Visit To Arcadia

This is me, Claire Baldry. 

I'm supposed to be retired, but just lately my 'writing' hobby has rather taken over. I write and perform comic poetry and autobiographical stuff, I blog about anything that interests me, and have recently completed my first full-length novel, which will be published in October. The blogs I write are just for fun. They are free to read and do not make money.

This is my husband, Chris. Chris has had Type 1 Diabetes for most of his adult life. He doesn't get warnings of low blood sugars (hypos) so can drop out of consciousness without notice. It happens less now the NHS have finally paid for a sensor pump, which alarms before his blood sugar drops too low.

We cruise a lot. We love waking up in different ports, sitting on our balcony watching the sea, or relaxing in a seaview bar admiring the sunset. The 24 hour food on offer with lots of healthy options suits Chris's particular disability. Cruising sets us free.
Two years ago I wrote a set of poems about life on cruise ships and needed some photographs to accompany my writing. I invited my photographer friend, Sharon Webster, to join me on a cruise ship tour in Southampton. The ship just happened to be P&O's Arcadia. We will be sailing on her to New York and Canada in the Autumn.  She's one of my favourite ships, medium size, adult only, with lots of traditional features. So, with Sharon's permission I will take you on a photographic tour of the ship.
The weather on the day of our tour was misty and damp, so let's start with just a few outdoor photos.

One of the outdoor pools

The open deck

One of the open bars

Time to go inside and take a look at some of the cabins.

A suite for those who can afford it.

Deluxe Balcony

Inside cabin

Bathroom

Balcony

There are plenty of lifts, including external glass ones which give travellers an outside view of the ocean.

  I love the way the coloured glass patterns light up the roof of the atrium.

There is a traditional pub, a library, a cinema,  and a variety of entertainment spaces including the impressive 'palladium' theatre.

  The central swimming pool area houses several bars and is protected by a retractable glass roof.

The spa area and gym are very well appointed.

  

I love the way that the windows in the Crows Nest span the front of the ship.

We had lunch on board, and the restaurant was spacious and inviting.

So that's all for now.....just a taster from a three hour ship's visit. Some things will, no doubt, have changed since 2015. I can't wait to explore Arcadia again and find out.

With grateful thanks to Sharon Webster for allowing me to use the photographs.

If anyone wants to know more about how Chris and I met, I have written the story as a 99p Amazon ebook, called 'South Something'. This is the link . All profits are donated to Diabetes UK.