Views on Arcadia

[Nippy Sweetie]

Just wondering what people thought of Arcadia? We are in our 50s & not keen on climbing walls/ice rinks etc on ships as we like quiet cruising with good food & good company. I saw that Arcadia is child free which seemed fine by us & there is an itinerary which looks good but would it be a mistake? Opinions gratefully received.

[annieuk]

You will get replies from people who love Arcadia and from others who say they cannot stand her! I have been on Oriana, Oceana, Adonia (when she was with P&O) and Arcadia. Of these Arcadia is the largest ship and one of the only two child-free ships (Artemis is the other). We enjoyed our cruise on Arcadia very much.

 

I suggest you register on the P&O Community site which has a section devoted to each of the ships. You will then be able to read lots of different opinions and try to form your own. Look at the brochure and study what it says about Arcadia. On the P&O site you can look at the pictures of the ship. It is very silly, I feel, to make a judgement by what one or two people say. Do as much research as you can and then make your decision.

 

Annie

[Pontius Navigator]

Last year we would have voted against Arcadia as we were on her in her maiden year. Our first cruise was on Oceana and she was better than Arcadia. At the time we were told you would love or loathe her. My sister in law loved her (each time).

 

Last year we added 3 more P&O ships to our portfolio and I am pleased to say we now rate Arcadia at second or second equal to Oceana. Artemis has fine features but she is tired. Aurora is our favourite and we particularly like her stern decks.

 

Go on Arcadia with confidence.

[LibraLass41]

Nippy

Many cruisers on Arcadia will be in your age group, Arcadia is ideal if you like a quiet relaxing time around the pool and being able to swim without fear of splashing children, and to dine in a relaxed adult atmosphere in the dining room.... I am in my mid-40's and hubbie late 50's we found plenty of people in our age group, and lots in 60-70's and few under 50.and 80+

I have cruised on Arcadia to Canaries, the Med and Venice and Greece, and have photos from these cruises + a special Arcadia album with 70+ photos just of the ship if you would like to look at the ship inside and out. Here is the link to the 'all about Arcadia ' album go to sue's gallery for other Arcadia cruises. Here is link:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/AllAboutArcadia#

 

PRESS SLIDESHOW,

 

Any specific questions , just ask.

The Arcadian Rhodes restaurant and the Thai Orchid are lovely and well worth a visit when onboard. The hydropool spa is the best in the pando fleet.

[Britboys]

Hi Nippy,

 

My partner & I 'embrace' 50 from either side and have had 2 cruises on Arcadia - 1 to the Baltics in July 06 and one to Venice in August last year. Both times we had a fabulous cruise and would happily board her again any time. We found her to be a friendly, elegantly contemporary and sophisticated ship. I particularly enjoy being in and around the pools on a cruise and really enjoy not having children around this area to hamper my enjoyment of it.

[stopgo]

The only downside to the Arcadia is the lack of atrium.

[Britboys]

Arcadia does in fact have an Atrium - it is just smaller than most. I personally would rather have more public room space than a 'great big hole' through several decks :).

[LibraLass41]

The only downside to the Arcadia is the lack of atrium.

 

 

Yes there is a Atrium on Arcadia with a lovely stained glass ceiling and a winding staircase. So no downside then :)

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/ArcadiaMedCruiseJune07#5084167704175170642

 

photo of stained glass

 

 

At the bottom of the atrium is seating and people have their photos taken here..

[LibraLass41]

Arcadia does in fact have an Atrium - it is just smaller than most. I personally would rather have more public room space than a 'great big hole' through several decks :).

 

I agree .....after seeing some big Atriums like Independence and Venturas.

[stopgo]

To be honest when I was posting that I wasn't 100% certain about the Atrium. As posted before my other cruise was on the Ventura, which defintley had a spectacular Atrium.

[Nippy Sweetie]

Thanks very much all. I`ll check out photos and register on P&O forum. I think its a yes! So many cold miserable months to go so Its lovely to have something to look forward to. I`m trying to restrain myself & hold back from booking for a couple of months as Jan seems to be the most expensive time to book.

[stopgo]

Arcadia does in fact have an Atrium - it is just smaller than most. I personally would rather have more public room space than a 'great big hole' through several decks :).

I can only comment on Arcadia and Ventura, I have to say I prefer the Atrium on the Ventura. The fact that I couldn't remember if the Arcadia as an Atrium illustrates that point. I like the large open space at the bottom of Ventura's Atrium, its a perfect meeting place with a lot of seating area. The coffee shop, the library, the cyber centre the future bookings and excursions all run from the bottom of the Atrium. The second level up as the restaurant and most of the shops not to mention the reception all within spitting distance of the staircase. The third level as another shop plus a few bars again close to the staircase. On top of that the Atrium is very bright and light, with light displays changing with the time of day. On the Arcadia its the opposite its dark with a black decor and just chrome used as an highlight. The reception isn't even part of it, its to one side. With nothing close to it compared to the Ventura, it feels underused.

[LibraLass41]

Yes the Atrium is bigger on Ventura , its not a reason though not to sail on Arcadia.

 

Its only a staircase :rolleyes:, now, if you wanna see a atrium with a shopping mall down the middle have a look at Independence.....

 

which cruise are you looking at Nippy?

I have just seen photos of Arcadia after the recent refit, the Aquarius deck is bigger and there are some nice relaxation areas now and furniture.

[stopgo]

Yes the Atrium is bigger on Ventura , its not a reason though not to sail on Arcadia.

 

Its only a staircase :rolleyes:, now, if you wanna see a atrium with a shopping mall down the middle have a look at Independence.....

 

which cruise are you looking at Nippy?

I have just seen photos of Arcadia after the recent refit, the Aquarius deck is bigger and there are some nice relaxation areas now and furniture.

I agree in everyother aspect Arcadia as the Ventura beat. But for me I like decor and the vibe of Atrium on the Ventura, I hope the Azura follows the Ventura with a similar Atrium.

[Nippy Sweetie]

I was wondering about the Southampton to Venice to Southampton trip in June 2009. 16 nights looked good & We always wanted to go up the Adriatic.

[Britboys]

I was wondering about the Southampton to Venice to Southampton trip in June 2009. 16 nights looked good & We always wanted to go up the Adriatic.

 

Hi Nippy. Our last Arcadia cruise in August last year was the 16-nighter to Venice. Hopefully, you can follow this link http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=47009 to the review I did on that cruise for this forum. Libralass also went to Venice on Arcadia last year too I think. It was a fantastic itinerary. We had a really great cruise. If you want to get more of a feeling of Arcadia, the Executive Purser does a really interesting blog at www.jamescusick.co.uk . They are currently in the early stages of Arcadia's first Grand Voyage (a world cruise that doesn't actually circumnavigate the earth).

 

Hope that is helpful.

[Britboys]

...On top of that the Atrium is very bright and light, with light displays changing with the time of day. On the Arcadia its the opposite its dark with a black decor and just chrome used as an highlight.

 

Hi Stopgo. The only Black I can recall in the Arcadia Atrium was a long black sheer curtain but that has now gone to open up the Piano Bar at the top of the Atrium. As Libralass says, there is a lovely, colourful backlit stained glass ceiling at the top.

On the middle deck, there are 2 bars and a restaurant immediately off the Atrium and the reception & tours office are only just off the lower deck.

[stopgo]

I just can't believe anybody would prefer Arcadia Atrium to Ventura's Atrium. Which ever level you judge it by Arcadia can't compete in this aspect. I like to hear what other Ventura passengers think about the Atrium.

[jeanlyon]

Forgive me, but what has an Atrium got to do with whether you enjoy your cruise or not? I've read this whole thread and don't understand why it would matter?

[stopgo]

I just mentioned earlier that the only downside of the Arcadia was the lack of an Atrium. Which other poster's replied yes it does have an Atrium. To which I replied not one as good as the Ventura, which in my opinion is the only part of the ship which betters the Arcadia. This doesn't effect your or my enjoyment of a Cruise, its just another factor that makes up your Cruise holiday. Its up to you how much value you put on it. I hope this makes the previous posts crystal clear for you.

Phew!

[tom_uk]

Forgive me, but what has an Atrium got to do with whether you enjoy your cruise or not? I've read this whole thread and don't understand why it would matter?

 

The OP's query was "...what people thought of Arcadia?", rather than 'did people enjoy their cruises on Arcadia?'. So I think everyone has given some pretty ship-specific answers, including the Atrium discussion.

[Britboys]

Forgive me, but what has an Atrium got to do with whether you enjoy your cruise or not? I've read this whole thread and don't understand why it would matter?

 

Indeed Jeanlyon. This thread, like many others, has drifted a bit from the original point - it must be the currents moving us around :D. Ship's Atriums for some reason spark a lot of debate on ships and it sometimes seems that rather than judging a book by its cover, some cruise pax judge a ship by its Atrium (but I am not saying that is the case on this thread!).

 

I think libralass and myself were just responding to Stopgo's views that Arcadia's Atrium detracted from the rest of the ship.

[LibraLass41]

Forgive me, but what has an Atrium got to do with whether you enjoy your cruise or not? I've read this whole thread and don't understand why it would matter?

 

totally agree Jean , as I said in a post above its only a staircase!

[LibraLass41]

I was wondering about the Southampton to Venice to Southampton trip in June 2009. 16 nights looked good & We always wanted to go up the Adriatic.

 

Nippy

I did this 16n cruise on Arcadia last year -2008

 

It will be fantastic in June - lovely hot weather ...go for it..

The sail into Venice is magical, have photos her you can look at and use to twist youR partners arm if you want!

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/VeniceCruiseMay2008#

 

Sue

[stopgo]

I just mentioned earlier that the only downside of the Arcadia was the lack of an Atrium. Which other poster's replied yes it does have an Atrium. To which I replied not one as good as the Ventura, which in my opinion is the only part of the ship which betters the Arcadia. This doesn't effect your or my enjoyment of a Cruise, its just another factor that makes up your Cruise holiday. Its up to you how much value you put on it. I hope this makes the previous posts crystal clear for you.

Phew!

Just to repeat for Jeanlyon and Libralass