Having cruised many times we thought we would try a Christmas cruise. I am sorry to report this was by far the worst cruise we have been on. Regrettably this was a sentiment shared by all of the other passengers we spoke with.

The Arcadia is frankly a ship in serious need of upgrading or perhaps retirement from the fleet. Passengers had issues with toilets not working and the heating in the cabins being uncontrollable. The temperature within the ship generally was either boiling hot or freezing cold and there were buckets in various communal areas collecting water leaks.

There were clearly insufficient staff to meet the needs of the passengers, particularly in respect of the dining arrangements. The restaurants seemed chaotic and disorganised with guests on 'Freedom dining' having to wait over an hour for a table for 2, but when we got in half the tables were empty. The speciality restaurants were shown as 'fully booked' within 2 days but most evenings there were only a few tables occupied, again indicative of the lack of waiting staff on the ship'. Read more