In April 2023 we sailed on P&O’s newest ship Arvia, this was a two week cruise departing from Southampton. We booked this cruise back in May 2022 directly with P&O and were excited to see what this new ship had to offer. We have cruised on several different cruise lines over the years, all companies and ships offer a different experience. For this cruise we sailed with one set of parents, brother in law and his wife making us a party of six. We were lucky enough on this cruise to have a significant amount of onboard spend which was £800 per balcony cabin, which we used in the spa, speciality dining and shop purchases.
One of us in the relationship is a planner and the other well, just turns up. Once we have booked any type of trip we like to research the ship and the destinations as cruising is also adapting to younger generations and technology, it’s good to know if you need to book anything ahead of boarding.
Before we boarded Arvia
Before you board you can book shore excursions, drink packages, spa treatments, some dining and entertainment it’s worth checking for your specific dates when you can book certain aspects for your cruise. From our experience shore excursions, drinks packages and spa treatments were available for booking pretty far in advance, it’s worth noting that you cannot use your onboard spend prior to embarkation.
Both dining and entertainment are available to book around two weeks before you sail on Arvia We found that once on board included dining options were available anyway, however most theatre shows were available to book and I would advise doing this to avoid disappointment. There were options to book speciality dining and some included options were available to book such as sixth street diner and the olive grove (we booked both these options before we boarded however we found if you were more flexible with dining times you really didn’t need to).
Whenever we cruise from Southampton we try and stay in a hotel the night before just to take the stress out of travelling, we have previously chosen to stay at the Elizabeth hotel which is fine for one night and you can opt in for cruise parking, this was the plan for this particular cruise however we turned up and they had no record of our booking (we weren’t in charge of booking the hotel and unfortunately the person who was booked it for the next day oops!) luckily there is a travel lodge right next door so crisis averted and we still used the hotel for cruise parking.
Embarkation day
We had an embarkation slot of 1:30 and arrived at the terminal around 12.30 by taxi, when we arrived there was a very big queue to get in to the terminal, the biggest queue we have ever seen which could be due to the number of passengers on this ship. Once you join the queue the staff called embarkation times and once called you can enter terminal. Once in the terminal there were plenty of members of staff on the check in desks so the lines went pretty quickly but again the volume of guests was evident here.
When you board every cruise whether it be your first or you’re an avid cruiser you must complete a muster drill, the way muster drills have changed in recent years on the particular cruise you needed to attend your muster station for check in and then watch the mandatory video on your stateroom tv.
Using my holiday app onboard Arvia
Once onboard you will be able to join virtual queues, book dining and entertainment all through the my holiday app, in our cabin there were instructions on how to log in to access this. It’s pretty straightforward to use and meant when you decide you want dinner in one of the complimentary restaurants you can just join the virtual queue and wait to be called, the longest we waited was around 40 minutes but most of the time it was around 20 minutes we did have a party of six so I imagine that if you want a table for two you may have a bit of a wait.
Stateroom
We were assigned balcony cabin 15616 port side on Arvia and cabins were ready for guests around 2:00pm, the cabin overall was a good size with plenty of wardrobe storage and a nice sized bathroom. The cabin also had a large sofa, vanity and tv, the statement tv had a large variety of free films to watch more than we can remember on previous cruises. This cabin was directly under the horizon buffet which could be a little noisy a times mainly the sound of dropped cutlery or chairs being moved around however it wasn’t overly noisy on most occasions knowing this now we wouldn’t choose to book this room again I think floor 14 or 13 would be better with cabins both above and below.
Entertainment onboard Arvia
There were so many things to do onboard Arvia lots of which were included in your cruise fare such as mini golf and the onboard cinema, there were also options to pay for certain activities such as Mission Control a multi sensory escape room experience and altitude skywalk a high ropes course.
Ocean studios
Ocean studios which is located on deck 6 is Arvia’s onboard cinema comprising of three screens all showing a variety of films at different times throughout the day, as we were on a two week cruise some films were shown more than once so don’t worry if you miss one. We went to see minions the rise of gru while we were onboard and it was a really great experience for onboard a cruise ship, we didn’t have a any issues getting a seat.
Mini golf and high ropes
Altitude mini golf is located on deck 19 we only got around to playing once but it’s a good little course so worth doing at least once while you are onboard, at the time we went to play it wasn’t busy and all equipment is provided including score cards and pencils.
Altitude skywalk is a high ropes course onboard both of don’t like heights so we gave this one a miss however two others in our party did give this a go and really enjoyed it, this cost £7.50pp and you could book this onboard through the my holiday app.
Mission Control
We decided that onboard Arvia we would give the new Mission Control escape room a go so we booked a slot for the second sea day, we arrived at the Mission Control experience and were treated by two members of the P&O team. Once you get inside the team member sets the scene for what was about to happen, we had to assign a team leader which was someone in our party. We then all had our picture taken and selected our strengths on a tablet(there wasn’t any science behind what you picked we just picked what we liked the most from what was on the screen). Once this was done everyone in the group was given a role to play in the escape room and a personalised lanyard which was a nice touch. Once you entered the escape room the mission began.
Unfortunately we left the mission feeling a bit disappointed with the experience as it wasn’t really an escape room and found we only really pushed a couple of buttons during the whole mission. This experience cost us £20 each so it isn’t cheap and unfortunately didn’t live up to our expectations and therefore we wouldn’t pay for it again.
Final thoughts on entertainment
There was plenty of entertainment going on around the ship in the evening with various shows in the theatre, sky dome and the club house, there was always something to do day or night. Unfortunately on our cruise there were several technical glitches with some of the shows which meant they either had to restart or were stopped before the end, with one show not going ahead at all which was P&O’s greatest days show.
There is also lots of other activists going on around the cruise ship day and night like quizzes, sports tournaments and there was even a silent disco!
Dining onboard Arvia
We found so many dining options onboard Arvia.
We ate in the following places
Main dining rooms on Arvia
The Main dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner which served a variety of different dishes. We did however find the evening menu was a bit limited, both breakfast and lunch had a good variety of different options. There are two different dining rooms on this ship both offering freedom dining.
Please note that Arvia does not offer traditional dining (same restaurant, time and table for each evening meal)
Sixth street diner
Sixth street diner an American themed restaurants which opened for brunch and dinner serving food such as nachos, ribs and apple pie. We only visited this restaurant once for a late lunch and found the food to be of a good standard. You can book dinner here via the my booking section on P&O’s website around 2 weeks before the cruise, if not virtual queues are available onboard.
Olive grove
Olive grove is a Mediterranean themed restaurant that was open each evening serving dishes like lamb tagine, lasagna and cheesecake. We ate here twice during our two week cruise and we really enjoyed the food, both times had a different menu. We booked this restaurant prior to sailing and we used the virtual queue once onboard. It is well worth a visit while you are onboard.
The Quays
We visited the quays multiple times while onboard Arvia, where we had fish and chips, Katsu curry and roast dinner. All of the food we tried was hot and fresh, there is also a small selection of self serve salads and deserts.
Taste 360
Taste 360 is a type of pool bar serving burgers, hotdogs and pizza, most times we visited there were pre made burgers and fries ready to grab if not it was a short wait before you would get your food, we chose to eat here a couple of times during our trip and would take the food back to our room to eat whilst watching a film or sitting on the balcony.
Horizon buffet
Horizon buffet was open most hours of the day serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, snacks and late night snacks so if you are peckish this is the place to go. Plenty of options to chose from it’s unlikely you won’t be able to find something you like, it also had plenty of seating but does get very busy at peak times especially breakfast.
Chefs table
Onboard Arvia there was an option to book the chefs table which is available on celebrations nights only, I had a read about it online so decided to book for our party of six, you can do this two weeks before you depart. The chefs table was located in a section of the horizon, buffet with all the tables laid with tablecloths and cutlery, it was a five course menu serving dishes such as beef Wellington and lamb cutlets. The food here was nice and worth a try if you can book, they do serve a different menu here to what they do in the main dining room. P&O offer two sittings for the chefs table and early and late sitting.
The chefs table was very busy so book before you board via your P&O login to avoid disappointment.
On this cruise we also decided to try a few paid dining options which is something we haven’t actually done before.
Speciality dining on Arvia
The Keel and cow
We visited the Keel and cow which is a casual dining option on the ship located over looking the great atrium. It is an a la carte menu serving steaks and what P&O believe is the best burger at sea, the prime minister burger, so of course Dan had to try it. We had a starter, main and a drink each and it cost us around £40 in total. Both of us thought it was well worth the additional cost, the food and service we received were both great. We had around a 30 minute wait for food as it’s all cooked to order but we just spent the time chatting with the couple we were with so the time went by quickly.
The beach house
The beach house is located in a section of the horizon buffet which cost £9.50 for three courses serving dishes such as nachos and fajitas, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal here and again thought the experience and food was worth the up charge.
If you would like to see more detail to our dining on board Arvia please check out our dining on Arvia blog.
Oasis spa and fitness suite
We were lucky enough to visit the spa onboard using our onboard spend, I treated myself to a fire and ice manicure with gel polish on the first day of the cruise and we both enjoyed a hot stone massage in the couples room which was a great start to the holiday. The treatments offered on a cruise ship are expensive and if we didn’t have so much onboard spend I’m not sure we would of purchased them.
Arvia has an onboard fitness suite on deck 5 which has a variety of machines and free weights as well as a fitness studio. The gym is free to us with an additional fee for some classes, it can get busy but we always found there was something available to use. They provide small towels, hand gel and wipes for cleaning down machines after use. Our only complaint with the gym is that it often got very hot and could have used a bit more air con!
Our Final thoughts on Arvia
Overall our cruise on Arvia was thoroughly enjoyable and we will be looking to cruise on this ship again in the future, the extensive amount of entertainment and activities on offer meant there was always something to do. There were plenty of options for food and we really enjoyed the flexibility of freedom dining which we hadn’t experienced before. All the employees onboard the ship couldn’t do enough for the passengers, however it was a shame that we didn’t get to experience all the shows we wanted to. P&O really are stepping up their game with their newest cruise ships, Arvia definitely catered for a range of ages so well done to P&O. We would therefore give this cruise a 4/5.
