Cruise on Arcadia with parents in October

[Jamie Girling]

Hi my names Jamie and in October I am going on a 17 night cruise around the med with my parents. We haven't been on a cruise before and we don't know what to expect. Can you please assist in the following so we enjoy the cruise without worrying about fitting in.

 

How many formal nights will we have?

 

How do you dress for formal nights. I am 19 and my parents are 45 and 44

 

how do you dress for informal nights?

 

All silly questions I know but we want to enjoy the cruise and not arrive on the ship ill prepared

 

Thanks everyone

Jamiehttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[tom_uk]

Jamie: welcome to cruising, and to the forum.

 

P&O ask passengers to wear 'dinner dress' for the formal nights. That means either a dinner jacket, matching trousers, dress shirt & bow tie OR dark suit & tie for me, and a long gown or cocktail dress for women. You and your father might be a bit unhappy about this, but your mother will be very pleased! - especially when she gets to buy sme dresses....

 

Actually, many people find that they positively enjoy dressing up for dinner. In October, I imagine you'll find that the great majority of passengers will observe the dress code on formal nights, and I would guess that a majority of the men will wear dinner jackets.

 

As for number of formal nights: well, it's 4 on a 14-night cruise, so I would expect it will either be 4 or 5. One of the formal nights will be described as 'Black & White Night', when passengers are requested to wear black & white clothing. Not a problem for the men who will probably be wearing these colours anyway, but bit different for the ladies.

 

Informal nights: suit and tie, or jacket & tie. I've got away with jacket & open-neck shirt. (Then casual would be open-neck shirt without a jacket....)

 

It all sounds very complicated but the dress code is the most fraught area. I'm sure that you & your parents will have a great time.

[marlin48]

My partner and myself are also on the 17 day cruise and my question is about Arcadia.We have been on 1 cruise on the Ventura and felt it was too big so my question is for those with Arcadia expierence what are the differences other than size that we might expect?

[LibraLass41]

Arcadia is a lovely ship, we have done a 16n cruise to Venice on her, (5 formals), a Med and Canaries cruise.

 

I have a few albums on the web, one is 'All about Arcadia' with 80 photos just of the ship, click this link:

 

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

 

press slideshow'

 

in the 'my photos' section are more albums from other cruises on Arcadia and also a Ventura album to give you a taste of the 2 ships.

The Oriana Rhodes restaurant on Arcadia is well worth the small supplement for a special evening with fantastic top notch food, on a table for 2. The hydropool and Oasis spa are the best in the fleet, well worth the £10 per day extra, it limits the number of people to around 20, so has a calm exclusive atmosphere.

 

Ventura ofcourse is a lot bigger and child friendly.

[marlin48]

Thank you for your info on the Arcadia you seem to love the ship. I have read many unfavourable reports on other forums but with your photo gallery you have made me feel better about it and i shall be visiting Gary Rhodes restraunt and already have booking for the Orchid.

We are in B92 which i guess is similar to B52 in your photos.

Thanks again.

[LibraLass41]

I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

 

Arcadia is different from the rest of the fleet and the unfavourable reports are usually from cruisers who have been on the classic ships such as Oriana and Aurora and then spend all their cruise comparing them to Arcadia.

 

She is different, shes quite new, modern, with clean lines and not OTT. There are great plus sides to her, as you have seen from the photos, tha spa,Rhodes restaurant,a covered pool for poor weather days, great child free pools, a new extended sundeck with lovely new furniture, the food and cabins are as good as any other ship, and ofcourse the peace and relaxation of being child free is a big plus.

Enjoy

:)

[Movietone]

Hi Marlin48

I'm also on this cruise (J916) and I wonder if you could tell me how you have managed to make a restaurant booking in advance please?

[LibraLass41]

I think there is a gift package you can book in the brochure that includes a bottle of wine and the supplement charge for The Orchid.

 

Please don't worry about booking in advance, you will have no problem booking a table IF you book on embarkation afternoon....

after lunch when you get on, find the restaurants, and the restaurant manager will be there with his diary, you will be able to sort out a table then and there. I've dined in the Orchid and Rhodes on every cruise and have never had a problem getting the date I wanted and a table for 2 - ask for one by the window!

I prefer Rhodes personally - The food and the service is wonderful.

[LibraLass41]

Example of ORCHID Menu:

 

Samples of the 4 rotating menus in The Orchid restaurant on Arcadia - £10pp supplement

 

Some samples from the menus:

 

 

STARTERS

(V) Crunchy vegetable salad tossed with fried bean curd, drizzled with a spicy peanut sauce

--

Thai Steamed mussels cooked in a coconut cream, flavoured with lemon grass, garlic and ginger

 

Duck spring rolls and fried chicken satay on a bed of steamed rice with pickled cucumber

 

SOUP

 

Hot and sour prawn egg drop soup served with rice biscuits

 

(V) Rich Veloute Aspargus soup infused with a sweet basil cream

 

MAIN COURSES

 

Lamb cutlets cooked in a rich gravy with herbs and spices finished with blended spinach and served with buttered rice and rotis

 

Shallow fried Thai fish cakes of salmon, tiger prawns and cod with a mild chilli and peanut sauce

 

Pan roasted chicken breast stuffed with pork, water chestnuts and a mushroom farce resting on a bed of stir fry vegetables and crispy noodles

 

Seared medallions of beef fillet simmered in a rich padang gravy garnished with braised bok choy

 

Fillets of Monkfish cooked in light tempura butter layered with noodles and a coated mild lime and chilli dressing

 

(V) Stir fried tofu dumplings, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots in a sweet and sour sauce

 

DESSERTS

 

Cramy mango Brulee glazed with sugar and lime zest

 

spice roasted pineapple with orange and pasion fruit sour cream

 

Indian fried bread pudding in a sweet evaporated milk flavoured rose water, saffron and cardamorn

 

Indian thickened rice pudding garnished with pistachio nuts

[marlin48]

Hi Movietone,

LibraLass maybe right about the brochure but we found out origInally because the rep at Thomas Cook had been on Venturas first cruise and was told of the way to do it for MP WHITES which was done by the travel agents phoning P&O.

Thanks again LibraLass for all the info you are a gem and you are right about the wine.

The travel agent could not book for Gary Rhodes wich is the one i really want.

[LibraLass41]

Marlin

You will have no problem getting a table at Rhodes on Arcadia.

 

I've just returned from Oriana, and dined at the Oriana Rhodes restaurant twice on a 9n cruise, wonderful wonderful food and service, the Captain and ships Dr were also in there dining at separate tables,so it must be good LOL, well worth going.:)

I usually book on a Smart casual or Ideally a semi formal night (the restaurant manager will have the dress code in his diary) as the FORMAL nights are nice to have in the main restaurant with your table companions, and also the menu is better in the main restaurant on the formal nights, and not to be missed (lobster, beef wellington etc)

[Movietone]

Cheers LibraLass and Marlin. That was helpful and interesting, especially the menu.

I'm still unclear how you managed to book The Orchid pre cruise though!

TonyP

[Johnthed0g]

I too love Arcadia & have never had ther slightest problem getting a table in the select venues. The age group does tend towards the older cruiser as the ship is child free. I have never booked a table in advance either, I thought you couldn't book a specific date even with a gift package.

[Saturated]

Thanks for the pics LibraLass. I really only browse this site is my knowledge of cruising is very limited, but your posts are often very informative. It's one thing to have the privilege of cruising on a regular basis , as you do, but it's very much to your credit that you share your insight and enthusiasm with those of us for whom a cruise is a bit of a luxury. Thanks Libra and I wish you and yours many more great cruises in the future. :)

[marlin48]

Hi John,

The gift package only guarantees you a table not a specific date although we did get a bit of a discount on the deal and you don't get it charged to your ship account. Hope this helps.

[LibraLass41]

Thanks for the pics LibraLass. I really only browse this site is my knowledge of cruising is very limited, but your posts are often very informative. It's one thing to have the privilege of cruising on a regular basis , as you do, but it's very much to your credit that you share your insight and enthusiasm with those of us for whom a cruise is a bit of a luxury. Thanks Libra and I wish you and yours many more great cruises in the future. :)

 

ahhh, shucks, thanks for that...

 

Look out for my next album from the NEW Celebrity ship Equinox next month....I have been invited to photograph this ship , as it will be the same as Eclipse which sails from Southampton next year...a real bit of Competition for P&O....

[Saturated]

Most certainly will do, Libra :)