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Login Arvia is all about luxury. Swim-up bars, infinity pools and the retractable SkyDome. Take some time out in The Retreat, a private deck where you can relax in style. If you're looking for excitement, Keel and Cow offers a gastropub experience out on the high seas, while The Club House becomes the party centre of the ship at night.
Drove from Ickenham to Southampton on Sunday 26th April 2026. Initially sat nav indicated we would reach port in less than hour and a half. However we encountered an accident on the way and traffic was at a standstill for around an hour or so. Hence we got to port around 1pm. Handed over car to CPS which didn't take a long time. However there was a long queue to.get into the terminal building. Hence, from the start of queuing up till going through security after checking in, took another hour or so. Hence we boarded the ship after 2pm.. As soon as we entered ship, we were asked to go to our muster station. Then we went straight to our cabins to collect our key cards. To our surprise, all our luggage had already arrived. Dropped off our hand baggage and after a quick viewing of our nicely appointed balcony cabin on deck 14 near the aft lifts, we proceeded to have a quick bite to eat in the buffet. There was plenty of seating and as it was well after 2.30pm, we just had a baguette sandwich, salad and fries. However there was plenty of other choices including some vegetarian options too. We went back to cabin and emptied our cases. Storage was limited, similar to our cabin on Iona on which we had cruised in the previous year. However we managed to get everything unpacked. The problem was lack of drawer space. There was ample hanging space. Otherwise we were surprised by the size of our huge balcony which had 2 chairs and a table. Inside the cabin there was a good size sofa (which would convert to a bed if required), a huge flat screen TV and fridge opposite the seating area. The king size bed was very comfortable with mirrors above it. The bathroom was well appointed with a powerful shower (with 3 settings) and a shower door. There was storage space for toiletries, sink with a lit mirror and a toilet. All in all, we were very pleased with our cabin and its location. Our room steward Reggie soon came to introduce himself. He asked us if we needed anything and we gave him all our requests including a daily replacement of ice bucket and 2 wine glasses. We also asked for biscuits to be replenished daily. We were very pleased with Reggie's brilliant service through out the cruise as not only did he ensure all our requests were actioned daily but he also quickly made up our cabin and tidied up when we went for breakfast each morning. His service was excellent! Always greeted and smiled at us every time we saw him. After unpacking we went out to have a look at rest of the ship. Very similar to Iona (as they are sister ships) with a few differences like a swim up bar in the aft infinity pool which Iona didn't have. There also was a rope bridge climbing zone (which we later found out was chargeable and hence not used much) which was not on Iona. The sky dome was similar to Iona too but on Arvia, the roof could be opened on warm days unlike Iona. The main difference between Iona and Arvia was on deck 6. There were only 2 main dining rooms on Arvia compared to 4 on Iona. They had converted one of the dining rooms to Olive Grove restaurant and another to a diner. The space which was used as Olive Grove on Iona, was a vegan restaurant called Green & Co. on Arvia. The Quays area on deck 8 which served fish & chips/roast dinners etc. was similar to Iona. The lack of main dining rooms on Arvia was a big issue for evening dining. On some evenings we had to wait over 90 minutes to get a table. In Iona we never waited more than 30 minutes. This is the main reason we would prefer sailing on Iona compared to Arvia in the future. The waiting time got better in the 2nd half of the cruise as more people dined in other restaurants. The Olive Grove mainly served the main dining restaurant menu with a few extra Mediterranean dishes each evening. On Iona, it had its own Italian menu which we had loved. However, i guess to reduce the queuing time, they served main dining menu there too. I really don't understand why they decided to have a diner there. This would have been better placed somewhere on deck 16 by the buffet and used its space on deck 6 as a main dining toom like on Iona. There were 6 speciality restaurants including Sindhu Indian restaurant, Epicurean, Beach house, Keele and Cow, Glasshouse and Green & Co. We usually go to Sindhu on every P&O cruise but didn't go this tome as menu was very limited for vegetarians. For mains they had only 1 main dish which was a Biryani which I don't like. For a veg thali, we had to pay extra £5 which we didn't have to on Iona in the previous year. We didn't go to any other speciality restaurant apart from Green & Co. We ended up going there twice as the food & service there was excellent. The vegetarian food in the main dining rooms was very good too and I loved all the dishes I had there for evening meals. My partner usually has fish in the evenings which he enjoyed too. The great thing about P&O was that there were at least 2 choices of vegetarian/vegan dishes for starters and mains which is not always found on other cruise lines. We also really enjoyed the menu at Chef's table on one of the celebration nights. For breakfast, we usually went to Zenith main dining room rather than buffet or Quays. We liked the waiter service which was usually quite quick. For lunches we usually went to buffet, taste 360 or Quays. We did have a couple of meals for lunch in main dining room and did enjoy those too. On the whole, we really enjoyed the food and drinks on this ship and our only criticism about dining was the waiting time to get a table for evening meal in one of the complimentary restaurants especially in the first half of the cruise. There are several bars on the ship including Keel.and Cow on deck 8, Glass house on deck 7, Amber lounge on deck 6, Brodies pub on deck 7, club house (open in the evenings) on deck 8 but our favourite was Crows nest located on deck 17 at front of the ship. Usually was very busy in the evenings. There were several pool bars too on the open decks. We loved having a beer or a cocktail at one of those bars. We had purchased a wine package so had those with our evening meals. There were many pools and hot tubs around the ship on the open decks on deck 8, 16, 17 and 18. My favourite was the infinity pool on deck 16 where I used to go and have a swim on sunny sea days. Also once went to adults only pool near the retreat at front of the ship which was quieter. However it was too far from our aft cabin. There were entertainment venues like 710 club and the chargeable limelight club. Only managed to go to 710 club once as it was very popular and got booked up very quickly. The ship need to change the way people booked this club so that everyone on the ship got a chance to go there at least once during the cruise if they wanted to. We did enjoy the 45min live music session. We didn't go to limelight club for the dinner show performances but did go there on a couple of late night comedian shows during the 1st week of the cruise. He was from Luton and was excellent. The 2nd comedian who was from Wales performed on the 2nd week but was not good at all when we saw him at the club house so didn't go to see his late night shows at the limelight club.. Most of the performances we saw at the headliners theatre were very good. Particularly enjoyed the Remixed trio. Adele tribute show, the violinist/flamenco show and all the production shows except the take that Greatest days show. Loved Digital, Festivals and Sky's the limit. Although lot of guests loved Rambling Rovers and the illusion show, we were not keen on either of them. Hence didn't go to see their 2nd shows. The shows in the skydome were OK. Preferred those more on Iona as they had acrobatic performances in the centre of the dome. Couldn't do that on Arvia as the roof opens. Hence, shows were mainly performed on stage on one end of the pool. Also, unlike Iona, pool in skydome on Arvia can not be covered up for performances. Despite that we still enjoyed a few shows like Play, Universe and Shhh show. Also once went to silent disco and Paloma Faith tribute show there. Preferred going to club house for live music shows as sound was much better there. Due to size of dome, sound effects were not great. Ports of call were all very interesting. No rain in any ports despite heavy rain initially being predicted in Toulon. We walked around Gibraltar and enjoyed all the sites and had lovely cheap Guinness at one of the outside bars. Didn't go to the rock to see the Barbary apes this time as we had been there before. Walked to some gardens which were nice too. On the whole a lovely day despite being overcast most of the day. This was the only port where queue to get into the ship was very long as most headed back for dinner. Our 2nd port was Malaga and we had a lovely sunny warm day. We did an excursion to see Antequera which was lovely and then walked around Malaga when we got back. 3rd port was Alicante which was another overcast but warm day. We did an excursion to lovely Guadelest which was very pretty and then went to some waterfalls. On the way back we passed Benidorm. Once back in Alicante, we went around the city centre to see some of the sites there. 4th port of call was Toulon whereby heavy rain was predicted all day. However apart from some early morning showers, it remained dry but overcast most of the day. We did a tour to some beautiful villages (Sanary sur mer & Le Castellet) in Provence and after we got back we went to see the place where we had docked (La Seyne sur mer) which was a nice little town with many nice outdoor paintings. The next port was Barcelona where we did a tour to Sitges as we had been to Barcelona many times before. We had lovely sunny warm weather and spent around 4hrs in this lovely beach side resort. Our final port was our favourite one. We arrived in Cadiz in wall to wall sunshine. It was warm and sunny all day with not a cloud in the sky. On our last visit to Cadiz many years ago, we had headed straight to Seville but glad we stayed in Cadiz this time as we really enjoyed our day there. Walked over 10 miles through the day and saw many lovely sites. Also had cheap Cruzcampo beers (brewed in Seville) in the cathedral square. Definitely had a great time. There were 7 sea days in between all these parts and most of them apart from 2 were sunny and warm. We enjoyed all the activities like going to morning talks in the theatre (loved the one by the beefeater and his life in tower of London), various quizzes including the progressive trivia, afternoon show like deal or no deal, walking around the promenade deck, swimming in one of the pools and having lots of delicious food and drinks. Also saw a lot of dolphins, whales & porpoises during the sea days. On 10th May we disembarked with our luggage at 6.30am after a quick breakfast in the buffet. We were off the ship by 7am (despite a queue due to customs officials & their clever sniffer dog checking bags at Southampton port whereby many people who had brought back cigarettes/tobacco pouches above their allowance were caught out). We collected car from CPS car park next to ship. Drove to London and were back home by 8.30am. On the whole we had an excellent cruise. Despite the queuing issues with evening main dining, I still would highly recommend this ship. However Iona is still our favorite P&O ship. The food, service, entertainment and ports of call were all highlights of this cruise. The Captain (Paul Brown) whom we heard daily via the tannoy was great with his daily communication. Entertainment manager, Neal Oliver was good too although we preferred Andy (from Wales) who we had on Iona and recently on our Britannia cruise.
Accommodation is a crucial part of every holiday. From a simple space to lay your head, to something a little more luxurious – everyone has their own style. We've got a range of accommodation on our ships to suit all travellers.
A world of culinary delights
On Arvia, we cater to every craving. From family favourites to world-class cuisines inspired by your voyage, with so many restaurants included in the price like 6th Street Diner or The Chef's Table, you'll be spoilt for choice. There are also chic speciality restaurants for those who want that wow-factor dining experience.
Speciality restaurants - Indulge yourself in an extra-special culinary crusade - with exquisite menus and exceptional service - for a little extra.
Included restaurants - With so many delicious dining options already included in your holiday price, you'll be spoilt for choice at any time of the day.
Dazzling entertainment day and night
Experience world-class entertainment on Arvia. From big-name acts to dazzling acrobats, there's a show, performance or activity to suit everyone. Laugh, sing and dance under the retractable SkyDome, catch captivating performances in the Grand Atrium or enjoy live music and have a drink in the 710 club.
Your serene sanctuary at sea
Unwind and recharge in Arvia's serene spaces. Treat yourself to a luxurious pampering session at the Oasis Spa, or find peace under the open sky at The Retreat. With a hair and beauty salon for a fresh new look and plenty of quiet corners to relax with a book or a view, there's a haven of relaxation on board Arvia for everyone.
Adventurers of all ages set sail on Arvia, there's endless family fun with various activities for everyone. From daytime excitement to evening entertainment, enjoy splash zones, adventure parks, climbing walls, interactive games and dedicated kids' clubs. Families create memories that last a lifetime on Arvia.
Adventurers of all ages set sail on Arvia, there's endless family fun with various activities for everyone. From daytime excitement to evening entertainment, enjoy splash zones, adventure parks, climbing walls, interactive games and dedicated kids' clubs. Families create memories that last a lifetime on Arvia.
