I have always had a fascination with cruising and wondered what holidaying on a cruise ship was like. Like many people who have seen documentaries about cruises on Channel 5, I wondered if the stereotypes rang true about life on a mega ship. Stereotypes that cruises mainly attract the older generation and honeymooners, they are overly formal as you have to dress up for dinner, they are extremely expensive and you have to spend loads of money on excursions and sightseeing trips when the ship docks at port. There were also concerns about being bored at sea and whether the ship moving would lead to seasickness.
When the opportunity came to holiday onboard P&O Cruises newest vessel Arvia, and enjoy whistle stops of exotic Caribbean islands I could only dream of, I jumped at the chance. With an open mind, I flew to Antigua to experience my first ever cruise.
Nothing quite prepared me for the sheer enormity of the ship, seeing it in person for the first time, as it loomed large over the port in Antigua awaiting its newest arrivals and returning guests. Arvia, aptly named as it means ‘from the seashore’ was designed to bring its guests closer to the sea, sky and shore.
So what is special about Arvia compared to the other vessels in its fleet? Launched in December 2022, Arvia measures 345m long and 42m wide with 16 guest decks. Its operating capacity allows for 5,200 guests and 1,800 crew members. Arvia is the latest evolution in P&O cruises fleet and its second ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas which is the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology. The ship is outfitted with energy efficient technology onboard and embodies the latest trends in travel, dining and entertainment.
There is a range of cabins to suit different budgets. There are balcony cabins, suites, single occupancy cabins and wheelchair accessible cabins. I stayed in a balcony cabin where I enjoyed my very own private sea view with amazing sunsets and memorable moments such as the ship manoeuvring to dock at various ports.
When I arrived at my cabin, I was given the most important item I would need on the cruise, my boarding card. The boarding card acts as an ID whilst you are on the ship, and it is also essential to carry out a number of daily activities. I flashed my card several times a day including when I embarked at each port stop, to regain entry onto the ship, to shop, to get seated at dinner and to buy drinks. Cash and credit cards are not accepted onboard and my purchase account which could be viewed on the P&O cruises app, and on the television in my cabin, had to be settled by cash or my registered credit card at the end of my cruise.
Unlike a hotel where visitors can come and go as they please and disperse into towns and cities upon arrival, guests on board a cruise remain together throughout their time, so it is inevitable that you will start to see familiar faces. I partook in conversations with other guests in a whirlpool for hours and observed previously unacquainted guests striking up conversation in the dining room. There were large groups of family members and friends travelling together, couples celebrating anniversaries, members who have made cruising an annual affair as well as those who came to experience Arvia as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
If you take a minute to imagine that Arvia can accommodate over 5,000 guests, you start to appreciate the immense logistical operation it takes to ensure the smooth running of the ship and the safety of its passengers. There is security to handle embarking and onboarding, the tracking of boarding cards so ensure all passengers are accounted for before the ship moves to the next destination and the behind the scenes preparation for dining onboard a floating hotel and entertainment mecca. As guests move about the ship to the various decks, pools, restaurants and entertainment centres each day, the lifts can get extremely busy. Guests come to expect the regular occurrence of running towards the sound for a lift’s arrival only to find it already full of guests.
I boarded Arvia in the island of Antigua and Barbuda, before the ship continued onto Saint Kitts, Martinique, St Lucia, with an overnight stop in Barbados. There were numerous onshore experiences on offer to guests looking for their next adventure. There is rum tasting at the Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados, the opportunity to create your own batik, an ancient fabric dyeing tradition in St Kitts or exploring St Lucia on a big wheel shooter.
I experienced the delights of a catamaran sail in St Kitts, a day of coastal cruising and beach dwelling in Martinique, a speed boat cruise to the Pitons in St Lucia, a spot of yoga followed by a signature rum tasting tour at Mount Gay Rum, before ending with a sunset cruise in Barbados. The excursions and cruising options were as diverse as the islands they toured and each port stop brought with it a new adventure.
There are over 30 places to dine and drink onboard Arvia, ranging from formal to casual. Guests are spoilt for choice and are likely to run out of days onboard before they get the opportunity to try all the options available. Standouts are new restaurants created exclusively for the ship including Green & Co, featuring Mizuhana which serves fish and plant-based meals, and 6th Street Diner, a casual all-American diner experience serving breakfast and brunch. British and Spanish chefs Shivi Ramoutar and José Pizarro have been brought on as local food heroes to showcase their bold dishes to guests.
For the health conscious guests, the state-of-the-art gym with Technogym equipment will impress, along with the fitness schedule packed with classes such as Tour de Cycle, body sculpt boot camp, pure-form Pilates and yoga. There are personal trainers on hand to guide you through your workout and wellbeing consultants who can provide professional advice on nutrition, sleep and stress management. The gym also boasts the latest Evolt 360 body scanning technology, so that guests can get a unique 360-degree picture of their physical conditioning to set fitness goals.
Whilst I was impressed with the gym, I found the Oasis spa to be the perfect place for restoration and rejuvenation during my trip. With an array of traditional and cutting-edge wellness therapies and beauty treatments, it offered the perfect sanctuary for relaxation. Treatments include deep-tissue bamboo massage, aroma stone therapy and restorative salt stone massage. I opted for a Swedish and hot stone massage which took place in one of their 18 individual treatment rooms with ocean views.
In a practice which originated in ancient Greek, it was traditionally seen as good luck to both the ship and her crew to smash a bottle of champagne over the bow of a vessel in a religious ceremony. This was done to ensure its safe passage at sea. In more modern times, new ships are christened to officially name the vessel. In a break from modern tradition and in true Caribbean style, the world’s largest bottle of rum was used, instead of champagne to christen Arvia. Superstition says that if the bottle doesn’t break during the ceremony, it will bring the vessel and its passengers bad luck. In that case, Arvia and its passengers will be very lucky indeed.
Arvia was officially named by American Entertainer, and former lead Singer of the Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger. With the well-known words of “I name this ship Arvia, may God bless her and all who sail in her” a lever released the specially commissioned bottle which held 15 litres of Mount Gay Black Barrel. This type of bottle was used in the 18th Century to store and transport rum bringing history to a very modern affair.
The naming ceremony which took place on board Arvia’s SkyDome and from Heywood’s Beach in Barbados was the first of its kind and certainly upped the stakes for others who may wish to follow in their footsteps. During the ceremony which was broadcast to millions of people all over the world on YouTube, P&O Cruises President Paul Ludlow said: “Our naming party in Barbados is a world first and so it had to be rum. Rum is the very essence of Barbados and as the world’s oldest ocean cruise line we simply had to pair with the world’s oldest running rum distillery and create what we believe to be the world’s largest bottle of rum. Mount Gay has a long and distinguished history and affiliation with the sea – it is a perfect mix.
“Seafarers have always believed that breaking a bottle as the ship was launched afforded it luck and good fortune for the many journeys that lay ahead. Spirits were traditionally used for these ceremonies and it is only in more recent years that this has been replaced by Champagne. We are delighted to partner with Mount Gay and we will be proud to have a replica bottle remain with us on board Arvia to sail around the world as a reminder of this very special day.”
Arvia’s naming party was hosted by DJs Trevor Nelson and Sara Cox and featured an exclusive performance from Olly Murs as well as the intimate closing set from the ship’s godmother and new entertainment partner Nicole Scherzinger.
The notion of a one size fits all cruise no longer applies and cruising can be a great holiday option for people of all ages. Think of a cruise ship as a floating dining, entertainment and excursion experience and it’s up to you to make the experience what you wish, depending on your individual pursuits.
There is something for foodies, the fitness conscious, and those who wish to take advantage of onshore experiences to explore. You can cruise with friends, as a couple, a group, with young kids and disabled guests can easily access the ship and move around due to their special provisions. Whatever your needs, and tastes, you can find the right cruise and make it work for you.
A Caribbean, 7-night cruise on Arvia starts from £1,349pp. Departing from Antigua, ports of call are Basseterre (Saint Kitts), Fort de France (Martinique), Castries (Saint Lucia) and Bridgetown (Barbados). Flights are included.
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