Chinese Laundry!

Pretom Hazara and his fabulous ARCADIA Laundry Team.




Hello Again!

The Chinese Laundry - this term actually a cliche used to describe any well run laundry. The laundry on board Arcadia matches and often exceeds most similar establishments ashore in terms of volume, product delivery; all this achieved in a compact size and under variable working conditions on a moving platform!



The laundry operation is managed by Pritom Hazara the Laundry Master (the only other member of the Ship's Company that has the privilege of the title Master to his rank) and what a tight ship he runs. Not only do we all get clean sheets, towels and flannels everyday but also clean crisp table cloths and napkins, not forgetting the well pressed shirt, the dinner jacket and the other half’s elegant evening gown - all this for that memorable formal night on board.


Violet is a star! I first met Violet when she came to help us out at the launch of Aurora when we had all the uniform to alter for over 800 people! Violet has a great sense of humour and her smile brightens up the day. Violet had never been to sea before and settled in very quickly - she is an ace on the sewing machine. She can make cushions that Laura Ashley would be proud of!! Well done Violet - you have me in stitches....!



Laundryman Kartik has en eye for detail.


After all this they still find the time to keep all the ship’s company looking prim and proper in their various different uniforms, day and night. If that’s not all Violet will alter that new dress or loosen that trouser seam for you with an ever radiant smile and her speedy services. Pritom is not alone on this endeavour he is ably assisted by Gidion Mendonsa the Linen keeper and George D’Souza the assistant linen keeper. The laundry team is a 22 strong man team, and is at it 24 hour, seven day operation. They form a vital and unseen part of the people that enhance your Arcadian experience - thank you Pretom and team.


Must go as I have some 'pressing engagements'!


Enjoy,
James.


'a stitch in time saves nine'

Greetings from the Bismark Sea!

Friday night out in formal force! Helen, Jenny, James, Karen, Charlie and Stephen.

The magnificent deck head in Arcadia's Atrium.

James, Sataya our Number 1 Butler, and Stephen.

Good Day Everyone,

Hope you are enjoying a relaxing weekend. Friday was the most beautiful day with blue skies and endless sunshine, a lovely sea day for our passengers and a formal evening with the Portunus Parties and dinner. It was a bit of a shock this morning to find it was raining! An overcast morning - can't remember when we last had one of those!?

Anyhow that worked out well for the A Factor taking place in the Atrium on Decks 1, 2 and 3. All the Ship's Departments came together to show off the behind the scenes teams - the Engineering Department and Security on Deck 1, up through to Executive Chef Trevor Connolly doing his own live version of Saturday Kitchen - the only person missing was James Martin! Commodore Burgoine was book signing and surround by glamorous ladies from the Headliners Theatre Company. Even the Doctor was there with a display and there was a bed making competition which many of our passengers took part in. Trevor also had the 'how fast can you make an omelette'? challenge. The Crew Office and the Admin Department were also out in force. Also the Stores department and just about all areas across the board were represented. This went on from 1000 to Noon. Something different and much enjoyed.

The coxswains display their emergency gear.
The Spa team - Adrian, Steve, Emma and Paula.

The Engineering display was very popular.

Mike our Environmental Officer gives some good advice and information.

That's all for now folks - as we cruise through Micronesian waters...........

Best wishes,

James.

Be grateful for every step forward you can take with confidence in this life, for you will have begun a journey to something better than things are now.

Yorkeys Knob - Whit Sunday Islands - Australia

This area is famous for the butterflies.

Friendly local Staff on the Shore side Boats which we used to supplement our own cruise Ships boating operation. A great success.

Our very own Deck CPO Andrew Hardcastle gives a friendly Wave - Andrew and I joined the sea at the same time and I also used to work with his lovely wife Karen - hello to Karen - I know you are a blog fan!

Arcadia's little ducklings are all ready to go!

This is the only time you want to see the falls with no boats! These are the steel ropes that lift and lower the boats.

Greetings from the Great Barrier Reef....!

Whitsundays

During the day of the 25th February we sailed through the azure blue waters of the Whitsunday Islands a truly stunning 1,400 mile passage of eco sensitive water where Arcadia needs to have the watchful eye of the Reef Pilot on the bridge to assist.

We passed sister ship Aurora during the morning, she was anchored off Hamilton Island and many of the crew and passengers wished her well as we passed.

Aurora at Anchor - best wishes to all our friends and colleagues on board. A special hello to my counterpart Mr Chris Bullen.

Yorkies

This is the only area in Australia where two UNESCO World Heritage sites exist next to each other: The Great Barrier Reef and of course Australia’s acclaimed tropical rain forest.

Yorkey’s Knob is a suburb of Cairns, about 13km (9miles) north of Cairns, the regional capital of Far North Queensland. James Cook visited here briefly in 1770 on his first voyage of Discovery, but Cairns was officially founded only in 1876 as a frontier town to support the gold rush. The main street of Cairns does rather remind you of an outback town that has just grown up a little.
Australia’s Tropical Rain forests cover approximately 900,000 square hectares and are internationally recognised as being one of the most ecologically fascinating natural areas in the world, as a matter of fact one of few remaining truly pristine tropical rain forest places on the planet. These forests contain an amazing array and diversity of flora and fauna.

Stretching for over 500 kilometres along Tropical North Queensland’s coastline, these rain forests are the oldest continually surviving rain forests on earth and once covered the entire Australian continent. Some of the trees found here are more than 3,000 years old. The tallest trees in the forest reach up to 60 meters.

If you would like to experience Australia’s rain forest but are not sure if you want to meander into it, then I recommend that you book on our tour that allows you to fly above it in Cairns: The Skyrail Rain forest Cable way is a world first in environmental tourism taking you on an amazing experience over Australia’s World Heritage listed Tropical Rain forest canopy and deep into the forest.

The Skyrail experience, spanning 7.5kms over pristine rain forest, allows you to explore the wonders of an ancient tropical rain forest and find out more about one of the most botanically fascinating and diverse areas on earth. Each of the Skyrail gondolas holds 6 people, making this a very private affair. We could relax, sit back and enjoy the ride up the mountain. The views over the canopy are incredible as you can imagine. One of the most impressive sights during the journey is the opportunity to step off the cable way and walk along the boardwalk to view the Barron River Falls, a postcard picture that seems near impossible to believe unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes.

In 1885 the explorer Archibald Meston described that the raging waters of Barron Falls "rush together like wild horses as they enter the straight in the dread finish of their last race ... (where) the currents of air created by the cataract waved the branches of the trees hundreds of feet overhead ...."

Then there is also the amazing Butterfly Sanctuary's that is home to over 1500 magnificent tropical butterflies, all local to the area, including the electric blue Ulysses butterfly which simply would not settle long enough for a snap picture. Here you will find some of the largest butterflies in Australia.

For more information about the tours we offer in this area - visit this website -

http://www.quicksilvergroup.com.au/

Well that's Good Bye to Australia for another time - I hope it is not 7 years until I return! What a blast it has been from Fremantle to here! The memories will last forever. Best wishes to all our new friends down under. God Bless Australia - a great country with wonderful people!

We are off to the Pacific Island of Guam now and how lovely to have four days at sea to look forward to. My diary is far from empty.........

All good wishes,

James.

In the words of the song 'I still call Australia home'

Brisbane - Queensland - Australia - Arcadia

Wallabies shelter from the heat.


Hello Everyone,

Arcadia enjoyed a beautiful on our cruise to Brisbane last Monday - 23rd February 2009.
Another mini turnaround for Arcadia and the last of our press, media and TV crew visits - what great coverage we got in Australia. I think Commodore Steve Burgoine must have been on every TV News programme in Australia! We said good bye to our friends from our Sydney Office today - it has been a very memorable voyage!


Here's Graham's overview for the blog....

Welcome to Brisbane, which the locals also call ‘Bris Vegas’ because the sun shines here more than anywhere in Australia. Their motto is ‘Beautiful one day, perfect the next!’ It's the third-largest city in Australia, capital city of Queensland and is becoming one of its most desirable places to live.

Brisbane grew around the Brisbane River. Interestingly enough, four European navigators, Captain Cook, Matthew Flinders, John Bingle and William Edwardson, all visited Moreton Bay but they failed to discover the river, however our passengers did not fail. All came back to their second home ‘Arcadia’ and sang the praises of Brisbane. The best old buildings, notably the mansions and Harris Terrace, line George & Queen Street. Unfortunately, many older buildings were torn down in the 1970’s to make way for newer ones but some still remain for us to see today and how the passengers loved seeing these super old buildings.

Anzac Square is a focal point in the city centre. All Australian cities commemorate those who have given their life for their country on April 25th every year – Anzac Day. ANZAC was of course the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey early on the morning of 25 April 1915 during the First World War.

Down at Southbank the city fathers have built an ‘arbour’ so that the flowers can climb over the paths in a riot of colour. How we loved to stroll along the path - makes for some colourful pictures with the flowers in bloom.

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s first and largest Koala Sanctuary and how the passengers enjoyed the chance to do a once in your lifetime opportunity to stroke and cuddle a Koala. You probably know that Koalas love to sleep, sometimes up to 18 hours a day and you would be amazed by the positions they sleep in without falling off. The reason for that sleep is the food that they have to digest: Eucalyptus leaves which are actually poisonous, lucky on Arcadia we do not have to eat these. The great food on board more that satisfies our passengers.

Arcadia Passenger Mrs Fleckney enjoying her excursion ashore. So much to do on this Grand Voyage and so many varied experiences to capture.

Have we met before?? Thank you for coming to visit me on your big white Ocean Liner!

Fancy a dip? Gold Coast sands...................oh I do love a trip to the beach......

Didgeridoo playing in the down town area.

Colonial Building in Brisbane.

Brisbane City view from Mount Cootha.

Arbour Bridge covered in flowers.

Arcadia arriving in Brisbane at Fisherman's Island Grain. Thanks to our Inchcape Shipping services Agent Andreas R Kaech - Cruise Operations Controller - Queensland for taking this picture with his mobile phone as we were coming into port. Andreas - you are a great agent and thanks for all your assistance on the day - let's hope we return to Brisbane soon - everyone loves Brisbane.

ANZAC Square War Memorial.

Lots of good shopping and places to eat! I am just listening to the local Radio afternoon show as I type this here in Yorkeys Knob - pronounced locally as Yorkeys Ca'knob! I wish I was in Cairns however Helen and Steve have popped ashore so I am keeping ship!

Best wishes,

James.

Recline in the comfort of your friendship

Great Barrier Reef - Queensland Australia

Good Day All,

A very busy time on board since we left Sydney, lots of new faces and catching up with business. Our cruise to Brisbane on Monday 23rd February went without a hitch and the weather was just perfect, hot and sunny! I will post a blog on Brisbane soon - this is only a short note to my regulars to let you know we are all well - and I trust you are also.

Tuesday was another good sea day although it did cloud over in the afternoon however this did not detract from the Commodore's Welcome on board Gala Receptions. As always these are glittering occasions with everyone in their formal finery. It was a joy to meet more blog readers and followers!!

Today we are cruising in the Great Barrier Reef and we have just set eyes on our sister ship AURORA at Whit Sunday Island. Tomorrow we will be in Yorkey's Knob which will be our last port of call in Australia. After this we cruise on to the Island of Guam which belongs to the USA, and then to JAPAN calling at Nagasaki on the 6th March.

I finally got my desk cleared - the first time since leaving Sydney - next job is to clear out my email inbox etc. It was a shame we could not have met up with AURORA today - so many passengers have friends on board there and the Ship's Company could catch up with each other.
Perhaps this is something we need to think about for the future and arrange for two of our great ships to meet up in a prime location - side by side on a prime berth!?? We did this once in the Caribbean with Oriana and it was a WOW factor. What a sail away party.

As soon as I can I will post the Brisbane pictures and commentary for you. My Nephews and Niece are following their Uncle James around the world - they have world maps in their bedrooms with their own magnetic ships to sail the globe - apparently it is doing wonders for their geography! When I was at school I used to study the map of the world and wonder (there is that word again!) if I would ever see any of it and now I have seen most of it. I feel very privileged to do this and earn a living at the same time.

Best wishes meantime,
James.

'In a life filled with friendship there is a heart filled with gladness'

Arcadia sail in to Sydney Harbour - Click here!

G'Day Everyone,

My thanks to Elliott Pritchard our 'New Media' Manager in Southampton for sending me this link. This footage was taken from Arcadia's Web Camera - so for those of you who wish to capture the experience please do so! As always Elliott your support is appreciated.

To all my blog readers - thanks for all the messages you have sent - they are really good reading. Hope that Sammy is doing well in Pisa and that M and 007 are adapting to the Italian Riviera!! Elaine - I have probably missed your breakfast table for today - however there is always tomorrow.............

That's it for Sydney now, Brisbane and Great Barrier Reef to follow - what a life!

Best wishes to all,
James.

'There is only one universal language, and that is the language of the heart'.

Night time with Arcadia - Sydney Australia

Arcadia is the 'Star of the Show' at Circular Quay in Sydney.

G'Day again,

My grateful thanks to Tony Sutherland who sent me these fantastic pictures of ARCADIA in Harbour. Tony disembarked Arcadia at Sydney - Tony we hope you return to Arcadia soon and thank you for the many photographs you have shared with us - we sure enjoy your wonderful talent for photography. I felt the need to do another blog and share these with you.

4 hours until sailing at midnight.

What a view from the street benches by the Sydney Opera House. The lighting in the Glass Lift Tower changes colour and this is the only time you really notice - when you are viewing the ship from ashore at night.

Meet the owners of the Golden Century Chinese Restaurant in China Town - Sussex Street Sydney - where we enjoyed the best Chinese Meal ever! Hello Zora - hope you are reading the blog today. This was on Friday evening after arrival.

Eric Wong to my left and Linda Wong to my right. You will see Pauline, Sophie and Graham from our Shore Excursion team in the background and Lester our Premier Sous Chef. The Restaurant seats 600 people with a kitchen staff of 45. They have the best selection of live seafood in Sydney - you choose what you want from the fish tanks - the seafood is then weighted and taken away to the kitchen to be prepared - you can't get fresher than that! I loved the Parrot Fish. However it was all good as we shared lots of dishes.

A great view for all the harbour ferries going in and out.

Soon Arcadia will be backing out of the berth - next stop Brisbane. A call to remember.

It is always good to have a Chef in your party who can check out the produce with authority. Lester was well impressed with everything. There was no way I was going to hold that crab - not even for a blog photograph!!!!

Check out the Opera House in the background. Only a five minute stroll from the terminal. It is all on your doorstep from one of the finest hotels in Sydney!!!!!!

' Love shine a light in every corner of the world' - I hear a song coming on! Talking of songs, after a busy evening I met up with Marti Webb - and we went for a stroll in the city taking in the Opera House - there was a wedding taking place on the Opera House Terrace in a see through marquee - all very glamorous. We popped into the Opera House for old times sake and then ended up in one of those Champagne bars with a Terrace and watched the world go by and caught up on all the news! Marti joined us at Sydney and we returned to the ship just in time for sailing - not wasting a minute of shore leave! The song 'Tell me on a Sunday' was written for Marti and we look forward to her two performances in The Palladium Theatre.

Until the next time - soon the house lights will be switched off, along with the dress lights, and the navigation lights will come on and at midnight the ropes will let go - Arcadia has certainly left her mark in Sydney.

At 0001 Arcadia slipped out of harbour to the applause and wolf whistling of the Saturday Night Revellers in the many bars and restaurants adjacent to the Opera House, like a Shadow in the night, but then with every shadow there is a light! The excitement experienced with the people we met in Sydney can only be compared to that of a new ship launch - Arcadia is now firmly re-established in the minds of many people and after arriving in Australia at Fremantle as the 'new kid on the block' she is now legendary, on a journey in her life that is only just beginning.........do you ever wonder at how many words include 'ship'? Friendship, companionship, hardship, comradeship.......for the Ship's Company the call was hard work but great fun - work hard and play hard!!

Bye for now,

James.

'Friendship grants many wishes'

Arcadia at Sydney - Press and Gala Functions

It was a pleasure to meet Ann Sherry - Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia. Ann spoke at the Press Conference and also hosted the functions. Ann said that she had read over 700 letters from past passengers saying why Arcadia was so special to them, and that it was such a difficult decision to whittle down to the final guest list.

Good Day Everyone,

No less than four functions in Sydney - no problem to the Arcadia Team. I was trained by Caroline Cousins - Lord Sterling's PA and Lucinda Hanbury from Buckingham Palace and together we have launched new ships, Hong Kong Cups and the like. It was a joy to work with Greg Dehn, Special Events & Project Manager in Sydney and his colleagues. Our Thanks to Greg for making it all straight forward for us!

Gary Glading gets the press conference under way. We are 'old hands' at this now as we have been hosting these in every port since Fremantle. Gary managed to get a good plug in for http://www.jamescusick.co.uk/.

Commodore Steve Burgoine addresses the Media.

A large gathering in our press office before joining the rest of the guests.

Past Passengers who travelled on Arcadia 2 with Commodore Steve Burgoine and Ann Sherry.

Superb company for lunch - Left to Right - Jane Humphries - Communications Officer for Carnival Australia, Patrick Hutcheon, Amanda and Lisa Maroun - Travel Daily, Helen Hutcheon - Australian, New Zealand & South Pacific Regional Correspondent for Seatrade Review & Seatrade Insider, Fredrick Shaw - Travel Correspondent ABC - Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Needless to say there was no shortage of conversation. Anthony Fisk Head of PR for Carnival Australia was also with us however he had to keep on the move networking. On the plates are a Trio of British Desserts!

Stephen Mitchell, Senior Purser - Food and Beverage Manager pictured with Ann Sherry along with a model of ARCADIA 2 which was brought on board for the day from the P&O Cruises Office in Sydney. It attracted much interest to our lunch guests in The Meridian Restaurant Upper Level 3. The Restaurant was even more spectacular than ever with the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Opera House from our large panoramic windows - the sheers were all open! Steve has served on board all three Arcadias. Steve first flew out to Sydney in the last Arcadia in the 1970's when he started his career with P&O Cruises as a Bell Boy with eight berths to a Cabin - he has done well! I have known Steve for 25 years now - we are great pals. Steve and his team did us all proud on board Arcadia, alongside in the most prestigious berth in Sydney - Circular Quay.

Gary Rhodes - our Celebrity Chef.

While all this was going on 90 guests from VOGUE Magazine were having lunch in ARCADIAN RHODES. Prior to the lunch Gary Rhodes himself did a Cookery Demonstration in our Palladium Theatre. I met Sally Feidman - Senior Editor of VOGUE Entertaining and Travel - Sally so enjoyed her visit to Arcadia. Sally's Mother has just moved from England to Australia so we wish them both well and many happy days here!

Blog Babes from our Sydney Office - L to R - Aimee Ang, Direct Communication Coordinator,

Alicja, and Agnes Wychodil, Direct Marketing Coordinator. Keep checking my blog Ladies and I hope we all meet up again soon! You don't meet many people called Agnes these days, such a lovely name. My Mother was named Martha Agnes Grace to please her family, however my grandmother who was also called Agnes had no choice in the matter, therefore my Mother was known as Maudie!

A note of thanks and appreciation is always welcome and how lovely to return to my office to find a wrapped gift on my desk - in this case it was an Akubra - this style is called 'The Cattleman Hat'!! Thanks to Anthony,Greg, Jane and the Carnival Australia Team - it was a great pleasure to be part of all this very exciting media experience for Arcadia's Inaugural Grand Voyage to Australia - I will never forget it and neither will be feet or my mobile phone!

We have enjoyed press, Travel Agents and Media travelling with us since Singapore! Arcadia has received mega media coverage in Australia - let's hope we can come back for longer in the not too distant future - perhaps base ourselves down under for a winter season and cruise Australia and New Zealand - or even out to the Pacific Islands. There is no doubt that our Passengers and Ship's Company are enjoying Australia and the Australians! What wonderful people they are - nothing is a problem and they see the bright side of life. Ah what a country - it is more prosperous than ever and the climate.............it is all here! If you have never been to Australia then you have no idea what you are missing............

You can always come with us on board Arcadia in 2010 on our WORLD CRUISE - another first for ARCADIA. Our Arcadia has been referred to many down here in Sydney as ARCADIA IV - it has quite a ring to it.

Best wishes meantime,

James.

Never, never, never quit.

Winston Churchill

Arcadia dwarfing Doyle's famous Fish restaurant on the Quay.

Arcadia alongside - now on the Grand Voyage and World Cruise circuit - flying the flag for P&O Cruises UK - in Australia. I think she is enjoying the change of 'waters' after three winters of fly cruising from Barbados, New Orleans and Acapulco.