom in our cabin had a ¾ sized bath with a very good shower above and all other facilities were fine. A dressing gown was provided on request. Towels were provided for pool side use and all linen and towelling was changed every day. Spotless service and to be commended. The balcony was a very good size with 2 comfortable chairs and a coffee table and was well sheltered.



Air conditioning was superb and practically silent and draught free. A television gave facts and service about our ship, our itinerary, our current position, a range of details about excursions and a wide range of films, TV programmes and BBC or Sky News. The ship is equipped with its own mobile phone aerial and processing unit so mobile phone calls were possible even out at sea. Prices seemed to be the same or similar as for land mobile phones – in other words expensive compared to landlines.



There is a computer room for access to the Internet at charges that vary upon usage. We didn’t use them but the prices were not too bad at £16 for 100 minutes or £10.50 for use throughout the cruise. You can use your own laptop on their wireless service for a nominal fee per day.



There is a very good supply of general public areas including a swimming pool that has a retractable roof with a large area for relaxation. Very welcome on this trip to the top of Norway. There is an abundance of bars, a disco, casino, library, a very well equipped gym and health spa and everything else mentioned in the brochure. There seemed to be plenty of space and availability of services for everyone with the one exception of the self service dining room but more about that later.



The theatre was excellent with a very good variety of mixed entertainment of a high quality. Although very full at times, we always managed to find seats, and they were comfortable with a good view in air conditioned comfort. A smaller theatre called The Globe caters for all sorts of other activities including Ballroom dancing, late-night adult comedy, art auctions, and excursion co-ordination



If we have any criticism at all of Arcadia, it would be for its rather 1980ish décor everywhere. Full of browns and creams. Not to our taste but presumably P&O know their market and supplied their flagship only 2 years ago with a known preference with their regular clients. Not the sort of detail to determine whether one travelled by the ship or its cruse destinations but a bit of a letdown in our view.



Even the funnel is a bland dark cream above a white hull compared to the exciting colours and shapes of Constellation. Another ‘Wow’ factor difference between the two ships of comparable age and size.



The clientele on this northern voyage is mostly elderly with very few passengers below retirement ages of say 55+ and this is probably because it is not only a child-free ship but also the journey is not the normal sunshine trip. There were also about 30 people in wheelchairs and they seemed to be admirably looked after.



The ship is easy to negotiate but there are lengthy queues for the lifts especially at mealtimes because there are so many people who take the lift by necessity or because they use them for travelling only one floor. There are lots of spaces reserved in the restaurant and theatres etc and many disabled people ventured out on excursions with their helpers.



Dining is either at table in the two floors of the Meridian dining rooms or the Belvedere Self Service. There is also speciality dining at the Gary Rhodes Restaurant or the Orchid room but we did not sample either of these facilities. The Belvedere self service area is full of frustrating features - some of which could perhaps be easily improved upon and others that are design problems with no easy remedy.



The biggest problem of all is that it is too small. Compared to Constellation, there appears to be some 250/300 less seats as the seating area is much narrower. Constellation has the dining area extended right to the vessel’s side and indeed parts of it overhang the ship’s side with dramatic glass floor panels with views of the sea below! Arcadia doesn’t and at times there were a lot of grumbles about the lack of seating.



In warmer climates, it would be possible to eat outside around the rear swimming pool, but this was never really an option on this cruise. The layout of the food on offer does not flow and there are constant flows and counter flows of people searching for the item that they missed. Salads are arranged lengthways along the ship but the cold meats and fish are in the cross bays out of sight of the first queue and you have a second queue to face to complete your meal.



At breakfast you also have to queue for your coffee and fruit juice whereas on Constellation, the coffee was served at table by stewards, thus allowing you to eat the food whilst it is hot.



Many of the salads and dishes are placed almost out of reach behind the protective screens. However on the plus side there are masses of staff and the tables are kept spotless, antiseptic hand wash is proffered to you on entry to the restaurant and the staff are charming and efficient.



The Meridian dining experience is probably where the Britishness of the whole experience is most noticeable on Arcadia. Both ships supply superb food served by marvellous waiters. There really is no other way of travelling for 14 days and being supplied with such high quality food and served by such well trained and hard working staff. How the staff manage so consistently well to serve so many people for two separate sittings is a daily miracle. My hat goes off to them all. We chose to eat at the first sitting on each vessel as we find that the finishing time of around 10.00pm too late for comfort if choosing the second sitting. All a personal choice.



My wife is vegetarian and for her the highlight of a cruising holiday is the daily availability of top class vegetarian cuisine with a choice of starters and main courses. European land holidays have been ruined in the past by the complete lack of vegetarian option let alone a choice, but cruise ships supply an immense range of menus that are frequently changed.



The big difference of the two ships is that Constellation has a daily vegetarian menu offered at the start of each dinner featuring several starters and main courses, whereas Arcadia offers the same range but the choice has to be made the evening before. So you end up choosing the next meal before eating the current one! There is also a daily vegetarian option on the main menu. She tells me that the food was excellent and varied on both ships.



The general menu is very British on Arcadia and is excellent. Good sized portions and well balanced. Our only criticism in both the Meridian and Belvedere restaurants was the synthetic nature of the dessert ingredients. All the cream was fresh on Constellation but only UHT on Arcadia and the desserts were very heavy and glutenous on Arcadia. At least we did not eat too many and we kept our weight down, but again a small point became an issue after a while. Wine prices are considerably cheaper on Arcadia than Constellation but the range of selection is more than adequate on both ships.



Dress code is more formal and more respected on Arcadia than Constellation. Maybe it’s because Constellation clientele are nearer 80% American whereas Arcadia’s is 99% British that makes the difference. Suitcase weights whilst flying to Europe must be a consideration and so too is the British love of formality, but I would guess that more than 80% of men wear Dinner Jackets on Arcadia compared to perhaps 50% on Constellation. The other 20% wear suits on Formal nights on Arcadia. Informal nights are also very smart on Arcadia with the majority in suits or formal jackets and trousers. Casual nights were mostly jacketless but still smart casual.



There are more photographers on Arcadia than Constellation and they cover many of the excursions as well as the formal nights on board. Prices on Constellation were also three times more expensive than those on Arcadia but reflected the better quality of the photographs. Arcadia however has a far more amenable staff that are very willing to help out on camera problems and other aspects of photography other than just trying to sell you their own photos. However Arcadia’s interior design is less photogenic as a background.



Shopping on Arcadia is extensive and there is a fine selection of evening and day wear, perfume, jewellery, watches, souvenirs, and also an excellent selection of toiletries, sweets, flowers and duty frees. There are the usual Art Auctions but a very peculiar range of paintings and it still beats me why anyone should want to buy a picture whilst cruising- but there you go. One man’s meat etc etc!



There is a very good range of excursions covering all tastes and pockets. Norway is not the cheapest place to visit but all the trips that we went on were excellent value for money and we never had any disappointment. Lunchtime venues gave wonderful fresh Norwegian food with masses of fresh salmon and local meats. Personally I think that the Flam railway is over-hyped but that is by the railway company rather than P&O.



The Flam railway website is full of superlatives but the train spends much of its time in tunnels and having been on it a couple of times now, I do believe that there are other just as attractive railway lines in the UK-such as to Kyle of Localsh, Mallaig or indeed the Settle and Carlisle railway. We later found out that the railway excursion from Andalsnes to Bojli was to us even better for scenery.



We were incredibly lucky to have superb weather at North Cape. After a day of thick fog, we dropped anchor at Honningsvag in glorious sunshine and had a beautiful ride by local school bus through stunning countryside before arriving at a very commercialised North Cape Centre. Very similar to Lands End and full of camper vans and bikers. ‘North Cape or bust’ comes to mind. The video is well worth watching in the underground theatre, but the main attraction is the globe monument on the cliff-top with its longitude and latitude marks.



You really are near the top of the world. Have a look at a globe to see just how far north you will be travelling – and yet it is really very warm. The Gulf Steam passes by and they never have any sea icing. We had the most glorious Midnight Sun as the Arcadia later cruised slowly past North Cape from 23.00hrs until 01.00hrs. A lady next to me had been on 6 previous cruises to North Cape and this was the first time that she had been lucky enough to see the Midnight Sun, so you are not guaranteed to see this wonderful phenomena.



If you are booking a trip from the ship, try and book the first possible time as the transport arrangements are a bit in a short supply and you also have to use the tenders to reach shore. Several people on board had marvellous experiences on the Bird Safari trip and said that it was well worth the cost.



Again you will have to be lucky with the weather and have to balance off the risk of booking early in the UK and taking the weather as it comes, or waiting to see what the weather might be and risk not having the choice of destination and time of excursion. My own view is to take the risk but it is your call.



We also went on the long day excursions of ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ from Flam, ‘Geirangerfjord’ from Olden and ‘The Alps of the North’ from Tromso and can recommend all three trips as good value and fascinating trips. The towns of Stavanger, Trondheim, and Bergen can easily be visited on your own with ships berthing very close by to the main town centres.



The 82,000 ton ship is steered into the most amazing small spaces and the Master took the greatest care to see that we had the best views of fjord countryside including glaciers. The ship seems to spin round on a sixpence but provides a stable platform for wonderful photographic opportunities of countryside and also sea patterns caused by the ship changing course.



We were somewhat surprised to find that there is very little birdlife and we never saw any sea creatures either. We had gone equipped with telescopes and binoculars but used neither to any great extent and would not bother if we went again.



Then sadly it eventually came time to turn for home and the incredibly smooth Arcadia set off at 22 knots across the North Sea towards Southampton. She had been on time –almost to the minute- at every port and so it was at Southampton where we arrived at 7 am. Our luggage had been taken from our cabins at 5pm the previous evening and we found it all laid out by Deck letters in the Terminal.



We had coloured cards giving us a disembarkation time of 8.15am as we were joining the Eavesway coach and this all happened punctually and easily. Coaches were lined up immediately outside the Terminal and we left at 9 am precisely – just 45 minutes from leaving the ship. Even though it was an August Saturday, we were safely deposited in Preston at 3.30pm feeling relaxed and very happy.



It was a wonderful holiday, well worth every penny and we would recommend the Arcadia trip to Norwegian fjords to anyone interested in an interesting itinerary for scenery. There are no big towns with cathedrals and castles such as on the Baltic cruises, but the company and its crew do their utmost to make you comfortable, feed you superbly and to show you the best that Norway has to offer with its fantastic scenery.

First cruise with P & O and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Spirit of the Caribbean

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Co-op Travel

Submitted By:

Mrs D WILKINSON

Comments:

First cruise with P & O and we loved it. We found the ship to be impressive both inside and out.



All staff in all areas were very attentive and courteous and the food in Meridian Restaurant was superb. The only down side for me was the sail from Southampton to Caribbean. Weather was very windy and even a ship that size, it got tossed around quite a bit, making me feel a little bit queasy, but P & O can't have any control over the weather.



I have to admit to being glad to put my feet on Terra Firma when we reached first Port of call, the Azores. After this the weather was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the holiday. We even got an extra day at the end, because when we reached final destination in Barbados our flight back to UK was delayed by 24 hrs, so we had to spend an extra day on board - Bad luck for the people starting the holiday but great for us, who really didn't want to get off. Here's to next June when we have booked on board Arcadia again to cruise the Med, sailing to and from Southampton.

A small friendly ship. Excellent...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Caribbean Highlights

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Eileen Steel

Comments:

A small friendly ship. Excellent food and accommodation. Entertainment to suit all tastes.



Friendly, helpful staff. Tours arranged to cover a range of interests some of which

were suitable for disabled passengers.



Ship docked in port 90% of the time.



An enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere all round.

Our second back to back cruise...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Med Cruises

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2007

Tour Operator:

Ocean World Travel

Submitted By:

Mrs M Hackney

Comments:

Our second back to back cruise on the Arcadia. Entertainment was dreadful hardly any during the day even though the weather was very bad. Food often cold and not much choice. The evening meals were also cold and the service was very slow. Especially the wine waiters.



The windows on the ship were filthy including balconies. Cabins are okay but the wardrobes are very narrow so your clothes get very crushed. Launderettes were very small only 2 washers and 2 driers one ironing board. Same people in every time you went insisted on staying while the washer finished so we were like sardines in a can.



No onboard Cinema so films are shown in the Globe during the day (this is supposed to be a show lounge but it’s far too small) in an evening the films are shown in the Ocean room which during the day is used as a computer room(not very comfy seats).



Nothing happens in the main theatre until the evening shows which seems a waste.



The P & O entertainment team were very poor there was supposed to be at least 10 onboard I only saw 4 these were the ones who did the quizzes.



The ship isn’t a friendly ship at all and the service although lots of staff about, is dreadful.



Someone needs to take a look at the management on this ship.

Having returned from a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Spirit of The Caribbean

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Trent999

Comments:

Having returned from a disappointing cruise on The Queen Mary 2 we decided to book for another Caribbean cruise.



Years before we had cruised on the original Arcadia and had thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We were all looking forward to it (despite the long wait).



We woke up very excited on a very wet, cold and miserable November morning and made our way to the coach pick-up point. Standing waiting for the coach we met a really nice couple, the man had booked the trip for his wife's birthday surprise.



We arrived at the dockside in Southampton and made our way to the embarkation area, our smiles disappeared as we saw the people waiting to board.



We all had the same memories of our Queen Mary 2 boarding trouble (please read my review for details).



This experience was to prove very different and within an hour of arriving we had received our cases and were unpacking.



We had been very warmly greeted and shown to our staterooms by a very friendly and professional porter, who introduced us to our cabin steward. The cabins are equipped with everything you could need for your holiday.



If there is anything else you require, you only need to ask. The attentive stewards will do everything they can to fulfil your requirements.



Having unpacked we began to explore the vessel in anticipation. I knew that this was a new ship but nothing could have prepared me for the superb decoration. The style of the ship is fairly modern and there is a plethora of artwork displayed throughout.



Arcadia has many different dinning options, including the new Arcadian Rhodes restaurant. On this particular cruise Gary Rhodes was to join the ship and we were very honoured to be invited to a pre dinner drinks party by the Chief Purser.



The food on board was of the highest standard in each of the restaurants and the variety was superb, every taste was catered for and available throughout the night.



For formal dinning, there is the Meridian Restaurant situated on two floors, F deck and the Promenade deck. The surroundings are elegant yet comfortable with a pleasant atmosphere. Breakfast is also served here daily if you prefer a more formal option in the morning.



On the lido deck you have the Neptune Bar and Grill, the grill serves the tastiest burgers and there are various fillings to choose from. They also serve a variety of other hot and cold snacks including hot dogs and chilli.



Also on the Lido deck is The Belvedere Restaurant this being the informal dining option. This is self service, for a more relaxed eating experience. The selection of food served for breakfast, lunch and dinner is far too extensive to share in this review.



I can honestly say that every taste is catered for and no guest will go hungry. The food is consistently fresh and is available when you need to refuel.



A very nice afternoon tea is served in the Belvedere every day consisting of sandwiches, cakes, pastries and all manner of desserts, a really nice time to sit and reflect on your morning's activities.



The Palladium is the ship's Theatre and is spread over three decks, the shows here are superb and really not to be missed. During your cruise there are performances to suit all tastes. There are plenty of seats available but it is very popular, so be sure to arrive in time for the best view.



Next to the casino on F deck is the nightclub/bar Electra. We spent a few great nights here during the two weeks on board. Obviously as with all clubs, the atmosphere here depends very much on the passengers cruising. The music is very mixed, just ask the D.J for what you like.



The ship itself has been designed as a port ship and therefore for the best experience I would recommend avoiding cruises with long periods at sea. During the first few days crossing the Atlantic space was at a premium and not helped by the bad weather.



If you do join the ship for a transatlantic holiday please be prepared for queues for informal eating and a lack of seating in these areas.



There is no problem at all when the ship docks and therefore one of the port cruises would be a more enjoyable holiday.



I highly recommend P&O, the service and accommodation on board can not be faulted. Service with a smile, friendly and polite. P & O ticks all the right boxes.



Cruising is one of the best ways to travel and excellent value for money, especially the Caribbean as some of the islands are very expensive to visit for a holiday. Some P&O ships allow children to travel free or at a very discounted rate and the facilities for them are amazing.



There are crèche facilities on some ship's allowing parents a break to enjoy the evening's entertainment, safe in the knowledge that a competent person is looking after there loved ones.



People often ask if you feel trapped on board a cruise ship with no where to go. When you get up in the morning you are either docked or docking somewhere new and usually don't sail away until early evening.



Extra Information:



Cruises with P&O range from around £300 up to more than £20,000 depending on where you are going and the type of accommodation you choose.



On this particular cruise we travelled around the Caribbean islands including Ponta Delgada, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St Maarten, Dominica and St Lucia. We chose an inside cabin as the discount was fairly attractive and meant the price per person was around £1200.



The gratuities are not included in the price and are at your own discretion, the recommendation is around £4 per adult per day for your room steward but it is up to you.



At the bar 15% is added to your bill when purchasing drinks and this is shared between the staff, again you can offer personal tips if you wish.



Full information on tipping is in each cabin and may change.

Barbados to Acapulco via the...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Tatton

Comments:

Barbados to Acapulco via the Panama Canal (Christmas).



The flights are the worst that any one can put up with and I think P&O are to blame trying to get as many people cheaply to there Cruise ships.



The ship its self is not to bad but definitely the best. The cabins are kept very clean we had a balcony on deck B.



Some parts of the ship are a little untidy and the service and atmosphere in parts are not too good.



The food was very good but we have had better on the cheaper end of cruising.



P&O do try to take loads of money off you for different things, but do your own thing and try not to pre-book trips and I don’t think you will be disappointed with the end bill.



If you do P&O trips it will cost you 75% more. Most trips are a lot cheaper at the port of call in taxes our mini buses.



The Itinerary was very good and this is why we booked this Holiday, and the weather was really hot and sunny, and we made some really good friends.



I had read about the flights before we flew but never thought they would be as BAD.

IF P&O upgrade there flights we my use them again. If not I don't think so.

Have just returned from a two...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Itinerary:

Tropical Delights (Acapulco - Barba

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr J Baldrey

Comments:

Have just returned from a two week cruise on Arcadia, "Tropical Delights" from Acapulco to Barbados via the Panama Canal.



This was my third cruise with P&O, previously we had been on Aurora and Adonia. Our impression of Arcadia was very disappointing. The ship looked shabby, lots of areas had flaking paint, marks on the walls and floor. Our balcony had stains all over the floor, we mentioned this three times and eventually someone came and cleaned it. There were some tiles next to a buffet counter beside the main pool which had lifted, leaving dangerous sharp tiles where people would be walking. After two hours of looking at this, I reported it and one of the staff put a little bollard over the damaged area. Admittedly, they did repair the tiles a couple of days later, but they replaced with a different colour which added to the shabby look. If you're used to P&O ships being pristine, I think you'll find Arcadia a real disappointment.



One thing which you can't help noticing on Arcadia is the AWFUL mix of carpets and soft furnishings. The carpets are very heavily patterned and in bright colours, generally mixed with furniture which just simply doesn't go. You can't help thinking that they must have got the carpets on the cheap, as nobody could have paid good money for such old tat.



We did notice a few changes in P&O's product, detracting from the cruise experience. The free ice creams which P&O used to give out in the afternoons have now gone, replaced by ice creams you can buy. Talks on the New Horizons programme are mainly charged at £5 a throw. The hydrotherapy pool and steam rooms are also charged at £10 for one visit or £15 for two. The ship's staff constantly pushed the Orchid and Rhodes restaurants - the cookery demonstration was basically an advert for the Orchid, and even the cabaret artiste did a big plug for the paid-for restaurants. We didn't bother to use either, £15 a head additional charge seems quite steep given that food is supposed to be included, and the fact that the ship's company were pushing them so hard suggested that they weren't very popular. The menus in Rhodes are very similar to the restaurant, lots of steaks and big meat dishes, and the executive chef for the main restaurant also oversees Rhodes, so what is the difference?



Having read the reviews of the flight to Acapulco, I decided against and booked scheduled flights on Air France out and BA back. When I rang P&O to book the cruise, the agent said "we've had a lot of complaints about the Acapulco flight, and if you can afford to pay for scheduled, I would suggest you do". They didn't give me any discount on the cruise price for not using their flights, which I thought was tightfisted. I was really pleased we did fly scheduled though, as most people talked about nothing else but the awful flights for the whole cruise. In most cases, people were stuck on a charter plane with almost zero legroom for 16 hours. On one flight, 6 people needed oxygen and the plane had to borrow additional oxygen from another when it refuelled. On another flight, an admin error in P&O led to no food on the flight. When the flights arrived at Acapulco, there were 2 immigration officers for over 2000 arriving passengers, so most people evidently queued for up to 3 hours (having spent 16 on the plane). Then another 2 hours on a bus fighting its way through Acapulco traffic. Almost everyone said "never ever again". Simple advice, do not use the P&O flights under any circumstances.



So, onto the itinerary. We stopped in Zihautanejo (pretty little resort), Huatulco (beach, 2 bars, very little else), San Juan del Sur (we did the trip to Granada and loved it), Panama (loved walking around the old town), Panama Canal, Limon (we did the rainforest tram, good but very overpriced), Aruba (very Americanized, did nothing for me), Port of Spain (I enjoyed this, but a lot of people thought it was a bit rough) and Barbados (has anyone not been here?). We did two excursions, both seemed exorbitantly priced for what they were, but were good quality in content.



Personally, I think this cruise would have been much, much better if they had started at Los Angeles, therefore enabling people to get scheduled flights easily. After that, they could go to Acapulco, so you'd get a proper day there, then spend more time on the pacific side of the canal, cutting out one or two of the Caribbean stops.



Weather was beautiful, if anything a little too hot. Much better and more predictable on the pacific side than the Caribbean. If you're going on this one, don't bother to pack anything warm you absolutely won't need it.



Food in the main restaurant was pretty standard P&O fare. Very, very calorific, and no hint of a healthy option on any of the menus. The Belvedere buffet had a good selection, if a little uninspired, but the Formica top tables and gross carpet made you feel you were eating in a transport cafe. Massive queues here, and not enough tables at normal meal times also detracted from the experience.



They laid on three parties on deck, which were all well attended and good fun. The Arcadia theatre company had variable performances. There were three gymnasts in the company, mainly for the Cirque de Arcadia show which was excellent. The four singers ranged from one chap who was excellent to one American girl who just couldn't hit the high notes any more and was awful. A few people commented that it was a shame with all the unemployed British actors and singers who would love the job that they'd got three unimpressive American leads and only one Brit.



The cabarets were disappointing. Hilary O'Neil almost died on stage the first night, she tried hard to make us laugh but pretty much failed and was embarrassing. The other male comedian was similarly unfunny and also nearly died during one of his performances.



You're probably thinking that I completely hated the cruise - this is wrong. To be honest, we had a good time. I was really interested in seeing Central America, and enjoyed the trips we did. I liked the child-free ship, and generally like the P&O cruises product. Customer service onboard was excellent, staff were impeccably mannered, polite and very professional. So, I wouldn't recommend that you avoid this cruise.



All I would say, in summary, is don't have too high expectations of Arcadia. As a new ship, her shabbiness is disappointing. If you're a P&O regular, you will notice how they're making every attempt to get more and more onboard spend out of you. And, finally, whatever you do, don't go on the charter flights to Acapulco.



Hope this has been helpful to someone.

Had a terrible flight- bought...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Itinerary:

Calypso and Dixieland

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs B Siviter

Comments:

Had a terrible flight- bought premium seats. They gave us decent food and snacks, but the little televisions for the premium passengers were useless because we were in the front row and they were too heavy to hold. Plus, we had no place for our baggage except in the lockers- and the ones in the front are all used up with crew stuff- when we called to ask for help they just ignored us. I would have loved to have had my book.



When we were less than an hour from Barbados we were told there was a missile launch and this caused us to be detoured 150 miles, and we didn't have enough fuel, so we landed in Antigua for a "quick" top up. Why wasn't there enough fuel???



No communication during the hour we waited to take off, no communication during the four hours we were stuck on the ground until they told us the crew had run out of hours and we were stuck there. They wouldn’t even give us a drink because they had locked the containers- they said there was a bubbler but being disabled I couldn’t fight my way back.



Kept asking the crew for information but the only response was from the toffs who believed that a stiff upper lip, must not grumble tut tut was the best way to go. Spent our 5th anniversary hoping for something to eat to materialise out of the bottom of my handbag.



No wheelchair support in Antigua, but after nearly having to crawl the mile walk from the plane to the terminal, there were plenty of queues and documents to fill out. Waited in queue when they "fed" us, the small sandwich and water were not enough for the additional hours and hours we were stuck in the sauna being used as the terminal.



No information, no rep, no crew- until they said we were being shipped to hotels. The half hour ride was like being on a roller coaster. We hit a dog and the driver didn't even stop.



Got to the resort feeling sick, sore and wishing I had gone to an all inclusive in Greece. No food, off to bed except for $6.50 for two bottles of water. The next AM were told to be ready for 10.30, but uh-oh the plane is late and won’t go until 5.30pm. Couldn't eat breakfast because there were birds all over the food and tables. At 1pm we were taken to airport with promises that P&O would make good on the fact our 5th anniversary had been spent in hell.



The 50 minute flight was okay, except that we were all angry and smelly. Big rush on the coaches to take us to ship- a mob took over the taxi meant for those disabled passengers like me who struggle to stand /walk for long times. Watched out whole queue go by so we could get on the next coach in the front- but that queue complained because we were in front even though we had been in the middle of the previous queue.



Passengers from that queue tortured us the entire trip making comments about my disability. They may have been rich and been on dozens of cruises and able to buy fine works of art, but class they had none!



Then the ship, we got our bags rather quickly, we went to Belvedere to eat- how embarrassing that all the other passengers saw us- we looked like a mob from an outdoor concert in the rain. Belvedere does look like a high street store cafe, but the food was good, plentiful and anything was available if you asked.



Only went a couple times to the Meridian- I found the food more "foo -foo" than substance- they served two ounces of beef as the "Prime Grand Sirloin"; we were seated with four other people, but they were all related and so we felt a little left out. They were nice though. Friends of ours sat with toffs who did nothing but belittle the attire and appearance of the "poor working class" people.



One of them said "Oh, look at the poor excuse for a gown. Poor creature must have saved all year to buy that at BHS". Those who think Britain is classless should go on a cruise. I wish someone could have pushed them all off into the sea- but there are laws against that kind of pollution I guess.



I hope they read this: I don't care how many cruises you have been on- you aren't class till you ACT class, and that doesn't mean treating other people like they smell like the back end of a beagle.



One of these Upper class twit passengers used the small launderette all day- her housemaid told her to wash the items separately- so she did- one item per washer then one per dryer. She used it the entire day. One of the other passengers kept putting wads of toilet paper in her washing machines- the blue rinse/twin set and pearl gal couldn't understand why there were little white shreds on everything. No one cleaned out the filters, and I always seemed to find myself scraping chewing gum out of the driers.



Very small launderette, free, but not enough room for three people to stand comfortably. The iron didn’t work properly and kept blowing the fuse. Three washers and three dryers for 350+ passengers. It open at 8 until 10, but the crew who were doing laundry for passengers always got in at 10 to 8 and made it unavailable until lunch. Laundry soap was extortionate and of poor quality.



When I got to the ship they asked if there was anything they could do to help- I said yes, please iron my husband's dress shirt. They did- then charged me, after they said they were doing it to "help" and as a "small compensation" for the delays.



They decided to make a mistake with my passport and call me by the wrong name, and when I told them pointedly I was NOT Mrs. Smith, they responded "Yes Mrs. Smith". Sigh. Seems they don’t care if your travel name and passport match- they just do whatever they want. Front of house supervisors were good though and very compassionate.



THEN they decided to paint our balcony without telling us- good bye expensive white trousers and shirt. They "forgot" to send us a letter saying that the balcony we paid for wasn't ours for 24 hours.



They are not geared up to help disabled people. Poor seating for disabled, not enough room in the restaurants if you use a chair or stick, and they always refer to the ship by the staircases- which you don’t know much about if you need to use the lifts.



The excursion staff were excellent (thank you Tami!) but the prices were extortionate. Example: in Curacao, the trolley cost £20 per head for the excursion- but only $20 per head for the tour. Most of the ports were excuses to put shopping malls were the tourists needed to go. The tender was terrifying. One of the comedians joked they called it a Pontoon because it was a gamble if you made it or not.



Entertainment was excellent- well, mostly. A few of the comedians fell very flat. John Evans was superior and the ship's company was superior. The bands and DJs were ok.



The Hydrotherapy pool was awesome and it saved my life. I was in so much pain after the problems we had getting there- and the combination of the whirlpool spa and the heated benches really helped me considerably. I had massages and would recommend the dry floatation bed for anyone who has arthritis or joint/ bone pain. Thank you to Ana and the spa staff.



I didn't plan on spending quite too much in the spa, but it was that or stay in bed wracked with pain, so the spa it was. As the cruise goes on the spa becomes very busy, so book a cruise-long pass for the hydro spa right away and enjoy it before everyone else finds out about it. But when they say they give you a dressing gown- forget it, they are all size 6. "One size fits sticks".



Then immigration in New Orleans. They made no accommodation for disabled people except to stick me in a room so everyone could stare at me while I waited for my husband to catch up in the queue he was 30 minutes late in joining because they couldn't decide what to do.



Felt absolutely humiliated- they said the American officials said they had to do the queue as they were- I spoke to the Americans and they said they didn’t care how the queue went as long as it did. Blaming the Yanks is very popular.



Spent days emailing P&O to complain, but no answer and they wouldn't give me the direct email to the only person they said could help me. Spent a fortune on the internet, but no reply. Funny that everyone else got the email but they admitted their own server didn't work!



Disembarkation- well, it was much better than I hoped- the officer on the ship (Andrew Watt) responsible for disabled passengers during embarkation and disembarkation is a gem and he made sure things were ok. One of the toffs who was nasty to us throughout the cruise made a nasty comment, but as I said, being on a cruise hundreds of time and being able to buy art doesn't mean you have class, just money and they are not the same thing. These people think they are the heart of cruising, but they ruin it.



At the airport in New Orleans it was back to madness a la Thompson as they messed up the queues, decided to forego premium check in and have us get in queue in alphabetical order- except they couldn't tell which queue led up to which letters, and they forgot that some letters have more names in them than others.



They had 2 queues for R-V, and were sending people to the front... so when we tried to follow those people we got yelled at because the people in the next queue thought we were trying to get ahead. Heaven forbid. A little stress all because there is no room, we are all packed in like sardines, its hot, and the flight is late... yes! It was horribly stressful and difficult because my hubby had to push my wheelchair and carry our luggage- no one to help.



Complained, again, and got some help from one of the Thompson chaps. He pushed the wheelchair for us through security. New Orleans airport isn’t much to look at, especially after security, food very pricey but that was nothing next to yet more flight delays.



ON the flight, they forgot to turn the sound on until after the movie started, never came around with snacks, refused to honour the duty free voucher I got on the last flight, basically the air crew spent the entire time in the front listening.



Pros: good food, excellent staff.



Cons: Be wary if you are disabled as they don't really help disabled passengers during the journey, and you will constantly be wondering where the "blue" staircase is and how to get there. Because we were late joining the cruise, we never really relaxed and fit in.



The ship is soul-less and you feel like you are on a train rather than a luxury ship. I was in terrible pain during the entire cruise and P&O is not being responsive to my complaints except to give me a letter about the delay and giving a one day return of fare in on board credit only for the two nights we missed aboard the ship. I will NEVER do a fly-cruise again as the charter airline simply cannot handle the volume of passengers.



Beverages are overpriced so we bought a supply of soft drinks in the ports and brought them aboard, keeping them in our drinks cooler. Everything on the ship- even water in your cabin- costs extra. Only had ice cream once- when I paid £2 for a cornetto.



I will update this if P&O decides to finally work with us to resolve our complaints but I am not holding my breath. The only address they give is p&o reservations and they expect the reservations team to forward the email. They wont give the direct email of the person in charge of complaints so that they can "filter" her mail, i.e., avoid riff raff like us getting through.



I have done other cruises in the Caribbean with American cruise liners- and never had an experience like this. Even if you disregard the bad flight, the issues like the passport, painting the deck, the lack of accommodation for the disabled... all show that they are lacking something they need to really make this a first class ship.



And, the requisite number of upper class twits really are a nuisance. Too bad they can't have a ship that doesn't allow THEM like they have this ship that doesn't allow children.

We are not cruise virgins and...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Chris-pcn

Comments:

We are not cruise virgins and overall the Arcadia was a nice ship with a good level of service from the staff. No complaints with the itinerary except wouldn't it be nice sometimes to have an overnight stop in a port.



This was however our first Fly cruise and the first time to the Caribbean. The holiday really went swimmingly despite some pretty dodgy weather at the start (force 9+) until the last day. The Gatwick passengers were sent off the ship first as our flight had been rescheduled to be the first away from the airport at 3:00pm.



To cut a long story very short we had the worst treatment at an airport I have ever known. An 8 1/2 hour delay ensued with no information, no announcements and only after 6 hours or more were we able to get any form of refreshment constituting one bottle of water and a burger. This is without mentioning the overcrowding and the extremely high temperatures.



Tempers as you can imagine became very short. So far the only apology received has been a couple of bottles of wine a few chocolates and a 'I hope you will use P&O again' letter.



There was little or no help from P&O at the airport. I for one will never Fly cruise again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they can afford to fly first class.