14 Nights Mediterranean - Spain And France Cruise

Brilliant holiday aboard the magnificent Arvia

Had a wonderful holiday aboard Arvia. The ship is magnificent. Food and entertainment was outstanding. Loads to do throughout the day. Service was really good. Choice of bars and restaurants is really good. Balcony Cabin was really nice and had plenty of space. Really enjoyed Brodies bar and the casino. All the restaurants were really nice and I would recommend them all. Any issues- Obviously If you want a sunbed around the pool, you need to be up early, but there is loads of sunbeds around the ship. If you go to the buffet at 9.30 it’s going to be busy . I never had any problem just turning up to the main dining room and getting seated straight away though. Sometimes there could be a wait for lifts. If a certain area of the ship was busy, there might be a wait for drinks, but that was never too bad. All in all for me and my family , we had a brilliant time on this new modern ship .

Impressive

A very impressive operation by P&O on Arvia. I was apprehensive about booking having read some negative reviews, however, the cruise itinerary was attractive and April in the Med makes a very pleasant break. The ship is beautifully appointed with great attention to style and detail. There are comfortable areas across the ship to relax on sea days and many options for dining. The quality of the food in all the restaurants we tried, including the buffet, was very good with imaginative options for vegetarians. We never had to wait long for service in the bars or restaurants. I booked Epicurian in advance to ensure we could secure a table on a sea day. Tip: as trays are no longer available in the buffet (to save food waste), you may like to bring your own as it’s very awkward to walk around with a hot plate, napkin and cutlery while adding food, never mind a glass of water as well! If you can’t get to grips with the P&O app to book dinner or entertainment, you can do this by phone or in person. The crew worked very hard to keep the ship clean and safe, and were always helpful and friendly. The captain’s daily updates were interesting and useful, and he thoughtfully thanked all the crew on the last day for their hard work. Our balcony cabin, on deck 12 forward, was a little on the narrow side and short of shelving storage for clothes, but we managed for the two weeks. Tip: If you don’t like those pesky milk sachets, ask room service to deliver a jug of milk to the cabin each day (no charge). We had room service breakfast on shore days so we could be out and about early (£2.50 charge per cabin) - well worth it. We enjoyed the entertainment in the Limelight Club, and Peter Howarth of The Hollies in Headliners was excellent. Dancing to Pulse was fun as always. I did miss the chance to do some ballroom and Latin dancing which would have made more use of the Atrium floor. It seems this happens only on the mid-size ships now. The shopping area could have been better presented, with a more varied offer of merchandise rather than the usual expensive watches, designer fashion, and overpriced P&O branded goods. It was good to see some Sea Salt clothes though. Tip: Wait for the sale in the second week before buying. I needed a needle and thread on board but was unable to buy or borrow this on board, however there is a seamstress available - who knew? - to save the day. As for the ports, I was particularly interested in visiting the Cinque Terre from La Spezia which we did ourselves by train (taxi to the station) which is easy and well worth it even in the rain. Get an early start as it gets pretty busy by lunch time in the villages. All the other ports were worth visiting and there’s always something new to find if you you’ve been there a few times before. Some of the P&O excursions, although varied, did not offer enough time in the resort, eg, to Peurto Pollenca in Majorca - it seems crazy to rush everyone around for a few hours to get them back for lunch. We treated ourselves to a taxi to have a more relaxed experience and more time to explore. All in all, we were very impressed with ARVIA and glad that we tried if for ourselves rather than be guided by some poor reviews. If you can accept that you are on a large ship with quite a bit of walking and many other passengers, then I think you will enjoy the cruise, and I hope this review is helpful. There is nothing like being at sea and arriving in port as the sun rises and see it come to life. Bon voyage!

Wonderful experience

We had a wonderful time onboard Ariva. Although it's a large ship, it never felt crowded. We never queued for anything for more than a few minutes, the virtual queues on the My Holiday App are really good. We ate in the main dining rooms mostly, but also enjoyed Green & Co, Sindhu, 6th Street Diner, and Olive Grove - all were excellent with plenty of choices (I'm a vegetarian). The food was always delicious. Service was great, all the crew were friendly and helpful. Enjoyed variety of entertainment including theatre, live music, quizzes, comedian. Particularly recommend a night in the Limelight Club (we saw Chesney Hawkes who was great). Also enjoyed the Club House (never had a problem getting served by the waiters there). We were in cabin which had an extra large balcony. Our steward was great, the cabin was clean and modern. We flew to/from Barbados with Tui - had a great experience there - embarking and disembarking was really simple and easy. Had a great time in the Caribbean, including several P&O organised excursions. This is our third P&O Cruise holiday (also been on Iona and Ventura) and we have had a fantastic experience each time.