snaefell

Spot on guys,thanks so much for your help,much appreciated.

Just starting planning a New York trip in July 2024,possibly including an Eastbound TA crossing on QM2,does one side or the other see more of the sun during the crossing at all & are some balcony cabins better or worse than others for enjoying any sun. Grateful for any advice please guys.

Likewise,we had a 19 night cruise on her in May & loved it,great ship,great crew,after reading so many negative comments pre cruise. We booked our cruise in January 2022 & just knew that it wasn't going to happen,everybody just knew that the 'old tub' was already sold,just to make it look more certain Arvia was scheduled to start a cruise to the same area on the same day,what more proof did anyone need,so glad it wasn't true!😎

We were on board Arcadia just after 1400hrs back in May & were told about the buffet but we were booked for the Ocean Grill at 1900hrs so it was too late for us,too much unpacking to do anyway! Assuming we do cruise again we will probably have to reconsider our dining options,we have always gone with Freedom Dining because the 'fixed dining' times were either too early or too late but given that we ended up queuing outside the MDR at 1730hrs on Arcadia we might as well go with the earlier 'fixed dining' option! There is some doubt that we will cruise again as the last two trips back from Southampton by coach have been bad enough to all but make you forget you have been away! The options from Liverpool all seem way too dear.

Not much use to anyone travelling down on Intercruises coach service sadly!

Really depends on what time you board I guess,for us that has always been between 1400-1500hrs,for us that is too late for lunch &/or too close to Dinner.

Had to laugh one day during our Med cruise back in May when the Horizon had an item advising how Norwegian currency would be needed at our next destination,available at the travel bureaux....oops!😂

They seem to make it up as they go along,same with the app! Enjoy your cruise,we did!

We were not able to book ahead for Arcadia back in May,originally it said on the Cruise Planner that we would be able to book from April 30th,when that date arrived it changed to enquire on board,when we got on board & tried to book the Ocean Grill for the first night I was told it was full,making a fuss got us a table!😮

Really didn't find that a problem,we visited the Ocean Grill 3 times & Sindhu twice,the food & service was first class every time,the other nights we used the MDR or the Buffet,(one night we did have a BBQ out on deck),couldn't really complain.

Funny how we have different experiences,nearly 3 weeks on her in May/June & didn't see any of those,loved it

I can vouch for that,as an ex postie I well remember being out in Winter wearing my heavy cold weather trousers,after a couple of hours heavy rain the crutch was down by my knees! As for shorts,I started the job at the beginning of May,two days into the job we were all asked if we wanted shorts,they finally arrived the day before I finished in December so you just knew some just had to wear them!

On Arcadia back in May in the Med the mix in the buffet for dinner had all sorts including shorts & a lot of people in suits,DJ's & gowns on formal nights.

IMO the newer ships are aimed at different clentel from the two older 'adult only' ships. Iona is basically doing a 'ferry' service with fjord 'cruises' week in,week out,Arvia a similar repetitive schedule every two weeks to the Med,sometimes advertised on tv from as little as £499pp,a bargain basement price holiday,it will be interesting to see which turn out to be the future for P&O,I imagine the company hope it is their new investments,if ports continue to limit the number of visitors allowed could that be problematic?

I know for our Arcadia cruise back in May checking the itinerary on the cruise planner showed when the formal nights were

Didn't think I would miss the trays but on Arcadia in May I think somebody had turned up the heating,sometimes the 'warm' plates were blooming hot!

On Arcadia in May due to an outbreak of gastric arthritis staff were on hand at all entrances to ask people to wash their hands,some passengers still just walked past,any hand sanitizer not working were quickly replaced & the crew were serving the food,didn't stop some people helping themselves.

Out on Deck in the Med last month on Arcadia it could vary hugely in various areas,if you were in the sun but out of the breeze it could be pretty hot,forward on Deck 11 where it has glass screens it was like a furnace!

On May 14th cruise on Arcadia our Intercruise coach arrived slightly early,we were given cards & then dropped off at the doir,led straight to check in & security & were on board in 10 minutes,very impressive!

You learn something new every day,I really expected that as one act left another would immediately take over,bad luck if you are on the cruise where the changeover happens. On the 19 night Med cruise in May there was quite a variety of entertainment,besides the Headliners,not our sort of thing but they were energetic & colourful,Eric & Ernie,an Elton John tribute,a couple of decent comedians,the superb Four Harps,all in the theatre,Pulse were impressive in the Globe,there were two buskers,Ged & Luke at various venues around the ship,although Luke disappeared late on in the cruise,there was also a band on in the Crows Nest one night which to us didn't seem to fit very well,much preferred Britann's Crows Nest with a pianist,much more relaxing! There was quite a bit of coughing on board which increased noticeably during the cruise,' luckily' it was largely ignored due to the Gastric Enteritis Outbreak!

After years of well planned road trips to the USA,often meeting others who obviously had done zero planning,around 20 years ago I was persuaded by my Wife to try a cruise,she had been speaking to a neighbour who was a regular cruiser,I much prefer sailing to flying but the thought of being 'stuck' on a ship for two weeks really didn't appeal but I gave in,we found a Princess Cruise to Iceland & Norway which fitted in with my fixed holidays & booked under the impression that 'everything' was included & paid for😒 Our neighbours didn't drink alcohol so they hadn't mentioned buying drinks,OK so you expect to pay higher prices when you are a 'captive' audience but what I didn't expect was the amount added on for tips,then the biggest shock when we found out about the daily amount we would each be charged for tips for the crew,,over subsequent years I have heard so many people mention how they didn't know about this until after they booked,in all the times I have enquired with a TA about cruises only once have I been told about this charge up front,if you are on a long enough cruise this can add up to a substantial amount,inconvenient to say the least when the cruise was stretching your budget in the first place! So yes despite being good at planning regular holidays cruising is different,once you have done one you know,but finding a cruise line that suits isn't That simple,the itinerary,dates & price also dictate who we,at least,book with & then we work around that.

I really don't care what anyone wears anywhere,anytime,people should be able to wear what they want anytime.

We are all different & I thought the glass skylight over the atrium was beautiful! You meet so many on board who 'know' exactly what the future holds,for some she is old,doesn't fit in & is 'on her way',others claim she is definitely having a major refur b in September 2024 & is 'here to stay',given that she is due to leave early September for the USA that just shows how definite these ideas can be!😮

Agree,looking at other cruises on her & they seem pretty expensive,no 7 nights for £499 like I see advertised for Arvia & Iona,attracting many oldies I hear but to me speaks volumes about which is the nicer ship to cruise on!

Typical CC,the negative reviews get noticed,the positive ones get ignored seemingly. We have recently returned after a 19 night Med cruise on Arcadia,our first time on her,we loved the ship & would love to go on her again. Yes she is 18 years old(so is my newest car!),you can't t expect her to look brand new with the travelling she does,that just isn't practical,we have travelled on many ferries of a similar ages or older so don't really notice the wear & tear,to us she seemed a classy ship,more so than Arvia or Iona from what I have seen. The Rising Sun is a fabulous room,as is the Crows Nest,The Palladium Theatre is a lovely venue,same with the Globe,the MDR is a classy room with tables not on top of each other,the Ocean Grill & Sindhu were both outstanding with amazing staff. I cringe when programmes appear on TV describing cruising as the height of luxury,those days are gone,reflected in the price you pay these days,head off with that idea in mind & you WILL be disappointed!😎