P&O Cruises, Arcadia Canary Islands

On arrival at Southampton the check in process was far more efficient than the previous year and was hassle free. We had booked a room with an obstructed view which it was although it let in a good amount of light it was very difficult to see anything for me as I am quite short although my tall partner could see. The only trouble was the routine lifeboat checks which meant staff walked pass the window making me jump on more than one occasion. The service in the self service restaurant was very good with staff being helpful. The food choice was specified each night with a different theme, we walked pass most nights on the way to the Aquarius bar and saw a good range of products available. We did try the Italian night and found it very tasty and the tables were nicely laid out. The main dining area was excellent and the waiter and junior were helpful and friendly and were concerned if we did not turn up for our evening meal. The food in the main dining area was of high standard however the choice of after dinner drinks on offer were in a word BIZARE and not something I would want after or before my tea or coffee. Breakfast were good in both dining areas and the waffles in the self service restaurant are well worth trying. The spa facilities were very good and the hydro-pool with the termal beds and steam rooms are well worth purchasing if you are staying onboard for 2 weeks at the time of writing it was £55 for the 2 weeks. I also used the spa for a foot and ankle massage which was also very good, but my nail file and paint was not too great and the nail polish bubbled on my nails. Much of the entertainment is on too late who wants to do a group quiz at 11pm!!! And the entertainment staff are not as cheerful as previously experienced with P and O. The staff however in the bars and restaurants made up for this and their personalities and little touches made the cruise enjoyable. The craft classes were also excellent but very squashed the room nor time was moved and often spilled into the corridor and the next door room much bigger had only a few people in. If as a company they employ and excellent craft teacher then she should have been given the opportunity to teach in a proper fitting location.

All in all room - great wonderfully looked after

food - good excellent range

Photos - good wide range taken and of good quality

shops - good busy at promotion times

entertainment - shows good, but most on too too late and timed at the same time.

staff - bar and waiters wonderful friendly and helpful

craft lessons - super

Spa - great nice reception staff

Would I recommend the Arcadia cruise then it would be a yes and will I use again is also a Yes

I did not like anything at all about this P&O Cruises, Arcadia ship.I booked first sitting , a bath and balcony. On arrival there was a bath but I had been UPGRADED to another cabin which had a metal balcony not glass. Then there was a note on the bed to say we had been given second sitting.I take my autistic son with me on cruises as he especially enjoyes sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by. This gives me some well earned respite. My son loves getting dressed for dinner and will sit and enjoy the meal with others without intruding or making a nuisance of himself. However, the second sitting is too late for him and also the show starts around 11pm. My son is always in bed no later than 10pm.I tried to obtain help and support from reception but unfortunately they do not have information regarding cabins or meals.I spoke several times with the restaurant manager to no avail and my son and I ended up eating in self-service for the duration.The cabin could not be resolved as only one person with her lap-top works 2-6pm but there was always a queue of people waiting to book their next cruise. I waited for one hour whilst others were with a member of staff making bookings and when at last it was my turn the voice said "Gold members next". This went on for days and I tried again with reception and they said they could send her an e-mail. Unfortunately they did not respond.Therefore the essence of our holiday was ruined. My son was very sad at not wearing his evening clothes and could not understand the balcony either.I must also add that the food in self service especially in the evenings was uneatable!.Some evenings it was, fish, shell fish and fish soup.Another evening roast lamb, with no potatoes or vegetables.The other dissappointment was the age of the passengers most were well over 80years and so many electrical vehicles! I felt as though I had joined a residential home at sea!And the decor is so awful that nothing matches, no flowers, no pictures and lots and lots of formica covering everything.And Reception - what Reception?

Best of the Canaries, July 2nd 2006 P&O's Arcadia, Cruise number J615.

Graham and Angela Couch age 43 from Burnley Lancs. E-mail [email protected]

This review covers our experiences aboard, the P&O ship Arcadia ports of call were:-

Vigo, Lisbon, Praia De Rocha, Tenerife, La Palma, Madeira, on a 12 day cruise.

We joined our ship at Southampton on a Sunday morning after staying overnight in the nearby Ibis Hotel, (poor breakfast, go to McDonalds across the road) we watched England lose to Portugal in the World cup that afternoon.

This is the first time we have sailed from Southampton, we usually join cruises in Palma, so we flew down from Liverpool by Flybe costing £100 for two of us return which isn't bad. A taxi from the airport to the docks was £20, there is a checkered taxi desk just next to the exit in the airport they will book you a car and agree a price before you go, I recommend this company. Also, Flybe will allow 50Kg of luggage which is the highest in the industry; if it is a two week cruise you will need this!

The staff at P&O were very helpful and organised when we arrived, they immediately took our cases through a chute for boarding. We then queued for about ten minutes as there were 1900 people to process as the cruise was sold out and we were early. So we stayed in a waiting area, which was like an airport lounge, for about 30 minutes until they called our ticket number. There were drinks available and it was very comfortable, security checks are very strict at this point as well.

After boarding we were taken to our cabin by a steward, the Arcadia is a big ship weighing in at 84,000 tons. We were apprehensive about getting about on such a big ship but there was no need, it is easy to navigate, just a lot of walking. Our cabin was spotless and because the Arcadia is only 1 year old it was as new, the Steward Mathias kept it absolutely pristine throughout the cruise. We were on E deck, with a window but restricted view. Beware that it is a very restricted view as well, there was a lifeboat right up to the window and we couldn't see anything, except light but this didn't really bother us.

I will go through the good and bad points of the ship later.

First day, sailing out of Southampton was brilliant, we sailed down Southampton water into the Solent on a beautiful afternoon and then out to the Channel, heading for our first port of call, which was Vigo in Portugal. We actually followed Artemis out of the dock; it was on its way to the Med.

Vigo is a large city with parks on the top of the hill in the centre, it is very hilly so be prepared, most shops don't open till late so take your time getting there as it is very sleepy until tenish. The walk up to the gardens is recommended but it is a hell of a climb, the views however are spectacular but apart from a shop that's about it really. I recommend also that you book an excursion here as there is little to do in town except shop. P&O also provided a shuttle from the port to the town, as they do on all ports of call.

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, it is a very large city with lots of squares, shops and monuments. So be careful of the usual hazards that you have in all cities, such as beggars, bag snatchers etc. Although we didn't experience pickpockets or bag snatchers, beggars are plentiful. There are some delightful places to see here, there is a little tram service that does tours around the city but they are very busy and pricey. Alternatively you can book an excursion for the trams, this is the best way to see Lisbon.

Praia De Rocha is a typical Portuguese beach resort with tacky shops, bars and English restaurants, beer is cheap though but not the sort of place we like. The ship was anchored offshore, so as a tender we had a boat ride to shore there and back. Messing about with the ferrying to and fro was a lot of effort for little reward, the beaches are lovely though but that's about it, if beaches isn't what your after then stay on the ship or get an excursion.

Tenerife: We docked in Santa Cruz, north of the island, the views were spectacular, there are a lot of mountains and wooded hills here and little Lego houses dotted around in between the forests, very beautiful. I believe the excursions here are good as there are some very good views and a trip to a volcano, which is active! Apart from that it was a very charming, bustling city with chique shops, restaurants and tree lined streets. I must mention this is where I nearly choked on some chicken in a street cafe, I threw up on my dinner to get the blockage out and happily I am still here, very frightening though.

La Palma: Again we docked in a town called Santa Cruz? This was on a Sunday and most shops were shut for the day, very sleepy, very quiet, nothing to see, so either get an excursion or stay on the ship!

Madeira: Funchal was our favourite stop, Madeira is absolutely beautiful lush with trees and flowers, there are some very nice restaurants on the front and very good shops. We went on an excursion here, which included a sled ride down a very steep hill guided by two men with tyres on their feet. This was an experience you should not miss, Madeira is famous for the sled rides, and have been doing it for 100 years, half way down a man will take your photo and will present it to you in a folder two minutes later? How they do it I don't know but for 10 euros it is a nice memento. I thoroughly recommend Madeira and would consider staying here for a while. It is so pretty here and very pleasant to stay in.

That is the end of the itinerary for this cruise, a bit disappointing as we have stopped at some beautiful, interesting places on other cruises. So we think P&O should drop some of these destinations and re-think the itinerary but that is just our opinion.

The Arcadia ship is a little over a year old so it is very clean and new, it is described as contemporary in the brochure and it is, lots of chrome, steel, wood mirrors, modern art etc. It reminds me of a very stylish modern city apartment in design, we cannot fault the cleanliness and order on-board, it is absolutely pristine.

The staff though were very helpful but a bit miserable, we have been on other cruises and been bowled over by the friendliness and bubbliness of the crew. I think because it is still young the ship needs to find itself first, then maybe it will be better in the future. However, the food was excellent, though a bit rushed in the Meridian in the evenings. The service was good and the waiters did have some fun with us but nowhere near as mush as we would have liked. We were on the Island Escape last year and had a wonderful, fun time every night, the staff on the Arcadia seem to be scared of letting their hair down a bit and propagating some fun, don't know why! Try the Arcadian Rhodes restaurant, there is a surcharge of £15 each for this but the food and service are outstanding, well worth it.

I could go through all the amenities on board but you can look at this in the brochure or the website. They are very accurate in their descriptions, we had very little to complain about on board. The prices of drinks are reasonable, although a mini can of coke as a mixer is 75p, Stella is £1.50 a pint. The gift shop is quite cheap as well, good presents available.

Entertainment: On-board entertainment was fairly good, there is something for everyone, from digital photography to classes on fears and phobias, try the wine tasting too, this is very good if you like wine.

The cabaret entertainment at night was so so, there are two showings at 8.45 and 10.45pm which fits in with your dining. The cast are very professional and are all excellent singers and dancers but, and this is a big but, the themes were poor, they were a bit boring and not very well produced. This is only my opinion of course but on all the other ships I have been on they were much, much better, especially the Island escape which was breathtaking.

There was a comedian on-board, called Micky Zany, who is very good. Also, one night there were two alternative comedians on instead, one looking like swampy who was appalling, where they dug them up from God only knows. The language was colourful as well and totally unnecessary, even though they warn you. P&O wake up! This act was not appropriate on this cruise!

All in all this was a good cruise and I would go with P&O again because of the high standards of the ship, sailing from Southampton is not my preference. Although the itinerary was poor we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would not hesitate in recommending P&O and the Arcadia liner. The ship is superb and the staff were very helpful, if not a tad miserable, but there are some exceptions.

If you would like any information about any aspects of this cruise or the Arcadia please contact me on [email protected], I will be glad to help.