Arcadia World Voyage - J901 - Fremantle To Adelaide Review

Arcadia February 2009

As promised here is my Arcadia review. I have gone into a lot of detail to preserve our memories and I thought most of you would be interested as she is not a ship many of us would get the opportunity to sail on.

This cruise was an impulse booking after noticing the World Cruise mini sectors on a T/A website. After discussion with another couple we decided to secure a booking for 4 nights from Perth, to our home city of Adelaide. We booked a guarantee @ $582.00 per person while our friends opted for a balcony @ $832.00 each - little did they know ;-)

Arcadia is a P&O UK ship that generally sails from Southampton, predominately in the Northern hemisphere so this was a good opportunity to sample something different. She is child free which made for many pre cruise jokes about our “Adults Only” cruise.

Our friends received their balcony cabin allocation some weeks before sailing and we remained without a number right to the last minute. The afternoon before we sailed I had one last call to P&O just in case and was rewarded with the fantastic news that we had been upgraded to a balcony cabin on B deck, the same as our friends! As you can imagine that news raised the excitement levels no end and many phone calls were made as no one was home to “yippee” with. I even called Bianca at our travel agent to share the news as I knew she would understand!! In reality the majority of cabins have balconies so with only doing a very short section most would have a pretty good chance of receiving one.

We flew to Perth on Thursday morning and then into a taxi straight to Fremantle and the cruise terminal. Arcadia is huge and very impressive but to me she doesn’t have quite the external beauty that Sun Princess has. I just couldn’t get used to the buff coloured funnel that apparently distinguishes P&O UK ships.

Checking in and boarding was very simple as there was no one else at that stage and within minutes we were on board. It was very strange though as this was just another port stop for the ship and so there was no special welcoming on board or the obligatory first photo!! It did make quite a difference to the overall atmosphere as there was none of that initial first day buzz although the big advantage to that was we didn’t have people throwing up everywhere as on our first night on the Pacific Sun in December!

We made our way up in the external glass elevators (very special) and parted with our friends in the centre of B deck. We were near the aft end and they were almost in the same position but forward. I was puzzled as the corridor just didn’t seem as long as I had expected for such a huge ship. I thought my memory was playing tricks. My memory wasn’t but the corridor was! As we neared the end DH realised it actually did a turn before straightening again to accommodate the larger central cabins. As we neared the end of the next corridor we became concerned we were not getting closer to our cabin number before we realised there was another turn before we actually got to the last stretch!! Our friends had the same experience at the other end! It took us almost 5 minutes to walk between our cabins.

Our cabin was beautiful, just like you would experience in a 5 star hotel although a little smaller. Don’t know how they always make the photo’s appear bigger! We had the beds pushed together and they appeared to be made up as a king although that night we discovered they actually had 2 single duvets’ – that was interesting! They also don’t have a top sheet, only the duvet and cover but that is an English thing. I am English and moved down to this part of the world when I was 19. I have never been back so many things on this cruise made me feel I was back in England without actually travelling there. We had a 2 seater couch and small table with one chair. There was the usual desk with small LCD TV and because it’s English we had a kettle, tea, coffee and biscuits provided – very civilised!! The fridge was also a luxury after not having one on the Pacific Sun. We had carried on 3 bottles of wine no questions asked, as P&O UK does not have the same alcohol policy as their counterparts here. The balcony I just oohed and aahed over – how wonderful it would be to have been on a longer cruise and be able to really make use of it. There were 2 comfy chairs and a little table. The bathroom was bigger because it had to accommodate the bath. The shower was over the bath. We were supplied some lovely toiletries which came home as keepsakes.

Our bags arrived quickly which was to be expected as there were so few new passengers here. After unpacking we had our first explore and I made enquiries as to getting our cruise and room cards punched for the lanyard. They don’t use lanyards on these ships!!! Instead you are issued with a small wallet that holds both cards and your very extensive ship map. It actually worked very well and slipped easily in a pocket or the small bag I usually carried. I did see lanyards later in the shop and when I went to buy one on our last day as a souvenir they were sold out but I did not see one person wearing one – strange!!

The ship was very quiet as many passengers were off on their day trips around Perth so exploring was very easy. The ship is really well laid out and has many diagram maps in strategic places which meant you very rarely had to refer to your paper map. I got the gist of which floor we needed to be on but as to whether we were forward or aft – forget it!! There are 2 large pools on deck 9. One at the rear which has recently had a whole new back section added to it which has increased the deck space as well as created new cabins below. The other pool is mid ship and actually has a retractable roof so it can be used all year. In Perth the roof was open but after that it was often closed as it was quite cool and very windy! All of the outdoor furniture around the pools appeared to be great quality and really made these area’s look very nice. The Belvedere buffet which is open 24 hours takes up a large area of this deck as well. It is huge with lots of different sections offering different options. The tables line both sides and enjoy a lovely outlook as the walls are just huge windows. We had lunch/ afternoon snack at the grill area in the central Neptune pool area and ordered our first drinks. We were pleased to discover that even though everything was charged in British Pounds, most drinks equated back to very similar prices to what we had paid on the Pacific Sun. Cocktails were also heavily featured and the daily specials were always ₤2.50, approximately $6.00 so we were happy with that. The exception was wine so luckily we had our own in our cabins!

More exploring followed and I was very impressed with the ship itself. The interior is just beautiful. She is only 4 years old and had a spruce up just prior to Christmas so everything was in fantastic condition. There are so many bars and venues so we never felt crowded (apart from trying to get a breakfast table in the buffet!) and I loved just wandering and admiring everything. There is no public front viewing decks, there are forward decks on each level but they had ‘crew only’ signs on the doors and I wasn’t game to venture through. The closest thing was the Crows Nest Bar above the bridge which has a 180º view, just lovely. First cocktails were ordered here and we introduced our friends to Mai Tai’s. We were naughty and didn’t attend lifeboat drill later in the afternoon for the new passengers. We were too relaxed and although we were worried we would hear our names over the loud speakers it didn’t happen. As sail away approached we were surprised there were still so few people around but when we made our way to the aft deck we found lots of passengers ready for the sail away party. That was fun and very like our previous one with lots of cocktails and music and dancing by the entertainment crew. That was different as a lot of those staff were a lot older than those on the Pacific Sun. Just as nice, just older and some of the songs played were English hits – at least I could reminisce. The DH’s were very happy to discover that adjacent to the outdoor sports courts there were 2 golf practice nets – they are both avid golfers so that kept them entertained. On our last sea day they also joined in a cricket game on the sports court which they found great fun and of course you have to take whatever exercise you can get to combat all that food and drink!!Before getting ready for dinner we did more exploring on the decks and got thoroughly blown away!! The wind was amazing and we got some really silly photos of vertical hair!! I had to check out the funnel close up and it sure didn’t look any better close up.! We were amused by the number of outdoor showers – they were everywhere. I certainly can’t imagine you would have an issue with finding a sunlounge somewhere. They must have had one for every passenger!

We were on 2nd sitting at 8.30pm which really was too late especially the first day as that was 10.00 pm our time. There were no pre dinner shows for 2nd sitting; instead they were always on at 10.45PM. While first sitting was on there were no bands or entertainment anywhere which did make that couple of hours drag. We were lucky and were on a table of 8 with 2 other couples. One was from England and the other from Ireland. They were in their sixties as of course the majority of passengers are that are able to go on world cruises! They were both lovely couples and were very happy to have us join their table. The Irish couple were doing the whole 3 months while the other couple had boarded in Singapore and were leaving in Sydney to fly home. Only about ¼ of the passengers were doing the whole cruise. The restaurant was well laid out, there was only one but it had 2 levels. The waiters were lovely and attentive and gave great service but were not quite as relaxed and friendly as we experienced previously. We were very spoilt on the Pacific Sun with the most wonderful and entertaining table waiters. The male wait staff and cabins stewards were predominately Indian while the females (much smaller number overall) were from the Philippines. There was a more reserved manner from them but I decided it was perhaps just the difference between UK and Australian ships. The food was nice but not fantastic. The starters and soups were lovely but I found the main courses just too large and stodgy – exacerbated by the fact I wasn’t really hungry and certainly didn’t need it!! Have to eat it though!!

I really missed not having a ‘Welcome Aboard’ show and in fact we didn’t go at all to the theatre on the first nigh,t as there was a classical violinist and that wasn’t really our thing. The cruise director was a lovely Welsh man who seemed very nice and friendly but he was very, very different in that he didn’t tell any jokes or have a real presence on the ship. If he was ever on the TV talking about the activities I never saw it. Daily activities were not as varied – we certainly weren’t bored but not many of the options interested us. I certainly understand that they are catering for an older passenger and that is fine. We did attend some quizzes and enjoyed them, as well as the opportunity to meet other passengers. We didn’t play bingo!! There was no bingo at all until the last sea day as the casino was also closed until then because of the W.A. gambling laws. I thought it odd that the bingo was not going to be in the show lounge but rather in the much, much smaller venue of the Rising Sun, British Pub. It was politely explained to me though that the bingo was not that popular on the ship as it was something mainly “the working classes” like to play! I tried to explain that we never play bingo at home but it is just a ship tradition and is very popular down here. As it turned out we didn’t play because when it was on, it clashed with the DH’s cricket and we ladies decided we ‘needed’ to sample the afternoon high tea!

On the Friday we stopped at Albany. We hadn’t intended to go ashore but as there wasn’t much happening on board we decided to have a look. It was a very bleak and cold day which didn’t do the scenery justice, the harbour is apparently one of the world’s largest natural harbours and it did look very spectacular. The locals were very welcoming of the ship and put on a free shuttle for those that didn’t want to walk the kilometre or so into town. There were welcome signs in the shops as well as street entertainment etc. We didn’t stay too long as it really was cold. After 40º the previous day in Perth it was only about 18º in Albany with a very cold wind. The weather stayed that way until we got back to Adelaide with the decks sometimes being closed due to the high winds. The DH’s couldn’t get to their golf nets one day as they couldn’t get outside. The ship itself handled it well and it was very, very smooth with little movement – a great advantage in being on a very big ship.

We did attend the show on Day 2 which featured a “famous” soul singer “Clem Curtis” who we had never heard of. He was in fact the lead singer of the Foundations in the sixties who had hits with songs such as “My Everything” and “Build me up Buttercup” so when he started singing, the songs were familiar. We enjoyed his show very much. The Palladium takes up 3 decks at the front of the ship and has a beautiful stage and very comfortable seating. It was never full so we always easily got a seat. On Day 3 there was a Scottish comedian who although he used some well known jokes was still enjoyable. He also played the bagpipes and with my Scottish heritage I enjoyed that. Day 4 was a composite show with Clem Curtis again as well as some classical musicians who were very good. We were unlucky that the resident entertainers the “Headliners Theatre Company” were not scheduled to perform when we were onboard because I had read some excellent reviews on them. In fact, they put on a show the night we had to leave - L. We also missed the chocoholic’s buffet which was to be on the next day but perhaps that was a good thing!! Each sector has a voyage overview so we were able to see what was coming up and what we had missed out on.

Saturday was Valentines Day and a formal night. Our table companions were eating in the Arcadian Rhodes restaurant and we decided to book something special and eat in the other alternative restaurant, The Orchid. The Orchid is generally a mix of Asian offerings but there was a special Indian menu for that night. There is always a cover charge of ₤10.00 and we chose to take our own wine and pay the ₤10.00 corkage. It still worked out cheaper than buying theirs. We had a lovely meal in a beautiful setting midship on the top deck. The food was great and the whole evening was very special. Before dinner we had done the round of photo opportunities. Only one used a canvas backdrop, the others all used the ships magnificent interior as the background. They have the same setup we are used to for viewing and purchasing. I even enjoyed looking at them before we had any taken. I had been told the formal nights were very, very formal and from the photos of the previous one that was certainly confirmed. There were hardly any men without dinner suits, only a sprinkling of dark business suits and certainly no one in just a shirt and tie as was perfectly acceptable on our Christmas cruise. The DH’s had suits on and although my dress was not really a cocktail dress I think we passed muster!! We only purchased one photo. They were ₤20.00 each and we had bought a lot on the previous cruise. We also received a matching smaller one with a rose superimposed especially to commemorate Valentines Day, so that was nice. After dinner was the show and then we checked out the Valentines Day Ball in the Globe. They had decorated it beautifully with red helium hearts and other balloons. It was traditional ballroom dancing which we don’t do but it was enjoyable to sit back in our lovely booth and just watch and savour. The cruise director and his staff were on hand to dance with any partnerless passenger which was a lovely touch. When the ball finished all the ladies received a balloon to take “home”. My friend had the good sense to tie hers to her balcony on the last morning so she could easily distinguish her cabin once we had disembarked – I forgot! After the ball we spent ½ an hour or so in the disco where Clem Curtis did some sing-alongs to his own records so that was fun although it became quite funny when he didn’t want to relinquish the microphone. The next night he made reference to the fact he may have had too much to drink!!!

There is a fabulous day spa complex with a large hydro pool, sauna etc where you pay ₤10.00 for a days use. Well worth it if you are on a long cruise. They have also just added a cinema with very plush seating where they screen movies most of the day, also good if you are on a long cruise.

On the Saturday, the clocks went forward 1 hour but rather than what we are used to in the middle of the night it was at midday. I actually liked that as I hate missing out on an hour’s sleep at night but it was odd that all of a sudden it was 1.00pm and the activities usually scheduled in that hour were just omitted. The same thing happened with the ½ hour the next day.

They don’t have auto tipping at all but tipping is certainly encouraged. They advise ₤1.50 per day to the cabin stewards and ₤1.65 for the table waiter team. As it was only 4 days this certainly didn’t break the bank but it sure would add up on a very long cruise. We didn’t see much of our cabin steward but our cabin was always perfect so he certainly did his job – no towel animals though!

We were told that we would be disembarking at about 9.15am in Adelaide on the Monday. I got up at 6.30 to watch us sailing in - I had to go out on deck as our cabin was on the wrong side to see at that point. There wasn’t much to see then and the next time I checked we were in Outer Harbour. Then the ship turned and our Port cabin was in the perfect position to see the volunteers on the balcony welcoming the passengers. We were packing at that time and it took me a while to work out the noise was the news helicopter circling. I did go out and wave madly but the segment on the news must have shown one of the other circles as I wasn’t featured! They had a very large piece on the channel 10 news that night though, which was great to watch. It certainly attracted a lot of attention as the largest ship to visit Adelaide. Diamond Princess is coming on the 28th Feb so Arcadia will only hold the largest visiting ship mantle for a short while.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 4 days on the spectacular Arcadia and I would certainly love to do another segment next year to experience another P&O UK ship. I understand Aurora is coming our way but in the reverse direction so it would be lovely to do perhaps Sydney to Adelaide. I expect it won’t be till late in the year that they start selling any cabins so I have to keep my fingers crossed that lots of passengers will finish in Sydney and new ones won’t join until Perth. Leaving spare cabins for us ;-)

Overall, although the ship was beautiful we do prefer the atmosphere and activities on the Australian ships. Our “flip flops” which were commented on are more acceptable on the ships here! In saying that, we only experienced friendly passengers who were very welcoming. Another Australian couple we met that had been on the ship from Southampton did tell us they were disappointed it was so “British” and didn’t really cater for Australians. I did find that odd though as it is a British ship sailing with mainly British passengers from Britain so I would have thought that would be expected!! Can’t please everyone.

We have nothing booked, no countdowns to get excited about. My DH is starting a new job soon so after so many years of being self employed and only being able to holiday at Christmas (the most expensive time) we will be able to holiday at other times – finances permitting of course!! After 3 cruises, albeit 2 of then only mini ones I really love cruising and am pretty sure DH is getting there – just don’t tell him!!! I am under strict instructions not to book anything until we see how his new job works out but I am eyeing up a couple of possibilities for later in the year. If things work out it would be wonderful to take advantage of some of the last minute specials.

Hope you have found this of interest. I will post my photo's on Flickr as well and post the link as well. If anyone is considering sailing on her and has any questions I will do my best to answer them. You may also like to check out the blog that is written by the Purser on the Arcadia. It makes fascinating reading and he also posts some great photos. http://www.jamescusick.co.uk/

Lesley & Terry

Great review Lesley and Terry.... she sounds just like the kind of ship we love...the decision to cruise on her has been made much easier for us....thanks again.......cheers Shiona

Hi Shiona

Glad you enjoyed the review and found it helpful. Lucky you, if you are going to stay on Arcadia, all the way back to England!!

Lesley :)

Hi Lesley,

Another great review from you and it highlighted a lot of what the boat had to offer, she certainly is a spectacular ship and like you we really loved our balcony cabin, we only ever book inside so it was a wonderful bonus having the upgrade.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lesley and you will have to work on getting another countdown going :):p

Lestel: that's an interesting review of Arcadia, with a different perspective from the one we normally see here in the UK - thank you very much.

For the first two or three years of her existence Arcadia aroused great passions in the UK P&O cruising community: was she or was she not a 'real' P&O ship? ('Real' P&O ships would include Oriana, Aurora & and an honourable mention for Artemis.) Battle lines were drawn, arguments deployed, insults delivered, opinions rubbished - a fine time was had by all! Since the appearance of Ventura last April, the fight has very much moved on to that ship, and most debate about Arcadia has died down.

I haven't been on her myself but would love to do so.

Do you have any pictures from your short cruise on her?

Hi

Yes, I have pictures which I will be putting up on my Flickr account in the next few days. Once I do I will post the link on here.

Lesley:)

Thank you so much for taking the time to write in such detail. I`m so glad we`ve booked! Cant wait!

Great review, we usually have a B deck balcony cabin on Arcadia, can you imagine sailing down the grand canal in Venice the view is amazing from that balcony - we did that cruise this year on Arcadia,nice aren't they.Your comparisons are spot on, you are right - NO towel animals, NO ship cards around the neck on lanyards, i'm not keen on the ss restaurant either, and agree the pool covered roof is a great idea and the hydropool is lovely.

What a brilliant review, well done , I love all the details.

Amazing you mention the lanyard thing as on my mariner cruise no one used them either, it must be an aussie thing.

Love the kettle in the room too, now that would be nice on our ships.

Thanks very much Lestel for your excellent review, I have been following James Cusick's blog, but it is great to get the lowdown from a passenger. A very comprehensive and interesting review that answers all the questions I want to know about a ship I haven't been on. I know what you mean about the little bit of Britain, as I too was born in the UK came here at 16, DH is an Aussie so he has some fun on the UK ships, we went to the Uk on Adonia in 2004, and did sectors on Oriana in 2006 and 2008, DH kept referring to his footwear as "thongs" much to the amusement of our dinner companions, especially when he said dancing lessons were better in proper shoes rather than just thongs! I think Arcadia will be doing more worlds in the future so will definitely try and get a sector on her now.

Thanks for the positive feedback on my review. It was nice to also get comments from UK posters. I did a lot of exploring the UK forum before we sailed and remember looking at all the fantastic photos you posted, Libra Lass.

Witchymob - I learned the "thong" lesson a couple of years ago when I was telling our new English friends how silly we had been when we used to climb the back fence looking for tennis balls with just thongs on. I of course was referring to the danger of not wearing covered footwear while venturing in long grass with the snake danger here in SA. :D

I have now posted my photos on Flickr - the link is in my signature.

Lesley :)