P&O Arvia Formal night

[never_cruised]

As someone who has cruised in the past with the likes of Royal Caribbean , Disney and Princess I’ve always found formal night anything goes which is just fine for us personally. I know some people love the whole formal night thing and that is just fine , but are there places you can eat/drink if you don’t wish to partake in the whole formal requirement ?

 

What is formal like on the P&O Arvia ?

 

 

 

 

[daiB]

6 minutes ago, never_cruised said:

As someone who has cruised in the past with the likes of Royal Caribbean , Disney and Princess I’ve always found formal night anything goes which is just fine for us personally. I know some people love the whole formal night thing and that is just fine , but are there places you can eat/drink if you don’t wish to partake in the whole formal requirement ?

 

What is formal like on the P&O Arvia ?

 

 

 

 

There are places to eat if you do not want to go formal but not the MDR or some of the speciality restaurants. depending on time of year 80+% of men will wear a DJ.

[never_cruised]

We go on a July sailing.

[Megabear2]

On my Arvia cruise 80% plus were dressed for formal night.  Interestingly the young people were far keener on being dressed in formal wear and the children were also attired in very smart suits and dresses.

[cruising.mark.uk]

We saw nothing like those numbers dressed formally on Arvia in April.  At an estimate, 25% were in black tie, if that, with probably about the same in suits or jackets.  And, as far as I can recall, formal wear was only required in 3 of the 8+ restaurants (2 x MDR and Epicurean) and one of the many many bars (Crow's Nest).  I'd guess that for a school holiday sailing, less will dress for formal night than do not.

[davecttr]

My experience of Arvia is that formal dress, a dinner jacket etc or a business suit are required from 6pm in

> Meridian and Zenith  main dining rooms

> Epicurian restaurant

> Sindhu restaurant

> The Chefs Table which is part of the buffet normally called the Beach House and may extend into part of the buffet proper.

> The Olive Grove which is normally evening casual but has been serving a formal MDR menu on celebration night.

> Crows Nest bar

> possibly Sindhu bar

 

Evening casual, not scruffy

> Horizon buffet

> The Quays

> 6th Street Diner

Keel & Cow*

Glass House* 

Green & Co*

The last 3 are chargeable

 

Everywhere else is evening casual including the

> Theatre

> Club House

> Casino

> all the other bars but note that although Andersons is evening casual, I checked, it is near the MDR so the formal dressers might be Tut Tutting at your smart evening casual wear.

P&O is in a bit of a panic mode with Arvia as it is not designed for tradition formal cruising and the rules may change from cruise to cruise or even day to day!

 

I don't check on the percentages any more and don't mind if anyone chooses to wear formal in and evening casual venue. My evening casual wear is a smartish shirt and chinos and trainers that don't look like trainers. For formal I would take a business suit, shirt and tie because the trousers can be used on other evenings unlike a dinner suits trousers which have beading down the seam.

[TigerB]

On 6/11/2023 at 2:45 PM, davecttr said:

My experience of Arvia is that formal dress, a dinner jacket etc or a business suit are required from 6pm in

> Meridian and Zenith  main dining rooms

> Epicurian restaurant

> Sindhu restaurant

> The Chefs Table which is part of the buffet normally called the Beach House and may extend into part of the buffet proper.

> The Olive Grove which is normally evening casual but has been serving a formal MDR menu on celebration night.

> Crows Nest bar

> possibly Sindhu bar

 

Evening casual, not scruffy

> Horizon buffet

> The Quays

> 6th Street Diner

Keel & Cow*

Glass House* 

Green & Co*

The last 3 are chargeable

 

Everywhere else is evening casual including the

> Theatre

> Club House

> Casino

> all the other bars but note that although Andersons is evening casual, I checked, it is near the MDR so the formal dressers might be Tut Tutting at your smart evening casual wear.

P&O is in a bit of a panic mode with Arvia as it is not designed for tradition formal cruising and the rules may change from cruise to cruise or even day to day!

 

I don't check on the percentages any more and don't mind if anyone chooses to wear formal in and evening casual venue. My evening casual wear is a smartish shirt and chinos and trainers that don't look like trainers. For formal I would take a business suit, shirt and tie because the trousers can be used on other evenings unlike a dinner suits trousers which have beading down the seam.

 

Sindhu restaurant and bar are 'evening casual' on a formal night, although some still like to dress up for them.

[Jazzytelly]

On 6/11/2023 at 1:32 PM, cruising.mark.uk said:

We saw nothing like those numbers dressed formally on Arvia in April.  At an estimate, 25% were in black tie, if that, with probably about the same in suits or jackets.  And, as far as I can recall, formal wear was only required in 3 of the 8+ restaurants (2 x MDR and Epicurean) and one of the many many bars (Crow's Nest).  I'd guess that for a school holiday sailing, less will dress for formal night than do not.

Interesting we were on the 16th April sailing and probably 75% were dressed for formal night..

[TigerB]

Interesting! As were we, and it was more like 50%

 

I'm just being meddlesome; I really don't know as I didn't have my abacus with me, but it appeared to be much more than a quarter, in my opinion.

Edited June 17, 2023 by TigerB

[davecttr]

46 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

Sindhu restaurant and bar are 'evening casual' on a formal night, although some still like to dress up for them.

This is from the P&O site, the emphasis is theirs

 

Dress codes are in place in most areas around the ship, but not all of them. Please see below which venues the dress codes don’t apply in.
 

Arvia – Buffet, 6^th Street Diner, The Olive Grove, Keel and Cow, The Glass House and The Beach House

Arcadia – Buffet

Aurora – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Azura - Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Britannia – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Iona – Buffet, The Olive Grove, Keel and Cow, The Glass House and The Beach House

Ventura – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House

 

Confusing? This has changed recently because it used to be the venues where the code did apply. It also implies that the Quays and Green & Co are formal.

 

The reality aboard the ships can contradict the web site

[TigerB]

14 hours ago, davecttr said:

This is from the P&O site, the emphasis is theirs

 

Dress codes are in place in most areas around the ship, but not all of them. Please see below which venues the dress codes don’t apply in.
 

Arvia – Buffet, 6^th Street Diner, The Olive Grove, Keel and Cow, The Glass House and The Beach House

Arcadia – Buffet

Aurora – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Azura - Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Britannia – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House.

Iona – Buffet, The Olive Grove, Keel and Cow, The Glass House and The Beach House

Ventura – Buffet, The Glass House and The Beach House

 

Confusing? This has changed recently because it used to be the venues where the code did apply. It also implies that the Quays and Green & Co are formal.

 

The reality aboard the ships can contradict the web site

 

Another example of P&O not knowing their left from their right.🙄