Embarkation on Saturday was chaotic to put it mildly. There has been a slight change to this since our last cruise but it shouldn't really have affected us.
Our check in time was 12:30 and we arrived at the terminal at 12 noon and were shown to the priority waiting area. In the past there would have been approx 20 pax in there but this time it was almost full with very few spare seats. We were called to check in at 12:15 all running well so far, then shown to the Priority lounge where refreshments were being served. This is where it all went pear shaped. There are lots of suites on Arcadia and priority passengers on longer cruises and this area was soon swamped and pax were still arriving many in wheelchairs with nowhere to go but block up the passage ways. We sat and sat and pax got more agitated as it was far too hot and crowded. The idea of the new embarkation system is that you don't get on board until cabins are ready and this was the hold up. Eventually at just after 1 pm they opened up security and we joined the queue for this. We were on board for 1:30 pm only to be told that sorry the cabins aren't ready please go to the priority lounge where lunch is being served. Big failure P & O. We have no problem with getting on board 1 and hour hours later than normal and straight to the cabin but to still have to carry our bags with us to lunch just meant the new system did not work.
Lunch was very nice with lots of champagne and other drinks being served and refilled regularly. We noticed pax had started to arrive in the lounge without luggage and when we checked with the officer on the door if the cabins were ready he said yes of course they have been ready since you boarded. Not what we and other pax had been told.
Arcadia was looking splendid all decked our for Christmas. The gingerbread village was magnificent and the decorated cakes were amazing.
On our way to book the spa package we spotted our cases by the lift and pointed them out to a porter who delivered them promptly.
The spa package cost £280 per couple for the 23 night cruise. Slightly more expensive per day than in September but still great value.
The cases were unpacked and cabin shipshape well before muster which was again slightly delayed because of pax still boarding.
Festive sailaway party on deck was poorly attended and as Arcadia was late departing we left the party before sailaway to get ready for dinner.
We had requested and got Freedom Dining which suits us better than fixed dining which is now 18:15 for early sitting and 20:15 for late sitting.
We met the special diet waiter who passed us the following days menu for lunch and dinner to order from. New style menus and because of the special diet request Garry could order the grilled chicken which used to be always available but is no longer shown on the menu.
The Headliners were performing a preview in the theatre and John Bartram introduced his very small entertainment team which is made up of 4 females and Adam the DJ. I was very disappointed to find that Sarah the Zumba instructor was no longer on board. Instead of the morning Zumba session there is an afternoon party dance session but at 15:30 not sure how many of those I will make. I will need to skip wine with lunch to have any chance but will try especially until we reach the warmer weather.
It was a very rough night, probably the roughest we have encountered on Arcadia but the ship rode it well. We are on the very aft of the ship overlooking the wake in the same cabin we were in on our last cruise on this ship in September.
Sea Days en route to Ponta Delgada
Very rough weather with Arcadia handling it well but very challenging walking round the ship. Lots of reports of staff unwell. We settled into our routine of Room service breakfast, followed by the Spa, Line dancing meeting of our Facebook group in the East bar. There were 12 of us and we arranged to meet up again on Xmas day afternoon in one of the groups suite. No doubt we will see them again around the ship before then.
We had lunch in the main dining room then there was time for a siesta before the next activity which was called party dancing. This had been put on the schedule in place of the Zumba. It was okay but not as good a workout as Zumba. It was only for ½ hour as well so taking out a 5 minute warm up and cool down, the chatting in the beginning we only actually got 15 minutes of dance in. It was quite a challenge staying upright as the swell appeared to have increased.
The dress code for the night was Smart Jacket required. The men looked very smart but some of the ladies looked like they were off shopping in Asda. The majority had made an effort but I do wonder how those that hadn't will dress for casual night.
Dinner in the MDR was excellent and the waiters cope with the rough seas and still carry trays of dishes piled high. The wine waiter was attentive but they do seem to be very few around and he had a lot of tables to service.
The show was 4 male vocalists called Walk Like A Man. They were excellent and complemented each other. They made one ladies night by taking her on stage and singing to her. She loved it and joined in with them. I would have been horrified but that is why we sit away from the front seats.
Another early night for us as the challenge of staying upright was taking its toll.
Cocktail of the day Pina Colada.
Monday
The day followed much the same as Sunday. Enough activities to keep busy but the sea was still very rough and although the sun tried to burn off the cloud it wasn't strong enough.
In the evening we gave the headliners show Night of 1000 stars a miss and decided the sea was calm enough to make our first visit of the cruise to the Crows Nest. They have developed some Christmas drinks and I tried the Festive Mince pie Martini. This is a mixture of Gin, spiced Bacardi, Martini Rosso, Apple juice and a splash of Mince pie sauce. Very nice but a little too sweet for me. I will try a different one next time.
When we returned to the cabin the invite to the Captains Welcome on board party tomorrow had arrived along with our Ligurian lunch invite. This is to be held on 27 December.
Cocktail of the day Bellini.
Tuesday
It was the Captains a Welcome on board party and we were stood in the right place as the fizz kept flowing in my direction. I think it helped that we were chatting to Bradley the Officer in charge of food and beverage.
Dinner was Marcos menu and the lobster was excellent.
Walk like a Man performed in the Palladium but I didn't think that their second show was as good as their first one.
The first formal Ball of the cruise held in the Globe. Geoffrey and Brenda were the hosts and the music was provided by a duo called Shades. They were excellent to dance to and far better than the Sunshine Band from our previous cruise on Arcadia. It was a great night but the wind had got up again so dancing proved to be a challenge.
Cocktail of the day Strawberry Daquiri.
Ponta Delgada
Another rough sailing night but the fizz at the Captains party followed by bottle of wine with dinner and drinks in the globe meant I slept very well and other than waking up once to a loud crash emanating from the bathroom I didn't hear a thing and only woke up just before breakfast was delivered.
We docked at Ponta Delgada which is the port for Sao Miguel Island at 8 am and we were off ship for just after 8:30. First stop the local supermarket to replenish our cabin supplies for the 4 day sail across the Atlantic. From experience we knew that the nearest supermarket only kept small supplies of Schweppes tonic. Sorry for those who arrived after us to find the shelf empty. Snooze and you lose.
The weather was still windy and quite a cold wind but the forecast for the day was sunny and 18 degrees. We wandered around the shopping centre and got good free wifi to catch up on e mails and FaceTime our granddaughters. They are so excited about Christmas and Eleanor so proud to be on Santa's Nice list for a change.
We returned to the ship with our loot and stashed it away before visiting the spa and an hours relaxation. The sun was on the balcony and a bottle of rosé wine chilling ready for lunch. Unfortunately the wind was still howling so not pleasant enough to eat outside. The sun kept appearing all afternoon but it wasn't strong enough to burn off the clouds or warm the wind up.
There was a sailaway party on deck with the nets team. The Horizon stated that it was a sailaway from Bergen. The wind was so cold it might as well have been.
Captain Hashmi announced that it would be rough for another 24 hours then the weather would improve as we leave the storm behind. We now have 4 sea days to the Caribbean instead of the usual five so he will have to get his foot down.
Some dancing in the globe with the the group Next Step, but although the group are great for the Rock and roll music they were trying to play traditional dance music with little success.
The show in the theatre was a comedian/ singer Lloyd Davies. He was hilarious. Some old cruise material but mainly off the cuff new stuff. Very funny and unusually for me I actually enjoyed his show and will attend his second one.
The dancing was in the retreat to the duo shades. These two play excellent dance music but the venue is dire. There are so many dancers on Arcadia and they are using the Globe with the beautiful wooden floor for game shows. We stayed for a couple of dances but without any atmosphere and a plastic floor we decided to move on and see what else was going on around the ship.
Cocktail of the day: A Summer Love. Grey Goose Vodka, apple juice and elderflower cordial.
Christmas Eve on board Arcadia.
Another rough night as Arcadia is cruising at full power heading towards Antigua. The day started as usual with a session in the Spa after breakfast then a Christmas line dancing session before a Christmas Battle of the sexes. The ladies still aren't managing to beat the men.
The sun was out and out of the wind it was very warm and we lunched on the balcony.
Various activities around the ship during the afternoon including Guest speaker Eileen Goulding whose talks on ancient Egypt are very popular, quizzes, shuffleboard and deck quoits. Nikki the assistant Ents manager has organised a charity event involving knitting bonnets for babies. Lots of ladies involved in this and they meet daily to compare their knitting prowess.
There were various announcements during the afternoon as the bridge officers were tracking Santas whereabouts and announcing his ETA. He arrived on the funnels on time at 17:30 pm and was greeted by hundreds of Arcadia passengers and crew. Many were dressed up for the occasion in Christmas jumpers and hats. It was a fantastic atmosphere. Captain Hashmi was there joining in the fun. The choir was 104 strong plus some crew. It was very windy on deck and as the sun had gone down the mulled wine was selling well. I had a coffee laced with rum which kept me going. Eventually Santa found his way down onto deck and mingled with everyone. I am not sure which officer had the privilege of playing Santa but he did a great job.
Christmas Eve was Smart Jacket required and the evening meal was excellent. I had a starter of Scallops and Tiger prawns followed by a whole grilled sole.
There was a pre show dance date in the globe followed by The Headliners performing Jingle Bell Rock and they did a sterling job as the ship was moving around considerably. A great fun Xmassy show.
More dancing in the globe as the Christmas Countdown began.
Cocktail of the day Absolut Spring Punch which consisted of vodka raspberry liqueur, lemon juice and champagne.
When we staggered back to our cabin Santa had called and left us the P & O monopoly game.
Christmas Day
There was plenty going on around the ship and all the crew were very jovial wishing everyone Merry Christmas. We had our usual spa session followed by line dancing and the Battle of the sexes. The ladies actually won today for a change.
We tried to use FaceTime but the Internet was very slow and after multiple attempts we gave up.
We lunched on the balcony and although the sea is changing colour to a lovely turquoise blue it is still very choppy and the sun is still struggling to burn off the clouds.
After lunch we went to visit our new friends who had organised a get together in their mini suite cabin. It was a great Xmas Day afternoon with lots of champagne and wine flowing.
We had booked a Ocean Grill for our Christmas Meal and it was excellent. We started with a glass of champagne and an amuse Bouche which was a savoury Strawberry cheesecake which was far more delicious than it sounds. Our pre ordered wine arrived followed shortly after by my starter of twice baked Stilton soufflé, red pepper and tomato soup then Halibut cooked to perfection. After our main course we were visited by Bradley the officer in charge of the food and beverage venues. It was lovely of him to take time out to to see us on Christmas Day and enquire as to how we had enjoyed our dining experience. After he left the restaurant manager served us another glass of champagne compliments of Bradley. After a brief break from eating I opted for the desert of Mrs Beetons Christmas pudding served with brandy sauce and cream and a delicious ice cream. We ordered Coffee and a glass of port and mince pies and cake to finish. The whole meal was perfect with great ambience but without the noise and busyness of the main dining room.
I was so full and slightly tipsy after the meal but we went to the Globe for the dancing as we had missed the start of the first show of Ben Makisi.
We had a great Christmas night dancing and never did get to the theatre. We will have to catch up with Ben Makisi at his second show.
Cocktail of the day Pimms Blackberry and Elderflower.
Judith
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