Interestedcruisefan

The outside doors to get into the public toilets on Arvia don't have door handles. They are all automatic doors. You hover your hand in front of a sensor and the doors open without you touching them To get in and out Everywhere else in public there are also no doors to physically open (apart from emergency exits) They all open automatically as you approach them I'm surprised you still have to physically touch lift buttons though. There must be new technology for calling lifts that's hands free? Maybe that's for the next ship?

Maybe you should wear it every night? And around the home? Lol

We had a similar message from the Captain on Arvia yesterday in the Caribbean but only 100 Peninsular members mentioned on this cruise? However the message on Arvia referred to top tier Peninsular club members specifically rather than all Peninsular Club members Your message could have been the same message? Average age on this cruise seems far lower than what I've seen described on the canaries cruise so you may have more top tier peninsular members online board? More like mid 50s on here I would say Our message went on to congratulate Joan who was celebrating a special birthday yesterday with her family on board. And was the cruiser with the most sea days with over 3 years of P and O cruises under her belt and counting!! If it was the same message?

It was "Celebration Night'" last night We dressed smart but not formal and went to the Buffet followed by theatre show I would estimate 80 per cent of guests were formal that we could see out and about I was amazed to see formally dressed guests in the Buffet restaurant. Why make an effort to then eat in the Buffet? One half of the Buffet had laid tables ready for formal guests. I assume they were going to get table service in there? And maybe the celebration menu from MDRs? That wouldn't have been something we would have liked. If we were going to dress formal we would have wanted to be in MDR or a speciality restaurant for sure I don't think some guests had cruised before. I don't think some realised formal wasn't compulsory. As other than dressing up they weren't doing anything celebratory I heard 2 couples dressed formally in the Buffet say to each other: "Where shall we go now?" And one of them said "I think there's karaoke on in the Irish Bar." I'm sure its been mentioned elsewhere. It's now called Black Tie and no longer formal. Smart dark suits and ties are now allowed Although those that did make the effort nearly all were still formal. I only saw a few suits with ties.

20 yards from a stunning view outside. I guess the window seats get a view but not as nice as being outside IMO

Heres one of the bottle water dispensers on Arvia that tell you how many plastic bottles they have saved

Here is the alternative view if we were to eat inside

Breakfast at the Quays again today This is my view sitting outside The Quays It's a glorious day in Dominican Republic I'm the only one sitting outside eating my breakfast. No idea why more people don't do it? Anywhere ive been on holiday around the world where it's hot it would normally be sought after to have a table outside ? Whereas in the Quays it's more like sitting in a canteen than being in the Caribbean At the Quays and the Buffet we are taking every opportunity to eat our meals with a view

Maybe he does. But I just know his show isn't driven by the costs of individual songs he performs He would sing slower and cut down his encores!! Lol

I think it's a decision based on thinking how great it would be to create our own musicals. But then not realising the impact not as great as just performing great songs one after another with great dancing etc The cast could deliver that if they were given the songs. I've no doubt the quality is there

It occurred to me But then all the acts that come on just sing classic after classic and go down a storm Not sure at what stage if any a show needs royalties paying My friend is a Neil Diamond tribute artist. He's never paid a penny to anyone to sign one of his songs? I do know you have to pay fees to perform an established musical But like I say musicals arent needed for 30 minute shows

Water is readily available everywhere. Tastes great They have clever dispensers to fill water bottles that also tell you how many plastic bottles have been saved by using them Most of the dispensers and dispensing chilled water The ones in the buffet restaurants dispense ice as well as water

I'm in the middle of a live report from Arvia in the Caribbean But I'm posting this separately as it could be a good place for ongoing debate about the show's on Arvia? It's about the theatre and skydome on Arvia I want to start by saying they are both incredible venues. The theatre is BY FAR the most high tech theatre ive seen on a cruise ship Behind the stage, above the stage and to the sides of the stage are big screens which allow them to enhance any show with videos footage and moving images which create spectacular sets. In addition for the Headliners show an airplane cockpit and a taxi came up from under the stage at the right times to be part of the show. All state of the art stuff I've seen 2 shows there so far. A headliners show called Sky's The Limit and a professional act called Remixed (3 guys who sing well known songs in Harmonys). Saw these guys last night all 3 were brilliant singers. Their show was top notch. The crowd loved it. Now for the Headliners show. It was a 30 minute musical. Its either been written especially for P and O or by someone who specialises in trying to write short musicals. So basically they are trying to create a story alongside singing and dancing within 30 minutes I feel even Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice at their best would struggle to achieve this. It's too short to create any empathy at all with a character and having been to many musicals in the past most have one or two memorable songs you look forward to hearing In the show we watched it was the same. You are almost enduring songs you've never heard waiting for a song you love. In this case they sang a couple of well known songs interspersed into songs I assume have been written especially for this "mini musical" As such despite some high quality singing and dancing from the young cast I don't think it works. It's a shame because they have all the ingredients for incredible shows in there The 2 highlights were backdrops of New York and the song "Empire State of Mind" which you guys will all know if you heard it and a backdrop of London on the screens and ""London Calling" song Both well known songs I feel strongly the Headliners shows should ALL be songs people know from start to finish backed up by the graphics and videos. If they did that rather than trying to use short musicals with a story they would be on to a real winner every time. As they have a great cast. The skydome exactly the same. Great setting for a show. High tech screens behind the stage. Great acrobatic dancing in the air at one stage. Some high tech props. A huge "alien" drone plus countless drones creating stars in the sky at the end. HUGE investment just like the high tech theatre. But again someone has written a 30 minute musical. Which again doesn't do justice to the setting and the cast IMO. It was called Universe. The highlight was the "Spaceman" song from last year's UK Eurovision. Sang brilliantly by the young lady. Think there was one other song you would know. I've forgotten what it was now. The rest again appeared to be songs specially written to make this musical. Which again don't work. You will never hear these songs again for them to grow on you even if they are good songs. Again the cast were very good, the set and costumes were great. The specials effects excellent and state of the art for a cruise. The singing and dancing excellent. But again I feel for 30 minute musical shows forget about trying to create a story. Instead just perform one classic song after another to the theme of the show. There's plenty of songs that would work with the space theme for example. David Bowie wrote a few. Someone mentioned in another thread acoustic issues in the dome. From what I've seen so far this holiday you can hear the songs well. It's any dialogue in the musical that isn't a song that can be hard to hear properly for some reason. I award Arvia 10 out of 10 for investment in these 2 venues. The young cast 9 out of 10 Costumes and set 10 out of 10 The decision to create musicals with unknown songs 10 out of 10 for bravery and innovation 3 out of 10 for impact on a crowd. You come out thinking what exactly have I just watched and remembering the highlight songs. Every song could be a highlight if they just created shows around well know classic songs. Simple as that You come out admiring so much of what you've seen. The energy and effects are great. The cast give it everything. And are good quality. But like I say even Lloyd Webber and Rice couldn't deliver a 30 minute musical that works on a cruise ship IMO

I think my next post deserves its own thread as its more of an general observation for ongoing discussion It's about the theatre and skydome on Arvia I want to start by saying they are both incredible venues. The theatre is BY FAR the most high tech theatre ive seen on a cruise ship Behind the stage, above the stage and to the sides of the stage are big screens which allow them to enhance any show with videos footage and moving images which create spectacular sets. In addition for the Headliners show an airplane cockpit and a taxi came up from under the stage at the right times to be part of the show. All state of the art stuff I've seen 2 shows there so far. A headliners show called Sky's The Limit and a professional act called Remixed (3 guys who sing well known songs in Harmonys). Saw these guys last night all 3 were brilliant singers. Their show was top notch. The crowd loved it. Now for the Headliners show. It was an 30 minute musical. Its either been written especially for P and O or by someone who specialises in trying to write short musicals. So basically they are trying to create a story alongside singing and dancing within 30 minutes I feel even Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice at their best would struggle to achieve this. It's too short to create any empathy at all with a character and having been to many musicals in the past most have one or two memorable songs you look forward to hearing In the show we watched it was the same. You are almost enduring songs you've never heard waiting for a song you love. In this case they sang a couple of well known songs interspersed into songs I assume have been written especially for this "mini musical" As such despite some high quality singing and dancing from the young cast I don't think it works. It's a shame because they have all the ingredients for incredible shows in there The 2 highlights were backdrops of New York and the song "Empire State of Mind" which you guys will all know if you heard it and a backdrop of London on the screens and ""London Calling" song Both well known songs I feel strongly the Headliners shows should just be songs people know from start to finish backed up by the graphics and videos. If they did that rather than trying to use short musicals with a story they would be on to a real winner every time. As they have a great cast. The skydome exactly the same. Great setting for a show. High tech screens behind the stage. Great acrobatic dancing in the air at one stage. Some high tech sets A huge "alien" drone plus countless drones creating stars in the sky at the end. HUGE investment just like the high tech theatre. But again someone has written a 30 minute musical. Which again doesn't do justice to the setting and the cast IMO. It was called Universe. The highlight was the "Spaceman" song from last year's UK Eurovision. Sang brilliantly by the young lady. Think there was one other song you would know. I've forgotten what it was now. The rest again appeared to be songs specially written to make this musical. Which again don't work. You will never hear these songs again for them to grow on you. Again the cast were very good, the set and costumes were great. The specials effects excellent and state of the art for a cruise. The singing and dancing excellent. But again I feel for 30 minute musical shows forget about trying to create a story. Instead just perform one classic song after another to the theme of the show. There's plenty of songs that would work with the space theme for example. David Bowie wrote a few.!! Someone mentioned in another thread acoustic issues in the dome. From what I've seen so far this holiday you can hear the songs well. It's any dialogue in the musical that isn't a song that can be hard to hear properly for some reason. I award Arvia 10 out of 10 for investment in these 2 venues. The young cast 9 out of 10 Costumes and set 10 out of 10 The decision to create musicals with unknown songs 10 out of 10 for bravery and innovation 4 out of 10 for impact on a crowd. You come out admiring so much of what you've seen. The energy and effects are great. The cast give it everything. And are good quality. But like I say even Lloyd Webber and Rice couldn't deliver a 30 minute musical that works on a cruise ship IMO

Dominican Republic today. We are just going to walk to the centre of Romana. Think there's a chu chu train we will do a 45 minute tour on once we get there

The new upgraded balcony cabin is fine. Perfect nights sleep and no noise. We ended up with a good result

Today's itinerary

Here's some images of our chosen spot for sea days Back of the ship deck 16

TV offerings have improved on P and O ongoing On Arvia we have 32 inch widescreen tvs in the room With BBC World News Sky News Sky Sports News BBC HD Prime Favourites Prime One National Geographic Prime Family Movies Now Movies Then Sport 24 Sport 24 extra The sports channels show sport from all over the world Right now it's live champions League on both channels - Liverpool v Real Madrid on live In addition they've got 100s of on demand films including recent films TV boxsets And kids on demand stuff All free of charge from what I can see Way better offering than when we did our Britannia staycation

We've already moved everything out of the inside cabin. We think the noise near the balcony one has been fixed. I guess we find out tonight

We've taken similar age daughter on P and O big ships. They join the teenage clubs make friends and you barely see them all cruise!! Loads for them to do. And Arvia has more for them to do than any cruise ship past or present. And the shows cater for them as well. As well as cinema and escape room

Well breaking news again. We now have 2 cabins!!! Lol The cabin we booked. Which is just a standard inside Cabin 5348 And also a large balcony cabin!!! Cabin 10240 Basically each night in our original cabin about 2.30am and then again 4.30am we got noise. It was people moving stuff about for about 15 minutes It's happened all 3 nights. We complained after night one and were told It might have been luggage being moved But it's happened again both nights Second night we complained again and the deck manager said it might be cleaners in the gym and he would ask them to be quieter from now on. But same again last night. Almost like clockwork. Our room backs onto the gym Anyway my wife's packed the cases gone to reception and they've offered us room 10240. It's a large balcony cabin. Twice as nice as our cabin and next to a cabin with a huge balcony. Only issue is the reason it's available is there's been noise under the floor next to the big cabin next door. So clearly someone has moved out from this one. They must have sent them somewhere even nicer! Lol And there are workmen working on fixing the noise problem as we speak So they've told us to try the new cabin today and tonight and keep the old one whilst we decide whether to move to move to this one or not It's a great upgrade if they fix the problem. Meanwhile weve got key's to both cabins til tomorrow lunch!! Lol Anyway off to the Cocktail bar inside a pool next to our sunbeds to celebrate potential good news I if they fix the noise that is!! It's 11am ish here. Sea day. Heading to Dominican Republic tomorrow. Last night we watched a spaceman show in the dome. That had great bits and poor bits. Will review later. We had buffet dinner last night. All good there. This morning full English followed by pancakes with chocolate and strawberries in the buffet with great table next to the window - breakfast with a view! Pictures below Followed by gym, spin class and checking out the new balcony room we've been offered Onto cocktails in the pool now!! Will get some nice pics of that We've chosen deck 16 back of the ship for our prime spot for sunbeds. We got them at 7am this morning (a sea day). There were still some available there at 7.30am Buts it prime spot next to stunning infinity pool and swim up Cocktail bar. Images to follow later today

Heres some pics from Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Here's today's itinerary

We changed our mind about hiking to the top of Mont Sage So we just went to Cane Garden Bay instead Its actually 12 US dollars per person each way. But you pay 24 US dollars at the start and get a wrist band for your journey back. They said the shuttles come back every hour on the hour but in reality they were pretty constant It's a 15 minutes journey up and down steep and windy roads Cane Garden Bay is itself beautiful. I guess 500 to 1,000 English sunbathers spoil it though!! Seemed like everybody chose to go here Halfway through the day I would have warned people off coming here from a cruise as the sunbeds are packed in My wife said "it makes it feel like Benidorm" 10 us dollars each per sunbed The bars and food from the bars and stalls on the beach pretty average The bay is beautiful though. And if you walk to the end past all the sunbeds that part is calm and pleasant and if you are happy using towels to lie on a beach it's nice there By then we had already paid for a sunbed in panic there would be none left the amount of Brits that kept arriving! We then found a rum distillery behind the part of the beach with no sunbeds. It's 400 years old and has been making rum from sugar cane the old fashioned way for all that time You could taste 5 shots of rum for 1 US dollars per person!!!! We paid an extra 4 us dollars for a short tour of the distillery before tasting the rums Our favourite rum was called "Panty Remover" Lol. That's what it's called. It was a sweet rum. It was a fun experience. Last night we watched a high tech theatre show called Sky's the Limit or similar to that in Headliners. The singer's and dancers are way superior to what we saw on Britannia on our staycation cruise a couple of years ago. Way superior. The theatre itself is the most high tech theatre I've ever seen. Big screens behind the stage and to the sides of the stage as well. 5 guys there just to sort the audio visuals and lighting and effects Real hi tech show. Probably a third of the songs were known songs and the rest appear to be specially written for the show? So it's hard to enjoy the songs you don't know as much Despite that great energy and very impressive The screens made it appear like you were in an aircraft terminal at the start of the show and in various cities and in an aeroplane itself other parts of the show It's taken theatre shows on cruise ships to another level. It was like being at Disneyworld or Universal Studios Heres an image of the theatre before the show started the photo doesn't do the effect justice tbh