Arcadia – what a disappointment

We have cruised on Arcadia before in November 2012 when we went to the Eastern Mediterranean; there was a lot of hype about the early December 2013 refit but the results were barely noticeable.
Our Cruise was the Christmas and New Year Cruise to the Carribean and the first long cruise since the refit – we left Southampton on the 17th December 2013 and returned on the 10th January 2014.

The crew were as usual extremely friendly and courteous and made us feel most welcome; the Captain Sarah Breton was a visible presence at most of the events on board.

Entertainment in the theatre was good but at some of the other venues it was below standard.

There was a concerted effort to “part you from your money” in the on-board shops, spa, bars & coffee shops and also with the Photograph con – at every port a photographer took your picture as you got off; at the formal nights a photographer took your photo and at events on board it was hard to avoid the photographer – most photos produced were priced at ?œ15 to ?œ20 each – it is very easy on a 21-night cruise to spend ?œ300 to ?œ500 on photos!
Most food on board is free but if you want to dine in the Grill or the Oriental Restaurant the a cover charge of between ?œ15 and ?œ25 per person is charged.
Unlike some other Cruise Lines you have to pay for ice-cream obtained on deck with prices for a Cornetto double that charged in UK.

Freedom Dining has been introduced on Deck 3 of the Meridian Restaurant but we didn’t get the option of sampling this.
Deck 2 of the Meridian Restaurant caters for the two Dinner sittings of 1830 hrs & 2030 hrs – the big change here is that “Silver Service” has been replaced by plated meals with the result that they are often luke-warm.
IF I WANTED PLATED MEALS I COULD GO TO A HOLIDAY CAMP for a fraction of the cost – the reason given was that they were catering to the “American Market”; about 95% of our passengers were British !!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously it is a way of cost-cutting.

Another gripe was the lack of thought given to the menu’s; they were not as varied as we had experienced before – they had obviously been changed because the recommended wines had often nothing to do with the menu offered e.g. “this wine is the perfect accompaniment for Roast Leg of Lamb” – what wasn’t on the menu – Roast Leg of Lamb.

The Food issue alone will result in us not cruising with P&O again.