Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

Reports about cruises on Arcadia
User avatar

david63
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 9392
Joined: January 2012
Location: Lancashire

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#51

Post by david63 »

I hope that you did not have anything to eat at Kelly Tarltons - the food there is about the worst, and most expensive, that I have ever had.

The pub next to library in Devonport is The Patriot - one of my favourite "watering holes", and the food there is pretty good.

I am surprised that you found the wine more expensive than at home - you should have carried on another 100 yards to the supermarket where it would have been considerably cheaper.

North Shore, which is the area that Devonport is in, is the most expensive place in New Zealand for property -fuelled to a large extent by the RNZN dockyard being there.

User avatar

Dancing Queen
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3819
Joined: January 2013
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#52

Post by Dancing Queen »

Sounds wonderful Sue, I would love to see New Zealand, have done Australia which was absolutely wonderful.

Really enjoying your blogs ( thanks DTM )
Jo

User avatar

GillD46
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3364
Joined: January 2013
Location: Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#53

Post by GillD46 »

It all sounds wonderful - apart from the flashng episode :D . Hope you enjoy(ed) Sydney. Can't wait for this time next year when we will nearly be there on QE. And we are only just over a month away from joining QM2 in Singapore. Your reports bring it all so much closer.
Gill

User avatar

Kenmo1
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1963
Joined: January 2013

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#54

Post by Kenmo1 »

Sue - I suppose if you are going to flash in front of anyone then Paul is probably one of the best looking of the entertainment team :oops:

How is the weight (gain or loss) going ?

Thanks for taking the time to do reports - it is fascinating to follow them and thank you to Dennis the Menace for making it possible for us to read them.

Maureen

User avatar

gilly88
Second Officer
Second Officer
Posts: 271
Joined: January 2013

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#55

Post by gilly88 »

have just caught up with these reports. thanks for taking the time to write these. fabulous :D :D you are bringing it all alive, can't wait till retirement when my other half has promised that he will think about doing a worldie.
regards gilly.

User avatar

Gill W
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 4897
Joined: January 2013
Location: Kent

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#56

Post by Gill W »

It sounds brilliant - wish I was there!
Gill

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#57

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all. For anyone who has been waiting to find out which member of the Entertainment Team Sue has been flashing her knockers at now, here's the latest update:

Sydney

We had intended getting up at 5 am to see the sail into Sydney Harbour but when we did wake at 6 am we were virtually docked and the view from our balcony was amazing. We knew that we would have a view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge but just hadn't realised how close it would be.

We breakfasted on the Balcony just taking in the atmosphere and watching the sun rise. We disembarked early and the first person we spoke to was not an Australian but a Scots man who had lived here for 45 years and was working for the tourist board giving directions and information.

We bought our day pass for the ferrys, bus, tram and train. 23 Aus Dollar each for the day . Our first stop was the 08:15 ferry to Manley Beach. This area is touristy but very clean. Well known shops like Billabong and other surfing names. It was about a 5 minute walk from the ferry to the beach and the surf was up. It was quite busy even so early in the morning. We were heading for Shelley bay which is part of the Cabbage point Nature Reserve. This was another 20 minute walk along the boardwalk with fantastic views along the coast. I was surprised that the water was not as warm or as clear as the Caribbean but some of the fish were huge. The Tasmin sea is another tick on the list of seas I have snorkelled in.

We wandered back to the ferry and on the way found a Bottle Shop. A great choice of wine and reasonable prices. 2 bottles of Yellow Tail Champagne for 10 Aus dollars each. The ferry back to Circular Quay provided more photo opportunities.

We had a pit stop at the ship to drop off snorkel gear the back out again to catch the ferry to Darling Harbour. From there we caught the light railway to Sydney Fish Market. This is another amazing place. The different species of fish and the size of them just had to be seen to be believed. It was buzzing with many different nationalities. All around the outside of the market were cafés and restaurants cooking the fresh fish.

I ordered a sea food platter which consisted of Oysters, Battered Calamari and baby calamaritos, huge prawns, and Battered Hake, Garry had Hake and Chips. We took the food outside and ate overlooking the sea. Lots of sea birds around scavenging for left overs of which there were a lot as the portions were huge.

We had a great day in Sydney and back on the ship we went straight to the Spa to relax our tired bodies. We had intended getting off ship again but P & O had put on a show of Aboriginal performers so we decided to forgo getting off to see the show. We have another full day in Sydney tomorrow and intend to visit the Bridge and the Rocks Area as well as the Botanical gardens.

Cocktail of the day: Naughty and Spiced and this time I did get chance to sample it. Thumbs up for this cocktail lets hope it becomes a regular.

User avatar

GillD46
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3364
Joined: January 2013
Location: Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#58

Post by GillD46 »

Your day in Sydney sounds wonderful and I look forward to "tomorrow". Can't wait to do similar myself next year :thumbup:
Gill

User avatar

gilly88
Second Officer
Second Officer
Posts: 271
Joined: January 2013

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#59

Post by gilly88 »

goodness !! you certainly know how to pack a day. :lol: :lol:
regards gilly.


JoanneB
Third Officer
Third Officer
Posts: 191
Joined: March 2013
Location: Wirral

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#60

Post by JoanneB »

Thanks for taking the time to post Sue, enjoy your trip.


Lollie
Third Officer
Third Officer
Posts: 157
Joined: February 2013
Location: Purley, Surrey

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#61

Post by Lollie »

Great reading you must be having a fabulous time, thank you for sharing your voyage with all of us and thank you DTM

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#62

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Evening all. The latest from Cruise Kersh :

26 Feb : Sydney Day 2

Another fabulous day in Sydney. Very hot today and the temperature reached 29 degrees. We disembarked early and had a morning walk around the rocks area. There is a monument there to recognise both the settlers and a soldier.
It was such a busy and lively place last night and this morning so very peaceful.

We caught the ferry to Darling Harbour as yesterday we didn't have much chance to look round this area as we were heading for the Fish Market. This area was opened by the Queen in 1988 as part of Australia's bicentennial celebrations. Lots of restaurants here as well as the Aquarium and the a National Maritime museum. There were lots of boats and Yachts in the harbour and a very wide Prom to take in the sights and atmosphere.

We had planned to be at Watsons Bay for lunch at Doyle's and luckily the Darling harbour ferry pulled in at the Eastern suburbs wharf just as the ferry to Watsons Bay was due to arrive.

This was a surprise and another highlight of Australia. We had heard varying reports about this suburb ranging from 'must see' or 'why would you want to go there only loonies jumping off the cliff go there.'

We got off the ferry and immediately saw Doyle's fish restaurant where we planned to go for lunch. There are 2 Doyles eateries. One you pay top price and sit at a table with crockery and a view over the beach or buy takeaway and eat it anywhere you want or in the smaller seating area overlooking the beach.

This is a very pretty harbour area and relatively uncommercialised. Very well looked after and some spectacular harbour view properties. It was still a little early for lunch so we walked up to the gap. I decided to walk to the top and left Garry videoing from the lower view point. It was a fair uphill walk then a lot of steps but the views were so worth it.

By the time we returned back to Doyle's we were well ready for lunch. We decided on the takeaway menu but ate in their seating area overlooking the beach. I had a seafood platter which consisted of a similar variety of sea food as yesterday, Garry was a bit more adventurous and ordered Barramundi and chips. We timed it just right because whilst we were waiting for the food to be cooked both restaurants filled up very quickly.

On our way back to Circular Quay we were entertained by Australia's version of the Red Arrows flying over the Harbour bridge.

It had been a very hot a muggy day but whilst at dinner the heavens opened and we had a torrential downpour for about ½ hour. Arthur our waiter said that Sydney was crying because we were leaving. Some pax would have been caught out in this as the back on board time was 20:30.

We had decided to watch the sailaway with a bottle of Bubbles from our balcony as did many of our neighbours. Whilst we were waiting for the all clear and the missing pax to get back on board we were treated to an electrical show which lasted about half an hour. The sky lit up in every direction and I was concerned that there were still people on and climbing the bridge. We watched the storm get closer and closer and finally it started raining again. It certainly cleared the mugginess out of the air and it stopped just as the ship was backing out.

As we anticipated the views were spectacular and a fitting end to our 2 wonderful days in Sydney. As the Bridge disappeared from sight we vowed to return here soon.

No Cocktail of the day today.

33.8568° S, 151.21° E

User avatar

wolfie
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1029
Joined: January 2013

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#63

Post by wolfie »

jay-ell71 wrote:
Wolfie….. I hope your table "made and entrance". I would like to have seen you amongst the T shirts and flip flops.

Actually there were none. Most were also in the correct attire, even in the buffet, and nobody was in shorts or T shirt. That sort of dress is not allowed in the buffet after 6pm on P&O.

Of course we did not make an entrance, why would we? We merely arrived. :)

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#64

Post by Dennis The Menace »

27 Feb

Sea day to Melbourne.

The day started very overcast and the cloud looked so thick that we doubted if the sun would ever come out. We were surprised by how cold it was after hearing reports of searing temperatures in Australia.

After our usual Spa session the sun did burn off the cloud and other than for ½ hour after lunch when the cloud returned it was smother glorious day.

Over 700 new pax joined the ship yesterday in Sydney but there was no Welcome on board party. There are more getting on tomorrow so it will probably be held on the next formal night.

There was a Welcome on Board ball in the Globe which was packed. Lots of dancers on board still.

Cocktail of the a Day Miami Vice on Ice.

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#65

Post by Dennis The Menace »

28 Feb

Melbourne

The sail in to a Melbourne is 50 miles from the open sea and we picked the pilot boat up at 04:30 this morning. By the time we woke we had virtually docked and we had a great view of the Melbourne sky line. The Holland America ship Oosterdam followed us into port and was a very similar designed ship as Arcadia with the outside central lifts.

The journey from the port into the city of Melbourne is quite a long way. Melbourne have this sewn up as P & O do not provide a shuttle bus here and the city do but charge for it. To use the shuttle we had to buy a Travel card at a cost of 14 Aus dollars each. This gave us unlimited city travel for the day. However once in the city the historic circular tram is free.

The bus took us to Federation square where there is free high speed Wi Fi which we made use of until it was time to catch the circular tram. The skies were clear and sunny but we were surprised how chilly it was out of the sun.

We stayed on for the full circle looking at the sites if a Melbourne whilst deciding where we wanted to get off and explore more. It takes approx 45 minutes for the full circle and there is a running commentary explaining what there is to see at each stop along with the map and guide we were given with the travel card. We saw the impressive State Parliament House and the Etihad Stadium.

We visited The Victoria Market which was huge. Over 1000 stalls some tat but some really interesting craft stalls. Next we walked to the cafe / restaurant area for a drink, then into the main shopping are. There are lots of parks and beautiful Victorian buildings but the High Rise modern tower blocks out number these.

In the shopping area Melbourne is famous for its 19th century arcades and these house individual shops and cafés. It easy to wander around Melbourne s the centre is like a grid and the tram system criss cross around the grid.

Of the two Australian cities we have visited, Sydney for me is by far the more impressive one. Although Melbourne has some wonderful buildings it just didn't have the same affect on me that Sydney did. There are many different cultures here and it just seemed too busy compared to the more laid back atmosphere of Sydney.

Our return to the ship was by tram which took around 40 minutes. Although the city had put on the bus to take pax into town they did not provide one from the city back to the ship. The trams last stop was about 500 metres walk to the ship. By this time it was late afternoon and the sun was extremely hot so we were grateful for the airconditioned modern port building.

For the First time this cruise the sailaway was held in glorious sunshine and many of the Holland America pax joined in with the party.

We were entertained by a number of Paragliders showing off their skills in the bay.

The main entertainment of the night was Pam Ayers second show.

Cocktail of the Day: Bay Breeze - Vodka Citron, Pineapple and Cranberry Juices. Very nice and refreshing.

User avatar

oldbluefox
Ex Team Member
Posts: 11305
Joined: January 2013
Location: Cumbria

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#66

Post by oldbluefox »

Thanks for your reports Sue. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time but pleased you spare time to share your holiday with us.

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#67

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Next update folks, apologies for the delay:

Adelaide
Saturday and a Sunny sea day and St David's Day. The ship paid lip service to this with a, Clogau Gold promotion, Welsh soup on the menu and The Cocktail of the Day was St David's day Cooler which to me tasted much the same as long Beach a Iced Tea and on checking the ingredients they were identical.
We put the clocks back ½ hour during the night in readiness for Adelaide.

The Port Adelaide docks are approx 45 minutes outside the city. P & O had provided a shuttle but we had booked a P & O tour to The Cleland Wildlife Park. We had a tour around the sites of Adelaide and it was far more impressive than Melbourne. It was busy for a Sunday as there was a Fringe festival going on. The tour guide pointed out the beautiful old buildings of which there are many. The city is only one mile square and has numerous parks.

Cleland was a further 20 minute drive from the city. The scenery was stunning and there were many signs to warn drivers to slow down as there are wild Koalas living in the trees.

Once at Cleland we soon found the Kangeroos. They were very friendly and fed from our hands. Some of the younger Joeys were still trying to fit in their pouches but were far too large and only their heads were in the pouch. Others were very friendly and had learnt quickly how to take food from the visitors. They started nibbling the food from our hand and then lifted both paws onto our hands to ensure we didn't take it away, much like a baby does with its bottle. Very cute. The emus were equally at home with the the Kangeroos and the visitors and were happy to pose for photos and take the food.

We saw Potoroos which I am sure is an Australian name for a rat. They looked like rats and smelled like rats and there were so many of them that they probably breed like rats.

The Tasmanian Devil did not look as fierce as his photograph on his enclosure although it had just been fed on a raw chicken so was probably feeling docile.

The highlight was the Koalas. We got to stroke Vincent a particularly cute Koala. He was too busy eating to take much notice but was happy to pose for photos as long as he could carry on eating.

There were lots of other Australian animals including Wombats, dingos reptiles,and birds and many we did not have time to visit. This should really have been a full day trip and all too soon it was time to make our way back to the coach.

On the return journey we were taken to Mount Lofty for magnificent views of Adelaide and the countryside right out to sea. We couldn't quite make out the Arcadia but our guide assured us it was there.

Another long drive back to the port which reminded me why I dislike coach trips, even though these coaches were of a very high standard.

Back at the Port there was free Wi Fi and it appeared that every member of the crew with any free time were making use of it.

It was the Indian Buffet again in the Belvedere and once again it was extremely busy. Cobra beer was on offer at £3.00 a bottle which went down nicely with the spicy food.

The evening entertainment was the Headliners performing Blame it on the Boogie followed by the 60s and 70s party at the Aquarius pool. For a change it wasn't raining and the deck party went ahead. We went for a very short while but it was so cold and windy. Australia may have searing hot daytime temps but they certainly don't get the balmy warm nights of the Caribbean. Perhaps as we get nearer to the equator when we reach Perth the warm nights will return.

Cocktail of the day: Piña Colada.

User avatar

GillD46
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3364
Joined: January 2013
Location: Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#68

Post by GillD46 »

I am certain you will get the warm evenings - not warm, absolutely scorching hot - once you get a little further north. We found Arcadia simply couldn't cope with the searing heat once in the indian Ocean, so be prepared for hot, sticky evenings. But worth it none the less.
Gill

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#69

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all. Latest updates from Sue.

6 March

Fremantle

We were in Port with Queen Mary docked Stern to Stern probably in anticipation of a tremendous sailaway later in the afternoon.

During the sail in we had spotted a large supermarket, we needed to stock up on cabin essentials like wine, tonic, coke etc so we made this our first stop, then returned to the ship with it as other pax were still getting off for the first time.

The Australian ports are very organised with their information and a huge number of 'helpers' are around not only in the port area but in the town as well. We caught the shuttle to the city centre and from there we were directed to the free Blue Cat Bus which does a circular trip with a bus every 10 minutes. There is also a free Red Cat bus doing a different route.

The Blue Cat dropped us right by the white sandy beach and the very blue Indian Ocean. My idea of Paradise. There are no facilities, no hawkers, just sand and sea. The water was totally clear and so refreshing as the temperature had now reached over 30 degrees. I tried snorkelling near the rocks, some fish but nothing colourful as there wasn't any coral. I gave up on that and just had a relaxing swim.

Having worked up a thirst we caught the Blue Cat to the Fishing Boat harbour where we had been informed that there was a micro brewery, and lots of sea food restaurants. We sampled a few beers and then went off in search of a late lunch.

The restaurants were vey busy but we settled on one that had been recommended by some locals. Wow this was an experience. As Garry just wanted fish and chips and I wanted to sample everything, they suggested their combo, then added on other fish and ½ dozen oysters and huge prawns.
All of the fish is on display raw, and they cook it fresh. We were given a bleeper which let us know when to collect the food. No waitress service here. It was licensed and had a good selection of wine which complemented the fish nicely.

We had a stagger around the harbour area, then made our way back into the city and another trip to the supermarket and Liquor land for more wine before catching the shuttle back to the ship. We both agreed that we like Fremantle a lot.

The sun was fully on our balcony and the Queen Mary's sailaway party had just started. A great party atmosphere and a fitting end to our last Australian port.

Our departure was delayed because of a trip which was late returning. We decided to just stay on the balcony until we had reached the open sea.
By this time neither of us felt like getting ready to go out for dinner so we ordered room service and stayed put.

We now have 3 more sea days before reaching the Indonesian Island of Bali.

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#70

Post by Dennis The Menace »

10 March

Bali

Since leaving Australia we have had 3 hot and steamy sea days as we have travelled virtually due North back towards the equator. We have been extremely lazy recovering from the hectic days in Australia and just enjoying the sun and calm seas. The temperature was mid thirties every day in the shade and the sun searing hot. Luckily our balcony had a mixture of both sun and shade each day and I could alternate between time in the sun then when I had fried enough back in the shade.
The atmosphere on board has changed now that the majority of the Australians have disembarked. The main dining room is now full again but the bars are emptier.

We anchored approx 3 miles from Benoa. All the information we had been given both prior to boarding and on board was that we would be docking in Padang Bai. At the port talk a few days ago we were told that the info was incorrect and that we would be much further South at Benoa. Unfortunately all the handouts that the ship had provided only gave details from Padang Bai.
We had booked a Private tour with Bali Dean and we managed to contact him from the ship to inform him of the change of port.

A couple of days before we were due in Bali we received a notification from the ship warning us that there may be political problems in Bali and warning us to be on our guard. After discussing this with other pax who were more well travelled than ourselves we decided it was P & O covering their backs and also trying to ensure that the trips organised were full.

This appeared to work as the tendering process was chaotic compared to the very smooth and fast tendering we had encountered in the Bay of Islands. We queued very early for tender tickets but despite this we had tickets in the 80s. They let 25 Independent pax off on the first tender at 8am and a further 50 on the 2nd Tender shortly after. They did not let any more independent pax off until after 9 am because all the passengers on PO trips were given preference. It was a half hour tender ride into Benoa and it was just after 9:30 when we finally arrived in Bali. The heat was intense with no breeze at all. We were welcomed by a troupe of traditional Balinese dancers.

We had to run the gauntlet of the hundreds of taxi drivers all vying for our business. They were quite threatening all shouting at once and we had to get through the port gate to meet our driver and guide for the day.

Bali Dean was waiting for us and immediately provided us with bottles of iced water. His car was modern and thankfully airconditioned. Dean had to pay to exit the port area and we soon realised this was part of the way of life in Bali. You paid to drive in somewhere and you paid again to get out. Dean did not blink at this and just explained that this is how it works in Bali. Our first stop was to be the Blue Lagoon which was approx 75 minutes drive. The road to the East coast was very good but the drivers are maniacs. There is no speed limit and the traffic lights are merely suggestions rather than being adhered to. The lane to turn right was available to go straight on if you were fast enough to beat the other traffic. There are thousands of mopeds, bikes and scooters. The legal age is 17 but we saw many pre teen children riding them. It was not unusual to see family's of 3 or 4 riding on one moped weaving in and out of traffic.

On the way we saw many temples and the country side of Bali. There were temples in abundance many highly decorated and some more simple. Dean explained the difference between the temples to the Bad Gods and the Good ones. It was mainly the women who made the offerings to the Gods and I wondered what actually became of these offerings. We soon found out when we saw the wild monkeys feeding on them. Every house and business has a small temple all of which had some form of offering on it. The monkeys of Bali are very well fed.

We passed the hundreds of Rice fields and Dean explained how these were handed down within the families but the youngsters didn't like the work so these were decreasing over the years and the land used for other business. The workers were wearing their Coolie hats and the picked rice was left on mats close to the roadside to dry out.

We arrived at the village road leading to the Blue Lagoon and Dean payed the fee to enter the village. We are still not sure why this happens as it was just a village man who held out his arm to stop the car and Dean just gave him money. It was as though he was looking out for tourists or taxi drivers. Any tourist driving here on their own who did not know the system could end up in trouble.

I went snorkelling in the Indonesian Sea at The Blue Lagoon which was aptly named. The walk into the sea was not pleasant as it was full of debris but once in the water was so clear. The coral was very colourful as were the fish. The snorkelling was some of the best I have seen but unfortunately my underwater camera would not turn on. I can't believe that I had let it run out of battery charge!!! I still have the memories but so wish they were on a memory card.
So much more could be made of this bay. The facilities were very basic and it desperately needed some TLC.

After we sampled the local beer we headed out to the Water Palace, (but not before Dean had paid again to leave the village ) once again passing through some beautiful countryside. We saw the local village ladies carrying their wares on their head in their traditional dress.
The Water Palace at Karangasem was built in 1909 for a King with 11 wives. Quite aptly there was a wedding going on whilst we were there. We saw the Kings bedroom with his very small bed. No way would he fit 11 wives in there. It was very clean and white tiled but not the majestic accommodation we would have expected for a King, but with stunning gardens and views. It is still owned by one of the Royal families.

From the mega rich to the very poor, our next stop was at a salt farm. This was run by several families who pool their resources. The salt plains were being prepared by hand for the following day. That days water was being filtered from a large vat down to smaller buckets which would then be transferred onto the salt bed to dry out. We were there at approx 2 pm and could see that days salt forming quite rapidly. The facilities here for the families were extremely basic with straw huts and only a sandy floor. There was a makeshift swing for the young children and hens running around. A way of life which has not changed for hundreds of years.

Our overall view of Bali was that it is very dirty with lots of trash everywhere. There is no system in place for clearing up the mess and it will just continue to get worse. There are some beautiful places which are looked after but in the main the people just exist amongst the rubbish. It is a way of life for them and they probably don't even notice it.

We returned to the port and said our goodbyes and thanked Dean for providing us with an insight into the 'Real' Bali. He pointed us in the direction of the market stalls for some souvenir shopping.
Unusually the vendors were all behind bars but with their goods in front of them. They were shouting out for trade but many were selling the same goods. We made small purchases and they happily accepted the US dollar.

The tender back to the ship was actually on a Large Catamaran and we went onto the top deck to get the best views. A great trip back to the ship but it did take a long time to disembark all of the pax through security.

The cocktail of the day: Blue Lagoon.

We now have 2 sea days before we arrive at Singapore.

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#71

Post by Dennis The Menace »

12 March
Sea Days en route to Singapore

Tuesday and another crossing the line ceremony. We did not actually cross the Equator until Wednesday at 15:45.
The heat is intensive now and very muggy. The crew continue to remind pax to keep drinking fluids to replace the ones we are losing. The decks are busy early on then quieten down until late afternoon.

The crossing of the line ceremony was equally as funny as last time with Gavin taking Magic Martins place as Master of Ceremonies. Dom the Cruise Director played a very Camp Neptunes wife. Hilarious. The Captain once again joined in the fun and games and was knelt on the wet pool side egging the crew team on and hindering the Nymphs team whenever possible. Luckily the Crew won the games and we will be allowed to cross over to the Northern Hemisphere.

Another Formal night and the entertainment was Jimmy James minus the Vagabonds. He was brilliant despite his advancing years. Certainly the very best entertainment we have seen this cruise. He got a well deserved standing ovation at the end of his show.

It was the Ladies Night Ball in the Globe with dancing to the Sunshine Band. It must have been Inspirations night off.

Cocktail of the day Berried Treasure.

Wednesday and our last Sea a Day of this Sector. There are many pax disembarking tomorrow in Singapore along with 2 friends we have made this cruise. They disembark and have 5 days in an hotel Sydney before embarking Aurora for the final sectors of that world cruise. There are quite a number of pax doing the same thing to avoid the Suez Canal, Egypt ports and the Med in early April.
The Aurora, goes back to Southampton via the Indian Ocean, South Africa and then sails back up the Atlantic past the Cape Verdi Islands.

We ate in the Main Dining Room but I ended up only with the fruit salad. I had ordered White bait which earlier in the cruise had been delicious. The offering this time was so overcooked there was no fish left in the batter. I sent it back and was offered something else. I refused as I had ordered lightly grilled Salmon for my main. This arrived once again so overcooked it was difficult to cut into. Once again I sent it back and asked for a replacement as it was Inedible. When it arrived it was still Inedible as it was browned on the outside and completely raw in the middle. I called over the head waiter who apologised and offered me something else but by this time I was past it and just had the fruit salad and sorbet. Something had obviously gone wrong in the kitchens. Let's hope they get it sorted out quickly.

Cocktail of the Day Chocolate Banana.

User avatar

Jan Rosser
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 2406
Joined: January 2013
Location: South Wales

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#72

Post by Jan Rosser »

Another fascinating insight into life on a world cruise and so pleased to hear that Dom is the cruise director - he really is one of the nicest most talented and funniest guys employed by P&O :thumbup:

Looking forward to the next episode - thanks to DTM for posting :clap:
Janis

User avatar

Dancing Queen
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3819
Joined: January 2013
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#73

Post by Dancing Queen »

Brilliant update, so enjoying this blog :thumbup: :thumbup:
Jo

User avatar

GillD46
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 3364
Joined: January 2013
Location: Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#74

Post by GillD46 »

I'm really enjoying this too. Enjoy wonderful, wonderful Singapore - we'll be there in just over 3 weeks :D
Gill

User avatar

Topic author
Dennis The Menace
First Officer
First Officer
Posts: 1096
Joined: January 2013
Location: Bash Street

Re: Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

#75

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all. Latest up date from Sue & Garry :-)

14 March

Kuala Lumpur

We were late docking in Port Kelang due in part to the delay departing Singapore and the smog which worsened during the night. When we looked out we couldn't see anything through the smog and the smell of smoke in the cabin was coming through the airconditioning unit.

We had booked a trip through P & O called Kuala Lumpur on your own. The travel time into KL was 90 minutes and our tour guide was a Malaysian lady called Kanaga. She was extremely knowledgeable of the city and the transport systems and used the travel time to pass on this info. We were dropped off at the Petronas Towers armed with a map of the city. The Smog had lessened but we were pleased that we had not booked to visit the observation platform as although it was very hot the sun had not managed to burn it away.

We followed Kanagas instructions and headed for the Light Railway System. This was a very similar system to yesterday in Singapore and easy to use, although a very nice young Malaysian man offered his help. We found all of the people here extremely friendly and helpful. The LRT is definitely the way to travel here as the roads are vey congested. The trains are inexpensive, clean, fast, reliable and run every few minutes.

Our first stop was the Central Market area which was built in the late 19th century it is huge and housed a mixture of stalls selling different types of goods both upmarket stalls, craft, antiques, curios and souvenir stalls. There were food courts which were already doing a roaring trade. It is a Cultural centre and there were many local artists and craftsmen who were demonstrating their skills. The market was colourful with lots of character.

Next we crossed an extremely busy road to get to the Chinese area. This was totally different than yesterdays experience in Singapore. We spent a long time soaking up the atmosphere and haggling with the traders.
There were lots of food stalls where we could have bought a very inexpensive lunch but although I wanted to try the local food I didn't fancy trying it from somewhere with no running water. We found a Chinese Hotel and ate there.

I ordered the Spicy Fish Soup which was more like a stew. It was full of different fish including a crab and tasted delicious. Garry was very adventurous and ordered a Tuna baguette, when it arrived it had cheese on it as well as tuna. An odd combination but he enjoyed it. We sampled the local beer then it was time to head back towards the train station calling at the Central market to spend our last few Ringgits.

As is usual on these trips the majority of the passengers managed to find their way back to the meeting point on time without any difficulty ( you can't really miss the Twin a Towers) except for one couple who kept everyone else waiting for over 15 minutes. Kanaga had to and find them and they did not apologise when they finally boarded.

The traffic on the way back to a Port Kalang was horrendous as we had hit the rush hour. It took almost 2 hours to get back to the ship.

It was the Indian buffet so we showered and changed and headed for that rather than the restaurant. It was very busy as many pax had missed the first sitting dinner even though the times had been extended.

We were not the last coach back and the ship sailed late again.

Kuala Lumpur turned out to be a much better experience than we expected. There are the huge shopping malls that these countries are renown for but there are also the old traditional areas which are well worth searching out. Some pax just stayed in the Petronas shopping mall for the day but that just doesn't appeal to us as it is no different to the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

We have 3 sea days now before we reach our next port of call which is Colombo in Sri Lanka and we need to put the clocks back 2 ½ hours before we reach there.

Cocktail of the Day: Madras Sunset

Return to “Arcadia Cruise Reports”