Aurora Or Arcadia

[janny444]

Hi....I am considering a cruise on either Aurora or Arcadia with a  similar  itinerary..... similar length of cruise. We haven't cruised on either of them so any would be a new experience for us... It would be a standard balcony cabin.

Which ship would you choose....for general ambience....movement of ship....general upkeep etc.

 

Maybe they are both very similar so it may not matter which one we choose and just to go off price per night  🙂

[wowzz]

Standard balcony cabins on Arcadia are bigger than those on Aurora,  and all have baths, with showers over, so no fighting with the shower curtain.

Personally, I would go on price - I think you'll find Arcadia will be cheaper, as she has twice as many balcony cabins as Aurora.  

[PJ's]

Also Aurora is adult only and will therefore be more expensive. Have cruised on both of these ships but would choose Aurora every time. 

[janny444]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Standard balcony cabins on Arcadia are bigger than those on Aurora,  and all have baths, with showers over, so no fighting with the shower curtain.

Personally, I would go on price - I think you'll find Arcadia will be cheaper, as she has twice as many balcony cabins as Aurora.  

I think the point about the shower curtain may be the deciding factor 😃

[terrierjohn]

I have been on both once, and I agree with wowzz that the standard balcony cabins are much better on Arcadia, and the promade deck is also better imho.

[BrianI]

We have cruised on both and without a doubt Aurora is the best. There is the horse shaped terracing at the rear, dedicated cinema/lecture room, Anderson’s lounge and card room, non of which exists on Arcadia. 
Brian

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, PJ's said:

Also Aurora is adult only and will therefore be more expensive. Have cruised on both of these ships but would choose Aurora every time. 

Arcadia is also adult only.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, BrianI said:

We have cruised on both and without a doubt Aurora is the best. There is the horse shaped terracing at the rear, dedicated cinema/lecture room, Anderson’s lounge and card room, non of which exists on Arcadia. 
Brian

I like the small  bespoke cinema on Arcadia,  and the theatre on Arcadia is excellent. 

  

[BrianI]

4 minutes ago, PJ's said:

Also Aurora is adult only and will therefore be more expensive. Have cruised on both of these ships but would choose Aurora every time. 

Arcadia is also adult only.

There are less balconies on Aurora which makes them expensive

Bria

[PJ's]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Arcadia is also adult only.

I honestly did not know that Arcadia was also adult only. I'd still choose Aurora even if the price was more expensive. When we sailed on Arcadia a few years ago we didn't feel that the ship "flowed" very well. Just my opinion.....but would go on any of the P&O ships next week.....if only.....😀

[terrierjohn]

Just now, PJ's said:

I honestly did not know that Arcadia was also adult only. I'd still choose Aurora even if the price was more expensive. When we sailed on Arcadia a few years ago we didn't feel that the ship "flowed" very well. Just my opinion.....but would go on any of the P&O ships next week.....if only.....😀

If you had to use a wheelchair you would realise the Aurora does not flow well either. 

Another vote from me for Arcadia's theatre, one of the best we have seen, but the balcony cabins would seal it for me. Our only problem with Arcadia is the tiny accessible cabins.

[Angel57]

You will probably find the opinions on these two ships are very evenly split.
My personal preference is Aurora - mainly for the bars, the lovely theatre and the comfy cinema.
If you like dancing Carmens has a great dance floor.
Whichever ship you chose you will enjoy your time on board.

[showingdiva]

Arcadia.   Larger balcony cabins.   Good promenade deck.   Great theatre.    

 

I do like Aurora too, but faced with the choice between them, Arcadia would win hands down.

[Britboys]

They are very different internally and I would recommend going on to something like you tube to look for for relatively recent video tours. Aurora is generally a little more traditional and has quite a bit of dark wood-effect panelling. The majority of public rooms are distinct, separate venues, whereas Arcadia has rooms that are open-plan on to a corridor - like the Tamarind Club/Malabar on Ventura/Azura. Wall colours on Arcadia are lighter and the ceilings generally feel higher. Decor is definitely contemporary rather than traditional (apart from the Rising Sun pub bar). Aurora probably has the better sea-keeping qualities as she was built with long and World cruises in mind.

Personally, I prefer Aurora but would also happily sail on Arcadia.

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Aurora probably has the better sea-keeping qualities as she was built with long and World cruises in mind.

But doesn't that also apply to Arcadia, which was at stage destined to be  "Queen".

[Eddie99]

I haven’t been on Aurora, other than a ship’s visit, so can’t comment on her.

I have been on Arcadia twice, and QV (built on the same last, I believe) twice.  I like the layout and the standard balcony cabins

 

One word of warning if you like freedom dining - Arcadia doesn’t do it well.  Queue, queues and more queues, even when willing to share.

Of course, that was all Pre-C ... I guess there will be significant changes/no sharing etc.  

[Britboys]

12 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But doesn't that also apply to Arcadia, which was at stage destined to be  "Queen".

Can't be certain but I'm not sure it does. They are all in the Vista Class that includes P&O, Cunard and HAL. Although I have been on Arcadia in a Force 10 and she rode it well.

[wowzz]

22 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

One word of warning if you like freedom dining - Arcadia doesn’t do it well.  Queue, queues and more queues, even when willing to share.

Have to say that was not our experience, although we tried to avoid the 7pm to 8pm rush. 

[Eddie99]

Early or late Wowzz?

Early/earlier was hopeless for us, both trips, so much so that, for our Eastern Med cruise, which we should be on now (sob) instead of in a caravan at Milford on Sea, I changed the booking from freedom to fixed dining, table of eight.  
 

All academic now, of course

[wowzz]

Just now, Eddie99 said:

Early or late Wowzz?

Early/earlier was hopeless for us, both trips, so much so that, for our Eastern Med cruise, which we should be on now (sob) instead of in a caravan at Milford on Sea, I changed the booking from freedom to fixed dining, table of eight.  
 

All academic now, of course

We hate eating early, so normally wandered straight into the MDR just after 8. 

[ann141]

4 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

Early or late Wowzz?

Early/earlier was hopeless for us, both trips, so much so that, for our Eastern Med cruise, which we should be on now (sob) instead of in a caravan at Milford on Sea, I changed the booking from freedom to fixed dining, table of eight.  
 

All academic now, of course

We also should have been on Arcadia now but wouldn t mind a caravan at Milford on Sea at the moment-its chilly up north! My mother in law used to live in Barton on Sea so know Milford fairly well- lovely part of the world. I like Arcadia but prefer Aurora particularly since Auroras refit She doesn t seem to have as many technical problems or overflowing loos etc as Arcadia  

[Eddie99]

It’s absolutely beautiful here today Ann -17C and wall to wall blue skies.  I probably saw Arcadia earlier when we were at the beach.  There were at least 4, possibly 6 cruise liners visible in the distance, over towards Weymouth.  *sigh*

[Windsurfboy]

Arcadia wins for me in having ocean grill and Sindhu 

 

Aurora wins in having rear deck area sheltered from any cold winds.

 

But on balance food choice wins out

 

 

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Arcadia wins for me in having ocean grill and Sindhu 

 

Aurora wins in having rear deck area sheltered from any cold winds.

 

But on balance food choice wins out

 

 

So who wins? Sorry, just realised you mean Arcadia.

Edited October 22, 2020 by wowzz

[Adawn47]

Arcadia and Aurora are the only P&O ships we sail on and love them both equally. Yes they both have good and not so good points, but doesn't everything? I agree that Arcadia has the best balcony cabins, having a seperate sitting area which would be a de-luxe on other ships. Her 3-tier theatre is beautiful with large, comfortable, wider than average seats. Aurora has the lovely tiered stern  with plenty of chairs to relax and watch the wake. Anderson's is lovely and so are the restaurants. I've only picked out my best bits from both, but they both share the same wonderful ambience, so we choose the ship by its itinerary. Whichever ship you choose you will not be disappointed.

Avril