Mrs Tinkywinky

Also go into What's in Port website, chose your country and then Dubrovnik. From there , you can click on "cruise calendar" and get into the port arrivals and times. I used it for the Baltic and it was generally fairly accurate .

I tried to find out before our Arcadia cruise in June and couldn't find any mention of speakers. I hoped for a Scandinavian/Baltic slant and there was a round the world yatchsman and a mysterious ex counter espionage speaker who , of course ,wouldn't say exactly what he used to do. He was very entertaining.

No they don't, but the time of arrival of the coach over-rides the individually allocated times and they all board straight away.

Yes exactly. I had a boarding time of 2pm and the lady in front on the coach had priority boarding , earlier. Makes no difference if you are on the coach. We arrived at 2:30pm and all embarked immediately.

If you look through the thread , we used the Intercruise bus from Chester and the stops before were Bangor and Llandudno. So there are buses from Llandudno. Our travel agent booked it for us. It was free , part of the deal they were doing , but would have been about £85 so may be about £100 for you Leesam

Yes I see what you mean. That may be why we stopped for nearly an hour at Warwick otherwise we would have been there by 2pm , too early for the scheduled arrival.

No don't think the new time is 3pm because our time arrival was set at 2:30 and we arrived exactly on time. Surely they can't have a set time arrival for coaches , they can be delayed like everyone else. We left Southampton over an hour late because a coach didn't arrive until after 4pm

Sorry. That should have read that we set sail late because a coach didn'the arrive until after 4pm. We were at muster at 4:30 and waited 40 mins for the late coach.

How soon before the cruise were you told that the pick up time was going to be 11am and is 3pm the new time for coach arrivals?

No don't think the new time is 3pm because our time arrival was set at 2:30 and we arrived exactly on time. Surely they can't have a set time arrival for coaches , they can be delayed like everyone else. We left Southampton over an hour late because a coach didn't arrive until after 4pm

Hi - travelling with Intercruises/Cruise Connect from Chester to Southampton on 4th Aug. We received our confirmation pick up times yesterday and I was a little surprised at the pick up time- 09:00 to arrive at Ventura at 15:30. To anyone who has travelled from Chester/ the North West - is this usual? I was expecting a 7am pick up / 1pm (ish) ship arrival.

 

Thanks

 

 

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Yes that's fine. We were picked up at Chester South Holiday Inn at 9am three weeks ago. The coach came from Bangor and Llandudno. Stopped at Knutsford for 20 mins to pick up and Warwick for 50 mins. Arrived at Southampton at 2:30. No hold ups but the ship will wait for coaches.

Don't know why people get so hung up with having to wear tux or dj

On our last cruise on Arcadia , I saw men wearing a shirt and black tie and on our table , a man wearing a light cream suit which looked very smart. No one battered an eyelid. Relax and enjoy , after all you are on holiday.

We had freedom dining on Arcadia. Great , especially on port days when we could pick our times. Never had a problem with getting a table as we were willing to share but some moaned because they had to wait for a table for two. Had different waiters each night and met interesting people but never sat with the same people twice.

Tried the buffet and the two speciality restaurants and room service as well

Hi, first time with P&O. I am getting the coach from Manchester Airport to Southampton on 27th Oct. Does anyone who has done this before know what time the pick up usually is?

Thanks in advance.

 

Mark

I have not heard of this. The coach we got from Chester had come from Bangor and Llandudno.

Interesting to here you travelled from Chester - was it the Holiday Inn - Chester South?

 

We are travelling on the 4th August to Ventura - wife and 2 kids. Were you able to park your car at the hotel for the duration of your holiday?

 

Cheers

 

 

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Hi

We got a taxi to there , it was The Holiday Inn Chester South. However I know of someone who goes and parks the car there when they go on a cruise but I don't know what they charge. Best to contact the hotel direct

Enjoy the cruise.

We have just got back from a two week cruise on Arcadia. Used Intercruise . Cannot comment on Eavesway as this was our first cruise. The coach we picked up was an Ellisons coach , large comfortable coach and excellent driver. At our pick up point in Chester there was also an Ellison's coach for Britannia.

Same kind of coach on the way back but we were delayed for an hour because we waited for passengers from Aurora who were not transfered so we had to go round to the other dock to pick them up. However not Intercruise's fault just poor communication at the port.

Excellent journey there and back , no holdups , but it was a Sunday.

I would use them again

We too usually drink the Olly Smith red or rose', both very easily drinkable!! :p

Yes have to agree and also the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Didn't have a bad wine at all , very reasonably priced and the whites were served chilled. Delicious:D:wine-glass::wine-glass:

Hi

Wouldn't get too hung up about formal nights. We have just returned from 4 formal nights on Arcadia. On one we went to Sindhu .We were two ladies and didn't have glittery outfits and if there is a man in your party then I did see men in black ties rather than tuxs and some in white/cream suits. As Goosebearmum says ,you can guess when they will be.

Enjoy your cruise!

I am on Arcadia now.

Good ..... deluxe balcony room ,good size plenty of storage

Easy ship to get around, plenty of lifts

Sindu restaurant

Ocean grill

Theatre ....seems a good size

 

BAD...

Entertainment , pretty dire ,there are a few good acts but entertainment areas too small

The Killer Queen night was cancelled , dont know why

Main dining room , food pretty poor , restaurant very noisy in places from the engine noise , no atmosphere especially noticable on formal night .

The main problem seems to be unhappy staff, a lot of people have commented on this ...the service levels are very poor ,serving of food is slap dash , plates slapped down, and cleared while others are eating , food cold.....we would rather eat in speciality restaurants or the buffet . It doesnt seem a happy ship , if staff are unhappy it has to have come from the top as another passenger commented.

If this ship had an itinary i liked at i price i liked we may sail on her again ,but she wont be first choice.We have spoken to passengers on their first cruise on P&O , this has not given them a good impression I am afraid

Oh well. I'm going tomorrow and this is my first cruise booked solely on the itiniary so I shall report back. I can live without any evening entertainment but would like lectures and talks.

Thanks for the feedback.

There is a thread about this a couple of pages ago. We are off on Arcadia on Sunday which is the first new menu/chargeable menu. Not bothered to be honest as I will probably only use it for breakfast on some mornings.

If I want it and I have to pay for the privilege then so be it. Won't spoil my holiday

You pay for it at the spa. A full cruise pass is about £150 for one and £250 for two on a 14 night cruise (I think there was a price list on one of the recent threads). You can buy day tickets but only if there are spaces, I find that people are increasingly reluctant to buy whole cruise passes and take the risk. For your money you get access to the hydropool, hot beds and steam rooms. They used to advertise the showers and steam rooms as aromatherapy rooms, but I don't think they do that anymore - in fact I only experienced it once on an early cruise. The hit beds are differing temperatures.

 

 

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Thankyou for the info. The odd day would be nice as we will be on shore for two thirds of the time so a full pass would not be of much use.

A few years ago we did a 17 nighter to the Adriatic, Venice etc. My best memory is spending time at the deck bar at the back of the ship, lounging in the lovely cushioned rattan chairs whilst watching beautiful sunsets. It's also a very good venue for the Hawaiian party night. We usually cruise on the larger family friendly ships so did find Arcadia different but it has its own special appeal and our cruise on her remains one of my favourites. Sure you'll have an amazing time. Enjoy!

 

 

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Thankyou. I may get hooked on this cruising lark !:D

Do you know if you can pay for the hydrotherapy pool separately or is it part of the spa?

The only thing Cruise Puss missed was it has a proper Promenade deck, we have been on 7 other ships but keep coming back to Arcadia.

Unfortunately we have had to cancel the very cruise you are are on "thanks " to illness.

Have done the itinerary before but it is a good one enjoy

Thankyou. Perhaps a morning jog around the Prom deck to start off some early morning arrivals in port.

I like to think she has a little bit of everything. As well as everything else mentioned I like the thermal suite and the Ocean Grill - my favourite restaurant on the fleet (lobster fan).

We have done 10 cruises on Arcadia and like her very much, I hope you have a great time x

 

 

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Think I will definitely give it a try , big fish and seafood fan as well.

There's a question that will start a huge debate!

 

My husband and I love her. We're on her for the 8th time on 2nd July.

 

Love the fact she is child free. P&O are one of the only cruise lines to have adult only ships which is a huge plus.

 

Love her glass lifts, numerous bars, large amount of deck space, hydrotherapy pool, covered pool, Sindhu, Ocean Grill, rear Suites........ effectively everything!

 

She has a dedicated cinema which most don't have. The Crow's Nest is gorgeous after a refit a couple of years ago. East Bar is lovely with wonderful views over the centre of the ship. The Piano Bar is wonderful. The main restaurant is very nice, and is a two tier restaurant with Club dining on the lower part and Freedom dining on the upper part.

 

There's also a great viewing area in front of the gym that not many people seem to go to - great for seeing arrivals in ports.

 

If she has bad points we have yet to find them.

 

However, if you're looking for glitzy you won't find it. No P&O ship is that - thank God.

 

Pretty sure others will come back with many other things.

 

We're sure you'll like her. [emoji4]

 

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Thanks for that. It doesn't seem to have started a huge debate. There has been little response really.

I am going on the June Baltic cruise. My friend and I only saw it as we passed the TA and booked it because of the itinary. I've looked in the threads and there aren't many posts.

So what do you good people out there think of the ship.

We have always done the coach from Glasgow but have friends who have flown on the day with no problem as they were too late to book the coach. You could snooze on the coach rather than worry about getting to the airport on time.

:D Or go and see Michael M in Manchester or Liverpool on another date and make a long weekend of it ......