30 night Arcadia cruise , what were things like where we were

[gsmt47471015]

Not been on here for some months due to some members accusing me of Character assassination, been banal and having hidden innuendoes, as I stated then I would not comment on anything again but will answer any question about this subject only and as such this is a short review of Arcadia as she is at the moment. Firstly, it has to be accepted that she is twenty-two years old and after been on Iona it shows how things have changed in that time, decor is a little worn in places (mostly corridor and stair carpets) but she is still a fine ship and handled some rough weather very well although we did miss some ports. the onboard facilities are adequate with a few exceptions these been the lack of alternative eating venues (ocean grill opened with four days of the cruise left and no chance of getting a booking), merchandise in the shops been very limited, especially the men's department where only one rack was available the whole cruise and two thirds of that was taken up by dogs Barbour coats and the lack of certain drinks in bars. Food in the restaurant was good and the buffet was also sufficient, although it did get busy at peak times due to one section been closed.

Staff, as always were exceptional and make the cruise for us, we had a couple of good guest speakers on board, unfortunately the artist Philip Gray could not get on the ship due to the changed itinerary, entertainment was varied and as always is down to personal choice, although it seemed top heavy with singing acts and geared to the demographic. Some things which were not so good were the coldness throughout the entire ship, not helped by leaving the retractable roof open (ajar) during most of the cruise, we  left the crow's nest on numerous occasions as it was just too cold to sit in there even on formal nights when we had jackets on, other bars were just the same, a mention of the waiters in the crow's nest (or some of them) who must have been affected by the temperature as they were very unhelpful and less than friendly. We also felt the handling of the clock adjustment was handled poorly on the way home, three days running when it could have been spaced out, we had to lose an hour and instead of doing this at lunchtime it was performed at 2 am which meant the staff lost three hours sleep in three days which we felt was unfair on them.

So, to sum up the ship is still in pretty good condition and appears to have plenty of life left in her, but the temperature really needs adjusting as it was just too cold to sit in most places (suspect this may relate to Covid prevention).

Finally on the subject of Covid, mask wearing was mandatory for the first seven days and was relaxed to personal choice after that, but as so many people didn't comply in the first seven days it was inevitable what would happen and mask wearing became advised (daily by the captain) for the rest of the cruise, for those people that missed Boston, New York and subsequent ports due to getting Covid if you complied with the request than we are really sorry for you, if you were the selfish ones who didn't think it applied to them then you reap what you sow    

[silkworms]

I think you will find that Arcadia was launched in 2004 which makes

her 18 not 22!

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, gsmt47471015 said:

we  left the crow's nest on numerous occasions as it was just too cold to sit in there even on formal nights when we had jackets on, other bars were just the same, a

We experienced the same Artic conditions back in April. I'm amazed that they haven't turned the thermostat up.

If it's too cold for us to drink, you can tell it is bad !

[Son of Anarchy]

Thanks for post this review.  We had originally booked this cruise, but moved it to the equivalent on Aurora next year.

 

Which terminal did you moor up at in New York?

[gsmt47471015]

We were docked on 92 which is four piers from the Intrepid

[gsmt47471015]

49 minutes ago, silkworms said:

I think you will find that Arcadia was launched in 2004 which makes

her 18 not 22!

Maths was never my strong point😄

[Son of Anarchy]

Thanks.  Intrepid is on my bucket list!

[gsmt47471015]

2 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Thanks.  Intrepid is on my bucket list!

Our friends did the visit and loved it, also Concorde is sat next to it on the pier, and you can pay extra to go onboard it 

[Red Leicester]

Re clock changes, I have only ever known this to take place overnight at 02:00.  Interestingly on returning to Southampton on Britannia one week ago we had no advice on reverting back to UK time at all.

[gsmt47471015]

On some of our other cruises the clocks were changed at 12 noon, far better as they were sea days, and you don't miss the time, we can live with it at 02.00 but the crew lose out

[FangedRose]

Heading back to UK from Caribbean and Canada clock changes were always done at midday (or 1pm, can't remember finer details). Other cruises it was overnight.

[Valfan]

Arcadia was launched in April 2005. On cruises coming back from USA and Canada we've only ever had clocks changed around noon.  Apart from one time when they tried moving clocks and watches by 30 minutes at two separate times of the day. But it proved too much of a shambles, with people getting mixed up and keeping asking other passengers and staff what time their watches should be at. So that idea was quickly scrapped.

[Ranchi]

I certainly found west bound quite challenging ( previous years.) My body clock refused to update and I kept waking up an hour earlier each day. After three twenty five hour days I almost  dropped off one evening in the Crow’s Nest. We’ve just been trawling through some old scrap books containing cruises in the mid sixties & half hour were common on those cruises. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Ranchi

[Yorkypete]

11 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

Re clock changes, I have only ever known this to take place overnight at 02:00.  Interestingly on returning to Southampton on Britannia one week ago we had no advice on reverting back to UK time at all.

We had a note through the door ! A small red card.

[Yorkypete]

11 hours ago, gsmt47471015 said:

On some of our other cruises the clocks were changed at 12 noon, far better as they were sea days, and you don't miss the time, we can live with it at 02.00 but the crew lose out

I donn't see the point of changing them at dinner time as internationally all the clocks etc on the ship will be wrong. In our many cruises I have never known them change at any other time except 2.00am which is the internationally recognised time.

 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, Ranchi said:

I certainly found west bound quite challenging ( previous years.) My body clock refused to update and I kept waking up an hour earlier each day. After three twenty five hour days I almost  dropped off one evening in the Crow’s Nest. We’ve just been trawling through some old scrap books containing cruises in the mid sixties & half hour were common on those cruises. 

I once flew to  the US and back in 24 hours for a one day meeting. Never changed my watch, but I was in a confused state for some time afterwards.  Hats off to flight crew who do it all the time.

Edited October 9, 2022 by wowzz

[FangedRose]

1 hour ago, Yorkypete said:

I donn't see the point of changing them at dinner time as internationally all the clocks etc on the ship will be wrong. In our many cruises I have never known them change at any other time except 2.00am which is the internationally recognised time.

 

They don't change at dinner time, they change at lunch time, but only when sailing eastwards across The Atlantic. Otherwise it is at 2am as you say. 

[FangedRose]

13 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

Re clock changes, I have only ever known this to take place overnight at 02:00.  Interestingly on returning to Southampton on Britannia one week ago we had no advice on reverting back to UK time at all.

Always had a card, either under the door, in the pigeon hole, or left in cabin. It is also advertised in The Horizon, and mentioned in the shipwide broadcasts. Waiters tell us after dinner, and the host at the Theatre Show announces it. It is also on the info channel of the TV.

 

Difficult to miss really.

[Red Leicester]

8 hours ago, FangedRose said:

Always had a card, either under the door, in the pigeon hole, or left in cabin. It is also advertised in The Horizon, and mentioned in the shipwide broadcasts. Waiters tell us after dinner, and the host at the Theatre Show announces it. It is also on the info channel of the TV.

 

Difficult to miss really.

Never missed it, mentioned everywhere as you say.  We had something in the door and announcements etc.  Just the last change coming home was never mentioned full stop.  No cards, not in the captain's final announcement, not in Horizon...

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 10/9/2022 at 11:20 AM, Red Leicester said:

Re clock changes, I have only ever known this to take place overnight at 02:00.  Interestingly on returning to Southampton on Britannia one week ago we had no advice on reverting back to UK time at all.

We did have an Atlantic cruise a few years ago and they changed the clocks midday. Which to me is far more sensible. I suppose it affects lunch time dining but staff don't lose an hours sleep. Was thinking of the Arcadia September 2024. But prices have increase substantially. An example is a 35 nighter, inside cabin cost me £6,200 whereas a 30 night cruise on Arcadia same grade cabin is the best part of £8,500. Not being a mathematic genius, but that's £2,300 more and five nights less.