Arcadia Itinerary

What Arcadia's Autumn Season From Southampton Is Actually Like (Spoiler: No Baltic)

Our database files this season under "Northern Europe / Baltic," which is optimistic of it, bless. Arcadia's Southampton autumn has no Baltic calls at all. Not one. Two short sailings nip over to Belgium and the Netherlands for a quick change of scenery. The long ones take one look at the British weather and bolt south for the sun, which, honestly, relatable. Our own port data is blank for these sailings, so the routes below come from third-party listings and cruise-timetable sites. Treat them as a very well-informed rumour and confirm them with P&O before you book.

Weather and sea conditions

The Belgium and Netherlands runs are properly autumnal, and the weather is not here to flatter you. Rotterdam averages highs around 14°C in October and 10°C in November. Lows are about 7°C and 4°C, and it rains on roughly 16 to 18 days a month, so more days than not. You get around three hours of sun a day in October and two in November, which is basically a rumour with a lampshade. Daylight shrinks to about nine hours by November, so the 30 November sailing is a short, moody little escape. Think candlelit-drama-with-a-cagoule rather than lido-and-cocktails.

The southern sailings reward you for crossing the Bay of Biscay in late autumn, which can be lively. Consider it the toll you pay for the sunshine. Expect a couple of sea days at each end of the longer trips, and bring your own remedy if you're prone to queasiness (the Biscay does not care about your plans). By Tenerife in November, highs are around 23 to 24°C and the sea is about 22 to 23°C, with little rain. Suddenly all that wobbling feels worth it.

What the ports are worth

• Rotterdam: the overnight stay gives you an evening in a city of striking modern architecture, so you can actually have dinner ashore instead of sprinting back up the gangway like a Cinderella with a curfew. Other Dutch cities are within rail reach.
• Zeebrugge: the port itself is a gateway, not a destination. Bruges is the reason to come, and everyone on board knows it.
• Funchal, Tenerife and the Canaries: reliable winter warmth. The New Year's Eve overnight in Funchal is the sailing's headline moment, and the one that will ruin every future "quiet one at home" for you.
• Casablanca and Agadir: the 18-night trip is the one for Morocco, including a full day in Casablanca. Cape Verde is a rarely visited bonus, the sort of thing you get to drop casually into conversation for years.
• The 19-night Mediterranean: a classic Greek-and-Turkish greatest-hits list. The Motril call is the gateway to Granada, so pick your excursion wisely and then defend it fiercely at dinner.

Which length suits whom

The 3- and 5-night sailings are for first-timers and anyone testing whether a 2,094-passenger ship suits them, a sort of cruising taster menu. Arcadia is a Vista-class ship built in 2005 and refurbished in 2023, with 11 decks and 866 crew. The 16-night October trip is the sun-seeker's sweet spot. The 18- and 19-night voyages suit anyone ready to skip most of November or early December and let the group chat fend for itself, and the 21 December sailing is the festive pick. On trips this long, your cabin matters (you will be living in it, not just napping in it), so check our cabin size guide before choosing.

Packing

Pack for two climates, and accept that your suitcase will have opinions. For the short Belgium and Netherlands trips, take layers, a proper waterproof jacket and an umbrella. For the southern ones, take swimwear, sun cream and light clothes, plus a warm layer for the Biscay days and the evenings. P&O keeps formal evenings, so bring something smart. Yes, even after three glasses of something fizzy you'll be glad you did.

Seasonal quirks

Pricing swings with the calendar, and not gently. Sampled inside-cabin fares for the 26 October 16-night sailing start at £1,199 per person, or roughly £75 a night. The Christmas and New Year 16-night sailing starts at £2,099 per person, roughly £131 a night. That's £900 more per person for the same length, and fares change daily, so don't shout at us if the number has moved by the time you click. Several of these sailings also turn around on the day the previous one returns, including 26 October, 11 November and 21 December. The 3-night sailing returns on 3 December, the same day the 18-night voyage departs. Somebody in Southampton has a very busy day.

As for hygiene, Arcadia scored 96 out of 100 on its latest CDC inspection, on 20 March 2026. You can check it yourself in our CDC inspection lookup, and the full picture is on the Arcadia ship page.

One more thing for 2027: Arcadia leaves on its world voyage on 6 January. Our database lists the Southampton leg to San Francisco as 22 nights. P&O's own page shows 6 to 29 January as 23 nights, so verify those dates on P&O's site before you start counting on your fingers.