When are the capacity levels on Iona and Arvia likely to be the lowest.

[smokey01]

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Two freedom, one traditional.  The app is in play but we reserved same table same waiters every night in freedom as the app wouldn't load on our phone. We eat early between 6.00pm and 6.30pm.  If we didn't appear within 10 minutes or so we might lose that particular window table but they put us in the same area with same group of waiters.  We had absolutely no problems with any dining or entertainment. I'm aware there was a mess on Christmas Day when they turned the whole three restaurants over to two sittings for dinner.  We didn't get involved as we ate in Epicurean which is a lovely way to spend Christmas Day.

Thanks, we like to eat at 8pm or 8.30pm traditional. We are currently down for anytime dining July 2024 but I might see if we can get a confirmed late sitting. Are you still able to do that I.e. check whether there is availability before changing preference, one thing I defo don’t want is early sitting.

[Megabear2]

14 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

Thanks, we like to eat at 8pm or 8.30pm traditional. We are currently down for anytime dining July 2024 but I might see if we can get a confirmed late sitting. Are you still able to do that I.e. check whether there is availability before changing preference, one thing I defo don’t want is early sitting.

Lots did change. I see no reason why not. Early seemed far more popular.

[hamrag]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:04 AM, GOQ said:

....my original question, when might be the most likely dates/ itineraries where these ships are at their lowest capacity.

 

On ships geared up for families, always during term time when children should be at school. 👍

[Cloudyrain]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:04 AM, GOQ said:

On the negative:

 

The venues/facilities on Iona/Arvia are undersized for the amount of passengers. If you need to embark/disembark 5200+ passengers via two gangways you are always going to get delays/congestion.

On one occasion it took me over an hour to disembark Iona.

 

On my last Arvia cruise the headliners show was spread across 2 nights, that’s 6 shows to accommodate the demand. Arvia has experienced MDR queuing problems, it seems, because they have removed the 2 smaller MDRs. They have also removed one of the 4 cinema rooms.

 

The cruise experience on the same ship will vary between cruises, so you can’t really take one cruise report as typical. If there is a problem on Iona/Arvia, because of the size, it will probably escalate more rapidly than the smaller ships.

 

During a cruise on Arcadia there was problem with the shuttles at Tromso, I went to disembark and the queue was up the stairs over 2 decks. So I went away and had a snooze, I came back an hour later and the queue had virtually disappeared. A crew member spotted me on a walking stick and put me in a minibus with the wheelchairs. So my opinion went from this is horrible to this is great in an hour.

Get a problem with the shuttles on Arvia and you seem to get the problems that Megabear2 has experienced.

 

On the positive:

 

Iona/Arvia are new squeaky clean modern ships, balconies in particular are much cheaper than balconies on the smaller ships. And I think the cabins and bathrooms are really nice and there is a greater choice of activities, places to eat etc. They are good value.

 

On Britannia the app stopped working several times but I didn’t have any problems with the app on Arvia, the only thing which would happen would be that I could easily loose the wifi connection and miss the “Table Ready” notification. So I regularly checked my connection.

 

All the ships have some sort of problem occur during a cruise its just luck.

 

For me:

 

I personally don’t like crowds, but unless I pay 4 times P&O prices it is something I will have to deal with. My strategy on all ships these days is to work out where and at what times everybody else is going and go somewhere else.

 

I would cruise on Iona/Arvia again if the itinerary/price was attractive and if I could believe the ship wouldn’t be at full capacity. Hence my original question, when might be the most likely dates/ itineraries where these ships are at their lowest capacity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always found lowest capacity in the Med to be be last week in September to the first in October: we have been lucky with weather then too. If you go towards mid-October you often get some extra families who take advantage of earlier half term breaks, or add a week on before half term so it can be busier. 
 

For the Canaries November (and some good deals too) but that’s also the time I have had the worst weather/seas, and the most missed ports!

[nellydean]

On 5/25/2023 at 5:41 AM, Interestedcruisefan said:

Why on earth are people still arriving at the theatre before 8pm for it to open the doors for a theatre show  that doesnt start  til 8.30pm ?

 

If they are - I have absolutely zero time for anybody saying this is anything other than their choice and if there's a queue to actually do that then more fool them

 

I've arrived on Iona 6 minutes before the show and 9 minutes before the show so far. Ive faced a queue of 1 person and zero people doing so

 

The reason they are queuing at 8pm is because they CHOOSE to get their early to get a favourite seat?  When all the seats are good anyway?? 

 

More fool them. It's a habit us Brits have to get places earlier than they  need to on cruise ships and in life in general.

 

Unless they need a wheelchair seat (which is an entirely different debate of course) and I think something should be done about that and have said so before

 

Queuing for the Limelight  Club - again the  only reason it's potentially clashing with another queue is people choosing to get there early to queue for the best seats. 

 

If you don't want to queue then you have a reserved booking and there's no need to arrive early at Limelight. They won't be giving your tickets to someone else

 

Just arrive at 7.40pm ish rather than 7.15pm. Just something you learn from experience. Ive learnt that now. It's not til 9pm the main show starts. Everyone is dining as and when they arrive. The courses aren't served en masse to everyone

 

If you want to queue for better seats then it's not something to complain about when  you then have to stand in the queue. Not everyone can have front row seats

 

We changed plans last night because we enjoyed MDR so much and decided to switch a theatre booking til tomorrow so we could do MDR again last night

 

The first night VIRTUAL queue for MDR lasted 3 minutes. We joined a virtual queue at 7.40pm and were called at 7.43pm. 

 

Last night I joined the queue at 7.37pm and we were called at 7.51pm - once again ZERO people in either MDR queue when we arrived. And straight in.

 

It's so easy ?  People look for problems the vast majority of the time IMO

 

Once people have used the app it's actually so simple to use and get the hang of. It's a learning curve. But a very

easy learning curve.

 

I accept that the first time you get on a cruise people might need help to figure it out. The help is available. Go to a restaurant manager early or to guest services.

 

Despite the app - the very fact the MDRs still have 2 queues. One for people who can't or don't want to use the app and one for people who do shows that the ship actually do care about those who won't use tech to their advantage and have an answer for them and want to help them 

 

My first night on this cruise a woman was complaining outside the spa to my wife about having to book things on the app and she had never had to use an app on previous cruises - so I politely  asked her if she needed any help using it

 

Her reply was - no its ok I've sorted it all now!

 

Can't have been that bad after all. But shes a Brit and wanted something to natter about

 

We are just a nation of complainers in general. It's what we do.

 

Now genuine problems like unacceptable queues for shuttles or queues for Xmas day lunch or queues because the  app has failed I get and totally understand.

 

And improvement is needed.

 

But I've honestly not faced those issues myself yet on P and O.

 

And even on those cruises impacted. It's not every day.

 

Bad weather forcing everyone inside when they would rather be outside of course spoils every holiday everywhere in the world. Cruises and Hotels. Nothing we can really do when it happens. Makes us all miserable at times. Being stuck inside a hotel or a cruise ship when the weather is bad outside is plain miserable. But what can we do except grin and bear it? And wish for the sun.

 

I understand correctly the day I boarded people were complaining about delays in embarkation that I never remotely saw when I arrived. But even if they happened before I arrived weren't they caused by Motorway problems anyway?

 

There isn't a boarding problem at Southampton itself. They  have that system nailed. But let's not forget they've had to offer a special queue for early arrival Brits - who then have the nerve to complain about queuing ! Lol. Thats what we do. We arrive early. 

 

On my children's lives I can tell you I've cruised 3 times on P and O with the app in operation and it's never once been down that I'm aware of. And I look at it at least 2 or 3 times a day. Making plans and reminding me of plans.

 

Britannia, Arvia and Iona. Not once has the app failed for me. Not once. Ive racked my brain trying to think of problems I've faced with the app other than my own mistakes??

 

I read about the app failing elsewhere? I just must be lucky it's never happened on my cruises. But when it fails is it every day or occasionally? But that's all we hear about for that holiday?

 

I've never faced a queue of more than 30 seconds at Headliners theatre. Normally it's 10 seconds or zero seconds. Ive never not easily got a seat less than 10 minutes before the show started. Ive never seen the theatre entirely full. Since the app. Before the app I faced many issues and stresses getting to the theatre on a time and rushing meals and drinks I didnt want to rush. The app spreads the demand out so well. 

 

Always been at least a smattering of seats left near the front at the very start of the shows as well now for really late arrivals

 

That system works for Headliners simple as that.

 

Yesterday I spotted previously unheard of queues in The Quays as I said only to realise it's us Brits arriving before the Quays opened to queue for it to open!! Lol. It's what we do. Nothing had failed at The Quays. And the staff quickly cleared the queues when they opened.

 

I've spotted queues and been in one at the Limelight on the last cruise and now realise I have a choice to get there before it opens to queue for the best tables or arrive after the rest and sit at the back tables.

 

So I've now learnt I don't have to queue there again if I dont want to. But Britt being Brits even once they know they don't have to queue. Will choose to queue for the best seats. Simple as that. But that's a personal choice. 

 

I do need to pre-book early though because it's a great night with great food and sells out. I sat near to two elderly ladies in MDR last night raving about how good Gareth Gates was and the meal in Limelight was the best fillet steak they  have eaten in their entire lives and how it literally  melted in their mouths

 

Sunbeds I've been there, seen it, done it in the Caribbean. And all round the world. If you want prime sunbeds in prime spaces then yes get there early to get them or dont get them. Simple as that

 

If you don't get  prime then there are more sunbeds waiting in none prime places

 

That's the same pretty much everywhere in the world on and off cruise ships

 

You don't have to get up early though. Depends what your priorities are. For sunbeds my wife and I CHOOSE to get up early. We can't complain if we choose to do that. It's just the sunbed rule around the world

 

People pay significantly extra to reserve sunbeds at the Retreat and STILL choose to arrive early and queue to get the best ones in The Retreat - fact. Some CHOOSE to arrive and queue before it opens to get their favourite sunbeds even in The Retreat. 

 

People choose to book cruises early and then complain when last minute cruisers taking risks they won't get exactly the dates or flights or cabins they want get better deals than them

 

Again it's a choice people make. But it's a moan or complaint we make when we do

 

Tere's always something to complain about somewhere and there's always a physical queue you can put yourself into somewhere should you choose to on cruises, in hotels and everywhere in life tbh

 

This 7 night holiday on Iona with 5,317 passengers on board

 

The longest queue I've seen (apart from embarkation day  which was 35 mins start to finish)  is the queue to get on and off the ship each day at Port 

 

Maybe 60 to 90 seconds both ways ? 

 

People also wait for lifts. We are physically capable so we choose to use the stairs

 

Arvia 14 nights - only queue was Limelight on one night for 15 minutes. And my inexperienced mistake for being involved in it. Now I know better. 

 

Queues are a part of life. 95 per cent of the time you can choose to avoid them on P and O. Virtual queues on ships don't count IMO and are a brilliant way to allow you to avoid physical queues.  

 

Ps - if I bought duty free on ships (which I don't) I would somehow work out how to avoid queues to collect it. And if that was impossible (as it appears to be)  would re-assess if the reward was worth the queue to collect it in the future.

 

I've worked out why you NEVER seem to have a problem - you are the Captain! 😆