Korcula and Corfu

The town of Korcula in the Adriatic Sea.

Arcadia's boating operations get under way.

An interesting coastline on the sail in.

Passengers ashore!

Lots of lovely homes on the coast, all well kept and stylish.

Entertainments Officer Martin, DJ Martin and Entertainments Officer Libby get the Party on Deck into full swing! You can tell the theme is Tropical..........

Libby, James and Entertainments Officer Richard.

Corfu from the cruise ship.

The Majestic Mountain ranges in Corfu.

The Corfu Passenger Terminal from where we operate a shuttle bus service into town. The Shore Excursions also depart from here.

Meet Roshan, another of our top Butlers, delivering a wonderful flower creation from our on board Florists. Many of you will know Roshan - great chap.

That was the scene from the aft end of Arcadia by the Aquarius Pool on my mid day rounds yesterday. Bliss!

Arcadia sails on towards her next port - Gibraltar.

Good Day All,

After all the hustle and bustle of two days in Venice, the next day Arcadia dropped her anchor at Korcula in Croatia, a beautiful small town which sits on a hilly peninsula, with defensive towers and a compact cluster of houses red roofed houses which are all nicely kept. We had our tenders (boats) in the water and the sea conditions were kind. Korcula is a medieval Dalmatian town with a very mild climate, beautiful monuments, treasures and architecture. Some people refer to it as a 'mini Dubrovnik'. I like to stroll around and see the Rector's Palace, the City Museum housed in a 16th century mansion and the Cathedral Sveti Marko which is built in the Gothic - Renaissance style. There are lots of cafes and restaurants along the coast to have a coffee, beer or lunch and watch the world go by. I did not manage to get ashore! This does not bother me as I have been a few times in the past. There will always be another time......Korcula is well worth exploring.

That evening I went to see Vince Earl in the Palladium Theatre who gave us all a good laugh, and then it was up to the aft end to the Aquarius Pool for the deck party. A balmy evening and very hot on deck. It was great to see everyone out dancing to the music on deck and to bump into so many people for a chat. It reminded me of the wonderful deck parties we used to have on the Caribbean cruises.

Back to Business - the Senior Hotel Team meet in my office - from L to R - Mario, Karen, Steve, James, Michael and Phil. Once the business is discussed we enjoy some lively banter!

On Monday we were alongside our berth in Corfu. Another scorcher of a day and everyone who went ashore came back with good tales of their adventures ashore. I love the Greek Islands, but I have only ever visited them on the ships, one day I would like to return for a longer stay.

There is something for everyone in Corfu whether you just want to lie on a beach for the day, or sit in the cafes and people watch. There are lots of interesting tours on offer from Greek Gastronomy, Water Park Fun, Cruise and Swim, or just leisurely sightseeing. The old quarter of the town is very interesting with its tall houses and narrow alleyways. The British influence is evident with the bandstand and the cricket square. The Mon Repos Palace is here which is where Prince Philip was born!

After a misty start, Tuesday was a beautiful day at sea with sun shine all day - much to the delight of our passengers. I have convivial company at the Gold Tier Luncheon in The Meridian Restaurant and it turned out that one couple who were new to me, shared the same grandchildren as Jean Smith who travels with us a lot. Many of you will know Jean as she used to work for a well known travel agency! Sending greetings from Arcadia to Jean and John up in North Wales or Cyprus - wherever you may be. Come back and see us soon!! What a small world it is........

Thanks for all your messages received and it is good to talk to many blog readers on board and as you know we have Mary J Kerr on board at this time! Mary is great company as is her husband Tom. Our next call will be Gibraltar on Thursday and two sea days on our homeward leg to Southampton - hope there is some nice weather waiting for us in the UK - we are accustomed to this now.

Bye for now,

James.

To him who is determined it remains only to act.