The Monocled Mutineer

I don't think I have ever "knocked" Arcadia although I have a preference for the designed for the ex.UK market ships (Oriana & Aurora). The Ventura (as well as the Oceana) are ex.US market design builds that have been adapted for the ex.UK market. The Oceana is my least favourite of the currnt P&O fleet I have cruised on (only the old Arcadia [now OV1] was worse, and that was ex.US market too).

As regards Arcadia, I visited it in her inaugural week in Southampton, and posted this "review" shortly afterwards.

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I was only on it for 2 hours back in her launch week in April 2005, but here is my opinion on her, drawn from that short experience.

Arrangements for joining the Sapphire tour (11:00 Saturday 9/4) went smoothly.

We followed more or less the self-tour guide.

1st impressions. All in all a restrained palette of colours and images with mainly modern (and sometimes fairly representational, naïve expressions of) art.

Very definitely a feeling that we would be very comfortable on this ship with a wide variety of comfortable rooms many of them quite small & intimate.

Tour deck to deck.

Sky Deck 11.

This is amid-ships reached by amid-ships lifts and staircase only. This has the highest enclosed, public space.

Given over to the ORCHID RESTAURANT and ORCHID BAR with very fine views if you are dining port or starboard. The décor was pleasing in a restrained oriental way and would be my favourite dining venue from the point of view of anticipated ambiance. I do feel that as this space is not utilised during the day, P&O should consider having the Orchid open for lunch on sea-days (with a supplement). This space was originally going to be the Queens Grill and Queens Grill Bar when the ship was destined for Cunard as

Queen Victoria.

Fwd on deck 11 can be found a large sunbathing and observation deck, observations hampered by large tinted glass forward facing screens.

Sun Deck 10.

Open decks for sunbathing. Forward can be found the CROWS NEST. Smaller than the Crows Nests on Aurora/Oriana, rather ordinary furniture and fittings and very plain ceilings.

Off from the Crows Nest, Starboard is the VICEROY ROOM. Can be reserved for private functions and was dressed for the tour as a wedding chapel.

The Skydome Roof (and its accommodation for when being slid back) took up an appreciable proportion of the available open space on this deck.

Aft and towards amid-ships can be found relaxation, gentle exercise and quiet rooms called DIVERSIONS and THE RETREAT.

Lido Deck 9

Forward can be found the GYMNASIUM, & OASIS SPA. There was a large indoor hydropool facing aft onto the NEPTUNE POOL area. This large pool and deck area is covered by the Skydome and comes complete with a bar and grill. Here we were treated to Bucks Fizz and sandwiches and nibbles. Further aft is a large self-service restaurant called THE BELVEDERE which is zoned into a number of culinary themes.

Aft of here outdoors is the AQUARIUS POOL & BAR with a large sunbathing deck. This seemed to us to be the most favoured area for living the outdoor deck life at sea. A sensational piece of kinetic water and metal sculpture adorns this pool.

The aft rail as well as looking over the wake also gazed down on the balconies of the aft suites and staterooms on decks 7, 6, 5 & 4. Deck 8 aft suites and staterooms are spared this indignity by having a metal canopy over their balconies which of course will not be popular with sunbathers who book these

cabins & suites.

Australia Deck 8

Given over to suites and cabins. The 2 aft suites Venice & Tokyo have wraparound decks but as stated in the Deck 9 description are somewhat in the shade due to the canopy over the verandahs.

The suites themselves are not true suites to me as they do NOT have a separate sitting room and bedroom. The bathrooms were spacious but were by no means opulent and only 1 toilet in the suite.

All cabins and suites have LCD TVs which takes up less space and the décor was generally pleasing. Wardrobe space for a suite was not overgenerous. Indoor suite dining could be achieved on the spacious verandah where there was a round teak table with 4 chairs.

The staterooms with balcony were much as per Aurora/Oriana and the wardrobe space was noticeably and proportionally more generous here than in the suites.

Bermuda Deck 7

Given over to suites and cabins (including suites and mini-suites amid-ships vs aft). The same comments as per suites although we thought the mini-suites were a much better value space and in keeping with our expectations.

Best value cabins are of course the inside cabins (and on lower decks the outside cabins, to a lesser extent) and were very much in keeping with the standards achieved on Aurora/Oriana. I would be delighted to cruise in one of these spaces with again the wardrobe space being quite generous given the

overall space allocated.

Canada Deck 6

Given over to suites and cabins. Not explored.

Decks 5 & 4 (sorry can’t remember the names). Given over to cabins. Not explored.

Promenade Deck 3.

A real wraparound teak deck covered in by the upper superstructure and with no real-pinch-points.

Fwd can be found THE PALLADIUN Theatre. A two tiered theatre dressed in blue and purple palette and for a ship of this size we thought appeared to be quite small. It did not seem to have the grandeur & space of Aurora/Oriana versions.

Aft of here Port side are the 3 “lecture” rooms for NEW HORIZONS and to starboard is the CYB@CENTRE. The Cyb@Centre had a very modernistic, clinical feel. Aft of the Cyb@Centre was a very pleasing looking coffee bar called CAFFE VIVO.

Aft was the Library but this was locked as were the adjacent shops.

Aft of here was a large tables and bar area called THE PIANO BAR. The décor does not stick in my mind (Remember we only had 2 hours to see everything).

CELEBRATIONS is a revenue desk where you can order flowers, special occasion packages, etc.

Aft of here to starboard is the photo gallery. I liked the feature of large blow up nostalgic photo panels on the doors of the photo displays when the photo gallery is shut. It reminded me a little of the Heritage trail onboard the QM2.

Aft can be found the upper deck of the main MERIDIAN RESTAURANT. This coupled with lower deck area (Florida Deck 2) creates a large dining space without it appearing too “prairie” like. We were not allowed down into the lower level as the “great & the good” plus Gold Portunus members were having

lunch!

The two-tiered restaurant is very much the legacy of the original design brief for Holland-America who always feature this dining room configuration on their ships.

Florida Deck 2

Fwd is the lower level of the Palladium Theatre. Aft was the MONTE CARLO Casino with the usual zoo of machines and tables. To starboard was the very pleasing RISING SUN PUB. With an authenitic “repro” (!) pub décor. My wife does not like pubs (and for that matter ship pubs) but she was quite taken by the décor and space here. The bar was also one of the longest I have seen on a ship.

Aft of here was the art gallery with the “virus” of unhung pictures creeping from this space along the corridors. To port was the GLOBE which is a versatile entertainment show-lounge (with a cinema screen evidently). It had quite an intimate atmosphere, we thought. Further to port was ELECTRA the ships

disco club which seemed to push all the right buttons décor, technology and light-show wise.

Aft was the Arcadian Rhodes. This a la carte restaurant I was surprised to see had a fairly ordinary décor although a comfortable space. With the black menus and “exciting” cuisine I was expecting décor to take my breath away.

Over to starboard we LIKED the INTERMEZZO BAR with it’s purple and pink velvets and unusual bar stools. This would be very much our pre & post prandial spot.

Aft was the SPINNAKER BAR, a large and comfortable tables & bar space.

Aft was the lower level of the Meridian Restaurant.

Greneda Deck 1

Given over to non-balconied cabins, inside cabins and the Reception. Other than passing though to embark/disembark we did not explore.

The time for children to go on holiday is during the summer holidays, Easter, Christmas and half-term.

Holiday companies should be offering child places (free or heavily discounted) only during these times. They would please an awful lot of other folks if they were to decrease the single adult supplement heavily during term time too.

Thank you for the correction!

I compile for a column in our local newspaper, extracts from 125, 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.

Back in the last century every week the courts had folks in the dock for not sending their children to school even if only for a few days (unless sick).

Perhaps today on top of a fine, parents should be charged by the courts the amount that they "saved" with these child spaces, when they take their children out during term-time. The fines could then be hypothacated to the local education budget.

When I cruise in November I do not expect a ship to have 100s of children on board. Only pre-5's and over 15's not in education should be present.

Sorry duplicate post

Avoid school holidays (remember the Scots and Northern Irish start the summer holidays earlier).

Longer durations have less children.

Bear in mind that away from the school holidays the few children on board have the run of the childrens areas and are very well catered for and occupied (as indeed are the 350+ young of the species you will find on board during the summer holidays).

Taking the above into consideration I think you limit your choce unnecessarily by pluming only for an adult ship, althugh I can understand if you can only cruise in August or Christmas)

Avoid the weekenders too, be they family or adult only ships - these can be pretty dreadfull.

Very few dishes should be served "Hot".

Very fine shoreside restaurants do not state this as a rule (although the Wateride Inn, in Bray, does/used to) as gourmonds readily understand this. Not tepid, not hot, but warm (except for cold dishes obviously!)

I make and enjoy eating these very much.

Basil, eg is a very sweet herb that is quite subtle in an ice cream.

I have had lavender and camomile custard at the Carved Angel (in the days before Burton-Race) when the incomparable Joyce Molyneaux was at the stoves there.

Aniseed flavour from melted "Pontefract Cakes" rippled into a homemade vanilla ice cream (vanilla initself being a herb/"spice") makes a subtle ice cream dish too.

The line probably serve medium to well-done as they fear litigation(?).

New England is not the ONLY home of good FRESH, LIVE lobster.

If sailing to or from the UK, lobster of the above description can be found at (and not just exclusively):

The Riverside, West Bay, near Bridport, Dorset.

The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall

Wiltons, Jermyn Street, London W1

(In ascending price sequence).

The allure of "free" lobster n board is too much for some (my wife included) and always disappoints.

Capt Walters on the Aurora in 2001 did a sterling job in bringing in the ship into Grand Harbour, Malta, through what was a diffcult, narrow and stormy approach.

... unlike a cruise ship, they're fresh (live)

The Riverside, West Bay, near Bridport, Dorset.

The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall

Wiltons, Jermyn Street, London W1

(In ascending price sequence)

The worst dish (in about 1000 dishes I have ate on 20+ cruises)?

A "Mediterranean" Seafood Soup served with Rouille.

The soup was devoid of herbs, saffron, wine and anything that had once swam in the sea. It was weak, tomato flavoured & stock cube originated. It had the density of the water I pour out of my Robot Chef when rinsing after processing my own such soup at home.

The rouille was a bland, pale, coral pink affair with absolutley no "fire".

A rouille should be fire-engine red and should blow your wig and socks off.

The worst dish I have ever had at sea.

The Monocled Mutineer

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