J420 canaries & portugal

[Robert]

Hi everyone
Who else is joining us on this cruise?
When we booked the cruise we were informed that Arcadia had recently had a refit and wondered if anyone out there had travelled on her,post refit.we did a weekender on her about five years ago so no doubt things will have changed quite a lot since then.

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert, we are joining you on this cruise. We have not been on Arcadia since the refit but I am sure we will be pleased with the changes. Hope to see you on board.

[Keechy]

Hi Robert. Arcadia is my favourite ship and my wife's second (Aurora's no 1) We sailed on her three years ago and again in September on J416 to the western Med. We didn't see much difference except in the Crow's nest which looks much bigger now. Generally, she's had a spruce-up but there's nothing to take your breath away. It will be interesting to see if you find it as quiet we did this time.

[Robert]

Hi Chris B & Keechy
We are really looking forward to this cruise,it's the first we have done out of southampton since we went to Scandinavia about 5 years ago.
Most of the others have been fly-cruises to the Caribbean.
I am travelling with my wife and my parents who are in their 80's and it will be their 2nd cruise and they are so looking forward to it also.

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert. Hope you and your family enjoy the cruise. I am sure you will. We too are looking forward to it after having to cancel two cruises this year as my OH was taken ill. We now have the ok from his consultant to travel, soooo can't wait.

[Robert]

Hi Chris
We are so looking forward to this cruise as I too was taken ill at the end of our last cruise in the Caribbean and spent an extra two weeks in hospital in Barbados,but,like your OH I'm ok to travel anywhere so long as I don't fly.
My parents are travelling with us,they are in their early 80's and we are mid 50's.
If my dad could go tomorrow he would lol.
What deck and dining are you on? We're on 'c' deck and second sitting

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert. So glad you are on the mend. Brian was struck down with kidney disease. Never been ill in his life then bang. He is in remission now, so fingers crossed for the future. We are on B deck and freedom dining. We find freedom dining suits us well. Do you have far to travel? We live along the coast from Southampton, so just a 50 mimute drive for us.

[Robert]

Hi Chris
Good to hear Brian is doing well,it was similar to my problem as I have been lucky with regards to illness and hardly ever had reason to see a doctor so it was a real shock when I was ill.
We live in Nottinghamshire so it's a fair distance for us so we are travelling down the day before and staying at the Holiday Inn near to the dockside.

[Robert]

Hi all
Just 24 days to go and my dearest wife has started on the cases !

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert. Yes it's nearly here. We are expecting a decorator in next week. Bad timing really. Brian says to put him off till we get back. I really need to get the cases out and the clothes rack out. We hang our clothes on the rack as we get them out and they are ready to put into cases the day before we leave.

[Robert]

Hi Chris
Karen is only packing the items that won't need ironing a hundred times to make them look half decent lol
My mum has nearly finished hers as they are going away this weekend for a few days and then she can finalise the rest on their return

[Robert]

Just add to the last reply,by the looks of the lack of other posts we have the ship to ourselves lol

[barney]

Don't worry about that Robert.

We did this one two years ago and it was sold out by the time we left.

Funnily enough it was one of the rare cruises that never discounted.
The price we paid was the cheapest it ever was.

We loved it and Arcadia and are back on her next year.

Top tip is to have lunch around the Neptune grill & pool.
Usually nice and quite & fresh cooked to order.

Have a great time.

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert, Well, we decided to put the decorator off until we come back from the cruise, thought it was going to be too much of an upheaval next week.

We shall be getting the cases out at the weekend. I have already printed my list off. I have a spread sheet of the things we take on holidays. I tick the list as I pack the items. How sad is that!!! Too much time on my hands since retiring.

As you said, there doesn't seem to be many people on the cruise, just us. However, Barney put us right in that respect, thanks Barney. Although I love this site there doesn't seem to be as much interaction on cruises as there used to be on the P & O site.

Barney, we love Arcadia. We did the Maiden and this will be our fifth time on this ship. The last time we were on Arcadia we did the Southampton round trip to the Caribbean.

[barney]

Arcadia is our favouite as well Chris

First time on I booked an AFT balcony and loved it. Best cabin we've had by miles.
So booked similar again for next year.

We also love the artwork all over the ship and the general atmosphere.
No kids is also a Brucey Bonus for us.

I know that there is no atrium but that's a small trade off for us.

Our favourite hideaway was the little bar in front of what was the Orchid (now East)
Great for a quiet drink with lovely views.

[Robert]

Thanks for that barney,it's all logged in somewhere in the brain dept where I can retrieve it once were onboard lol

[Robert]

16 days to go folks

[ChrisB]

Only six more sleeps!!!!! So looking forward to this cruise after cancelling two cruises this year due to Brian's health issues. Roll on 27th Nov.

[Robert]

Hi Chris
As I said previously,we are really looking forward to the cruise for the same reasons as you.we'll have to have a meet up on the first day in one of the bars

[Robert]

According to the p&o site,the cruise is totally sold out now

[Robert]

Hi Chris
I'm posting now as we're travelling down tomorrow.
See you onboard
Robert & Karen

[ChrisB]

Hi Robert. Give us a call when you are settled and we can all meet up for a drink. We are in B93. Have a safe journey down.

[barney]

According to the p&o site,the cruise is totally sold out now

Told you

Have a great time.

I hope the BoB is kind to you and we expect a brief review on your return

regards
Barney

[ChrisB]

Thank you Barney. I too hope the BoB is kind to us.

[Robert]

Hi Chris
I'm so sorry I didn't get your message until today on my return,I hope you enjoyed the cruise,we enjoyed parts of it and disliked some of it.
I thought that the sea days were wasted in some respects as there didn't appear to be much to do if you hadn't taken your knitting needles with you.
The entertainment was ok but again they appeared to rely on the headliners too much and not have top class entertainers onboard which was a shame.
I thought the food was very repetitive wherever you dined so in all a bit disappointed as I thought that the quality throughout wasn't up to the usual p&o level.
What were your thoughts ?