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Exclusively for adults - Arcadia’s signature features such as her exterior glass-fronted lifts and expansive art collection, featuring no less than 3,000 works of art, create a sophisticated air.
Our second time on Arcadia,our first had been a Med cruise two years ago,despite being blighted with Gastric problems on board & ongoing mainteneance due to,in one Officers words,the ships being badly neglected during the pandemic,we thoroughly enjoyed it,a beautiful,IMO,a 'proper' ship,not a floating block of flats & no kids! So on Monday May 12th we boarded an Intercruises coach at Chester Services for the uneventful journey down to Southampton,arriving at the Mayflower Terminal just after 1330hrs,5 other coaches were there before us so we had a bit of a wait before we were led into the terminal,check in was freindly & efficient,through security before boarding,once on board a visit to our muster station,The Palladium Theater in our case,where we had our passes scanned & we made our way to our cabin,first big improvement,2 years ago a number of lifts were out of order for the entire cruise,no such problem this time & we were soon in our chosen cabin on Canada Deck,deck 6,same as last time,comfortable cabin in a quiet area with a decent size balcony,it was to be a very comfortable home for 18 nights! Our cases were with us pretty quickly,we unpacked while listening to the safety video,contact made with our cabin steward,the lovely Rachel who was to be a superstar,nothing was too much,she was wonderful! We were on Freedom dining,on our last cruise on Arcadia we had got into lining up outside the MDR on deck 2 from 1715hrs in order to get an early enough table to make the 2030hrs show in the Theater,not something I enjoy doing but we had some fun in the queue with like minded souls,discussing the days events & putting the World to right! The seating was sorted by another lovely Rachel,on our first night we were in Heaven,table 123,in the raised area looking out over the stern,great view,not too closed in by other tables & 2 excellent waiters,thanks to Rachel we were to have this table for the entire cruise,with the exception of one night,more of that later. This was to be a very different cruise to 2 years ago,on that occasion there were many passengers much older than ourselves(68 & 70),many of which seemed to know members of the crew well & who made me feel young,one fellow passenger remarked that it resembled a floating care home! Now 2 years on there were very few older than ourselves,certainly a mainly younger age span,unbelievable to some(!),for whatever reason that was the case. We enjoyed this cruise even more than we expected,we met some wonderful people,the quality of food in the MDR was exceptional,the new menu had great choices,one complaint if any was that the wonderful Mixed Grill was only on once(!),our 2 waiters were brilliant,end result being that we ate there every night with the exception of the 3rd night,my Wife's 70th Birthday,I had booked Ocean Grill,great food & lovely staff as ever but the quality of the offerings in the MDR meant that was the only evening where we didn't eat in the MDR. Breakfasts & Lunch we ate in the Buffet,great food,good variety,it could be awkward getting a table sometimes as there were people who stayed there reading between meals & of course you will get impatient people who won't wait their turn & are not looking where they are going(or not going where they are looking if you like!). The ship at first looked great after her refurb but on closer inspection,as nice as the new carpeting is it hasn't worn well or been fitted well in some areas,some very dodgy patching in places,if it was in your home you would not be pleased! Entertainment was excellent,the Headliners are so talented,great dancers,awesome singers & amazing fast change artists as well,the other acts were so enjoyable too,especially Analysa Ching,a Chinese Violinist,mad as a hatter but absolutely brilliant & The Flyrights,an amazingly talented trio of singers & dancers. Our ports of call:Lisbon Been there twice before,easy to stroll into town just to get off the ship,always enjoyable. Alicante Only been to the airport before,took the shuttle bus into town,pretty promenade but seeing Burger King, MucDonalds,KFC,Stabucks,etc made us feel we could be anywhere. Barcelona Been there before so a lazy day on the ship Civitavecchia Took the shuttle into town,pretty little place Olbia Our first tour,Baja Sardinia was beautiful,second stop was pretty but basically a shopping mall Casablanca Another tour,impressive mosque,insane traffic,enjoyed it Tangiers Another tour,enjoyable,especially the Medina but it was hard work,cobbles & steps Ferrol Another shuttle bus into town,pretty little place. Arriving back in Southampton disembarkation was well organised,sadly once again our return trip by coach was a prolonged drag with arrival at Chester Services at 1815hrs,,need another holiday after that so there is some doubt as to whether or not we will do it again,sad because we had enjoyed this cruise so much,we love Arcadia but being 20 years old now how much longer will she be with us,plenty to thinks about,at least I got my Trek The Deck T Shirt for doing 6 laps of the Promenade Deck for Charity,still recovering from that!
From inside cabins to balcony cabins and luxurious suites, you will find a room for every budget and taste.
All cabins are air-conditioned and well designed, to give you as much space as possible and to help you relax into your surroundings. Many feature balconies to give you additional outside space. All feature Egyptian cotton sheets, free tea & coffee making facilities, refrigerator, hairdryer, safe, in-cabin television and good sized en-suite bathrooms with toiletries pack. You will also enjoy the services of a personal cabin steward who will look after your every need, and can enjoy room service from early morning until late evening at no extra cost.
Foodies will be spoilt for choice in the two-tier main restaurant offering a choice of Club Dining. There’s also the opportunity to visit the speciality restaurants of Sindhu where you’ll be treated to authentic Indian cuisine with a British twist and dinner in Marco Pierre White’s Ocean Grill.
The ship's fantastic New Horizons programme offers to passengers the chance to leave their cruise with a new hobby, skill or passion. With classes ranging from cookery, and ballroom dancing, to feng shui and tai chi, passengers can search for true enlightenment.
There's never a dull moment...
P&O Cruises offers the very best in cruise entertainment. Days can be filled with as much or as little as you want, whilst evenings are no doubt the social highlight. When the sun goes down your ship begins to come alive with the hum of conversation and music, and you can be sure of a memorable night.
From the revitalising hydrotherapy pool, to the state of the art gymnasium, there's plenty of facilities onboard to refresh your mind, body and soul. Passengers can enjoy luxury massages and treatments in the Oasis Spa, or head out to the top deck sports court for a spot of tennis.
As an adult only ship, Arcadia does not feature any Kids & Teens facilities.
