Bagpuss

Thank you very much, this is really useful. Both sail from Southampton, Anthem has 5 stops and Arvia has 6. We prefer the itinerary on Arvia, prefer the ports and happy with some sea days to hopefully relax! You are absolutely right, on so many aspects! Our kids would love Anthem, which I think is what keeps pulling me towards Royal Caribbean, as well as nostalgia, it was the first cruise we ever did for our honeymoon on Monarch of the Seas! However(!) my kids (16 and 12) would know no different, having never cruised before, Arvia would probably be a wow for them! And the value for money does pull me towards P&O. And as pointed out, the gratuities would be an addition on Anthem, and would also need to weigh up how much time we'd spend on the ship for the kids, and us(!), to take advantage of what's on board. Will sleep on it tonight, but appreciate you, and 'leaveitallbehind' and 'cruiserbruce' taking the time to reply 🙂

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you very much 🙂

If you had two similar quotes, 1 for 9 nights on Anthem of The Seas, 1 for 14 nights on Arvia, which would you choose? Haven't cruised in years, (although have cruised with Royal Caribbean before), and not sure which to choose. It's for 2 adults, 1 x 16yr and 1 x 12yr. My first choice would be Royal Caribbean, however, value for money veers toward P&O, as it's a longer cruise for pretty much the same price! Has anyone been on both that can compare the two? Thanks.

Has anyone stayed in an inside cabin for 4 on Arvia? With pull down beds? Are the cabins the same size as the inside cabins for 2? Are they big enough for 4 people getting changed for example?! 2 adults, 1 x 16yr, 1 x 12yr? It's cheaper than getting two cabins, however, I'm wondering if we would be tripping over each other so may be better opting for 2 cabins! Thanks.

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you very much. Can I just check, does that mean you can't use it until you have got to your cabin and scanned the QR code? So you can't pre-book anything before you get onboard? Or do you not need it for anything before you get on board anyway? Is it just for booking shows/dinner or can it be used for anything else? Thank you.

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you very much 🙂

Hope I'm posting in the right place?! We haven't cruised for years and it looks like a lot has changed since we last did! We are now looking at booking a cruise on the Arvia and have read that everything has to be booked either pre-holiday or once on board, using the My Holiday App. Although one review said that everything was fully booked when they tried to book things on the App, which is slightly worrying..... Anyway, my question is, if you don't take the wifi package, how can you use the App to book anything once on board? Or use the 'virtual queue' for dinner if you don't have wifi? Sorry if this has already been asked, but I couldn't find anything when I searched. Thanks.

Thank you. We would love to go with Royal Caribbean, but unfortunately the price difference was too much😔. Have a great time🛳

Thank you very much.

Yes, would definitely consider Princess, cruised with them years ago, however I couldn't see any sailings out of Southampton in the summer that were suitable😔

Thank you very much. Do you know if children can wear shorts/trainers in the restaurant?

Thank you very much. Yes, totally agree. We have stayed at the same hotel 5 times, but last year (first time back since covid), noticed some changes, well, cuts really! Less staff, longer waiting times for food etc, it's not just cruises! However, those that hadn't been there before wouldn't know any different or that it used to be better! We only have our previous cruise memories, on Royal Carribean and Princess, but that's over 15 years ago, when Explorer of the Seas was the largest ship😆. It seems there's been many changes since then!!! I hope you enjoy your summer cruise🤞. If it helps, my mum went on Iona in Sept and is going again next week🙂.

Thank you, yes, I have discovered this already! One of the cruises we were looking at is already full for children aged 9-12. The other still has availability (well it did on Saturday!), but not in a 4 birth, would have to book 2 cabins! Thank you for the heads up🙂.

Thank you very much, will take a look.

Thank you very much for this. Can I just ask, can men/children wear shorts in the buffet restaurant in the evening please? And can men/children wear jeans in the evening in the main restaurants or is it casual/smart trousers only?

Thank you so much, that's really helpful🙂.

We are looking at booking the Canaries Cruise on Ventura. Haven't cruised for years and never with P&O, but they offer the best price and options from Southampton. However, the reviews I've read aren't favourable, so am still deciding. In the meantine, can those with experience, please advise on the following: Any advice on which cabins to opt for, or more importantly, to avoid?! Just inside cabin, but two next to each other (4 birth have gone) and interconnecting even better! Are there still formal nights and if so, are they black tie and do you have to attend? If you don't attend, are there still sit down restaurant dinner options, or buffet only restaurants on those nights? Can men and/or children wear shorts in the sit down dining rooms or buffet restaurant? It sounds like Ventura is looking tired and is getting a refit, would anyone know if this is before the summer?! I'm sure I have many more questions, but don't want to overload all at once!!!

Thank you very much🙂. Do you know how much the shuttles costs, should we choose to jump on one in Madeira for example?

We haven't cruised for years, and never with P&O, but are just looking at possibly booking one for the summer (just doing some research as reviews don't seem to be favourable, but that's for another thread!). Anyhow, the TA explained the saver fair doesn't include shuttle buses, but the select fair does (with other benefits). Didn't even know this was a thing as they were just included back in the day!!! So can anyone advise how much the shuttle buses are each way please, 2 adults, 2 children, and which ports we might need them on the Canaries Cruise? Thank you.