Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

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Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all, hope everyone is fine and dandy. Here's the first of Sue's Blog. Enjoy.


Wednesday to Saturday from Manchester to LA.

We flew BA from Manchester to Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon and stayed overnight at the Renaissance a Hotel. No luggage to worry about as this was checked in at Manchester through to Los Angeles.

We were up early on Thursday morning and breakfast which was included in the price of the hotel stay was excellent. Loads of choice of both freshly cooked hot food, fresh fruit cereals etc.

We had never flown from Heathrow before and were amazed at the size of it. We had checked in on line and had been told just to go to customer services who would scan our boarding cards then straight through security. A bit of a hold up here as the computer said we had checked in 5 bags but only had 4 baggage receipts. She took some convincing that we had only checked in 4 bags but eventually took one of them off the computer screen.

The flight was uneventful and on time, but we were pleased that we had upgraded our seats as the economy section seats appeared to be very cramped. I had fantastic views of the Rockie Mountains as we flew in over the Canadian/ American border.

We were relieved to see all 4 pieces of baggage arrive within a couple of minutes and we made our way to Security which was not as horrendous as we anticipated it would be. Whilst queuing we saw that one large female security officer was grilling a man for a long period of time but others were dealing much quicker with their pax. We just knew which customs officer we would get and yes we were right. She looked a real dragon but in the end she was laughing with us and after being questioned and fingerprinted our forms were stamped and we thought wow that was easy. It was less than ¾ hour since landing. But no way were we to get away with it that lightly. We had to join the queue to get through customs. For some reason they were checking bags and cases and sending them through scanners. We queued for ages but luckily just as we were nearing the front they decided not to scan everyone's luggage and the last bit of the queue moved forward quickly.

We were met by P & O agents and there were 18 of us on the flight all staying at the Crowne Plaza. It was very efficiently organised and we were soon on our way to the hotel. A long tiring day as by this time it would have been midnight in the UK and we had been up since 5 am.

After reading reviews of the hotel P & O had booked us into we had upgraded the room and were very happy when we were allocated a 12 th floor room. We have stunning views of Hollywood from our very large windows.

The hotel is dated and is need of renovation but our room is clean and has a very large comfy bed. The shower is powerful and plenty of hot water. The upgraded room also comes with a full size fridge and microwave, which has come in useful for boiling water as there is only a coffee maker in the room. The coffee and filters are supplied each day and are plentiful.

We ate in the hotel last night with two ladies we had met on Azura last June. We already knew that they were on the same flight and in the same hotel as us. It was great to catch up with them again but we were all very tired and decided on an early night to recharge our batteries for LA sightseeing the day after.

We woke very early and it was still dark but the lights of Los Angeles means it is never actually dark. Breakfast is included and there was an excellent choice. We certainly won't go hungry before we embark Arcadia.

We walked to a local supermarket and stocked up on essentials like wine and tonic water and toiletries that we had not been able to fit in our luggage.
We had already been warned that Arcadia had run out of schweppes tonic quite early on in the cruise. I hope they have re stocked but we are not taking any chances.
After a successful shopping trip we dropped off our loot at the hotel and caught a taxi to Hollywood. The driver was very good and pointed out places enroute to the walk of fame area. We spent some time here wandering around looking for the stars feet and hand prints. This area was very busy with lots of Chinese who were probably celebrating their New Year. A lot of street performers around including batman and Spider-Man whose buttocks were far too flabby for the costume he was wearing . Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Bugs Bunny and a Playgirl who was old enough to be one of the original ones. The sun was shining and the temperature was steadily rising.

Our next planned stop was the Farmers Market and Grove shopping centre. The Farmers market was an eye opener. Hundreds of stalls selling everything under the sun. The number of different food stalls was just mind boggling. Every Type of cuisine or diet is catered for here. As per usual after changing my mind umpteen times I plumped for the fish and chips. Now not your usual Cod and chips, but halibut in beer batter, huge prawns, oysters, scallops, crayfish and lobster. There was so much fish that I left the chips. Garry not being adventurous stuck to the Halibut in beer batter, which was probably a wise decision as the halibut was certainly the best of the fish. I think the halibut was fresh and the other fish had been frozen.

The Grove is next to the Farmers market is just a shopping mall with a mixture of food shops and clothing outlets and a huge Apple store. Yeah free Wi Fi. No problem getting it but with so many others using it face time with the girls was useless and kept breaking up. Will try again tomorrow. With the 8 hour time difference we need to time it right.

We purchased a Samsonite suitcase at a very cheap price as we realised that we had to get all of our newly purchased items onto the ship. Loaded up and stuffed full we got a taxi back to Beverley Hills and the hotel to off load and rest for an hour before setting off again.

We covered quite a lot of ground today and the weather stayed fine for us although some rain was forecast. Tomorrow we are hopefully heading for the coast and the sights of a Santa Monica and Venice beach.

Saturday and the weather is glorious. A perfect day for our trip to Venice Beach and Santa Monica Boulevard.
A 20 minute taxi drive took us to Santa Monica Pier. A fabulous sunny day but chilly out of the sun. The pier is very old and full of character in places and very Blackpool like in others.

It is Amelia's 7 th birthday and we were on the lookout for a Macdonalds to use the wifi connection to FaceTime her. This was a much better connection than yesterday and it was lovely to see her and wish her Happy Birthday.

The beach is amazing, absolutely vast and some people were in the water despite the chill wind. We wandered around taking in the atmosphere, and the unusual sights before walking into the town area. By this time the sun was high and getting hotter. The street performers were entertaining the crowds and it was a little like the Ramblas in Barcelona.

We ate lunch in a small bistro sat in the sun. Fresh fish for me and a chicken salad for Garry. Fed and watered we set off again. As well as the expensive shopping areas there are two sides to this town. Lots of people sleeping rough near the beach area but everyone walks past as though they aren't there.

On our the return journey the taxi driver took us past the Beverley Hills Hilton where he told us William and Kate were staying. Not sure how true or up to date this information was but he was certainly proud to let us know. He took us round all the well known streets in the area and showed us the very upmarket shops where smartly uniformed door men were welcoming the back seat passengers from limousines. A real eye opener.

We have had a great 2 days in LA, very tiring and it certainly earns its Tinsel Town name. Nothing seems real here. We are looking forward to boarding the ship tomorrow for a rest. 8 sea days to look forward to before we reach our first port of Papeete in Tahiti.

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Post by Kenmo1 »

Excellent update Sue - pleased to hear you have had 2 excellent days in LA. Sounds like Spider-Man needs to join the pinch an inch diet. :lol:

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Fabulous blog Sue, this will keep me going until I board Ventura in 13 days :D and then I will have to find WiFi at each port so I can keep up to date with your trip - I feel your blog will become addictive. Thanks for taking the time to write and a BIG thank you to your publisher DTM :clap:
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Post by Jan Rosser »

Great report Sue - I'm there with you ;) - looking forward to the next episode - thanks DTM for posting them for you :thumbup:
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Post by Suekersh »

Hi all and thanks for your comments.

We leave the hotel at lunchtime today it is only 6 am here at the moment. We also leave the free Wi Fi as well and won't be able to send any more reports until we hit the South Pacific on 11 Feb. I will still write a little each day and send to DTM whenever we have Wi Fi.

For anyone who is also a member of the Crows Nest site DTM has posted some of my photos on there.

Jenny have a fantastic cruise.

Sue

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Great start to your blog Sue ... have fun :D :D
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Apologies for the delay, Sue has been having a problem emailing with her iPad. Here goes :

Embarkation Day

Last morning in the hotel and I pigged out on the American breakfast. Just hope my clothes will fit me when I get on board Arcadia and finally unpack. The cases have now been packed for a week so probably lots of ironing to do once on board.

Glorious sunrise this morning although the temperature is not as high as yesterday.

Very organised check in and on board ship just after 1pm and our cabin was ready. We are very impressed with the cabin which has a large balcony and overlooks the wake of the ship. Enough storage space but drawers are very much in short supply (obviously designed by a man). No female designer would
build in a dressing table with no drawers.

Whilst waiting for the cases to arrive we went to the Spa and booked the package for the hydropool etc for the 23 days to Sydney, then called at the select dining Ocean Grill to check that the online booking we had already paid for was confirmed.

The five large cases arrived whilst we were at lunch and for a while the cabin looked like a war zone. Our cabin steward is Manuel and is very friendly and efficient. He managed to conjure up 30 or more wire coat hangers as the wooden ones supplied take up far too much wardrobe space.

We have booked freedom dining and the since the re vamp the upper Meridian restaurant has been altered to incorporate far more tables for two. The food was perfectly cooked and although no longer silver service was well presented. Contrary to reports from some of the other ships the cheese board is still available and plenty of choice.

After dinner we wandered around the ship but didn't bother with the entertainment which was a mind reader. We listened to a group called Inspiration and the lead singer is from Lancashire. We have danced to this group on a previous cruise and they keep excellent tempo for dancing. Things are looking good.

The cocktail of the day. Planters Punch.

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First Sea Day en route to Papeete.

Monday and our first of eight sea days. There was quite a storm over night and the sea is quite choppy with a force 8 wind. The sun keeps trying to come out but it is not warm enough to sit outside.

After breakfast we spent an hour in the Spa relaxing. It is great place to just chill out. Since the revamp the domed glass ceiling above the hydropool has gone because of the new cabins. It does make the area darker and it was very quiet at that time in the morning perfect for just doing nothing.

At noon the match Man City v Chelsea was being televised live in the Rising sun so Garry headed there for his football fix and I went to the Battle of the sexes quiz where we thrashed the men easily.

Gavin one of the entertainment team runs a seminar on iPads for beginners. We were amazed that the Globe was full for this and we struggled to find seats. We will need to be there much earlier for these in future. Although not strictly beginners the talk was extremely useful and we picked up lots of tips on maximising battery life, and shortcuts.

We had invited newly met friends round for a pre dinner drink. Unfortunately the weather was not warm enough to sit on the balcony. I had 'met' Derek in cyber space on Cruise Critic and we had swapped information over the last 12 months. It was great to finally meet him and his lovely partner Meg in person.
This is where freedom dining comes into its own as after drinks we all ate together.

There was some dancing after dinner but not in the Globe. The orchestra were playing in the Globe so the dancing had been moved into the retreat. There is not much atmosphere up there so hopefully this will not happen too often. We had met the lady dance instructor on a previous cruise but she was with a different partner then. There appears to be a good number of dancers on board so hopefully the balls will be well attended.

We concluded the night at the syndicate quiz in the newly refurbished Crows Nest. This area has been completely transformed and is bright and modern. Gone are the large heavy bucket chairs and large tables, replaced by intimate banquette type seating in paler colours.
We met another couple of 'cyber friends' Martin and Margaret for the quiz and although we didn't win we didn't disgrace ourselves either with a score of 15 out of 20. The usual story of 'if only we had written down our first answer' we could have won a bottle of P & O paint stripper.

Cocktail of the day: Miami Vice on Ice.

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Post by JenniC »

Great to hear from you again Sue and sounds as if you are having a great time. We were on Arcadia in September, so interesting to hear about the changes. Keep enjoying yourself and keep posting as and when you can. Again thanks to your wonderful PA aka DTM a for helping us to keep up to date with your wonderful journey around the globe... :thumbup:
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I was wondering how Sue was getting on - it sounds most enjoyable. I like the idea of an iPad talk. iPad is quite intuitive, but I'd enjoy a guided tour to make sure I'm not missing anything
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The latest from Sue and Garry:

Second Sea Day en route to Papeete.

We woke to cloudy sky's and although less rough seas and slightly warmer than yesterday still not sunbathing weather. We spent the morning relaxing in the spa followed by the a battle of the sexes quiz. The men won this session but the ladies are in the lead overall.

It was the first Tap dancing lesson and was well attended. I am going to use this session for my exercise every sea day. It is more interesting than either walking the decks or going to the gym.
The lesson is taught by Christine Noble the Cruise Director.

We had. Cruise critic community meeting later in the afternoon which had been organised By Derek it was a good turn out and we met many people we had been communicating with on the site. Some we are sharing taxis with or trips at various ports of call.

Our first formal night of the cruise but strangely no Welcome on board Cocktail party. The evening meal was excellent again but was not the typical formal night menu. I.e. No lobster or duck or port marinated Stilton. Perhaps the new Captain is waiting for the weather to settle before welcoming us on board.
made and perfect.

The after dinner entertainment were the Opera Boys whose singing was excellent. Such a shame they chatted their way through most of the show talking drivel most of the time. Why do singers want to be comedians and
vis versa.

There was a welcome on board ball in the Globe which was very well attended and hosted jointly by the band Inspiration and the dance instructors. We were told by one of the entertainment staff that only the balls will be held in the globe. Any other dancing will be in the retreat. This is the room with no bar, small dance floor, and absolutely no atmosphere at all.

The Arcadia used to be a favourite ship for the amount and quality of dancing on board but it looks like P & O are 'dumbing down' the dancing on here as well in favour of Game shows.

Cocktail of the Day: South Pacific a mixture of blue Curaçao, Malibu and lemonade.

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Lots of emails from Sue this morning, so hopefully bring us up to date :


Finally we woke up to hot sunny weather.

A lazy sea day being pampered in the spa, soaking up the sun and lunch on the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The 2nd tap dancing class and a few drop outs due to the sun being out. It seems such a shame to be indoors when the sun is shining outside but it is the hottest part of the day and some exercise is essential on these long voyages.

The evening entertainment was a musician called Andrew Skrimshire. His instrument of choice is the cello and he was just amazing. He had such a dry sense of humour and he played both modern and classical music. I am so pleased we made an effort to see this performance.

Dancing was in the retreat again and we finished the evening off at the syndicate quiz where we did not do well at all which could be partly due to the excellent Cocktail of the Day which was Long Beach Iced tea. One of my favourites and pleased to report the quality has been maintained since the last time I sampled it.

Back at the cabin and our invites to the welcome in board ball had arrived along with 2 vouchers to purchase duty free liquor from the shop. With these vouchers we can purchase at the price that is normally only for pax disembarking the ship which is approx ½ the cost of the normal price for in cabin consumption.

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Fourth Sea Day enroute to Papeete

We have now settled into a daytime routine and are half way through the first lot of sea days. Some pax find these boring but I enjoy doing nothing and lazing around. There is plenty going on around the ship all day for those who need entertaining.

Another tap dance session this afternoon and also the 2nd I pad class. This was even more popular than the previous class an it was standing room only. Finally common sense has won and from tomorrow this is being held in the theatre rather than the Globe.

The headliners performed 'Blame it on the Boogie' which we have seen performed many times but is one of our favourite Headliners shows.

Casual night and it is the 60 s and 70s party night. Unfortunately this had to be moved to the Globe as there was a tropical storm and the deck was wet. The temperature is continuing to rise as is the humidity as we near the equator.

The clock goes back an hour during the night which puts the ships time zone 7 hours behind the UK.

Cocktail of the Day: Piña Colada.

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Fifth Sea Day en route to Papeete

The hour went back during the night which meant that the sun rose earlier and was on our balcony before 7am. Breakfast served by room service on the balcony and the temperature was already 27 degrees.

I had a shorter visit to the spa today as there was a Guess handbag sale on in the shops. Well it is Valentines day next week.
Since the refit of the ship the shops are now much bigger and brighter.

The Guess handbag sale was a much more refined affair than on the other ships and although I had had my elbows sharpened in readiness to fight my way through to secure the handbag of my dreams it wasn't necessary. I found the bag but not in the colour I wanted. The shop assistant assured me that she would find one in the stores and contact me. A bit deflated that I hadn't managed to actually get my hands on one I decided to console myself with a rum punch and some sun.

After lunch it was the tap dance class again. The routine is getting harder now and it doesn't help when the ship keeps moving. I do wish the Captain would avoid the Pacific pot holes for an hour between 2 and 3 pm.

Formal night and a James Bond theme night as well as the Captains Welcome Aboard Party. We had been invited to the later party so we ate dinner first.

Marco Pierre White has devised a Formal night menu for P & O. It was superb. There is still a choice from the main menu but the everyday choices do not appear when it is the Marco menu.

I chose the Marco menu of Asparagus tips, mushroom and white wine soup, Lobster with a cheese sauce, Strawberries in Prossecco, and finally port marinated Stilton cheese. Everything was cooked perfectly and a real treat.
You can mix and match the menu so if you don't want Lobster there was a choice of Duck, Sea Bass and Rib eye beef on the main menu.

At the party there were plenty of waiters around serving the free drinks and I had not sharpened my elbows for the handbag sale in vain. When there are free drinks to be had P & O pax are not backward at pushing their way forward. The poor waiters were mobbed as soon as they appeared with a full tray.

Garry got collared by a whinging Oz of the Sheila variety. Nothing was right about the ship, or the entertainment or the food. I could see his eyes pleading with me to rescue him but I was having such good fun watching him squirm that I pretended I hadn't noticed.

The Captain, who is far better looking in the flesh than his scary photo in the atrium area suggested, struggled to make himself heard above the pool water sloshing around but he kept his speech short and sweet with the usual itinerary jokes. He introduced his team of senior officers and went through the number of different nationalities of passengers on board. 17 in total which is very unusual for a P & O cruise.

The entertainment for the evening was a mind reader in the theatre followed by the formal night Ball in the Globe. This was well attended and another great night on board Arcadia.

Cocktail of the day Singapore Sling. This was another new cocktail so I just had to sample a few to test the quality. From what I remember they were exceedingly good but I will test them again in readiness to compare with the ones served in Singapore. I wonder if I could get a job on board sampling cocktails. Well someone has to do it.

It has been a bit if a boozy day for me starting with a rum punch in the sun this morning, wine with lunch. Pre dinner G & T, Rosé wine with dinner, a few glasses of champagne at the party then Singapore slings during the evening.

I think I will sleep soundly tonight.

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6th Sea Day and Crossing the Equator

Another glorious day but shock horror, in my alcohol induced state last night I had forgotten to put the room service breakfast order out. This meant I had to either wait until 8am to go to the restaurant or serve myself in the buffet affectionately known as the piggery.

The piggery won as I wanted to secure my sun bed at the Aquarius pool in readiness for the afternoons festivities as we cross the equator. I think there is some artistic licence here due to the fact we crossed the equator at 7a.m.

It was hot on deck very very hot with little wind as we were in the area known as the Doldrums. This is named as such because the ships which relied solely on wind power were often stranded here for weeks on end.

The crossing of the Equator ceremony started at 3 pm. For Health and safety reasons only ships crew can take part and the Captain who although heads the crew team is not allowed to take part in dangerous activities so he has to nominate a member of his team to do his challenges.

King Neptune in all his glory set the ceremony off and he was surrounded by his sea nymphs. (Scantily clad members of the Headliners theatre group) The officers and cadets led by the Captain challenged the pirates led by Black Beard himself ( Gavin from the entertainment team). Custard covered Pearls (ping pong balls) were dunked for, pink and blue custard was splattered all over the deck as the teams claimed as many pearls as they could in 2 minutes. The officers and crew won this first challenge.

The second challenge was to dive into the pool for fresh fruit and vegetables, the officers were disqualified as they all ended up in the pool together and it was supposed to be a relay.

The final challenge was the tug of war which of course the officers won. This was treacherous as the deck by this time was covered in custard and standing upright was a challenge in itself.

Finally King Neptune granted Arcadia permission to cross to the Southern Hemisphere. This only left one final task which is where all the pollywogs. ( passengers and crew who were crossing for the equator for the first time) had to kiss a dead fish. The fish was huge and ugly and slightly smelly as it had been out in baking hot temperatures for at least an hour. I do hope this is not served up at dinner time.

It is the Indian buffet tonight which is always a highlight of our cruise. The chefs are mainly from the different regions of India and they enjoy creating their own regional dishes. On Arcadia this is still very traditional with crew in Indian garb, and tables set. We met some friends there and had a great evening.

Cocktail of the day Madras sunset.

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7th sea day en route to Papeete

Another glorious and hot day. We had breakfast on the balcony in the sun followed by a spa session, then more sunbathing.

We had been invited to the Peninsular lunch today which involves lots of food and drink. We were seated with 2 other couples and the administration manager Shauvin. The conversation flowed well and Shauvin was extremely knowledgeable about the countries we were visiting and the regulations there. We started on Champagne and then wine. I never got chance to empty my wine glass before it was refilled.

I was supposed to be at the Tap dancing class this afternoon but as I could hardly stand never mind tap I decided to give it a miss.

We staggered back to the cabin with the intention of sleeping it off but I had a message asking me to contact the beauticians in the shop. They wanted to use me as a model in a makeup show tomorrow and needed to practice today to check timings. I managed to find where I was supposed to be and explained my state of inebriation. I sat in the chair and was pampered whilst in a state of semi consciousness. I loved the result so tomorrow I will be sat in front of a lot of other ladies having the process repeated only this time I will be sober.

By the time I got back to the cabin Garry was snoring for England. I didn't want to spoil the new look so decided to forgo the nap. By this time I was pretty much sobered up anyway.

The Headliners performed Another Opening, Another Show and the Azura Orchestra played Jazz in the Globe. There was a Classical Concert in the Crows Nest with Gabor Podhorszky. We only caught the end of it but this is a very talented young man who has a look of Lee Meade.

Cocktail of the Day Chocolate Banana. As this is my least favourite cocktail I did not feel the need to test this one out. Crabbies Ginger beer was the drink of choice whilst exercising the brain in the syndicate quiz. I now know that a baby Oyster is called a Spat and not an Oysterita.

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8th and final Sea Day en route to Papeete

The weather has changed dramatically today. We have experienced Tropical storms all day. It is very hot and muggy and the sea is like a mill pond.

It was the Cosmetic and hair demonstration this morning and I had my make up expertly applied by Chloe who is a qualified beautician. As it is formal night tonight I am hoping it stays on but doubt it will.

After missing the tap dance class for 2 days I attended today and although The routine had moved on I picked it up okay.

Not sure if it is because the weather is rainy but for the first time I am ready to see land again. I got very excited when I saw 3 birds this afternoon. It was the first sign of any wild life since leaving LA.

The Evening entertainment was the Opera Boys who leave the ship tomorrow. Another very good show but they did spoil it again with their incessant chatter and giggling.

Another formal night to night and the South Pacific Ball in the Globe. This was full to capacity. The Entertainment officers on Arcadia are very pro active in the Balls. They spend as much time as their busy schedule allows dancing with the single ladies.

Cocktail of the Day South Pacific Cruise

Tomorrow we lose another hour to put us 10 hours behind UK time. We are due to dock in the Capital of Tahiti, Papeete (pronounced Papiette) at 8 am and we have a private trip booked to see the sights of the island. Hopefully in the afternoon we will get chance to look round the town and indulge in some retail therapy.

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Papeete - Tahiti.

Rainy start but the clouds were much lighter than yesterday.
As we docked the weather brightened and we met Dave our tour guide at the dockside.
The first stop was the Gorge and unfortunately as we arrived there it started raining again. This is where Paul Gaugin bathed to get rid of his Syphillis, unfortunately for him it didn't work but the locals then wouldn't bathe there as they thought he had infected the water. Luckily that was the last of the rain until the tour finished. We went to the Botanical Gardens, a small waterfall and a huge waterfall called Faarumai Falls. This was exceptionally noisy but was an awesome sight. Next was the Arahoho Blowholes where waves force themselves through a hole in the rock then spurts it out on the other side of the road. Our last stop Point Venus which is the most Northerly point and where the early navigators landed. We saw the lighthouse and monuments. There was a black sand beach here and I dipped my toes in the South Pacific Ocean.

It was a fabulous tour and Dave an extremely knowledgeable guide.

Back at the port we ventured into town to find some Wifi and I had a look round the very colourful market. The Wi Fi was not a great success as the connection was extremely slow.

We returned to the ship as the heavens opened. It certainly knows how to rain in the South Pacific and I am so pleased we chose a morning trip rather than an afternoon one. By the time we were sailing away it was still bucketing down and the sailaway party was moved into the Neptune pool area where the roof closes.

Cocktail of the day Fun on the Beach - Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Orange and Cranberry juices.

As we were both shattered after a long day sightseeing we opted for the Caribbean buffet in the Belvedere. Not the best choice we have ever made as the food was dire. It amazes me that so many passengers choose to eat up there most nights. We have not had a bad meal in the main restaurant this cruise.

We chilled on the balcony which as soon as it stopped raining dried out very quickly. It was a lovely night and we watched The lights of Tahiti gradually fade away.

Tomorrow is Bora Bora and I have a tour booked called Snorkel Safari.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

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A Perfect day in Bora Bora

We woke early and once again it was raining. The islands are very green because of the amount of sun and rain. By the time breakfast was delivered the rain had stopped and I at on the balcony and watched the sun rise.

My snorkel Safari trip was an early one and of course it is a tender port. The rain started again and was intermittent for most of the morning. We were lucky whilst snorkelling that at all of the stops it was fine.

The first stop was to swim with the Rays and the Sharks. Tis was absolutely amazing. The Rays were huge but so friendly. The sharks were a golden colour with black tips. They looked fearsome but they were completely uninterested in us. They swam around us and appeared quite happy that we had invaded their space. We spent about an hour here and Ramon the tour guide fed the rays and encouraged us to stroke them and kiss them. They were very friendly and really appeared to enjoy the human contact. There were lots of them and very easy to see. For any non swimmers this trip is ideal as the water is so clear and only waist deep.
The second stop was at the Coral Garden. This was beautiful and the different colours and formations of the Coral just breathtaking. Snorkelling in the Caribbean will never be the same again after experiencing this. I took so many photos of the different species of fish and corals.

All too soon it was time to leave, although we had had an hour here I could have easily spent another hour. The next stop was a Motu which is a small private island with a sandy beach. The sun was shining and it was getting close to midday. The island had lots of natural shade but the coolest place was in the water. Ramon prepared a fruit lunch whilst we swam in the clear water. There was Mango, bananas, grapefruit the size of footballs and fresh coconuts. I just didn't want to leave.

Once back in the town I met Garry and we caught the shuttle bus to Bloody Mary's which is a very famous beach bar but not actually on a beach. It is sandy outside and inside with very primitive but clean facilities. There are no sinks to was hands but instead you pull a chain and water falls down a rock formation to wash with. The sun was at full strength and it was extremely hot and humid. A great experience.

We caught the shuttle back to the tender port and then onto the ship. We had a wonderful sailaway sitting on the balcony with a drink watching the sun set over Bora Bora and this beautiful island gradually disappear.

We had booked the Ocean Grill speciality restaurant for our Evening Meal.
I had the Blue Crab starter followed by Lobster and then Wally Ladd Sherry Trifle. Garry had a huge Prawn Cocktail, Fillet steak and Eton Mess.
It was all sublime and well worth the cover charge of £12.95 per person.

The cocktail of the day Blue Lagoon which is very appropriate for Bora Bora.

We go back another hour tonight putting us 11 hours behind UK.

25° Rain
Bora Bora, French Polynesia, French Polynesia

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Sea Day en route to Fiji.

A beautiful morning and the temperature at 6 a.m is already high with full sun on the balcony as we are travelling due West towards Fiji.

By the time at got back from the spa at 08:30 the sun was so hot that it was impossible to walk bare foot on the balcony. I could only stay out for 10 minute periods then back into the air con for 5 minutes before going out in the sun again. I have never felt heat like this it is just searing with very little breeze.

It always me how tiring it is doing nothing but sunbathing, reading and eating.

Cocktail of the Day Long Beach Iced tea - a mix of Gin, Vodka, White Rum, Tequila, Cointreau, cranberry juice, sweet and sour mix and lime.

We put the clocks back another hour during the night this is the furthest point we will be from home. Right across the other side of the world. A sobering thought.

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Valentines Day at Sea.

Another beautiful morning. After the clock going back another hour during the night we are now a full 12 hours behind the UK. We were awake at 5 am and caught the sun just as it was rising.

We had a glass of Pink Champagne with breakfast on the balcony and even at 7 am the sun was scorching hot.

We visited the Spa to be pampered, then had a lazy day alternating between enjoying the sun and the pool then the conditioned comfort of the cabin.

Our wonderful cabin steward Manual presented me with a red rose and wished me Happy Valentines Day.

The shops on board had a sale of 25 % off Diamond rings. Garry took me for a look around but heaved a sigh of relief when I didn't show any Interest in them. I think that was a better Valentine present for him than I anything I could have bought him.

Champagne with lunch meant that the afternoon was also spent doing nothing much other than watching the wake of the ship. We did spot some Tuna jumping out of the sea like Dolphins. It was the officer on the Bridge who informed us they were Tuna and not Dolphins.

Another Formal night and another wonderful meal created by Marco Pierre White.

The after dinner entertainment was the worst we have seen on this cruise. A juggler who started his act by not only dropping the rings he was throwing around he actually made a balloon animal. I do wonder if anyone had told him that there were No Children on the ship. He went down like a lead balloon and continued to drop his rings, balls, and skittles often during his act. Hen he dropped one he continued to do the same trick over and over again until he actually got it right. If he does do a second show we will definitely be giving it a miss.

The Valentines Ball was well attended and we managed to get in a couple of hours dancing to the group Inspiration.

Cocktail of the day Summers Love - La Poire Vodka, Elderflower Syrup and Apple juice. This was a new one for me and I was a little unsure about testing it as it was not pink enough for Valentines day and it didn't seem to have enough alcohol in it.

However it was delicious so I had another one just to make sure. I am enjoying researching these new cocktails.

Tonight we go to bed on Friday but tomorrow when we wake up it is Sunday. After putting the clock back a total of 12 hours since leaving home we now put it forward a full 24 hours. When we returned to the Cabin there were two Horizons waiting for us. One for Saturday just to show what we would have been doing had we not lost a day, and one for Sunday.

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The day that never was.

A quick glance if the Horisn,t showed that the dress code of the day is Birthday Suit.

Having already crossed the Atlantic, the equator and visited tropical Islands we are now in the Middle of No where.

Leonardo Da Vinci original art works are for sale at Rock Bottom Prices and Elvis Presley is performing his Comeback Tour after an extended Retirement.

There are various activities listed such as a port presentation by Ivor Notgotclue,a travelling and Moan get together hosted by David Dingle, Naked Bungee jumping - Strictly for pax over the age of 80, and the Spa are advertising a Brand New Guaranteed Weight Loss treatment in the Piranha Fish Tank, for the very reasonable cost of an arm and a leg.

Whoever dreams these up?

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Sea Day before Fiji

Another relaxing Sea Day. A little more cloud cover today which made sitting out much more bearable.
We had our usual pampering session in the Spa and today for the first time the Hydrotherapy pool had been filled to the high water mark. We had noticed the depth dropping each day and yesterday Garry mentioned it to reception. Not sure why but it worked.

The rest of the morning we spent relaxing reading in the sun. In the afternoon I went up to the Aquarius pool and was amazed how quiet it was up there. On a Caribbean or Med cruise the decks are always full with the drinks waiters kept busy. The waiters were aimlessly wandering round waiting for orders. There is definitely a different atmosphere on a World Cruise.

The ship is sailing full but it never feels like it except at the 20:30 show in the theatre. The show tonight was a Cabaret double bill featuring a piano showman called David Howarth and the West End Star Phillipe Browne. Both were excellent but unfortunately disembark the ship tomorrow in Fiji. The good news is that last nights juggler is also disembarking so at least we do not need to endure his woeful act again. Not sure if it was planned that he was only performing once or if the feedback was so bad that he decided not to risk another show.

We finished the night in the syndicate quiz where we are doing fairly well but there are some very professional quizzers on board who are regularly scoring full marks.

Cocktail of the Day Chocolate Banana.

When we returned to the Cabin, Manuel had left me a towel elephant.

Tomorrow we dock in Suva, Fiji.

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

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We are in Fiji today and managed to get some decent Wi Fi for about 1/2 hour before the rest of the ship descended on us. Slowed down considerably now.

Hope everyone is okay and that the floods back in the Uk have not affected you too much.
Having a great cruise. The highlight so far has been swimming with the sharks in Bora Bora.

Sorry for inundating you with days of the blog all at once but should be up to date now.

Love Sue x

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Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

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Right, that should be it, right up to yesterday.

There are a few photo's which Sue has asked me to post on Crow's Nest (I can't see how to post them on here) so, once my cut and paste finger has recovered from the repetitive strain injury it sustained posting all those reports this morning, I will place them on there if you ate interested. :clap:

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