Several weeks ago Complete Cruise Solutions invited my wife and I to Southampton visit P&O Cruises’ Artemis.
After all the excitement surrounding the launch of its newest and largest ship Ventura earlier in the year, P&O Cruises was keen to show off its oldest and smallest ship, Artemis, following a major refit late last year.
From the start I was curious. Being married with two daughters of 12 and 16 years old, I have paid rather less attention to Artemis and Arcadia because they are both child-free ships.
That said, I have probably sold more cabins on Artemis than any other CCS ship. And rather like Fred Olsen’s Black Prince, Artemis has the highest repeat passenger ratio in the fleet despite its age (24 years) and small size (45,000 tonnes).
First impressions
From the dockside the ship appears rather compact, attractive and well balanced with nice flowing lines – itself a pleasant departure from too many of today’s massive rectangular accommodation barges.
Step into the two-deck-high Garden Court atrium and you enter a world of polished wood, coloured glass ceilings and restful lounges. The whole ship benefits from new carpets and seating throughout.
Artemis has a delightful main show lounge and separate cabaret lounge, both have a nice airy feel, comfortable seating and good sight lines. The ship also features a good-sized cinema (unusual these days) and a wonderful and spacious Horizon Lounge located in an elevated position on Sun Deck to the rear of the ship.
The ship features four swimming pools of various shapes and sizes as well as several whirlpool spas, a very adequate gym and health spa, library, casino, card room and internet cafe.
Accommodation
Staterooms on Artemis are unusual – all are outside and all offer a bathtub in addition to the more usual shower units found in most ships these days. All staterooms benefit from new bedding and curtains.
Although reasonably spacious, most of the cabins appear to have retained their original, if good quality, carpentry.
Additionally, some of the cabins do suffer from obscured or partially obscured views and a number only offer a fixed twin-bedded configuration, although this latter point may prove less of an issue given that the vast majority of guests are 60-plus.
If money is no object, do book your guests one of the two AA grade Penthouse Suites – yes, the balconies are compact but the interiors are elegant, beautiful and spacious and in my opinion superior to the equivalent grades on other ships.
Dining
Artemis only holds 1,200 guests, so it only requires a single main dining room, which is offers first and second sittings.
The Coral is attractively furnished and ideally located on E Deck. Our lunch menu was varied, the food was attractively presented and up to P&O’s usual high standard of British rather than international cuisine. The service was first class.
In summary
To conclude, if you or your guests are seeking an adrenaline-pumping 24/7 mega-sized cruise experience complete with zipwires, aqua theatres, ice bars and/or Noddy, then stay well clear.
However, if you or your guests were born before 1955 and are looking for a traditional and quintessentially British cruise experience aboard a mid-sized ship, ensure Artemis is on your shortlist.
It offers a great variety of cruise itineraries of longer duration, visiting new and unusual ports of call.
Your guests may well love it, as I did – and I’m under 46 years old!
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