Bad Weather tips

Having just experienced a little rough weather on P&O Arcadia, I found this list on the web of things to look for to see if impending bad weather is due.

1.During the day, you hear the maitre d’ quietly instructing the waiters to chain down the tables in the dining room for dinner.
2.You pop up on deck before sailing to see what’s going on and you see the captain staring pensively out to sea.
3.Motion discomfort bags appear at strategic locations throughout the ship.- see my blog    
4.All deck furniture is cleared away and lashed down and the hot tubs are emptied.
5.Rumours begin to fly around the ship: “So-and-so overheard a crew member saying it was going to be ‘horrendous.’” - I overheard the ships band members talking about this one in port in Southampton on Arcadia in December!
6.The ship is bouncing around ominously, even though it’s still alongside, tied up. - Had this on Norwegian Epic in Cozumel, it actually took 14 hours for the ship to leave as the winds were too strong to leave the berth!
7.The following day’s port of call is cancelled as it’s too ‘exposed.’
8.The advertised dinner menu changes suddenly to something comforting like plain steaks and chicken soup.
9.The cocktail of the day is an ironic Dark and Stormy.
10.Seasick pills are given out like free 'sweets' at the reception desk.

Now there are lots of things the Captain will do to make sure that the sailing is as smooth as it can be, like changing course or itinerary and will give as many warnings as he needs too.

But what is clear is that the key point is we all enjoy cruising and although bad weather can be unpleasant we are still happy to go back for more and are happy to recount the stories on a regular basis!

P&O Arcadia - Mini Cruise

As you probably know we all went on P&O Arcadia on Thursday for a short 2 night cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugger and back for our Christmas Party; so here we all are:-

But what did I think of the ship?


So having already been on both Ventura and Azura, I was not expecting a larger 'glitzy' ship and Arcadia is not these things. Size wise she is a little smaller than the Queen Victoria but takes slightly more guests, so this gave the impression of a lack of space in the public rooms.

The dining room was pleasant, but again a little confined space wise.

I was lucky to get a Mini Suite cabin, BD category. Great for space, plenty of hanging space and a bathroom with separate shower and whirlpool bath, if only my budget could run to this on every cruise! Although, the TV services did disappoint, not interactive and with limited choice, and although not a problem on this short cruise, you could not get your on board account on the TV. A necessity on a longer cruise to check how much you have spent!

Service was up to P&O usual standard as was the food, although the choice in The Belvedere Restaurant at lunch seemed a little limited. Perhaps the effect of the falling sales price is that they have to reduce the spend on the food?

I went to the show on the first night, partly because I remember Jimmy James from my youth, although he had The Vagabonds with him then and also to see the Comedy Juggler, Pete Matthews. I have seen him before and thought he was really funny and he did not disappoint on this occasion neither.

Weather wise, what a roller coaster of a few days. During the last 2 or 3 short cruises the ship has
not been able to get into port on every occasion and we had a few bumps on the way out on Thursday, but managed to get into Zeebrugger for a day in Bruges. On the way back however, the motion of the Ocean was much strong and a number of people succumbed, Faz did turn a funny shade of green at 1 point (and if you know him you will know how difficult this is!)

Arcadia should have gone for a refit in November/December this year but this was postponed because of the refit to Oriana, and I have to say that perhaps she is starting to get a little tired and in need of a little tender care. See my picture of the tiles from the bathroom, just a a little bit of age showing - I am not saying that I though the cabins were dirty though. See picture below:-

Overall I had a good time and enjoyed the ship, but no massive wow factor here - but perhaps that's because of the mini cruise and not having sufficient time to get to know the ship!

What's in a name?

What is in a name?

Well, if you are of a certain age you will remember the Marathon Bar - now the Snickers Bar....... being re-branded.

Or, JIF the cleaning product which is now called CIF, but what are P&O doing now.....? Picture taken while on P&O Arcadia this weekend, a post about the cruise with pictures will follow.

A 'Motion Discomfort Bag'? .... come on what's wrong with a Sea Sick Bag?

Answers on a post card if you please!!!