This review is our thoughts on the Arcadia’s New Year Panama Canal cruise which we took from December 28th 2006 till 12th January 2007.

We flew from Bournemouth airport to Acapulco with a refueling stop on route, the carrier was Thomson and there were delays, mix ups with meal arrangements and crew change issues which meant that we were six hours late arriving in Acapulco. You can’t blame the cruise ship for this but boy did some people drone on, some were still whining about the poor flight two days before the end of the holiday

Transport to the ship was good and the registration process was well organized, having cruised before we had each packed a pair of shorts, T shirt and flip flops in our hand luggage so we were relaxed and in holiday mood long before the cases were delivered to our cabin some four hours later.

We had cabin E122 which was an outside cabin with an obstructed view, we were very pleased with it, it was bigger than the cabins we had had on other ships and the standard of furnishings was good, The bed was bigger than our king size at home and it was comfortable, it also had a sitting area with a small settee and table in addition to the dressing table, bedside tables and the three wardrobes!!

Tea, coffee, milk, biscuits are all provided and replaced at least twice per day. The Hair dryer, kettle, flat screen TV and air conditioning were all fine.

The bathroom was well stocked with products by Moulton Brown and Elemis and included various eye gels and face creams, they were re stocked regularly, and in addition we were provided with complimentary bathrobes and slippers.

Our cabin steward, ‘Johnny’, was first rate and worked very hard getting everything right, if you wanted anything like ice or extra milk you only had to ask once and it was done for the whole of your trip.

Overall, the ship was clean and generally well presented but the layout is awkward, the lack of any central atrium means it is easy to get confused and even at the end of our second week we were still making mistakes when trying to get to her various bars and restaurants.

I would have liked to have been able to see the front of the ship close up but all access is blocked and the best view forward is from the crows nest bar but obviously you are behind glass.

When you book with P&O you know that it’s not going to be the same crowd that travels on Ocean Village …. It’s an old fashioned traditional ship that caters for the old fashioned traditional British cruise market and it maintains set standards including fixed dining and a strict evening dress code. I don’t think you would actually get ten lashes if you turned up without a jacket for a formal dinner but I wasn’t brave enough to find out.



There were four formal nights on this cruise including a black and white theme, I would guess that 95% of men wore full formal dress with the others in suit and tie, on these nights even those using the Belvedere were dressed. I changed after dinner but was in the minority with most staying in Dinner Suit until the early hours.

If you don’t like being told what to wear for dinner (formal / smart casual) then this is not the ship for you.

The food was superb in the main restaurant ...it was a bit caeteria style in the Belvedere but it was still very good standard

This ship is the most class conscious I have been on with a small proportion of the guests we met clearly believing that they were above dining or talking to anyone without the right look or accent (we’re from the midlands so had no chance). However, luckily, our evening dining companions were fantastic and we really enjoyed their company. Breakfast and lunch was always a gamble but most fellow passengers were very nice.

The ports of call were mixed and included a good selection of wealthy and third world stops. The basic route was Acapulco Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica and several Caribbean islands ending at Barbados. No reviews from me on the ports because everyone has their own experiences when they leave the ship however we liked them all and found interesting things to see in all of them, mind you, I don’t think I would buy a holiday home in Nicaragua just yet.

The entertainment was reasonable with several ‘guest’ acts in the main theatre airing some very old material and ancient vocal impressions …. Frank Spencer impressions in 2007 … please !!! the Arcadia entertainers were a mixed bunch and the shows had the potential to be good but strange and obscure song choices in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical evening coupled with a bollywood nights fiasco (sing along if you know this one …lol) meant that my interest was lost at an early stage.

The musicians and other bands on board were all terrific and if you prefer something different you could always find somewhere on board that caters for your thing from ballroom to disco, jazz to steel band its going on somewhere on this ship.

If I was going to be really picky I thought the service on P&O’s princess line was better than on the Arcadia, service at afternoon tea was slow with too few waiters in the dining room you were always waiting for something. It was the same story at breakfast with the tea and coffee, one cup and they were off and you waited a long time for a refill.

I think this is because we were all British and most were from an older generation who couldn’t wait to tell fellow passengers in the restaurant that this was the worst ship/cruise/food/flight/port/cabin/crew etc they had ever experienced but when asked by an employee of the company if everything was fine they couldn’t wait to tell them that everything was absolutely lovely, we Brits seem to accept and even enjoy the waiting, queuing and poor service but in my experience on an American ship the customer is king and the service seems so much more efficient.

Our departure from the ship was well organized and the flight back was uneventful but the charter planes that are used on these long haul flights are so crammed full that there is no pleasure in the journey.

Overall this was a really good cruise and the Panama Canal was amazing with the arcadia having just 18 inches on each side in the locks … varied ports to some unusual places it was a great privilege to travel cocooned on this ship in air-conditioned luxury visiting some of the poorer South American areas it made me appreciate how lucky we are and I thought it was worth every penny.

This was our first Caribbean and long haul holiday ever and we chose P&O because of the itenerary we wanted. I had read many reviews on the flights P&O use nad none were fabricated. We arrived at Manchester 4hrs early for the filight and managed to get legroom seats, which saved a lot of discomfot but it still was a very crampted and i think its atrocious that people are put through this for a holiday. Luckly the flights we had outbound to Barbados and return from Acapulco were direct and none stop.

On arrival at Barbados everything went very smoothly and 45mins later we were in our cabin. The cabin was quite roomy and the balcony was a good choice. The ship was very nice,quiet and clean, we were on B.

The ship did seem a little class relevent(one should not say so should one) and lacked some sole and chearfullness in certain aspects.

We had booked for Christmas but Christmas day never realy happened and the Christmas in the Rising Sun pub nearly didn't happen. Lack of intrest was the excuise but the place was full. After an allmost mutiny it went ahead 45mins late but the atmosphere was dead and sunk. We all had a christmas present off P&O but this was ill thought of. Two shoe box size P&O plated champagne flutes(2 each) very handy for return packing!

The entertainment was average with Tom O Connor and Jane Mcdonald topping the bill. The rest of the shows were westendish i think as I fell asleep through some of them. The bars throughout the ship had somthing different going on throughout the evenings and weren't to bad and the price of a pint not to bad.

There are cut backs going on throughtout the ship ie. One lot of toiletries for the whole trip,Scruffy public places including toilets with no paper. We also noticed in the Meridian Resaurant very nice food buy not to friendly waiters. All staff over worked and under paid and it showed. We dined in the main Restaurant every night and noticed how hot and uncomfortable it became part way through meals. On asking the head waiter way it was so hot (27+ outside) he told us that it was a cut back, and that the air con was switched off after half an hour into meal sittings to save money, it made some people feel ill.
Luckily we had a good table of 6 who were out to enjoy the cruise and hve a laugh Hello to Val Eric also Claire & Ian who we sat with.

The Cruise itenerary was the mane reason for taking this cruise and it did not let us down. The Islands were very good and the Panama Canal transit was excellent,with the oter places we stoped very good also. Try not to book trip through P&O as we found taxis an mini buses in most ports doing the same trips at a third of the price. Val & Eric cancelled some of there trips and came with us when the realised the prices they were paying. Most people we spoke who had been on P&O trips said the trips were poor value for money.

Would we sail with P&O again. No not on a fly cruise with charter flights,and many people were saying the same on our flight home.
To find out more mail tatto in the Discussion Forums

We flew from Manchester, check in was very busy, the plane was full and very uncomfortable (no leg room)one + there was a free bar. Our cases were taken direct to the ship,check in was quick and the cabin was located on A deck,very clean area and tidy, no balcony.The food was very good and service during dinner was much better than at breakfast time,the food in the self service was good as well,our waiters Kevin and Innocent were very good, we chose 1st seating we then went directly to the Palladium for the shows, Tom O'Conner and Jane Mc'Donald were very good on both occasions as well as the Arcadia own group.We had booked two shore excursions, Greneda (very good duty free) and Acapulco divers, we also went ashore to see the canal and Portobello, dockside at the canal very rough so take extra care, the same can was said about Guatemala. Curaco and Costa Rica were possibly the best shore visit.Margarita and Guatemala were the worst. If I had a chance I would sail again on the Arcadia. The flight home was the same as the flight out (terrible)We were lucky we had a good crowd you also get a chance on your flight to make friends.

We took the Mediterranean Medley cruise Sept 1st - 17th.
We used the Eavesway transfer which was very good there and back.
Check in at Southampton was excellent,speedy and no waiting.
The cabin on the Arcadia was rather sombre in decor,also the awkward wardrobe space and after a few days it does get annoying trying to find clothes in a restricted space.We had bad luck with the two females in the cabin next door,very loud and mouthy with no respect or concern to other fare paying passengers.These two women could also be heard through the cabin wall which ruined our time in the cabin.Every port of call was impossible to capture on video due to the volume of their coarse voices.The couple next door were diferent again,we didnt hear them once.
We could have saved ourselves a lot of money and had an inside cabin,so just bad luck out of nearly 2,000 passengers to have these two undesirables next door.
The fridge in the cabin never got cold despite informing the cabin steward,i like to use the fridge so this wasnt up to standard.
The Meridian restaurant was fine,but we did notice service wasnt as attentive and the portions are smaller.The waiter couldnt wait to get away once he had served you and often we had to call him back to ask for better portions.
We noticed at breakfast that under the tables from the previous nights dining were bits of old food and this also is not acceptable as the floor should be clean and several times we came down to breakfast to stained table cloths,a very definate negative when you have paid a lot of money for a holiday.
Arcadia itself looks impressive but its a very awkwardly laid out ship which can leave you feeling disorientated and we still got lost even after several days,the layout could be better.The decor does not have the WOW factor,some weird sculptures and art work and it doesnt have the glitz or glamour that some cruise liners have.
The Belvedere is an example,you get confused where you are and the layout isnt right or user friendly.
At times it just felt like we were making a channel ferry crossing in there,it certainly has room for improvement.Many times i took a meal there and found the food cold and again this isnt acceptable.
On the whole the waiters were great and they all work hard and are polite.
Cruising of course and being among such a high number of other passengers needs great tolerance and patience as you certainly will come across a whole range of personalities and characters.From what we witnessed on this cruise there were some downright bores and its not my idea of amusement to listen to how many times they went on the Canberra,or how many other ships they have sailed on in the P & O fleet YAWN !
I have sailed many times but would never dream of boring somebody with tales of past cruises etc,whos bothered ?
Times spent dining are a large part of the cruise and we noticed the small talk and nonsense that was being spoken,thank god we had a table for two to avoid this.
Great if you are lucky to sit with interesting people but the bores seemed to be evident on this cruise.
We called the dining times TWADDLE TIME...just nonsensical twaddle and of course the fake HA HA HA'S were added at the end of each converstaion,quite amusing to witness,you have to get the timing right with the HA HA HA's and HO HO HO'S.So very fake.
The sun decks aboard get crowded but if you search you should find a space away from any obvious annoyances and tales of past cruises etc.
We used the sky deck and again we witnessed port days being nice and quiet until later on in the day when people got back from trips etc.Several times we were disturbed by some inconsiderate person slamming a sunbed down then clattering it about,such bad manners when you want to relax.I wouldnt dream of behaving like this,you can still move a sun bed without it being so obvious and upsetting fellow passengers.
Whilst you are aboard you are in P& O land,a land where they will subtly do their best to part you from your money.Flyers left in your cabin to purchase items,thats fine if you have a never ending supply of money but if not you need to be strong to not give in.
The spa treatments are far too pricey,and even the daily activities and things to do have a fee added to them which isnt fair when you have paid for the cruise and to be entertained if you want it.
The photographers get to be a nuisance and the photos are not value for money.
The Palladium theatre where the shows are held is a very nice hi tech theatre and the shows staged were very professional and seem to be greatly improved.
However we were on 1st sitting and to get a decent seat in the theatre you had to be in there fairly quickly after dining to get a seat as it filled up quite quickly.Sitting behind one of the many pillars in there isnt my ideal choice of seat,so you had a 40 minute wait each night for the show to start which was a waste.
Again we witnessed very slummy behaviour from a few people in there.The seating upstairs has low level backs which are in front of you as you sit down,one woman sat with her high heeled shoes on the back of the seat all through the show ! the seats are new and with this sort of behaviour it should be respected more.
You could end up having rows with a lot of people but you need a lot of tolerance and patience.
If i had sat in front of her then i would have to had said something.
Cruising is not what it was and now holidays are being offered to the bucket shops there is a slight decline in standards and this can clearly be witnessed.
Arcadia is a noisy creaky ship,especially in the dining room where it vibrates a lot.As soon as you hit the bad weather this will be evident.She seems to vibrate a lot more than anything and pitches badly.
So we enjoyed the ports of call especially Naples and Rome.
After this cruise i wont be in a hurry to book again,time for a rethink.

After reading some very negative reports on Arcadia before we went away, it felt as if we had made a mistake and had very strong reservations, obviously this is upsetting when you look forward to a holiday and have paid for it.

Holiday reviews websites can be good in the way they let you know before hand what pitiful there might be, but also on the negative side can put people off, what for us was a magnificent holiday.

The reviews below states how boring some people were talking about the past cruise experiences, however I also find it boring to go on holiday taking notes on every minor problem there is. Why these people bother to go on holiday, ill never know? If they invested more time in enjoying themselves rather than complaining, the ship would have had a better atmosphere.

What people forget is, Arcadia is aimed at cosmopolitan people looking for a different cruise experience. In my opinion Arcadia is spotless trendy and a wonderful ship. She does have a few problems here and there (boring moaning people, who don’t smile) but that is not P&0 s fault. Work with the problems people, you only go away once a year (some people 4/5) but even so you are on holiday and not a hotel inspector.

Positive points
1. Your on holiday

2. Sparkling (it’s a cruise ship not a hospital) some people walking around with gloves looking for dirt

3. Great food (one bad portion of potatoes and a doggy burger out of 50 meals we had) If you want to Gordon Ramsey food for breakfast/lunch/dinner then pay the price £65 for dinner, Ive been and some of the dinners on Arcadia are not that far off. Do that Maths £65 x 16 =£1040

4. London Spa facilities (some miserable people begrudged paying, all I will say to that is the Arcadia is not that much more expensive to Oriana/Aurora and you don’t get the option on there. If people bothered to spare £10, let’s be honest if you’re on a cruise you’re not hard up, then they would appreciate how wonderful they were. A London Spa of similar quality would cost £75 a day. Hey it’s all adding up isn’t it? Not to mention all the taxi fairs you are saving on.

5. Fantastic Theatre shows (yet another £50 in London)

Negatives

1. People going away to be miserable and not smiling, still if I moan about that makes me just as bad. So just smile at them and had are own fun. A holiday is what you make of it.

We have just come back from cruise j619 Breathtaking fjords. Below is an account of the cruise according to how we felt and experienced. This will be an honest account but please do remember that this is only OUR opinion. Other opinions do and will differ. Our intention is not to upset or offend anybody, so please just read it for what it is meant to be.
Impressions of 2 cruise junkies.
On Sunday the 6 Aug a friend drove us to Cambridge to pick up the Eavesway coach service to Southampton. The coach itself was punctual and clean. Driver friendly and there was a comfort stop, to enable all passengers to get something to eat etc. The driver placed luggage in his boot and we didn’t see it again until we were in our cabin on board the Arcadia. All in all a very impressive service. Would we use it again? Probably not. Nothing to do with eavesway but because the pick up point in Cambridge was for us very awkward to get to, especially with the amount of luggage we had.
Embarkation was a speedily well thought out process. We got off the coach, walked through to the embarkation hall with our hand luggage. were guided to a check in desk, where we showed our tickets and passports. We signed a health declaration because of the stomach virus that was reported on board some of the other cruise lines. Went through security, and hey presto we were on board. We arrived at 2pm and in our cabin by 2. 20pm. no queuing and we were very impressed.
We had treated ourselves to a cabin with a balcony this time. We unpacked our cases. 2 double wardrobes and a single. Plenty of hangers and room for all our clothes. Very nicely furnished and tastefully decorated. The balcony was nice to have with 2 chairs that reclined and a small table. Whilst I unpacked Donald went to book Arcadian Rhodes and the orchid, but more about them later.Savio our cabin attendant introduced himself and told us about the muster stations for the fire drill. He kept the cabin spotlessly clean and was most helpful. If there’s anything you require just ask and he obliged. I’m sure this applied to all stewards as we didn’t hear 1 complaint on the stewarding. Our muster station was in the meridian restaurant. We donned our lifejackets when told. All in all the whole fire drill took approx 20 minutes. back to the cabin to put away life jackets and then time to explore our new home for 13 nights—The Arcadia.
We‘ll go through the public rooms deck by deck and present our opinions. Deck G: Reception, quite tasteful and well staffed although there was queuing at certain times. Shore excursion desk also had queues at times. Atrium: Not as Glitzy or as big as other ships. I actually quite liked it. I thought the shimmering curtain hanging down the 3 levels with its constant changing of color to be very restful. Deck F: meridian restaurant lower: a large space with a raised platform in the middle where more tables were situated. Decked in crisp white linen and silver cutlery, with panoramic views from all sides. At the very back of the restaurant it vibrated quite badly at times. We think this was due to the thrusting of the ships propeller.
The Spinnaker bar: decorated with pieces of art. The ships bell and a model ship. We didn’t use this although it had plenty of seating and was pleasant enough to walk through.
Intermezzo: a smallish but comfortably furnished bar which specialized
In champagne and caviar and served pre dinner drinks, especially suited
For dining in Arcadian Rhodes.
Arcadian Rhodes: advisable to book as soon as possible if you wish to dine here as it does get booked fairly quickly. It carries a cover charge of £15. At first glance of the menu there isn’t an awful lot of choice. It all sounds quite plain. However as it says it is British but with a twist. I opted for steak and kidney pie and Don had the chicken. mine came and it was a piece of steak served on a root vegetable accompanied by a pastry case filled with leek and mushroom and on top a fondant potato served with a jug of kidney flavoured gravy separate dishes of veg accompanied the meal. Don had black forest cake to finish.this was like a choc sponge served with cherries soaked in kirsch and a jug of choc sauce.
I opted for the chefs special. jaffa cake. This was a light sponge with the
Yummiest orange filling I’ve ever tasted with a choc topping and a dish
Of fresh orange segments in orange liqueur- highly recommended.
It was worth the money just to say that you‘d eaten there. Yes it was
Good but we wouldn’t eat there again. We found the food in the Meridian
To be on the whole just as good.

Art Gallery: This was used mainly as a walk through with a few chairs.The Art on show was varied,fairly modern.

The Globe: This was one of the main entertainment venues.We found it comfortable but
A little on the small side.One word of warning, the individual chairs – try them and see
For yourselves (grin). Or rather hear for yourselves.

Electra: This was the late nightclub,fairly modern quite a nice dance floor to disco on
It did`nt seem to be used that much.

The Rising Sun: We found this to be quite spacious. It was used for dancing,quizzes etc.
Sometimes though it did smell of tobacco.

The Monte Carlo: This was the casino.We didn’t use it but it seemed to be fairly popular.
It offered cheap gaming sessions on sea days.Some of the slot machines you could get 10 goes for a token..

The Palladium. The onboard theatre.This spans 3 levels and is fairly impressive.more about the entertainment later.In all venues where there are performing artists,waiters stop serving drinks 10 minutes before the show starts.

Promenade deck: meridian restaurant upper: This is where we were allocated a table.If you were at the back,there was still some vibration but not as much as down below.

The photo gallery.As its name suggests,this is where you can view and purchase the photographs that the on board photographers seem to snap at every opportunity. Believe me theres plenty of opportunity.Prices range from£5.95 to £15.95. This could get quite congested with people searching for their photo.

The Piano Bar: a nice area with smoking and non smoking sections.A resident pianist plays and holds quizzes here at certain times throughout the day.

Piccadilly: The shopping area. It sells everything from greeting cards to clothes and gifts including a separate perfume area. It also has daily promotions.
The Library. A well stocked area where you can do a jigsaw,loan a book or two.and hire a board game.You can also leave your name in the hope that you meet a companion to play a game of bridge,trivial pursuit etc. the librarian will let you take 2 books at a time for a period of 7 days.You then have to renew
Impressions of 2 cruise junkies.
We finished our impressions of the Arcadia in the library on promenade deck
we now move onto cafe vivo: This is the onboard coffee shop where you
can purchase latte cappuchino etc.This was a very nice area with really friendly
staff.2 coffees cost £3.50 but you also could choose from a selection of pastries
which was included in this price. We liked it here

Cyber cafe: A room dedicated to computers which we did`nt use.It always
seemed to have someone in there and you could buy time plans.

Horizons: a series of rooms dedicated for the new horizons programme.
When we were on board you could attend a series of events and lectures
for Gardening,Meditation and computer related subjects.They were
reasonably priced.

The prom deck had a wrap around promenade which was very pleasant to stroll around.

The next 5 decks were all cabins.

The lido deck:Aquarius pool and bar:A very nice area to relax,have a swim,go in
the jacuzzi or have a drink on a fine day. They held the sail away parties here.

The Belvedere:This is the self service restaurant,its quite a pleasant area but somewhat
confusing as serverys are in sections.Sometimes it felt like a game of hunt the thimble
only instead of a thimble it would be spoon,milk,butter etc.The food itself was palatable
enough and lots of people used it.

Neptune pool bar and grill: this is the area with a retractable skydome,when its fine they
open the roof.Its a very nice area with sunbeds, tables and chairs.the sunbeds here arent padded
so can be a little uncomfortable to lie on after a time.The Grill is a place that serves
sandwhich of the day,Burgers,hotdogs and general snack food it also has a salad
Bar.A nice place to go if you just want something light.The pool and jacuzzis here
were a comfortable temperature,nice for a swim and not too busy,it also had table tennis
tables.

Oasis spa:The onboard health suite.Here you could book a health treatment,facial,
manicure,massage etc.We found the prices to be on the expensive side,but not
ever having anything like this we have nothing to compare it to.It did seem to
be used quite a lot.You can also book sessions in the hydro suite,this is 2
rooms one of which contains a large heated spa pool and relaxing chairs.
The other has 3 steam rooms,marble heated beds and showers with
delightful mist experience.It costs £10 for the first session and if you book
another 2 or more as you leave the reception area,you can have them for £5
It was total relaxation and well worth it.

The gym: This room contained excercise equipment of all sorts with very nice sea
views in the front.They also did group excersises here. A little secret for you,there is a small but extremely comfortable relaxation room off the gym which hardly ever seemed to be in use.The loungers
here are pure bliss-try it.

The sun deck:The Retreat and Diversions.Again used for various new horizon classes or so it seemed.
The crows nest.This is a very nice area to come for a drink it has panormic views all around.it`s
also used for the classical recitals.

The Viceroy room: a small pleasant room with panoramic views,used as a quiet area.

The sky deck: sports area with nets for tennis,cricket golf etc.
The orchid restaurant and bar:Another alternative eatery costing £10.Reservation
we found to be essential as it proved very popular.This served asian influenced cuisine
Don preffered this to Arcadian Rhodes,I enjoyed it too.

That completes our impressions of the rooms on Arcadia.We now present our views on
Entertainment, Ports,Excursions etc.Please do remember these are our views others again
will differ.

Entertainment: The Arcadian Theatre company: What can we say? This company
presented 6 shows including the best of the west end.music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Cirque de arcadia, The Knights of Rock n Roll, Bollywood nights,Flashback.Extremely proffesional, well staged
and for a small company they have to be seen to be believed.They did P and O and
the passengers proud.All credit to them.

visiting artists:Colin `fingers` Henry:A comedy pianist.He was on twice.He was ok
but we felt he would be more suited to the more senior passenger of which there were a lot.

Al brown: A comedian.We didnt see him but he got varying reports from `b***** awful
to Ok.

The Twins:A pair of young Magicians.We found them to be quite good.but again other passengers
had varying reports.

Louis Hoover: A singer currently appearing in The Rat Pack.He did a tribute to Frank Sinatra
I found him to be ok,A little on the nasaly side.Maybe he had a cold?.

Late night cabaret:Martin Beaumont and Sol Bernstein.We didnt go to see these
as it said it contained Swear words and adult content.We personaly dont like this form
of entertainment.We didnt hear any comments on this show.

Sam Piha and Louise Garner: They were the classical Duo.He played the guitar and She the flute.
They did a series of recitals.We went to 2 of them and found them to be very good.

ports of call: Stavanger: We liked it,very picturesque with an old town which had lots of white wooden houses
although it had some steep hills to climb

Bergen:It rained here but got out better in the Afternoon.We had a stroll around and looked at Bryggen
a Hanseatic cluster of old wooden warehouses and buildings on the unesco world heritage list.We enjoyed it here too.

Geiranger.A small village with not much to see. It did have pleasant walks to view a small waterfall. We enjoyed the excursion we took from here.more about that below.

Andalnsnes:We took an all day excursion from here so didnt look round here.

Honningsvaag: The village for the North cape,not very picturesque.We found it to be quite Drab.Passengers who stayed on board and looked round said not much to do or see.

Tromso:This town had the arctic cathedral, a modern building other than that not very impessive.

Trondheim:a small town but very pretty.nice to wander round and soak up the atmosphere.


Excursions: Lysefjord and the Pulpit Rock,from Stavanger.3.5 hours.A boat trip to view the fjord and rock
with a stop at a picturesque point for coffee and waffles. most of the time spent on the vessel with nice scenery including waterfalls and cliffs,with the occasional seal.very nice. more dramatic to view on deck than sitting in cabin area.

Mount Dalsnibba.from Geiranger.3.5 hours.Travelling by coach to the top of the mountain for spectacular views.We were lucky as the mist had just lifted when we reached the top.

The Golden Route.from Andalsnes,A full day tour with lunch.This was our favourite excursion travelling by coach to view spectacular scenery from various locations culminating in a spetacular national park high in the mountains.

The North Cape:from Honningsvaag.3.5 hours.Nice scenery as you drive up and down from the cape.
At the cape itself there`s just a visitor centre containing a cinematic show with horrendous queues,a
cafe restaurant with equally horrendous prices.a very strange area dedicated to the king of siam.and a chapel dedicated to st johan which was quite nice.

The Alps of The North.From Tromso.full day inc lunch. What can we say other than Dont do it.This was another full day excursion to supposedly see spectacular scenery.The guide we had(bless her) tried her best although at times it was like listening to her life story as we revisited scenes from her childhood and youth.there were 3 photo oppurtunities at the most strangest of stops one was obscured by power lines,the other from somebodys garage.and the other in what appeared to be a working quarry.We didnt hear one good thing from any other passenger who did this trip.A complete waste of money.


General observations: Norway is Beautiful,Her people are charming and friendly but be warned it IS expensive.
Both Don and I were amazed at some of the passengers who when on board the Arcadia walked with the aid of a stick, but when on excursions with buffet lunch, seemed to forget about the stick and barged their way to the food table, and attacked it like there was no tomorrow.It almost seemed like rationing had just ended.
Another thing we noticed was whilst strolling around the deck,we happened to glance in at the windows of the restaurant at the end of second sitting.Passengers who had obviously finished their meal were sat at the table chatting.The waiters who all work incredibly hard were obviously waiting for these people to go.Both Don and I understand that many friendships are forged over dinner,but come on,spare a thought for these people.The Arcadia does have other quiet areas to chat in.
There you have it,our view on what for us was a great holiday. Would we sail on her again? We are,we were so inpressed we have booked onboard to sail across the Atlantic on The Spirit Of the Carribean on the 20th october and we cant wait.

Best of the Canaries July 2nd 2006 P&O’s Arcadia, Cruise number J615
Graham & Angela Couch age 44 from Burnley Lancs.

This review covers our experiences aboard the P&O ship Arcadia ports of call were:-
Vigo, Lisbon, Praia De Rocha, Tenerife, La Palma, Madeira, on a 12 day cruise

We joined our ship at Southampton on a Sunday morning after staying overnight in the nearby Ibis Hotel, (poor breakfast, go to McDonalds across the road) we watched England lose to Portugal in the world cup that afternoon.

This is the first time we have sailed from Southampton we usually join cruises in Palma, so we flew down from Liverpool by Flybe costing £100 for two of us return which isn’t bad, a taxi from the airport to the docks was £20, there is a checker taxi desk just next to the exit in the airport they will book you a car and agree a price before you go, I recommend this company. Also Flybe will allow 50Kg of luggage which is the highest in the industry; if it is a two week cruise you will need this!!

The staff at P&O were very helpful and organised when we arrived, and immediately took our cases through a chute for boarding, we then queued for about ten minutes as there were 1900 people to process as the cruise was sold out and we were early, so we stayed in a waiting area which was like a airport lounge for about 30 minutes until they called our ticket number, there were drinks available and it was very comfortable, security checks are very strict at this point as well.

After boarding we were taken to our cabin by a steward, the Arcadia is a big ship. 84,000 tons, so we were apprehensive about getting about, but there was no need, it is easy to navigate, just a lot of walking. Our cabin was spotless, and because the Arcadia is only 1 year old it was as new, the Steward Mathias kept it absolutely pristine throughout the cruise, we were on E deck, with a window but restricted view, beware it is a very restricted view as well, there was a lifeboat right up to the window and we couldn’t see anything, except light, but this didn’t really bother us.
I will go through the good and bad points of the ship later.

First day, sailing out of Southampton was brilliant, we sailed down Southampton water on a beautiful afternoon into the Solent and then to the Channel heading for our first port of call, Vigo in Portugal. We actually followed Artemis out of the dock; it was on its way to the med.
Vigo is a large city with parks on the top of the hill in the centre, it is very hilly so be prepared, most shops don’t open till late so take you time getting there as it is very sleepy until ten ish. The walk up to the gardens is recommended but it is hell of a climb, the views however are spectacular, but apart from a shop that’s about it really. I recommend also that you book an excursion here as there is little to do in town except shop. P&O also provided a shuttle here from the port to town as they do on all ports of call.

Lisbon the capital of Portugal is a very large city with lots of squares, shops and monuments, so be careful of the usual hazards that you have in all cities, beggars, bag snatchers etc, although we experience no pickpockets or bag snatchers beggars are plentiful, there are some delightful places to see here and there a little trams that do tours around the city but are very busy and pricey, book an excursion here for the trams this is the best way to see Lisbon.

Praia De Rocha is a typical Portuguese beach resort with tacky shops, bars and English restaurants, beer is cheap though but not the sort of place we like, it is a tender here as well so we had a boat ride there and back, lot of effort, and little reward, beaches are lovely though but that’s about it, if this isn’t what you want then stay on the ship or get an excursion.

Tenerife We docked in Santa Cruz, north of the island, the views were spectacular, there are a lot of mountains and wooded hills here and little Lego houses dotted around in between the forests, very beautiful. I believe the excursions here are good as there are some very good views and a trip to a volcano, which is active!! Apart from that a very charming, bustling city with chique shops, restaurants and tree lined streets. I must mention this is where I nearly choked on some chicken in a street café, I threw up on my dinner to get the blockage out and happily I am still here, very frightening though.

La Palma again docked in a town called Santa Cruz? This was on a Sunday and most shops were shut for the day, very sleepy, very quiet nothing to see, so either get an excursion or stay on the ship!

Madeira, (Funchal) this was our favourite, Madeira is absolutely beautiful and lush with trees and flowers, there are some very nice restaurants on the front and very good shops. We went on an excursion here which included a sled ride down a very steep hill guided by two men with tyres on their feet, this was an experience you should not miss, Madeira is famous for the sled rides, and have been doing it for 100 years, half way down a man will take your photo and will present it to you in a folder two minutes later?? How they do it I don’t know, but for 10 euros it is a nice momento. I thoroughly recommend Madeira and would consider staying here for a while it is so pretty here and very pleasant to stay in.

That is the end of the itinery for this cruise, a bit disappointing as we have stopped at some beautiful, interesting places on other cruises, so we think P&O should drop some of these destinations and re-think the itinery, but that is just our opinion.

The Arcadia the ship is a little over a year old so is very clean and new, it is described as contemporary in the brochure and it is, lots of chrome, steel, wood mirrors, modern art etc, reminds me of a very stylish modern city apartment in design, we cannot fault the cleanliness and order onboard it is absolutely pristine.
The staff though, very helpful but a bit miserable, we have been on other cruises and been bowled over by the friendliness and bubbliness of the crew, I think because it is still young the ship needs to find itself first then maybe it will be better in the future. However, the food was excellent, though a bit rushed in the Meridian in the evenings, the service though was good and the waiters did have some fun with us but nowhere near as mush as we like, we were on the Island Escape last year and had a wonderful, fun time every night, the staff on the Arcadia seem to be scared of letting their hair down a bit and propagating some fun, don’t know why! Try the Arcadian Rhodes restaurant, there is a surcharge of £15 each for this but the food and service are outstanding, well worth it.

I could go through all the amenities on board but you can look at this in the brochure or the website they are very accurate in their descriptions, we had very little to complain about on board, the prices of drinks are reasonable, (although a mini can of coke as a mixer is 75p) Stella is £1.50 a pint, and the gift shop is quite cheap as well, good presents available.

Entertainment onboard entertainment was fairly good, there is something for everyone, from digital photography to classes on fears and phobias, try the wine tasting too this is very good if you like wine.

The cabaret entertainment at night was so-so, there are two showings at 8.45 and 10.45 which fits in with your dining and the cast are very professional and are all excellent singers and dancers but, and this is a big but, the themes were poor, they were a bit boring and not very well produced, which is only my opinion of course but on all the other ships I have been on they were much, much better, especially the Island escape which was breathtaking.

There was a comedian onboard called Micky Zany who is very good, but also on one night there were two alternative comedians on, one looking like swampy, who was appalling, where they dug then up from god knows, and the language was colourful as well and totally unnecessary, even though they warn you. P&O wake up, this act was not appropriate on this cruise!!

All in all this was a good cruise, and I would go with P&O again because of the high standards of the ship, although sailing from Southampton is not my preference, and the itinery being poor we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would not hesitate in recommending P&O and the Arcadia. The ship is superb and the staff very helpful if not a tad miserable, but there are some exceptions.

We got off to a bad start as the ship started to roll as soon as we moved away from the dock in Southampton, we were told by a fellow passenger that this was due to a revolutionary new design which gave the ship an almost flat bottom, if this is so it it didn't work

The cleanliness was ok but not as good as Royal Caribbean. The whole ship was so bland it was totally devoid of any character, a bland design with bland furniture, the whole effect was brown mustard and fawn.

The casual food cafe was so confusing and the staff seemed to take great delight in seeing you trying to find what you wanted without trying to help and they were very surly.

The main dining room was very claustrophobic and you were not even given the chance to greet your fellow guests before you had a napkin thrust on your in the knee and a menu put in your hands and the waiter stood waiting for your order. The wine service was appalling and just because we didn't have wine one night there were no wine glasses in our places for the rest of the two weeks, if we had wine we had to wait for glasses which always came some time after the wine, and the attitude of the wine waitress was take it or leave it. The cheese and biscuits was a joke with two choices of cheese being offered.
The food was served so fast that you could barely drink your wine with your meal. It was a meal I began to dread and we ended up eating casually on occasions instead of being able to treat our evening meal as a pleasant end to the day. We didn't want to stay hours just an hour and a half would have been nice, the record was 55 minutes.
The entertainment could have been better but to be quite honest we were not a lot interested all we could think about was how soon we could get off the ship, what a waste of good money it was. I felt particularly sorry for my partner of 20 years who was looking forward to the cruise after having a heart bypass and this was supposed to be a surprise for him from me. I couldn't apologise enough.
We love cruising but I would never cruise again if we had to go on the Arcadia.
I must add that we have never had cause to complain about any cruise or land based holiday before and I have been travelling abroad for many years. We didn't expect any special treatment, we didn't want any special food just a pleasant holiday and at the price we paid I don't think that should have been too much to ask.

We travelled on the Arcadia on the 12th May on the Canaries collection cruise. This was our second cruise - previously travelled on the Island Escape around the Med which we enjoyed immensely.
We drove down to Southampton and used the CPS car park which we had pre-booked. Our luggage was taken from the car upon our arrival and the next time we saw it was when we first entered our cabin. The car was parked for us by CPS staff. Very easy and efficient.
Embarkation was smooth and quick, as was debarkation.
Our cabin was an outside with a balcony (which we were lucky enough to have been upgraded to without extra charge) was clean and fairly spacious. Wardrobes could have been a bit deeper as hangers and clothes hung at an angle (my husband visited the laundry fairly often to iron his shirts and linen jacket) but this was not a huge problem. Our cabin steward kept the room spotless and tea & coffee making facilities were available and always replenished with supplies. Having a fridge in the room was also a bonus.
The rest of the ship was spotlessly clean. Quite a big ship and it does take a time to find your way around. Okay the Atrium isn't spectacular but we hadn't planned on spending all our time in it, so it didn't bother us. Plenty of lifts available - some glass elevators on the outside of the ship too. The staff were mainly of Indian origin and all seemed very friendly and courteous.
The Belvedere buffet restaurant had a good selection of dishes available throughout the day, but trying to put a meal together upon your tray seemed a little higgeldy piggedly as you often had to go to another counter for something else you needed.
The Meridian restaurant food was excellent and service by the staff superb. Did not feel the need to try the Rhodes or Orchid restaurants but fellow passengers who had, all reported excellent meals.
The entertainment in the theatre was very good (although we had two shows cancelled due to bad weather). There did seem a lack of entertainment after the shows at night time, most seemed quite lifeless and dull and this showed in the lack of attendance by passengers. The Rising Sun seemed to be the only place where lively entertainment occured (Kareoke, Name that tune ect.) and this was packed out with people - so there is obviously a need for this type of amusement. I know most of the passengers are elderly but that does not mean they are boring - incidently we are in our late 40's.
On this cruise we had 4 formal, 4 informal and 5 smart casual nights. It was really nice dressing up for the formal nights - had photos taken by ships photographer several times, but there is no obligation to buy, althought the price is reasonable compared to that of a studio. Drinks at the bar were reasonably priced.
The pool areas are fine but why do people have to reserve their sunloungers with a towel and then disappear! The gym,which we visited several times to work off some calories before the next meal, was perfectly adequate.
The ports visited were not all terribly impressive (we made our own way at each port) but that is not P&Os fault. Free shuttle buses available at all ports.
In all we had a great holiday aboard the Arcadia, met a lot of very nice people, and would not hesitate to travel on her again.

Travelled with the two mums on a weekend taster to Bruges. I had cruised before some years back (Airtours) but this was the first time my husband had been on a ship. We had an outside stateroom with balcony.

Cleanliness: the cabin still had the remains of the previous passengers; pair of trainers with sweaty socks; used and unused cigarettes and a sombreo!

Food: The Meridian restarant dinner was good; waiters overly friendly on last night- tip night!! Hot breakfasts were relatively cold. Visited the Belvedere at midnight - yuck; sandwiches, sausages and spring rolls - expected a lot better (Airtours won by a long short here). Neptune Grill - 0 out of 10 for the burger; the rest of the food didn't look any better.

Onboard entertainment: Very good; if you are planning to see Le Cirque sit to the right of the stage; stage props block a lot from the left. Roy Walker - brilliant if his jokes were a little old. A little miffed that there are additional charges to attend talks etc. Not like this on other ships.

Overall: Ship not as glamourous as I had hoped; hubby compared the bathroom to a caravan. Bed comfortable. Nice art for sale - very pricy though.

We are travelling again on the Arcadia in December for the New Year, however, am not looking forward to the long flight via Halifax for a refuel (would not have booked if I had known flight was not direct). Limited amount of extra leg room seats does not help (all sold out immediately).

Advice to P&O: Improvement on the food and flights please, and drop the charges for the talks.