Could do better
Arvia Cruise Review
Barbados to Barbados
Sail date: November 10, 2023
Ship: Arvia
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 months ago
Review summary
Could have been better. Feel like staff are exploited from conversations had with various staff. P & O need to treat staff better, employ more staff, morale is low as overworked and underpaid thus affecting level of service provided. Not sure if would cruise with them again for this reason. We only chose P & O as only cruiseliner that did 14 nights in the Caribbean and somewhere we always wanted to go. Underwhelming.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Ripples
Paid £6.50 for Banoffe sundae - very Bland. Better desserts the 6th Street Diner.
Infinity Pool Bar
Strange set upGo to one person to place order in tablet which then prints receipt for bartender to make (no interaction or vibe).Overcrowded.Can wait up to 20 mins for a drink.Tried all cocktails - awful, use funkin pouches that I can buy from my local supermarket!Not what I was expecting.
Sunset Bar
Went here quite a few times, see Infinity Pool review for cocktails as same experience.Nice to be in when leaving port.Sound needs fixing for DJ speakers though.
The Beach House
Went here on the last night, had fisherman's kebab, would definitely recommend!Great staff and service, nice atmosphere.
Laguna Bar & Sundaes
Good service and variety of flavours, tried lemon sorbet, tiramisu, oreo and banoffe.
The Limelight Club
Saw Mary Mac here, great show, lovely food and fantastic staff/service.
Vistas Cafe Bar
The best place to get your Costa coffee, nice surroundings, great staff and service.
The Olive Garden
AwfulFood served in silence, plates taken away before finished. No interaction.Better Greek Mezze at local Greek restaurant and Tiramisu was disgusting! No biscuit base and no better than a standard chocolate mousse.
The Keel and Cow
I had the Fillet, cooked to perfection and enjoyed, if you've been to Chops Grille on RC - this is its equivalent.Husband ordered the prime minister, wasn't impressed, I tasted no better than a frozen patty.
The Crow's Nest Bar & Lounge
Nice atmosphere and great service.
Sindhu
Brilliant, great food and service.Nice atmosphere.Really enjoyed.
Meridian
Great food and service, had breakfast, lunch and dinner here.Chefs recommendations very well put together.
The Glass House
Had our first booking here in the second week, liked so much we went another two times.Had Chicken, Vegan and Seafood trio, desserts and various starters.One of the best places to eat, great pairings of wine too!
Roast in The Quays
Had the roast twice - good yorkshires and Katsu curry thriceAlso had breakfast here as more civil, nice pastries, variety of yoghurt, fruit etc.
6th Street Diner
Excellent service, well looked after and nice variety for lunch and dinner.Best banana split ever!
Onboard Activities
Shops
Overpriced cosmetics and fragrances cheaper to buy online in the UK even with 20% discount.Wait until later in the cruise to purchase Pandora Charms as 20% sale towards the end. These are not cheaper in any Caribbean ports.Also 20% savings for handbags.
Infinity Pool
Do what they say they're going to do in Horizon, remove towels from sun loungers if not used after 30 mins, nothing available on sea days - not even a chair in the shade. Nowhere to read book in peace. Staff not monitoring sunbeds.We stayed on one port day and managed to get a bed, the beds behind us were reserved but went unused for 6hrs!!Too loud due to heavily discounted holidays booked weeks before and people going ott on drinks packages.
Oasis Spa
Had shellac nails done, still lasting 3 days after returning.Wait until on ship to book offers as cheaper.
Casino
Good variety of slot machines, easy to use and can cash out easily back to room.
Entertainment
Headliners Theatre
Saw Take That experience, good show. Need to sort out sound quality.Was expecting cup holders in seats though as newer ship - nowhere to put your drink.
Ocean Studio
Nice sized cinema, good seats, very comfortable.
The Club House
Saw quite a few shows here, Amy Lou, two comedians, Pulse to name but a few.Great service with bartenders coming round on a regular basis, spent most nights here.
SkyDome
Probably great if you're a family but for couples not ideal.Sailaway party a disappointment - lasted an hour.
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Unless you're prepared to get up at 6am on a sea day don't expect a chair/sunbed. Buy a refillable 300ml water bottle on first day from the bar, there are various locations around the ship to refill and these stay reasonably cold. If you're not a big drinker don't buy drinks package, we had £450 on board spending for 2 weeks and went over by £237. Out of that was a £100 excursion, £80 jewellery purchases and £20 casino spend plus all drinks and other dining surcharges. We didn't watch what we were spending or restricted ourselves either. Did hear various people complaining that they couldn't get use out of their drinks packages as bar staff restricting them.