Aboard Arcadia with P&O Cruises
Cruise Overview
Lying near the head of Southampton Water, a peninsula between the estuaries of the Rivers Test and Itchen, Southampton is Britain’s largest cruise port.
It has been one of England’s major ports since the Middle Ages, when it exported wool and hides from the hinterland and imported wine from Bordeaux.
The city suffered heavy damage during World War Two and as a result the centre has been extensively rebuilt, but there are still some interesting medieval buildings including the Bargate, one of the finest city gatehouses in England.
Trendy stores, a booming cultural life, fascinating architecture, and stylish restaurants reinforce Glasgow's claim to being Scotland's most exciting city.
After decades of decline, it has experienced an urban renaissance uniquely its own.
The city’s grand architecture reflects a prosperous past built on trade and shipbuilding.
Today buildings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh hold pride of place along with the Zaha Hadid–designed Riverside Museum.Glasgow (the "dear green place," as it was known) was founded some 1,500 years ago.
Legend has it that the king of Strathclyde, irate about his wife's infidelity, had a ring he had given her thrown into the river Clyde.
(Apparently she had passed it on to an admirer.) When the king demanded to know where the ring had gone, the distraught queen asked the advice of her confessor, St.
Mungo.
He suggested fishing for it—and the first salmon to emerge had the ring in its mouth.
The moment is commemorated on the city's coat of arms.The medieval city expanded when it was given a royal license to trade; the current High Street was the main thoroughfare at the time.
The vast profits from American cotton and tobacco built the grand mansions of the Merchant City in the 18th century.
In the 19th century the river Clyde became the center of a vibrant shipbuilding industry, fed by the city’s iron and steel works.
The city grew again, but its internal divisions grew at the same time.
The West End harbored the elegant homes of the newly rich shipyard owners.
Down by the river, areas like the infamous Gorbals, with its crowded slums, sheltered the laborers who built the ships.
They came from the Highlands, expelled to make way for sheep, or from Ireland, where the potato famines drove thousands from their homes.During the 19th century the population grew from 80,000 to more than a million.
And the new prosperity gave Glasgow its grand neoclassical buildings, such as those built by Alexander "Greek" Thomson, as well as the adventurous visionary buildings designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and others who produced Glasgow’s Arts and Crafts movement.
The City Chambers, built in 1888, are a proud statement in marble and gold sandstone, a clear symbol of the wealthy and powerful Victorian industrialists' hopes for the future.The decline of shipbuilding and the closure of the factories led to much speculation as to what direction the city would take now.
The curious thing is that, at least in part, the past gave the city a new lease of life.
It was as if people looked at their city and saw Glasgow’s beauty for the first time: its extraordinarily rich architectural heritage, its leafy parks, its artistic heritage, and its complex social history.
Today Glasgow is a vibrant cultural center and a commercial hub, as well as a launching pad from which to explore the rest of Scotland, which, as it turns out, is not so far away.
In fact, it takes only 40 minutes to reach Loch Lomond, where the other Scotland begins.
It has been one of England’s major ports since the Middle Ages, when it exported wool and hides from the hinterland and imported wine from Bordeaux.
The city suffered heavy damage during World War Two and as a result the centre has been extensively rebuilt, but there are still some interesting medieval buildings including the Bargate, one of the finest city gatehouses in England.
Trendy stores, a booming cultural life, fascinating architecture, and stylish restaurants reinforce Glasgow's claim to being Scotland's most exciting city.
After decades of decline, it has experienced an urban renaissance uniquely its own.
The city’s grand architecture reflects a prosperous past built on trade and shipbuilding.
Today buildings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh hold pride of place along with the Zaha Hadid–designed Riverside Museum.Glasgow (the "dear green place," as it was known) was founded some 1,500 years ago.
Legend has it that the king of Strathclyde, irate about his wife's infidelity, had a ring he had given her thrown into the river Clyde.
(Apparently she had passed it on to an admirer.) When the king demanded to know where the ring had gone, the distraught queen asked the advice of her confessor, St.
Mungo.
He suggested fishing for it—and the first salmon to emerge had the ring in its mouth.
The moment is commemorated on the city's coat of arms.The medieval city expanded when it was given a royal license to trade; the current High Street was the main thoroughfare at the time.
The vast profits from American cotton and tobacco built the grand mansions of the Merchant City in the 18th century.
In the 19th century the river Clyde became the center of a vibrant shipbuilding industry, fed by the city’s iron and steel works.
The city grew again, but its internal divisions grew at the same time.
The West End harbored the elegant homes of the newly rich shipyard owners.
Down by the river, areas like the infamous Gorbals, with its crowded slums, sheltered the laborers who built the ships.
They came from the Highlands, expelled to make way for sheep, or from Ireland, where the potato famines drove thousands from their homes.During the 19th century the population grew from 80,000 to more than a million.
And the new prosperity gave Glasgow its grand neoclassical buildings, such as those built by Alexander "Greek" Thomson, as well as the adventurous visionary buildings designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and others who produced Glasgow’s Arts and Crafts movement.
The City Chambers, built in 1888, are a proud statement in marble and gold sandstone, a clear symbol of the wealthy and powerful Victorian industrialists' hopes for the future.The decline of shipbuilding and the closure of the factories led to much speculation as to what direction the city would take now.
The curious thing is that, at least in part, the past gave the city a new lease of life.
It was as if people looked at their city and saw Glasgow’s beauty for the first time: its extraordinarily rich architectural heritage, its leafy parks, its artistic heritage, and its complex social history.
Today Glasgow is a vibrant cultural center and a commercial hub, as well as a launching pad from which to explore the rest of Scotland, which, as it turns out, is not so far away.
In fact, it takes only 40 minutes to reach Loch Lomond, where the other Scotland begins.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Arcadia
Launch Year: 2005 Length: 289 Width: 29 Currency: GBP Capacity: 2094 Crew Count: 866 Deck Count: 11 Cabin Count: 1050
Exclusively for adults - Arcadia’s signature features such as her exterior glass-fronted lifts and expansive art collection, featuring no less than 3,000 works of art, create a sophisticated air.
Arcadia Facilities
Arcadia Includes
Cabin Details
From inside cabins to balcony cabins and luxurious suites, you will find a room for every budget and taste.
All cabins are air-conditioned and well designed, to give you as much space as possible and to help you relax into your surroundings. Many feature balconies to give you additional outside space. All feature Egyptian cotton sheets, free tea & coffee making facilities, refrigerator, hairdryer, safe, in-cabin television and good sized en-suite bathrooms with toiletries pack. You will also enjoy the services of a personal cabin steward who will look after your every need, and can enjoy room service from early morning until late evening at no extra cost.
