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Iona’s eagerly-anticipated sister ship, Arvia, joins the fleet in December 2022 and is heading for the sunshine. Like Iona, Arvia is another Excel class ship, with even more freedom, innovation and variety in store than ever before. So get ready for your ultimate P&O Cruises holiday.
Revel in the glorious Caribbean rays from Arvia’s unique SkyDome. Luxuriate in modern accommodation with crystal-clear sea views from your Conservatory Mini-suite. Enjoy your pick of dining experiences in new and exclusive restaurants. And relax and re-energise with entertainment and activities for the whole family, from cinema screenings and live music to a brand new activity zone, Altitude. Arvia will also be powered by liquefied natural gas; with significantly reduced carbon emissions, we can continue to create a future of more responsible travel for many years to come.
I enjoyed reading these reviews before my cruise, so thought I would add my own. Firstly though, can I comment on the recurring "It's Butlins at sea!" trope. Unlike, I suspect, those who've said this, I have actually been to Butlins. Arvia is nothing like Butlins! OK, that off my chest, what was it like. It's a bigger ship than I've been on before. It never felt anything like 5K passengers though. Never any problems getting in to restaurants or finding a seat. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. We particularly liked the sunset bar, on port days. Plenty of shade and friendly attentive staff. Crow's Nest was excellent for a post-dinner drink and some relaxing music. The SkyDome seemed to be party central but not our scene so we found somewhere else that was. The staff generally were friendly and helpful. The cabin was great. Felt quite roomy, especially the bathroom. Shower was hot and non-slippy. The food was generally good. At the lower end of the scale was the rubbery burger in 6th St Diner. The main restaurants (Zenith, Meridian) were excellent. The best though was Green & Co - what an absolute gem! Delicious food, lovely surroundings and calm, quiet atmosphere. We didn't bother with the drinks package - the heavy drinking required to even break even on cost is a young person's game! The only downside for me was the difficulty in getting to shore. Partly my fault -- I have limited mobility and hadn't brought a wheelchair. At some ports eg St Kitts its is a loong walk to the port entrance and I struggled. That said, I cannot fault the extra assistance for dis/embarkation which was fantastic.
I'm not by nature a complainer, and seeing some of the reviews of this ship have surprised me. 'No turn down service' you are adults for heavens sake! This was our second P&O cruise, and as with the first the flights, transfers and embarkation were spot on. No lengthy queues or unnecessary admin. We has a 3-4 hour wait for luggage but to be fair they are lugging hundreds of cases from the plane to the ship. Cabin. We booked a balcony and were given a free upgrade to a deluxe at the front of the ship. The cabin was large and well equipped, the steward Ricky kept it clean and he was polite, friendly and helpful. Plenty of space in the wardrobes, comfy bed and a really good selection of films on the TV. Not that we spent too much time in the cabin to watch them. As previously mentioned (and seen in critiques of the ship) no turn down service but as a pair of grown adults we coped remarkably well without this outdated and unnecessary service. Dining. We didn't eat in the restaurant (not that this was our intention) but we found the informality of the buffet and the Quays far easier. The Quays - chip shop, asian fusion and carvery was fabulous. Battered Haddock was fresh and tasty, and the carvery meats were tender, juicy and full of flavour. These might not be for everyone but the speed of service suited our holiday plans. We did look at some of the specialised restaurants and the menus looked really good and inexpensive, maybe next time. Entertainment. The only black mark. The headliners theatre felt small and poorly planned, anyone tall in front of you and you can forget seeing the stage. I'm 6ft but couldn't see above the chap in front of me who wasn't particularly tall. The Take That musical was, in my opinion, awful. The story was generic and the general idea of having the group (not the real Take That of course) singing to the characters just didn't work. Interesting idea, but should have stopped as just an idea. The acting was really poor not helped by the insipid cliched characters and bland dialogue. That said the music and singing was terrific and the choreography enjoyable. The Crystal bar was a lovely room and we played bingo there one night. The first night there was a comedian on. Most of his jokes seemed to come from The Comedians (70's stand up TV show). Seriously most of the jokes were so old they had walking sticks. Then he finished the act playing drums...... Apparently he did an adult late night act later in the week, but we didn't see anything to encourage us to go back to see him again. Another night there were three male singers, although they were very good the sound system was too loud at the back and the heavy bass removed the quality of their voices and harmonies. They appeared three times on the same night and sang the same songs each time! It's not hard to learn new songs surely? We never saw the entertainment manager, and the entertainment team, what little we saw of them, had the talent, enthusiasm and personalities of wet fish with one exception, I think he was called Dave, late twenties with a beard, was very good, he knew how to entertain and keep an audience interested. The rest could certainly learn from him and you wonder where the young talent from our holidays camps has gone? The band was average, typical Butlins/Pontins cabaret backing. OK but not terribly entertaining. We were so disappointed with the entertainment that we were not tempted to part with £42 to see Ray Quinn, The headliner apparently. From speaking to other passengers we made the right decision there. On the last night in Barbados there was a Barbadian night in the sundome, this was really good, strong singers, great band and dancers in carnival costume. We enjoyed that. Overall the entertainment was far better on Azura last year. We expected that Arvia would be even better but sadly that was not the case. Staff The bar staff seem to work in teams on or off in turn during the day, we found one of the teams at our favourite bar in the sun dome brilliant, really friendly, welcoming us each day and really looking after us. We tipped them individually at the end of the week and were happy to do so. The second team provided a good bar service but did so without the smiles and hospitality of the first. In general all the staff on the ship were great. In general the bars are all pretty good and service was quick with a great choice of drinks (particularly beers for me). I found Brodies to be far too big, much like a large Weatherspoons, busy with an unfriendly atmosphere and the same people siting at the bar each night And there seemed to be a quiz on every time we stepped in there whether it was morning, afternoon or evening. Cinema was a surprise but nice to have with three small screens and a good choice of films over the week. I only used it once and found it very comfortable. Entertainment aside we had a great time, loved the ship, the staff and the food. It is highly likely that we will be booking the same ship for next year.
We had a wonderful short break on Arvia. Found some areas to sit on the top deck with our cocktails so it didnt feel crowded at all. Our balcony cabins were spotless and very quiet. We have food allergies and couldn't fault the waiting staff and chefs who went out of their way. The entertainment was great, especially impressed by the flamenco and trapeze artists. Mini golf was a fun addition on the sunny seaday. Cinema needed attendance as people kept coming in mid way through the film and the booking app for the headliners theatre shows always showed fully booked although we got in by waiting in the queue, it should be first come first seated but that was the only negatives. Of course its going to be busy on embarkation and leaving the ship due to the number of people, took us a short time from dropping off our luggage to being onboard eating a delicious lunch at The Quays, perfect! definitely would book Arvia again.
There's a range of accommodation types to suit all passengers.
Choose from over 15 places to eat to suit all appetites and occasions, 8 speciality restaurants and more than 6 places to have breakfast.
Why not relax on deck to soothing sounds from our live musicians, catch a singer in the theatre, stumble upon a busker, party the night away at The Club House, or embrace the air guitar with our epic rock night in SkyDome? Or perhaps for the ultimate nostalgic evening, take in the sunset views to the tune of a live pianist in panoramic Crow's Nest. The soundtrack to your holiday is unlimited.
In between live music, theatre productions, movie blockbusters and more, how about a spot of rib-tickling comedy? You’ll find something for everyone on a P&O Cruises holiday. From family-friendly to adult-only content, all ages can enjoy our comedy shows. Guest comedians step on board to take to the stage and make you laugh. While world-class tribute acts dazzle with such impressive vocals, you won’t believe it isn’t the real deal!
Choose from 18 whirlpools and 4 swimming pools (three outside and one inside).
Run by a team of passionate and dedicated professionals, The Reef provides a perfect environment for our younger travellers to create their own holiday memories. For toddlers to teens, we’ve soft play, imaginative spaces and high-energy activities plus gaming, DJ equipment and arts and crafts. There's also action-packed outdoor spaces including a climbing wall, football court and splash zone to keep them cool on a hot day. Pre-registration is essential.
