Arcadia short break

We travelled on the 06th December 2011 for 3 nights on board Arcadia.

When we first arrived into Southampton I was surprised at how easy it is to park and check in. The queue went down very quickly and the check in staff were extremely friendly- they gave a very good first impression of P&O.

Although the ship doesn’t offer the WOW factor, it is extremely clean and the staff on board were very friendly.As soon as we got on board the staff were there offering to help with our bags and directing us to our cabins. I thought the ship had quite a homely feel and after the first day it was easy to navigate our way around the ship.

Having booked an inside OB grade cabin, i was really surprised at how spacious it actually was. I was expecting that it would be slightly cramped, but this wasnt the case at all.

Whilst on board we took advantage of as many of the facilites as possible, using the pool area and the spa area. The spa was gorgeous and offered a relaxing afternoon whilst at sea. We also went to the theatre on all 3 evenings and found the shows to be enjoyable.

The evening meal in the main restaurant was lovely, however I was a little bit dissapointed with the service as we did feel a little bit rushed. Other members of the party who had cruised before assured us though this is not the usual case some hopefully this was just a one off. The waiter did make up for this though by remembering mine and my friends favourite pudding and presented us with 2 on the final night!

The ship caters well for all ages of passenger, however i would say it is more suitable to the more mature traveller. The bar areas were lovely and the drinks were very reasonablly priced. There was also a nightclub for anyone who wanted to take advantage of that.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable 3 nights and would return for another short break.