Capnpugwash is going to the Caribbean for Christmas 2011 on P&O’s Arcadia.

[rolfecms]

I thought that I had wandered into God’s waiting room, there were 4 very elderly people occupying the working beds and each of them was asleep, mouths open and snoring loudly. The tranquillity of the spa was somewhat marred by this noise although they would all have woken with a start when I slammed the door a while later as I left. It was for the best I thought; otherwise they wouldn’t be able to sleep later.

 

How delightfully impish of you!

 

The exterior of the Arcadia is noticeably dowdier than any other P&O ships that I have seen recently, the paintwork looks old and tired and there are rust marks visible in lots of places, I can’t believe that the maintenance programme has been cut back but I can think of no other explanation.

 

Perhaps a dry dock is in store soon?

 

She works as a VAT collector for what used to be called the Customs and Excise and is part of the UK Government which may explain everything! VAT inspectors have been called a number of things in the past and not many of them are complimentary.

 

Spot on, who likes tax collectors anyway? This just adds insult to injury.

 

...it was a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Perez Cruz in Chile’s Maipo Valley, it was delicious and even on here is only £13.75 for a bottle, it is full bodied but I would unreservedly recommend it especially as you should be able to source it significantly cheaper than the on board price demanded here.

 

Thanks for this. On my list!

 

The dress code tonight is casual 60s and 70s, I don’t know if that refers to the clothes or to the ages of the passengers.

 

Too funny!

 

Very much enjoyed your witty musings, Capn. Enjoy the remaining days of your cruise and look forward to your next trip!

[capnpugwash]

Update no 37.

 

Today is Friday January 6th and the time is 7.30am, the sun isn’t due to rise for 80 minutes and will set a little over 8 hours later. The weather currently is unchanged apart from the temperature which is down a little to 16/61 degrees.

 

I have just completed the cruise questionnaire and unusually it mostly looks negative. The one area where P&O continue to shine is with their waiting, cabin and bar staff. On this ship the officers have been remote and uncommunicative with passengers, I don’t want them fawning over me but I do like to see the Captain and his colleagues walking around the ship on a regular basis and engaging with passengers to discuss whatever is on their minds. This has to be a good thing in my view. This is not my favourite ship and am only on board because of the itinerary and timings, for a 6 year old ship it is looking very down at heel, there are nasty smells in lots of locations, the décor and finish of the ship seems quite tatty, the food quality and preparation was very patchy although when they got it right it was excellent. The pool surround is extremely slippery in bare feet as is the tiled floor in the spa, maybe I should wear shoes with better grip in these areas but I think that the problems should be addressed. The lifts are awfully slow to respond and in the centre of the ship there are normal lifts plus external glass lifts to either side, bizarrely the call buttons aren’t linked to each other, so the length of wait is often drastically increased as empty cars sail by.

 

It has to be sod’s law; I was just finishing my breakfast in the buffet when the Food and Beverage manager came by and she spoke to everyone who was sitting there. Still it is the exception that proves the rule, isn’t it? After that I went up to the Crow’s Nest and did some Spanish work, looking out I saw that there was a rusty old brown tanker headed east on the horizon heading towards the Iberian coast which is about 600 miles distant and another grey tanker heading south-west on a reciprocal course to ours, we passed portside to portside at about 11.30. The sea state is classified as slight but it is almost calm, there is no discernible motion on board and the sky is bright blue with just the wispiest clouds that you could imagine. It doesn’t feel cold on deck but rather fresh and quite pleasant even with a force 4 south-easterly breeze and a temperature of 14/57 degrees. It is a quite delightful day especially at sea. At noon the clocks were advanced for the last time and we are now on GMT.

 

Looking at the map, I think that we will be level with Cape Finisterre at the North West corner of Spain later this evening or perhaps during the night. This location would indicate the starting point for a ship crossing the Bay of Biscay which concludes as the ship passes the island of Ouissant off Brittany. It doesn’t apply to us though as we are about 500 miles further west than we would be for a normal Bay crossing so the shallow shelf beneath it with its propensity for producing severe waves and swells should have little effect on us as we shall be significantly further out in the deeper water. This is a distance of about 400 miles and takes about 25 hours to transit. Our journey to the Channel will be longer in distance and will take quite a few hours longer.

 

I didn’t go to lunch today but went up to whist early, I played well but had a couple of low scoring hands which meant that I didn’t win although I was very close. I was told by one of the ladies at whist that there had been 6 deaths on board during this cruise plus 1 man who had a stroke yesterday was taken off in an ambulance, I don’t know how accurate the figures are but I have seen numerous ambulances at various ports taking people off with their luggage. It could therefore be true and I wonder if it would be bad form to request an upgrade to their abandoned cabins, it is too late now but earlier on it would have been nice.

 

The clouds have built during the afternoon and now at 3.15 the sky is totally obscured, the temperature and wind details are unchanged. I have just turned on the TV and found that P&O are showing White Christmas with Bing Crosby, I realise that it is a classic Christmas film but surely not on January 6th! This afternoon was the Galley Tour and Chocoholics Tea, this takes place between 3.30 and 4.30 but the hungry hordes were queuing from 3pm, I didn’t attend and in fact haven’t had a cup of tea at all this afternoon. I have just had my usual afternoon Spanish lesson and to practice numbers we played Bingo but in Spanish, and I got the first full house or casa as we say. The prize was a reading light that clips onto books which is really quite useful, I am going to bang my head against the wall again and go to the individual quiz, maybe Miss VAT will get stuck in a lift and give us mortals a chance. Well she actually didn’t do that well, I reached the tie-break with 17/20 and had to say how many rooms are in the Royal Palace of the Sultan of Brunei, I guessed 975 and my opponent guessed 1015 and the correct answer was 1575 so once again I was a close second.

 

More later

[shoreham01]

Interesting to note your negative comments. I am still waiting for a response to my email sent to the person at P&O responsible for Arcadia. I have been waiting 25 days so far for a response, other than the one saying my email had been passed to the the person responsible I have heard nothing. Yesterday I sent off a reminder but still nothing. My email was not rude in any way, just my thoughts on what I thought was an extremely poor cruise experience. Anyone can see my review on the members review page, I just sent them a copy of it. If I don't get a response I will send a letter to Carol Marlow, the MD. I am not chasing any compensation, it was only a 3 night cruise. Just wanted them to know the negatives so they could be put right.

[mummy gladys]

Update no 37.

 

 

I have just completed the cruise questionnaire and unusually it mostly looks negative. The one area where P&O continue to shine is with their waiting, cabin and bar staff. On this ship the officers have been remote and uncommunicative with passengers, I don’t want them fawning over me but I do like to see the Captain and his colleagues walking around the ship on a regular basis and engaging with passengers to discuss whatever is on their minds. This has to be a good thing in my view. This is not my favourite ship and am only on board because of the itinerary and timings, for a 6 year old ship it is looking very down at heel, there are nasty smells in lots of locations, the décor and finish of the ship seems quite tatty, the food quality and preparation was very patchy although when they got it right it was excellent. The pool surround is extremely slippery in bare feet as is the tiled floor in the spa, maybe I should wear shoes with better grip in these areas but I think that the problems should be addressed. The lifts are awfully slow to respond and in the centre of the ship there are normal lifts plus external glass lifts to either side, bizarrely the call buttons aren’t linked to each other, so the length of wait is often drastically increased as empty cars sail by.

 

It is interesting to read your comments on this ship many of which echo our feelings when we sailed in her approx two years ago. It was our first time on P & O and we have not sailed with them again. We liked the idea of adults only but we often felt too young to be on board (maybe not a bad thing)!!:)

[capnpugwash]

Update no 38.

 

Tonight is the last Smart dress code of this cruise, what a depressing thought that is! Not the fact that I have to stick on a jacket but that the time has come for the lasts to start, after this evening there are only two more full days remaining and one of those is packing day. I understand that there are great offers being made to passengers if they wish to stay on for the Grand Voyage, not even a real deal would tempt me to continue on the Arcadia.

 

I visited my usual bar and after couple of G&Ts went into dinner, it was really tasty tonight especially the cottage pie. I did ask for a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce to sprinkle on it which really enhanced the flavour. As we were having dessert a man on the table next to us started having a fit, the staff was dealing with him very quickly and his wife seemed very relaxed about it all so I suppose that he may have epilepsy and fits may be quite a regular occurrence. The waiters called 999 and a nurse was there within 4 minutes. Rather than sit there watching this all unfold I left and walked along the deck and went up to the Crow’s Nest. The quiz was a bit of a disaster, not because we didn’t know the answers but because we did; but we failed on about 4 occasions to select them from those put forward. These things happen of course and the good thing was that a new team won. It is now 11.55 and there is a little movement on the ship even though the sea state is slight and the swells are low. We are still just below being level with the north coast of Spain and are making 18 knots, the temperature is 13/55 degrees and there is a force 4 south easterly breeze.

 

Today is Saturday January 6th and I didn’t wake until 8.15; the sea is glassy smooth with just the faintest of ripples on the surface, the easterly force 2/3 doesn’t disturb it and neither do the low swells as we continue along at 18 knots in a chilly 13/55 degrees. The sky is lightening as the sun is due to rise very soon at 8.39, it will set this afternoon a little after 5pm. I think that today may turn out to be a lazy day as I have no real enthusiasm to get to the gym or swim or to do anything very much, I am going to breakfast now so that is a start.

 

The main subject of conversation in the buffet this morning was the very variable and poor quality of the food, there were about 10 of us just chatting and someone raised the matter. The consensus was that it is sign of the drop in standards, we were all quite experienced cruisers and we each said that it is doubtful that we would come back on this ship. I believe that this in my third trip on here, the first was awful with terrible food but good staff, the second which had already been booked when I took the first was good food and crew but dreadfully miserable and moaning passengers and now this one with mostly great passengers and crew but dodgy food.

 

Tonight is the return of Mr O’Connor on stage, obviously I won’t be going and neither will I attend his book signing at lunchtime, it is quite cleverly arranged because it takes place between 1.30 and 2.30 in a bar just along from the main dining room which everyone has to pass by on their way to or from lunch, or as he and P&O hope – pass and buy. I know that we live in a commercial world but he has just come off the Ventura where I am sure he was hawking his wares and here he is doing it all over again. Even the so called cocktail pianist John Wright who performs quite often in the Piano Bar but plays each tune at about 110% of the intended speed now has a DVD standing on the piano as he plays. He has a great repertoire which he races through at pace just from memory but I haven’t seen anyone actually queuing and purchasing the recording. I think that anyone who bought one would constantly be taking his DVD player for repair complaining that it is running too fast.

 

It seems that the photographic department must be suffering from a severe lack of sales as they are offering £2 off any picture either taken tonight or at any time during the cruise, combine this with the DVD offer from the other day and it shows that things aren’t too rosy in the garden. The same can’t be said for the lucky sales person in the Art Gallery who sold 4 original paintings yesterday to one very discerning customer for a massive £37,000. I ask you who in their right mind would spend that amount of money on art whilst on board a ship. 2 of them were by the artist that I really like, obviously I don’t like him enough to remember his name but he paints pictures of men and women lying back in repose and smoking as though they have just achieved something relaxing but memorable. I was shocked at the £415 price tag on a print by this artist so the original is obviously out of my league. Whilst making no accusations I have seen originals purchased on other ships which were replaced by something very similar just as soon as the satisfied passenger disembarks. Not just very similar but too similar if you catch my drift.

 

I took the easy option and went to the spa, soaked in a hot bubbly hydro-pool with strangers, had a lovely steam and then braved the fore-deck in 13 degree weather wearing my swimming trunks to cool off. In less than 10 minutes it was job done. I took a quick cooling shower and it was as I stood in the changing room, by the 8’ by 6’ plate glass window overlooking the majestic Atlantic Ocean that I thought to myself that this isn’t such a bad life after all and I am really lucky to be able to experience it. I grew up to the east of London near to Dagenham and could never have dreamed of being on a cruise ship returning after 3 weeks in the Caribbean, the most exotic thing I had seen was a Vesta instant curry and trust me they aren’t that exotic. I needed a coffee as it was just after 11am so the Crow’s Nest beckoned and sitting there a couple of minutes later when a couple passed me and he enquired “is a quarter past eleven too early for a beer?” She didn’t answer but shot him a withering glare which he understood immediately and I thought, what a poor sod, have a beer you're on holiday and you'll be a long time dead. But he didn’t, he just trailed miserably in her wake quite reminiscent of a little puppy.

 

We have just had the noon announcement which today was made by the cadet on board and the weather is absolutely unchanged since this morning except that the barometer is rising, I don’t think that this is anything to get too excited about, it just means that it is not falling. We have 580 nautical miles left to run to Southampton and as we have completed 424 since noon yesterday we seem to have plenty of time to achieve it. Once more I will skip lunch today and after whist I will go to the performance by the passenger choir at 3pm, I will miss the first part of it as the whist normally lasts for an hour and a quarter.

 

More later

[philayl]

Hi Jim, reading your honest comments on the Arcadia makes me wonder if I have done the right thing by booking a cruise on her later this year. I don't suppose there is any chance she will go in for a refit before then, it sounds as though a good spruce up wouldn't do any harm. Phil

[Dorset Cruiser]

We have been very tempted by the Sydney to Southampton trip on Arcadia in February 2013 but each time I read your posts the feeling that we might be making a huge mistake increases:(

 

Is it really that bad. We were on Ventura last year and the food was very good. Not too worried about Arcadia being a little shabby but do need good food and friendly service.

[missfrankiecat]

I'm sure I shouldn't, but did laugh at your comments on the death tally. I did a Xmas cruise about five years ago when a rumoured round dozen went to the great cruise ship in the sky over a three week period. I am kicking myself that I never thought of asking about upgrading to their cabins!

[DamianG]

I went for a cocktail or two in the Piano Bar, whilst seated there by the port side window the skies suddenly opened and a torrent of rain poured down as if a bucket of water had been upturned. This didn’t adversely affect me but it did drench the 10 or so passengers who had chosen to congregate there for a cigarette, they were like drowned rats and would have needed to change their clothes. There was a “Lourdes” moment though, one of the men who ran the 20 yards to the doorway had neglected to take his walking stick from the smoking area with him and it made me wonder if I had just witnessed a remarkable biblical incident. I didn’t feel any holier or blessed so it may just have been that he didn’t need the walking aid quite as much as he thought he did.

 

I love this comment. On Oriana last week there was a certain lady passenger at the forefront of the entertainments. She was a regular singer at the karaoke, always dancing at the disco and even on stage with the cruise director and entertainment team at the Great British sailaway. Then lo and behold when we docked back at Southampton there she was, one of the first to be disembarked being pushed along in a wheelchair. Would it be unkind of me to suggest that the latter was just a ruse to avoid waiting for disembarkation?

Thanks for the reports Cap'n.

[donamae]

Dear Cap'n - I have enjoyed tagging along on another trip with you. Every post I chuckle over something..(today the poor chap who wanted an a.m. beer) Hope your family has enjoyed the cruise, but it sounds like the Arcadia needs a bit of an overhaul, would be interested to hear your wife's opinion of the food, snobby officers etc.

 

Thanks so much for keeping us so entertained over the holidays, I for one have loved every minute of it.

 

Happy New Year to you and yours.

 

donamae

[capnpugwash]

Update no 39.

 

During whist I was playing with 3 people who had all separately gone to the Orchid Restaurant on here on different nights and they all said that they were really disappointed with the standard of the food, I ate there a couple of years ago and as I recall it was quite good, one of them also ate in the Ocean Grill and thought that the food was OK, in a specialty location I think that you need a bit better than OK. I really sound as though I am knocking the Arcadia but I promise you that I am not, some parts of it are great but they are dwarfed by the problem areas. I am a paying passenger with Gold status on this line so I feel that I have enough experience on these ships to make a judgement. I like P&O and I know that they normally provide a good cruise experience, sadly in this instance they have not lived up to my expectations. There are always rogue cruises and I accept that this may be one of those but that doesn’t excuse the tatty state of the ship and the quality of the food, a chef is a chef but he can only cook what he is given and if that is poor quality when raw, it will be poor quality when it is cooked.

 

We actually finished whist about 10 minutes early and again I didn’t play particularly well or perhaps I didn’t get the cards to let me play well, needless to say I didn’t win but it was great fun and afterwards I scuttled to the theatre to hear the choir sing, there are 20 ladies and 12 men in the choir and it is led by Anton van der Merwe from South Africa who is one of the Ents, they were really good and I am sure that they were nervous performing on a stage in front of a few hundred people. They sang songs from most of the shows and 6 of them were soloists and they all did very well. Anton, who is an accomplished singer in his own right, closed the show with Nessun Dorma and sang it so well I had a lump in my throat and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. It was a wonderful afternoon indeed.

 

The ship has reduced speed to 16 knots and we should be at Ouissant by tomorrow morning ready to head up the English Channel. Tonight is the last formal night and will include the Parade of Chefs, Beef Wellington and probably Baked Alaska. I have just had the penultimate Spanish lesson from Siobhan, we have our final one tomorrow and everyone from both the beginners and the improver’s classes will be there. We have a plaque which we have all signed which will be presented to her and I am arranging for some wine and some nibbles, it should be a nice little party.

 

The quiz was held at 6pm this evening and the extra 30 minutes thinking time didn’t help me at all, a new man won it with 18/20. Well he is not new but rather hasn’t won before. I am just getting dressed for the black tie dinner and I feel the need for a G&T so I must head down to the bar, dinner starts 15 minutes later than normal tonight to allow time for the addition of a sorbet course and the parade of chefs on the first sitting. It will probably require an extra drink for me but I will survive it.

 

There is no change in the sea state or the weather but our speed is slightly reduced to 15 knots. As expected I had no problem with the extra cocktail, in fact it slipped down easily. Dinner was very nice too; I had some excellent liver after some asparagus soup. Then we had the parade of chefs and they played “Tonight’s gonna be a big night” rather than “The Radetzky March” which I am more used to. Soon after that it was time to head up for the quiz, we scored a respectable 17/20 but lost by one point to our nemesis team 7. When the Ent announced the winner there is normally some generous applause but tonight the result was greeted by almost total silence.

 

It is now 12.15am and the weather is unchanged except that force 2 breeze is now a north-westerly. It seems that remedial work is being carried out on the promenade deck handrails as the missing ones have reappeared and look pristine while the next 30 yards has disappeared. They must be re-varnishing in the warm and dry.

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Final update

 

Today is Sunday January 8th and the time is 7.20am. The sky is overcast, the temperature is only11/52 degrees and we have a force 4 north-westerly wind. The sea and the swells are slight and we are only making 14 knots. Our position is 55 miles due west of Ouissant at the start of the western approaches to the English Channel and we have turned slightly to starboard to begin the run into that body of water, because of our reduced speed the ship has a gentle rolling motion this morning despite the glasslike appearance of the water . It is the dreaded packing day today and I think that I will have to attend to it this morning as this afternoon I have whist, an early and extended Spanish lesson and a little party to go to. I suppose I could do it around 6pm this evening and it probably won’t take that long to complete, I will see what transpires.

 

I returned from breakfast just after 8am and had trouble getting along the corridor past the laundrette; there was a queue of 6 women armed with enormous bags of washing just waiting for the door to be unlocked to give them access to the machines inside. There are 3 machines of which only 2 work so only the first 2 will be able to use them which will give the next 2 a wait of at least 30 minutes and the last pair a wait of about 1 hour. I understand that people want to take clean clothes home but hanging around a hot smelly room for an hour, I don’t think so. Coming back later surely has to be a better option.

 

The sun rose at 8.23 today and the sky is full of clouds from white to purple to grey and to black. We are surrounded by rain storms; it is a standard winter’s day.

 

I am just stuffing the tip envelopes to hand to the respective parties later this evening and I am reminded that there is always a lot of discussion about tips or hotel and dining charges, currently on P&O the recommended amounts are £1.50 per person per day for the cabin stewards and £1.60 for waiters. They currently keep all the money that they receive. This is all due to change in April when P&O institute an auto-tip programme, this will be directly linked to the performance of the stewards and waiters as reported by the passengers on their voyage questionnaires. In order to keep all the money they will need to achieve 95% customer satisfaction or the company will withhold between 23 and 32%. It is unclear whether the crew member can ever get that back. This seems to me to be a very harsh way to deal with the crew on a subject over which they have no control. Passengers fill these forms in arbitrarily and don’t realise the consequences of ticking the good box rather than the excellent. There is a myth that circulates that says P&O don’t read the Customer Service Questionnaires, let me assure you that they do!

 

As passengers we always complain about falling standards, well the crew notice as well. 7 years ago the stewards were responsible for 10 cabins, then 12, then 13, then 15 and now either 16 or 17. They have the same amount of time to do 60% more work.

 

I have just returned from my final spa visit, I must get a steam room at home, I had one in a previous house and it was fantastic. I used to spend 10 minutes there every morning and be revived and somewhat rejuvenated and ready for a day’s work. On the way back I actually bumped into one of the senior Officers in the lift, I only had him four 4 decks so I bluntly asked him whether the Arcadia was scheduled for a refit, he said that one had been arranged for December 2011 but that it had been cancelled. When I asked if it had been rescheduled for later this year, his answer was that it hadn’t. I wonder if anyone from P&O would care to enlighten us on this issue. Talking of cut backs and apparent meanness by P&O I can offer you two examples, the first was on January 1st when the well-travelled couple who have completed 75 cruises with the company were offered the chance to purchase a commemorative photo of them hoisting the pennant for a mere £10, they declined the offer. The second and similar example is after the passenger choir who had practised every sea day for 2 hours and performed at the Santa comes out of the funnel event on Christmas Eve and then again that evening in the atrium and finally they did a well-attended show in the theatre yesterday and again they were offered a picture at £10 each. Where do P&O get off taking advantage of the good will of their passengers who have given over 24 hours of their own time gratis and done three free performances and they aren’t even given a crappy photograph as a memento. I really think that it is appallingly cheap and stupid to treat people in this manner.

 

The noon announcement has just been made, the weather and sea state are unchanged and we only have 215 nautical miles to run. Our position is 162 miles south west of Weymouth and due south of Land’s End. We have run into quite a mist and visibility is now quite restricted and seems less than 100 yards which I believe can be a little bit tricky in this area as it is reportedly the busiest sea lane in the world. The ship does however have some state of the art radar equipment plus the AIS system plots the position and course of all ships automatically so I am not too worried. As I have been in the cabin for an hour or so I decided that I would do my packing and get it out of the way, the cases are in the corridor outside already by 1.15 which is a first for me, basically it gives a lot more room in the cabin so that I can see what needs to be thrown away after 3 weeks on board. I only keep an overnight rolling case for the morning. We are making our way along the south coast at 16 knots and are now due south of the Lizard.

 

Disembarkation is by deck normally with no provision being made for priority guests, if this applies to you then go to reception and they will gladly give you earlier times, I did that this morning so will get off at 8.45am which is the first group. Strangely he didn’t ask for any proof of entitlement but merely gave the blue cards to me, must be my honest face.

 

The breakfast arrangements are that the buffet is offering full breakfast from 6am until 8.30, while the restaurant is open from 6.45 until 7 and then from 7.45 until 8am. The doors are closed at the end of each period to allow for the efficient service of the meals, it usually works fairly well although sometimes there is a bit of a rush and confusion. Having said that, it is the last day of the cruise and it is a very busy day for all the crew on board so it is good to cut them some slack.

 

I am heading for my final whist game and I hope to play the cards that I get dealt as best as I can. It would be nice to win of course. The whist was lovely and I was given a book on the Arcadia by Jamie the Ent as I had helped over the cruise by running the games which freed him up to be elsewhere. It was a very nice gesture. The weather brightened a great deal with the mist lifting and visibility increasing to about 8 miles, I was on deck and I don’t know about the busiest sea lane but I could see 8 miles in every direction and there wasn’t a ship in sight, maybe Sunday is a quiet day. After that walk along the deck I went to Spanish and after an hour we had some wine and nibbles delivered and that was the end of the lesson really. Siobhan was presented with a plaque depicting a Spanish lady which was really pretty, we had all signed the back and we drank the wine and all chatted. It was just a good fun time. She is a great teacher.

 

Fortunately that was held in the Viceroy Room which is next to the Crow’s Nest where the exchange of prize stickers for gifts was to take place at 5.30pm. I was 20th in line but I still got the items that I wanted; a leather notebook, an alarm clock and a 1GB data stick. I gave the stick to Siobhan's husband and kept the rest. Such a busy day!

 

We continue our eastward journey along the English Channel, the Captain has just announced that we will arrive early tomorrow and be secured by 6am, it is not surprising really as we are making 17 knots through a very slight sea with average low swells and are south of Brixham, Devon. The wind is a west-north-westerly force 5 and the temperature is quite mild at 13/55 degrees.

 

I have just returned to the cabin to find that two shirts which I had laundered yesterday had been returned while I was out, my cases have just been taken away so I had to rush to the lift lobby where they were awaiting transfer to the luggage deck, fortunately I recovered one of them and was able to pack them into it and then return it to the lobby. The alternative would have been for me to wear all three to get off the ship. Tonight’s dress code is casual which is fairly standard on cruises.

 

I went to the bar, had a last couple of drinks and said my farewells to the few people that I know and went into dinner. I had steak and mushroom pudding again and again it was delicious. We are approaching Bournemouth at 10.05pm, our speed has reduced to 12 knots and the sea remains slight. The ship is rock steady as we complete the final 60 miles. By the time that we berth at the Mayflower Terminal tomorrow we will have sailed 8366 nautical miles or 9621 statute miles.

 

Whilst I haven’t enjoyed certain aspects of the Arcadia I have enjoyed the cruise, the passengers that I have met and socialised with have been great as have the crew members that I have encountered. I am certainly not going to dwell on or reiterate the negative aspects of this trip.

 

I thank you for travelling along with me and for your kind comments and I certainly hope that you have enjoyed our time together. We should do it again sometime.

 

Fin.

[perky spain]

Well having read all that i join the ship in Barcelona on thursday for 34 nights feeling that we have made a huge mistake for a 50th bday treat we were so looking forward to it oh well it is what u make it and we intend to make it great!!!!!!

so lets see what we make of it before you all cancel your reservations!!!

[Dorset Cruiser]

Sure you will be fine - everything about a cruise ship is subjective and you may find everything to your liking. We are also considering doing either southampton to Sydney 53 days or Sydney to Southampton 46 days in 2013 - great itineraries:D

[NSWP]

G'day Captain, been following your blogs as we (me and the 'boss) are on Arcadia for 49 days, Sydney to Southampton in March/April.

 

You certainly pull no punches in your critique. Interesting to note that allegedly some pax left the ship early because of their dislike for life on board, sad that is. So by the time we get to Southampton on April 27, the ship might be somewhat empty? OR could even be empty if pax left between Southampton and Sydney, oh dear.

 

As for no officers getting around the ship, I noticed that with Princess Cruises recently, god knows where they hide, maybe their bunks!

 

Anyway many thanks for your review, CC should contribute to your on board internet bill, I mean to say you have provided some enriching entertainment for its avid readers!

 

PS: £10 for a picture of the passenger choir? I will join the choir but they can shove the photo! LOL.

[Lady Hudson]

Jim - i've enjoyed all of your posts. Any other plans for travel -- before July?? I am still planning on being on the QM2 for the July crossing that you have booked. See you then! Katherine

[Pobman]

Considering those photos cost a couple of pence each its very very sad they dont give them for free to these people... would probably cost P&O a while pound or so to cover everybody.

[Skovgaard]

Thank you Captain I have enjoyed following your journey, wishing you a safe journey home and looking forward to your next cruise where again I can follow your journey

 

Skovgaard

[Summergee]

Thank you for sharing your voyage with us, once again. I look forward to doing it again.

[cruiseluvva]

Thank you for an entertaining account of your voyage.

 

For those yet to cruise on Arcadia, we have spent well over 100 nights on board, and are doing the same trip as capnpugwash this coming November, we like Arcadia a LOT. In fact she is probably our favourite P&O ship - just!

 

Safe journey home, capn. I look forward to your next adventure.

[alexoneblack]

Thank you for your posts as a frequent P & O cruiser your comments make me laugh and have brightened my days over the last weeks.

We have never liked Arcadia and after your posts will not be booking any more cruises on her.

 

Wishing you many more Happy cruises.

[capnpugwash]

Well having read all that i join the ship in Barcelona on thursday for 34 nights feeling that we have made a huge mistake for a 50th bday treat we were so looking forward to it oh well it is what u make it and we intend to make it great!!!!!!

so lets see what we make of it before you all cancel your reservations!!!

 

As has been said on here and on many other threads, opinions on ships vary enormously. Apparently lots of people wrote to the Capatin (he said) congratulating him on a well rub ship and super this and that, I had friends on board who were first sitting and their food was excellent. If you asked 50 people who were on the same cruise I am sure that you would get 30 dirrerent answers. The only way to tell is to go and find out for yourself. It wasn't my wish to put you off or cause you concern but I just told it as I saw and experienced it.

 

Final final update

 

We did berth by 6am so about 7am I called reception enquiring whether there would be early debarkations and was assured that there wouldn't be, so iwent up for breakfast about 7.45. At 8am they called for my colour card to disembark. Good to see that the reception staff don't do joined up thinking. Smihsforairports were there waiting and I arrived home before 11am.

 

Fin, honestly

[fg_hb]

Capn,

 

thank you very much for taking me with you on your Christmas and New Years cruise. I like your style of writing and that you write your likes and dislikes.

Hope to meet you again "live" sometimes. Have a great time.

 

Frank

[rolfecms]

Just saw this news article that reports two emergency drydocks for Carnival Corp ships (Costa Deliziosa and P&O Adonia). Could this mean that the Arcadia is not too far behind? Could it be that drydocks are now being performed only when no other alternatives exist? Emergency dry dock for P&O Adonia.

[littlearthur]

Captain thanks for your blog been reading it to my family all xmas they loved it we got married on arcadia two years ago started to notice it getting a bit tired then especially the food . We saw you on the Vic last easter in the cc a lot with other members been reading your blogs all year you have been busy ! Next time we see you on a cruise I will introduce myself . You made me laugh about Tom O'Connor we had Roy walker on a 14 day baltic once stalked me for the whole fortnight complete nutter as for bobby knutt he is even scrufier than O'Connor ..

 

Regards

 

Gavin & Emma