Love travel,cooking,eating,garden & pets, 2 cats, 2 Labradors Leo & Belle. tortoise called Todd & an...
Love travel,cooking,eating,garden & pets, 2 cats, 2 Labradors Leo & Belle. tortoise called Todd & an African Grey called Millie.
My Favourite quote is:
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Member since:05.12.2001
Reviews:22
Members who trust:23
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 ArcadianRhodes 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:
I have included a picture of our cabin instead of a describing it, thought it might be better than any description I could offer.
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 gratuties 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.
More information with regard to discounts available, destinations and special themed cruises are available at their website www.pocruises.co.uk or you could pick up a brochure at your local travel agent.
Pictures of P & O
Arcadia cabin
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Hi, sorry for rating lower than everyone else, but I wanted more information, like what the rooms were like, and what a cruise holdiay actualy entails, how much did you pay for your holiday and where were you going? still a great review though xxx
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Advantages: Lots of activities, lots of bars, excellent nightlife, lots of variety, outstanding food and choices of food. The list could go on and on. Disadvantages: A bit pricey, ships air conditioning is usually set too low.
ViXENdw 25.11.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of P & O
Advantages: Relaxing travel, good price, If you want a cruising taster a good option Disadvantages: Expensive onboard food, innacurate cabin, transfer bus confusion.
likka75 22.08.2008 (22.08.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of P&O Ferries
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Feb 7th, 2007
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