Just back yesterday from our Canary Island cruise on Arcadia and thought I'd do a (very) brief review.
So, to start with the embarkation - yes, that old chestnut !
We were given a boarding time of 2.00pm
We arrived at Mayflower at about 1.10 pm and our car was whisked away as normal.
On entering the lounge, it did seem rather busy and we were handed our card which was RED 'E'
We walked up the ramp to the seating area and got ourselves a coffee
Our card was called at about 1.30 and after the usual simple check in, we were on board by about 1.50pm, so all in all, a very smooth operation from my point of view.
There was a couple that we spoke to who had arrived at 12.00 but whose boarding was 3.00 and they said that they were told that they would not be boarding much before that and were a bit piddled off by the whole thing, so hit the vino a bit early!
We had our favourite AFT cabin and it was ready for occupation when we boarded.
We didn't bother with the buffet at this stage as our luggage was waiting so just unpacked and when finished, headed to the Muster.
On the packing front, I broke my own very impressive record of packing in less that ten minutes.
My case is over a hanger wide so simply transferred my clothes from the wardrobe to the case with hangers still intact.
It makes for a very easy unpack at the other end as well.
So, to the cruise itself.
Well, we both agreed that it was our best ever
The ship is our favourite, the crew were fantastic as always and we met some lovely new people.
We were extremely lucky with the weather.
An easy sail out, the Bob was kind and from Madeira onwards, the sun shone and it was very warm.
As I type, to think, this time last Sunday, I had to come in from the balcony because it was too hot to sit out in, in Teneriffe.
We even took a dip in the sea on the Saturday in Gran Canaria, before a wonderful tapas lunch in Playa de las Canteras.
As for the entertainment, there were some very good acts that I expect many of the regulars on here have seen before.
A girl vocal trio called Virtuosity were excellent, as was the violin player called Greg Halliday
There was a comedian that we hadn't seen before called Micky Zany who was much better than his name suggests.
Both his shows had the audience (and the band) in stitches.
I got the impression that much of his act was ad lib, but he made us smile.
There was also a wonderful young lady playing the Harp
Yep, the Harp! Who would have thought that?
I think she was called Cecelia de Maria and she was very, very talented.
This was the first time on Freedom Dining and I don't think we'll ever go back.
It suited us down to the ground.
We dined anytime between about seven at the earliest and half eight at the latest.
Always a table for two and the buzzer system worked brilliantly although it did increase my alcohol intake considerably.
I don't think we've ever drunk so much Prosecco before.
The food was pretty much as it always is.
Usually very good with the odd ropey one thrown in here and there.
One thing is for sure, you're never going to starve on a cruise.
I was pretty impressed with both Gala Night menus of 'Marco Pierre's choice'
I just said to the waiter, please bring me that.
All of it he said?
Yep! all six courses
I was very proud of myself !!!!!
The captain was a chap called Asseem Hashmi from Coventry,who we had not come across before.
We spoke at some length at the Masonic Cocktail Party and he was a very entertaining guy and came across very well.
We raised a good bit for his charity and he seemed very comfortable with the whole thing.
So, to conclude my short review, we had a great time, it's bloody freezing here and we can't wait for the next one.
All the best
Barney
