Aft balconies on P&O Arcadia

Hi

We booked an aft balcony on P&O Arcadia for a cruise this summer as I like the idea of overlooking the wake and being able to see the scenery on both sides of the ship. I have also heard that these aft cabins are bigger than the ones on the side of the ship. We will be on A deck. I am trying to find out whether there will be some overhang from the deck above so that at least part of the balcony will be in the shade and not overlooked. Has anyone been in one of the cabins before and able to help. Does the amount of overhang and shade vary between the different decks?

Thankyou

Hi I can't remember the cabin number but we were on the aft it was excellent with a mixture of sun and shade and lots of room, enjoy your cruise

The aft cabins on A deck are only half-overlooked by the lido deck above, so if you want privacy and/or shade you've got it.

The main disadvantages to the aft cabins are that the theater & crow's nest are at the other end of the ship, and that if the sea is lumpy you'll feel it much more than if you had a midship cabin.

If you don't mind walking and don't mind a bouncy ride :cool: then you'll like the aft cabins. Sitting on the balcony on a warm evening with a glass of wine, watching the wake disappear before dinner is one of life's great pleasures....

Thanks so much for your replies. This has really put my mind at rest and I can look forward to the cruise and enjoying the balcony, both sun and shade. We have been at the aft on other ships and think it is a great location.

We had one of these on C deck, our Butler said the ones on A were bigger. I think we had a mix of overhang, it was great being able to see where you were going and where you had been! We have booked one of these on B deck next year. I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

The aft suites are interesting - the cabin floor area isn't quite as large as the midships suites, but the balcony is better as it wraps around the port or starboard quarter. And trying to stay on the bed in very heavy seas is a lot of fun - the best thing to do is to hug your partner and enjoy the ride :rolleyes:

We have booked an aft balcony cabin on B deck. The balconies on B deck are bigger than A deck and C deck but not as big as D deck. We have stayed in B150 and have booked B167 for September. When we were in B150 some friends visited who were in a port side balcony cabin on C deck and they said that our cabin was wider as the wardrobes were full depth whereas one of theirs wasn't.

We had an aft on Arcadia lovely view but suffered badly with soot so watch your clothing.

Dear Gingerbread Girl. How was your aft cabin on Arcadia last year? I have booked A162 aft on Arcadia for May 2018. Ages away yet. Was there much noise from above? Travelling North early in the season fjord season so hoping it will be quite quite above 😀 thanks in advance

Hi

We thoroughly enjoyed A164 -so much so that we booked it again for another trip, so we have now stayed in it twice.

The cabin itself is much larger than usual for this grade -with extra space between the bed and the window, probably another 4-5ft compared to usual, so the sitting area of the cabin is bigger.

The balcony is much larger too depthwise -with half under cover,in shade and with privacy , and the other half nearer to the rail exposed.

If you stand at the rail you can be seen by those on the deck above -but only if they stand at the edge and peer directly down. This generally only happens during sailaways - and hardly ever when at sea.

There is some noise morning and evening as loungers are being moved on the deck above but we found this fairly shortlived. We were awake anyway and it certainly did not detract from our enjoyment of the cabin overall.

I think you will enjoy A162. You will be able to see both sides of the fjord from your balcony rather than just one, which is a great plus point. Also if it is raining you can stay at the back of the balcony, stay dry and still enjoy the view.When we went to the fjords in May a few years back we had brilliant weather -so hope it will be the same for you.

We did suffer the 'soot' (red specks )problem one evening on our 2015 cruise -but not in 2016 so perhaps that is now sorted.

Enjoy your cruise

Many thanks you for your prompt reply. 😃 I luckily have a couple of cruises to look forward to before then, but May 2018 will be my first Aft cabin

We were in cabin D186 as Arcadia sailed through the Suez Canal. Absolutely fabulous being able to view both banks at the same time. The balcony was very long and the first part is sheltered by the balcony above. However if you stand right by the hand rail, you can be overlooked from above.

We were in cabin D186 as Arcadia sailed through the Suez Canal. Absolutely fabulous being able to view both banks at the same time. The balcony was very long and the first part is sheltered by the balcony above. However if you stand right by the hand rail, you can be overlooked from above.

Would you recommend D deck aft, Princess? Did you find the cabin dark, or the balcony being sheltered by C deck a minus point?

Would you recommend D deck aft, Princess? Did you find the cabin dark, or the balcony being sheltered by C deck a minus point?

It did tend to make the cabin darker than usual, but I thought being sheltered by C deck a plus point. When it was hot (& it was in the Suez) you could sit in the shade and still have a good view. My personal preference however is a side cabin, but everyone has their own opinion. Whatever you decide i'm sure you'll have a great cruise :)

topster5

D deck cabins are a bit like Marmite. They are great if the weather is bad or if it is very hot and sunny as you have a lot of protection. I went through the Bay of Biscay when the weather was bad and could use the balcony every day as it was protected from the weather.

Not on Arcadia, but I had a stern cabin on Celebrity Solstice (sunset balcony and now command a high premium) travelling east to west across the south of Australia - wish it could have been a cabin like those on D deck as it was so hot and the sun shined directly into the cabin - couldn't get the cabin below 30C even with the air-con on max. So, for me, an itinerary like the Suez would be better in a D deck cabin.

For itineraries where heat or strong sun is less of an issue, I'd go for one on decks A,B or C. I've booked October 18 on Arcadia to the Med and have gone for one I've had before on A deck.

At the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference.

Would you recommend D deck aft, Princess? Did you find the cabin dark, or the balcony being sheltered by C deck a minus point?

It did tend to make the cabin darker than usual, but I thought being sheltered by C deck a plus point. When it was hot (& it was in the Suez) you could sit in the shade and still have a good view. My personal preference however is a side cabin, but everyone has their own opinion. Whatever you decide i'm sure you'll have a great cruise :)

Thanks for these inputs. I think we'll go with it. It does look nice and private. I think I would prefer not to be overlooked. Also my husband can't sit in the sun for any length of time due to his colouring.

Is there a known syndrome for never being happy with/ worrying about whether you have picked the right cabin !!!:o

Someone from P&O has just phoned and asked if I was happy with the aft cabin on D Deck Arcadia. I decided to switch to C Deck Aft !

Now, that's it. I'm not going to ponder it any more!

Is there a known syndrome for never being happy with/ worrying about whether you have picked the right cabin !!!:o

Someone from P&O has just phoned and asked if I was happy with the aft cabin on D Deck Arcadia. I decided to switch to C Deck Aft !

Now, that's it. I'm not going to ponder it any more!

Hhhmmm.....i'm wondering if someone else has phoned wanting to book the cabin you had chosen and P&O wanted to move you. I may be wrong but I bet that cabin is unavailable now

No, I've just done a 'dummy' booking and that cabin we'd originally booked, D182, is still available.

The thing is, anyway, I really do prefer the look of the location of C196 anyway. Yes, it's overlooked, but the cabin will be brighter inside. Tony will just have to slap on the factor 50 :)

Anyway, I feel happier now they've changed it.