Arvia - Impressions from Maiden

[Adawn47]

7 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

yes we are the same.  Booked on Aurora (moved 3 times) in October 2023, but if we find it really badly changed, we will try one of Fred's new ones, but a last minute.  To be honest cruising might have lost its glamour for me.

I agree Jean. We have one booked Aurora for Dec 2023 and are begining to wonder now whether to forego the deposit and look elsewhere. It seems the  changes made on the new ships will be implemented fleet wide. 

Avril

[Bazrat]

Ok I will no longer respond to this thread have fun those who cruise with P&O and those who choose not to, you can discuss at length how bad someone's experience of Arvia was I will judge for myself by actually going on it 

[wowzz]

47 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

If you read the thread  you'll note Doog4422 said he was sailing on Arvia shortly and compared his bad experiences on Enchanted as an explanation of how he's not worried about the reports on Arvia. Sandancer also commented things weren't so good on Enchanted originally.  I would have thought given your drum banging the last couple of days you'd be pleased people were saying the new Princess ship had problems originally?

 

Sometimes valid points about other cruise lines do have a place in discussions, admittedly not as a constant sales talk but to emphasise these problems can arise anywhere.

I appreciate listening to those who have cruised on various lines, as that gives a point of reference. 

Those who have only ever cruised on P&O have nothing to compare with.

 

[Megabear2]

Those of us who have cruised recently, all on different ships at different times, have either had good, average or bad experiences in our opinion and therein lies the rub, it's our cruise, our experience and our thoughts.

 

To those cruising through the course of the next year I would say don’t be alarmed or panic or fortune tell about what your cruise will bring.  We are all different.

 

Arvia's problems will be resolved of that there is no doubt.  As to whether Iona and Arvia are for each of us individually only we can decide and other people's comments should not persuade or influence the choice to cruise on them.  

 

To those booked to sail on their old favourites later this year I would suggest they will still be your old friends.  It has already been said elsewhere by Moley that there will be changes in some aspects of customer service as P&O have listened to the feedback. Time will tell if that does happen of course but there's no point in worrying about it yet.

 

Yes, I'm one of the people cancelling an Arvia cruise but it's not because Arvia has done anything wrong, simply that we've made the decision after my being man handled by the drunken football fan that perhaps we'll try something else because it's Christmas and by nature will be extremely busy. No more than that, simply my OH making a decision on feeling secure. It's not stopping me personally sailing on P&O and I will continue to do so if an itinerary and price looks right for me, I'll just be going alone.

[zap99]

17 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Ok I will no longer respond to this thread have fun those who cruise with P&O and those who choose not to, you can discuss at length how bad someone's experience of Arvia was I will judge for myself by actually going on it 

We like Britannia, Iona and are on Azura next month. We will go on Arvia when the right itinerary and price come along. I don't listen much to folk who say that they will never sail on P&O as their aunties friend heard that somebody fell down the chimney. 

[happy v]

10 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Those of us who have cruised recently, all on different ships at different times, have either had good, average or bad experiences in our opinion and therein lies the rub, it's our cruise, our experience and our thoughts.

 

To those cruising through the course of the next year I would say don’t be alarmed or panic or fortune tell about what your cruise will bring.  We are all different.

 

Arvia's problems will be resolved of that there is no doubt.  As to whether Iona and Arvia are for each of us individually only we can decide and other people's comments should not persuade or influence the choice to cruise on them.  

 

To those booked to sail on their old favourites later this year I would suggest they will still be your old friends.  It has already been said elsewhere by Moley that there will be changes in some aspects of customer service as P&O have listened to the feedback. Time will tell if that does happen of course but there's no point in worrying about it yet.

 

Yes, I'm one of the people cancelling an Arvia cruise but it's not because Arvia has done anything wrong, simply that we've made the decision after my being man handled by the drunken football fan that perhaps we'll try something else because it's Christmas and by nature will be extremely busy. No more than that, simply my OH making a decision on feeling secure. It's not stopping me personally sailing on P&O and I will continue to do so if an itinerary and price looks right for me, I'll just be going alone.

Well said. I came back to this board 4 weeks before my cruise in October. It left me very apprehensive. I then had an excellent holiday. One of the best

I am going on Iona in a couple of months and have just been looking at the ship in 'my P&O'. It looks great. So I will go and see for myself because at the end of the day, mine is the only option that matters 

[zap99]

1 minute ago, happy v said:

Well said. I came back to this board 4 weeks before my cruise in October. It left me very apprehensive. I then had an excellent holiday. One of the best

I am going on Iona in a couple of months and have just been looking at the ship in 'my P&O'. It looks great. So I will go and see for myself because at the end of the day, mine is the only option that matters 

I think we were on the same Britannia cruise in October. I can't remember many folk wandering around with long faces. We will return.😁

 

[happy v]

7 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I think we were on the same Britannia cruise in October. I can't remember many folk wandering around with long faces. We will return.😁

 

We were. I think everyone was determined to have a good time. One of the happiest cruises in my opinion 

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, happy v said:

We were. I think everyone was determined to have a good time. One of the happiest cruises in my opinion 

I think many were expecting problems

 Masks etc. Didn't happen and that was a relief. Lots of highlights and for us, no negatives at all. As you say, a happy cruise.😁

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

I appreciate listening to those who have cruised on various lines, as that gives a point of reference. 

Those who have only ever cruised on P&O have nothing to compare with.

 

We have only cruised with P&O (we’ve done some ships tours, meals and overnights on a couple of other lines, but that doesn’t count) and, like you, I really like reading the posts of those who are able to compare P&O with other lines. One or two posters seem to get very agitated when people make comparisons, which is completely illogical to me as it is one of the main objectives of a site such as this.

 

However, many of us who have only cruised with P&O, but for many years (in our case since 1996) are also able to make very valid comparisons, and that is the comparison between P&O as it was and P&O as it has become. IMO, those opinions are equally valid and should not be dismissed. 
 

For the first 20 years or so of our cruising with P&O we felt that it was a decent 4 star experience (I’m talking quality, rather than facilities). In the 3 years 2017-19, leading up to Covid, we did 9 cruises across 4 different P&O ships and during this period we started to notice a gradual erosion in the quality of the experience, such that we now feel it has become a 3 star experience (again, I’m using this term to describe quality rather than amenities). I should say at this point that this is why I get irritated when one or two posters continually dismiss the opinions of those who haven’t cruised since Covid, as we were noticing the changes for several years before the pandemic. 
 

However, I must be balanced here and say that along with this gradual change in the product offered by P&O, the prices, in real terms, have fallen (the exception being the adult only ships, which can still be quite expensive). I have also said several times on this forum that whilst I don’t particularly like the way that P&O has repositioned the brand, it makes a great deal of sound business sense. They simply couldn’t fill the vast capacity that they have now if they still offered a 4 star experience at 4 star prices. 
 

We still have a couple of P&O cruises booked as, whilst we have been deeply concerned to read all the negative feedback, we don’t want to write P&O off without experiencing the post Covid P&O for ourselves. I even tried (unsuccessfully) to book a last minute cruise on Iona at a very cheap price - our view being that whilst me might have gone with fairly low expectations, the price reflected that! However, P&O simply cannot still be using Covid as an excuse for poor standards. My concern is that having run on low staffing levels for so long, they will try to maintain overly tight crew numbers even with higher passenger numbers in order to squeeze more profit per cruise. 
 

Whilst our commitment to two future P&O cruises shows that we are keeping an open mind and haven’t written P&O off, we have seen enough since 2017 to tell us that we need to start looking at other options. That is why we have booked our first full cruise with another operator - a 2 week Cunard cruise next year in Britannia Club which, from the reviews I have read, sounds as though it may be the type of cruise experience that we would enjoy more. However, the prices are comparable to a suite on P&O, so whilst it might irritate those who dislike comparisons being made, we fully intend to compare and contrast with our two 2023 P&O cruises and will report back here accordingly!

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

IMO, those opinions are equally valid and should not be dismissed. 

That, of course, is a perfectly sensible comparison, especially as you are taking the historic cost differential into account.

[Eglesbrech]

10 hours ago, Bazrat said:

No problems with your personal concerns we all have them, but the point is and it as been noted on other sites how anti  P&O are on this site

I don’t think people on this site are anti P&O per se. Most of us have spent a lot of money with them over the years and continue to do so even if to a lesser extent than before.  I do think there is perhaps a higher prevalence of people who are a bit older and have travelled with the company for 20, 30 or more years so seen seismic change in what is being offered (and of course reducing of prices to go along with it).

 

I look at some other areas of social media and see cheerleaders who won’t tolerate even the slightest dissent about their pet cruise line which ever one that is. Anyone making an adverse comment is shot down in flames, sometimes quite aggressively. At least here there is generally politeness and respect for opposite points of view.
 

I may not always agree with others but I fully respect their right to hold a different perspective and the vast majority here are the same.

 

While yes there are negative comments based on people’s personal experience like the maiden Arvia there is a lot of positive feedback about P&O on here. Indeed part of the reason I have another cruise booked is based to an extent on reading about cruises enjoyed from folks like Grapau and Zapp etc.

 

[Gettingwarmer]

24 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

My concern is that having run on low staffing levels for so long, they will try to maintain overly tight crew numbers even with higher passenger numbers in order to squeeze more profit per cruise. 

I think your post was very good and the above is my main worry. Lack of staff seems to causing the dining issues and this is the main problem. If they can’t get adequate trained staff they should be keeping reduced passengers. We have cruises booked with P&O as they are good value but we shall see if that is worth any hassle. I hope they improve. 

[UKsatcom]

No Pager Thank you , appreciate your  feedback..

We were on that cruise too and I will be adding our comments shortly.

 

It is important that those who were aboard make their factual reports as accurate as possible.

Will P&O respond...well let's see

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, UKsatcom said:

No Pager Thank you , appreciate your  feedback..

We were on that cruise too and I will be adding our comments shortly.

 

It is important that those who were aboard make their factual reports as accurate as possible.

Will P&O respond...well let's see

We very much look forward to reading your comments. The President of P&O cruises has already responded. 99.9% of passengers on your cruise had a fantastic time and the tiny few that didn’t experienced some minor issues that won’t be repeated 🤔

[UKsatcom]

Yes saw that......just wonder how long he will keep his job !

[Adawn47]

11 hours ago, happy v said:

Well said. I came back to this board 4 weeks before my cruise in October. It left me very apprehensive. I then had an excellent holiday. One of the best

I am going on Iona in a couple of months and have just been looking at the ship in 'my P&O'. It looks great. So I will go and see for myself because at the end of the day, mine is the only option that matters 

We don't choose our cruise line or ship  by others experiences, but by our own. All tastes are different, but then again there are also others who live to complain. 

When we began cruising with P&O in 2010, and were happy and comfortable with the service thay provided. We tried RCI, not our cup of tea, so went back to where we were more comfortable. 

I know things were already gradually changing, no flowers or sweets in the cabin etc, that didn't matter to us, they weren't important to the comfort or service onboard, and our last cruise in November 2019 was very enjoyable. 

What concern us are the reports from all ships, about the lack of service and the loss of certain amenities that made our cruise enjoyable. That is the only thing that concern us. They may be unimportant to many, but to us they matter.

Avril

 

 

[kruzseeka]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

We very much look forward to reading your comments. The President of P&O cruises has already responded. 99.9% of passengers on your cruise had a fantastic time and the tiny few that didn’t experienced some minor issues that won’t be repeated 🤔

I don't know how many passengers she was carrying on this cruise but 99.9% of 5,000 is 5 people.  Is that really a reflection of those who had 'minor' issues?  Again all in the definition of 'minor' and many will have had a good cruise with no issues and some a good cruise but with minor issues but surely however exaggerated some reports are his numbers don't seem realistic.

 

[jeanlyon]

12 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

I agree Jean. We have one booked Aurora for Dec 2023 and are begining to wonder now whether to forego the deposit and look elsewhere. It seems the  changes made on the new ships will be implemented fleet wide. 

Avril

Avril,, I haven't heard many bad reports on Aurora apart from the food being very samey, so we will go and see for ourselves.  One thing I have done is change from Freedom back to 2nd sitting, as there won't be any queues and no need to use a flaming app!

Edited January 8, 2023 by jeanlyon

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

We very much look forward to reading your comments. The President of P&O cruises has already responded. 99.9% of passengers on your cruise had a fantastic time and the tiny few that didn’t experienced some minor issues that won’t be repeated 🤔

Well if the Arvia maiden was as bad as is being reported he won't admit it will he? Not unless he wants to lose his job that is😉

I would imagine that ''99.9% of passengers having a fantastic time'' would apply to any cruise.

Avril

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

I don't know how many passengers she was carrying on this cruise but 99.9% of 5,000 is 5 people.  Is that really a reflection of those who had 'minor' issues?  Again all in the definition of 'minor' and many will have had a good cruise with no issues and some a good cruise but with minor issues but surely however exaggerated some reports are his numbers don't seem realistic.

 

I'd suggest he's putting out spin because over the past few years P&O have gotten off very lightly in the press compared with other companies in the travel industry.  Despite long delays in pandemic refunds etc his customer base has been pretty loyal and in fair despite a couple of faux pars on insurance issues etc apart from financially they've come out more or less unscathed. 

 

Until the started to revert to near normality in September last year if you read back through this forum and other social media channels most people have been very kind to them, understanding and even I say forgiving.

 

Now here he is with a PR disaster, his brand new shining star obviously not fit for purpose the day it sailed.  He has to be seen to reassure the passengers imminently departing on her so by putting out his spin he hopes (probably with fingers crossed behind his back) that the measures taken during the maiden will go some way to easing the situation.  For instance ensuring the lifts are all functioning properly and maybe having put a high end IT person actually onboard the ship.  Relatively simple steps now that problems are known.  He could also have ensured the little things like proper telephone directories have been provided, guidance on where the USB ports can be found etc.  If these are addressed it helps people keep perspective.

 

As I said previously, the real test will be the reviews of those onboard now and how, hopefully, things have or have not improved. 

 

I'm hopeful that those sailing now are having a far superior experience and we will put the fiasco down to a one off lack of readiness.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Megabear2

[Adawn47]

19 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Avril,, I haven't heard many bad reports on Aurora apart from the food being very samey, so we will go and see for ourselves.  One thing I have done is change from Freedom back to 2nd sitting, as there won't be any queues and no need to use a flaming app!

That's a good idea Jean, I shall do that now. Thank you😊

At least I will if I can find it😬!!!!!!

Avril

Edited January 8, 2023 by Adawn47

[UKsatcom]

Not a pleasant experience!

First things first.
We did not book a maiden voyage. The first trip of any ship is usually prone to issues. So we intentionally booked Arvia's second outing.
Unfortunately , we ended up , by default on the first outing , which I should add , the departure of which was spectacularly underwhelming.

 

The vessel is a fantastic piece of engineering , but I suspect set sail , still not fit for purpose.

From the outset is was obvious there were going to be problems with the "My Holiday" app.
Many guests didn't have smart phones or tablets etc , those that did found the software very hit and miss. 
As someone who helps to develop software the key is not to roll it out until it has been tested to destruction.  P&O take note !

As we were at sea until Dec 27th it was not possible to email  until three days after departure [ onboard wifi at something like £28 a day was a joke]

Consequently , on the 27th I emailed the Executive with our concerns.
At that point we had been through the Christmas day debacle.

 

Facts......
All our pre departure reservation requests had been overwritten. Dining times had been changed and "Freedom" dining abandoned.

The first dining experience on the 24th was chaotic.

 

Christmas dinner itself  , on the 25th started with a queue which extended over half the length of the ship along a narrow corridor. Some of us stood in that covid incubator for well over 90 minutes. Bear in mind many were elderly , disabled or simply flustered by the predicament they were in.

The main part of the queue was above the kitchens.
Guests we cheek by jowl.  Some [witnessed ]collapsed.
Many felt faint.
This in itself was a health and safety hazard*. Had a fire broken out on the deck below , there would have been carnage.

[On a later occassion guests were subject to verbal abuse by fellow travellers , which resulted in physical violence , all caused by the frustration of the situation]

 

But...back to Christmas night.
The Meridian dining staff were overwhelmed. Food was poor quality , undercooked and cold by the time we were served . We eventually finished our meal well past 2300hrs.
Some , interviewed first  hand , missed out completely as they were turned away from the dining room.

Restaurant staff cannot be blamed  , they did their best under extreme circumstances. This was all down to management failures.

 

Was the Captian aware * .... I doubt it. He was conspicuous by his absence.

Now , correct me if I am  wrong , but P&O protocol , explained before departure , was that their new dining system was introduced as a "post covid"  change to give guests peace of mind. Really ?

 

All of this was discussed with reception onboard and I also requested that the Captain be brought down to see for himself when I spoke to two  senior members of staff who made a very brief appearance in the congested  corridor .... before they made a rather hasty exit.

 

So , by the 27th the first of my emails was sent direct to the Executive [ this was received and read by at least five members of the shore based team . names can be provided]

 

Now lets get this into perspective.
The world is in a terrible state , people are starving , living in war torn countries and our own ex servicemen and women are dumped on the streets whilst thousands of channel crossers get four star hotel accomodation . For those of us lucky enough to have a holiday , there but by the Grace of God etc. 
This doesn't mean however guests can be treated like cattle.

 

The My Holiday app and dining arrangements were nothing short of disaster. 

My wife and I were called in to speak to Hotel Manager Sharma Daljit and his colleague.
Extremely pleasant members of senior staff [I also wanted the Captain to be present , but that request was declined]

Sharma was quite honest , holding up his hands in dismay and asking "How can we put this right!"?
We discussed at length our thoughts , coming to some conclusions about what had gone wrong and , the way forward.....But nothing changed whilst we were aboard.

 

All this set the tone for the rest of the cruise.
More emails to the Executive , more issues voiced by guests.

Yes , Captain Camby did make a formal apology via an all points broadcast. How sincere that was is a matter of opinion.....but it didn't really change anything.

The reception staff were completely inept , unable to handle the most simple requests and on occassion , rather rude.

 

We witnessed two elderly guests being turned away from Headliners as they had no access to My Holiday and had been unable to book. As they departed  , two members of staff were seen to laugh and riducule the two behind their backs.
This was unacceptable. They offered them no help whatsoever.
We would have gladly given up our seats had we had the opportunity.

 

As an aside , on the penultimate evening , in the cabin above us , between midnight and three am , an almighty argument broke out between a couple with furniture being 
smashed , doors being kicked and foul language . exchanged [ Not for the first time]. Reception were advised , but it was two hours before security arrested one those involved.
Of course this can happen on any cruise , however  it was not dealt with quickly enough.

 

These are the facts , not hearsay . There are many other issues that could be mentioned and I'm sure others who were aboard will expand.
This should not however become a whingefest!

P&O should read through these comments and then look at Paul Ludlow's media release and ask him , Were you there ?
Which planet are you on? and Who are you trying to kid?

If need be it is important to make your thoughts known whilst on the cruise itself , then follow up with written comments to the Executive . Ultimately you need a case reference from P&O Guest Support to ensure that your comments are noted.

 

Finally I would like to leave you with the public comment made by a senior member of staff on the morning of disembarkation in Headliners Theatre.....

"When you are at the bottom , there is only one way to go"

That's quite an admission , but full marks for honesty ....
Mr Ludlow please note.

 

 

Good luck to those presently on Arvia.

We are back later in the year. Will things have improved ? I hope so !

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, UKsatcom said:

As an aside , on the penultimate evening , in the cabin above us , between midnight and three am , an almighty argument broke out between a couple with furniture being 
smashed , doors being kicked and foul language . exchanged [ Not for the first time]. Reception were advised , but it was two hours before security arrested one those involved

This is extremely worrying.  We had an incident on Britannia on deck, clearly not as bad as you describe, where security attended and actually suggested other guests in the area might prefer to move.  No action was taken against the miscreants.  Whilst pleased your offender was apprehended and arrested I'm rather alarmed that security appear to be playing softly softly on this front.

 

I'm sorry you had such a miserable experience on this occasion and hope Arvia delivers something better for you on your next trip.

[Britboys]

2 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

I don’t think people on this site are anti P&O per se. Most of us have spent a lot of money with them over the years and continue to do so even if to a lesser extent than before.  I do think there is perhaps a higher prevalence of people who are a bit older and have travelled with the company for 20, 30 or more years so seen seismic change in what is being offered (and of course reducing of prices to go along with it)....

Absolutely. With many long-time pax it is entirely expected that with the seismic change brought about by the introduction of the new ships, there will be more negative comments from previous customers. P&O have tried to suggest that the new ships are an evolution but really they are closer to a revolution.

 

I do find the views of the 'old-guard' (and I'm probably pretty near to that category myself) interesting. I've been sailing with P&O since 1997, starting out on the Victoria, which was built as a transatlantic Ocean Liner in 1966. As such, I do feel that I have witnessed evolution over the years. As many of you know, I have said that I am not remotely interested in the new ships as - even though I haven't tried either of them - I strongly believe their size and the style of cruise offered will not suit me. What interests me about other long-time pax however is that they avidly book a cruise on one of these much larger, very different vessels and then complain bitterly. Do these folk not do their research? P&O publish the size and the number of pax the ships take and yet then people complain that it is too big and busy for them when they go on one of them. As they say "nowt so queer as folk"...

 

Btw, this is in response to the post by Eglesbrech above - I'm not in any way suggesting the OP of this thread is moaning/complaining.