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Top of the World Cruise |
| Reviewed By: Reeve, Worcester on 19th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: P&O Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Arcadia |
Sailed:
July,
2008 |
| Destination: Norwegian Fjords |
Age: 56-65 |
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We were blessed with excellent weather as we undertook our second cruise. Our first had been with friends on the Constellation to the Baltic and this time we decided to have a look at Norway. Norway is as beautiful as the guide books tell you and we enjoyed hot and sunny weather for most of the time. The only time we saw cloud and fog was after we had crossed the Artic Circle on our way to the North Cape. As a result we did not see the midnight sun but it was really amazing to be on deck at midnight watching the crew play cricket in the light. When we go to Norway again we will miss out the North Cape as we did not feel it warranted the three days getting there and back from Trondheim. All the places we visited were really lovely, especially the tiny places like Flam, Olden and Alesund. We had a fear that after a wonderful cruise on the Constellation we might be disappointed with Arcadia, but we worried needlessly. Obviously there are small differences between an American ship and a British ship but we would happily recommend both and would travel on either again. We had no major gripes about Arcadia and whilst we had deliberately chosen the child free ship, we were a little surprised to find that a large majority of the passengers were well over the age of sixty five and rather more of them using wheel chairs and mobility scooters than we had expected and would have liked. This did cause hold ups on the gangplank when embarking and disembarking whilst crew members carried people and their appliances on and off the ship but everyone took it in good spirit and we hope that we don't become incapacitated in due course. Food was excellent with an emphasis on fish and whilst I am not able to eat fish there were sufficient other choices. I am dibetic and the restaurant manager came every evening to discuss my dietary needs for the following day which I thought was excellent service. Our only criticism was that the Belvedere food hall had insufficient seating and we regularly had to queue for a table at the breakfast and lunchtime buffets. Crew was Indian and very attentive, our captain kept us informed of progress when we were arriving and departing ports. Entertainment was ok but nothing to write home about. We took three excursions, all very good and whilst expensive we did feel they were value for money. In the main we like to go off and do our own thing but in places like Honningsvag, Flam and Olden there is really nothing to do so taking a tour is recommended unless you want to sit on the boat all day or go off hiking. Cabin was good, we chose to have a balcony. Tea and coffee making facilities with no skimmed milk. Our steward said they did not have any but when we asked a higher authority it was duly found and left in our fridge. We did have a long queue to board the ship and register on day one and disembarcation took foreever, especially once we had picked up our bags in the large hall dockside and then had to queue with hundreds to get through one small door back into the real world. I know this is controlled by Associated British Ports but I would have thought the shipping lines could put on pressure to have this facility modernised with improved access.
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