Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

Reports about cruises on Arcadia
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Suekersh
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Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Suekersh »

Morning all, season greetings to everyone. My apologies for a slight delay in posting these for Sue, but here's her first set of updates from Arcadia :thumbup:

Embarkation on Saturday was chaotic to put it mildly. There has been a slight change to this since our last cruise but it shouldn't really have affected us.

Our check in time was 12:30 and we arrived at the terminal at 12 noon and were shown to the priority waiting area. In the past there would have been approx 20 pax in there but this time it was almost full with very few spare seats. We were called to check in at 12:15 all running well so far, then shown to the Priority lounge where refreshments were being served. This is where it all went pear shaped. There are lots of suites on Arcadia and priority passengers on longer cruises and this area was soon swamped and pax were still arriving many in wheelchairs with nowhere to go but block up the passage ways. We sat and sat and pax got more agitated as it was far too hot and crowded. The idea of the new embarkation system is that you don't get on board until cabins are ready and this was the hold up. Eventually at just after 1 pm they opened up security and we joined the queue for this. We were on board for 1:30 pm only to be told that sorry the cabins aren't ready please go to the priority lounge where lunch is being served. Big failure P & O. We have no problem with getting on board 1 and hour hours later than normal and straight to the cabin but to still have to carry our bags with us to lunch just meant the new system did not work.

Lunch was very nice with lots of champagne and other drinks being served and refilled regularly. We noticed pax had started to arrive in the lounge without luggage and when we checked with the officer on the door if the cabins were ready he said yes of course they have been ready since you boarded. Not what we and other pax had been told.

Arcadia was looking splendid all decked our for Christmas. The gingerbread village was magnificent and the decorated cakes were amazing.

On our way to book the spa package we spotted our cases by the lift and pointed them out to a porter who delivered them promptly.

The spa package cost £280 per couple for the 23 night cruise. Slightly more expensive per day than in September but still great value.

The cases were unpacked and cabin shipshape well before muster which was again slightly delayed because of pax still boarding.

Festive sailaway party on deck was poorly attended and as Arcadia was late departing we left the party before sailaway to get ready for dinner.

We had requested and got Freedom Dining which suits us better than fixed dining which is now 18:15 for early sitting and 20:15 for late sitting.

We met the special diet waiter who passed us the following days menu for lunch and dinner to order from. New style menus and because of the special diet request Garry could order the grilled chicken which used to be always available but is no longer shown on the menu.

The Headliners were performing a preview in the theatre and John Bartram introduced his very small entertainment team which is made up of 4 females and Adam the DJ. I was very disappointed to find that Sarah the Zumba instructor was no longer on board. Instead of the morning Zumba session there is an afternoon party dance session but at 15:30 not sure how many of those I will make. I will need to skip wine with lunch to have any chance but will try especially until we reach the warmer weather.

It was a very rough night, probably the roughest we have encountered on Arcadia but the ship rode it well. We are on the very aft of the ship overlooking the wake in the same cabin we were in on our last cruise on this ship in September.



Sea Days en route to Ponta Delgada

Very rough weather with Arcadia handling it well but very challenging walking round the ship. Lots of reports of staff unwell. We settled into our routine of Room service breakfast, followed by the Spa, Line dancing meeting of our Facebook group in the East bar. There were 12 of us and we arranged to meet up again on Xmas day afternoon in one of the groups suite. No doubt we will see them again around the ship before then.

We had lunch in the main dining room then there was time for a siesta before the next activity which was called party dancing. This had been put on the schedule in place of the Zumba. It was okay but not as good a workout as Zumba. It was only for ½ hour as well so taking out a 5 minute warm up and cool down, the chatting in the beginning we only actually got 15 minutes of dance in. It was quite a challenge staying upright as the swell appeared to have increased.

The dress code for the night was Smart Jacket required. The men looked very smart but some of the ladies looked like they were off shopping in Asda. The majority had made an effort but I do wonder how those that hadn't will dress for casual night.

Dinner in the MDR was excellent and the waiters cope with the rough seas and still carry trays of dishes piled high. The wine waiter was attentive but they do seem to be very few around and he had a lot of tables to service.

The show was 4 male vocalists called Walk Like A Man. They were excellent and complemented each other. They made one ladies night by taking her on stage and singing to her. She loved it and joined in with them. I would have been horrified but that is why we sit away from the front seats.

Another early night for us as the challenge of staying upright was taking its toll.

Cocktail of the day Pina Colada.

Monday

The day followed much the same as Sunday. Enough activities to keep busy but the sea was still very rough and although the sun tried to burn off the cloud it wasn't strong enough.

In the evening we gave the headliners show Night of 1000 stars a miss and decided the sea was calm enough to make our first visit of the cruise to the Crows Nest. They have developed some Christmas drinks and I tried the Festive Mince pie Martini. This is a mixture of Gin, spiced Bacardi, Martini Rosso, Apple juice and a splash of Mince pie sauce. Very nice but a little too sweet for me. I will try a different one next time.

When we returned to the cabin the invite to the Captains Welcome on board party tomorrow had arrived along with our Ligurian lunch invite. This is to be held on 27 December.

Cocktail of the day Bellini.

Tuesday

It was the Captains a Welcome on board party and we were stood in the right place as the fizz kept flowing in my direction. I think it helped that we were chatting to Bradley the Officer in charge of food and beverage.

Dinner was Marcos menu and the lobster was excellent.

Walk like a Man performed in the Palladium but I didn't think that their second show was as good as their first one.

The first formal Ball of the cruise held in the Globe. Geoffrey and Brenda were the hosts and the music was provided by a duo called Shades. They were excellent to dance to and far better than the Sunshine Band from our previous cruise on Arcadia. It was a great night but the wind had got up again so dancing proved to be a challenge.

Cocktail of the day Strawberry Daquiri.

Ponta Delgada
Another rough sailing night but the fizz at the Captains party followed by bottle of wine with dinner and drinks in the globe meant I slept very well and other than waking up once to a loud crash emanating from the bathroom I didn't hear a thing and only woke up just before breakfast was delivered.

We docked at Ponta Delgada which is the port for Sao Miguel Island at 8 am and we were off ship for just after 8:30. First stop the local supermarket to replenish our cabin supplies for the 4 day sail across the Atlantic. From experience we knew that the nearest supermarket only kept small supplies of Schweppes tonic. Sorry for those who arrived after us to find the shelf empty. Snooze and you lose.

The weather was still windy and quite a cold wind but the forecast for the day was sunny and 18 degrees. We wandered around the shopping centre and got good free wifi to catch up on e mails and FaceTime our granddaughters. They are so excited about Christmas and Eleanor so proud to be on Santa's Nice list for a change.

We returned to the ship with our loot and stashed it away before visiting the spa and an hours relaxation. The sun was on the balcony and a bottle of rosé wine chilling ready for lunch. Unfortunately the wind was still howling so not pleasant enough to eat outside. The sun kept appearing all afternoon but it wasn't strong enough to burn off the clouds or warm the wind up.

There was a sailaway party on deck with the nets team. The Horizon stated that it was a sailaway from Bergen. The wind was so cold it might as well have been.

Captain Hashmi announced that it would be rough for another 24 hours then the weather would improve as we leave the storm behind. We now have 4 sea days to the Caribbean instead of the usual five so he will have to get his foot down.

Some dancing in the globe with the the group Next Step, but although the group are great for the Rock and roll music they were trying to play traditional dance music with little success.

The show in the theatre was a comedian/ singer Lloyd Davies. He was hilarious. Some old cruise material but mainly off the cuff new stuff. Very funny and unusually for me I actually enjoyed his show and will attend his second one.

The dancing was in the retreat to the duo shades. These two play excellent dance music but the venue is dire. There are so many dancers on Arcadia and they are using the Globe with the beautiful wooden floor for game shows. We stayed for a couple of dances but without any atmosphere and a plastic floor we decided to move on and see what else was going on around the ship.

Cocktail of the day: A Summer Love. Grey Goose Vodka, apple juice and elderflower cordial.

Christmas Eve on board Arcadia.
Another rough night as Arcadia is cruising at full power heading towards Antigua. The day started as usual with a session in the Spa after breakfast then a Christmas line dancing session before a Christmas Battle of the sexes. The ladies still aren't managing to beat the men.

The sun was out and out of the wind it was very warm and we lunched on the balcony.

Various activities around the ship during the afternoon including Guest speaker Eileen Goulding whose talks on ancient Egypt are very popular, quizzes, shuffleboard and deck quoits. Nikki the assistant Ents manager has organised a charity event involving knitting bonnets for babies. Lots of ladies involved in this and they meet daily to compare their knitting prowess.

There were various announcements during the afternoon as the bridge officers were tracking Santas whereabouts and announcing his ETA. He arrived on the funnels on time at 17:30 pm and was greeted by hundreds of Arcadia passengers and crew. Many were dressed up for the occasion in Christmas jumpers and hats. It was a fantastic atmosphere. Captain Hashmi was there joining in the fun. The choir was 104 strong plus some crew. It was very windy on deck and as the sun had gone down the mulled wine was selling well. I had a coffee laced with rum which kept me going. Eventually Santa found his way down onto deck and mingled with everyone. I am not sure which officer had the privilege of playing Santa but he did a great job.

Christmas Eve was Smart Jacket required and the evening meal was excellent. I had a starter of Scallops and Tiger prawns followed by a whole grilled sole.

There was a pre show dance date in the globe followed by The Headliners performing Jingle Bell Rock and they did a sterling job as the ship was moving around considerably. A great fun Xmassy show.

More dancing in the globe as the Christmas Countdown began.

Cocktail of the day Absolut Spring Punch which consisted of vodka raspberry liqueur, lemon juice and champagne.

When we staggered back to our cabin Santa had called and left us the P & O monopoly game.

Christmas Day
There was plenty going on around the ship and all the crew were very jovial wishing everyone Merry Christmas. We had our usual spa session followed by line dancing and the Battle of the sexes. The ladies actually won today for a change.

We tried to use FaceTime but the Internet was very slow and after multiple attempts we gave up.

We lunched on the balcony and although the sea is changing colour to a lovely turquoise blue it is still very choppy and the sun is still struggling to burn off the clouds.

After lunch we went to visit our new friends who had organised a get together in their mini suite cabin. It was a great Xmas Day afternoon with lots of champagne and wine flowing.

We had booked a Ocean Grill for our Christmas Meal and it was excellent. We started with a glass of champagne and an amuse Bouche which was a savoury Strawberry cheesecake which was far more delicious than it sounds. Our pre ordered wine arrived followed shortly after by my starter of twice baked Stilton soufflé, red pepper and tomato soup then Halibut cooked to perfection. After our main course we were visited by Bradley the officer in charge of the food and beverage venues. It was lovely of him to take time out to to see us on Christmas Day and enquire as to how we had enjoyed our dining experience. After he left the restaurant manager served us another glass of champagne compliments of Bradley. After a brief break from eating I opted for the desert of Mrs Beetons Christmas pudding served with brandy sauce and cream and a delicious ice cream. We ordered Coffee and a glass of port and mince pies and cake to finish. The whole meal was perfect with great ambience but without the noise and busyness of the main dining room.

I was so full and slightly tipsy after the meal but we went to the Globe for the dancing as we had missed the start of the first show of Ben Makisi.

We had a great Christmas night dancing and never did get to the theatre. We will have to catch up with Ben Makisi at his second show.

Cocktail of the day Pimms Blackberry and Elderflower.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Boxing Day

Finally the weather we came away for. Wall to wall sunshine. I decided to make the most of it and other than my early morning spa session I sat in the sun on our balcony relaxing and reading. Garry went to the laundry and I finally managed to face time our family to wish them Merry Christmas.

We lunched on the balcony then as the sun moved round I went onto the sun deck to find a longer. It was extremely busy but I managed to locate a bed in the sun on the non smoking side of the ship. I had a couple of hours there before deciding that I had sizzled enough for the first real sun day.

It was the second show for the Comedian Lloyd Davis. Once again very clever comedy and he had made up a song about his experiences on Arcadia.

We made use of the balcony and had a drink out there enjoying the warm night stars and full moon.

Cocktail of the day G T & E. Gin, elderflower cordial and tonic.

Final sea day before Antigua.

A scorching hot morning with sun on our balcony. I made the most of it until it was to to get ready for the Baltic/Ligurian tier Peninsular lunch.

Another excellent lunch and we both had the fillet steak which was cooked to perfection. A great table with our host Smokey who was the officer in charge of inventory for the ship. He knew the price of everything on board and was a fabulous host. He certainly enjoyed the red wine and the wine waiter looked after us extremely well. There had been a few disgruntled pax after the Xmas day meal. Turkey legs, 3 Brussel sprouts amongst the other complaints of not getting the sitting or table size requested. Smokey fielded the questions admirably whilst keeping his cool and managed to change the topic of conversation.

We were slightly squiffy by the time we got back to the cabin and I headed off to find a sun bed on the deck as the sun had moved off the balcony.

It was another formal night and Ben Makisi was performing his second show followed by a formal ball in the Globe.

We had another bottle of wine with dinner so after seeing Ben then the first session of dancing which towards the end there was equipment failure we decided to call it a night. Credit to the pax who during the equipment failure stood up in front of the globe without a mike and started telling jokes. The content of which was far more entertaining than the acts P & O actually pay for.


The hour went back for the final time putting us on Caribbean time which is 4 hours behind UK time.

Cocktail of the day Kir Royal - Creme de Casis and Champagne.

Antigua. Monday 28 December

Our first Caribbean Island and a lovely hot morning. Monday so it's Egg Benedict for breakfast in the MDR which is where I headed.

I had booked a morning catamaran snorkel and beach trip and
we set off in sunny weather and although some cloud appeared for a short time it was a fabulous day skimming across the water led on the front trampoline. When we reached the reef the sea was quite choppy which deterred some passengers from participating. I was in the queue to get into the water which appeared to be taking ages. 2 'He Men' determined to be the first off got in the water then decided they didn't want to be there so had to hold up the passengers waiting to get into the water whilst they coughed and spluttered their way out.

Some pax then came out of the queue to get in the water which meant it was soon my turn. No hesitation here and I was soon in the warm Caribbean Sea where I knew I was born to be. Yes it was choppy but not dangerously so. The fish were abundant and every colour of the rainbow. The crew kept the fish interested by feeding them. The coral unfortunately had died due to storms but there were signs of it growing back. All too soon it was time to return to the catamaran and by the time I was onboard the rum punch was flowing freely.

Our next stop was Deep Bay. This was so calm and a beautiful golden sandy beach. More swimming and lazing in the sun before once again the horn sounded for us to get back on board. More rum punch and tuna and cheese sandwiches were served to soak it up. A perfect morning in Antigua.

I showered and changed then went back out to sample the local beer which in Antigua is Wadadli. The port area was very busy as two other ships were in and I couldn't get a Wi Fi signal.

Back on ship the sun was on our balcony which is where I spent the rest of the afternoon and we enjoyed a bottle of rosé which we had purchased in the Azores.

We sailed away at approx 17:30 to tunes from the duo Shades. We didn't go up onto deck for the sailaway but enjoyed it from our balcony.

Dinner was delicious as usual and I tried the regional Caribbean Tiger Prawn and pineapple Curry. The food has been exceptionally good and although Garry misses the always available grilled chicken I think the new menus are a great improvement.

Headliners were in the palladium performing Breakaway Blues but it was such a lovely evening we decided to give it a miss. We called at East Bar for a Madras Sunset cocktail then headed back to the cabin for a drink on the balcony to watch the stars and listen to the Caribbean Sea.

Cocktail of the day - Pina Colada

Tomorrow we are in the British Virgin Island of Tortola.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by GillD46 »

Sounds wonderful, even with the lumpy seas. It has been ghastly here, so you are in the right place.
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Meg 50
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Meg 50 »

where does Sue get her energy? Amazon?
Meg
x

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Gill W
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Gill W »

Sounds as if Sue is having a good time so far, and thanks to Dennis for posting

I noted that some of the previously 'always available' items on the menu can be provided for people on a special diet. That's really good news, has set my mind at rest
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Whynd1 »

Great reports Sue, keep it up

Happy New Year to you both

Lindsey

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barney
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by barney »

Cheers Sue

Keep 'em coming
Empty vessels .. and all that

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oldbluefox
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by oldbluefox »

I enjoy your reports. Looking forward to the next instalments.

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Manoverboard
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Manoverboard »

Always interesting, Sue ... and detailed.

The tough part to understand however is why anybody with your cruising experience strives to save a few pence by rushing off to a Supermarket to buy a few cans of Schweppes Tonic Water given that they are readily available on the ship.

:wave:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by oldbluefox »

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. :thumbup:

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Manoverboard »

oldbluefox wrote:
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. :thumbup:
You'll need a shed load of pennies to pay for a cruise :lol:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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Gill W
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Gill W »

But it's very true that a lot of small savings add up to something big
Gill

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by jay-ell71 »

Excellent, in depth report Sue. I do so enjoy reading others experiences. All sounds lovely, but so energetic!!! Keep up the good work. :clap: Judith
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Happy New Year all :). Here's Sue's updates ;

Wednesday 30 December. St Maarten

A very busy day in St Maarten. A huge Celebrity ship dwarfing the tiny Thomson and a Oasis of the seas dwarfing Arcadia. I am so pleased we have an aft cabin so are not looking out on these monstrosities all day.

We arrived early but decided to visit the Spa first before setting off for the town. We had debated on whether to have a Beach day here but decided that the shops probably had more to offer as we have a beach day planned tomorrow in St Lucia.

The water taxis were still relatively quiet as the monstrous Oasis of the seas had not started to disgorge its 6,000 passengers. It was quite a walk from where we docked to the water taxi station and the sun was already extremely hot.

We had a drink and free WI Fi before we made for the shops and we finished our essential shopping early and it was so hot and sticky that we made for the shade of another bar on the beach where there was a slight cooling breeze. The shopping day that seemed such a good idea suddenly didn't and I wished I had come prepared for the beach. We stayed in the bar a while sampling the local Caribe beer whilst plucking up the courage to brave the heat of the early afternoon sun to get back to the ship.

As we arrived back at the ship the queue to get on the water taxi snaked around the quayside. The water taxis are now huge but I don't think the people at the end of the queue had any chance of getting on one within an hour. The sun was
blazing down on them and lots had young children with them.

It was a relief to reach the air conditioned Arcadia. The sun was on half our balcony but we managed to fit both chairs into the shaded part.

We had arranged a balcony party for pre dinner drinks as we sailed away from St Maarten. Nothing like drinking champagne with friends in the warm Caribbean evening.

Tomorrow we are in St Lucia and a beach day is planned.

Happy New Year to everyone.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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New Years Eve in St Lucia

We awoke to another beautiful day in paradise and Captain Hashmi had worked his magic and secured Arcadia a berth rather than being anchored outside and having to tender the passengers ashore. This was an unexpected bonus as since booking the cruise it had always been indicated that it would be a tender.

We headed for Rodney Bay for a relaxing beach day. It is very well organised and taxi dropped us off at the Rex hotel where we were met and given tickets for our return trip and then escorted through the hotel grounds to the beach.
Two beds and a parasol cost 25 dollars. The facilities there are about the worst we have seen and money needs to be spent to upgrade them. No running water in the toilets, one shower which wasn't working and generally unkempt with lots of rubbish around. There are many hawkers here trying to tempt people into buying their jewellery, carvings, jet skis etc etc. They were a pain but the views are fantastic and the water calm and totally clear. Despite the lack of facilities it was still a fabulous beach day and a wonderful place to spend New Years Eve.

The information about the entertainment on this cruise has not been great with many mistakes and omissions in the daily newspaper. We have never had an entertainment overview which has made planning the evenings and dining arrangements difficult. We arrived back on board ship to find that a steel band had been organised for a sail away. They were brilliant but as no one knew they were arriving the deck was very quiet and many passengers missed the band. They disembarked just before the ship left St Lucia.

The theatre shows are normally 8:30 and 10:30 and we had booked our NYE meal in Sindhu for 8 pm intending to watch the late show of The Beatles Experience. Unfortunately the show times were changed to 7:30 and 9:00 pm. We did go into the early show but could only stay for ½ hour. This was probably the highlight entertainment of the cruise and the 7:30 show was not even 10 % full. Such a shame for the group playing to an empty theatre.

Our meal in Sindhu was superb and the service excellent as usual, but the atmosphere in there was nothing like we expected for New Years Eve. It could have been any night of the year.

After dinner there was lots of entertainment on around the ship. We opted for dancing in the globe until 11 pm then up on deck for the NYE party to see midnight in. Once again Captain Hashmi worked his magic by sailing back towards St Lucia, then turned the ship so that the aft deck was sheltered from the wind and we had a fantastic view of the coast and the firework displays all along it. At midnight the Captain rang the Arcadia bell on deck together with the eldest crew member who is the pianist on board and the youngest member who is one of the dancers. Lots of partying going on with champagne corks popping but the group Next Step were truly dreadful and the lack of entertainment officers was very noticeable.
There were no streamers or party poppers given out on deck apparently due to environmental reasons.

Cocktail of the day Planters Punch.

Tomorrow is our final Caribbean port day of Barbados.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by GillD46 »

Enjoy the last day.
Gill


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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

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Post by Whynd1 »

It is interesting to read comments on these Christmas cruises regarding the lack of atmosphere etc.

I have a friend who for the last seven years always booked a Christmas or new year cruise with P and O, he is on his own so its a nice way to spend the holidays. He only remarked to me a few weeks ago that he hadn't booked this time as he felt that P and O had let things slip a little on these cruises. Lack of atmosphere and those special touches that were once there had been reduced and he felt that for the extra premium that P and O were charging it just wasnt worth it.

So it is with interest to read further comments, although i m sure everyone is enjoying themselves.

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New Years Day in Barbados

Five ships in port today including Britannia. Arcadia was docked on the other side of the port and the port had put on 2 shuttle buses to transport pax to the terminal building.

It was a lovely morning so we decided to walk in rather than wait for a shuttle bus. It took approx 10 minutes and we passed Braemar and Costa Magica. There was another large Tui ship Mein Schief 3 which was docked behind Britannia. We got a mini bus taxi to the boat yard and settled down in the sun for a few hours. This was our first visit to the Boatyard. We had heard so many good reports about it that we decided we needed to try it. They actually closed the gate at 11 a.m. as it was full to bursting with every sun lounger taken and many people having paid their entrance fee of 15 dollars each which included sun beds had to put towels on the sand. There was free wifi which didn't work very well and it was far too busy and noisy for our liking and we will be going back to Tikki bar on Acrra beach next time we visit Barbados.

At about noon a gust of wind snapped our parasol in two and it blew off. Luckily no one was injured. We were told that there were no other parasols and as the sun was extremely hot we decided to leave the beach and return to the port area for the duty free shopping.

It was the Great British sailaway on the aft deck but as we sailed away from our final Caribbean port it started raining. It didn't last long but it put a dampener on the sailaway party. The Captain has promised us good sailing conditions for the next few days with the wind hitting the front of the ship so our aft balcony should be sheltered with lots of sun.

We had another excellent dinner in the MDR. Strangely it was a casual night but a Marco menu. My favourite Port Marinated Stilton was available to finish dinner.

After the festivities last night we were both shattered so opted for a quiet drink in East bar before retiring back to our cabin. The cocktail of the day was Berried Treasure - Creme de Cassis, pineapple juice and coconut cream far too rich for straight after dinner so I ordered a Long Beach Iced tea. The cocktails of the day are 50p cheaper so Garry was not impressed.

Tomorrow is the first of 5 sea days to Madeira.

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First sea day crossing the Atlantic

Fabulous lazy hot sunny day. Arcadia was sailing into a strong wind but on the aft we just had a lovely cooling breeze. After an early morning spa session I didn't leave our balcony all day. My butler provided liquid refreshments, followed by lunch and wine. After 5 very busy port days it was great to just do nothing other read and bask in the sun.

At 12 noon the clock was put forward one hour. We are now 3 hours behind the UK.

After another wonderful meal in the MDR we went to listen to the Arcadian Orchestra playing Dixie tunes, followed by a Master Magician Marc Oberon. Not really 'my thing' but he was extremely clever. We didn't think his show flowed very well and he hadn't adapted it to a big theatre. He used normal sized playing cards so only the few front rows of the theatre could actually see the cards to show that the trick worked.

Cocktail of the day Strawberry Daquiri

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#20

Post by GillD46 »

I love those hot, sunny, lazy days reading on the balcony. And if there are a few bubbles available, so much the better.
Gill

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allatc
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#21

Post by allatc »

When you say hot what temperatures have you been getting ? weather.com is saying 26 - 28C so high seventies / low eighties which sounds OK to me.

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Dennis The Menace
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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#22

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Morning all, more updates from Sue :

Sunday 3 rd Jan. Day two crossing the Atlantic.

Another sunny day doing nothing much but read and sun bathe was planned. After breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled egg, followed by a spa session I returned to the cabin to find my plans scuppered.

Work had started on the balcony rail varnishing and we had been invaded by crew wearing protective clothing both from the dust from the sanding and the sun which by this time was full on the balcony. I managed to sit and read until it got too dusty and then gave up. We were promised they would be finished by 1:30 and they kept their word. By the time I got back from Battle of the sexes and we had eaten lunch the invaders had cleaned up and left us in peace. Maintenance has to be done but why couldn't it have been done either on the outward crossing when the balcony was mainly unusable or in port when most pax are off ship? Unfortunately they will be doing the same tomorrow on A deck above us.

We had booked dinner in the Ocean Grill and one of the officers we had become friendly with joined us. The food was excellent as usual as was the service. The conversation flowed well and we had a great evening.

The Headliners performed Destination Dance in the Palladium, the Orchestra was in the Globe playing music for dancing and the dance instructors Brenda and Geoffrey were hosting a dance date in the retreat.

Cocktail of the day Chocolate Banana - Kahlua, fresh banana, chocolate powder and cream.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#23

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Monday 4 January - 3rd sea day crossing the Atlantic.

Another bright sunny morning with some cloud cover. We having seen another ship or bird since we left Barbados. The Atlantic Ocean is just so huge.

After breakfast of Eggs Benedict I had the usual hour in the Spa and returned to find the balcony full of dust from the workmen sanding up above. Sandeep our lovely obliging cabin steward came during the morning to get rid of the worst of it. The hour moved forward at lunchtime so we are now only 2 hours behind UK time.

I went to the Battle of the sexes were the ladies got beat yet again. We do have a laugh though as the two entertainment staff running the quiz have no idea of the questions they are asking and often cannot even pronounce the question or the answer correctly.

The rest of the afternoon I spent baking in the sun until it was time to prepare for dinner.

The second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was showing in the screening room and I had managed to book the last two tickets for the evenings screening. It was the first time we had been in the screening room and I hadn't realised how comfortable and plush it was. There are huge leather reclining seats with tables between each of the 30 seats.

There was a vocalist in the theatre, dancing in the retreat and the group Next Step playing in the Globe.

Cocktail of the day Cuba Libra.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#24

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Tuesday 5 th Jan

Another sunny morning and all the days have started blending into one. I love these relaxing transatlantic sea days.each day the weather is a couple of degrees cooler but still quite hot and sunny enough to sit out all day. I haven't been on deck but other pax have said it is quite windy. Our balcony is sheltered from the wind. No workmen today so nothing to interrupt my sun worshipping. The hour went forward by another hour at lunch time.

It was the Black and White formal night and the peninsular party in the evening. We went to the later party and were surprised that it wasn't busier. The drinks flowed well as did the conversations. Captain Hashmi made his speech short, announced the most cruised couple who had nearly 11,000 points which equates to 3 years spent onboard a P & O cruise ship. They drew the winner of the Peninsular prize which is still the leather photo album.

Headliners performed Reel to Reel, and it was the Black and White ball in the globe.

Cocktail of the day Caribbean cruise - Blue Curaçao, Malibu, white rum and pineapple juice.

Wednesday 6 January

Not as sunny today and the temperature significantly cooler. It was still warm enough to sit out and when the sun did burn through the clouds it was hot.

When I returned from the spa I started sneezing, then a sore throat and by late afternoon I realised I had started with a head cold.

The crew performed their pantomime during the afternoon but I decided to stay in the cabin so as not to spread my germs. It worsened during the evening and even a few hot toddies didn't make me feel much better. I had an early night with some rum hoping to sleep it off.

Tomorrow we dock in Madeira but not until approx 10 am.

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Re: Sue Kersh live from an Arcadia Christmas

#25

Post by Dennis The Menace »

Madeira

The weather was still overcast but a warm 19 degrees. There was a couple of medical emergencies whilst we were crossing the Atlantic and the ambulances were waiting at the dockside. I hope that the pax involved have a speedy recovery.

We disembarked and caught the shuttle into town. £4 each one way. It would have been cheaper to get a taxi.

There has been lots of building work and improvements at the port with many shops added. We found a shopping centre close by where the shuttle dropped us and it had great free Wi Fi. Once we had got up to date with e mails etc we made our way into the centre of town. The Pingo Doce supermarket was doing a great trade with both crew and Arcadia pax. The Thomson majesty ship was also in port. All I really wanted was a bottle of Whisky for medicinal purposes of course, but a bottle of Rose wine jumped off the shelf along with a few nibbles for our cabin party on Saturday.

We got a taxi back to the ship for 10 Euros which saved the walk and queue for the shuttle and worked out less expensive. We arrived back at the ship before the trips returned and managed to have a light lunch in the MDR.

Last evening we noticed that our fridge had stopped working. We reported it to our cabin steward who reported it to reception. We had expected it to be repaired by the time we arrived back on board. It wasn't so we informed reception who said they would get it attended to.

The weather was warm enough to sit out which Garry did but all I wanted to do was to go back to bed with a whisky and paracetamol. I awoke feeling well enough to get ready for dinner. Reception phoned to check the progress regarding the fridge but no one from the technical department had been out. They said they would report it again. We have now been without a fridge for 24 hours. Luckily our cabin steward has kept topping the ice up.

We had been invited to a joint party hosted by the Loyalty manager and the Art director. We weren't going to bother but decided we would see what it was all about. There was about 50 pax in the globe so a select group who were either invited because they were Ligurian tier members or Friends of Whitewall Gallery.

The champagne flowed well and there were hot canapés as well as Christmas cake and mince pies. There was a draw for a bottle of champagne and then another for a meal in the Ocean Grill before the real reason for the party was revealed. This was a new original 'masterpiece' painted by Philip Gray which cost almost £5,000. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the arty people but it left me cold. The picture was of very dark cloudy sky's, the very rough Atlantic sea and and a rocky beach. I don't think it sold but there were lots of interest. The champagne kept flowing and when we finally staggered out of the venue my cold had suddenly started feeling much better. I think the tablets, whisky, wine and then the champagne had sorted it out.

The entertainment on offer was a comedian called Jeff Stevenson in the Palladium and the 60s and 70s party in the Globe.

When we returned to the cabin the fridge has still not been repaired.

Cocktail of the day Long Walker - Ginger, Apple Juice and Johnnie Walker Black.

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