Almost live from Arcadia en route to Caribbean

[Johnthed0g]

I was ridiculed on another forum for even suggesting the age was higher on Arcadia, I wonder why this is, being child free shouldn't put off younger people. Absolutely dead after the last show finishes. Must be a trial having nowhere to go.

That Creme Brulee thing in Orchid is lovely, I also like the lobster & crab dish they do. If you go the Rhodes you may consider company as the meal can take at least 2 hours.

[Norfolk Brit]

Many thanks for the latest reports, Cap'n, and a very happy Christmas in your retirement home... Perhaps they'll cut up your lunch for you:D.

 

Mary

[Norfolk Brit]

I wonder why this is, being child free shouldn't put off younger people.

 

Because it precludes just about everyone with dependant children, and these parents are usually in their twenties, thirties or forties?

 

Mary

[ovccruiser]

Exellent as usuall Cap'n I guess we will celebrate Christmas day a few hours before you, will you be having the Christmas Lunch or dinner?

[Norfolk Brit]

Exellent as usuall Cap'n I guess we will celebrate Christmas day a few hours before you, will you be having the Christmas Lunch or dinner?

 

As it's probably pureed prunes, it doesn't really matter:D.

 

Mary

[garigoun]

Happy Christmas Cap'n.

Gari

[Johnthed0g]

Because it precludes just about everyone with dependant children, and these parents are usually in their twenties, thirties or forties?

 

Mary

Maybe, but that doesn't mean the age group should be as high as it is! at 60 we feel babies on there, I reckon the majority were at least late 70's on one cruise.

[Host Sharon]

The age group was much younger when I was on in November, but I guess being away for Christmas is a no-no with teenagers or younger kids. Hope things improve for you Jim (why were you at the singles meet anyway?) and your wife's headache goes away for Christmas Day ;)

[lord of the seas]

(why were you at the singles meet anyway?) ;)

 

Well you never know who you are going to meet on a ship;)

Jim,I hope you like older women.

[capnpugwash]

The on board entertainment seems very low key, the Entertainment Officers all try their hardest but it is the shows or cabaret that let them down. We have had second rate singers in the past but last night Alan Mullery appeared twice in the main theatre as a speaker. He is an ex professional soccer player from the 1960s or 70s who apart from unsuccessfully managing a couple of teams has done very little. Ok perhaps bring him on as an afternoon lecturer for an hour but two entire shows to an almost empty theatre is ridiculous.

 

 

I gatecrashed the Singles Traveling Alone again today and I was speaking to Elsie who is a small lady who was born a long time ago in Nevis and she happens to be black, she is with her daughter and she told me about her first night on the ship at dinner. As they arrived at their alloted table for four, they found an elderly gent and his wife. Well they sat down and the other couple shuffled their chairs away from them and ignored them completely throughout dinner. The other couple left first and as Elsie and her daughter passed the Maitre D's station they overheard the man insisting that it was unacceptable that they should have these people on their table as they had paid so much money for their cruise. This is the 21st Century and racism is still alive and thriving. It is unfortunate that they did re-seat this couple but they don't like confrontation I suppose. I found it very difficult to say anything to her that didn't sound weak and weedy.

 

 

Some great news is that we are heading into a high pressure area this afternoon and the forecast is for the wind to drop, the sea to moderate and the sun to come out. Part of me says “Prove it” and the other part says “Wonderful”. The sun did come out this afternoon and it was nice and warm but the wind hasn't dropped and the sea swell remains at about 25 feet so we are crashing up and down and rolling about 10 degrees to each side. It is definitely not dancing weather.

 

 

Santa Claus appeared from the funnel at 6pm tonight and there was a choir made up of passengers all assembled at the stern pool on deck 9. big mistake as the waves kept breaking out from the pool so the deck was swimming in water and the movement of the ship made them unsteady. Add the wind noise and they were barely audible, it really was a shame as they had worked so hard.

 

 

We had a pleasant dinner and then we went to the quiz and we won it by one point, there were slightly fewer teams competing but we still did ok.

 

 

One of our waiters, Vincent was in the crew choir that would be singing at the RC Midnight Mass tonight. it is mostly for the crew and about 600 attended and we went along to listen to Vincent and to go to the Mass. I figure it does you no harm to be full of God when you are at sea in the Atlantic. It was a great service and so nice to see the crew when they are out of uniform as they become real people if you know what I mean. It now feels like Christmas and I am looking forward to tomorrow. The Captain holds a multi denominational service on Christmas morning and although I am running the risk od God overload I might go because I love the hymns that they sing especially “For those in peril on the sea”. I can't keep a dry eye when that is sung. We shall see what happens. The clocks have gone back another hour on Christmas Day morning and this is repeated tomorrow night as well so although it is quite late, it is quite early.

 

 

We will be having Christmas dinner this evening at about 11pm UK time... the thought gives me indigestion.:eek:

 

 

Happy Christmas to you all and to your loved ones and thanks for your best wishes as always.

[Johnthed0g]

Happy Xmas to you & yours, thanks so much for the daily updates, almost like being there, but without the motion!!

So sad about the race thing...after all, virtually all the staff non-white!! Clem Curtis (singer...Foundations) made a joke of it last cruise where he said you MUST have seen ME around the ship!!

Still Antigua soon...it must be soon...bet you feel like standing on deck waiting to shout "Land Ahoy!!"

[Johnthed0g]

Sorry about the double post thought the 1st one had gone....still added a bit anyway!

 

Thanks for the updates, like being there without the motion!! Pity about the race thing though, I feel desperately embarrassed when this sort of thing happens. I can understand it to a degree if they were sat with Osama Bin Laden & family, but this example is pure hate based purely on outward appearance.

How are the headliners? I was told that last years company are back, they were really excellent, pity about the repetitive shows though, are they the same one's still?

[Host Sharon]

Thanks for the updates Jim! As John has said - what a pity about the rascist comments. Unbelievable it still happens today.

[cruisegal101]

Jim,

 

Thank you for taking the time to keep us posted on your cruise. I must say that I am, in UK words, simply gobsmacked over the Elsie story. Those old fools should be thrown overboard (yes, I know that is not a very charitable feeling especially on Christmas Day but that behavior is totally unacceptable).

 

Happy Christmas to you. :)

[Johnthed0g]

Well....bearing in mind that the person who they "complained to" was probably Indian I wonder how he felt!!....AND would this remark be regarded by him as racist AND is this grounds for being slung off??

[DKNYC]

Merry Christmas Jim!

You have had me laughing out loud at my laptop (although you may not think it's so funny:D) I am wondering what Santa brought. I think he only cares about your behavior not about your age.

 

I was disapointed about the Elsie story, but unfortunately not overly surprised. Hopefully in the near future folks will no longer have to endure such experiences.

 

Hope Mrs P and the weather continue to improve.

 

Denise

[capnpugwash]

Christmas Day passed uneventfully, the sun emerged as promised but the rolling of the ship means that the pools are acting like washing machines and throwing the swimmers around and shipping vast quantities of water over the surrounding deck and the people gullible enough to be sunbathing there. It really is as bad as it sounds. The wind rose during the late afternoon and evening to a force 8 and the swell imparts its' own particular corkscrew motion which makes standing and walking quite difficult; I enjoy it on a transatlantic trip but it is getting pretty old as we head to the Caribbean, no logic there I suppose and I am unable to offer any justification.

 

 

In the end I didn't go to the Commodore's Church Service and was feeling a little bit guilty however now I am glad that I didn't. I discovered later in the day that whilst there was a great deal of singing, for some strange reason someone decided not to sing “For those in peril on the sea”. It is like serving fresh scones without jam, bizarre.

 

Overnight the wind has dropped to a force 5 but the sea is still playing up. The air temperature is very nice and warm, but the wind is The clocks went back a further hour early this morning and we will repeat that process tomorrow morning/tonight prior to arriving at Antigua at 8am.

 

 

Since we boarded last week there has been a constant barrage of carols over the public address system. It is, or rather was nice for a while but then it becomes truly irritating like someone pushing a blunt screwdriver into your ear. It is now Boxing Day morning and I think that it has stopped, the alternative is that I have either gone deaf or have become so accustomed to it playing that I don't notice anymore.

 

 

I am planning to have a relaxing day today, I plan to find a comfy steamer chair somewhere on board and lurk with a good book. I hope that it works out that way.

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks again for the update, funny we always fancied a Southampton round trip Caribbean....not so sure now.

[cunard candy]

Thanks again for the update, funny we always fancied a Southampton round trip Caribbean....not so sure now.

 

 

Yes, I have always fancied it too but have to say I am having second thoughts.

 

Am really enjoying your daily log - saw you on the Baltic QV in May but was too shy to say hello.

 

As the queen of scones, what are they like onboard;)???

[lord of the seas]

Jim,Do the racist couple know that Antigua is inhabited by black people.Perhaps they will not get off of the ship.

Jingle bells,jingle bells,jingle all the way.:eek:

[Johnthed0g]

Someone once asked, on a Barbados forum, for a good, honest, repectful "native" to show them round the island.....

[jenny wren]

CapnPugwash's diary makes interesting (and amusing) reading as we returned from a two way Transatlantic on Oriana on 18 December and the weather sounds exactly as it was with us. Dreadful both ways....so much so that we were forced to abandon our stop at Madeira on the return trip so had 8 continuous days at sea....a first for us.

 

However we did enjoy the cruise in spite of the weather and, I think, became accustomed to the rocking and rolling as I didn't need to take any Stugeron after a few days.

 

I too was wondering how the 'racist' couple were going to react to all the inhabitants of the Caribbean islands....

[Johnthed0g]

They won't care about the "natives" on the islands, it's when ''they'' have the audacity to actually come on a cruise & sit at their table!! How do they view the staff onboard I wonder.....I keep thinking "little Britain"

[capnpugwash]

Cunard Candy, scones are ok, mixed fruit and plain about 2 inch diameter and half an inch thick. Quite tasty but only whipped cream - no clotted.

 

Having had a healthy breakfast of Weetabix and Muesli I went out onto the promenade deck where it was warm but overcast so I got settled and had a nice read. The clouds cleared and the sun shone for an hour or so but after that it disappeared and the rain clouds started to build up, it got quite a bit cooler so to warm up I went inside and up to the cabin.

 

 

This afternoon was Aladdin in Rhyme which was performed by the passengers and passenger choir in the theatre. It was wonderful, lots of mistakes but everyone really tried hard and all the corny lines appeared. Apparently they only had time for 4 rehearsals. It was a very very entertaining 50 minutes.

 

 

The afternoon tea devil won again but strangely there were no mince pies or Christmas cake, there was no cold meats and bubble and squeak today either. Scrooge is in the kitchen, it seems.

 

 

There seems to be a whole crowd of people on board who are determined to moan about everything, it is the old half full versus half empty glass debate but there does seem to be an atmosphere in some areas. Even the smokers are complaining about how smoky the pub is, it doesn't get worse than that.

 

 

The sea has changed colour today and it is dark blue having been grey all week, well apart from the white horses. This is perfect dolphin spotting weather and conditions but I haven't seen any or heard of anyone else seeing any. We might encounter them between the islands although I doubt it somehow. Maybe on the way back to Southampton. What a depressing thought, already thinking about heading home.

 

 

I can't work the ship out really, the sea looks flat calm but there is enough movement to maintain the lateral rolling motion. Very strange. There must have been a serious incident today as a tannoy message was made asking if there is an anaesthetist on board, and then a request for an orthopaedic doctor or surgeon, no official announcement of course but we believe that it was a serious fall resulting in a complex series of fractures. It is getting close to time to prepare for dinner so it must be time for a shower and whilst

we dress we should open some more champagne. Be rude not to, I think.

 

 

We had a pleasant dinner black pudding from Bury with a duck egg as a starter and a very nice leg of lamb to follow, it was my favourite meal so far. The sea is still providing enough of a swell to make the ship roll and make walking difficult. We had a very tricky quiz tonight and finished with 5 points less than the winners. It was a difficult quiz, at least we found it so.

 

 

Antigua tomorrow and so we start the run of seven ports in seven days from here. Not my ideal plan but at least it looks like it might be sunny.

 

 

We have just arrived in Antigua and are making the final approaches to our mooring which for those of you who have not visited, is right in the centre of town, the sun has just risen so it is too early to be sure about the weather prospects but the sky looks clear so I hope for a lovely sunny day.

[Johnthed0g]

Have a nice day in Antigua! I like that poached egg on Black pudding starter. I did ask how the "Headliners" are, any news?