Arvia entertainment , restaurants

[Triggertravel]

Hi everybody 

iam just fishing for any information from anybody that has already been on,Or is currently on board arvia. The wife and I will be boarding her on feb 3rd in Barbados so we are very excited . We have viewed the entertainment that is listed on the my po personnel planner , and must admit that we’ve  not really been blown away with what is on offer ,for saying it’s a brand new ship ,we thought that the entertainment would be amazing , but we have been left disappointed  .we have also noticed that No comedians are listed at all at this stage which has disappointed  us . So just wondering for those already on board or have already been was there any comedians on your particular cruise , or were there any listed on you po personnel planner before you went ? Also the restaurants sound amazing we have booked a couple  , but which would you recommend ? All help and advice would be greatly appreciated 

[Interestedcruisefan]

I'm interested in the answers too

 

We travel on 18th Feb

[smokey01]

We haven’t booked on Arvia but on Iona at end September we had 3 different comedians that were not listed before the cruise.

[TigerB]

We disembarked from the inaugural TA cruise yesterday and thought the overall entertainment package was underwhelming. There were no acts that I would class as 'headliners'. Do you see what I did there?😉  If you wanted to see a mediocre singer of other artiste's ballads, who was a runner up BGT in 2011 or the second cousin of that lass who was on The Voice that time, then you would be very happy.

 

The guest artiste's in the main theatre were:

Dean Stansby (crooner pianist)

CJ Illusions (magic)

Remixed (male vocal trio)

Shellyann (female vocalist)

Jon Udry (comedy juggler) ...yes, you read that right!

Monroe (female vocal trio)

If I've missed any, I'm sure someone will fill in the blanks.

The resident theatre company's performances were (trying to be constructive here) mixed, and occasionally cringeworthy; good visual and lighting effects, though.

 

Elsewhere on the ship were the usual pianists, crooners, and upbeat bands, including 'Caribbean Band' Phoenix and the resident 'Party Band' Pulse; the former playing mainly in the Sky Dome and the latter in the Club House.

We didn't care much for the Sky Dome - too full-on beach party, loud and with poor acoustics. But, don't let our opinion put you off. We preferred the Club House and Pulse, who performed a wide range of music. The latter were a fairly young band but gelled well together; the two singers were better than the the Britannia incarnation last September. That said, Mark, the musical director for the Britannia Pulse, had very similar musical tastes to mine, and their interpretations of 70s rock classics were better, including an enjoyable Pink Floyd set.

The Club House is better laid out than the Live Lounge on Britannia, has better acoustics, and there are plenty of screens dotted around it.

 

If it's comedians you want, there were a grand total of two, not including the fella juggling his balls. Before Tenerife, it was Jason Patterson who was okay, but the daytime guest speaker, retired DCI Terry Brown, had funnier anecdotes and kept a full Club House hanging on his every word. There was another comedian that was listed on the My Holiday booking doodah (I can't remember his name) but had to fly home without giving a performance. He was, I think, replaced by Jack Ryan, a Scouser who often failed to reach his target audience, with some stony faced septuagenarians at the earlier sets; why sit right at the front when a comic is performing and be surprised or offended if he targets you? He appeared to hit the mark though with his late night adults only show.

 

If you are interested in the 710 club, book early; it is only small and was booked solid from the beginning to the end of our cruise, apart from several of the quarter past midnight shows.

 

As for dining, there is plenty of choice. If it is your plan to eat in one of the MDRs most, if not all evenings, then book on the planner before you board to get your preferred time. If you wait until you get onboard and use the My Holiday booking system, you may not get your preferred time or have to join the virtual queue each day.  Certainly, if you want to dine in an MDR on a formal night, book well in advance.

The two MDRs are the same, albeit the Meridian does not have tablecloths except for the formal night. Apart from when we ate in speciality restaurants, we had the same table in Zenith for breakfast and dinner.

Of the extra charge restaurants, we had excellent meals in Epicurean, Green & Co, and Sindhu. If you book before you board you will benefit by getting cheaper prices. For example, Epicurean cost us £24 (less Peninsula discount) each before we boarded but was £30 if booked on board; Green & Co and Sindhu cost us a £10 cover charge (less the dizzy) before we boarded, and then we got 20% off all food items, which is deducted before they deduct the cover charge.

 

Overall...

Entertainment: hit & miss

Dining: generally good

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Thanks TigerB 

 

Really informative and useful

[Triggertravel]

25 minutes ago, TigerB said:

We disembarked from the inaugural TA cruise yesterday and thought the overall entertainment package was underwhelming. There were no acts that I would class as 'headliners'. Do you see what I did there?😉  If you wanted to see a mediocre singer of other artiste's ballads, who was a runner up BGT in 2011 or the second cousin of that lass who was on The Voice that time, then you would be very happy.

 

The guest artiste's in the main theatre were:

Dean Stansby (crooner pianist)

CJ Illusions (magic)

Remixed (male vocal trio)

Shellyann (female vocalist)

Jon Udry (comedy juggler) ...yes, you read that right!

Monroe (female vocal trio)

If I've missed any, I'm sure someone will fill in the blanks.

The resident theatre company's performances were (trying to be constructive here) mixed, and occasionally cringeworthy; good visual and lighting effects, though.

 

Elsewhere on the ship were the usual pianists, crooners, and upbeat bands, including 'Caribbean Band' Phoenix and the resident 'Party Band' Pulse; the former playing mainly in the Sky Dome and the latter in the Club House.

We didn't care much for the Sky Dome - too full-on beach party, loud and with poor acoustics. But, don't let our opinion put you off. We preferred the Club House and Pulse, who performed a wide range of music. The latter were a fairly young band but gelled well together; the two singers were better than the the Britannia incarnation last September. That said, Mark, the musical director for the Britannia Pulse, had very similar musical tastes to mine, and their interpretations of 70s rock classics were better, including an enjoyable Pink Floyd set.

The Club House is better laid out than the Live Lounge on Britannia, has better acoustics, and there are plenty of screens dotted around it.

 

If it's comedians you want, there were a grand total of two, not including the fella juggling his balls. Before Tenerife, it was Jason Patterson who was okay, but the daytime guest speaker, retired DCI Terry Brown, had funnier anecdotes and kept a full Club House hanging on his every word. There was another comedian that was listed on the My Holiday booking doodah (I can't remember his name) but had to fly home without giving a performance. He was, I think, replaced by Jack Ryan, a Scouser who often failed to reach his target audience, with some stony faced septuagenarians at the earlier sets; why sit right at the front when a comic is performing and be surprised or offended if he targets you? He appeared to hit the mark though with his late night adults only show.

 

If you are interested in the 710 club, book early; it is only small and was booked solid from the beginning to the end of our cruise, apart from several of the quarter past midnight shows.

 

As for dining, there is plenty of choice. If it is your plan to eat in one of the MDRs most, if not all evenings, then book on the planner before you board to get your preferred time. If you wait until you get onboard and use the My Holiday booking system, you may not get your preferred time or have to join the virtual queue each day.  Certainly, if you want to dine in an MDR on a formal night, book well in advance.

The two MDRs are the same, albeit the Meridian does not have tablecloths except for the formal night. Apart from when we ate in speciality restaurants, we had the same table in Zenith for breakfast and dinner.

Of the extra charge restaurants, we had excellent meals in Epicurean, Green & Co, and Sindhu. If you book before you board you will benefit by getting cheaper prices. For example, Epicurean cost us £24 (less Peninsula discount) each before we boarded but was £30 if booked on board; Green & Co and Sindhu cost us a £10 cover charge (less the dizzy) before we boarded, and then we got 20% off all food items, which is deducted before they deduct the cover charge.

 

Overall...

Entertainment: hit & miss

Dining: generally good

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankyou tigerB for your feedback , this is very helpful. We was on Arcadia last July,iceland and terry brown was on then.and with the weather being cold and mostly wet on sea days we ended up going to all of his talks very good, and also very very funny . I bumped into him in the bar a couple of times and had a chat mostly about football , but a genuinely nice guy . I hope he a still on when we go just for the football chat in the bar. But Thankyou again 

[amajaa]

We saw the comedy juggler on Ventura in November, he was really good. Worth watching 

[Britboys]

In my experience now, it is quite rare to get a 'headliner' act on P&O. Certainly on the adult-only ships over the last 10 years,I don't recall seeing any big names. Just a couple of somewhat ageing singers who used to front well-known bands (e.g. Clem Curtis of the Foundations).

[Interestedcruisefan]

Isn't there a new Take That musical show created by Gary Barlow thats on Arvia?

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[TigerB]

39 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Isn't there a new Take That musical show created by Gary Barlow thats on Arvia?

 

 

It's essentially an abridged version of sorts of the West End show, performed by the Headliners theatre group, that lasts about 50 minutes.

Edited January 23, 2023 by TigerB

[Devonport D]

I have just completed my latest cruise P&O survey having disembarked Arvia Saturday.

 

My personal opinion was the entertainment was not as good as Cunard, Princess etc.

 

Tribute acts that may be good at Butlins but not on a cruise, Headliners were good but seen the performance on Iona, juggler was actually very good with humour involved, Dean Stansbury tried his best as did Gaga, acoustics not good in the Dome, ShellyAnne  good, Re-mix ok, Phoenix very good.

Nice new ship, but half the lifts not working, food ok in buffet, good in restaurant, drink prices have increased.

Get up early if you want a sunbed.

[TigerB]

Just now, Devonport D said:

I have just completed my latest cruise P&O survey having disembarked Arvia Saturday.

When did yours arrive? We're still waiting for ours 

[TigerB]

2 minutes ago, Devonport D said:

Get up early if you want a sunbed.

Yup! Looking outside our cabin, some folk were bagging sunbeds on the port side of the promenade deck before 6am. 🙄

[TangerineWillow]

can anyone help with these questions
 

Can you advise what acts were on in the Limelight club

 

Also when booking tables in the MDR are you still restricted to booking for six or have they been sensible to increase to 8 or 10

 

Do they have a Caribbean night when you wear mutli coloured caribbean shirts.

 

when can you book the escape room and how much does it cost

[TangerineWillow]

We are sailing 3rd March

[crimson moon]

In Limelight there were supposed to be three acts all of whom I had never heard of before, La Voix; Ray Quinn and Matt Terry.

After seeing some comments on another site we decided to take the plunge and booked to see La Voix, I am so glad we did. I have not laughed some much for a long time.

 

The Greatest Days was very good as was the show "X" in the Skydome. If you have seen The Blue Man Group you can see where many of the ideas came from.

 

Other entertainment included a young girl playing the piano in the Amber Lounge who was OK but did play a few bum notes. Maddison M, the busker, who played at various venues. Again OK but her repertoire was quite limited, unlike the busker we saw on Aurora last year.

 

Also appearing in the Amber Lounge were The Caribbean Cultural Ambassadors who without doubt are the worst act I have seen anywhere, never mind on any cruise ship. Two chaps on the stage, one who sat at a laptop choosing which song to play and the other chap sitting or standing in front of a tablet appearing to sing. I say appearing as he had so many different voices  some of which were quite clearly female that it was obviously not him you could hear through the speakers. Quite often the chap at the laptop would  abruptly cut short the song and start another. Other times he would stop the song without turning off the "singer's" mic and he would be left "singing" the song and it was obvious that he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. If P&O were paying them 1p for each performance they were being ripped off.

 

There were no theme nights at all though once we reached the Caribbean you could see many men walking around in their brightly coloured Caribbean shirts that they had bought in the particular port we were in.

[TigerB]

2 hours ago, TangerineWillow said:

can anyone help with these questions
 

Can you advise what acts were on in the Limelight club

 

Also when booking tables in the MDR are you still restricted to booking for six or have they been sensible to increase to 8 or 10

 

Do they have a Caribbean night when you wear mutli coloured caribbean shirts.

 

when can you book the escape room and how much does it cost

Of your questions not already answered...

 

I seem to recall that you could book tables up to eight in the MDRs through My Holiday.  I think though that the largest tables seated eight; if there are ten in your party they could probably squeeze you onto such a table. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Mission Control was £20 each; I didn't try it but heard one of the hosts tell someone as I passed by. It was booked solid throughout our cruise so, if you are keen to do it, book it as soon as you can.

[Colsers]

When we booked this cruise our TA asked us what dining we would prefer. We asked for 2nd sitting at a table of 6 for me and hubby to join others. I've since found out that it's freedom dining. Does this mean we book in advance on my holiday App when we wish to dine (if we're lucky)! and we would just book a table for 2 as there's only 2 in our party or can we join others can anyone tell me? Tia.

[TigerB]

4 minutes ago, Colsers said:

When we booked this cruise our TA asked us what dining we would prefer. We asked for 2nd sitting at a table of 6 for me and hubby to join others. I've since found out that it's freedom dining. Does this mean we book in advance on my holiday App when we wish to dine (if we're lucky)! and we would just book a table for 2 as there's only 2 in our party or can we join others can anyone tell me? Tia.

That is correct, you can book a table through your Cruise Planner before you board, or through My Holiday once on board. You will be given the option of a private table for two or a shared table. If you want a private table you will need to book all your dates as soon as you can, as the popular times will be busy.

When you check in on your first night make a point of speaking with one of the restaurant hosts. Tell them you have made bookings and for which nights and times. If you want a private or shared table each night, tell them; they will input your preference onto the computer. Tell them also if you would like the same table each evening.  If, you enter one evening and tell them that you fancy a private table after previously sharing, they will accommodate you but you may be asked to wait a few minutes.

 

In my experience, if you approach the restaurant hosts with a smile and the right attitude, they will accommodate you, if they are able to do so.

[Britboys]

4 hours ago, TigerB said:

When did yours arrive? We're still waiting for ours 

I don't know if Arvia will be any different, being a new ship, but P&O no longer routinely send out a full survey questionnaire to everyone - just a sample now. They do invite everyone to put something on Feefo, which is very different and not very comprehensive unless you specifically choose to make specific comments.

[Britboys]

25 minutes ago, Colsers said:

When we booked this cruise our TA asked us what dining we would prefer. We asked for 2nd sitting at a table of 6 for me and hubby to join others. I've since found out that it's freedom dining. Does this mean we book in advance on my holiday App when we wish to dine (if we're lucky)! and we would just book a table for 2 as there's only 2 in our party or can we join others can anyone tell me? Tia.

Your TA really should have known that, as for Iona, Arvia has always been designated as only having Freedom Dining and Speciality restaurants. Second sitting never was going to be an option...

[Colsers]

1 hour ago, TigerB said:

That is correct, you can book a table through your Cruise Planner before you board, or through My Holiday once on board. You will be given the option of a private table for two or a shared table. If you want a private table you will need to book all your dates as soon as you can, as the popular times will be busy.

When you check in on your first night make a point of speaking with one of the restaurant hosts. Tell them you have made bookings and for which nights and times. If you want a private or shared table each night, tell them; they will input your preference onto the computer. Tell them also if you would like the same table each evening.  If, you enter one evening and tell them that you fancy a private table after previously sharing, they will accommodate you but you may be asked to wait a few minutes.

 

In my experience, if you approach the restaurant hosts with a smile and the right attitude, they will accommodate you, if they are able to do so.

Thank you TigerB that's the info we were looking for. Much appreciated. 

[amajaa]

On 1/23/2023 at 11:06 PM, TigerB said:

That is correct, you can book a table through your Cruise Planner before you board, or through My Holiday once on board. You will be given the option of a private table for two or a shared table. If you want a private table you will need to book all your dates as soon as you can, as the popular times will be busy.

When you check in on your first night make a point of speaking with one of the restaurant hosts. Tell them you have made bookings and for which nights and times. If you want a private or shared table each night, tell them; they will input your preference onto the computer. Tell them also if you would like the same table each evening.  If, you enter one evening and tell them that you fancy a private table after previously sharing, they will accommodate you but you may be asked to wait a few minutes.

 

In my experience, if you approach the restaurant hosts with a smile and the right attitude, they will accommodate you, if they are able to do so.

You couldn’t book for the MDR until on the day 1/4 hour before the dining rooms opened on our last two cruises. Have they changed it for Arvia then that you can book before you board? 

[Jazzytelly]

On 1/23/2023 at 11:06 PM, TigerB said:

That is correct, you can book a table through your Cruise Planner before you board, or through My Holiday once on board. You will be given the option of a private table for two or a shared table. If you want a private table you will need to book all your dates as soon as you can, as the popular times will be busy.

When you check in on your first night make a point of speaking with one of the restaurant hosts. Tell them you have made bookings and for which nights and times. If you want a private or shared table each night, tell them; they will input your preference onto the computer. Tell them also if you would like the same table each evening.  If, you enter one evening and tell them that you fancy a private table after previously sharing, they will accommodate you but you may be asked to wait a few minutes.

 

In my experience, if you approach the restaurant hosts with a smile and the right attitude, they will accommodate you, if they are able to do so.

As above I am also confused as we have never been able to book the MDR before we board. 
We are on Iona in a few weeks and can’t book the MDR on that and my cousin is on her in a few days and can’t book the MDR on Iona. Are we doing something wrong or is Arvia different to the other ships regards booking MDR 

[TigerB]

34 minutes ago, Jazzytelly said:

As above I am also confused as we have never been able to book the MDR before we board. 
We are on Iona in a few weeks and can’t book the MDR on that and my cousin is on her in a few days and can’t book the MDR on Iona. Are we doing something wrong or is Arvia different to the other ships regards booking MDR 

 

The issue is currently being discussed on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2909585-arvia-dining-expectations-vs-reality/

 

I appear to have started something...🙄

 

Anyway, on that thread I write that I had never known it before, and that they may be trialling it on Arvia before rolling out to the fleet.

Another contributor clarified that being able to book so far ahead for the MDRs is only relevant to early sittings, up to 18:15 in Meridian, and 19:00 in Zenith.