Arcadia Jottings

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Having been on the cruise a week now I have to say things appear to be settling down and staff becoming more proficient. 
when we first got onboard we were not impressed with the staff or the state of the ship. The outside of the ship had indeed been painted and looked good but little had been done to the cabins. We were booked into a deluxe balcony cabin. On arrival we found the following problems:

1.sink tap pressure was low, only a dribble. 

2. Toilet seat held on by only one screw making it unstable.

3. Thermostat in shower mixer tap broken allowing only boiling hot water to come out making shower unusable.

4. No runners on the bed, cushions, divider curtains between beds and settee.

5. No net curtain up windows and large amount of paint spilled down outside window.

To be honest it looked like a Travelodge room.

 

fortunately it was Mother’s Day when we boarded so my wife brought the flowers that the children had given her and made the cabin look a bit more appealing.

It has taken a week to get the plumbing sorted out but we’re having to live with everything else.

Entertainment wise things have been ok. We have to book seats in the theatre and staff check you off the list when you turn up. I have made extensive use of the P&O app to book venues, excursions and check my onboard account. Visits to reception are no longer required.

We attended the Baltic lunch on Thursday which was nice but no officers on tables now.

 

[paulatsea]

5 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

Having been on the cruise a week now I have to say things appear to be settling down and staff becoming more proficient. 
when we first got onboard we were not impressed with the staff or the state of the ship. The outside of the ship had indeed been painted and looked good but little had been done to the cabins. We were booked into a deluxe balcony cabin. On arrival we found the following problems:

1.sink tap pressure was low, only a dribble. 

2. Toilet seat held on by only one screw making it unstable.

3. Thermostat in shower mixer tap broken allowing only boiling hot water to come out making shower unusable.

4. No runners on the bed, cushions, divider curtains between beds and settee.

5. No net curtain up windows and large amount of paint spilled down outside window.

To be honest it looked like a Travelodge room.

 

fortunately it was Mother’s Day when we boarded so my wife brought the flowers that the children had given her and made the cabin look a bit more appealing.

It has taken a week to get the plumbing sorted out but we’re having to live with everything else.

Entertainment wise things have been ok. We have to book seats in the theatre and staff check you off the list when you turn up. I have made extensive use of the P&O app to book venues, excursions and check my onboard account. Visits to reception are no longer required.

We attended the Baltic lunch on Thursday which was nice but no officers on tables now.

 

Thanks for the report - cabin sounds dreadful - did you ask to move ? 

Are you enjoying the holiday - I hope you are getting something out of it ?

 

not good that these things were obviously not checked and fixed earlier.

[wowzz]

Good news is that the singer due to appear in the theatre last night missed his flight connection to Madeira, and therefore the formal night dress code was scrapped. No, I don't understand the logic of the decision either.

Heavy showers here today in La Palma - managed a stroll into town for a beer, and now back on board.

Main issue today seems to be the lifts, or lack of them, specifically mid ships, with only 2 out of 6 working. Lots of people hanging around the lift lobbies, waiting around.

We also have some plumbing issues - when using the shower, water still keeps coming out of the tap, so pressure very poor. Our steward says that there are so many complaints it may be some time before the engineers fix it. At least we are not getting black water every time we turn on the taps now !

Sindhu tonight for a change.

[Selbourne]

You would think that with all the downtime over the past few years, P&O would have taken the opportunity to address a lot of these cosmetic issues, which are apparent through visual inspections. Perhaps the retained maintenance staff on board were just attending to the bits that keep the ship going, rather than passenger areas? I suspect that some of the other issues (water pressure etc) are down to prolonged lack of use, although I don’t recall as many reports of this nature when the other ships returned to service, even Aurora which is another ‘old lady’. Unless I missed it, the commentary with the other ships seemed to be mostly about Covid outbreaks and on-board restrictions. 

[paulatsea]

thanks for the updates everyone - 

I wonder why all these problems were not sorted out while Arcadia was not in service.

Lack  of funds ? Incompetence ?
Or has it always been like this but I’ve been lucky with cabins ?  Or have I forgotten ?!

[paulatsea]

Just now, paulatsea said:

thanks for the updates everyone - 

I wonder why all these problems were not sorted out while Arcadia was not in service.

Lack  of funds ? Incompetence ?
Or has it always been like this but I’ve been lucky with cabins ?  Or have I forgotten ?!

Posted simultaneously with Selbourne !

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

thanks for the updates everyone - 

I wonder why all these problems were not sorted out while Arcadia was not in service.

Lack  of funds ? Incompetence ?
Or has it always been like this but I’ve been lucky with cabins ?  Or have I forgotten ?!

Personally I think that because Arcadia never had a shake down cruise, everyone on board are being used as QA personnel, identifying problems. 

Running the taps in every cabin in the week prior to the cruise, inspection of each cabin for obvious defects etc should all have been done, but for whatever reason, were not.

As was pointed out earlier in the thread, it is wrong to compare Arcadia with new Princess ships, but at the very least, P&O could have invested in some new sun loungers !

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

Having been on the cruise a week now I have to say things appear to be settling down and staff becoming more proficient. 
when we first got onboard we were not impressed with the staff or the state of the ship. The outside of the ship had indeed been painted and looked good but little had been done to the cabins. We were booked into a deluxe balcony cabin. On arrival we found the following problems:

1.sink tap pressure was low, only a dribble. 

2. Toilet seat held on by only one screw making it unstable.

3. Thermostat in shower mixer tap broken allowing only boiling hot water to come out making shower unusable.

4. No runners on the bed, cushions, divider curtains between beds and settee.

5. No net curtain up windows and large amount of paint spilled down outside window.

To be honest it looked like a Travelodge room.

 

Funnily enough, that’s exactly the description I’d apply to the suite we had on Azura in 2019. Similar sorts of issues - a combination of poor maintenance and what’s presumably a policy decision to cut costs by allowing furniture and fittings to go far too long beyond their service life before being replaced.

 

Tolerable, I suppose, but you’re not buying something advertised as a ‘tolerable experience’.

[majortom10]

Perhaps P&O should change their dress code for all their ships to Shabby Chic to match their ships.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

On 4/1/2022 at 5:25 PM, Harry Peterson said:

That was my feeling on Azura in 2019. The food was good, and the service good, but the entertainment was a bit lacking and the state of the suite we had was very poor indeed. No hotel, with the possible exception of Britannia Hotels, would have left it in this state. There was the celebrated sewage smell in parts of the ship, which ran on for years, and when the televisions all packed up it took an email to the CEO in America to get anyone to sort it. The Customer Service Manager was refusing to talk to passengers.

 

There’s a limit to how far you can cut costs without damaging the product to such an extent that it loses its appeal.

We booked this cruise 3 years ago and since that time lots of things have happened to change the cruising experience.

Firstly, tipping was scrapped. This had a financial implication for the company. Staff still have to be paid so either cruise fares increase or savings have to be made elsewhere.

Second. Covid came along and cruise ships stop sailing. Carnival took a major hit financially and has had to evolve with new protocols. This costs money. I have seen documentation that appears to show  that our cabins were used by crew who were in quarantine (apparently required when they join a ship) prior to the ship going operational again. This may explain why luxury items e.g. curtains, cushions were removed.

Third. The return to service has resulted in brand new crew members joining ships and need training. They have loads of enthusiasm and are very friendly but still need training and experience.

Fourth. New protocols require areas of the ship to be cordoned off as isolation areas and sailing with reduced capacity. This results in a watered down cruise experience e.g fewer people in the theatre so not the same atmosphere. 

Fifth. Some passengers look upon the cruise experience as an ordeal instead of a holiday. e.g. testing at the port (will I be allowed on board or sent home?), testing on board (will I be sent to isolation or even worse off loaded at the next port?)

To sum up, cruising will never be what it was before Covid. Seasoned cruisers will miss lots of things they were used to. New cruisers I suspect will not miss what they’ve never had, so cruising will continue.

 

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

2 hours ago, paulatsea said:

thanks for the updates everyone - 

I wonder why all these problems were not sorted out while Arcadia was not in service.

Lack  of funds ? Incompetence ?
Or has it always been like this but I’ve been lucky with cabins ?  Or have I forgotten ?!

I don’t know the answer but we have a lot of contractors/maintenance staff on board at the moment. A considerable number of inside cabins on my deck are occupied by maintenance staff. Electricians are working on lights, lots of plumbing work going on, lifts out of service for repair/maintenance. Still lots of varnishing and tender maintenance. I suspect they’re using this cruise to identify and rectify problems.

[Megabear2]

That's actually quite appalling.  I'd hope you would all get some OBC at least for the inconvenience.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

That's actually quite appalling.  I'd hope you would all get some OBC at least for the inconvenience.

I think P&O have become quite hardened to customer complaints now and appear to have a blasé attitude. I’m not expecting extra OBC anytime soon.

[P&O SUE]

Thanks again for the reports both. Arcadia is definitely struck off my list now! The fares for Arcadia are generally so much higher than the new ships that I would be gutted to have that experience.

I was looking at 2 Amsterdam cruises the other day - both exactly the same just one day apart. One on Ventura and one on Aurora. I’ve always wanted to go on Aurora after missing out when my cruise on her was cancelled. We travelled on Oriana instead and both loved the experience. I really loved the tiered aft decks which Aurora has. The price difference was quite a bit though (Aurora higher) and the furnishings do look outdated. I probably won’t book either of them unless I’m bumped off my upcoming cruise but it’s mad the price difference.

[yorkshirephil]

3 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

I think P&O have become quite hardened to customer complaints now and appear to have a blasé attitude. I’m not expecting extra OBC anytime soon.

With what I have read here and on facecloth it seems that the ship is not really ready to cruise which is poor considering the length of time she has been stood down. P&O seem to lurch from one predicament to the next. I think most of us grasp that covid has been devastating to the industry which is why the cruise lines should at least ensure that the ships are in good condition to sail. What sort of impression are people going to come off Arcadia with?

[Britboys]

11 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Thanks again for the reports both. Arcadia is definitely struck off my list now! The fares for Arcadia are generally so much higher than the new ships that I would be gutted to have that experience.

I was looking at 2 Amsterdam cruises the other day - both exactly the same just one day apart. One on Ventura and one on Aurora. I’ve always wanted to go on Aurora after missing out when my cruise on her was cancelled. We travelled on Oriana instead and both loved the experience. I really loved the tiered aft decks which Aurora has. The price difference was quite a bit though (Aurora higher) and the furnishings do look outdated. I probably won’t book either of them unless I’m bumped off my upcoming cruise but it’s mad the price difference.

The price difference may look mad but it is quite logical. Ventura is not quite twice the size of Aurora but it does take up to twice the number of pax and has additional on-board revenue streams.  P&O can't possibly expect Aurora to make the same profit level as the larger ships so it is understandable that the fares are higher.  Those of us who prefer smaller ships just have to accept that we will pay more for our choice/preference.

It will also - to a degree - depend on the type of cabin you are looking at. Balcony cabins aboard the larger ships are far less expensive because there are so many of them.

[P&O SUE]

7 minutes ago, Britboys said:

The price difference may look mad but it is quite logical. Ventura is not quite twice the size of Aurora but it does take up to twice the number of pax and has additional on-board revenue streams.  P&O can't possibly expect Aurora to make the same profit level as the larger ships so it is understandable that the fares are higher.  Those of us who prefer smaller ships just have to accept that we will pay more for our choice/preference.

It will also - to a degree - depend on the type of cabin you are looking at. Balcony cabins aboard the larger ships are far less expensive because there are so many of them.

I understand that but I was thinking of new passengers to P&O would 99% of the time pick Ventura because they are identical itineraries one day apart but it was quite a difference just on four nights. As I said we loved Oriana (and people were moaning about her then) but price wise we could pick Ventura easily especially looking at our price hikes on our energy bills etc. I do fear for the two older ships.

[yorkshirephil]

25 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

With what I have read here and on facecloth it seems that the ship is not really ready to cruise which is poor considering the length of time she has been stood down. P&O seem to lurch from one predicament to the next. I think most of us grasp that covid has been devastating to the industry which is why the cruise lines should at least ensure that the ships are in good condition to sail. What sort of impression are people going to come off Arcadia with?

 

[Britboys]

1 minute ago, P&O SUE said:

I understand that but I was thinking of new passengers to P&O would 99% of the time pick Ventura because they are identical itineraries one day apart but it was quite a difference just on four nights. As I said we loved Oriana (and people were moaning about her then) but price wise we could pick Ventura easily especially looking at our price hikes on our energy bills etc. I do fear for the two older ships.

Those of us that love the smaller ships also fear for them Sue. Simple fact of business that the bigger ones will always have cheaper fares on offer though. Most new to P&O/Cruising pax will automatically choose a newer, larger ship.

[Danamis]

On 3/29/2022 at 3:12 PM, purplesea said:

No test was required for Maderia in January, but things change!

We were in Madiera last week with Ventura. No LFT was needed then. Strange?

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Two pieces of bad news, we’re not leaving La Palma until late tonight due to high winds which means we’ll be late getting to Tenerife tomorrow and more importantly I asked for Stilton tonight and was told it’s no longer available! 😂

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

Two pieces of bad news, we’re not leaving La Palma until late tonight due to high winds which means we’ll be late getting to Tenerife tomorrow and more importantly I asked for Stilton tonight and was told it’s no longer available! 😂

Was the lack of Stilton “because of Covid”? 😂 

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

Two pieces of bad news, we’re not leaving La Palma until late tonight due to high winds which means we’ll be late getting to Tenerife tomorrow and more importantly I asked for Stilton tonight and was told it’s no longer available! 😂

You are eating early !

[mrsgoggins]

I’m currently on Sky Princess and although the ship is in excellent condition, I wouldn’t have to try too hard for a few (relatively minor) complaints, but your comments on Arcadia Wowzz, fill me with trepidation since it’s our first cruise on her next month (Baltic!). My preference is always Celebrity (reinforced on this Sky Princess cruise) but Arcadia was doing a longer itinerary and went to additional places we wanted to visit.

 

I’ll work on my ‘positive thinking/first world’ problem mindset rather than the ‘the Arcadia cruise was definitely not cheap’ mantra that keeps popping up when I read the reports 😉

[howmuch!]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Perhaps P&O should change their dress code for all their ships to Shabby Chic to match their ships.

Sounds like a boiler suit and spanners would be more appropriate