DamianG

Thank you as @Selbourne for another fascinating, thoughtful and balanced review of your cruise. We sailed on Iona in April 2022 which (despite being during school holidays) was only 2/3 full as per the restrictions at that time. It was a world away from our recent experience on Arvia, as we were able to use the My Holiday webpage for every dining booking and never waited longer than 15 minutes on any occasion. Whilst I would never sail on Arvia again, I certainly would give Iona another go, even during school holidays. Best regards Damian

No apology necessary, glad you got a great reply from @TigerB

Yes, we've watched a few of their YouTube vlogs. Another favourite of ours is Travel Blog Jamie, always fun and informative. I'm hoping we may see a YouTube video or two from Rich & Sarah? 😉

My condolences, what a difficult time for you. Thank you for posting such a lovely reflection at the end of your message, it certainly resonates for me.

Good luck with yours, I'm about to compose mine to them about Arvia! I hope that we both receive an appropriate response.

Thanks Helen, we didn’t actually use any of the restaurants where you need to pay a supplement so I’ve no information on prices unfortunately. I’m sure that someone in here will have a better idea though. Enjoy your cruises, I’m sure they’ll be worth the wait! Damian

We love Cadiz and would love to have a land based holiday there one day. It doesn’t appear to be too easy to get there from the UK but that is probably why it isn’t swamped with tourists and is therefore even more appealing.

MSC Virtuosa next July, our first non-P&O cruise since 2003. Back to a standard balcony cabin but with premium drinks package included and significantly cheaper than P&O for a similar itinerary as this year plus 2 more ports. After much negotiation MSC have also matched our P&O loyalty status straight away despite this being our first voyage with them. We’re already excited and are lapping up any YouTube videos about the ship that we can find.

Belated Happy Anniversary @grapau27 hope you're having a lovely day.

Thank you and the same to @SeaJane @Josy1953 24 P&O cruises and the first time I've felt the need for sending in a formal complaint.

Hi MB I intend to write to P&O about some of our experiences on Arvia last 2 weeks. I've never written a letter or email of complaint to P&O previously so would you suggest this email address for that purpose? Thanks Damian

Balcony furniture scraping noises were also a constant feature of our cruise though I didn't mention them (plenty of other things to grumble about as it was). Mum and sister had a really noisy family not directly above their cabin (one across) which their cabin neighbour (directly beneath the racket) said ruined their cruise experience. We took our time getting off in Valencia but could see the queue for the shuttle buses from our balcony. It was all very orderly until the crew released the next 50 or so from the single file line and it then turned into a sprint to get to the bus and push on first! It probably wasn't like that all the time but another example of poor manners.

In Britannia's maiden season at the Peninsular Club lunch on our cruise several of our table guests complained that P&O were "pushing passengers away from the sea" without a promenade deck and limited sea views from the Atrium. I honestly feel that this was a factor in the design of the atriums on Iona and Arvia which have gone completely the opposite way. I do like the sea views from the Atrium but the window frame structures around them are not the prettiest. It can also get incredibly loud with some of the entertainment that they put on in there, way over the occasional ball room dancing or bands that they put on in the Atrium on some of the older ships. 5/10 for me, mainly because of the sea views. I'm sure they could do better.

Just need to let my boss know that there's a family emergency and I'll be on my way down. We are all family on here, right?

Thanks for a great cruise blog @SarahHben Wonderful photos as always from you!

I hope that you have a great cruise and that our negatives haven't put you off in any way.

Thanks Jane, here he is, turns 2 tomorrow. We can’t believe how much his fur has grown in 2 weeks.

19th August A decent night’s sleep and though I was awake early we didn’t actually get up until after 9am. We went to the Quays which was pretty busy. I got in the queue for cooked breakfast and a slim chap in front of me built the most impressive plateful with fried eggs, scrambled eggs, sausages, several rashers of bacon, beans, mushrooms, 4 hash browns and some fried bread. The Quays plates are weirdly shaped, sort of wonky as if they’ve curled up like a frisbee left out in the hot sun. With this is mind his breakfast plate arrangement was a masterpiece. After breakfast we got our usual tea and latte except that this time we made our order at Ripples. That doesn’t open until 10:30am so clearly we were having a leisurely morning. This also had the added bonus that our cabin had actually been refreshed by the time we got back after breakfast, only the 2nd time this has happened all cruise. My sister called late morning to arrange some more hot tub time with Kyle. He’s really enjoyed her company on this cruise and it’s made such a positive difference. We walked round the promenade deck on the shady port side but all the tubs were occupied so we ended up on the roasting hot starboard side. Mum and sister arrived then not long after Michelle’s mum and dad turned up unexpectedly but fortunately we were able to stake a claim for 5 seats. It was roasting hot but none of the 3 seniors had a hat between them so Michelle and I trekked up to deck 10 to her parents cabin then down to deck 4 to mum and sisters. In particular we noted the sound of the waves in the latter cabin low down close to the sea. With hindsight we could have taken videos of all 3 of our very different cabins then created some kind of comparison YouTube production but I doubt that any advertiser would be interested in our amateur efforts anytime soon. So much for our hat provisions as Michelle’s parents lasted about 20 minutes before bailing out then not long after mum and I moved to the shady port side (which seemed cold by comparison though it wasn’t really). We sat outside the Quays so I was able to easily go get mum a cup of tea which she appreciated. Our hot tubbers lasted around 30 minutes more then came to find us. Kyle was shivering on the cold side so we got him dried off and changed on the promenade deck. Michelle preferred to return to the cabin to do the same (she didn’t fancy trying to change in public with me holding a towel around her, can’t think why) while Kyle and I went straight into the Quays for lunch. The Fusion section were offering a Prawn and Coconut Thai Green Curry so I got Kyle a portion of that and a back up of the Katsu Chicken Curry. I had every intention of eating one or the other but whilst I was queueing up the fish and chips were calling out to me so when Michelle returned we ended up with 2 curries and 2 portions of fish and chips on the table as Kyle said that he wanted to try that as well. We certainly had a weird fusion lunch of our own with everyone trying a bit of everything. I’m not sure about the flavour combinations but what I can definitely tell you is that Coeur de Mont Sauvignon Blanc (available from Sindhu, my 2nd favourite bar on board) goes with everything. Michelle went to get some desserts (Lemon Drizzle Cake and a pot of trifle) but I was stuffed already. Kyle went off with his grandma (my mum) to be absolutely spoiled in the onboard shop with the last of her onboard credit and then some. Michelle and I waited in the Quays and I got another round in (how else were we going to pass the time?). After enjoying our drinks we went back to the cabin and as I had 1 wash tablet left I decided to do a final trip to the launderette. In particular my formal night shirt needed a wash (does anyone else overheat in a suit or tuxedo on formal night or is that just me? Then again, this ship is by far the hottest I’ve ever been on. Maybe they have turned down the air con to save a few pennies as has been suggested on other reviews. There I go again, more tangents than a circle this thread). I went to the launderette on our deck 10 but yet again every machine was in use. Bear with me here but I like how the older P&O ships have a name for each deck as well as a number. My favourite is Devanha deck mainly because of how the posh lady announcing the floors in the lifts calls it out (though it would be even better if she said “Devanha Deck, Darling”). Anyway I’ve decided that deck 10 on Arvia should be the Widow Twankey deck as a tribute to the keen washers occupying the cabins on that floor on this cruise (and yes, I include myself before you point the finger). Same as a few days previously I tried my luck on deck 11 and that particular launderette was an oasis of free machines (5 out of 6). For anyone still interested I chose machine A, not least because it was the furthest away from the swinging door entrance where unsurprisingly passengers don’t know the difference between push and pull, so you are always potentially in the firing line if using machine F. Or maybe they can’t read, or even maybe they can’t be bothered (so tempted to use a stronger word there). Yeah, yeah, I really need to get out more. I blame cabin fever. Incidentally, I absent mindedly turned right out of the launderette and walked all the way down the corridor on deck 11 aft. Luckily my brain kicked in just before I tried to unlock the cabin door for 11742. Once I’d found the right cabin I dropped off the laundry bag then went back down the Keel and Cow for a last round of Gavi di Gavi. I returned our empty plastic glasses as always and the barman thanked me then asked “2 Gavi?” I replied “Yes please, but I’d better join the queue” which made him laugh and stopped everyone else stood there from looking daggers at me. It’s poor for us that they only serve that particular wine in one venue (as far as I am aware) but I’ve had top class service in there every time so that offsets it a little. After packing we barely had time to enjoy the drinks in the cabin as Kyle had arranged to go out slightly earlier, primarily as Michelle’s parents had also arranged to take him to the shop to buy something. It was a bit of a rush but we made the scheduled time (funny how the only time we ever do that is when Kyle has something specifically arranged especially for him). While he was shopping we had pre-dinner drinks in Andersons before moving on to the Meridian. Our regular table is aft next to the large windows and there was a low sun getting in Michelle’s mum’s eyes. Michelle gently tried pulling a blind but quickly realised that they were fixed. They asked the waiter if the blinds could be pulled down a little and we then all watched on as someone adjusted all the blinds remotely in unison. They only stayed down a few minutes before moving back up again so maybe someone else asked to see the sunset. Michelle and I both chose Thai Vegetable Spring Rolls as a starter, small but tasty. For main Sweet and Sour Chicken was an option so we both decided to go all in on a P&O Saturday night take away. However, Garlic and Brandy Sauteed Tiger Prawns also appealed so we got Kyle to request that as a starter with the idea being that if it looked good we could order a second main in due course. When it came out it was a starter sized portion anyway which Kyle didn’t like so we shared it instead. It was nice enough but no need for another portion for either of us. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was lovely by the way. Michelle had Cherry Cheesecake for dessert (bit stodgy) and I had Tuscan Coffee and Hazelnut Cake (bit cakey and couldn’t taste the coffee at all). After dinner we said our goodbyes and I got Kyle to hand Oswin an envelope with a small tip in it as we thought he had definitely gone “above and beyond” for us. We went back to Andersons one last time but didn’t stay long at all. We’d already agreed to self-disembark with Michelle’s parents and knew that it was going to be a challenge so an early night was in order. Once we were back in the cabin Michelle remembered that we intended to get some bottles of water so Kyle and I went back down to the Club Lounge. It was a Club Anthems theme but Pulse were on a break and it was a shame we didn’t get to see them for one song at least. The music was really loud and I was surprised how many passengers were still out making the most of the last evening on board. I was slightly jealous if I’m honest, good luck to them. 20th August We were up super early, had breakfast in the Quays (which wasn’t too busy) then were ready to go at 7:20am. We were lucky to get half our party and one suitcase in the first lift that came along, then 3 suitcases, 2 rucksacks, 2 bags, Michelle, Kyle and I in the next one. Step one completed. It was easy to disembark but a slog across the air bridge and out of the terminal. I then went and picked up the car from Parking4Cruises (on the ball as usual) before driving back to the pick up point to load up. I got a telling off for parking then pulling out to move further forward nearer my passengers (lesson learnt). We were on the road at 7:54am so though it had been hard it was worth it. I just made one navigational error (wrong lane at the Hotel Leonardo junction in Southampton) but after that we had a good run and we were home 12:15pm. Most importantly we were home in plenty of time to pick up the pets at 1:30pm.

Ironing is so yesterday, we’ve used this for the first time last 2 weeks on board & though we suspected it would be just a gimmick it works. I ironed a shirt first night, rest of the time just sprayed them & hung them up to dry. Best regards Damian 9th Dan, Washing (working towards 10th Dan)

There always seems to be a big queue for fish & chips (even then the longest I’ve waited is less than 10 minutes) but not for Fusion or Roast Dinners. In terms of tables & seating there always seems to be the most room furthest away from the serving hatches opposite Sindhu (with the added bonus of it being the first port of call for drinks waiters).

and there is even a launderette on deck 16 though it only has 4 machines.... I'll get m'coat.

Sad times (those aren’t ours by the way, how many cases can one cabin have?).

Todays Quays Fusion offering, Prawn & Coconut Thai Green Curry.

Mum & sister’s deck 4 cabin. You can actually hear the sea as we cruise along.