Arvia TA (K301a) - initial thoughts

[TigerB]

We are currently still sat at our berth in Santa Cruz, with the intended departure of 19:00 having been delayed due to late refuelling; so, while I still have roaming I will post a few initial thoughts.

 

 

Embarkation:

This was an absolute breeze; we were on board and sat having a drink near the Keel & Cow almost an hour before our allotted embarkation time of 13:45.

 

We were made aware that cabins would not be ready until at least 13:30, but we got 'checked in' at our muster station and we're able to order drinks by quoting our cabin number. I noted that half the draught beers in that particular bar were not available. I think that has since been resolved.

 

While it was quiet at reception, I took the opportunity to ask about accessible day cabins for our last day, and if there were any upgrades available, and, more importantly, how much would they be. I really didn't expect there to be anything as, when I called four days before the cruise, I was told that the only available accessible cabins above us were a suite, for which there was a wait list, one GB and one GA. During that call, the price to upgrade to the GA from our PF inside would have been just short of £1200.

 

Cabin:

We made our way to our cabin, on deck 9 and at the front, at about 15:00. All our cases were there but, I understand, some passengers didn't get theirs until the next morning!

We had been a little nervous since the PF accessible cabins were downgraded to being partially accessible. We shouldn't have been. Yes, it was smaller than balcony cabins we had stayed in previously, but my wife had easy access in her wheelchair to the bathroom, her side of the bed and the dressing table. See this thread for photos: 

My sister and brother-in-law are in an outside cabin on deck 5, and they were satisfied with it.

 

First night:

Dinner in the Zenith went well, service was good and the food was to a good standard; better than when we were on the Britannia in September. 

When we left just after 20:00 it was starting to get busy and there were quite a few in the 'walk-in' queue. Before we joined the cruise I had managed to book a table for four in the Zenith at 18:30 each night, with the intention of cancelling those nights we would eat elsewhere. Having read reports of such bookings not being honoured on the first cruise, I was a little worried. No need to be! In fact, when I checked our bookings earlier, I see that we have the same table throughout the rest of the cruise.  I have also been able to book breakfast for throughout the remainder of the cruise in the same restaurant, and we have the same table.

 

We were tired, so retired to our cabin to unpack (that was a waste of time) and we went to bed early.

 

 

First proper day:

We woke up to a surprise, a letter to inform us our upgrade request had been approved; we had been offered a mid-ship GA balcony on deck 11. The upgrade cost: a big fat £0. 

Well chuffed!😊

 

Breakfast:

Again, seated and served quickly in the Zenith, and food was good, but there were a few things missing - grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, smoked salmon, decaffeinated tea, a couple of cereals. We joked with the waiters about them going to Carrefour for a 'big shop' once we got to Tenerife.

All of those items were back on the menu by this morning. I understand that the problems may have been that, with crew being deployed to other areas of the ship, they did not have time to unload all of the pallets of food items until a few days into the cruise.

 

Talking of crew being deployed to other areas, they have been a lot of staff draughted into the MDRs from other restaurants to help out; this was most evident on the first celebration night on Sunday.

 

 

Celebration Night:

Our first one was on Sunday and, by 19:30 staff were struggling in the Zenith. The service from our waiters was spot on and the standard of the food was excellent but, when looking around the restaurant, it was clear that something was wrong. Tables were left uncleared for up to fifteen minutes or so, and there was a sudden deluge of staff that descended from other restaurants, such as the 6th Street Diner, Beach House and Horizon. 

We left at 20:15 and the queue for 'walk-ins' stretched as far back as the shops. There were even folk waiting in the 'booked' queue, unless it was just one muddled mess. 

Now, I don't know if folk were unable to book on the My Holiday system, or just chanced it on the night but, even on the Sunday when I checked it, there were time slots available.

 

 

Other aspects:

- In all the other restaurants and bars we have generally had good service and food; it was exceptional in Epicurean last night, and in Green & Co at lunchtime on Sunday.

- 6th Street Diner failed to live up to our expectations at breakfast yesterday. It was nice enough but Cracker Barrel it ain't.

- Every day, from morning to early evening, the queue at reception has been at least thirty people deep and moving extremely slowly. There appear to be a lot of folk wanting to moan and the staff on there appear to be struggling. This is evident by the fact that the four times I have had to call them, I was only connected within five minutes once; the other three times I gave up after twenty, thirty-five, and fifty minutes on the phone listening to the not very reassuring message that my call was important to them and someone would speak with me shortly.

- The guest speaker Terry Brown was very popular and, even though the Club House is a fair bit bigger than the Live Lounge on the Britannia, it was bursting at the seams. Guest speakers of his popularity should be in Headliners.

- The only way my wife can access deck 19 at the front of the ship is by the lift on the port side of deck 18. So why the hell have they designated that a smoking area? The other day we had to endure second hand smoke while waiting for the lift.

- This is my biggest moan and it has nothing to do with the ship or crew. Despite entries in the Horizon and signs next to the lifts, there are still many able bodied folk who are so keen to get to where they want to be, and too lazy to use the stairs, that they do not look below chest height as they run to the lifts, and fail to see, or more accurately, ignore those in wheelchairs or who obviously have restricted mobility. In the first few days on board I have lost count of the times I have asked folk to give way to those less able. 😡

- Overall, my first impressions are positive but there are few areas where the crew are struggling; I understand the ship is only about 70% capacity, so if it was full the situation would not doubt be worse.

 

[sandancer]

Thank you for taking the time to give us the latest situation. We are taking the TA cruise in March and I have been very alarmed by the reports posted regarding service and queuing. This will only be our 3rd P&O cruise although we have cruised many times with mostly US cruise lines. As soon as booking becomes available I will follow your lead and book dining and we intend to try all of the speciality restaurants. My DH loved Sindhu when we were on Britannia. 

[Bazrat]

Thanks for your report it as been well worth the read.

[Denarius]

Cabin looks a bit spartan. No bedsde cabinets and (as far as I can see) no coffee table and no chairs apart from one at the dressing table/desk. Or am I missing something?

[Megabear2]

8 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Cabin looks a bit spartan. No bedsde cabinets and (as far as I can see) no coffee table and no chairs apart from one at the dressing table/desk. Or am I missing something?

It may be because this is an adapted cabin to allow wheelchair access.  When I sailed with my mother in adapted cabins there was as little clutter as possible for ease of movement.

[sandancer]

There are a few videos on YouTube on Arvia cabins. One on the smaller balcony cabin which I def would not book. 

[Happy afloat]

What a well written review!

Thank you 

[Bazrat]

6 hours ago, Denarius said:

Cabin looks a bit spartan. No bedsde cabinets and (as far as I can see) no coffee table and no chairs apart from one at the dressing table/desk. Or am I missing something?

It's an adaptive cabin look at the picture of the bathroom 

[TigerB]

On 1/11/2023 at 11:22 AM, Denarius said:

Cabin looks a bit spartan. No bedsde cabinets and (as far as I can see) no coffee table and no chairs apart from one at the dressing table/desk. Or am I missing something?

As others have pointed out, it was an accessible cabin, so less clutter is better.

There was another chair in addition to the one at the dressing table, which served a purpose when my sister and brother-in-law came for pre-dinner drinks.  To be fair, if there was coffee or occasional table I would have asked for it to be removed.

Neither that cabin, nor the one we started in, had a bedside cabinet as such. There were shelves at either side of the bed, which served a purpose. What was missing, and I think this applies to all cabins on Arvia, and maybe also Iona, were drawers. Call me old fashioned, but I like to put my socks and undies in a drawer, not on a shelf in the wardrobe.😉

[davecttr]

No drawers in Iona cabins. I installed shelving in my bedroom so a lot of stuff goes on them, and overflow onto the floor, not me, honest.

[Fionboard]

3 hours ago, davecttr said:

No drawers in Iona cabins. I installed shelving in my bedroom so a lot of stuff goes on them, and overflow onto the floor, not me, honest.

Probably designed by a man, like the dressing table mirrors (on Britannia I think) which you have to bend down or sit to see in!

[davecttr]

6 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Probably designed by a man, like the dressing table mirrors (on Britannia I think) which you have to bend down or sit to see in!

It is just fashion like all those bar stools designed for very tall people with 9 inch hips.

[Aarrmuch]

Hi Elaine long time since our ships crossed. Kay and I did the crossing on Arvia last month we thought our standard cabin was has good as any in the past. We have booked again to the med in October.

[TigerB]

UPDATE FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE CRUISE:

 

Firstly, I will not go into detail about the food and entertainment in this post as I have written about them in other threads; if you are interested....

 

I have provided a brief review of the restaurants and eateries we tried, starting at post #4 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2909585-arvia-dining-expectations-vs-reality/#comment-64698316

 

I have provided a brief overview of the entertainment and dining, starting at post #4 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2909280-arvia-entertainment-restaurants/#comment-64687092

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Further to my first post from 10th January...

 

 

Cabin

The balcony cabin that we were upgraded to was 11534.  It was a smashing cabin with plenty of floor space for my wife to manoeuvre her wheelchair easily enough, and at 3.8m x 1.75m, the balcony was a fair bit larger than the ones we had on Britannia.

One thing that was missing from the cabin was drawers; just one set would have done for us to store underwear and socks, and bits and bobs.

The automatic main door and bathroom door are perfect for a disabled person, with one anomaly; they are on a timer to close again after opening, which means that you have to wait when leaving the cabin to ensure they close.  However, it is very easy for the sensor to detect movement if you get too close, and the door opens again.

The automatic balcony doors were easy to use and had a handle, which only required the slightest of touch left or right to cause them to slide open or close.  Perfect for a disabled person.  When it closed, the door pulled towards the frame, creating a tight, soundproof seal; the only noise from outside we could hear was the occasional muffled announcement from the bridge.  On the day before we disembarked, the door malfunctioned; it would not close automatically.  I was able to close it manually but, as it was very heavy and there was resistance due to the motor, it was very difficult to do so.  It was impossible for my wife, or anyone else with poor upper limb dexterity to close.  After a visit from an engineer, it transpired there was a problem with the sensor.

As an additional aide for hearing and visually impaired guests, when someone pressed the doorbell or phoned the cabin, a strobe light would illuminate the cabin, and a claxon would sound.  If you didn’t know otherwise you would think the ‘abandon ship’ call had been made. “Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring”.   As a further incentive to answer the door or phone, there was a vibrating pad that was placed under the mattress. For a quick thrill all you need to do is lie on the bed and get someone to call you.

Looking to our right, I could see that the accessible cabins three across from us on our deck and on deck 12, had the larger corner balcony; those being cabin numbers 11528 and 12526. However, all deck plans I have seen do not show them as such.  The corresponding cabins on Iona are 11514 and 12514.  Having previously viewed reviews of 12514, I thought it strange that they weren’t replicated on Arvia; now I know why, the deck plan is wrong.

A downside of this particular cabin was that one of the drains in the bathroom was blocked, causing flooding when the ship tilted towards port, and a stench, which was worse at night.  It took three attempts to rectify it, but there was still a smell right up to the day we disembarked.

Overall, the problems with the balcony door and drain aside, and the bed being too high, this was a perfect cabin for a wheelchair user.  

 

 

Club House

We spent most evenings in here and found it to be bigger and had a better layout than the Live Lounge on Britannia; the screens dotted around were advantageous.  The draught beer offerings were poor though, John Smiths or Birra Moretti; the latter being off for the whole of the cruise and replaced with Fosters.  I like Punk IPA, which was only sold in 330ml bottles in the Club House, at the extortionate price of £4.95. So, I would walk out of the venue and get it myself from the Sindhu bar, fifty feet or so along the deck, at £5.15 for a pint.

 

 

Crew

Almost all the crew we encountered were very hard working and customer focussed, particularly in the restaurants. Our waiting team in Zenith were excellent; even under the extreme pressure of the first formal night.

 

 

My Holiday & Bookings

In previous posts I have mentioned how I was able to book our MDR for each night a couple of weeks before we boarded; that was very advantageous. Once on board, My Holiday was very easy to use and we didn’t have the problems with connectivity as some others had said they experienced.  Occasionally, when it froze, a quick reboot would do the job.  I had it running on my phone and tablet; on the latter it worked perfectly all of the time. 

One thing that would have been useful, and something that I hope P&O consider in the future, is being able to book entertainment for everyone in your travelling party, not just those in your cabin.

 

 

Was it busy?

In my earlier post I wrote that the ship was at about 70% capacity.  A crew member confirmed there were just short of 4,500 guests onboard, which meant it was at about 86% capacity.  That said, it did not, apart from on the formal nights in the MDR, or when the Club House was full, feel that there were that many guests onboard.  Perhaps that was because there were a lot of open spaces.  Whenever we were in the Crow’s Nest it was only about three quarter’s full on an evening; when we were on Britannia last September, with a guest compliment of 2,400, it was full almost every time we were in there.

 

 

Launderettes

Although smaller than the ones on Britannia, with just two ironing boards in each, I found the machines much better, although not totally cruiser-proof.  There were a few times, when I was in there ironing a couple of things, that folk would need help with operating them. So, now I am retired, there may be a couple of openings for me: technical advisor in the launderettes on Arvia, or Iona (I’m not fussy), or guest speaker on the subject.

 

 

Moaning and rude guests

In another post I wrote about folk I could hear complaining about the most trivial things; lack of coasters on the tables in the bars and atriums being one thing.  For goodness sake!  And to those folk that I heard being rude towards crew members, try and remember that many of them get paid a pittance and work extremely long hours to serve you and all the other guests; they are not your personal slaves!  Also, I don’t know how some of them go on at home, but a please and thank you to someone serving you makes a big difference.

I’ve mentioned before about sun bed pouncers, and ‘reserving’ them at 6am with a towel and book.  If you are reading this post, were on our cruise, and were one of those folk, I have three words for you... GET A LIFE!

 

 

Lifts

For most of the cruise, for each bank of lifts, forward, middle and aft, there were at least two out of service, occasionally three or four.  I don’t know the reason for that, but it made for some interesting moments.  As the carer of a disabled partner, when using lifts in shopping centres, hotels and the like, I have occasionally had to remind folk to make way for my wife or others with mobility issues, who should have priority.  Why is it then, that on a cruise ship I find myself having to do that tenfold?  What is it about clearly able-bodied folk who, once on a cruise ship, suddenly lose the ability to walk up or down a few flights of stairs?

This problem was worse when we had been in the Crow’s Nest or at Epicurean, and going one deck down for cake and a brew in Horizon.  I lost count of the number of folk coming from the smoking area on deck 18 and using the lift to go down two decks to Horizon. More than a couple of times, when the lift doors opened and we were greeted with vacant expressions, I had to ask if those that were able to do so, could walk down a couple of flights to allow those with mobility problems to get in.  Presumably, all that puffing on their cancer sticks had worn them out, poor things!

Talking of folk who are oblivious to wheelchair users, there was one occasion when we got in a lift and it was almost full; two guys then ran to the lift and got in as the doors were closing. The one behind my wife decided it was okay to hold on to the back of her wheelchair. I asked him not to do that; he lifted his hands to head height and let out a giggle, before putting both hands right back on her wheelchair, as if he thought I was joking.  I then sternly told him that I was not joking, and that my wife’s wheelchair was an extension of her body; his actions being akin to me standing behind him and putting my hands on his shoulders.  He then got the message.

 

Lessons for the future

When we booked this cruise, when it was first released about two years ago, we wanted something cheap for just after Christmas, and so just booked an inside cabin; after all, we would be crossing the Atlantic in January, and with the weather and expected sea conditions at that time of year, we wouldn’t need a balcony cabin.  How wrong we were!  The only rough sea we experienced was when crossing the Bay of Biscay.  After Tenerife, I could not believe the conditions for the next six days as we crossed the Atlantic; about 22°C every day from morning until evening, mostly bright sunshine on the port side, and smooth sea conditions. That’s when our upgraded balcony cabin on the port side came into its own.  So, when we do the reverse repositioning cruise in March next year, we will leave the woollies and jackets at home; more room for duty free.

We will try and book more speciality restaurants before we board next time.  Yes, they technically don’t cost anything if you use OBC for them once on board but, at £24 for Epicurean when booked ahead as opposed to £30 when on board, and the 20% discount for the à la carte restaurants, it’s a no-brainer.  The OBC can go on booze and duty free.

One thing I won’t be doing on our next cruise on Arvia is the Altitude Skywalk.  I’m not great with heights but wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I cajoled my sister, ten years my senior, into doing with me.  Once up there, I had second thoughts but persevered; I even ‘walked the plank’ and rang the bell.  If my 64yr old sister could do it, albeit very cautiously, I was not going to chicken out.  I put on a brave face for her even though, in reality, I was shaking like a shi**ing dog!   

 

 

If anyone has any questions, ask away...

[Selbourne]

15 minutes ago, TigerB said:

UPDATE FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE CRUISE:

 

Firstly, I will not go into detail about the food and entertainment in this post as I have written about them in other threads; if you are interested....

 

I have provided a brief review of the restaurants and eateries we tried, starting at post #4 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2909585-arvia-dining-expectations-vs-reality/#comment-64698316

 

I have provided a brief overview of the entertainment and dining, starting at post #4 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2909280-arvia-entertainment-restaurants/#comment-64687092

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Further to my first post from 10th January...

 

 

Cabin

The balcony cabin that we were upgraded to was 11534.  It was a smashing cabin with plenty of floor space for my wife to manoeuvre her wheelchair easily enough, and at 3.8m x 1.75m, the balcony was a fair bit larger than the ones we had on Britannia.

One thing that was missing from the cabin was drawers; just one set would have done for us to store underwear and socks, and bits and bobs.

The automatic main door and bathroom door are perfect for a disabled person, with one anomaly; they are on a timer to close again after opening, which means that you have to wait when leaving the cabin to ensure they close.  However, it is very easy for the sensor to detect movement if you get too close, and the door opens again.

The automatic balcony doors were easy to use and had a handle, which only required the slightest of touch left or right to cause them to slide open or close.  Perfect for a disabled person.  When it closed, the door pulled towards the frame, creating a tight, soundproof seal; the only noise from outside we could hear was the occasional muffled announcement from the bridge.  On the day before we disembarked, the door malfunctioned; it would not close automatically.  I was able to close it manually but, as it was very heavy and there was resistance due to the motor, it was very difficult to do so.  It was impossible for my wife, or anyone else with poor upper limb dexterity to close.  After a visit from an engineer, it transpired there was a problem with the sensor.

As an additional aide for hearing and visually impaired guests, when someone pressed the doorbell or phoned the cabin, a strobe light would illuminate the cabin, and a claxon would sound.  If you didn’t know otherwise you would think the ‘abandon ship’ call had been made. “Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring”.   As a further incentive to answer the door or phone, there was a vibrating pad that was placed under the mattress. For a quick thrill all you need to do is lie on the bed and get someone to call you.

Looking to our right, I could see that the accessible cabins three across from us on our deck and on deck 12, had the larger corner balcony; those being cabin numbers 11528 and 12526. However, all deck plans I have seen do not show them as such.  The corresponding cabins on Iona are 11514 and 12514.  Having previously viewed reviews of 12514, I thought it strange that they weren’t replicated on Arvia; now I know why, the deck plan is wrong.

A downside of this particular cabin was that one of the drains in the bathroom was blocked, causing flooding when the ship tilted towards port, and a stench, which was worse at night.  It took three attempts to rectify it, but there was still a smell right up to the day we disembarked.

Overall, the problems with the balcony door and drain aside, and the bed being too high, this was a perfect cabin for a wheelchair user.  

 

 

Club House

We spent most evenings in here and found it to be bigger and had a better layout than the Live Lounge on Britannia; the screens dotted around were advantageous.  The draught beer offerings were poor though, John Smiths or Birra Moretti; the latter being off for the whole of the cruise and replaced with Fosters.  I like Punk IPA, which was only sold in 330ml bottles in the Club House, at the extortionate price of £4.95. So, I would walk out of the venue and get it myself from the Sindhu bar, fifty feet or so along the deck, at £5.15 for a pint.

 

 

Crew

Almost all the crew we encountered were very hard working and customer focussed, particularly in the restaurants. Our waiting team in Zenith were excellent; even under the extreme pressure of the first formal night.

 

 

My Holiday & Bookings

In previous posts I have mentioned how I was able to book our MDR for each night a couple of weeks before we boarded; that was very advantageous. Once on board, My Holiday was very easy to use and we didn’t have the problems with connectivity as some others had said they experienced.  Occasionally, when it froze, a quick reboot would do the job.  I had it running on my phone and tablet; on the latter it worked perfectly all of the time. 

One thing that would have been useful, and something that I hope P&O consider in the future, is being able to book entertainment for everyone in your travelling party, not just those in your cabin.

 

 

Was it busy?

In my earlier post I wrote that the ship was at about 70% capacity.  A crew member confirmed there were just short of 4,500 guests onboard, which meant it was at about 86% capacity.  That said, it did not, apart from on the formal nights in the MDR, or when the Club House was full, feel that there were that many guests onboard.  Perhaps that was because there were a lot of open spaces.  Whenever we were in the Crow’s Nest it was only about three quarter’s full on an evening; when we were on Britannia last September, with a guest compliment of 2,400, it was full almost every time we were in there.

 

 

Launderettes

Although smaller than the ones on Britannia, with just two ironing boards in each, I found the machines much better, although not totally cruiser-proof.  There were a few times, when I was in there ironing a couple of things, that folk would need help with operating them. So, now I am retired, there may be a couple of openings for me: technical advisor in the launderettes on Arvia, or Iona (I’m not fussy), or guest speaker on the subject.

 

 

Moaning and rude guests

In another post I wrote about folk I could hear complaining about the most trivial things; lack of coasters on the tables in the bars and atriums being one thing.  For goodness sake!  And to those folk that I heard being rude towards crew members, try and remember that many of them get paid a pittance and work extremely long hours to serve you and all the other guests; they are not your personal slaves!  Also, I don’t know how some of them go on at home, but a please and thank you to someone serving you makes a big difference.

I’ve mentioned before about sun bed pouncers, and ‘reserving’ them at 6am with a towel and book.  If you are reading this post, were on our cruise, and were one of those folk, I have three words for you... GET A LIFE!

 

 

Lifts

For most of the cruise, for each bank of lifts, forward, middle and aft, there were at least two out of service, occasionally three or four.  I don’t know the reason for that, but it made for some interesting moments.  As the carer of a disabled partner, when using lifts in shopping centres, hotels and the like, I have occasionally had to remind folk to make way for my wife or others with mobility issues, who should have priority.  Why is it then, that on a cruise ship I find myself having to do that tenfold?  What is it about clearly able-bodied folk who, once on a cruise ship, suddenly lose the ability to walk up or down a few flights of stairs?

This problem was worse when we had been in the Crow’s Nest or at Epicurean, and going one deck down for cake and a brew in Horizon.  I lost count of the number of folk coming from the smoking area on deck 18 and using the lift to go down two decks to Horizon. More than a couple of times, when the lift doors opened and we were greeted with vacant expressions, I had to ask if those that were able to do so, could walk down a couple of flights to allow those with mobility problems to get in.  Presumably, all that puffing on their cancer sticks had worn them out, poor things!

Talking of folk who are oblivious to wheelchair users, there was one occasion when we got in a lift and it was almost full; two guys then ran to the lift and got in as the doors were closing. The one behind my wife decided it was okay to hold on to the back of her wheelchair. I asked him not to do that; he lifted his hands to head height and let out a giggle, before putting both hands right back on her wheelchair, as if he thought I was joking.  I then sternly told him that I was not joking, and that my wife’s wheelchair was an extension of her body; his actions being akin to me standing behind him and putting my hands on his shoulders.  He then got the message.

 

Lessons for the future

When we booked this cruise, when it was first released about two years ago, we wanted something cheap for just after Christmas, and so just booked an inside cabin; after all, we would be crossing the Atlantic in January, and with the weather and expected sea conditions at that time of year, we wouldn’t need a balcony cabin.  How wrong we were!  The only rough sea we experienced was when crossing the Bay of Biscay.  After Tenerife, I could not believe the conditions for the next six days as we crossed the Atlantic; about 22°C every day from morning until evening, mostly bright sunshine on the port side, and smooth sea conditions. That’s when our upgraded balcony cabin on the port side came into its own.  So, when we do the reverse repositioning cruise in March next year, we will leave the woollies and jackets at home; more room for duty free.

We will try and book more speciality restaurants before we board next time.  Yes, they technically don’t cost anything if you use OBC for them once on board but, at £24 for Epicurean when booked ahead as opposed to £30 when on board, and the 20% discount for the à la carte restaurants, it’s a no-brainer.  The OBC can go on booze and duty free.

One thing I won’t be doing on our next cruise on Arvia is the Altitude Skywalk.  I’m not great with heights but wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I cajoled my sister, ten years my senior, into doing with me.  Once up there, I had second thoughts but persevered; I even ‘walked the plank’ and rang the bell.  If my 64yr old sister could do it, albeit very cautiously, I was not going to chicken out.  I put on a brave face for her even though, in reality, I was shaking like a shi**ing dog!   

 

 

If anyone has any questions, ask away...

Another great review. Many thanks. As a fellow husband of a full time wheelchair user, I completely relate to your frustrations about lifts on cruise ships, but you need to brace yourself for ‘incoming’. Whenever anybody raises this they are usually inundated with comments about ‘hidden disabilities’ and lifts being there for everyone. You have been warned 😉 

[Goosebear Mum]

46 minutes ago, TigerB said:

As an additional aide for hearing and visually impaired guests, when someone pressed the doorbell or phoned the cabin, a strobe light would illuminate the cabin, and a claxon would sound.  If you didn’t know otherwise you would think the ‘abandon ship’ call had been made. “Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring”.   As a further incentive to answer the door or phone, there was a vibrating pad that was placed under the mattress. For a quick thrill all you need to do is lie on the bed and get someone to call you.

 

Great review, and laughed out loud at the “vibrating bed pad” 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Goosebear Mum

[sandancer]

3 hours ago, Aarrmuch said:

Hi Elaine long time since our ships crossed. Kay and I did the crossing on Arvia last month we thought our standard cabin was has good as any in the past. We have booked again to the med in October.

Well hello you two. We are looking forward to the TA, we have done lots of them since our NCL days. Glad you were happy with the cabin. Our last cruise was in November on Enchanted Princess and we loved the cabin. We are on Azura in October, Malta to Tenerife. We know it’s an older ship but we like the itinerary. 

[TigerB]

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Interesting assessment.  When you check your audience how do you know who's who?  I spent 10 years pushing my disabled mother around in her wheelchair and agree there are many ignorant people around. However I live with a perfectly sound looking man who can walk and swim for miles who just one flight of stairs can make him fit from collapse due to his myocardial bridge, fibromyalgia and other conditions.  Looking at him unless its a chronic day when he's forced to use his stick you'd never know.  So apart from embarrassing himself by discussing his medical condition how should he handle his lift use?

Sorry, perhaps I chose my words poorly, and didn't mean to cause any offence. Of course, I don't call anyone out. Let me rephrase...

 

If we are going down a couple of decks, to disembark for example, and the lift doors repeatedly open and it is full of people, after the second or third attempt I may address the occupants of the lift and ask, if anyone is able to do so, they may wish to use the stairs for the last couple of decks. That is addressing everyone and is not singling out any one person, able-bodied or not. 

 

I refer you also to my previous post, when I write about some people running about ten feet, trying to get into the lift ahead of a wheelchair user. That has happened many times whilst on a cruise.

[indiana123]

I'm a bit confused as I have never encountered the rudeness to disabled people as mentioned.  I have only found politeness and kindness and a lot of laughs on my cruises.  Now I've tempted fate!!!

[TigerB]

2 hours ago, indiana123 said:

I'm a bit confused as I have never encountered the rudeness to disabled people as mentioned.  I have only found politeness and kindness and a lot of laughs on my cruises.  Now I've tempted fate!!!

You appear to have misinterpreted what I have written. At no time have I said that anyone was rude directly towards my wife or other disabled folk. In fact, in the many years that my wife has been a wheelchair user, we have never experienced rudeness directly targeted towards her or any direct and blatant discrimination from an individual. Indirect discrimination from organisations and service providers is a different matter.

We have though experienced many situations where folk have been oblivious to, or even shown indifference to the needs of my wife. That is not borne out of rudeness, but more a lack of understanding or awareness, or being unfamiliar with such an encounter. An example of that is if we are in a shop and have an interaction with an assistant; the individual may engage with me rather than my wife or, if my wife asks a question they may answer me and not her. My wife would normally deal with a situation like that by saying that her legs don't work, but her mouth and ears work perfectly well. Over the years, as disability awareness training is taken more seriously by organisations, it happens less frequently, but it still happens with members of the public.

When I write about folk sometimes being ignorant of obviously disabled persons when entering lifts, that is something that has always happened; I just posed the question why it appears to be more prevalent on cruise ships.

 

Before my wife became a wheelchair user I was, through my job, somewhat aware of the needs of disabled persons, but actually living as a carer for a disabled person and wheelchair user has really opened my eyes, and made me assess every situation as to how it would affect my wife. Sometimes, as has been the case at lifts, I have had to be vocal in order to make others aware of their surroundings; if, by doing so, I have embarrassed folk then so be it, but I would hope that I have also educated them and provided them with more of an awareness of their surroundings and the needs of disabled folk.

[indiana123]

Apologies to you for misunderstanding.

 

But I must say that I had heard (not from Cruise Critic, but in other places), how rude people can be, but I have  so far not encountered this. I expect it will happen.  

 

You saying about sometimes things have been referred to you over your Wife's head.. well OH and I went to a Hospital X-Ray Department.  He walked away from me and  went to reception and stated V.... C.... here for her appointment in X-ray.   I am afraid I was so taken aback my voice was louder than intended when I said "Excuse me.. it's my legs that don't work not my brain".  I couldn't take the words back as everyone looked at me but we have laughed a lot about it since.  

[Megabear2]

13 hours ago, TigerB said:

Sorry, perhaps I chose my words poorly, and didn't mean to cause any offence. Of course, I don't call anyone out. Let me rephrase...

 

If we are going down a couple of decks, to disembark for example, and the lift doors repeatedly open and it is full of people, after the second or third attempt I may address the occupants of the lift and ask, if anyone is able to do so, they may wish to use the stairs for the last couple of decks. That is addressing everyone and is not singling out any one person, able-bodied or not. 

 

I refer you also to my previous post, when I write about some people running about ten feet, trying to get into the lift ahead of a wheelchair user. That has happened many times whilst on a cruise.

No need to apologise, I wasn't in any way offended.  My point was that having been on both ends of the disabled conundrum with a wheelchair user and a hidden disabilities person it really isn't black and white.  I'd guess on your latest cruise the out of order lifts exacerbated the problem too.

 

You are totally correct about people's attitude to the disabled but unfortunately the ignorant and rude are just that.  I have to say truthfully although people were thoughtless with my mother on the whole because they could see the wheelchair they would become embarrassed and give her room or apologise.  With my husband however it's a whole different story.  He receives glares, gets ignored when asking if there's room if a wheelchair is in occupation and told vociferously on one memorable occasion on Azura there's stairs over there mate.  

 

The worst occasion was when he had to rush to use the lavatory and went in the disabled one - there are very embarrassing side effects to his medication.  On exiting he was confronted by an irate guest in a wheelchair who proceeded to shout at him he should be ashamed of himself for going in there and how he should be reported.  End of our evening out and no trip to the theatre as he was devastated.

 

The public on cruise ships unfortunately believe they have "rights" and also many are of an age where they believe that alone gives them a total right to ride while others wait or walk.  Unfortunately we have become a somewhat selfish nation over these things.

[TigerB]

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

No need to apologise, I wasn't in any way offended.  My point was that having been on both ends of the disabled conundrum with a wheelchair user and a hidden disabilities person it really isn't black and white.  I'd guess on your latest cruise the out of order lifts exacerbated the problem too.

 

You are totally correct about people's attitude to the disabled but unfortunately the ignorant and rude are just that.  I have to say truthfully although people were thoughtless with my mother on the whole because they could see the wheelchair they would become embarrassed and give her room or apologise.  With my husband however it's a whole different story.  He receives glares, gets ignored when asking if there's room if a wheelchair is in occupation and told vociferously on one memorable occasion on Azura there's stairs over there mate.  

 

The worst occasion was when he had to rush to use the lavatory and went in the disabled one - there are very embarrassing side effects to his medication.  On exiting he was confronted by an irate guest in a wheelchair who proceeded to shout at him he should be ashamed of himself for going in there and how he should be reported.  End of our evening out and no trip to the theatre as he was devastated.

 

The public on cruise ships unfortunately believe they have "rights" and also many are of an age where they believe that alone gives them a total right to ride while others wait or walk.  Unfortunately we have become a somewhat selfish nation over these things.

Thanks for your understanding; yes, I totally agree with all you say.

Our daughter has hidden disabilities, as does my niece; with the latter those include fibromyalgia. And yes, both have been 'called out' in certain situations, both by able-bodied folk and those with obviously physical disabilities. So, I know exactly what you mean.

Even my wife and have been the subject of glares, mainly from elderly people, when we pull into a disabled parking bay; they would see two people in their fifties and probably think that we weren't entitled to park in such a bay.  On one occasion in Tesco car park at the back end of last year, an elderly fella actually got out of his car and stood alongside it, staring at our dashboard, no doubt waiting for the the blue badge to go on. Her blue badge is in a metal frame through which a cycle lock is inserted, and that in turn is used to secure her wheelchair in the boot.  On seeing this fella, my wife and I chatted for a couple of minutes before I nonchalantly walked to the back of the car, unlocked my wife's wheelchair, and helped her into it, as I wished him a good morning; no response! He was still stood there until I actually put the blue badge on the dashboard. Cruel of us I know, but fun all the same!😉

[Megabear2]

10 minutes ago, TigerB said:

Thanks for your understanding; yes, I totally agree with all you say.

Our daughter has hidden disabilities, as does my niece; with the latter those include fibromyalgia. And yes, both have been 'called out' in certain situations, both by able-bodied folk and those with obviously physical disabilities. So, I know exactly what you mean.

Even my wife and have been the subject of glares, mainly from elderly people, when we pull into a disabled parking bay; they would see two people in their fifties and probably think that we weren't entitled to park in such a bay.  On one occasion in Tesco car park at the back end of last year, an elderly fella actually got out of his car and stood alongside it, staring at our dashboard, no doubt waiting for the the blue badge to go on. Her blue badge is in a metal frame through which a cycle lock is inserted, and that in turn is used to secure her wheelchair in the boot.  On seeing this fella, my wife and I chatted for a couple of minutes before I nonchalantly walked to the back of the car, unlocked my wife's wheelchair, and helped her into it, as I wished him a good morning; no response! He was still stood there until I actually put the blue badge on the dashboard. Cruel of us I know, but fun all the same!😉

It's great to be cruel sometimes! On supermarkets I get very vexed by mother and child spaces when there are none for limited mobility rather than disability.  In Waitrose one day I had my mother in law with me who was awaiting a hip replacement and as a result in severe difficulty walking.  I pulled into to a mother and child space as it was nearest to door.  You can't park here she said as an irate mother glared at us.  Oh yes I can I replied opening the door to the buggy bearing woman.  Pointing at my MIL i said very firmly "Mother" and then pointing to myself "child", i cant see any age restrictions can you so we're staying.  The 20 odd year old lady was gobsmacked and rapidly departed.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Megabear2

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It's great to be cruel sometimes! On supermarkets I get very vexed by mother and child spaces when there are none for limited mobility rather than disability.  In Waitrose one day I had my mother in law with me who was awaiting a hip replacement and as a result in severe difficulty walking.  I pulled into to a mother and child space as it was nearest to door.  You can't park here she said as an irate mother glared at us.  Oh yes I can I replied opening the door to the buggy bearing woman.  Pointing at my MIL i said very firmly "Mother" and then pointing to myself "child", i cant see any age restrictions can you so we're staying.  The 20 odd year old lady was gobsmacked and rapidly departed.

Sometimes.  ....I  went to our management meeting and had words with the boss privately......I've changed the agenda around a bit. After the minutes, we will do John's bit as he needs to leave early. Our obnoxious Operations manager quipped ' nice of him to bother turning up at all.'.. John needs to get away as his dad died last night. I felt really guilty grinning all the way up to London.