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P&O Cruises

MS Arcadia

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Reviewed by: Keith Harpham
# previous cruises: 10 to 20
Date of Trip: July 30, 2006
Itinerary: Europe

This was a cruise from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords and our second cruise with P&O, our previous one two years ago was on Oceana to the Canary Islands. Arcadia seems to have had some very mixed reviews from P&O regulars but we went with an open mind as we have so far enjoyed experiencing nine different cruise lines and eighteen ships.

We found it to be a stylish, spacious and very comfortable ship with good service from a happy crew. We had beautifully sunny weather all week and the scenery is fabulous. We enjoyed Arcadia and would happily sail on her again.

The public room dicor primarily in beige, brown and other earth tones with 3,000 pieces of artwork and sculptures commissioned from British artists made for a very stylish ship in a contemporary way, somewhat similar to some of Celebrity's Millennium Class ships. With only 1,950 passengers on this 83,000-ton Vista Class ship it is very spacious and lots of windows make the public areas very light.

The Lido pool has a retractable glass roof that is very useful if the weather isn't kind however the non-adjustable sun loungers around the pool were very uncomfortable. Those by the other pool and on the higher deck were adjustable. While we didn't use it, internet pricing is quite low starting at 30 pence ($0.57) per minute for ad-hoc use reducing to 16 pence ($0.30) if you buy 100 minutes. Most public lounges are wireless access zones. The three-level Atrium seems poorly decorated making it seem even smaller than it is. In particular a curtain blocks the view from one side of the piano bar to the other which is annoying when people enjoying the music quiz from the non-smoking starboard side of the ship can't see the pianist.. £

The Belvedere buffet selection for breakfast and lunch was better than we had experienced on Oceana but still not up to the standard of US lines such as Celebrity and Holland America. The choice of food at dinner in the Meridian Restaurant was better on the first few nights than on the last few, just as we had found on Oceana. On three occasions my wife and I had the alternative option of steak and it was exceptionally tender. Salmon or chicken was also available every night in addition to the main menu choices. Overall quality was good rather than outstanding.

Captain Steve Burgoine, the Cruise Director Neil Oliver, and the officers and crew was happy, smiling, efficient and willing to oblige at all times. Our cabin stewardess was Bernadeth from the Philippines and our waiter Alberto and his assistant Joaquim were from India. The port presentations were excellent and not exclusively shopping talks as on many US cruise lines.

Some drink prices were lower than on US cruise lines. For example Beringer White Zinfandel that was £18 ($34.20) on Legend of the Seas earlier this year was £15.75 ($29.92) on Arcadia. A glass of house wine is £2.55 ($4.85), half a litre carafe £7.15 ($13.58) and a litre carafe £14 ($26.60). A 330ml can of coke was £1.10 (2.09), Whisky and Gin started at £ 2 ($3.80) the cocktail of the day was £2.50 ($4.75), draught beer £2.25 ($4.27), lager £1.85 ($3.51) and speciality coffees such as a Latte £1.45 ($2.75). These prices include gratuities, unlike US lines that add 15%. Moreover if you have sailed with P&O before and are a member of the Portunus Club you get 5% or more off all on board spend, reducing drinks prices even further. Embarkation and disembarkation were very efficient. We embarked within 15 minutes of arriving at the check in desk line and were disembarked and in our car in the car park only 25 minutes after we were called at 8.35am.

We were in an OE grade inside cabin number B10 on Bermuda Deck number 7 and paid £770 each ($1,463 at 1.90). The dicor of our cabin was beige walls with green furnishings and looked rather luxurious with its LCD flat screen TV. There was plenty of storage space for a one or two week cruise. It was also one of the quietest cabins we have ever had.

The shows were of a good standard. The three production shows were Best of the West End, The Knights of Rock and Roll and Le Cirque Arcadia. Bobby Knutt was a very popular comedian who did two shows, and the other two shows were singer Carlo Paul Santana and illusionists The Twins. We felt that the other musicians on board were not very well balanced, and never found one to our tastes but that is a personal thing.

This was a cruise from Southampton to Eidfjord, Flam, Olden and Bergen with a day at sea on the first and last days. Eidfjord in Hardangerfjord was our first stop and the only one where we did a ships tour to the Sysen Dam and Voringsfoss Waterfall. We could not have done this on our own at anything like the same price as there are few taxis in these small places and they are very expensive.

Next was Flam in Sognefjord. It is very easy to go on the Flam railway on your own as we did. A return ticket to Myrdal is 275 Norwegian Krone, about £25 ($47.50). The scenery from the train is outstanding but there is very little at Myrdal apart from the station. We had a leisurely coffee in the station cafi and a stroll in the meadows before catching the next train back to Flam. Flam has quite a few shops to explore but things are generally very expensive.

Olden is in Nordfjord. There we enjoyed a walk into the village to explore the old local church dating from 1759, the shops and have a coffee.

Bergen is very easy to do your own thing. We walked along the harbour to the historic Bryggen area then took a one-hour Troll Train tour of the city for only 100 Krone (about £9 or $17) each. It was right by the Fish Market, which we explored on our return and the Funicular is just up the street to get a fabulous view of the city from the top for only 70 Krone (about £6.50 or $12).

Arcadia was our second adults-only ship, the first being Saga Ruby earlier this year. Ruby's passengers probably averaged over 70 years of age and we decided after that we prefer a more mixed age group. Arcadia had a really good spread of ages from a group on the next table at dinner celebrating a 21st birthday, and many others in their 20's and upwards. We had some delightful companions on our first sitting dinner table.