Sue Kersh Live from the Arcadia Worldie

[david63]

... and the Azura Orchestra played Jazz in the Globe.

It's good to see that the ships share their entertainment.

(Sorry I know that it was a typo - but I couldn't resist!)

[CaroleF]

What fantastic reports - really gives a good impression of what it's like on a World Cruise - especially in the Pacific. Doubt we'll ever get there but this is the next best thing - really interesting. Thank you Sue.

Carole

[Gill W]

One of the things I miss about the old P&O forum are the reports from people doing their world cruises, so it's great that Sue is reporting in, and it sounds fantastic.

Thanks to Dennis for posting the reports.

[GillD46]

Really enjoying the reports. Only 43 days until we join QM2 in Singapore.

[Jean W]

Thanks Sue and DTM. Really enjoying the reports. Carry on enjoying yourselves.

[Lollie]

Have just spent a very enjoyable twenty minutes or so reading through this wonderful 'blog', we love Arcadia and I could feel myself being puled right in and imaging what it must be like. I doubt we will ever manage a world cruise or even a far away leg of it, this ia a really good read, thank you. Thank you also for all the little bits of info about the 'new' bits, sounds like you are having a fab time.

[Dennis The Menace]

Art'noon, I trust everyone is fine and dandy?

Here's the latest from Sue :

[Dennis The Menace]

17 Feb

Fiji.

We arrived in Suva the Capital of Fiji at 9 am local time. The weather was hot and muggy with the occasional shower. Not an attractive port after the idyllic South Pacific Islands.

We were accosted soon after disembarking by a well spoken Fijian man who told us he was one of many Fijians working for the Local Tourist Council to ensure the tourists to the island were safe as there were many unscrupulous people about. He showed us his ID papers and told us he would show us where to buy locally handcrafted Fijian souvenirs. He did take us to a very nice Fijian shop where we made some purchases. He then told us he would take us to a nice clothing store, this us where we became suspicious as the place he took us was very seedy. Garry asked to see his ID again and the man asked us for money. He was told in no uncertain terms No and that we would contact the local Tourist Council unless he left us alone. He realised he was not going to get anywhere with us and scarpered. We soon realised that there were a lot of these rogues around, but in the main the majority of the Fijian people were very friendly and helpful.

We found the Internet cafe and made contact with home, sorted the banking, and downloaded the many e mails, then stocked up on cabin essentials in the supermarket. The shelves appeared to have been raided by Arcadia shoppers and anyone getting off the ship later in the day would be disappointed.

The shopping in Suva is excellent and the prices appeared to be very good value. I finally found some jewellery which Garry purchased for my Valentines present. I am so pleased that I wasn't tempted to buy on the ship.

We had just arrived back on board when the heavens opened. We had lunch and it was still teeming down so we decided not to venture off the ship again and instead relaxed in the Spa.

By 3 pm it was sunny again but as we had to be back on board by 4:30 pm it was not worth venturing ashore again so we made the most of the sun on the balcony and tried to ignore the view of containers waiting to be loaded onto ships.

Cocktail of the day: Berried Treasure - Creme de Casis, Pineapple juice and Coconut Cream.

18.1383° S, 178.425° E

[Dennis The Menace]

18 Feb

Sea Day en Route to Bay of Islands New Zealand

It had rained very heavily during the night but the sun soon burned the clouds away and by the time we returned from our Spa session it was fry time again.

The Entertainment Team put on their own show during the afternoon. There are some very talented people working on this ship. A Welsh girl called Lauren stole the show with her beautiful singing voice, and Martin, Gavin and Paul had everyone in stitches with their very lewd Comedy sketch. I don't think they would get away with this act on any of the Child friendly ships.

Another Formal night and Black and White Night. The men looked fabulous in their formal suits but the majority of women let them down badly. The dining room was very quiet as a lot of pax can't be bothered with the Formal nights so eat in the Piggery instead.

It was the Black and White Ball but unfortunately we missed that. During the day I managed to pull my back doing nothing. It didn't seem too bad until we tried to dance. It was probably the mixture of wearing heels and dancing which caused the pain. I now need to rest it tomorrow in readiness for the Bay of Islands on Thursday.

The clocks go forward during the night to GMT + 13 so for the first time this cruise one hour less in bed.

Cocktail of the Day: Madras Sunset.

[GillD46]

Hope your back improves and that you get to enjoy the next few ports. We encountered your Fiji man's brother in St Lucia - twice!

[Dancing Queen]

Love your description of the buffet Sue ... The Piggery

I can't understand people not making the most of formal evenings ( but each to their own ) if I were doing a worldie I would do it very differently to a normal 2/3 week cruise but I would want to do the MDR on formal nights the rest I would probably do a mixture of buffet ( sorry Piggery ) and room service, I certainly think there must be times when you just can't be bothered to put make up on and dress up and it might just be nice to 'chill' on your balcony with a glass of your favourite tipple and a sandwich.

[Quizzical Bob]

Love your description of the buffet Sue ... The Piggery

I can't understand people not making the most of formal evenings ( but each to their own ) if I were doing a worldie I would do it very differently to a normal 2/3 week cruise but I would want to do the MDR on formal nights the rest I would probably do a mixture of buffet ( sorry Piggery ) and room service, I certainly think there must be times when you just can't be bothered to put make up on and dress up and it might just be nice to 'chill' on your balcony with a glass of your favourite tipple and a sandwich.

Two formal nights a week are far too many for a long cruise, any novelty value is soon diluted. We did the final leg of last year's Aurora world cruise and on our table of 8 there were two couples who were going all the way round. We hardly saw them at all, there's only so much MDR dining that you can take.

[Dancing Queen]

I don't see 'formal nights' as a 'novelty value' Quiz B ... I'm one that see's the formal nights as being part and parcel of cruising and appreciate some won't share my views but as I say each to their own, I don't do casual others love it but who am I to say who is right or wrong.

As I said if I were doing a worldie I would probably only do the MDR on formal nights so I wouldn't see 2 a week as being excessive.

[Dennis The Menace]

Sorry QB, I'm with Jo, formal has never felt like a novelty for me. 2 a week presumably means 5 a week for the other dress codes, just about right I think.

Perhaps a novelty bow-tie might change your mind

[Dennis The Menace]

Another update from Sue, hot off the email account :

Bay of Islands New Zealand

Yesterday was another sea day and other than a Spa session in the morning I stayed either in the cabin or on the balcony all day so that I could rest my back.

By evening I felt that I could go to dinner and the Peninsular cocktail party but I couldn't wear heels. Straight after the party I returned to the cabin and bed.

This morning the pain is bearable and the days rest appears to have worked.

This is Arcadia's maiden call into the Bay of Islands but unfortunately it was a very misty arrival. It is a tender port and our plan for the morning was to visit the Waitangi treaty grounds. This is the place where Maori Chiefs and the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi. A flag pole marks the exact spot where it was signed on the 6 th February 1840.

We paid for the a Ultimate Combo which included a guided tour and a Ceremonial Performance. The grounds are 500 hectares and are filled with unusual plants trees and shrubs.

Our guide first took us to the NGATOKIMATAWHAORUA known as the Waka House which houses the worlds largest ceremonial canoe which is 35 metres long and needs a minimum of 76 paddlers to handle it. It is elaborately carved and made totally by hand. It is still launched every year on 6 February to mark Waitangi Day.

Next he took us to the Treaty house where James Busby resided and drew up the treaty. The building was actually built in Sydney and re erected in Waitangi. It is furnished and laid out as it would have been in 1840.

We finished the tour at the impressively carved Meeting House. This was built in 1940 to commemorate the centenary of the Treaty. We were greeted by the dancers in traditional ceremonial dress. The ceremony lasted over ½ hour and boy did they fill that time with traditional singing and dancing just brilliant.

It was an amazing morning and something that although would have been better in sunshine I would not have wanted to miss.

Next we caught the shuttle into the nearest town Pahia. This is a one street town with lots of touristy shops and restaurants. The sun had finally come out and we wandered around and found the craft market. The locals were very happy to have their little town invaded by Arcadia passengers spending their New Zealand dollars. A totally different atmosphere than in Fiji.

We ate a late lunch on the balcony in the sun with a fantastic view of all the little islands dotted about which is were it gets its name from.

It was the Great British sailaway but unfortunately the rain had started again so once more the sailaway had to be held inside in the crows nest. Not quite the same atmosphere. Maybe when Christine Noble the Cruise Director, disembarks in Aukland tomorrow, Dom may have more luck with his weather for the sailaways. Fingers crossed.

Another new Cocktail of the day, Naughty & Spiced - spiced Rum with Apple and Pineapple juices topped with Ginger Ale. I can't comment on this as I didn't get chance to sample it. Hopefully it will be repeated soon.

Tomorrow we are in Auckland and over 700 passengers disembark the ship here.

[Frank Manning]

I am really enjoying these reports, thank you Sue and thank you DtM. Very envious too because I would love to do these, but my Sue is not keen, and it wouldn't be the same on my own.

[Dennis The Menace]

I'll go with you Frank.

Tell you what, you pick up the tab for the first worldie, and I'll get the next one

[Quizzical Bob]

Sorry QB, I'm with Jo, formal has never felt like a novelty for me. 2 a week presumably means 5 a week for the other dress codes, just about right I think.

Perhaps a novelty bow-tie might change your mind

Oh I have those. They don't help

Thanks for posting these, Dennis, they're a great read.

[Dennis The Menace]

No problem at all Robert, it's a pleasure.

If anyone else ever requires my posting services then just say, I try to keep track of all the blogs anyway (especially the P&O ones) so it's not a problem and it can save some £' now P&O charge you to post the blog onboard.

Sue also asked me to post her photo's on here and Crow's Nest if poss and, whilst I've not found how to do it on here, they are on CN if anyone wants a gander.

[Dennis The Menace]

P.s. QB, if those novelty bow ties include a flashing one, I hope you hang an epilepsy inducement warning around your neck too

[Quizzical Bob]

P.s. QB, if those novelty bow ties include a flashing one, I hope you hang an epilepsy inducement warning around your neck too

I's a flashing yellow light to let people know there's a wide load coming through.

[wolfie]

Love your description of the buffet Sue ... The Piggery

I can't understand people not making the most of formal evenings ( but each to their own ) if I were doing a worldie I would do it very differently to a normal 2/3 week cruise but I would want to do the MDR on formal nights the rest I would probably do a mixture of buffet ( sorry Piggery ) and room service, I certainly think there must be times when you just can't be bothered to put make up on and dress up and it might just be nice to 'chill' on your balcony with a glass of your favourite tipple and a sandwich.

One evening on our worldie, our whole table decamped to the buffet in full formal gear..... just for a change, and because we fancied the menu there, as opposed to the MDR.

[jay-ell71]

Wolfie….. I hope your table "made and entrance". I would like to have seen you amongst the T shirts and flip flops.

[Dennis The Menace]

More from Sue and Garry

21 feb : Auckland - New Zealand

We arrived very early morning and we docked in the Centre of Auckland. We couldn't have got further into the city without docking on on the main road we were so close. The sun was shining and the temperature already 26 degrees.

We docked at 7 am and we were off the ship by 8am. Everything was open and the city was bustling. We got our bearings and found where we had to catch a bus for our trip to Kelly Tarltons at 09:30.

We wandered along Queens Street and into the shopping mall. Everything here is huge and immaculately clean. It all looks brand new. We had considered going up the sky tower but decided that there were towers in Kuala Lumpar, Sri Lanka and Dubai so decided on something different for New Zealand.

We had pre booked tickets to see Kelly Tarltons sea water life and Scott of Antarctica expedition. There was a free bus which we couldn't miss as it has an enormous Shark on top.

The first exhibition was a mock up of Scott's hut. It looked very authentic with cans of food, and thick clothes. There was an old printing press and a piano. The boards told the stories of his life and research in Antarctica.

There was a large Antarctic penguin display. Some were really cute and loved the attention coming up very close to the glass both on the ice and in the water. The shark tunnel was filled with New Zealand's largest collection of sharks. Many more displays of underwater life including Sea Horses and Spiny Sea Dragons. There was a huge 12 foot long squid in a glass case. It was dead but was only around 12 months old when it was killed. How big do these things grow?

After a very interesting 2 hours here we caught the free bus back to Auckland where we hopped onto a ferry to the Historic suburb of Devonport. This is a very quaint little town. As soon as we got off the ferry there was a three horse and cart waiting to take pax on a short trip around the town. We jumped on board and the driver told us he was 86 years old and keeping this tradition of driving the Horse and cart around Devonport was keeping him going. He explained the history of the town and pointed out the old wooden houses. They were very small but all beautifully painted and immaculate. It is a very expensive place to live as one of these houses had just recently sold for 800,000 NZ dollars approx £400,000.

It gave us chance to get our bearings and note where we would walk back to after the trip. We spotted a very nice Wine shop and being partial to a glass or two of NZ wine headed back there first. Prices are more expensive here than back in the UK. There were lots of small original shops around and the feel of the town reminded me of Dartmouth in Devon.

We were sat in the sun and sampling some of NZ local brew, when Garry realised we were next to the town library where they provide free Internet.

We did some souvenir shopping then caught the ferry back to Aukland. We had a great view from the balcony of the yachts and boats on the Estuary.

The had booked East for our evening meal as this restaurant has great views as it is located high up on the ship. Although we were about an hour late departing it was a spectacular sailaway with all the little yachts and boats bobbing around us.

For our cruising friends who have always enjoyed The Orchid restaurant before it changed to East. Although the view and the ambiance is no different we much preferred the food that the Orchid offered. After dinner we moved into the Orchid bar to enjoy a quiet drink whilst watching the lights of New Zealand disappear as we sailed up the coast. This bar used to be such a popular one but on this cruise is rarely used. Once again we were the only ones in there.

Over 700 pax disembarked today but only 150 embarked. The remainder will embark in Sydney but the ship will seem much quieter for the next 3 days.

Cocktail of the Day - Miami Vice on Ice.

[Dennis The Menace]

22 Feb : Sea Days en route to Sydney.

Saturday dawned very foggy. The fog horn had been going at intervals right through the night and it didn't look like we would see any sun all day. The temperature was still in the low 20 s.

We followed our usual routine of an hour or so in the Spa which turned into 2 hours today as I fell asleep on the heated beds.

We had only booked the spa package as far as Sydney but today Garry has done a deal and extended it up to the end of our cruise in Dubai. A real bargain at £90 each for 27 days. It works out at less than £3.50 a day each.

The sun finally broke its way through at around 10:30 am.

Another lazy sea day spent doing nothing much other than drinking, eating, and reading in the sun. Absolute bliss.

Manuel delivered our Oz immigration forms and informed us that tomorrow we had to attend a face to face inspection with the Oz officials. At least this saves any delays when we reach Sydney and much more civilised than the American system.

Pam Ayers was the headline act and she was very funny. Very different to the normal shows and she performed to a full house.

The clock goes back an hour tonight putting us 12 hours ahead of UK time and we still need to back another hour before we reach Sydney on Tuesday.

Cocktail of the day: Piña Colada

Sunday 23 Feb.

The ship had been rocking and rolling all night. The Tasmin Sea between NZ and OZ is no where near as calm and tranquil as the South Pacific.

Our face to face immigration went smoothly and such a change to have happy and friendly officials. I wonder if getting a free 3 day cruise has anything to do with that.

The ship continued to rock and roll all day which made walking around very difficult.

The last formal night of this sector and another Marco menu. The food continues to impress and our waistlines continue to expand.

The Landfall Ball was held in the Globe with Inspiration. A good night but the ship did continue to roll about which caused some hilarity when the dancers all suddenly missed steps as the floor had moved.

There are some different Entertainment Officers on board as well a the new Cruise Director. One of them is (Irish) Paul who we met some years ago. He is very good looking and great fun. He came over to us and I stood up to get my hug, but stood on my dress which as it was strapless dropped enough to flash my top half. Thank goodness I had clean sparkly underwear on. Talk about being pleased to see him!! I doubt I will live that one down.

Cocktail of the Day Hurricane - Light and Dark rum, Amaretto topped with Orange, Pineapple and Lime Juices.

Monday and final Sea Day before Sydney.

A glorious day spent in the sun. There was so much going on today that I couldn't decide what to do and ended up doing nothing except reading in the sun with the odd dip in the pool to cool off. We had a bottle of the New Zealand Rosé with lunch and it was delicious. I wish we had bought more now. I doubt they will sell NZ wine in Sydney but I will look out for it.

We put the clocks back another hour tonight to put us 11 hours ahead of the UK. During dinner the Captain announced that we would be picking up the pilot boat at 04:30 and the lights of harbour should provide an excellent sail in opportunity for any early risers.

Cocktail of the Day: Long Beach Ice Tea.