CarlaMarie

But you would know that is the style and what is provided upon booking, which is a big difference to the product that P&O advertise.

The main issue is that the product P&O sell to you can at times not be provided. Dining in the MDR should be available to all whether they choose it or not, as that is what you have paid for in your fare. If you choose to pay for a select dining venue then that is your choice. But for those who can't, or don't want to, then they should be able to access the MDR without any hassle and not find themselves in the buffet. There should be enough room in the MDR's, just like there used to be before (and let's not get started on reports of not enough outside deck space and sunbeds for Arvia...) If as you say those who are not happy can choose not to cruise, then how does that actually fix the problem? It is the responsibility of the cruise line to fix the issue.

No cruiser should have to factor all of these issues in, and many do not have the luxury to have choices of when they can travel (even as an experienced cruiser).

My parents have been regular cruisers for over 20 years and are now in their 60s. They sailed on Iona last year, for the itinerary which is what attracts them most when looking for a cruise. They sailed during term time, however they ended up in the buffet on the first night as they could not get into the MDR, something that has never happened to them before. The queues on the app were very slow and did not work.

This is something I do not understand with P&O. Iona and Arvia's target audience is those who are not looking for formal dining every night, but they will not attract purely that audience all year round especially out of school holiday time or even when there are festivals/celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. So has there been a massive oversight somewhere especially on Arvia in regards to MDR demand, and hence she just cannot cope? It surely also has to be factored in that a majority of those onboard will be returning cruisers, who tend not to use as many select dining venues as they had done previously - again putting more pressure on the MDR.

When we last had a mini suite we had the priority embarkation so you should receive it with the conservatory mini suites also. You can either try phoning P&O to get the new boarding time, or it may be quicker to get in touch with your TA (if you didn't book direct) who may be able to sort things with P&O on your behalf. Enjoy your cruise!

For anyone who may not have seen these (Copyright P&O Cruises/Christopher Ison)

Over the past few years the number of cruise "influencers" that have appeared has increased dramatically. Some give fair and balanced views, others do not and get rewarded for doing so.

I did not enjoy it. Compared to Iona's naming ceremony, which I thought was classy, simple and stayed true to the importance and tradition of the ceremony, I found this to be a huge PR exercise and as @Froxfield has said with very little sincerity. I know people say they are trying to attract a younger audience, but how young? I am mid thirties and starting to realise how much of a traditionalist I am!

You were honoured 😂

My Dad had a birthday onboard last May, on Iona, and he didn't get a card. I assume all of that has been stopped now.

I may be wrong, but I don't think it will attract a larger US or worldwide customer base.

It is 7pm UK time

Why film on Iona and not Arvia? P&O would know that loyal P&O passengers would spot this "mistake".

You can see Iona's atrium staircase in the video

I don't understand P&O not choosing somebody British with a Caribbean link, nor how this is fitting with their target audience.

You can report your post to the mods for deletion. If you press the 3 dots on the right of the post, it will give you the option to report - just say it duplicated by accident and they will fix it.

If you click on this link and scroll down to the Q and A section them some more information is provided https://www.pocruises.com/blog/naming-arvia

Going off topic slightly, but what is the actual difference between the P&O excursion to Reid's as compared to booking it yourself? Other than the price! 😂

I did wonder if you would be getting off due to the wording in the statement that Arvia would be anchored off of one of the beaches. I thought she would have been docked so that passengers could join in on the shore side of things, but at the moment that doesn't look to be the case. The invite someone mentioned above in the thread appears to be the general one that was posted on Twitter back in December - everyone can join in from their homes via the live link.

You can still book some shows and speciality dining before you leave, via your cruise personaliser using the computer. I believe this is from 2 weeks before you sail. This might be a better option for you so that you know you have at least something booked.

If I recall rightly, didn't this happen once before and it was blamed on the mini bar even though passengers hadn't used it? This resulted in passengers requesting the mini bar be emptied by their steward upon arrival.

He is currently Captain on MSC Seaview.

Regardless of it being a maiden voyage, those who booked didn't know it would be a maiden at the time of sailing and furthermore I don't think you would expect issues as big as these. Both Iona and Arvia had the same problems, so something has gone very badly wrong. Passengers sitting down for their Christmas Dinner gone 11pm isn't acceptable and I don't think any of us would have been happy if we were the passengers. Booking dining via the app is well known to have its flaws on some ships (evident in how busy the buffet is now after 7pm, my parents faced issues on Iona getting into the MDR the first couple of nights on their cruise this year and had to use the buffet as some of the select dining venues had been closed - yet on Britannia it worked well). It would have been sensible to have reverted to club dining for both Arvia and Iona so that they could manage on what would have been the busiest day for the MDRs. Personally, I think the ships are far too big for P&O.