Foxy's Arvia Foray

[oldbluefox]

I must admit it was with some trepidation we boarded Arvia having previously tried Azura and Ventura. We didn’t like either largely because of the lack of natural light to the inside of the ships, “like sailing in a submarine!!”

First encounter was embarkation. We arrived at our boarding time to encounter a queue about 120yds long. However it seemed to transpire the majority of those in the queue had arrived early and were now clogging up the works as, when a P&O came along the line to check boarding passes we were ushered to the front and between barriers. From then on embarkation was quick and efficient and having passed through security we were onboard and in a short while in our cabin.

Arvia is indeed a beautiful ship and our cabin, 9243 was spacious with adequate storage for our needs and a lovely large balcony. There was a large TV screen which had the My Holiday app installed allowing you to book dining, entertainment and check your onboard account. There was also a wide selection of films and box sets plus BBC News, Sky News, Sky Sports News and two sports channels (which was a real bonus). The bathroom had a lovely spacious shower with a glass door, no more playing with a plastic shower curtain sticking to your nether regions.

The atrium, split over three decks was wide, spacious and with floor to ceiling glass, very light and airy.

Clientele must have included every strata of society withy every dress sense imaginable. There were some interesting fashions but, and a big but, no different to what we have seen on Aurora or Arcadia. Similarly we met some very interesting and pleasant characters and sadly some quite objectionable ones. And first impressions are not always what you expect if you take the time to socialise (don’t judge a book by its cover).

On the subject of dress we wondered how well the formal nights would be respected. Dress code was well adhered to with a high percentage of DJs and any not in DJs wore suits with a collar and tie. Considering some of the reports I had seen I was pleasantly surprised.

The My Holiday app worked well. You can manage without it but it just makes matters so much easier if you have it on your phone but if not, it is available on the in-cabin TV. Having made all the bookings we needed we then made use of the ‘virtual queue’ rather than queuing at the door. (if you are prepared to dine very early you can book just for that short while). There is no Club Dining on the ship so virtual queuing seemed to be the best option especially on the formal night. At most we waited 45 minutes for a table to come available so it wasn’t bad. However we found the main dining room experience rather frenetic. Waiters were very busy which meant that waiting to be served took a little longer than we are used to, especially between courses. In my opinion the dining experience, especially on a formal night, has been lost – the lack of flowers on the table, the chocolate to go with the coffee etc take away the little touches a dining room used to present. Of course there is no chef’s parade either.

The quality of the food throughout the ship was good, not always spectacular unless you opted for one of the speciality restaurants but nevertheless it was tasty and enjoyable. We dined in Zenith (with its tablecloths), Olive Grove, Glass House, 6th Street Diner, Sindhu and Beach House. Olive Grove and Glass House were excellent, Sindhu, as ever restful and relaxing with beautiful food and well worth the supplement. 6th Street Diner was a new experience with us. It was very lively, the food lovely all to the accompaniment of a juke box playing 60s classics and synchronised dancing from waiters and the reception staff to the tune of ‘Tequila’. A wonderful and exuberant experience. The food and service in Beach House was excellent but a warning!! The portions are extremely big which for us was a shame as having ploughed through 10oz of steak and my wife tackling a huge half chicken there was no room left for sweets. Pity they don’t do half portions as it would have been a shame to leave it. As the cruise wore on we dined more and more in the Horizon buffet and personally enjoyed it. We avoided the busy times and always used the area at the back of the ship where it was much quieter (quieter than the main restaurant!!). There were ample choices of foods to choose from and we were happy to choose exactly what we wanted to eat and how much, although my culinary presentation left much to be desired. In Horizon I had the best chicken vindaloo ever – spicy, full of flavour without too much heat. If dining from the rear buffet be aware that at 1.30 they start closing it down which means a longish walk down to the other stations which then become busier.

There was plenty of entertainment on offer largely featuring past winners and finalists from BGT, The Voice etc and well presented in the theatre and various show lounges. There were also acrobats who appeared in the main atrium but sadly we never knew when they would be performing otherwise we would have planned to watch them more often. There was a hard working couple who did a presentation of Spanish guitar playing and flamenco dancing. During daytime they also gave flamenco dancing lessons, basic Spanish language and guitar classes which were popular and well attended. The sight of one chap with two left feet giving flamenco dancing a go was really entertaining!!! The big disappointment for me were the Headliners productions. I am a big fan of Headliners and was really looking forward to watching them but the show Festival was heavily themed with stilted and uninspiring dialogue, many songs I didn’t recognise and much of the dance element missing. It was a huge disappointment compared to other Headliners shows we have seen in the past. The singing was good but content let it down. Audio visual elements in the theatre were excellent.

There was a wide variety of shops but I’m not really sure who their target audience was since it was certainly out of my price bracket and judging by the lack of footfall this applied to many others. Rolex, Longines; Burberry, Lacoste along with many other luxury brands were on offer with accompanying luxury price tags. There was a small electronic shop in little more than a cupboard and a photo station. Sadly the photo station only sold photos, or you could have your photo taken but they had no cameras or camera equipment for sale. A shame really.

Having cruised for a number of years we have now covered most of the excursions available so we decided we would explore for ourselves. Sadly there are no longer any port talks which I believe are sadly missed as they gave an insight into the area, their history and their culture before going into detail of the tours. P&O also used to have sheets showing the town in a rudimentary map together with highlights to be visited. They now produce a pdf for each port which basically is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard!!! I downloaded them all for the cruise and they were no help at all. I distinctly have the impression that if you are not going on an organised tour you get no help at all from P&O.

I was a little concerned how well disembarkation of so many people would work but I must say it worked very efficiently indeed.

Overall there were areas where P&O excelled. Crew members in the bars and restaurants, cabin stewards and shop assistants were as ever very good. Reception staff were always pleasant and helpful. Maybe a couple of other departments were having a bad hair day.

Overall we enjoyed our cruise. As ever there were parts which were excellent and memorable. Arvia is a beautiful ship and the designers have made a good job of accommodating the needs of all on board. I still miss the cutbacks P&O have made but speaking to those on P&O for the first time they were delighted with what they had. “What you never had, you never miss”. Contrary to what I have seen and read would I go on Arvia again? Yes I would, although Aurora and Arcadia are still my favourites. Would I sail with another cruise line offering what P&O have deleted from their offering? Yes I would if the itinerary and price were right.

[paultheagle]

Wow!!!An excellent review thanks ObF. Glad you both enjoyed your cruise.

[Stephen]

Thanks for the review Foxy.

Sounds much like Ventura but on a bigger scale. Not for us though.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Great review thanks. Sounds very similar (not surprisingly) to our feelings about Iona. Which is encouraging because our next family cruise in three or four years is likely to be Arvia if they're still using her for the Med then. In the meantime after our Aurora trip next year future cruises for the two of us are more likely to be Cunard or Saga.

[Jan Rosser]

Enjoyed your review - I had mixed feelings sailing on Iona in June this year but by the end of the week had to admit there was very little to dislike and have booked a cruise on her next year. I loved the spaciousness and lightness too and overall felt the food was a much higher standard than that on Azura in August. I found myself comparing Iona and Azura and Iona came out on top - I’m happy to try Arvia in the future. The food venues on Arvia sound exciting - I agree the Beach House portions are now a bit ridiculous but when we were on Azura they allowed the in-laws to share the steak dish. Glad you had a good experience Foxy - thanks for sharing it with us.

[towny44]

Thanks for a very informative review Foxy. We had to cancel our Arvia cruise for this September, and some posts on CC have not compared it well to Iona, so it's good to have a positive review for a change.

[Ray B]

Excellent review Foxy, you certainly covered a lot about the ship. I'm a bit concerned that queues seem to be the thing when it come to eating. We have through out our time cruising always used club dining , and I don't know if I would be happy wondering when I will get to dine, the waiting/wasting time is not for me. It's only part of a cruise and your review gives other things going on good marks and does look promising.
Overall I don't thing at present it's for me, but who knows what the future may bring. Thanks for the report Foxy.

[CaroleF]

Thank you Foxy for that very full and detailed review. You have confirmed that it's not for me but I can see how those new to cruising, particularly families would like it. If I were to cruise on my own it would be Aurora or Arcadia only. Like Mervyn I think future cruising apart from those two would be Cunard or Saga.

Carole

[Stephen]

Great review thanks. Sounds very similar (not surprisingly) to our feelings about Iona. Which is encouraging because our next family cruise in three or four years is likely to be Arvia if they're still using her for the Med then. In the meantime after our Aurora trip next year future cruises for the two of us are more likely to be Cunard or Saga.

We very nearly booked a Saga cruise a few days ago. Mrs S was very keen…..especially after a couple of glasses of wine . But at almost £6000 for a five night, three port visit round the bottom of the UK ……..no no no. Ridiculous

[Manoverboard]

I really enjoyed reading all that Foxy, albeit it was not quite as detailed as Stephen's ' report '

Loved the idea of the dining options, right up my street and Club Dining is of course oh so yesterday.

Our cruise bookings were always based on new, plentiful and interesting Ports which means that we would probably restrict ourselves to short duration cruises on this ship and would inevitably regard it as the destination.

10/10

[Stephen]

My report is in the post

[oldbluefox]

I think it's very much horses for courses and at the moment P&O is relatively cheap compared to other cruise lines.....at a cost. Our first cruise was with Saga many years ago and for service and personal attention they were superb. Nothing was too much trouble and they were very efficient. Of course this is in the days before the price differential widened as much as it has. Even taking into account Saga offers insurance, travel from home, tips etc it is still very expensive and sadly out of our price range.

We have looked at other cruise lines. Cunard is a good option although their itineraries are rather unimaginative; somebody we spoke to on the ship had sailed with MSC and told us there was a high percentage of Italians onboard with mama and all the bambinos all talking loudly at the same time; TUI only do fly cruises; Fred does a variety of cruises from various ports around the UK so may be worth a second look; Princess has received mixed reports, and is it so different compared to P&O; NCL we just don't fancy; Royal Caribbean has loads of whining Americans onboard and food which was uninspiring; Silversea is way too expensive.

Looks like we are back to Aurora and Arcadia.................but even they are changing...................Hmmm. It is looking like our cruising days are coming to an end.

[Onelife]

Foxy writes....

Similarly we met some very interesting and pleasant characters and sadly some quite objectionable ones.

I thought Stephen was on Ventura?

Excellent review Foxy

[david63]

My report is in the post

Is that the same post that OL uses for his chocolates?

[david63]

Cunard is a good option although their itineraries are rather unimaginative

Cunard have some interesting fly-cruise itineraries in the Med for 2025 (currently have a £99 return flight offer on)

Princess has received mixed reports, and is it so different compared to P&O

Very similar if out of Southampton but depending on itinerary could have a lot of Americans on board.

Silversea is way too expensive

Silversea only becomes expensive when you start adding flights on. The basic price when you consider that it is all inclusive (including excursions) is comparable with other cruise lines.

The big problem is that any cruise line sailing out of the UK will basically have the same itineraries as there is only so far that they can go in a week/fortnight.

[Stephen]

My report is in the post

Is that the same post that OL uses for his chocolates?

I don’t use carrier pigeon.

[Stephen]

I was also looking for some inspiration at round Britain cruises with Princess on Regal Princess. That soon ended when I saw the size of the balconies. Our door step is bigger.

[Ray B]

Loved the idea of the dining options, right up my street and Club Dining is of course oh so yesterday.



Well Moby, my dear old thing, I just love doing yesterday, and will be again soon.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Loved the idea of the dining options, right up my street and Club Dining is of course oh so yesterday.

Well Moby, my dear old thing, I just love doing yesterday, and will be again soon.

We much prefer Club Dining. Freedom is completely mis-named. If it really meant you could turn up at any time on a whim and get seated immediately it would be great. But there's nothing free about being sent away with a pager for an indeterminate time wait might be 45 minutes. At least on Iona and Arvia they have the virtual queue system where you have some idea of how many are ahead of you and after a couple of days you can judge it and join the queue before you even leave your cabin. We're very happy with Club to know our table will be ready at the appointed time and plan our evening round that.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Great review thanks. Sounds very similar (not surprisingly) to our feelings about Iona. Which is encouraging because our next family cruise in three or four years is likely to be Arvia if they're still using her for the Med then. In the meantime after our Aurora trip next year future cruises for the two of us are more likely to be Cunard or Saga.

We very nearly booked a Saga cruise a few days ago. Mrs S was very keen…..especially after a couple of glasses of wine . But at almost £6000 for a five night, three port visit round the bottom of the UK ……..no no no. Ridiculous

They must have seen you coming. The one we fancy in 2025 will be around £11000, for 18 nights, 8 ports, including 4 excursions, tips, parking, WiFi, insurance and booze. And no riff raff.

[Stephen]

They saw me going as well…..very briskly

Which one are you looking at Merv for 2025.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Greenland. Not advertised yet but they've done similar for 2023 and 2024. Pre registered to hopefully get best discounts.

[Stephen]

Never had a problem with freedom dining and being seated straight way on Ventura. Probably because they seated you on mainly tables of six and eight. Tables for two and four were very sparse and were only available if you were at the front of the queue at 6 O’clock or possibly once service was well under way later in the evening. We didn’t mind and quite enjoyed the different conversations each evening, although I struggle with hearing on a table for eight hoping I’m smiling and nodding at the right time.

[Onelife]

Great review thanks. Sounds very similar (not surprisingly) to our feelings about Iona. Which is encouraging because our next family cruise in three or four years is likely to be Arvia if they're still using her for the Med then. In the meantime after our Aurora trip next year future cruises for the two of us are more likely to be Cunard or Saga.

We very nearly booked a Saga cruise a few days ago. Mrs S was very keen…..especially after a couple of glasses of wine . But at almost £6000 for a five night, three port visit round the bottom of the UK ……..no no no. Ridiculous

They must have seen you coming. The one we fancy in 2025 will be around £11000, for 18 nights, 8 ports, including 4 excursions, tips, parking, WiFi, insurance and booze. And no riff raff.

For £1100 I might be able to persuade Mrs O to do another cruise…when you get further details let me know before Stephen if you want to avoid the Riff Raff

[Stephen]

You’ve missed a zero off the end of £1100.

I thought you lot oop norf didn’t have any money and lived off food banks. You could have fooled me, Ventura was plagued by them. I reckon 90% of the ship were walking around in flat caps.