arcadia world cruise

[pauladora]

now looking at Arcadia world cruise,all I seem to find are bad comments on warm food,dirty/rusty balcony,miserable staff etc.Help?:confused:

[southwinds]

why would the world cruise be any different to a normal cruise...

[1160451]

Spent 3 weeks on a section of its world cruise in Jan/Feb.

No problems at all, but anybody can find fault if they look hard enough.

Wow a rusty rail is sure going to spoil a cruise ....

Food, staff, entertainment all fine.

We would cruise on the Arcadia again with no hesitation.

Hope that helps.

We have cruised with RCI, FO, Thomson and P and O. And HAL next Jan.

[bazzaw]

We did the first half of Arcadia's World Cruise in 2011 (UK to Brisbane - 6 weeks). All cruiseships are different - and we all have our preferences. There was absolutely nothing "wrong" with Arcadia - but, having said that, I preferred the voyage on Oriana (Brisbane to the UK) more. I am prepared to accept that perhaps my reasons for this preference are rubbish! :)

 

Have now been on 3 Vista class ships - Arcadia, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth - and I am not keen on them. BUT - they are the way of the future for cruiseships - all balconies. I prefer older style ships with plenty of outside deck space (and hence less balconies) .

 

Barry

[Sutho]

I was on part of its last world cruise from Singapore to Sydney and had a great time. The general complaints about Arcadia on that trip was that P&O let maintenance levals drop and the ship was in dire need of new carpets, a major paint job and general repairs. It missed out on its scheduled refit thanks to Oriana taking longer and as a result there were allot of areas on Arcadia that needed attention. None of the poor points were cruise ruiners but people did notice.

 

I had a great time on the ship and loved the cruise. Its probably not my favourite ship in the fleet but I would go on it again. My personal choice for the World Cruises would be Aurora or Oriana in first place.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I spent 72 days on the Alaska cruise in April-June 2011. It wasn't loing enough, I'd still be there today for choice.

 

It certainly wasn't in dire need of new carpets - there are no holes you can trip over, there are no big bare patches of deck showing through.

[mvarcadia.com]

It's true that Arcadia's planned dry-dock refit in November 2011 was postponed and will now take place from 25th November 2013 to 14th December 2013. However, there was little work that needed dry docking to complete.

 

Other, in-service maintenance is continually taking place. Carpets have been replaced in the communal areas, Cafe Vivo has been re-vamped, catering equipment in the Belvedere replaced and there is continual external painting. WiFi has been fitted throughout the ship and the satellite links upgraded. Lifeboat hooks have been changed to conform with the latest SOLAS regulations.

 

P&O, unlike some other cruise lines, do not re-paint the balconies while cabins are occupied, although they may ask permission to access your balcony on a port day to re-varnish the handrail. Therefore, the balcony paintwork, especially if you look up instead of out(!), can look in need of attention. The cabin carpets, while a long way from threadbare, do look rather flattened but the mass replacement of these will have to wait until the cabins are unoccupied.

 

Work such as replacing the bearings on the Azipods can wait until 2013 because the crew have been careful not to run the propulsion system at less than 15rpm (when the roller bearings slide instead of roll) and not to use reverse - just turn the pods through 180 degrees instead.

 

Most work done during a dry dock is invisible to the the passenger and that which is can be dealt with in service, except for internal partition changes and planned "features" such as installing a glass wall between the Ocean Grill and the Atrium at deck 2 level.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy Arcadia for a world cruise (except for the laundrette). The wonderful stability of the Vista class ships really helps when crossing lively seas.

[bazzaw]

 

The wonderful stability of the Vista class ships really helps when crossing lively seas.

 

Hmm - I'm not too sure about "stability" - but Arcadia did not like going straight into a Force 11 gale in January 2011- she had to be slowed to 10 knots and subsequently missed a port in the Azores. This was 3 days into her 2011 World Cruise.

[tom_uk]

Hmm - I'm not too sure about "stability" - but Arcadia did not like going straight into a Force 11 gale in January 2011- she had to be slowed to 10 knots and subsequently missed a port in the Azores. This was 3 days into her 2011 World Cruise.

 

That's true of all ships, isn't it? I read accounts these days of QM2 slowing when facing really high winds, and of Canberra doing the same when she was in service.

[tom_uk]

....Cafe Vivo has been re-vamped ....

 

You haven't got any pictures of Cafe Vivo after the revamp, have you? We were on Arcadia in autumn 2010 and enjoyed it very much. Almost the only bit of the ship that we really didn't like was Cafe Vivo - we thought it was small and gloomy, and we hated the stools.

 

We're going back in October for 13 nights so we'll find out for ourselves then, but if there are any pictures around I'd be interested to see them.

[Sutho]

I have always found Arcadia very stable compared to other ships I have been on.

 

One thing that breaks down on all P&O ships that really annoys me is the whirlpool spas. When you go on a ship brand new they all work with strong jets and bubbles, lately when I go on cruises these spas are nothing but a miserable dribble. On Oriana they have all been broken for years and never fixed.

[balcony queen]

What is the problem with the laundrette? mvarcadia

[davecttr]

What is the problem with the laundrette? mvarcadia

Fighting, weekly :eek:

 

The entrtainments team on Ventura delighted in telling me that a couple of female cruisers on Arcadia resorted to fisticuffs in a dispute over their laundry. A lot of cruisers either don't know or have forgotten their launderette ettequite.(sp)

 

Don't panic. I think the launderette comment referred to the amount of time you will spend in there on a 3 month cruise, unless you are rich and use the laundry service ;)

[bazzaw]

The main problem with Arcadia laundries is that they are very small ( think of a broom closet :) )

 

As for laundry "stories" -- I believe that these are the cruising equivalent of "urban myths". On every ship I have been on, I have heard identical stories purported to have happened on that particular ship :)

 

Barry

[mvarcadia.com]

My comment about "except for the laundrette" was because the three of them are, frankly, inadequate for the needs of 2,000 guests over three months and you will find a good deal of competition for the facilities. The crew suffer similarly for their non-uniform laundry so don't bother about trying to use the easily-accessed one on deck 1 just aft of the aft port side lifts.

 

The Vista class ships were not really designed for "worldies", unlike Oriana and Aurora. There is a proposal to add one additional laundrette at the 2013 refit but don't shout at me if this is dropped.

[balcony queen]

My comment about "except for the laundrette" was because the three of them are, frankly, inadequate for the needs of 2,000 guests over three months and you will find a good deal of competition for the facilities. The crew suffer similarly for their non-uniform laundry so don't bother about trying to use the easily-accessed one on deck 1 just aft of the aft port side lifts.

 

The Vista class ships were not really designed for "worldies", unlike Oriana and Aurora. There is a proposal to add one additional laundrette at the 2013 refit but don't shout at me if this is dropped.

Thanks for that. Forwarned is forarmed as they say. ;)Thought it was something like that.Wish it was urban myth:) Next question outside the spa area there appears to be couches and easy chairs can I sit there after a busy day in the laundrette free or is there a charge?Is there an area similar to Princess Sanctuary on the ship. Thank you everyone for your help:)

[Sutho]

On that ship I just pay to have my laundry done and take enough clothes to rotate through to avoid washing. Most evening wear can tollerate a few nights without washing if you spread out its use. Same goes for day clothes if you have a designated set for day use on the ship. The other trick is to take enough underwear to last the entire cruise.

[mvarcadia.com]

So, Tony, that's 99 sets of underwear in January! Do you have shares in Tuffy's???

[mvarcadia.com]

I mean "for the cruise starting in January"

[Sutho]

No I had just enough for the 31 night cruise I did earlier this year. I just dont wear any when I am on the ship during the day, mainly in the pool or by the pool or on deck. If I am in the cabin or on the balcony I may not wear any clothes at all if I dont feel like it.

[mvarcadia.com]

"I may not wear any clothes at all if I dont feel like it"

 

That certainly saves on the laundry! Is there a P&O name for this dress code??

[swissmiss2010]

I'm a bit concerned over the fact that Argentina is now banning ships flying the british flag from docking in Buenos Aires. We are supposed to have 2 days here, 1 in Puero Madryn and 1 in Ushuai on the Arcadia next year.

[Sutho]

"I may not wear any clothes at all if I dont feel like it"

 

That certainly saves on the laundry! Is there a P&O name for this dress code??

 

I meant in my cabin and on the balcony, sometimes on a hot day in the tropics I might just sit on the balcony with no cloths on at all.

 

As for dress code there is no code for it, though what you might find funny is this clip http://youtu.be/BldsmDBgIWI of a very good friend of mine that I have taken on my previous P&O cruise.

[mvarcadia.com]

LOL! I like it, Tony. Where's that bar?

[Sutho]

LOL! I like it, Tony. Where's that bar?

 

Not sure, I never asked her. I just assumed it was part of a set. I know that was a tv commercial she was in. Taking her on a cruise was probably the best decision I made in my life. I like her dress code!