Almost live from Arcadia en route to Caribbean

[lord of the seas]

Did the racists have the black pudding?

[north east girl]

Thanks for all the posts so far, loved reading about your trip. All the best for the new year.

 

Enjoy your ports of call, hope it is hot and sunny for you.

 

Catherine

[Johnthed0g]

Did the racists have the black pudding?

Tee hee!! probably just the "egg white"

[lord of the seas]

Tee hee!! probably just the "egg white"

 

With the white toast presumably.

[capnpugwash]

It was a beautiful day and with all of the excursions the ship was almost empty, certainly the pools were empty of swimmers and almost as warm as your bathwater at home, the air is 76 degrees but it is forecast to increase. I think that we will have a lot of lobster faced passengers aboard tonight who have neglected the sun screen. I stayed on board today and took advantage of the lack of passengers.

 

 

It was a very relaxing day, just what a holiday should be! All of the returning passengers look exhausted with the heat and it has only reached 76 degrees but that was hotter, I believe, than the UK experienced all last summer.

 

 

We have a sail away party tonight and alongside us are a very pretty Seabourn vessel and an ugly “Celebrity Mercury” with serious attention to the paintwork required around the waterline. I wonder who will make the most noise as they depart. Not that it matters really. Personally I am putting my feet up and having a couple of glasses of Champagne.

 

 

At dinner tonight the theme was tropical and all staff wore loud colourful shirts, as did 90% of passengers. The room looked great and really vibrant.

 

 

Tonight's scheduled deck party was moved inside at the last minute because of unexpected rain, we didn't attend as it clashed with second sitting dinner and the quiz, and yes before you ask, we did win for the third time. A marvelous recovery as we were one player short, Tony had fallen foul of the rum punches offered ashore all day. According to his wife they had gone snorkeling for the first time and on the return journey on the boat had been dancing to the steel band and drunk many of these harmless looking drinks. Oh to be so innocent. Tomorrow they are booked on another boat trip which heads to Pusser's Landing where their major attraction is Pusser's Rum. I can see trouble ahead for them.

 

 

Tomorrow we head to Tortola which is a particularly unremarkable island destination, but I suppose we have to go somewhere.

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks for the update, can't imagine not getting off for a stroll around town at least, must have been peaceful on the ship though.76F not warm at all for the Caribbean even at this time of year, mind you we have found Antigua cooler than other islands. Tortola.... we did the trip to Virgin Gorda, that was good. I take it you haven't seen the headliners shows then?

[capnpugwash]

John, just remembered your headliner query, so sorry not to respond. We haven't been to the shows but our kids say they are good. Hope that helps.

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks for remembering Capt!! (seen one seen 'em all I reckon!) If you remember should you put the info channel on TV can you see if an officer friend of ours is there? Davide Rocca, 3rd officer of the watch unless promoted! Thanks, glad the weather is picking up.

[Summergee]

The tone of your last couple of blogs seem more upbeat. Is this my imagination or are you enjoying yourself more now that you are in the Caribbean?

[heywood]

The tone of your last couple of blogs seem more upbeat. Is this my imagination or are you enjoying yourself more now that you are in the Caribbean?

 

That's just what I was thinking - was getting a bit concerned for a while.

I wonder cap'n, how have your family fared with this particular experience?

[LibraLass41]

Hi there Captain Pugwash,

Just read all this thread and your posts and am now uptodate... Any cruise ship in poor weather makes one miserable doesn't it, and hopefully now you have some sun you and the others onboard will feel happier - especially the moaners;)

 

A round trip from Southampton in December is going to be frisky both ways I would of thought for at least 4 days each way, so perhaps a December round trip cruise needs serious consideration, also Arcadia at christmas is going to have more older people than usual onboard, as no doubt these are people with no children under 25 or so to worry about . I am in my late 40's and love Arcadia ,having been on her every year except this year since 2006 and there have been plenty in the 50-60 age group as as well as older ones,on my cruises and also some in the' under 50 'age group as there can be plenty of weddings onboard in the summer - sometimes 4 + so that itself will encourage young people 25+ and their families and bridesmaids etc.

So I conclude that a Christmas cruise will have a older passenger base.

 

If and when I can do a Caribbean round trip I would go in April, when the weather maybe a bit better...hope to do it one day.

Are you still going on your booked October 2010 Arcadia cruise or will you be cancelling?

[jenny wren]

I think the weather situation in the Atlantic is unpredictable whichever time of year one travels.......we've never had a smooth crossing of the Bay of Biscay and we have been at different times of year June, September, October, November and December !!! Just pot luck me thinks.

 

We decided ...after our latest transatlantic escapade on Oriana (which was dreadful both ways)....that in future we will choose a Transatlantic which has Tenerife as the first port of call and then crosses to Caribbean, rather than Vigo or Madeira as the first port and then on a higher crossing. Having said that the Captain on Oriana did say that the weather was very unusual in that it wasn't just high winds but a high swell and also unusual currents that were making things so difficult. I think I'm right in saying the stabilisers were out for the whole crossing !

 

Regarding the older passengers....I think that families with children are more likely to cruise on ships like Ventura, Independence of the Seas, that have more facilities for the youngsters....the age of passengers on Oriana was older... although there were several young parents with babies and toddlers..and it was term time when we travelled.

It will be interesting to see what type of passenger Azura attracts..!!

[Johnthed0g]

I somehow expect Azura to attract an "across the board" type of customer...I hope so anyway. Families with nice quiet well behaved children without being robots, people who know how to behave with consideration for others, dress codes observed where appropriate, nice tidy clean pen for the flying pigs........

[DKNYC]

Hi Captain

 

Glad the weather has finally improved for you and your shipmates. Here in new york is bright and sunny, but the temp is about 20F and the winds about 35mph. My 7 Kg dog almost learned to fly this morning:eek:. Luckily I held on to the rope.

 

Denise

[Highly Sociable]

Hi Jim,

Sat in UK drinking Whiskey sours, courtesy of Eva's recipe.

Have been following your progress and looking forward to your next post. You may have had a dodgy first few days, but anything is better that the weather here. It has been dreadful 'up North' and our road is still a sheet of ice, which means that we haven't been able to venture very far. Good job I stocked up on Martini essentials ;)

Love to Sam

 

J,N,R & R

[capnpugwash]

Yes, it is nicer now we are in the warm.

 

 

 

It was another lovely day and I had a relaxing time on board the ship, it wasn't as warm today as it has been. Moored next to us is a 4 masted yacht which looks absolutely luxurious, it seems to have about 30 passengers, very stylish way to travel; I think. This morning we were visited by 10 or so sea turtles, swimming around the ship. Their heads were peeping out of the water and their shells were just in the water. I guess they were between 2 and 3 feet in diameter. Then they dived and disappeared. We moved on at around 5.30pm heading for St Kitts. There was no sail away party as we were the last to leave.

 

 

We were creeping along very slowly during the evening and overnight and the ship was bobbing about like a cork, it is very strange. I don't recall the Caribbean having this effect before, it looks like glass yet the ship reacts so badly. One thought I had was that the stabilizers could not be deployed because the speed was too low. If anyone knows please share the information.

 

 

We are now moored and the ship is still rolling from side to side, I just had a swim in the stern pool and the water is visibly moving from side to side, rising and falling by about 4 inches, weird.

 

 

We are on the ship again this morning but this afternoon we are taking a trip on the Sugarcane Train. We are told that it is a great trip. It is £57 per person so I hope that we enjoy the 3 hours.

 

 

We got the minibus that took us to the train after a 10 minute ride, it seemed well organized – we were in bus 4 so we got in carriage 4 on the train. These carriages were double decked, being air conditioned in the lower section and cooled by the breezes in the upper parts. We were towed behind a big old diesel engine and the train had 5 passenger carriages. We rode for a little over 2 hours through the countryside and villages which was quite interesting although all the villages were the same and the countryside had little to distinguish one area from another. We were served with two rum based cocktails and serenaded twice by a three person Acapella choir. It was very hot although the breeze through the train helped. I think that we hit 90 degrees today. I wouldn't do it again and whilst we enjoyed it, we thought that it could comfortably take half or a third of the time and might even be available for direct booking through St Kitts Scenic Railway in Basseterre. I am sure that the whole thing could be arranged for significantly less than $100 per head.

 

 

We have just let go our lines and pulled forward off the berth commencing our short overnight hop to St Lucia, we will pass Martinique during the night and are due in around 7am

[Johnthed0g]

Thank you once again for the update, I was wondering about that very trip, they are a lottery aren't they?

[Host Sharon]

Re the rolling - perhaps they are trying to level out the ballast tanks !!:D If the sea is like glass she shouldn't need the stabilisers deployed surely. Sure it's not the champagne ??????

[Jimsgirl]

Read with interest all your postings. I must say that I agree with you re the feeling of being in a "Nursing Home" not a cruise ship.

 

When my husband died I decided to take a Christmas cruise rather than feel 'sorry for myself" I joined ship in Tampa, got to terminal, and my face fell, I have never seen so many walkers, wheelchairs scooters, crutches, canes and oxygen bottles. Found I was at a table for 9, I was the only one without hearing aids (some had two), also found that at least 4 of the people were "mentally confused" (I didnt order that, (when of course they did) - where is "Peaches "(the dog or cat) , I dont like this hotel etc)

 

It was a very miserable cruise, and the childish arrival of Santa Clause and his elves was awful. I decided NEVER to take a Christmas cruise again.

 

In fact decided never to cruise with that particular cruise line again, as it was obvious they sell very agressively in "assisted living" homes.

 

There are "old people" and " young at heart old people" being 84 I should know. I live in an over 55 condo complex and cruise to get away from just the type of 'old people' you have me

 

So sorry your cruise was spoilt.

 

Lynn

[capnpugwash]

The sea was a lot calmer overnight. I was surprised that so many people stayed on board. They had changed the pool water overnight as it was quite cool this morning, despite this it was quite a lot busier than earlier in the week.

 

 

Is there an etiquette to be observed when using a ship's pool? I ask because I don't know. 3 of us were swimming end to end in the 18 foot by 10 foot pool when we were joined by two others. They started swimming widths across the centre of the pool which totally disrupted the established order of things. I was a bit taken aback that someone should do that, but they are on holiday as well I suppose.

 

 

They have a Wii game console on board and it is used every port day, the usual game played is progressive ten pin bowling, 10 games and the pin quantity increase each game. It is so clever how it works and the slightest flexing of the players hand will affect the track that your bowl takes, whether you hook the ball or slice it. My kids play it everyday and for the first time in several cruises I was able to beat my daughter by 6 points today. Sad really but it really made my day.

 

 

There are 5 other ships in port today, a Holland America, RCCI, Thompson and 2 others. This has to be too many in my view, although the traders must like it. Hardly the idyllic picture that one has of a Caribbean island with empty white beaches with only your footprints in the sand.

 

 

We have a birthday party to attend before dinner tonight, it is the 60th birthday of the on board bridge teacher, Mike who we have known for the past 3 years. He is English and travels with his wife Carrie. They are unsalaried I believe but pay no fare and possibly receive a small per-diem allowance, possibly not. They are doing half of the 2010 P&O world cruise from Australia back to Southampton. A nice way to spend the UK winter, I think.

 

 

We had a nice time at the party and then went into Dinner, all fairly relaxed whilst down in the islands so the dress code was casual again. Tomorrow, being New Year's Eve will be formal so it will be quite warm if we venture on deck for a party. I am not sure what the plans are as the on board printer has broken down so the listings have yet to be issued. The head waiter came to the table to see whether we had completed the questionnaire sent to our cabins a few days ago. We all had and he wanted our input on how the food could be improved. Well after 15 minutes of constructive criticism from one and all, he was very happy to make his excuses and move on to another table. Whilst one doesn't like to complain, the fact is that unless a problem is reported to P&O they will never fix it. At least if it is pointed out to them they might fix it.

 

 

We are at St Vincent tomorrow and we have never visited it before so we may do a self-tour in a local taxi. We will see how we feel in the morning before we decide how to proceed.

 

 

Checking the Officers List does not show Mr Rocca so I assume he has been transferred or is on leave.

Happy New Year to you all. More in 2010

 

 

 

[Johnthed0g]

Thank you for remembering my enquiry, just wondered if that particular officer was there, totally charming. Where are you now? I suppose I should look it up! Really enjoying your daily updates, thank-you. We have never used a pool on a ship, don't care for the crush in the area, even Arcadia with that new furniture round the Neptune pool. The Aquarius pool & area looks better, but again soon gets crowded. I really can't imagine why someone would want to cut across your line of swimming, but I BETCHA they are saying "how rude ..that man swimming lengths!"

[ovccruiser]

Reading this with interest as usual Cap'n, we are on Artemis on 23rd Jan so its nice to here the weather has improved.

[capnpugwash]

We arrived on time today at about 7.30am and it was already 81 degrees, expected to increase to 90 degrees later in the day. It is a relatively undeveloped island and tourism is fairly new and unsophisticated which to my mind makes it wonderful. The tours on offer include a 7 hour trip to another beach orientated island called Bequia and a visit to the local gardens. It was too hot for us today so I swam most of the morning and read in the shade. It was great.

 

 

Speaking to those people who ventured ashore today the consensus was that the island was a dump, which I think is harsh as it is just underdeveloped. People seem to want shops and sophistication together with museums showing how it was before it was spoilt. In my mind, the true beauty of a “new” place is the unsophisticated nature of the place so that you can actually see what the true nature of the place is. I hate what is done in the name of progress. One just needs to look at the so called developed resorts with their over building and appalling shops to see the downside. They all look the same and all offer the same rubbish for sale. Cheap rum, steel bands and dreadlocks make it all seem tropical. In the early 70's I was fortunate to visit Bali before it had any high rise hotels and it was marvelous, now it is covered with high rise buildings and it has lost the charm that ran through its' streets. It is a pity that we continue to do this to the beautiful places in the world.

 

 

Tonight is New Years Eve and we are eating in Rhodes Arcadia, there is a £25 supplement tonight which I only discovered this morning. I could cancel but it seems cheap when compared to the train trip. It will be fun and we will be eating with our kids for a change. We will see in the New Year in the Crows Nest and then head out onto the deck for the tail end of the party.

 

Tomorrow we are in Barbados so we will have more of the same.

 

 

We had a very nice meal in Gary Rhodes and saw the New Year in sitting in the Crows Nest. Kisses all round and then we went out on deck where there was music and dancing. The DJ played 2 tunes that we knew and then switched to the modern very loud and very dull tunes that he liked, never mind what the old passengers wanted. I use the word “tunes” very loosely. All we all wanted was 60's and 70's music which shouldn't be beyond any DJ but with the age group of the majority of passengers you could forgive him if he played Mantovani or something similar. We headed to bed by about 1am.

 

 

We are heading into Barbados this morning and it is already 82 degrees so I think that we are in for another hot day. The sea is calm and the sky is clear.

[Summergee]

Happy New Year.

Thanks for the updates.

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks again ...on the subject of Bequia, it is a small island with a few beaches & an attractive little town/village of Port Elizabeth, we have stayed on Bequia & found it an absolute delight, albeit several years back now & things change. But a charming waterfront with a few bars/cafés along the Belmont walkway, trouble with the Caribbean is, like a lot of places, if people just don't ''get it'' then they just won't & that's it. Places like this are so small that to get anything out of then you have to stay there & ''get into'' the place. Same when they stop at Mayreau as well, best left alone I think.