Today I’m posting some photos of the Arabella, so people considering one of their sailing cruises can see what the ship looks like.

The ship is 160 feet long and has 20 staterooms for passengers. There are quarters for 8 crew members as well.

There are three public areas where people can hang out during the day.

The first is the interior salon, set up with banquette seating as well as separate chairs and tables. This is where we had our breakfasts and lunches, served buffet style, and afternoon swizzles. There’s a full bar (beer, $4, wine, $5, mixed drinks, $6), with water, lemonade and ginger ale always available. There was also a small lending library, with cards and a few board games available, as well as a TV that was occasionally turned to CNN.

The upper deck was a popular place to socialize and watch the water (I loved having my morning coffee out here).

Besides the seating on the sides, the ship has a large cushioned sundeck where you could sprawl out and read. Many people hung their wet clothes out here to dry.

We could also hang out in the rear of the ship, where there’s a covered horseshoe-shaped seating area that most people used for reading and socializing (our daily Captain’s call was held here).

The rear deck also has a small hot tub, which the crew filled during our stops and a back bench near a gigantic American flag.

All of the staterooms are en suite, with air conditioning. a satellite TV (which we never used) and a porthole.

We were in the fore of the ship in a Class B stateroom (#3), which had a single upper berth and a double bed below. I was pleasantly surprised that my 6’5 husband fit perfectly fine in the beds.  There were several drawers for us to store our stuff (you are cautioned not to bring too much!)

The most expensive staterooms, Class A, were also on our hall. They had queen-sized beds and about the same amount of storage.

The other staterooms in the rear of the ship, Class C and Class D, were smaller, significantly so in some cases. In one double-bunked cabin I saw, the couple couldn’t actually stand in the room together at the same time (one had to go into the head). Some in the rear also complained about smells from the holding tank.

Just as on the Island Windjammer’s Diamant, the bathrooms came with showers that were separate from the toilet. Shampoo and conditioner were included but you had to ask around to borrow a hairdryer.

While it’s not 5 star accommodations, I found the ship extremely comfortable. The ship’s crew did a good job of keeping things neat and tidy, even with a full house. On a cruise such as this, your cabin isn’t as important as the itinerary and your fellow passengers, I’ve found.

Most of our shipmates were couples in their upper 50s and 60s, many of them retired and/or celebrating wedding anniversaries. One younger couple, Denise and Rick, had sailed on Arabella before and  told us that their other cruise had more couples in their 30s and 40s. Overall, it was a well-traveled group, with many people boasting previous sailing or boating experience.

My next posts are going to focus more on the itinerary and the ports than the Arabella itself. Anything else you want to know about the ship itself, just ask! I’m happy to help.