Arvia Adventure Begins - May 2023

[Megabear2]

This evening's Horizon

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

This is sadly taking a turn for the worse and getting a bit too deep and personal.  When people start telling me I'm enticing people to complain and cancelling holidays I think the time has come for me to.move on.  I have decided not to post anymore on this link as it isn't and never was intended to be anything other than posting on my holiday experience.  Thanks.

 

I'm really sorry @Megabear2 that some have personally made accusations. The majority of us on here respect your opinions and know we can trust your reports of your experience, and that they are genuine. Social media in general is flooded with "influencers" and "P&O Ambassadors" (noticed a new former love island one recently) who mostly do get rewarded for their efforts and hence give very biased reports. New cruisers won't realise this, but the regular cruisers who have seen it all will and rate your experience that you are sharing with us very highly in comparison. 

 

It is also very clear across other social media posts that others on Arvia right now are experiencing the same as you. So it is not just you. What you all encountered today should not have happened. 

 

I completely understood what you meant when you said you have urged those who have mentioned issues and complaints to you to actually report them to the ships crew. In no way are you encouraging others to complain and cancel cruises.

 

These boards always advocate that passengers report issues onboard for  many reasons - the two notable ones are that often some issues are fixable whilst onboard and a solution can be found, secondly continuing issues such as with the app, shuttles, restaurant food etc... if not reported will just continue and deemed acceptable when they are not. We only have to look back at Christmas and Paul Ludlow's statement - we are now 5 months down the line from that and the app issues continue and inconsistencies on rules in general. If you can just turn up to a restaurant during the day to book for an evening then why on Britannia were passengers told no and that they would have to join the app? Why are passengers refused entry to the theatres when there are seats? Why are there babies in pools? Why do some ships check whether you have booked for the theatre, others do not. Why aren't passengers reports of smoking on balconies being taken seriously and acted upon? (The P&O of old would have normally acted upon a smoking report immediately). 

 

To me, none of it makes sense.

 

Many cruisers may not want to complain, some first time cruisers may decide to just not cruise again, or the regular cruiser may just change cruise line. But if the issues are not consistently reported they they will keep being overlooked and ignored. 

 

To be fair to you Megabear, you said you would give Arvia a go despite all the reports you had read and heard of and especially after your disastrous Christmas cruise. Again this is what these boards advocate, try it for yourselves (new ship), be open minded and then make your own opinions. Unfortunately you have not had the best of cruises so far, which is not your fault at all but down to the management side of things. We know you took advice from others and booked your dining and entertainment, also excursions, before you sailed to improve your experience as a whole, but Arvia has had other plans for you!  Factors outside of your control such as the itinerary, weather, cabin, and the number of passengers onboard also seem to have influenced this Arvia cruise massively, and this is not the first time we have heard this.

 

To anyone reading these reports and think they are negative etc.. you must take it into consideration that some of the ship will not have encountered the same number of issues. Some issues are ship wide, others are not. Regular cruisers will notice cut backs, rules not being enforced etc... new cruisers won't so much. A passengers experience is still valid though. 

 

Sorry for my long post! But I hope you do continue to share your cruise with us! 

Edited May 19, 2023 by CarlaMarie

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Whilst delighted for you ICF as someone who sails Europe, Caribbean and the far reaches of the world I have to say the destinations are chalk and cheese and that's a big influence here compared with your Caribbean venture.

 

We aren't particularly port intensive, only 6 ports so much more need for the ship to flow. We are at total full capacity not a room to spare anywhere.  We are docking at the furthest point of cities and towns, not beautiful walk off sun kissed islands where everyone is happily walking off straight to the beach or on a tour.  If we stay on-board in port we are treated to containers and ro ro ferries everywhere, very little chance of a stroll to a nice bar (Google maps 47.minutes today).  We have a large number of very elderly people who are not only movement impaired but often deaf.  We have an extremely large contingent of people who won't or can't use the app.  We have a very large number of people who did use the app, had it collapse on them and lose their bookings. We have first time cruisers of all ages who don't understand why when they get in the dinner queue at 7.30 pm they don't get called to sit down until 9.00pm.  We have people who can't get into.any dining at all because the app.shows full.  

 

No idea how many were on your cruise in the Caribbean but we have 6,200 trying to find sunbed and chairs on the sunny days and finding very few available.  We have swimming pools with lots of children that adults are afraid to use because they're very small.  We have a swim up bar no.one is swimming up in because they won't get in the pool because of the children.

 

It's a whole new world for Arvia and her crew after the joys of the Caribbean and cruises that weren't sold out.  I'm told that most if this year's ones are going to be full.  P&O are very happy about that.  I'm pleased for them too but and it's a big but from what I'm seeing and hearing a lot are not planning to come back.

You have chIldren in the swim up bar on Arvia?

 

Not once did I see a child in there in Caribbean

 

I assume it isn't allowed as there were loads of kids on the ship?

[Angel57]

@Megabear2 please keep posting. I think most of us who regularly post on this forum (and others that don’t as well) really appreciate your posts. Ignore any posters who criticise and be grateful they are not sat at your table!

Forearmed is forewarned and if your posts make people think about how to deal with some of the issues that you have encountered, then what you have posted is invaluable.

I’ve enjoyed ICFs posts from his cruises and I’ve found yours informative - a good balance of opinions shows just how everyone’s holidays on the same ship can be different.

Thank you and I do hope there are no more issues for you to contend with.

[lindyloo22]

Do keep posting Megabear, I agree with Angel57 your posts are invaluable. If people want to cancel that’s down to them. I’m on Arvia July and found your posts very informative but doesn’t make me want to cancel I will just be aware what could go wrong but I won’t go looking for it.

Hope the rest of your cruise is much better.

[kalos]

@Megabear2  Things have gone wrong for you and you have kept people on here 

abreast of what's happened to you and how you have tried to help others .

If I was you I would ,stop posting until your cruise is over and concentrate on yourself.

Have a little me time ,you deserve .

We would all look forward to your posts on your return where you can tell us all about it,

Without you worrying about people you do not know cancelling cruises , your on holiday 

please take a little time for yourself . 🙂

We love your posts but not at the expense of you getting stressed out by them .

Take care and be happy !

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, kalos said:

@Megabear2  Things have gone wrong for you and you have kept people on here 

abreast of what's happened to you and how you have tried to help others .

If I was you I would ,stop posting until your cruise is over and concentrate on yourself.

Have a little me time ,you deserve .

We would all look forward to your posts on your return where you can tell us all about it,

Without you worrying about people you do not know cancelling cruises , your on holiday 

please take a little time for yourself . 🙂

We love your posts but not at the expense of you getting stressed out by them .

Take care and be happy !

Good advice

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

This is sadly taking a turn for the worse and getting a bit too deep and personal.  When people start telling me I'm enticing people to complain and cancelling holidays I think the time has come for me to.move on.  I have decided not to post anymore on this link as it isn't and never was intended to be anything other than posting on my holiday experience.  Thanks.

Please don’t stop posting your experiences. You are always completely balanced and fair in your comments. Your experiences (and those of others) have possibly put us of booking a cruise on Arvia as well, but I take the view that I’m grateful to you for that, rather than angry. If we do subsequently decide to book an Arvia cruise we will do so with our eyes open, knowing what to expect, and hopefully having made some ‘work arounds’ to minimise the impacts. 
 

One or two folk seem to overlook the fact that this site is called ‘Cruise Critic’ (the clue is in the name) and seem to take a rather bizarre personal offence to anything critical being said and respond with defensiveness or sarcasm. I think that the majority of us really appreciate an honest appraisal of situations, acknowledging both good and bad points, which is exactly what you do. I tend to ignore reviews that are either 100% positive or 100% negative as none of our cruises have been like that. Conversely, balanced reviews give me the confidence that the assessment of the good points and bad points is probably accurate. For example, there is a consistent theme in the vast majority of balanced reviews that MDR dining (for dinner) has gone backwards since Covid (lack of choice, freedom dining not working as it should, small portion sizes etc). As a result, when we are on Iona in August we will probably only use the MDR on celebration night and will book speciality restaurants for the rest. I’d much rather know that up front and work around it than be disappointed on the cruise.

 

Finally, keep in mind that for every person who raises a complaint there are probably at least ten times more who feel the same but don’t or won’t complain. These people may vote with their feet and not return. On that basis, balanced reviews (such as yours) are invaluable not just for those considering future cruises, but also for the company as it is in their interest to be aware of customers concerns and experiences and make efforts to fix them. 

[Mollag]

8 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

This is sadly taking a turn for the worse and getting a bit too deep and personal.  When people start telling me I'm enticing people to complain and cancelling holidays I think the time has come for me to.move on.  I have decided not to post anymore on this link as it isn't and never was intended to be anything other than posting on my holiday experience.  Thanks.

Don’t let the rose tinted glasses brigade get to you Megabear2, we had similar treatment on Azura along with lots of others, promised meetings and nobody bothers to turn up, received their official log entries for our incident with the pax entering our cabin completely wrong couldn’t even get the dates correct or cabin number. It seems as soon as they get above waiter level and they’ve got a white shirt on with a stripe on their shoulder they think they’re a cut above and can’t be bothered providing any customer service whatsoever 

[AndyMichelle]

14 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Please don’t stop posting your experiences. You are always completely balanced and fair in your comments. Your experiences (and those of others) have possibly put us of booking a cruise on Arvia as well, but I take the view that I’m grateful to you for that, rather than angry. If we do subsequently decide to book an Arvia cruise we will do so with our eyes open, knowing what to expect, and hopefully having made some ‘work arounds’ to minimise the impacts. 
 

One or two folk seem to overlook the fact that this site is called ‘Cruise Critic’ (the clue is in the name) and seem to take a rather bizarre personal offence to anything critical being said and respond with defensiveness or sarcasm. I think that the majority of us really appreciate an honest appraisal of situations, acknowledging both good and bad points, which is exactly what you do. I tend to ignore reviews that are either 100% positive or 100% negative as none of our cruises have been like that. Conversely, balanced reviews give me the confidence that the assessment of the good points and bad points is probably accurate. For example, there is a consistent theme in the vast majority of balanced reviews that MDR dining (for dinner) has gone backwards since Covid (lack of choice, freedom dining not working as it should, small portion sizes etc). As a result, when we are on Iona in August we will probably only use the MDR on celebration night and will book speciality restaurants for the rest. I’d much rather know that up front and work around it than be disappointed on the cruise.

 

Finally, keep in mind that for every person who raises a complaint there are probably at least ten times more who feel the same but don’t or won’t complain. These people may vote with their feet and not return. On that basis, balanced reviews (such as yours) are invaluable not just for those considering future cruises, but also for the company as it is in their interest to be aware of customers concerns and experiences and make efforts to fix them. 

Great post as usual Selborne, but you got me thinking... 

I normally post positive reviews, but that is because we have had fantastic holidays. 

A lot of it is down to expectations as we listen to the complaints and expect the worse and, in our experience, it has never been that bad. 

We have always had the same mindset of knowing P&O is far from perfect but we will make the most of it. 

Previously we have mostly slept well, been fed well, entertained well and looked after well... 

Add to that the amazing people we have met along the way, we are hoping not too much has changed for our upcoming Britannia cruise... 

We are thankful to MB and all the others who share their experiences, good and bad as it helps us prepare. 

Be prepared... 

Andy 

 

[Orianababes]

My experience is that sites such as this focus upon problems. As in most of life; those with a complaint “publish” more than those who are content/delighted. 
 

I think that issues should be reported and P&O should welcome this as it shows how they can improve. I do accept that there are near professional complainers! I’ve had some experience in customer services and one thing I always remembered was that one could make an excellent impression in the way you handled a complaint.

 

whilst I’m certain that it is unlikely to happen: it would be nice to see positive feedback from others on this cruise - that would give better balance and be more helpful to those reading

[Beckett]

@Megabear2. I'm torn here. Half of me agrees with Kalos in that negativity towards you is just causing you more stress when you are feeling quite vulnerable; so stop posting and try to enjoy what's left of your cruise. The other half of me really wants to continue hearing from you, good and bad, and tell you to stuff the negativity. 

 

I am a predominately solo cruiser and your experiences have made wonder how I would have coped with everything you have reported. As I've said previously, solo cruising can be a lonely place, and as a solo faced with all your multiple, and very real problems, I think I'd have bailed by now.

 

Just read all the lovely positive comments to know how much we appreciate your honest and balanced thoughts. You must do what's best for you but just know you have many friends on here who are interested in what you have to say, and are with you every step. 

 

Jane xxx

 

 

[Selbourne]

10 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Great post as usual Selborne, but you got me thinking... 

I normally post positive reviews, but that is because we have had fantastic holidays. 

A lot of it is down to expectations as we listen to the complaints and expect the worse and, in our experience, it has never been that bad. 

We have always had the same mindset of knowing P&O is far from perfect but we will make the most of it. 

Previously we have mostly slept well, been fed well, entertained well and looked after well... 

Add to that the amazing people we have met along the way, we are hoping not too much has changed for our upcoming Britannia cruise... 

We are thankful to MB and all the others who share their experiences, good and bad as it helps us prepare. 

Be prepared... 

Andy 

 

I agree wholeheartedly Andy. I would always take your reviews as gospel, even if 100% positive, because you aren’t one of those who makes defensive or sarcastic comments at those who raise legitimate concerns. Like you, I would much rather know what issues others have faced and go prepared, managing our expectations accordingly. We’ve also reset the dial on what we are prepared to pay to cruise with P&O based on much of the consistent feedback post Covid. I am hoping that we will be pleasantly surprised, in which case we’ve had a bargain. If we experience the same problems as others then at least they won’t come as a complete surprise! 

[indiana123]

9 hours ago, True Devonian said:

, we are now cancelling cruises we have booked with P&O. We will be losing quite a lot in deposits we have paid.

 

Oh no.  Please think again True Devonian.   We have been on many cruises and they all have their niggles (they are part of the experience, nothing is perfect), but luckily never so bad as to cancel future cruises.  

 

We haven't done Arvia but have been on Iona.  A bit too big for us, but still a good cruise and fun, just not for us again.

 

Think again, most cruises are wonderful

[zap99]

10 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

id probably join more places that talk about experiences than just cruise critic. Not everyone’s experiences will be bad. 
 

Open mind. If one person has a bad experience, will these experiences bother me. We have never had a noisy cabin, so not an issue that concerns us.

[Dermotsgirl]

6 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Open mind. If one person has a bad experience, will these experiences bother me. We have never had a noisy cabin, so not an issue that concerns us.

Well, not until you get a noisy cabin, then it might concern you 🙃

[AndyMichelle]

10 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Open mind. If one person has a bad experience, will these experiences bother me. We have never had a noisy cabin, so not an issue that concerns us.

We had a noisy cabin on Oceana, we complained, they moved us straight away, in the middle of the night... 

Turning a negative into a positive. 

I guess we were lucky they had availabilty, would have been a difference if we just had to put up with it... 

Andy 

[Dermotsgirl]

I hope Megabear decides to continue with her reports, either now or when she returns home, as they have been very interesting. We have a big advantage on this board, as we have become familiar with each other, and I think most of us have people that we feel are reliable in their reports, and, for me, Megabear is in that category.

 

However, I struggle with the idea that anybody would cancel a cruise based on what just one person says.

 

I think it’s best to look at multiple sources for reviews and comment, in order to get a broad idea of what’s going on. For example, Megabear’s experiences were echoed in many reports yesterday on social media. Even if I didn’t already ‘know’ Megabear, I would have been willing to believe that there had been a difficult situation with the shuttles in Palma, as many people were reporting the same thing.

 

If I had an upcoming cruise on Arvia, I’d be using all the information to work out how to get the best from the cruise. For example, in Palma, I might decide that a tour would be the best option, to avoid any shuttle chaos. 
 

 

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Forewarned is forearmed

 

Threads like this tell you things to watch out for and avoid

 

Palma have a plan B maybe for example

 

Get complaints in fast and early and strong if cabin is noisy or get in the queue with others

 

Watch out for random water falling on you!!

 

Lol

 

Good luck with that last one

Edited May 20, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[zap99]

57 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Great post as usual Selborne, but you got me thinking... 

I normally post positive reviews, but that is because we have had fantastic holidays. 

A lot of it is down to expectations as we listen to the complaints and expect the worse and, in our experience, it has never been that bad. 

We have always had the same mindset of knowing P&O is far from perfect but we will make the most of it. 

Previously we have mostly slept well, been fed well, entertained well and looked after well... 

Add to that the amazing people we have met along the way, we are hoping not too much has changed for our upcoming Britannia cruise... 

We are thankful to MB and all the others who share their experiences, good and bad as it helps us prepare. 

Be prepared... 

Andy 

 

Being selfish and sympathetic to MB's plight, we have never had a noisy cabin , any noise normally stops when I get DW's elbow in my ribs. We normally get off early to go on a trip ,or if nothing planned, have a late breakfast and get off later. Palma sound like it was a fiasco, but Palma is never good. Food , entertainment,  quality normally suits us. So although sorry for MB's bad experiences they probably won't stop us booking an Arvia cruise if the price and itinerary are right.

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Just now, Dermotsgirl said:

I hope Megabear decides to continue with her reports, either now or when she returns home, as they have been very interesting. We have a big advantage on this board, as we have become familiar with each other, and I think most of us have people that we feel are reliable in their reports, and, for me, Megabear is in that category.

 

However, I struggle with the idea that anybody would cancel a cruise based on what just one person says.

 

I think it’s best to look at multiple sources for reviews and comment, in order to get a broad idea of what’s going on. For example, Megabear’s experiences were echoed in many reports yesterday on social media. Even if I didn’t already ‘know’ Megabear, I would have been willing to believe that there had been a difficult situation with the shuttles in Palma, as many people were reporting the same thing.

 

If I had an upcoming cruise on Arvia, I’d be using all the information to work out how to get the best from the cruise. For example, in Palma, I might decide that a tour would be the best option, to avoid any shuttle chaos. 
 

 

 

 

Spot on 

 

 

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Well, not until you get a noisy cabin, then it might concern you 🙃

We have never had one in 35, or so cruises, so will take that chance.

[Vampiress88]

10 hours ago, True Devonian said:

This is definitely not a happy thread. Due to all the issues you have encountered and continue to report on, and in addition feel the need to entice others to complain, we are now cancelling cruises we have booked with P&O. We will be losing quite a lot in deposits we have paid. If everything is as bad as you are reporting I would be seeking a flight home at the next available opportunity.

i did a thread on iona a few weeks ago. There’s always going to be something you don’t like whilst on holiday but I would say that mine shows a good holiday. 
I really would look at everything before cancelling cruises and losing deposits. 
 

megabear has already said a few times that this is just the experience of this one cruises. Bit like the one that went wrong at Christmas, out of lots of cruises there might only be a few that go wrong and then it’s only for some people it goes wrong. Megabear has had some really bad luck and I think she is correct in telling people to complain. The big companies need to know when a customer is unhappy, if they don’t complain they will think they have done no wrong and carry on doing it. I think it’s unfair some have put it on megabear that have cancelled the cruises due to her thread. 
 

its like everything with holidays, do lots of research to see where the problems are and then don’t book or cancel. Don’t just go on one review as everyone’s experience is completely different. 
 

I didn’t like msc due to the 8 table I was put on. For me this put me off booking again unless it’s a fantastic deal however others may love that. Always do your research, I knew that club dinning was a risk when booking and did it anyway. 

[jaydee6969]

7 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Being selfish and sympathetic to MB's plight, we have never had a noisy cabin , any noise normally stops when I get DW's elbow in my ribs. We normally get off early to go on a trip ,or if nothing planned, have a late breakfast and get off later. Palma sound like it was a fiasco, but Palma is never good. Food , entertainment,  quality normally suits us. So although sorry for MB's bad experiences they probably won't stop us booking an Arvia cruise if the price and itinerary are right.

 

 

We are booked on the same itinerary on Arvia in July 24.  Nothing has changed for us, very much looking forward to it.  Palma was busy with just Azura in March, so we had already anticipated it would be busy with Arvia and have plans in place.  The road works into Palma don't help, with a much slower traffic flow than normal.

 

Granted, we are in a select cabin so I know were I will be.

[Happy afloat]

Megabear, please keep posting. What I would say though is that given the start you had to your holiday, I'd take a break and do your best to enjoy the remainder of your trip

Perhaps then let us know the rest of the story when it's over?