Arvia is an impressive vessel and the manner in which she is managed is equally impressive.
We embarked on our journey in mid April and although arriving a little early in Southampton we were not delayed dis proportionately and despite being held to one side for a while (to be expected) it didn’t take long for the embarkation process to be completed and we were in our state room by 4pm.
Arvia is simply breathtaking and despite 5,000 passengers and 1750 crew, she never appeared crowded.
Our balcony cabin was lovely, spacious enough and spotlessly clean as was every other part of the ship throughout the duration of our 14 days on board.
This is in no small way due to the diligence of the crew who could be seen cleaning endlessly and painting (externally) and generally keeping Arvia in perfect order.
Our cabin was cleaned and made over in the time it took us to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the Zenith or Meridian restaurants and our cabin steward brought us a bucket of ice every day for the essential G&T before our evening out, wherever that was, be it in the more formal dining rooms or one of the specialty restaurants.
I was concerned prior to the cruise that the the fixed dining times had been removed but the on board App.
works well and with a little planning, we did not wait for more than a few minutes at any restaurant, even at peak times even with Arvia being at near capacity.
The food on board was really good no matter where you chose to eat, from breakfast to dinner, the service again was exceptional, prompt and always with a smile.
Entertainment on board was OK but the Headliners shows, have, in my opinion, been better in the past but still entertaining and there was variety during the two weeks with different tribute singers and comedians in the Club House.
The captain’s 6 pm update kept us informed of ships progress and his thought for the day at the end of each info update was hilarious (more his delivery than than the humor).
The logistics of running such a huge vessel must be mind blowing but P&O seem to have this well in hand and I for one could not find fault from embarkation to dis embarkation.
Thank you P&O and a big thank to the staff without whom this holiday would not have been as exceptional as it was.