Thanks for watching! For full transparency, in the vlog we mention a rough breakdown of the costs for our recent 16 Night Cruise. The mentioned £77 per night is Per Person based on 2 cruisers sharing! We don’t want to intentionally misinform anyone so thought we’d mention it! 😊❤️🥂🚢🏝️ Hit The “Like” Button If You Enjoyed The Vlog (please.. 🥰)
We got off ARVIA a week ago. Half term week 5,500 customers a lot of children (mostly no issues what so ever) Embarkation was delayed by two hours due to deep clean as previous cruise had norovirus . So starting with cleaning, horizon buffet staff would clear tables but not wash them down. When we saw staff cleaning tables they tickled them not cleaned them. Staff stood on the doors of restaurants was not interested in people washing or gel their hands. We have been used to royal Caribbean washy washy) Food is subjective in my oppinion dinner in MDR was acceptable, we booked chefs table very disappointed for a special event staff had different uniforms on some from horizons, keel and cow etc also not interested. Food at keel and cow was very nice but your sat in the airport lounge (atrium). Epicurean was amazing for dinner and afternoon tea. The quays for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 6th street diner for brunch and diner was good but slowwww service but a good fun place to go. Horizon buffet 🤯 well all buffets can be crazy on land and sea these are inevitability busy at certain times of day. We never ever had any issues finding a table of four just go back a bit away from the serving stations. The thing that made me mad was mid afternoon they would start setting up for chefs table or beach house. The issue was the serving area that was open was where they are blocking off tables/ area and the tables you could use were at the other side or end 🤯 I talked to an officer about this and he said it’s how they are told to do it by the company. Taste 360 offered the worst pizza at sea, . The olive grove was a hidden gem (for free/ included) very nice fresh food although service was a bit hit and miss. The virtual que was amazing if you can do tech the only issue you had to keep checking and refreshing it does not ping. But you can go and get a buzzer. Bars and bar ( great prices for drinks like a good land bar) service no issues other than sometimes slow and not all bars carry all spirits (again I’m used to royal where they would go and bring a bottle of what your drinking to that bar) and on that note watch out, my wife ordered a Malibu and lemonade, the dar staff returned 10 min later and apologised they did not sell that drink however we were still charged for it🤯 Anderson’s a very nice chilled out bar, the crows nest beautiful bar but OMG that piano singer was like music to slashed your wrist to and when he sang he was like the Billy Connery drunken pub singer you could only make out two or three words of the songs. Brodies very busy pub, staff work very hard and there are a lot of them, this bar has free pool table, darts and jukebox, great quizzes but it can be hard at times To get a seat, football/ sports shown in here. Casino was ok.club house another very busy evening venue that a lot of family’s with children went to. Mostly not a problem apart from some nights the little kids made it hard for the entertainer. Entertainment what we saw was great, not as good as royal but better than MSC. State room was lovely but strange having no draws, we had a aft Balconey directly below the pool, we had been told there is no issue with water coming over as they resolved the issue from Iona we picked the cabin for the great aft views. We did have issue with pool water coming over onto our Balconey most days, the rooms below us got it worse. We did not have any issue at all with noise levels from DJ/ music at any time of day we had our Balconey door open whenever we were in the room. Great tv offerings from box sets ( but the box set are not I episode order) to movies to usual tv. Getting on and off the ship very little problem ( one port had issue but not P&O fault). We had select fair so had free shuttle bus rather than £10 each. Although we did not have kids with us the kids seemed to be very well entertained in sky dome (but the entertainment was loud) sooty show, Wallace grommet and Shaun the sheep, and other crazy stuff, we heard people saying their kids loved the kids club. We never saw anyone using the slash zone area on the top deck. It’s great P&O are moving into the family friendly market. Sadly some P&O regulars are not used to that many kids on a ship and complain about them (even when they were well behaved. Shops, check out prices, Lego very expensive, JBL and Marshall speakers cheaper on Amazon or Argos , bag of M&Ms more expensive than the cinemas at home I would very happily sail Arvia again and would recommend it to people. ❤ p&O need to sort out the cleaning, the PA system in sky dome, and customers sailing any ship need to learn how to WASH their hands more often.
Hey, thanks for this. Really interesting to read your points. We’d not experienced that in the buffet but does make sense and would be a little frustrating as they cause it to get more crowded to do the set up. Definitely agreed about the snacks being expensive. The Pringles were very highly priced, did find the pink n mix was very good value though compared to everything else so had 2 cups 😂 Glad you enjoyed your aft view and yes we’ve heard about the pool water being a problem. Absolutely agree about the epicurean, a brilliant restaurant to spend the evening in. 😁🥂😎
Great video guys, we did fourteen nights on Arvia in Carribean Nov /Dec 23 and loved it.Sunbeds are an issue but everything else was Fab.Really enjoy your videos and reviews.
Having sailed on the same cruise as you,we agree with you on your views,apart from the service in the Crows Nest.We had no issues in getting served,but being creatures of habit,tend to sit in the same area and get to know the waiters serving in that area.We loved our aft cabin,the music played at the Sunset bar made a change from the usual cruise music aimed at the over 70s,but we couldn't hear it in the cabin if the doors are closed.We liked Arvia so much we have re booked the same cruise and cabin for 2026.
Glad you had a great time too. Also glad to know you had faster service in there and you’re very right, we don’t go in much and always swapped tables so likely caused some of the delays. We did tend to sit in the same place in the glass house and amber lounge so does make a lot of sense. Very glad you enjoyed the aft and booked for the same again. We would in a heart beat but sadly work schedules aren’t allowing ☹️ Hope you’ve had a great weekend 😎🥂😁
Hi thanks for the vid. Me and my partner were on Arvia for the maiden Atlantic crossing last year and it was an amazing experience. We happily booked again for this year and we were on the same cruise as yourselves. Unfortunately our experience this time was not good. Numerous issues but the big one was the smoker in the next cabin. My partner is disabled and on oxygen so we do need to spend a fair amount of time in the cabin. Long story short we had a week of smoke blowing in our faces and couldn’t use the balcony until they eventually moved us. They only did that after me complaining multiple times per day for a week. Thanks for making the blog series. It’s good to know others had a better experience and I’m glad you enjoyed your time aboard
Ahh that’s such a shame. Sorry to hear that. You know, it’s something I’ve never thought of and we wouldn’t like that either. I’m surprised people are allowed to smoke on balconies tbh. Sorry it spoilt your cruise but hope you still had good times too! Thanks so much for the support! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
Awe guys, love your well thought out replies to the reviews. Like I said before, I've never sailed P&O, being Canadian, there are no ships that embark from any ports here. I'd have to fly to the UK, which I have done in the past. The World Cruise on P&O is a great value and I've been looking at that for a few years. I've done the World Cruise on Princess and loved it. Thanks again for all the great content! Miss the dogs :)
Ahh, we’re very envious. Canada looks beautiful! We definitely want to head there one day soon. Thanks so much for the kind words. Don’t worry, the dogs are still here. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear Phoebe snoring…! 💤 😂🥂
Wow that must be amazing. Some of our friends loved to Vancouver and we can’t get over how different the lifestyle is from GB. It’s so active and outdoor. Looks incredible 😍🇨🇦
My husband and I were on Arvia in May around the Med. We are both in our 80's and had a fantastic cruise. We only got off once so found there was plenty to keep us occupied during the 14 days. Plenty of children but they were no trouble at all. Would definitely recommend a cruise on Arvia. Our next is at Christmas back on Iona another fantastic P&O Ship. If you want something quieter try Arcadia, Adults only but not so much on board in the way of eateries and things to do.
Hello 👋 thank you for this. So happy to see you enjoyed your time and shared our love for Iona too. We love these ships 😃 We’re trying aurora next year, really looking forward to it as it’s going all the way up in Norway 🇳🇴 😁
Great as always, the British sense of " fair play" really shone through in all your observations. As a flight attendant, I particularly appreciated the fact that you acknowledged the duty time that the crew were expected to work !!
Hi 👋 haha, glad it shone through 🇬🇧 that was our goal to be honest and fair. Oh wow, must be such an intense job to do. As nervous flyers we highly appreciate what you do. The smiles go a huge way in preventing me (Ben) from crying the entire flight 😅
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Thank you for your kind words. It used to be a great job, now not so much. I actually thought of you guys last week, I was working on a dream liner (787) to Auckland and the entire wing looked like it was held together by what you guys called "gaffer tape". Not unusual on the Boeing 787, but could be disconcerting for some passengers. I really look forward to you growing your channel and of course spending more time here in the United States. ❤️ from LA xx
Thank you for your video . I am booked on arvia at the end of November with wife and 16 yr old daughter. You have helped to ease my fears. Thanks again
I will be on Arvia on the repositioning cruise in October.. Can't wait. This will be my 5th cruise on this great ship. Starting after the very bad publicity in February 2023. She is enormous, but also intimate, and you can have any type of life style experience you want. They do not insist on everything being booked on the internet anymore, there are ways around this if you are tech phobic. For me it has always been a fantastic experience. Jacquie Harbubble
Just got off Arvia today june 23 2024. had a good time i am pleased to say the service in the crows nest was very good indeed, Arvia is not perfect but there is not alot wrong,
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, we absolutely agree. Even in some of the worst places we’ve stayed we have amazingly funny memories from them. To us, Arvia was an amazing ship. Wishing you a great weekend ahead 😎😃
Great reviews and video updates... I'm on Arvia in December, I'm really apprehensive. The reviews on TH-cam all contradict each other. Been on RC and TUI and they've both been amazing. I'm hoping P&O Arvia will be okay.
Hi Mikey, RC are so much fun aren’t they. Not been with TUI yet but heard great things. Sorry to see you’re apprehensive about it, holidays are so incredibly subjective. We loved our time on Arvia and would 100% sail on her again and again and again haha. Really hope you do 😃😎🥂🚢
Great Vlog Gents , made the same trip as yourselves from Barbados to Southampton earlier this year and recently ( last week around the med ) on Arvia There are without doubt some areas that could be improved on the ship , but in general we like Arvia , plenty to do ,plenty to eat , ok sometimes the menu etc could be improved , but you really do get value for money ,especially like we do and have the saver fare . The complaints about the entertainment are crazy , i think out of the cost you probably pay £10 per day !! Anyway great channel , enjoy the watch
Oh cool, so you got back in march 31st too? Did you enjoy the crossing? And again around the Med, very jealous, you missed a great deal of cloud cover in the UK. Haha. Absolutely, when you think about all the work that goes into it we think it’s a great deal on Arvia. Especially seeing Digital, that was so cool. Hope you enjoy the weekend ahead 😃😎
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Yes we arrived back on the Easter weekend Really enjoyed the crossing back , was the 2nd year in a row we have done it , and will probably do the same next year I think you have to take the 16 day Arvia trip though , to give you that extra day in Barbados Keep up the great work Maybe a saver vs select comparison maybe worth doing ? We always take the saver option , find much cheaper parking locally Buying Carnival shares are a great option for on board spending , worth about a €150 per trip
I loved the Arvia ( March 23 sailed back from the Caribbean) we had a wonderful holiday . In reference to the spa , you can get special offers when the ship is In port. The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the virtual dining . If you like to eat at a regular time not knowing what time you could eat does cause a problem if you’ve booked the theatre and you want to be there for eg 8.30 you’ve know idea if you’ll be able to get there In time. The whole idea of freedom dining is you can eat when you choose too, I wish they would do something about that but overall we had a great time
Yeah totally get that. That’s one of the good things about the speciality dining restaurants. Way more flexible in terms of booking a set time. We found the virtual queues better on Arvia than Iona for sure, much more organised but yeah… far from perfect. Glad you still had a great time overall! Thanks for watching. 🥳🥂🚢🏝️☀️
Thanks for your honest opinions. I’m booked on Arvia in September for 14 night Med cruise. Booked the family suite which I am looking forward to. First cruise was last year on Celebrity Silhouette so will be interested to compare.
Thanks for watch and for commenting. Greatly appreciated indeed 😁 Oh very nice, we’ve not sailed with celebrity yet but have seen and heard so many great things. Sure you’ll have a great time on Arvia. She’s a beautiful ship.
Like your honest thoughts about Arvia as we were on the cruise after you...I would agree with you on the points you discussed and think she is fantastic too....Nothings ever perfect but all in all we loved Arvia...got four more cruises booked on her.. 😊 and we had 6200 passengers on our cruise with loads of kids and we still loved her...And she was definitely not Butlins At Sea
So glad you enjoyed your time on Arvia. Four more!! Wow! 🤩 I wish we had more booked on her, I miss green and co! Also the quays of course. 😅 Wishing you a great weekend 😁😎🥂
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Yeah I really trust your views, open and honest...yes got a bit of a cruise addiction going on.. Sadly I've heard Green & Co is changing later this month and will no longer fully vegan😭though will have vegan options. If I ever end up on the same cruise as you, the drinks are on me 🍹🍹
Oh wow…! Surprised they are doing that to Green & Co. It’s perfect as is. I do get it to a degree as it was always so quiet! Ahh we hope so, would be lovely to meet you. 🏝️🚢☀️🥳🥂
I just came off Arvia (my only previous experience with P&O was 6 months before that on the Azura - which I found slightly better ) .The wifi was good I had the fast one, the spa & retreat was good but upselling in salon a major pain & my 2nd hair appt I cancelled the wash & blow dry as I wasn't happy with the first one said my hair was dry and tried to get me to get £100 keratin treatment & buy products, also she didnt style my hair they way I wanted insist3ed on making it curly with hairstraightners cos it was too dry ! I wasn't thrilled with how it looked on the day , but the next day it was like I had been dragged thro a hedge backwards & was like an oil slick . ( I always get my hair done on ships first for me not being happy with it). I have been on a cruise almost every year since 2006, 1st time getting norovirus, seemed pretty rife on P&O around the time we sailed . I would say it wasn't for us the food was average ate in the speciality dining a lot as a result . If I had never cruised before I may have loved it, for us no more P&O .
Oh crikey! What a nightmare. I must agree with you that upselling is one of the downsides of the spa. They are well trained to get a sale and we’ve experienced much the same on other lines but it does get a bit relentless. So sad to hear you picked up Norovirus. One of the worst things about cruises. Touchwood in the 3 times we’ve sailed with P&O we’ve never got it but it’s always a possibility sadly whichever cruise line you choose. (I get so frustrated when I see people leave the toilet without washing hands… that’s how it spreads! 🫣🤢🤯) Hope you’re feeling better now! Food wise, we get it. The food is basic, partic in the MDR’s. We thought it was good in terms of warmth and freshness (mainly) but yeah, it’s mainly no thrills but we still think for the price of the cruises, it’s reasonably good value. That’s one of the main reasons we love Virgin Voyages. The food on their ships is AMAZING, no pay extra restaurants, it’s all in… but it is more expensive. Horses for courses as I say! 😂 Either way, hope you still managed to make some good memories too and hope you have more luck on your next cruise. Have you decided who you will sail with next? 😃🚢🥂🏝️☀️
I went on the arvia in January with my daughter I loved every minute it's a little big and the entertainment wasn't brilliant the food was brilliant definitely go with p&o again
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you had a great time. We love P&O too and think they’re great value for what they charge. Totally agree entertainment can be a bit hit and miss mind you! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
Yes and you raise a very valid point! 😊 There are hints on deck plans where the crew entrances may be. Where there are blank space between cabins, they are likely to either be maintenance cupboards or crew entries. Otherwise if you have a cabin in mind, it’s always worth popping the cabin number into a google search and if it’s a “problem cabin”, it’s likely someone would have mentioned it. 🚢☀️🥂
Wouldn’t it be nice if you tubers could try to get crew entrances put on deck plans. We had a cabin and it was like a bowling alley all night and it was from a deck above that had a dumpster entrance. That was an inside cabin on P&O,s Iona 5354 Deck5 and the noise area was on Deck 6 so you can log that as not good. Thanks
I’m sure you’ll be fine. We’ve never had an issue with beds. Always clean and super soft and comfy. Only thing is the pillows. For me (Gareth) they are those that are either slightly to low with one pillow, then too high with 2 pillows! 😂 I’m taking my own next time! 😃 Have a great sailing! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
We sailed July this year Because of all the negativity about this ship we weren’t looking forward to it Yet we had fantastic time food entertainment and the whole ship was amazing We have cruised with many different ships and we found this ship just as good You have to think this is much cheaper than other cruise liners so excellent value for money Listening to some of your comments I think because of all this negativity they have rectified some of these issues As I said we where on July and we never had problems getting any drinks No problem with sunbeds cleanliness was spot on overall we had better experience than last year with sky princess
Ahh this is AMAZING to hear! Thank you so much for letting us know of your experience. We totally agree that P&O are exceptional value for money. They will never please everyone but for the money spent, we think they are well worth it! ☀️🚢🥂🏝️🥳
These days, people are all to quick to find fault, complain, moan about the smallest and inconsequential things. 99 things can go well, even great and no one says a thing. 1 thing is wrong and people get their pitchforks out, head to the internet and b!tch as if their granny has been slapped with a wet fish. I loved Arvia for 2 weeks last Summer, going transatlantic on her this October ... And I can't wait. Arvia is not perfect but what is? Most people will be paying, on avg, about £100 a night for a room, food, entertainment and everything else on board whilst being taken to different ports. I wish these moaners would show me better deals than what Arvia has to offer! Rant over. Great video, you guys are wonderful!
Haha. Oh that really made us chuckle 🐟🤦♀️😅😵💫 That would truly be unfortunate. Totally agree, nothing in life is ever perfect but for the rate you pay we thought it came pretty close! Oh very cool, sure you’ll have a great time. So you’re going from UK to the Caribbean? That’ll be a great way to do it. Hope you have a great weekend. 😃😎
Thanks Guys, I have to say, I’ve been really surprised at all of the negative reviews, my experience of Arvia was pretty much the same as yours, I had a fantastic experience and thought it was great value for money
Hello, very glad to hear you had a great time too. We absolutely loved our sailing on Arvia. Miss it terribly to be honest haha. Definitely agree on the value for money, the nightly rates are so good.
My last visit was iona and the only place were it was untidy was the gents toilets especially near brodies it was out of service sometimes cause of clogs and I personally saw gent's not washing ther hands after visiting.
Yeah, we noticed that on Iona too. I guess as it gets busy and it’s by the Theatre entrance they get a lot of use. Oh and the washing of hands.. don’t get us started. It takes seconds and the amount of guys I’ve seen coming out of cubicles without washing is astonishing! 😩🚽🧻
Hey Gents. Excellent video love the staging 👍 cheers for shout out at start. We have similar views, I agree definitely on food the word is inconsistent and same with the service. I note now that some of bars on arvia and other ships are order at the bar only, it’s obviously cost cutting but might actually make it quicker, we shall see. 💯 agree on the wifi, since it’s been refuted Elon musk starlink it’s excellent, maybe the comment was from before starlink was installed.
Thank you and thanks for letting us mention 😁 Yes very likely, starlink was great. Couldn’t fault it at all. Yeah we definitely think it’ll help speed up service and give the waiters less to deal with. They’re sometimes run off their feet bless them. Hope you’re all keeping well 😁🥂
Thanks for this video. We have done the same. Booked and saw the negative videos. This is our first holiday with our children abroad as we have a disabled son. So we were worried we had chosen badly. But this video is great in terms of explaining your experiences. Thanks!
Ahh no worries, glad it’s helped! I’m sure you’ll have a great time. If the kids are going to be using The Reef kids club, if I remember right bookings for it open a few weeks before the cruise so best get them registered and all that to avoid disappointment as they do apparently get booked up quite fast and if it’s during the school holidays I’d imagine they get very busy! 😊 (You’ve probably already thought of that but just in case! 😊). I hope you all have a fantastic time. Overall it’s a great ship. 🥂☀️🥳🚢🏝️
Oriana was my favourite ship, once she went, Aurora became my favourite. We went on Arvia for our honeymoon last year and really and we booked again for this year whilst on board. I think despite the size, it's very close to Aurora in favourite ship for me. I never thought I'd say that for such a big ship!
Great video gents, I am on Arvia in a few weeks for a Med cruise, very much looking forward to it. We’ve been on cruises in the past which we’ve enjoyed a lot, then read some right moans about it afterwards. I’m pretty confident we’ll have a fab time this time too, getting money’s worth out of the drinks package tends to give everything a nice warm fuzzy glow anyway. Only downside is it’s the start of the summer holidays so there’ll be loads of kids (my two included😂),cheers!
Hi how was your experience, thinking of booking 1st Sept for 14 nights but never sailed P&O before, although have done several other cruise lines. Very interested in how you found it. Thank you in advance.
Thanks for that review! I’m a first time cruiser (travelling solo) and have booked a thirteen night Mediterranean cruise on Arvia 29 September 2024. As I delved deeper during my research (having already booked the cruise) I came across negative reviews and thought “have I made a mistake?” But having listened to your very frank review I agree it is what you make it. There are things I’m not interested in or doing so I’ll just go and do something I am keen on. One thing I realised very quickly is one has to research the ship and cruising thoroughly and take notes as there is so much information to take on board (pun intended) and to familiarise myself on the layout of the ship, where towels, water stations, reception and other useful spots are. So I’m trawling TH-cam for as many tips, shortcuts, hacks etc to make my cruise the best experience I can. This is a holiday of a lifetime for me so I’m doing all I can to be as prepared as possible. Fingers crossed!!
Hello 👋 thanks for watching and for your comment. We 100% agree, research is key for cruises. I think more so than land based holidays. Arvia is such a fantastic ship and has some incredible restaurants and entertainment. We hope you have a brilliant time on board. If you’ve not found him, Gary Bembridge (Tips for travellers) has a great channel which is packed full of amazing tips. Highly recommended for sure. Also. We love a good pun! 😅😁🛳️🥂
Ahh amazing! We really want to give Britannia a go at some point. And the Antigua cruise sounds AMAZING! Wishing you a brilliant sailing (or should I say Sailings!) ☀️🥂🚢🏝️🥳
Thanks for watching! For full transparency, in the vlog we mention a rough breakdown of the costs for our recent 16 Night Cruise. The mentioned £77 per night is Per Person based on 2 cruisers sharing! We don’t want to intentionally misinform anyone so thought we’d mention it! 😊❤️🥂🚢🏝️
Hit The “Like” Button If You Enjoyed The Vlog (please.. 🥰)
We got off ARVIA a week ago. Half term week 5,500 customers a lot of children (mostly no issues what so ever)
Embarkation was delayed by two hours due to deep clean as previous cruise had norovirus . So starting with cleaning, horizon buffet staff would clear tables but not wash them down. When we saw staff cleaning tables they tickled them not cleaned them. Staff stood on the doors of restaurants was not interested in people washing or gel their hands. We have been used to royal Caribbean washy washy)
Food is subjective in my oppinion dinner in MDR was acceptable, we booked chefs table very disappointed for a special event staff had different uniforms on some from horizons, keel and cow etc also not interested.
Food at keel and cow was very nice but your sat in the airport lounge (atrium). Epicurean was amazing for dinner and afternoon tea. The quays for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 6th street diner for brunch and diner was good but slowwww service but a good fun place to go. Horizon buffet 🤯 well all buffets can be crazy on land and sea these are inevitability busy at certain times of day. We never ever had any issues finding a table of four just go back a bit away from the serving stations. The thing that made me mad was mid afternoon they would start setting up for chefs table or beach house. The issue was the serving area that was open was where they are blocking off tables/ area and the tables you could use were at the other side or end 🤯 I talked to an officer about this and he said it’s how they are told to do it by the company. Taste 360 offered the worst pizza at sea, . The olive grove was a hidden gem (for free/ included) very nice fresh food although service was a bit hit and miss. The virtual que was amazing if you can do tech the only issue you had to keep checking and refreshing it does not ping. But you can go and get a buzzer.
Bars and bar ( great prices for drinks like a good land bar) service no issues other than sometimes slow and not all bars carry all spirits (again I’m used to royal where they would go and bring a bottle of what your drinking to that bar) and on that note watch out, my wife ordered a Malibu and lemonade, the dar staff returned 10 min later and apologised they did not sell that drink however we were still charged for it🤯 Anderson’s a very nice chilled out bar, the crows nest beautiful bar but OMG that piano singer was like music to slashed your wrist to and when he sang he was like the Billy Connery drunken pub singer you could only make out two or three words of the songs.
Brodies very busy pub, staff work very hard and there are a lot of them, this bar has free pool table, darts and jukebox, great quizzes but it can be hard at times To get a seat, football/ sports shown in here. Casino was ok.club house another very busy evening venue that a lot of family’s with children went to. Mostly not a problem apart from some nights the little kids made it hard for the entertainer.
Entertainment what we saw was great, not as good as royal but better than MSC.
State room was lovely but strange having no draws, we had a aft Balconey directly below the pool, we had been told there is no issue with water coming over as they resolved the issue from Iona we picked the cabin for the great aft views. We did have issue with pool water coming over onto our Balconey most days, the rooms below us got it worse. We did not have any issue at all with noise levels from DJ/ music at any time of day we had our Balconey door open whenever we were in the room. Great tv offerings from box sets ( but the box set are not I episode order) to movies to usual tv.
Getting on and off the ship very little problem ( one port had issue but not P&O fault). We had select fair so had free shuttle bus rather than £10 each.
Although we did not have kids with us the kids seemed to be very well entertained in sky dome (but the entertainment was loud) sooty show, Wallace grommet and Shaun the sheep, and other crazy stuff, we heard people saying their kids loved the kids club. We never saw anyone using the slash zone area on the top deck. It’s great P&O are moving into the family friendly market. Sadly some P&O regulars are not used to that many kids on a ship and complain about them (even when they were well behaved.
Shops, check out prices, Lego very expensive, JBL and Marshall speakers cheaper on Amazon or Argos , bag of M&Ms more expensive than the cinemas at home
I would very happily sail Arvia again and would recommend it to people. ❤ p&O need to sort out the cleaning, the PA system in sky dome, and customers sailing any ship need to learn how to WASH their hands more often.
Hey, thanks for this. Really interesting to read your points. We’d not experienced that in the buffet but does make sense and would be a little frustrating as they cause it to get more crowded to do the set up.
Definitely agreed about the snacks being expensive. The Pringles were very highly priced, did find the pink n mix was very good value though compared to everything else so had 2 cups 😂
Glad you enjoyed your aft view and yes we’ve heard about the pool water being a problem.
Absolutely agree about the epicurean, a brilliant restaurant to spend the evening in. 😁🥂😎
Great video guys, we did fourteen nights on Arvia in Carribean Nov /Dec 23 and loved it.Sunbeds are an issue but everything else was Fab.Really enjoy your videos and reviews.
Thanks so much for the support! 🥳🥂🚢
Having sailed on the same cruise as you,we agree with you on your views,apart from the service in the Crows Nest.We had no issues in getting served,but being creatures of habit,tend to sit in the same area and get to know the waiters serving in that area.We loved our aft cabin,the music played at the Sunset bar made a change from the usual cruise music aimed at the over 70s,but we couldn't hear it in the cabin if the doors are closed.We liked Arvia so much we have re booked the same cruise and cabin for 2026.
Glad you had a great time too.
Also glad to know you had faster service in there and you’re very right, we don’t go in much and always swapped tables so likely caused some of the delays. We did tend to sit in the same place in the glass house and amber lounge so does make a lot of sense.
Very glad you enjoyed the aft and booked for the same again. We would in a heart beat but sadly work schedules aren’t allowing ☹️
Hope you’ve had a great weekend 😎🥂😁
Hi thanks for the vid. Me and my partner were on Arvia for the maiden Atlantic crossing last year and it was an amazing experience. We happily booked again for this year and we were on the same cruise as yourselves. Unfortunately our experience this time was not good. Numerous issues but the big one was the smoker in the next cabin. My partner is disabled and on oxygen so we do need to spend a fair amount of time in the cabin. Long story short we had a week of smoke blowing in our faces and couldn’t use the balcony until they eventually moved us. They only did that after me complaining multiple times per day for a week. Thanks for making the blog series. It’s good to know others had a better experience and I’m glad you enjoyed your time aboard
Ahh that’s such a shame. Sorry to hear that. You know, it’s something I’ve never thought of and we wouldn’t like that either. I’m surprised people are allowed to smoke on balconies tbh. Sorry it spoilt your cruise but hope you still had good times too!
Thanks so much for the support! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
Awe guys, love your well thought out replies to the reviews. Like I said before, I've never sailed P&O, being Canadian, there are no ships that embark from any ports here. I'd have to fly to the UK, which I have done in the past. The World Cruise on P&O is a great value and I've been looking at that for a few years. I've done the World Cruise on Princess and loved it. Thanks again for all the great content! Miss the dogs :)
Ahh, we’re very envious. Canada looks beautiful! We definitely want to head there one day soon. Thanks so much for the kind words. Don’t worry, the dogs are still here. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear Phoebe snoring…! 💤 😂🥂
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Canada is a gorgeous Country. I live very close to the Rocky Mountains. Go there often.
Amazing and we don’t blame you! We’d do the same. 🏔️ One day! 😊
Wow that must be amazing. Some of our friends loved to Vancouver and we can’t get over how different the lifestyle is from GB. It’s so active and outdoor. Looks incredible 😍🇨🇦
My husband and I were on Arvia in May around the Med. We are both in our 80's and had a fantastic cruise. We only got off once so found there was plenty to keep us occupied during the 14 days. Plenty of children but they were no trouble at all. Would definitely recommend a cruise on Arvia. Our next is at Christmas back on Iona another fantastic P&O Ship. If you want something quieter try Arcadia, Adults only but not so much on board in the way of eateries and things to do.
Hello 👋 thank you for this. So happy to see you enjoyed your time and shared our love for Iona too. We love these ships 😃
We’re trying aurora next year, really looking forward to it as it’s going all the way up in Norway 🇳🇴 😁
Great as always, the British sense of " fair play" really shone through in all your observations. As a flight attendant, I particularly appreciated the fact that you acknowledged the duty time that the crew were expected to work !!
Hi 👋 haha, glad it shone through 🇬🇧 that was our goal to be honest and fair.
Oh wow, must be such an intense job to do. As nervous flyers we highly appreciate what you do. The smiles go a huge way in preventing me (Ben) from crying the entire flight 😅
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Thank you for your kind words. It used to be a great job, now not so much. I actually thought of you guys last week, I was working on a dream liner (787) to Auckland and the entire wing looked like it was held together by what you guys called "gaffer tape". Not unusual on the Boeing 787, but could be disconcerting for some passengers. I really look forward to you growing your channel and of course spending more time here in the United States. ❤️ from LA xx
Thank you for your video . I am booked on arvia at the end of November with wife and 16 yr old daughter. You have helped to ease my fears. Thanks again
You’re welcome, thanks for watching.
We really loved our sailing on Arvia. Hope you all do too 😃
I will be on Arvia on the repositioning cruise in October.. Can't wait. This will be my 5th cruise on this great ship. Starting after the very bad publicity in February 2023. She is enormous, but also intimate, and you can have any type of life style experience you want. They do not insist on everything being booked on the internet anymore, there are ways around this if you are tech phobic.
For me it has always been a fantastic experience. Jacquie Harbubble
Amazing! We hope you have a nice smooth sailing into the beautiful Caribbean seas. 🚢❤️☀️🥂🏝️
Just got off Arvia today june 23 2024. had a good time i am pleased to say the service in the crows nest was very good indeed,
Arvia is not perfect but there is not alot wrong,
Ah that’s amazing, very glad to hear you had a good time in the crowd nest. It has such a beautiful view from there doesn’t it. 😁😎🥂
Had 2 weeks on her last year , a holiday is what you make it- we had a great time and would def go on her again
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, we absolutely agree. Even in some of the worst places we’ve stayed we have amazingly funny memories from them. To us, Arvia was an amazing ship.
Wishing you a great weekend ahead 😎😃
Great reviews and video updates...
I'm on Arvia in December, I'm really apprehensive.
The reviews on TH-cam all contradict each other.
Been on RC and TUI and they've both been amazing.
I'm hoping P&O Arvia will be okay.
Hi Mikey, RC are so much fun aren’t they. Not been with TUI yet but heard great things.
Sorry to see you’re apprehensive about it, holidays are so incredibly subjective. We loved our time on Arvia and would 100% sail on her again and again and again haha.
Really hope you do 😃😎🥂🚢
Of course they contradict each other everyone is different so their opinions are going to be too
Great Vlog Gents , made the same trip as yourselves from Barbados to Southampton earlier this year and recently ( last week around the med ) on Arvia
There are without doubt some areas that could be improved on the ship , but in general we like Arvia , plenty to do ,plenty to eat , ok sometimes the menu etc could be improved , but you really do get value for money ,especially like we do and have the saver fare .
The complaints about the entertainment are crazy , i think out of the cost you probably pay £10 per day !!
Anyway great channel , enjoy the watch
Oh cool, so you got back in march 31st too? Did you enjoy the crossing?
And again around the Med, very jealous, you missed a great deal of cloud cover in the UK. Haha.
Absolutely, when you think about all the work that goes into it we think it’s a great deal on Arvia. Especially seeing Digital, that was so cool.
Hope you enjoy the weekend ahead 😃😎
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Yes we arrived back on the Easter weekend
Really enjoyed the crossing back , was the 2nd year in a row we have done it , and will probably do the same next year
I think you have to take the 16 day Arvia trip though , to give you that extra day in Barbados
Keep up the great work
Maybe a saver vs select comparison maybe worth doing ?
We always take the saver option , find much cheaper parking locally
Buying Carnival shares are a great option for on board spending , worth about a €150 per trip
Awesome! Thank you very much.
Great tip, we will certainly look into that. The extra cruise credit always comes in handy! 🍻
I loved the Arvia ( March 23 sailed back from the Caribbean) we had a wonderful holiday . In reference to the spa , you can get special offers when the ship is In port. The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the virtual dining . If you like to eat at a regular time not knowing what time you could eat does cause a problem if you’ve booked the theatre and you want to be there for eg 8.30 you’ve know idea if you’ll be able to get there In time. The whole idea of freedom dining is you can eat when you choose too, I wish they would do something about that but overall we had a great time
Yeah totally get that. That’s one of the good things about the speciality dining restaurants. Way more flexible in terms of booking a set time. We found the virtual queues better on Arvia than Iona for sure, much more organised but yeah… far from perfect.
Glad you still had a great time overall! Thanks for watching. 🥳🥂🚢🏝️☀️
Thanks for your honest opinions. I’m booked on Arvia in September for 14 night Med cruise. Booked the family suite which I am looking forward to. First cruise was last year on Celebrity Silhouette so will be interested to compare.
Thanks for watch and for commenting. Greatly appreciated indeed 😁
Oh very nice, we’ve not sailed with celebrity yet but have seen and heard so many great things.
Sure you’ll have a great time on Arvia. She’s a beautiful ship.
Nothing compares to Celebrity ❤🎉
We’ve not sailed with them yet, one day. They look awesome.
Like your honest thoughts about Arvia as we were on the cruise after you...I would agree with you on the points you discussed and think she is fantastic too....Nothings ever perfect but all in all we loved Arvia...got four more cruises booked on her.. 😊 and we had 6200 passengers on our cruise with loads of kids and we still loved her...And she was definitely not Butlins At Sea
So glad you enjoyed your time on Arvia. Four more!! Wow! 🤩 I wish we had more booked on her, I miss green and co! Also the quays of course. 😅
Wishing you a great weekend 😁😎🥂
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth Yeah I really trust your views, open and honest...yes got a bit of a cruise addiction going on.. Sadly I've heard Green & Co is changing later this month and will no longer fully vegan😭though will have vegan options. If I ever end up on the same cruise as you, the drinks are on me 🍹🍹
Oh wow…! Surprised they are doing that to Green & Co. It’s perfect as is. I do get it to a degree as it was always so quiet!
Ahh we hope so, would be lovely to meet you. 🏝️🚢☀️🥳🥂
I just came off Arvia (my only previous experience with P&O was 6 months before that on the Azura - which I found slightly better ) .The wifi was good I had the fast one, the spa & retreat was good but upselling in salon a major pain & my 2nd hair appt I cancelled the wash & blow dry as I wasn't happy with the first one said my hair was dry and tried to get me to get £100 keratin treatment & buy products, also she didnt style my hair they way I wanted insist3ed on making it curly with hairstraightners cos it was too dry ! I wasn't thrilled with how it looked on the day , but the next day it was like I had been dragged thro a hedge backwards & was like an oil slick . ( I always get my hair done on ships first for me not being happy with it). I have been on a cruise almost every year since 2006, 1st time getting norovirus, seemed pretty rife on P&O around the time we sailed . I would say it wasn't for us the food was average ate in the speciality dining a lot as a result . If I had never cruised before I may have loved it, for us no more P&O .
Oh crikey! What a nightmare. I must agree with you that upselling is one of the downsides of the spa. They are well trained to get a sale and we’ve experienced much the same on other lines but it does get a bit relentless. So sad to hear you picked up Norovirus. One of the worst things about cruises. Touchwood in the 3 times we’ve sailed with P&O we’ve never got it but it’s always a possibility sadly whichever cruise line you choose. (I get so frustrated when I see people leave the toilet without washing hands… that’s how it spreads! 🫣🤢🤯) Hope you’re feeling better now!
Food wise, we get it. The food is basic, partic in the MDR’s. We thought it was good in terms of warmth and freshness (mainly) but yeah, it’s mainly no thrills but we still think for the price of the cruises, it’s reasonably good value. That’s one of the main reasons we love Virgin Voyages. The food on their ships is AMAZING, no pay extra restaurants, it’s all in… but it is more expensive.
Horses for courses as I say! 😂
Either way, hope you still managed to make some good memories too and hope you have more luck on your next cruise. Have you decided who you will sail with next? 😃🚢🥂🏝️☀️
This is great information. Thank you so much. I'm now super excited for July. X
You’re welcome Jackie and thanks for watching 😁
Hope you’ve had a great weekend. 😁😎🥂
I went on the arvia in January with my daughter I loved every minute it's a little big and the entertainment wasn't brilliant the food was brilliant definitely go with p&o again
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you had a great time. We love P&O too and think they’re great value for what they charge. Totally agree entertainment can be a bit hit and miss mind you! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
Can’t wait counting down the weeks now only a few to go yippee 🥳
Exciting isn’t it when the countdown starts closing in. Wishing you an amazing sailing 😁
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth thank you both so much, it’s my 1st cruise ever and the 1st hol
Hi guys you say about crew doors for cabin locations but am I right in saying that they don’t show on deck plans
Yes and you raise a very valid point! 😊 There are hints on deck plans where the crew entrances may be. Where there are blank space between cabins, they are likely to either be maintenance cupboards or crew entries. Otherwise if you have a cabin in mind, it’s always worth popping the cabin number into a google search and if it’s a “problem cabin”, it’s likely someone would have mentioned it. 🚢☀️🥂
Wouldn’t it be nice if you tubers could try to get crew entrances put on deck plans.
We had a cabin and it was like a bowling alley all night and it was from a deck above that had a dumpster entrance.
That was an inside cabin on P&O,s Iona 5354 Deck5 and the noise area was on Deck 6 so you can log that as not good. Thanks
We go on our honeymoon with our 15 year old son next year, cannot wait!
Oh fantastic, where are you sailing? Sure you’ll all have an amazing time. Lots to do for teens and adults alike 😁
I’ll be on it nx Sunday but will make my own mind up, there definitely is serial complainers out there, as long as there’s a clean bed I’m happy 😃
I’m sure you’ll be fine. We’ve never had an issue with beds. Always clean and super soft and comfy. Only thing is the pillows. For me (Gareth) they are those that are either slightly to low with one pillow, then too high with 2 pillows! 😂 I’m taking my own next time! 😃 Have a great sailing! 🥂🚢☀️🏝️🥳
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth
Awe that’s a great idea, thanks for that 👍
Good of Moira Rose herself to stop by and leave a review 😂
😂😂😂 So glad you noticed that. Haha.
High there, not able to see blog, because I am the celebrity infinity going to the Greek islands…Mx
Oh wow! Hope you have an incredible cruise and don’t worry, it’ll still be here when you get back! 😉🥳🥂🚢🏝️☀️
We spent a awesome 2 weeks in may on arvia sad fact is people love to moan.
Glad you had a great time on her, such a great place to have a holiday. 😎🥂🚢
We sailed July this year Because of all the negativity about this ship we weren’t looking forward to it Yet we had fantastic time food entertainment and the whole ship was amazing We have cruised with many different ships and we found this ship just as good You have to think this is much cheaper than other cruise liners so excellent value for money Listening to some of your comments I think because of all this negativity they have rectified some of these issues As I said we where on July and we never had problems getting any drinks No problem with sunbeds cleanliness was spot on overall we had better experience than last year with sky princess
Ahh this is AMAZING to hear! Thank you so much for letting us know of your experience. We totally agree that P&O are exceptional value for money. They will never please everyone but for the money spent, we think they are well worth it! ☀️🚢🥂🏝️🥳
These days, people are all to quick to find fault, complain, moan about the smallest and inconsequential things. 99 things can go well, even great and no one says a thing. 1 thing is wrong and people get their pitchforks out, head to the internet and b!tch as if their granny has been slapped with a wet fish.
I loved Arvia for 2 weeks last Summer, going transatlantic on her this October ... And I can't wait.
Arvia is not perfect but what is? Most people will be paying, on avg, about £100 a night for a room, food, entertainment and everything else on board whilst being taken to different ports. I wish these moaners would show me better deals than what Arvia has to offer!
Rant over. Great video, you guys are wonderful!
Haha. Oh that really made us chuckle 🐟🤦♀️😅😵💫
That would truly be unfortunate.
Totally agree, nothing in life is ever perfect but for the rate you pay we thought it came pretty close!
Oh very cool, sure you’ll have a great time. So you’re going from UK to the Caribbean? That’ll be a great way to do it.
Hope you have a great weekend. 😃😎
Thanks Guys, I have to say, I’ve been really surprised at all of the negative reviews, my experience of Arvia was pretty much the same as yours, I had a fantastic experience and thought it was great value for money
Hello, very glad to hear you had a great time too.
We absolutely loved our sailing on Arvia. Miss it terribly to be honest haha.
Definitely agree on the value for money, the nightly rates are so good.
Great ship great cruise , if you have a miserable disposition stay at home .
Totally agree! 🥳🥂🚢☀️🏝️
My last visit was iona and the only place were it was untidy was the gents toilets especially near brodies it was out of service sometimes cause of clogs and I personally saw gent's not washing ther hands after visiting.
Yeah, we noticed that on Iona too. I guess as it gets busy and it’s by the Theatre entrance they get a lot of use.
Oh and the washing of hands.. don’t get us started. It takes seconds and the amount of guys I’ve seen coming out of cubicles without washing is astonishing! 😩🚽🧻
Don’t even get us started on the toast. 😂😂
😂😂😂 It’s not great is it! Tehehe 🤭
Hey Gents. Excellent video love the staging 👍 cheers for shout out at start.
We have similar views, I agree definitely on food the word is inconsistent and same with the service. I note now that some of bars on arvia and other ships are order at the bar only, it’s obviously cost cutting but might actually make it quicker, we shall see.
💯 agree on the wifi, since it’s been refuted Elon musk starlink it’s excellent, maybe the comment was from before starlink was installed.
Thank you and thanks for letting us mention 😁
Yes very likely, starlink was great. Couldn’t fault it at all.
Yeah we definitely think it’ll help speed up service and give the waiters less to deal with. They’re sometimes run off their feet bless them.
Hope you’re all keeping well 😁🥂
Thanks for this video. We have done the same. Booked and saw the negative videos. This is our first holiday with our children abroad as we have a disabled son. So we were worried we had chosen badly. But this video is great in terms of explaining your experiences. Thanks!
Ahh no worries, glad it’s helped! I’m sure you’ll have a great time. If the kids are going to be using The Reef kids club, if I remember right bookings for it open a few weeks before the cruise so best get them registered and all that to avoid disappointment as they do apparently get booked up quite fast and if it’s during the school holidays I’d imagine they get very busy! 😊 (You’ve probably already thought of that but just in case! 😊).
I hope you all have a fantastic time. Overall it’s a great ship. 🥂☀️🥳🚢🏝️
Oriana was my favourite ship, once she went, Aurora became my favourite. We went on Arvia for our honeymoon last year and really and we booked again for this year whilst on board.
I think despite the size, it's very close to Aurora in favourite ship for me. I never thought I'd say that for such a big ship!
That’s amazing to hear! It’s reassuring actually as our next p&o cruise will be on Aurora…! #spoiler! Thanks for watching and getting in touch 🚢🥳🥂☀️🏝️
Great video gents, I am on Arvia in a few weeks for a Med cruise, very much looking forward to it. We’ve been on cruises in the past which we’ve enjoyed a lot, then read some right moans about it afterwards. I’m pretty confident we’ll have a fab time this time too, getting money’s worth out of the drinks package tends to give everything a nice warm fuzzy glow anyway. Only downside is it’s the start of the summer holidays so there’ll be loads of kids (my two included😂),cheers!
Hi Steven, a drinks package does tend to help things go smoothly doesn’t it haha. 😅
Hope you have a great sailing, sure you will. 😁😎🥂
Hi how was your experience, thinking of booking 1st Sept for 14 nights but never sailed P&O before, although have done several other cruise lines. Very interested in how you found it. Thank you in advance.
Have either of you ever holidayed at Butlins?
Not sure about Ben but I have, yes. Many years ago but yes. Haven too! 🥳
Great video guys, loved the start, thought I was in 2010 watching the X factor 🤣 nice to hear your thoughts
Hahaha, funnily enough Gareth was actually on X Factor many moons ago! 🎤 Thanks for the support and for watching the vlog! 🥂🚢🏝️☀️🥳
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth what?! That’s pretty awesome
Ha, didn’t quite go to plan but that’s another story. 😂🎤
Thanks for that review! I’m a first time cruiser (travelling solo) and have booked a thirteen night Mediterranean cruise on Arvia 29 September 2024. As I delved deeper during my research (having already booked the cruise) I came across negative reviews and thought “have I made a mistake?”
But having listened to your very frank review I agree it is what you make it. There are things I’m not interested in or doing so I’ll just go and do something I am keen on. One thing I realised very quickly is one has to research the ship and cruising thoroughly and take notes as there is so much information to take on board (pun intended) and to familiarise myself on the layout of the ship, where towels, water stations, reception and other useful spots are. So I’m trawling TH-cam for as many tips, shortcuts, hacks etc to make my cruise the best experience I can. This is a holiday of a lifetime for me so I’m doing all I can to be as prepared as possible. Fingers crossed!!
Hello 👋 thanks for watching and for your comment. We 100% agree, research is key for cruises. I think more so than land based holidays. Arvia is such a fantastic ship and has some incredible restaurants and entertainment.
We hope you have a brilliant time on board.
If you’ve not found him, Gary Bembridge (Tips for travellers) has a great channel which is packed full of amazing tips. Highly recommended for sure.
Also. We love a good pun! 😅😁🛳️🥂
Great video 👍 we're going on Arvia next year and you've made us real at ease 👌 thank you 😊 🛳
Hello 👋 oh that is so nice to see. We’re sure you’ll have an amazing time onboard. Where are you sailing?
@GetLostWithBenAndGareth we're on Britannia this year Transatlantic Caribbean, and next year Arvia flying to Antigua and Caribbean...🛳🌞⛱️
Ahh amazing! We really want to give Britannia a go at some point. And the Antigua cruise sounds AMAZING! Wishing you a brilliant sailing (or should I say Sailings!) ☀️🥂🚢🏝️🥳
@@GetLostWithBenAndGareth thank you both 😍