Just Disembarked Arcadia

[AchileLauro]

12 hours ago, Chrisdriving said:

Booked another cruise on Arcadia for 2024 after the dry dock in November, chap who took the booking was adamant both Arcadia and Aurora have 10 years left with P and O due to their popularity with certain demographic of customer.

Cannot see it myself but would hope he is at least partly right in them both staying for a good while.

Both are having a huge amount spent on them in next refits for the benefit of P and O and it’s customers.

We had similar reassurances when we booked a family cruise with daughters and granddaughter  when on Aurora some years ago. I had a bit of a premonition that things might change, but the agent on the future sales desk said " No way are they going to change things after spending all that money recently on improving the children's facilities".

 

Three months later we received an email from P&O saying " You will be glad to hear that Aurora is going adult only". My daughter received an email from P&O at the same time saying " We are sorry to inform you that Aurora is going adult only and that your future booking is cancelled". 

 

That was the second time that P&O disappointed us greatly, the first time they cancelled a cruise on Arcadia and never notified us, we found out about the cancellation which was only 3 days ahead purely by chance. 

Since then I wouldn't rely upon them honouring any promises until I was actually on the ship and casting off, even then there's no guarantee that the ship will visit the ports that you signed on for. 

[Cathygh]

15 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

How is the rest going? Hopefully no other problems.

 

All fine. Yes,the ship needs a refit but I've not seen any buckets catching drips.  Sindhu was very good last night. I hope they make the popup glass house which is only open sometimes at lunch a permanent fixture so there is somewhere else to eat in the evenings. 

 

[davecttr]

On 8/22/2023 at 9:11 AM, Cathygh said:

 

All fine. Yes,the ship needs a refit but I've not seen any buckets catching drips.  Sindhu was very good last night. I hope they make the popup glass house which is only open sometimes at lunch a permanent fixture so there is somewhere else to eat in the evenings. 

 

I doubt that the pop up Glasshouse will open in the evenings as it uses the Ocean Grill galley at lunchtimes with Small plates and a reduced selection of wine on the menu. I was surprised it did not open every sea day.

[gsmt47471015]

9 hours ago, davecttr said:

I doubt that the pop up Glasshouse will open in the evenings as it uses the Ocean Grill galley at lunchtimes with Small plates and a reduced selection of wine on the menu. I was surprised it did not open every sea day.

The glasshouse is very popular on all the other ships in the fleet , it would be nice when she has a refit to try and work out a way of retro fitting one on board , one of the downside of Arcadia is her lack of dining options 😕

[Cathygh]

11 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

The glasshouse is very popular on all the other ships in the fleet , it would be nice when she has a refit to try and work out a way of retro fitting one on board , one of the downside of Arcadia is her lack of dining options 😕

The photo area is closed, I don't know if it will reopen or if a kitchin could be installed as well.

[margsbolton]

I have just returned from a 21 night cruise on Arcadia. We had a great time, 8.30pm fixed dining on a table for 8 with lovely table mates and 2 superb waiters. I would like to see the empty photo gallery made into a coffee shop as Vivo is far too small.

[Cathygh]

11 hours ago, margsbolton said:

I have just returned from a 21 night cruise on Arcadia. We had a great time, 8.30pm fixed dining on a table for 8 with lovely table mates and 2 superb waiters. I would like to see the empty photo gallery made into a coffee shop as Vivo is far too small.

Yes vivo is too small, dark and dingy. I think we were on the same cruise. I had 8.30 table of 8, brilliant waiters but I was stuck with a racist who supports apartheid. I wish we had changed.

BTW was your food hot? One of our table sent his fod back every night as it wasn't hot. I found the meat and fish to be hot, but not the veg.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Cathygh

[amajaa]

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, amajaa said:

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

When you download your boarding pass if you are Caribbean level it will have Priority Boarding printed on it in large letters.. Mine have and I always arrive early.

[yorkshirephil]

1 hour ago, amajaa said:

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

That is not acceptable, I would have asked to see a manager or a member of P&O staff who should have resolved the issue there and then.

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, amajaa said:

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

Our boarding passes also have ‘Priority Boarding’ on them. If yours don’t it sounds as though there might be an error in the Peninsular Club database that isn’t recognising you as Caribbean tier for some reason. I’d call the loyalty team first, as it’s far easier than having a battle at the terminal. Do your marketing emails from P&O and / or Cruise Personaliser show you as Caribbean tier?

[amajaa]

It had Caribbean on it but not Priority boarding which is why I phoned P & O and they said as long as it says Caribbean it is fine. I didn't complain onboard as it was the port people being awkward not P & O, plus it was too late then it was already gone 4 o'clock and I was trying to book Limelight Club and the theatre shows not showing before we got on etc . ( Had OBC to use so couldn't book Limelight before boarding) 

[jh1809]

8 hours ago, amajaa said:

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

I'm Caribbean tier and for my cruise on Arcadia last month was given a boarding time of 12:30. If it's any consolation, I wasn't over-impressed by the lunch. Perhaps my expectations were too high, as it was the first one I'd been to, having only just reached Caribbean.

[Bill Y]

21 hours ago, amajaa said:

What time has anyone been on Arcadia recently that is Caribbean level been given for boarding please?

As last year on Arvia we were given 4 o'clock and despite saying to the people marshalling the crowds at the port that P & O had told us that as we were Caribbean we could get on earlier they said well we're not P & O so you have to wait for your allocated time. So needless to say we missed our first ever Loyalty Lunch on embarkation day 😢😢 very disappointing 

We too earlier this year were concerned about reports on here regarding being made to queue outside for hours and priority boarding not been recognised by marshals.

 

As others have said the key to unlocking the doors literally is the word "priority" at the bottom of the boarding pass. We arrived half an hour earlier as CPS advised 45 mins as they we dealing with three ships on the day but their check in only took a few minutes. Although we were on Ventura not Aurora this was at the Mayflower terminal this May. There was a long queue outside, a lady was going along the queue shouting priority, without checking anything she told us to proceed to the doors marked departures, we did this bypassing the queue. The doorman glanced at our boarding passes and before we got them fully out of a plastic document carrier opened the door, a lady inside checked the boarding passes more thoroughly and said go to the check in desks, there was no queue as everyone else was being held outside, the boarding passes were stamped "OK to board" and the date and we were given an invitation card for the lunch which was needed, It was the fastest check in ever with P&O

 

The instruction if you were a high tier to ignore the boarding time was some years before covid when the P&O computer could not amend the boarding time to account for loyalty etc. If your boarding pass does not resemble the one shown suggest taking it up with P&O or TA rather that arguing the toss outside with port employees.

 

The embarkation lunch on Ventura was full waiter service meal something that we have not enjoyed for some years, but I think I have read that some ships are still only having a limited buffet in a MDR.

 

 

Boarding Pass.pdf

Edited September 11, 2023 by Bill Y
Add attachment

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, Bill Y said:

We too earlier this year were concerned about reports on here regarding being made to queue outside for hours and priority boarding not been recognised by marshals.

 

As others have said the key to unlocking the doors literally is the word "priority" at the bottom of the boarding pass. We arrived half an hour earlier as CPS advised 45 mins as they we dealing with three ships on the day but their check in only took a few minutes. Although we were on Ventura not Aurora this was at the Mayflower terminal this May. There was a long queue outside, a lady was going along the queue shouting priority, without checking anything she told us to proceed to the doors marked departures, we did this bypassing the queue. The doorman glanced at our boarding passes and before we got them fully out of a plastic document carrier opened the door, a lady inside checked the boarding passes more thoroughly and said go to the check in desks, there was no queue as everyone else was being held outside, the boarding passes were stamped "OK to board" and the date and we were given an invitation card for the lunch which was needed, It was the fastest check in ever with P&O

 

The instruction if you were a high tier to ignore the boarding time was some years before covid when the P&O computer could not amend the boarding time to account for loyalty etc. If your boarding pass does not resemble the one shown suggest taking it up with P&O or TA rather that arguing the toss outside with port employees.

 

The embarkation lunch on Ventura was full waiter service meal something that we have not enjoyed for some years, but I think I have read that some ships are still only having a limited buffet in a MDR.

 

 

Boarding Pass.pdf 141.03 kB · 14 downloads

That mirrors our experience on both Britannia and Iona this summer. Embarkation for both was very quick. Iona was a buffet lunch and Britannia a waiter served one. Glad to hear that Ventura is waiter served as we prefer that and are on her next month. 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Selbourne

[galeforce9]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

That mirrors our experience on both Britannia and Iona this summer. Embarkation for both was very quick. Iona was a buffet lunch and Britannia a waiter served one. Glad to hear that Ventura is waiter served as we prefer that and are on her next month. 

Aurora was also waiter served end Aug.  An impressive touch and much improved on recent buffet experience.  

[tring]

Regards Caribbean lunches, we embarked Aurora on 27th Aug and has a lovely sit down lunch.  For our change over day a week later there were a lot more high tier members and the lunch was a buffet consisting on disappointing party type food.  Finger foods really and some filled rolls etc.  We did well for alcohol both days, but needed to ask on the second day.

 

Cruise going well though and service/organisation is far better than Arcadia in June, including for freedom dining, though we are still very disappointed the app is no longer being used for the MDR, so only way to get a seat at busy times is with a buzzer, so restricted to certain areas of the ship.  We are tending to eat early or in the self service much of the time because of that.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by tring

[Fionboard]

1 hour ago, galeforce9 said:

Aurora was also waiter served end Aug.  An impressive touch and much improved on recent buffet experience.  

My lunch on Aurora in August was buffet. Maybe it depends on numbers. 

[galeforce9]

35 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

My lunch on Aurora in August was buffet. Maybe it depends on numbers. 

Interesting.  I did wonder if there weren’t that many and so they combined the offering to Caribbean, Ligurian and Baltic.  It was a one week cruise with quite a younger age group than usual (but a very nice one I might add). 

Edited September 11, 2023 by galeforce9

[Angel57]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

My lunch on Aurora in August was buffet. Maybe it depends on numbers. 

My embarkation lunch on Aurora in June was a buffet. The numbers were not huge in the dining room.

[jh1809]

8 hours ago, Bill Y said:

We too earlier this year were concerned about reports on here regarding being made to queue outside for hours and priority boarding not been recognised by marshals.

 

As others have said the key to unlocking the doors literally is the word "priority" at the bottom of the boarding pass. We arrived half an hour earlier as CPS advised 45 mins as they we dealing with three ships on the day but their check in only took a few minutes. Although we were on Ventura not Aurora this was at the Mayflower terminal this May. There was a long queue outside, a lady was going along the queue shouting priority, without checking anything she told us to proceed to the doors marked departures, we did this bypassing the queue. The doorman glanced at our boarding passes and before we got them fully out of a plastic document carrier opened the door, a lady inside checked the boarding passes more thoroughly and said go to the check in desks, there was no queue as everyone else was being held outside, the boarding passes were stamped "OK to board" and the date and we were given an invitation card for the lunch which was needed, It was the fastest check in ever with P&O

 

The instruction if you were a high tier to ignore the boarding time was some years before covid when the P&O computer could not amend the boarding time to account for loyalty etc. If your boarding pass does not resemble the one shown suggest taking it up with P&O or TA rather that arguing the toss outside with port employees.

 

The embarkation lunch on Ventura was full waiter service meal something that we have not enjoyed for some years, but I think I have read that some ships are still only having a limited buffet in a MDR.

 

Yes, that was the case on Arcadia last month.

[galeforce9]

13 hours ago, tring said:

Regards Caribbean lunches, we embarked Aurora on 27th Aug and has a lovely sit down lunch.  For our change over day a week later there were a lot more high tier members and the lunch was a buffet consisting on disappointing party type food.  Finger foods really and some filled rolls etc.  We did well for alcohol both days, but needed to ask on the second day.

 

Cruise going well though and service/organisation is far better than Arcadia in June, including for freedom dining, though we are still very disappointed the app is no longer being used for the MDR, so only way to get a seat at busy times is with a buzzer, so restricted to certain areas of the ship.  We are tending to eat early or in the self service much of the time because of that.

 

 

Ha.  Interesting.  Ours was 27 Aug. So my theory is right unfortunately.    We thought it was a nice touch and we’re impressed 

[Fionboard]

16 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Interesting.  I did wonder if there weren’t that many and so they combined the offering to Caribbean, Ligurian and Baltic.  It was a one week cruise with quite a younger age group than usual (but a very nice one I might add). 

The embarkation lunch is always  offered to upper tiers and suites. On one of my Aurora cruises earlier this year it was packed, plus they had to hold four Peninsular lunches! Not unusual for Aurora though. 

[gsmt47471015]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

The embarkation lunch is always  offered to upper tiers and suites. On one of my Aurora cruises earlier this year it was packed, plus they had to hold four Peninsular lunches! Not unusual for Aurora though. 

Hoping to make the Arcadia lunch in January 2024 after missing the January 2023 Aurora one due to the farcical yellow fever scenes in Southampton 😡 We had the Baltic/Ligurian lunch on Azura in June and there were TWELVE  of us in the MDR!!! It was however a beautiful meal and plentiful amounts of good quality drinks 👍 

[jaxw17]

Good review and very positive. Just one question what is a half finished wine bottle I never seem to have any of these LOL