Live On Board Arvia K316

[SarahHben]

On 8/10/2023 at 2:20 PM, DamianG said:

Our dinner table for 7 & the disappointing main course.

 

 

We had the same main course on Ventura and it looked quite different, we both enjoyed it but ours did look more appetising to be fair.

I didn't get a chance to read your blog when I was away so I'm reading it all today, really enjoying it 😊

[SarahHben]

On 8/15/2023 at 7:26 AM, DamianG said:

Just after midnight & according to the TV information screen it was still 27 degrees. We’ve never seen a weather warning like this before either. 
 

Our deputy captain made the same announcements on our Ventura trip. There were quite a few sun burnt passengers.

[SarahHben]

On 8/17/2023 at 5:36 PM, DamianG said:

Farewell Cadiz, our last port but always our favourite. 
 

 

 

 

We really enjoyed Cadiz too. We're very happy that Cadiiz is on our 2025 itinerary, and after reading what I've read so far, I'm quite glad we picked Britannia not the Arvia cruise when we we choosing 😂

[SarahHben]

A great blog as always Damian, thank you so much. When is your next cruise? 

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, SarahHben said:

A great blog as always Damian, thank you so much. When is your next cruise? 

MSC Virtuosa next July, our first non-P&O cruise since 2003. Back to a standard balcony cabin but with premium drinks package included and significantly cheaper than P&O for a similar itinerary as this year plus 2 more ports.

 

After much negotiation MSC have also matched our P&O loyalty status straight away despite this being our first voyage with them. 
 

We’re already excited and are lapping up any YouTube videos about the ship that we can find. 
 

 

[DamianG]

4 hours ago, SarahHben said:

We really enjoyed Cadiz too. We're very happy that Cadiiz is on our 2025 itinerary, and after reading what I've read so far, I'm quite glad we picked Britannia not the Arvia cruise when we we choosing 😂

We love Cadiz and would love to have a land based holiday there one day. It doesn’t appear to be too easy to get there from the UK but that is probably why it isn’t swamped with tourists and is therefore even more appealing. 

[nellydean]

Welcome home DamianG, I have only just finished the thread (excellent), what with a sick dog to tend, a trip to visit family - and Covid!

 

We are sailing on Ventura soon, but we are on Arvia next March, and I wondered if it was possible to tell me what sort of prices are charged by the paid-for restaurants, as you seem to have used them a fair bit? Failing that, can anyone point me in the right direction where I can get a prices list.

 

It's been five years since we last cruised, and speciality dining appears to have increased greatly. In all the cruises we've been doing since 1999, I can't recall ever using one of them! But, seeing as the free dining venues seem to have shrunk considerably in number, I wanted to get an idea of how much extra to budget for on our forthcoming cruises. We do have some onboard credit for both.

 

We are just going to wander around Ventura and see where we can get in to eat, but I'd like to be a bit more organised for Arvia.

 

Glad you had a safe trip home.

 

Helen

 

 

[Helenk1234]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

MSC Virtuosa next July, our first non-P&O cruise since 2003. Back to a standard balcony cabin but with premium drinks package included and significantly cheaper than P&O for a similar itinerary as this year plus 2 more ports.

 

After much negotiation MSC have also matched our P&O loyalty status straight away despite this being our first voyage with them. 
 

We’re already excited and are lapping up any YouTube videos about the ship that we can find. 
 

 

We found the MSC drinks package to be far superior to P&O.

[DamianG]

52 minutes ago, nellydean said:

Welcome home DamianG, I have only just finished the thread (excellent), what with a sick dog to tend, a trip to visit family - and Covid!

 

We are sailing on Ventura soon, but we are on Arvia next March, and I wondered if it was possible to tell me what sort of prices are charged by the paid-for restaurants, as you seem to have used them a fair bit? Failing that, can anyone point me in the right direction where I can get a prices list.

 

It's been five years since we last cruised, and speciality dining appears to have increased greatly. In all the cruises we've been doing since 1999, I can't recall ever using one of them! But, seeing as the free dining venues seem to have shrunk considerably in number, I wanted to get an idea of how much extra to budget for on our forthcoming cruises. We do have some onboard credit for both.

 

We are just going to wander around Ventura and see where we can get in to eat, but I'd like to be a bit more organised for Arvia.

 

Glad you had a safe trip home.

 

Helen

Thanks Helen, we didn’t actually use any of the restaurants where you need to pay a supplement so I’ve no information on prices unfortunately. I’m sure that someone in here will have a better idea though. 
 

Enjoy your cruises, I’m sure they’ll be worth the wait!

 

Damian

Edited August 25, 2023 by DamianG

[SarahHben]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

MSC Virtuosa next July, our first non-P&O cruise since 2003. Back to a standard balcony cabin but with premium drinks package included and significantly cheaper than P&O for a similar itinerary as this year plus 2 more ports.

 

After much negotiation MSC have also matched our P&O loyalty status straight away despite this being our first voyage with them. 
 

We’re already excited and are lapping up any YouTube videos about the ship that we can find. 
 

 

There’s a couple on YouTube called One Couples Adventure, I think they’ve been on Virtuosa & vlogged it.

The planning is almost as good as the cruise…almost 😊

[showingdiva]

4 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

There’s a couple on YouTube called One Couples Adventure, I think they’ve been on Virtuosa & vlogged it.

The planning is almost as good as the cruise…almost 😊

 

I love their posts.   Very down to earth couple.   They've been on Virtuosa a couple of times.  In keeping with this being on a P&O thread, they've also reviewed Iona, Britannia and currently Arvia.

[TigerB]

2 hours ago, nellydean said:

We are sailing on Ventura soon, but we are on Arvia next March, and I wondered if it was possible to tell me what sort of prices are charged by the paid-for restaurants, as you seem to have used them a fair bit? Failing that, can anyone point me in the right direction where I can get a prices list.

 

Hi Helen,

We've sailed on Arvia twice and once on Iona, and have used the speciality restaurants on both. Not all of them are available to book before you sail, so you won't necessarily be able to benefit from discounts for pre-booking.  

The prices for Arvia are:

 

Limelight Club:

It varies depending on the act, but could be anything between about £28 to £35 if booked onboard.

If booked through the Cruise Planner you get a 20% discount.

 

Epicurean:

Onboard price: £30

Through Cruise Planner: £24 (20% discount)

 

Sindhu:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish.  Three courses plus drinks for a party of two will probably set you back between £40 and £50.

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Green & Co / Mizuhana:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish. 

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Beach House:

Onboard: £9.50 for three courses. There are several dishes that have a supplement.

Through Cruise Planner: £7.50.  You will then save a further 20% on the supplements when you eat.

NB. Beach House has not been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner when we have sailed on Arvia, but it has been recently on Iona.

 

Glass House and Keel & Cow:

These have never been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner.

They are both al a carte restaurants.

 

NB. When you pre-book through the Cruise Planner, as well as the 20% discount or the deposit, you can also apply Peninsular discount.

 

There are plenty of examples of sample menus online.

 

Enjoy your planning🙂

[DamianG]

13 hours ago, SarahHben said:

There’s a couple on YouTube called One Couples Adventure, I think they’ve been on Virtuosa & vlogged it.

The planning is almost as good as the cruise…almost 😊

 

Yes, we've watched a few of their YouTube vlogs. Another favourite of ours is Travel Blog Jamie, always fun and informative.

 

I'm hoping we may see a YouTube video or two from Rich & Sarah? 😉

 

[nellydean]

16 hours ago, DamianG said:

Thanks Helen, we didn’t actually use any of the restaurants where you need to pay a supplement so I’ve no information on prices unfortunately. I’m sure that someone in here will have a better idea though. 
 

Enjoy your cruises, I’m sure they’ll be worth the wait!

 

Damian

My apologies for the misunderstanding - I blame the brain fog on the Covid!

[nellydean]

14 hours ago, TigerB said:

 

Hi Helen,

We've sailed on Arvia twice and once on Iona, and have used the speciality restaurants on both. Not all of them are available to book before you sail, so you won't necessarily be able to benefit from discounts for pre-booking.  

The prices for Arvia are:

 

Limelight Club:

It varies depending on the act, but could be anything between about £28 to £35 if booked onboard.

If booked through the Cruise Planner you get a 20% discount.

 

Epicurean:

Onboard price: £30

Through Cruise Planner: £24 (20% discount)

 

Sindhu:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish.  Three courses plus drinks for a party of two will probably set you back between £40 and £50.

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Green & Co / Mizuhana:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish. 

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Beach House:

Onboard: £9.50 for three courses. There are several dishes that have a supplement.

Through Cruise Planner: £7.50.  You will then save a further 20% on the supplements when you eat.

NB. Beach House has not been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner when we have sailed on Arvia, but it has been recently on Iona.

 

Glass House and Keel & Cow:

These have never been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner.

They are both al a carte restaurants.

 

NB. When you pre-book through the Cruise Planner, as well as the 20% discount or the deposit, you can also apply Peninsular discount.

 

There are plenty of examples of sample menus online.

 

Enjoy your planning🙂

Thank you so much, this is brilliant information. Coincidentally, speciality dining has just opened up for our Ventura cruise, so I could see some of those prices - for now we have just booked Epicurean for our anniversary. Many thanks again. Much appreciated.

Helen

[DamianG]

2 hours ago, nellydean said:

My apologies for the misunderstanding - I blame the brain fog on the Covid!

 

No apology necessary, glad you got a great reply from @TigerB

[SarahHben]

5 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

Yes, we've watched a few of their YouTube vlogs. Another favourite of ours is Travel Blog Jamie, always fun and informative.

 

I'm hoping we may see a YouTube video or two from Rich & Sarah? 😉

 

I would imagine there will be a couple worked on once Rich is well again 😊

I watch Travel Blog Jamie too, very good.

Edited August 26, 2023 by SarahHben

[Rupert2251]

19 hours ago, showingdiva said:

 

I love their posts.   Very down to earth couple.   They've been on Virtuosa a couple of times.  In keeping with this being on a P&O thread, they've also reviewed Iona, Britannia and currently Arvia.

Love these two. A very open and honest couple, they make it so interesting and I don't know where they put all that food! If anyone is going on Arvia soon watch their videos, very informative.

[Red Ray]

21 hours ago, TigerB said:

 

Hi Helen,

We've sailed on Arvia twice and once on Iona, and have used the speciality restaurants on both. Not all of them are available to book before you sail, so you won't necessarily be able to benefit from discounts for pre-booking.  

The prices for Arvia are:

 

Limelight Club:

It varies depending on the act, but could be anything between about £28 to £35 if booked onboard.

If booked through the Cruise Planner you get a 20% discount.

 

Epicurean:

Onboard price: £30

Through Cruise Planner: £24 (20% discount)

 

Sindhu:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish.  Three courses plus drinks for a party of two will probably set you back between £40 and £50.

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Green & Co / Mizuhana:

Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish. 

Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit.

 

Beach House:

Onboard: £9.50 for three courses. There are several dishes that have a supplement.

Through Cruise Planner: £7.50.  You will then save a further 20% on the supplements when you eat.

NB. Beach House has not been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner when we have sailed on Arvia, but it has been recently on Iona.

 

Glass House and Keel & Cow:

These have never been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner.

They are both al a carte restaurants.

 

NB. When you pre-book through the Cruise Planner, as well as the 20% discount or the deposit, you can also apply Peninsular discount.

 

There are plenty of examples of sample menus online.

 

Enjoy your planning🙂

We sail on Arvia in 8 days time and have pre-booked the Beach House for 1 evening meal.

[P&O SUE]

I’ve just caught up with the rest of your blog Damian, brilliant as always and hasn’t Kyle grown! Thought it was lovely how much time he spent with his Auntie.

 

Looking forward to your MSC vlog, my friend went on one this year and hated it but it was a 3 night cruise and had loads of parties onboard!

 

Re vloggers, I like Jamie too and Paul and Carole are very good as well.

[Presto2]

3 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I’ve just caught up with the rest of your blog Damian, brilliant as always and hasn’t Kyle grown! Thought it was lovely how much time he spent with his Auntie.

 

Looking forward to your MSC vlog, my friend went on one this year and hated it but it was a 3 night cruise and had loads of parties onboard!

 

Re vloggers, I like Jamie too and Paul and Carole are very good as well.

Morning. We used to like watching Colin and Carol Davies .. so funny. 

[P&O SUE]

Just now, Presto2 said:

Morning. We used to like watching Colin and Carol Davies .. so funny. 

They are new to me! I’m going to look up the others recommended on the page before, I do like a YT video now I can watch them on my tv! 😃

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, P&O SUE said:

They are new to me! I’m going to look up the others recommended on the page before, I do like a YT video now I can watch them on my tv! 😃

Not sure if they've posted lately. They did a few for PO and Marella. Just love watching him.. his wife always looks like she's putting up with a naughty child!

[Rupert2251]

18 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

They are new to me! I’m going to look up the others recommended on the page before, I do like a YT video now I can watch them on my tv! 😃

Sue you need One Couples Adventure. They are very good!

[P&O SUE]

9 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

Sue you need One Couples Adventure. They are very good!

I will look them up later!