Arcadia - Baltic (May 2010)

[Romig1]

Another old review from the pooter..

General blog

As has been mentioned on this site many times previously, Arcadia does have an older average passenger. This cruise, being to the Baltic is probably even older on average, but there are a number of 30/40 and 50’s on board also. It may be my perception, but I don’t think that there are as many very old on here as we had on Oceana to the Fjords last year. All that being said however, age does not really matter, and we have met some charming people of all ages onboard. It has been said that the ship gets very quiet after midnight, but that hasn’t been an issue to us, as we are often back in the cabin before then!
I can’t comment about the quality of the shows, as we haven’t been to any of the Headliners ones, but we did go to see the singer Victor Michaels last night who sang many of the Italian classics. The Palladium theatre on-board is a really good venue though, with plenty of seating on two levels.
Daytime (sea-day) activities are varied, but are aimed at the clientele onboard, so lots of lectures about how to combat fluid retention, whist and bridge get-togethers etc. None of these have appealed to me, but I did go to a couple of talks given by an ex- Squadron Leader, who was one of the UK’s experts on space travel and weaponry etc. There are also daily quizzes and quoits/shuffleboard competitions, but again, we haven’t been tempted. I may be getting cynical in my old age but many of the “informative” talks appear to be little more than guises to try to sell artworks, jewellery or tours!
We are very impressed with our balcony cabin; compared to the one we had on Oceana, it is huge. It also has a sofa and a bigger bathroom (with small but adequate bathtub), and a bigger balcony. We do feel the movement of the ship when in the cabin, as it is fairly high and only two from the bow (C6). Its situation also leads to a long walk to the main dining room, so hopefully the weight won’t pile on too much. Indeed, from the aft staircase, I counted over 250 paces to the cabin!
In order to mitigate the effects of the plentiful and beautiful food, we have employed the 3 decks rule; if our destination is situated within 3 decks we take the stairs, though the glass elevators are also really good to travel in. We do however, make an exception on formal nights when we have our new “slippy” shoes on. I did also bring some gym clothes, and fully intended to do some work-outs. Unfortunately though, the nearest I have got is to look inside the gym (which is fairly large and well equipped, and situated just below the Crow’s Nest), and to consider going to exercise! I hope that all the walking we have been doing ashore and onboard will help keep the pounds off? Having said that, I’m not looking forward to my first post-cruise weigh-in, and report to the “Cruising Losers” group!
We have a table for six, on second sitting for dinner, and have fallen lucky with our dining companions. We share with an older, retired couple who are full of energy and do so much on-board that we are put to shame when comparing our day’s experiences, and a couple who are the same ages as Wina and I. We were a little apprehensive about how the club dining would suit us, as I, in particular don’t enjoy small talk. We have been really pleased that the conversation has flowed each evening with none of the dreaded silent pauses. To date we have eaten in the main dining room on all but two occasions when we went to Arcadian Rhodes.
Arcadian Rhodes serves really lovely food, though the high standard in the main restaurant doesn’t necessitate a visit. It is in my opinion however, worth the £15pp supplement. We also chose to dine there on the “gourmet evening” which was a great (set) menu for £18.50pp. We were somewhat let down by the service on this night, as our wine glasses were left empty for 20 mins, despite a request to re-fill. Had I known where they had taken the bottle, I would have gone to retrieve it myself! When I complained about this oversight to wine waiter he was extremely apologetic - almost OTT actually. We were surprised that he must have reported his faux-pas to the estaurant manager, as he came over to us to apologise also, and to inform us that they would deduct the price of the wine from the meal. I suspect that as the evening was popular, the service suffered accordingly. A quick tip here; if you book for this venue, or indeed the Orchid, don’t assume that booking early will guarantee a table next to the window. Despite us booking on the first day, we were seated away from the window. If you prefer to dine with a view, then be sure to request a suitable table.
Lunchtime dining on sea-days has been a bit trying. Yesterday we attempted to find a table (to share even) in the Neptune Grill area, but many were taken with people who appeared set for the day, either reading or playing games. A visit to Café Vivo didn’t produce a suitable table either, so we went as a last resort to The Belvedere self-service. Guess what? Same story again! We eventually found a table, but it was clear that many people were ignoring the cards on the tables requesting that diners vacated their table once they had finished their meal. Usual ignorant and selfish behaviour that seems to be more prevalent these days. We also spotted a couple entering the self-service and not bothering to use the hand gel which almost blocks the entrance to the restaurant. The woman vaguely waved her hand in its direction, but didn’t actually use it, whereas her husband ignored it completely. On joining the queue for the food, Wina challenged him, only to be totally ignored. It really is little wonder that viruses spread so easily around ships when this ignorant behaviour is occurring.
I know that I am sounding a real grouch, but really the ship and itinerary have been excellent, and I would recommend them both to anyone (as long as you don’t expect lots of younger people around). I will go now, as it is lunchtime in an hour or two, and I really must bagsy a table somewhere!

[Romig1]

Oslo

We berthed right below the Fortress, which is only 2 mins walk to the main town square and town hall. Once again the weather was warm and sunny, and the sail-in had been very enjoyable. We took the option of the hop-on-hop-off bus which was waiting next to the dock. It isn’t obvious, but there are actually two separate companies offering essentially the same tour, and with luck we picked the cheaper of the two! Still, it was quite pricey, at 200 Krone each (approx £25). The whole trip takes around 1.1/2 hours, though we alighted at the Viegeland sculpture park. Being a bit of a philistine, I’m not much into art, but actually really enjoyed this. The park contains over 200 mainly life-form sculptures made from bronze or granite mainly, and is well worth visiting. Beware though, that the toilets here are coin operated, and one or two people we know from this cruise got caught out (That is not to say that they used the bushes, of course!)
We left the park and had to wait for almost 30mins for the bus, as we had just missed one (which had run a couple of minutes early). It wasn’t really a hardship as the weather was good, but I might not have been so chippy if it was raining!
We travelled next to the area of Bigdoy, where various museums are located. We visited the Kon-Tiki museum, and were gratified that the ticket attendant noticed Wina clutching the bus map and timetable. That alertness saved us almost £5, as we were apparently entitled to a discount. The museum was extremely interesting and I would recommend it. After this we crossed the road to the Fram museum which was built around the ship which Nansen and Amundsen used in their polar exploits. I tried the old “we are on the bus - please can we have a discount” routine, to be told it wasn’t applicable here. This museum is ok, but even though I have a strong interest in polar exploration, I didn’t find it as interesting as the Kon-Tiki.
We got the bus back into the centre, and made our way back to the ship in time for a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent sunbathing, and then we had the Great British Sailaway, which was good flag-waving fun. Ate in the Orchid restaurant in the evening, but wouldn’t bother again.

Kristiansand

Again, the sail-in was good, with excellent weather again. We berthed in a commercial dock area, and decided against the hop-on-hop-off tourist “train” to the centre. The walk only took about 5 mins and goes though the newly developed Fishermans Quay area where we went into a fishmarket and saw the biggest lobsters imaginable. Some of them were probably older than me! The town itself is quaint enough in places, with older areas as well as yacht marinas, but after a quick wander round, we were back onboard by midday for lunch and more sunbathing. It really has been a bonus that the weather has been so good on this cruise; we really didn’t expect to be lying in the sun so much.
We had the final formal evening, where we saw many burned people doing their best lobster impressions, and then after a quick visit to the casino retired to bed to find our disembarkation cards. Of course we had been given red cards (meaning that we were to be last off at 10.45am). As we have a journey of 4-5 hours, I went immediately to reception before the anticipated rush in the morning, and managed to get changed to the second tranche at 9.15.

So today is our last of the cruise, and the packing awaits. We have been to an interview with Captain Kevin Oprey in the theatre, which was interesting. He seems to have a real sense of humour, and talks very easily and entertainingly to a group. Apparently he is not to be long with P&O, as he is expecting to go to Cunard to one of the Queens later this year. A real loss for Arcadia, I feel.
We are going for drinks later today with WendyF and MicheleW and their husbands with whom we shared our St Petersberg tour. We have become good friends, and feel very lucky that we shared with such great people. Indeed, all the other Community members that we have met (Pretty Polly, DerekA, DeeJay,David63,HousieHousie and spouses) have been nice people and we are glad to have met them. Being with such people has added to what has been a fantastic cruise, in terms of ship, itinerary, and weather.

[Romig1]

Oslo

We berthed right below the Fortress, which is only 2 mins walk to the main town square and town hall. Once again the weather was warm and sunny, and the sail-in had been very enjoyable. We took the option of the hop-on-hop-off bus which was waiting next to the dock. It isn’t obvious, but there are actually two separate companies offering essentially the same tour, and with luck we picked the cheaper of the two! Still, it was quite pricey, at 200 Krone each (approx £25). The whole trip takes around 1.1/2 hours, though we alighted at the Viegeland sculpture park. Being a bit of a philistine, I’m not much into art, but actually really enjoyed this. The park contains over 200 mainly life-form sculptures made from bronze or granite mainly, and is well worth visiting. Beware though, that the toilets here are coin operated, and one or two people we know from this cruise got caught out (That is not to say that they used the bushes, of course!)
We left the park and had to wait for almost 30mins for the bus, as we had just missed one (which had run a couple of minutes early). It wasn’t really a hardship as the weather was good, but I might not have been so chippy if it was raining!
We travelled next to the area of Bigdoy, where various museums are located. We visited the Kon-Tiki museum, and were gratified that the ticket attendant noticed Wina clutching the bus map and timetable. That alertness saved us almost £5, as we were apparently entitled to a discount. The museum was extremely interesting and I would recommend it. After this we crossed the road to the Fram museum which was built around the ship which Nansen and Amundsen used in their polar exploits. I tried the old “we are on the bus - please can we have a discount” routine, to be told it wasn’t applicable here. This museum is ok, but even though I have a strong interest in polar exploration, I didn’t find it as interesting as the Kon-Tiki.
We got the bus back into the centre, and made our way back to the ship in time for a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent sunbathing, and then we had the Great British Sailaway, which was good flag-waving fun. Ate in the Orchid restaurant in the evening, but wouldn’t bother again.

Kristiansand

Again, the sail-in was good, with excellent weather again. We berthed in a commercial dock area, and decided against the hop-on-hop-off tourist “train” to the centre. The walk only took about 5 mins and goes though the newly developed Fishermans Quay area where we went into a fishmarket and saw the biggest lobsters imaginable. Some of them were probably older than me! The town itself is quaint enough in places, with older areas as well as yacht marinas, but after a quick wander round, we were back onboard by midday for lunch and more sunbathing. It really has been a bonus that the weather has been so good on this cruise; we really didn’t expect to be lying in the sun so much.
We had the final formal evening, where we saw many burned people doing their best lobster impressions, and then after a quick visit to the casino retired to bed to find our disembarkation cards. Of course we had been given red cards (meaning that we were to be last off at 10.45am). As we have a journey of 4-5 hours, I went immediately to reception before the anticipated rush in the morning, and managed to get changed to the second tranche at 9.15.

So today is our last of the cruise, and the packing awaits. We have been to an interview with Captain Kevin Oprey in the theatre, which was interesting. He seems to have a real sense of humour, and talks very easily and entertainingly to a group. Apparently he is not to be long with P&O, as he is expecting to go to Cunard to one of the Queens later this year. A real loss for Arcadia, I feel.
We are going for drinks later today with WendyF and MicheleW and their husbands with whom we shared our St Petersberg tour. We have become good friends, and feel very lucky that we shared with such great people. Indeed, all the other Community members that we have met (Pretty Polly, DerekA, DeeJay,David63,HousieHousie and spouses) have been nice people and we are glad to have met them. Being with such people has added to what has been a fantastic cruise, in terms of ship, itinerary, and weather.

[Romig1]

St Petersburg Day 2

Disembarkation was just as smooth as the previous day, and our driver and guide were waiting as arranged. We were soon joined by Viktoria who took our payment for the two-day tour, as no monies are due until the start of day two. She gave us her business card and hoped that we would one day return, or recommend her company to others. We are happy to recommend SPB Tours, as we had a superb tour for six people, tailor-made to our requirements at a cost much removed from the official P&O tour which involves whole coach loads.
We visited all the other main sights, including St Isaacs Cathedral, the Church on the Spilled Blood (which is as fantastic inside as it is outside), Peter and Paul Fortress and Church, and the Winter Palace/Hermitage. Lunch was typical Russian filled pierogi which were extremely good. A final visit took us to a souvenir shop, where it was possible to purchase Russian dolls and Faberge Egg replicas etc.
We were returned to the ship in good time for the departure, and bade our goodbyes to both Ilya and Sveta.
All-in-all we had a fantastic to days in St Petersburg, and the hot and sunny weather added to this.

Tallinn
We really could have done with a sea-day following our two hectic days in Russia, but Tallinn was next up (yesterday). We awake to another day of sunshine, although the temperature only reached about 20 degs during the day. We did a DIY walking tour through the Old Town after reaching the centre by shuttle. Funnily enough, the German Cruise liner which arrived simultaneously had no shuttle facility and its passengers mainly walked the 20mins or so to the Old Town. Tallinn is a really pretty place, much as can be seen in the pictures, but there isn’t a great amount to see or do, compared to the other ports of call to date. Consequently we were back onboard mid afternoon for a late lunch, and a chance to rest after five busy shore days.

So today is at sea, and that is why I have found the time to post all these blogs.
I will at some point try to blog a little about the ship in general, and our experience of her in particular.

[Romig1]

Today (Tuesday) is our first day at sea since last Wednesday, so we are enjoying the opportunity to relax a little, and re-charge the batteries. I will review the last five shore days below, and on subsequent blogs:

Stockholm
We arrived at our berth in the morning, and we had a good view of the city from our balcony on the port side. The shuttle bus took only 5 mins to reach the Opera House where we were dropped off. We decided to book a boat tour, sailing under the bridges and around the islands, and the 1hr 50min trip was well worth doing (and even better for me as a Yorkshireman was that we saved £28 between us from the P&O price).
The sun was quite strong, and being inside a glass-roofed boat was very warm, yet others onboard were still wearing coats. How do these people manage in winter??
After the boat trip we wandered to the Palace and were fortunate that the changing-of-the-guard was an hour later than usual, due to it being a National holiday. We watched almost all of it and then went for coffee and a sandwich, as we were in need of a “comfort stop”. I was not amused to find, after ordering, that the coffee shop had no “facilities”. Needless to say, we ate up and made our way back to the Opera House, via the Parliament Buildings, and got the shuttle back to the ship.
Sailaway was good fun, with quite a mix of people joining in the dancing (but not myself). The weather wasn’t as warm as it had been, and unfortunately the sail-through the archipelago was spoilt a bit by some mist and rain, but we braved it anyway. I’m sure that the views would have been lovely on a clear day.
All in all, we found Stockholm to be a beautiful and majestic city, and would be pleased to visit again, as we only scratched the surface.

Helsinki
The next day we berthed at the commercial port of Helsinki; not where the ferries land, which is much more central. The shuttle was payable, which we were expecting; the cost was £16pp return (or only US$20). Once again, the Yorkshireman in me spotted that the Dollar option was preferable, so Dollars it was!
The shuttle took around 10mins, but it is possible to walk into the centre if you prefer. I would estimate that the walk around the headland would take approx 45 mins.
We were dropped at the end of a city park, and walked through it to the harbour, which only took 10mins. The weather was beautifully sunny, and warmish, so we opted again for a 2hr boat trip which took us all around the islands. We were sat outside on the top and had a lovely time. On arrival back to the quay we walked around the market located there and (following a recommendation) had the fried whitebait and potatoes with garlic sauce which are on offer. Mmmm –lovely!
After this quick lunch we walked around the main sights, before walking back through the park for the shuttle. As the weather was so nice, it seemed that half of Helsinki’s population was sunbathing here – now I know why Scandinavians are often well tanned!
There wasn’t a sailaway party this day, but we enjoyed the afternoon sunbathing in and around the Aquarius pool, with a cocktail or two.

I’ll try to post this now, and do a new blog for St Petersburg.

[Romig1]

Today is another sea day, following a day in Copenhagen yesterday.
We did the organised P&O trip to the Carlsberg Brewery museum, which was situated just out of the centre. The museum was interesting, but we were somewhat rushed through, and I would have enjoyed a more leisurely visit. The two beers in the bar at the end of the tour were suprisingly nice for a non-lager drinker like me.
After the brewery visit we asked to be dropped in the centre, rather than going back to the ship, and made our own way back, via a small restaurant at Nyhaven which we have previously visited. A herring fest was enjoyed, although Wina opted for a shrimp sandwich as she couldn't face of buffet purely of herring in various forms!
Last night we ate at Arcadian Rhodes and had a lovely, if too large and rich meal. the service levels in here are very good, and is worth the £15 pp supplement in my opinion.
It will be another formal evening tonight, and we hope to enjoy it more than the first, which was spoilt a little due to the rolling of the ship, leading to further unsettled stomachs. A shame really, as the lobster was really nice.
Thanks everyone for your comments on my first blog - it is good to know that I'm not writing these in vain. In reply to a couple of the comments:
Jennifer June. I will say "Hi" to the waiter if I get chance, but we are not regulars at Electra.
Glitter Girl. Yes we did get the water eventually, but I don't think that the 6-for-5 bottle offer applies on here.
I will post this now, and hope that the overactive profanity filter allows me to do so.