Live On Board Arvia K316

[DamianG]

I kept checking for availability in the 6th Street Diner all evening but unsurprisingly there was nothing. 
 

 

[grapau27]

On 8/7/2023 at 12:40 PM, DamianG said:

Sunday 6^th August

An extra early start to the day for us, we picked up the in-laws and set off just after 6:45am. On our approach to a break at Watford Gap services we started seeing warning signs that the A43 was closed to through traffic (MotoGP at Silverstone, who knew?) so we had a bit of a diversion through Buckingham but didn’t lose too much time, eventually arriving at Ocean Cruise Terminal at 11:52am. I dropped everyone off along with the luggage then drove on to meet Parking4Cruises. There were 2 cars being checked in before me, initially it looked like 3 but believe it or not a lady had driven her car to the wrong company parking space. As ever, as soon as I handed over the car keys the weight fell off my shoulders and I felt like I was truly on holiday.

 

Our allocated boarding time was 12pm and though our 13 year old son was given 2:45pm (as he is Atlantic Tier compared to our Caribbean status) there were no issues allowing him to board at the same time as us. There was a huge queue of passengers who had arrived before their allocated boarding time (almost stretching back the length of the taxi lane) but thankfully we bypassed this and were onboard at 12:20pm. The embarkation process was super quick and we were extremely grateful for our early embarkation time. We quickly checked in at our muster station in Zenith Restaurant then made our way to the upper tier and suite embarkation lunch in The Meridian. We have never seen such a busy embarkation lunch ever. It was really crowded with a queue to get in then a long line waiting for the self-serve buffet. I guess that the numbers are swollen by those in conservatory mini suites? The embarkation lunch often has mixed reviews but we enjoyed the chicken tikka masala curry and especially a few complimentary glasses of sparkling wine. Might as well start as you mean to go on.

 

There was no rush to leave so we took our time, eventually moving on around 1:50pm. We made our way up to deck 10 and as we helped the in-laws to find their cabin the “cabins available” announcement was made. We then moved on to our deluxe balcony cabin just a few doors down. It is a definitely an upgrade on cabin 14739 which we had on Iona last year (nothing wrong with that cabin at all by the way) and I’m certain we are going to appreciate the extra space in this one. Apparently there are 5800 passengers onboard (1200 under 18’s) so we may use our large balcony a lot more than usual.

 

We had the balcony door open and a few times we heard someone shout “Oy! Pack it in!” We guessed that this was in response to (presumably) kids throwing water over the edge of the infinity pool on Deck 16 aft onto the balconies below and later on we actually witnessed this ourselves.

 

There was a knock on the cabin door and Michelle went to answer. It was her mum and dad and the latter hesitated as he entered through the heavy door that Michelle was still holding. “Come on, are you in or out?” she said, at which point the lady in an electric wheelchair next door shouted “I’m doing my best!” Just bad timing and a misunderstanding as she was trying to leave her cabin at the same time but she laughed it off so no harm done. A little later another lady from the same cabin knocked on our door to ask if we had any power as nothing was working in their cabin. Michelle skilfully demonstrated how to place a card in the slot next to the door and hey presto, they had the wonder of electricity. Not long after at 3:30pm our first suitcase arrived.

 

All the while we were getting updates on their journey from my mum and sister who are joining us on a cruise for the first time ever. Unusually their coach left Leeds an hour later than normal (7:30am instead of the usual 6:30am) and the driver had been advised to wait at some nearby services before continuing the journey to the Ocean Terminal. They were finally onboard at 4:00pm having had 2 separate 90 minute stopovers in services just to ensure that the coach arrived at the terminal for its designated time slot (which apparently kept getting pushed back). Another knock on effect of huge ships with large capacities I guess? As much as it can be hard driving with a car load it still beats sitting around for hours on the coach for us (for now anyway). 4 adults, 1 teenager, 4 cases, 3 rucksacks, a rollator and a carrier bag of sweets made for a very heavy, fully rammed car but we got here safely, in good time, and believe it or not with no arguments or falling out. God bless Skoda.

 

By the way, this is mum’s first ever cruise, first time we’ve all sailed together (just missing sister’s partner), first two week holiday for us since 2019, and first time back in the Mediterranean since 2018. That’s enough firsts for now but there will be more to come as we sail along.

 

Our second suitcase arrived at 5:00pm and not long after everyone came to our cabin for the sail away. I always enjoy the sail down the Solent and having an aft cabin meant that we had the best of the views on both sides. We’d brought some prosecco and also had some complimentary champagne but yet again the mystery of extreme evaporation on the Solent was evidenced and before we knew it 2 bottles were empty. Not to worry though, after all we’ve been through as a family recently it was brilliant to have mum finally onboard with us and seemingly enjoying the whole experience.

 

We arranged to meet up in the Amber Lounge at 7:30pm with the idea being to book a dinner slot once everyone was there. We mistakenly thought that going to dinner a little later would work in our favour, and in any case we couldn’t pre-book a late slot on the My Holiday webpage anyway. Once everyone was there I was mortified to find that bookings were closed for Zenith, Meridian, The Olive Grove and the 6^th Street Diner. I walked to the Meridian and was directed to a lady who was taking bookings and distributing pagers. She booked us in and advised the wait would be around 40 minutes. She then wanted to demonstrate how to book via the webpage but I assured her that I was familiar with it all and that online bookings were closed hence my visit.

 

As we sat waiting there was a pianist playing in the Atrium followed by a trapeze act that we could see when they were low down but kept disappearing out of sight due to the ceiling blocking our view. Talented though they were it wouldn’t really have been my thing anyway.

 

We had an interminable wait and after an hour I got us all up to go to Meridian and see what was going on. As we walked down the crowded corridor (due to people just milling about and getting in the way, not queueing) the buzzer went off (typical) so we were finally seated at 9pm. The first course was served at 9:15pm and I had chicken croquets for a starter (which if I’d been doing a blind tasting would have thought were fish cakes). I had lamb for my main which was very good as was the pork loin which Michelle chose. The waiter did not ask us to choose desserts until we had finished the main courses and I finished with the tiniest portion of cheese and biscuits ever, though as it was after 10pm by then that probably wasn’t a bad thing. Just as we were leaving a baby started crying and screaming in the restaurant so we were lucky with our timing.

 

After dinner we returned to the Amber lounge and saw 2 Spanish ladies putting on a performance titled “A Taste of Spain”. One played the guitar and the other demonstrated Flamenco dancing. It looked very good from a distance and they got a good reception from those sat near, however I can’t help but feel that the performance was probably lost on a lot of the other passengers in the Atrium. Whilst sat there we were never approached by any waiter for drinks orders but none of us were bothered anyway so only our tea wallah son had a drink from Vistas. We called it a day around 11pm.

Following along.

I hope you are all having a wonderful time.

[Beckett]

@DamianG: A mixed day then Damian? I am so enjoying your travelogue. You are such a descriptive writer that I feel I'm experiencing the cruise with you all. Thanks for taking the time to share and for making your posts the first thing to read every day. Best wishes. Jane xx

[Caullkhead]

Enjoying your cruise log, thank you for taking us along with you! 

[Camberley]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Crikey, it looks like the sort of plate that would torment retirement home residents. Horrific. Even plates that filk make up at the buffet can look more appetising than this. I am having scary flash-forwards!

Edited August 11, 2023 by Camberley

[TigerB]

Thanks for the update.👍

 

It's a pity about the 6th Street Diner.  It's probably the amount of families onboard with kids. Keep persevering; the evening selections aren't that bad.

Just a thought, with you being late attendees for breakfast, why not try the 6th Street Diner for a change; they open at 10:00.

 

 

Can you help me out with something? The past couple of nights I've had trouble getting off to sleep. If you could post again about using the launderette, that would be great; this time with more detail about the washing and drying cycles, your rationale for your selection, and the quantity of detergent and conditioner. That should do the trick!🤭😴

[Windsurfboy]

Do you think your dining booking problems are due to party size or is it a more general issue

 

PS my wife ,who I nickname widow twanky would love the article on laundrette  

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Do you think your dining booking problems are due to party size or is it a more general issue

 

PS my wife ,who I nickname widow twanky would love the article on laundrette  

 

I don't think so, every evening when we look after 7pm the online booking system for each MDR is not available (i.e., they shut it down to guests as @Selbourne suggested). We never even get as far as being able to choose how many guests we are trying to book it for.

 

Once you have been to book at any MDR reception and are given a pager you can see the virtual queue countdown and booking on the My Holiday webpage.

 

I don't understand the message on the screenshot I posted as it is quoting no booking available for a party of my size even though I hadn't got to a stage where you enter any details.

[Barbadossunshine]

Thanks for your posts, enjoying reading them. On Arvia in November this year for the Caribbean. 

[zap99]

6 hours ago, Camberley said:

Crikey, it looks like the sort of plate that would torment retirement home residents. Horrific. Even plates that filk make up at the buffet can look more appetising than this. I am having scary flash-forwards!

Looks fine to this filk.🤣

[DamianG]

Well we are in the queue for 6th Street Diner but only after a lot of persuasion with the venue receptionist. More tomorrow. 
 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by DamianG

[TigerB]

11 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Well we are in the queue for 6th Street Diner but only after a lot of persuasion with the venue receptionist. More tomorrow. 
 

 

 

Well done👍

Did you tell in full graphic detail about your laundry regime, until they threw in the towel?🤭

[Megabear2]

24 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Well we are in the queue for 6th Street Diner but only after a lot of persuasion with the venue receptionist. More tomorrow. 
 

 

Hope you enjoy it.  The cocktails are very unique and worth ago, the candy floss one was delicious.

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Well we are in the queue for 6th Street Diner but only after a lot of persuasion with the venue receptionist. More tomorrow. 
 

 

Hope you have a lovely evening! Really enjoying your blog, thank you for sharing it with us.

[CarlaMarie]

10 hours ago, Camberley said:

Crikey, it looks like the sort of plate that would torment retirement home residents. Horrific. Even plates that filk make up at the buffet can look more appetising than this. I am having scary flash-forwards!

 

I am amazed it was allowed to be sent out looking like that. 

[DamianG]

11^th August Friyay

 

We were up early again but Kyle didn’t come round quickly enough for us to book breakfast via the My Holiday webpage. We went down to Meridian and though we felt a bit cheeky arriving at 9:24am (close to 9:30am last admissions) there were plenty who arrived after us. We’d already seen the hordes heading ashore and our plan was to go a little later when we hoped that the shuttle bus services would be less stretched. As we were finishing the waiting staff seemed to be rushing round even more than usual then there was an announcement of a full crew exercise drill so no wonder.

 

Our cabin hadn’t been made up so we went for a walk around the ship. We saw the ginormous queue for shuttle buses and there was an announcement asking passengers to remain on board for the time being if possible so that there were less crowds quayside. We enjoyed walking round the ship when it was a little quieter and went all the way up to deck 17 forward to look in the Crow’s Nest and Epicurean. It also occurred to us that our cabin wouldn’t be made up until later anyway so we returned and spent some time there before getting ready for our day ashore.

 

We’d already planned to visit Oceanografic despite having been there a couple of times before. Previously we’d made our own way there so the fact that shuttle buses now drop passengers off nearby was a bonus for us. It was clearly stated in the Horizon newsletter and announced by the Captain but my sister reported back that on their shuttle bus some passengers still thought that they might get dropped off nearer to the old town. P&O claim that it is “just” a 30 minute walk to the old town from the City of Arts and Sciences drop off point but I guess it depends how fast you walk and the majority of vlogs we’ve watched suggest that it’s nearer 40 minutes for the average walker.

 

We got off the ship at 11:40am, were straight on a shuttle bus and were joined mostly by crew. There were 13 buses parked up so our driver didn’t bother filling up and we set off within 5 minutes. It was only a 15 minute drive and we were dropped off at 12:05pm. I’d prebooked tickets for admission at 12:30pm and one thing we didn’t consider was that we would be going out in the midday sun. I looked at one of those advertising boards with a temperature display and it stated 33 degrees! It was only a 10 minute walk to Oceanografic and we were sweating in no time with Kyle in particular grumbling a lot.

 

I wasn’t sure if we would have to wait until 12:30pm to get in so we hesitated a bit but saw that one ticket checker was free so we approached her and she just scanned our tickets without question. We made our way to some of the subterranean exhibits which we thought would be cooler (thankfully they were) but after 30 minutes or so Kyle looked completely fed up and just wanted to sit down for a rest (which is not like him). Although it’s quite expensive (€115.50 for 3 of us) it is a really good aquarium but I was starting to think that the day might be a write-off. We got him moving again and found a very good canteen where a large ice cream and 3 bottles of water cost just over €7. Imagine that in a UK zoo or aquarium, the water alone would circa £3 a bottle. Kyle perked up a bit and the timing was just right as the next dolphin display was due. Big crowds were heading into a mini arena and we got in just in time before they stopped any further admissions. We stood at the back but had a great view and really enjoyed the display. For me, it rescued the day. We had the obligatory stop in the onsite shop and left the complex around 2:20pm.

 

I had wanted to go to the shopping mall over the road but Kyle was adamant that we were going back to the ship. We easily got a shuttle bus back very quickly, but were unlucky with the security checks as we were directed to the slow moving line (instead of the quicker one where passengers who were a long way behind us in the queue breezed past us). The security checks took longer than the journey back. Once we were back in the cabin Kyle locked himself in the bathroom and had a shower for about 40 minutes.

 

By now we were getting annoyed with him as we still hadn’t eaten and we eventually made it to the Quays at 4:30pm. Kyle wanted Katsu curry again and some bread rolls but they didn’t have the latter so I made the trek up to the buffet on deck 16. It was incredibly busy and I didn’t enjoy the experience one bit. From what I could see one half of Horizon was closed to get it ready for later so everyone was crowded on the other side. There was a curry option, roast beef dinner and afternoon tea items so a real mixed bag of choices with passengers all over the place. I managed to grab some bread rolls (with a grabber I might add – unlike anyone else I saw) and some butter then got myself out of there tout suite.

 

When I returned to the Quays Kyle had his curry and Michelle had got fish and chips. I was conscious of the time and didn’t want to eat too much so I ended up with 6 bowls of salad, one of each variety available. That was a real mixed bag too, from German potato salad to some kind of Norwegian salad (can’t remember the name) and some Asian noodles with tofu (never again). After that lot I was still hungry so ended up having 2 desserts, apple pie (Michelle’s suggestion) and chocolate fudge cake. They were both small portions, honestly. We had some glasses of Pinot Grigio from Sindhu and as ever before we’d finished Kyle wanted to return to the cabin. This time we sent him ahead on his own and said that we were going to stay around the Atrium a little longer, which he was okay with. We both felt like we’d earned a little time doing what we wanted so we ordered more drinks from Sindhu, a Vanilla and Salted Caramel Espresso Martini for Michelle and a Californian Merlot for me. I usually don’t like Merlot but don’t recall trying a Californian one before so thought I’d take a chance. Michelle said that her cocktail just tasted of really strong coffee (I tasted it and agreed) and I still don’t like Merlot.

 

Whilst we were sat in the Atrium Michelle went and took a photo of the evening dinner menu. Nothing appealed to us and it had just turned 5:30pm so I took a look at the virtual queue for the 6^th Street Diner. Needless to say it stated “no availability” and still smarting about yesterday I suggested that we go there and try again, but with Michelle going in rather than me this time. Once we got there we noticed that there were hardly any early diners in there at all and I changed my mind about Michelle going in on her own. The same receptionist as yesterday said that it wasn’t possible to book for later but that if we checked the My Holiday webpage we would be able to join a virtual queue later. I said that she had told us the same yesterday but the virtual queue never opened all evening (and yes, I did keep checking right up to 9:30pm). She said that maybe she could book us in for later but we’d have to take a pager. I replied that yesterday she’d told us no pagers but if that was now an option it would be great. She then said that we would have to have a table with high chairs but we said that would not be appropriate for at least two members of our party. She said maybe they could push 2 tables together and we responded that this would be most appreciated. Finally she said that she couldn’t give us a time and that we must wait in Andersons and be ready from 6:20pm onwards. We graciously accepted and off we went with our pager. (I know that’s a lot of “he said, she said” but I couldn’t think of another way to tell the tale).

 

It was by now 5:50pm and we knew that we would have to move quickly to rally the troops. We knocked on the in-laws cabin door to let them know and then I called sister and mum’s cabin to do the same. Kyle and Michelle were ready in no time so I had about 20 minutes to get a full shave then a shower (which is plenty short enough for me). I was rushing through shaving when there was a knock on the bathroom door). I asked what’s wrong and Kyle said “The buzzers gone off!” Now I was in a bit of a panic, not only for myself half shaved but for everyone else aside from Kyle and Michelle. “What? No way!!!!” I exclaimed. Kyle managed to keep a straight face for about 20 seconds then giggled, he’d completely fooled me and all the fall outs from earlier were forgotten. Good lad.

 

We left the cabin at 6:18pm and made it to Andersons a few minutes later. Michelle’s parents quickly arrived and mum and sister were about 10 minutes after that. We all got seated and hadn’t yet been offered drinks when the buzzer went off at 6:40pm. Once in the 6th Street Diner we were seated in a good position on 2 seat and 4 seat tables which were pushed together. Although there was 7 of us we had more room than on the oversized surfboard table in the MDR and few days back. We were quickly served and I chose Ironstone Pinot Noir from the drinks menu only to be told that it wasn’t available, so we switched to Californian Zindfandel (red, not to be confused with blush) instead. It was very good and suited our taste really well.

 

We shared our stories of the days’ activities and everyone else had just got off the shuttle bus and gone straight over to the mall. My sister detailed the various shops and restaurants in the complex, and Michelle’s mum told us all about the huge Carrefour supermercado with it’s 24 open checkouts all staffed. Not that exciting I guess but when you think of our supermarkets at home when they only call staff onto the checkouts when a big queue builds then it sounds good to me. I definitely want to go to the mall next time we are here, then maybe drag Kyle on the hike to the old town. Then again, he'd need the route to be lined with those watering stations with cold towels etc. that you get on city marathons, so maybe not.

 

We were quickly served starters, Corn Tortilla Trio for me (extremely tiny but tasty) and 6^th Street Churros with chilli sauce dip for Michelle and Kyle. He didn’t really enjoy them but that’s not too surprising as he’s been spoilt with the real (sweet) version in Spain and also from M&S. I tried them but they were slightly greasy and a little hard in my opinion. I thought that the dip was good though. Others in our party had the New England Clam Chowder and enjoyed it.

 

The main courses quickly followed the starters and I finally got what I’d wanted all along, New York Strip Steak. Michelle had the same and it really lived up to our super high expectations (as always based on multiple vlogs we’d watched on YouTube). They were presented very well cooked and just as importantly well rested with no sign of blood on the plate. It really was melt in the mouth stuff. They were served with excellent fries in a separate tin cup (not sure how else to describe it though doubtless there is a proper term for it). Michelle’s parents had the Baby Back Ribs which they enjoyed, and mum chose the Louisiana BBQ Chicken which completely disappeared off the plate in no time (no need to ask if she’d enjoyed it there then). Michelle’s parents emptied one of their fries cups and used it for their discarded rib bones. Inevitably her dad got his left and right mixed up and chucked a discarded bone in his wife’s cup of fries.

 

For dessert Michelle and I both chose the Coconut and Rum pudding. Putting the lack of rum and coconut flavour aside, and the fact that the supposedly rum soaked sponge was as dry as a bone, it was delicious. Michelle was a bit more disappointed than me and changed her rating from “best meal of the week” to “almost the best meal of the week”. I’ll ask her what her favourite was and get back to you. Father in law had Fried Apple Hushpuppies which looked the next best dessert, and mother in law had Gooey St Louis Cake which was a bit of a thick slab and needed more cream or better still some custard.

 

We left at 8:15pm and because this was the earliest we’d finished dining so far we decided that we were early enough to make the trans-ship pilgrimage from deck 6 aft to deck 17 forward to visit the Crow’s Nest. Kyle in particular was keen (so that early morning recce paid off nicely) and everyone readily agreed. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t busy at all inside and we were quickly seated in a nice spot next to the starboard side windows. Getting served took a while as a lackadaisical waitress served a table next to us then ignored us completely until I called her back. Even then she took an order for me then immediately wheeled away back to the bar before anyone else in our party had a chance to speak. Very unusual but soon rectified by another waiter who approached and was engaging, friendly, chatty, and very quick witted.

 

Our group played cards and once Uno was out of the way even I joined in. Whilst they were playing Uno I browsed through the Horizon newsletter and only then did I notice that it was 80’s music night in the Club House lounge with Pulse playing 3 separate sets. It was 10:15pm and I said that I was gutted to miss it when Michelle’s mum suggested that we go and leave Kyle with them. My sister said “Ooh, you can have a date night!” which in our case usually constitutes going to watch rugby league (which Kyle is not interested in) so that made us laugh. Kyle was all for it and as we have the advantage of Michelle’s parents only being a few cabins up from us they agreed to see him back to our cabin and stay with him until we got in (just in case we were “dirty stop outs” and stayed later than our suggestion that we’d be back by midnight (or I’d turn into a pumpkin)).

 

We easily got some good seats (not at the front and not too far back either) and were quickly served. The music was good for our taste straight away then Pulse came on for their final set at 11pm. As per our last few cruises the band was made up of young people, most likely music college graduates as advised to us on previous cruises. They were super talented, especially the drummer (always my favourite), the bass player who took the lead on a few songs, and the guitarist. Sorry keyboard player, you were good too but most of the songs played to the strengths of the others. There was a male and female vocalist, both fantastic, but I’d just give the lady the edge in terms of vocal range and being able to adapt to the requirements of each song. Just. After the first song the male vocalist announced that this was their final set but it had the best songs. Obviously we couldn’t compare but we enjoyed every single one of them, even Karma Chameleon which I usually can’t stand. They finished really strongly with “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey (great song that I’ve not heard performed live very often if ever) and Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’Roses, where the guitarist was really able to cut loose with his axe and show off his talents. It wasn’t the biggest crowd ever but they’d certainly engaged everyone where we were sat and got a rousing reception at the end.  

 

We got back to the cabin at 11:50pm and were surprised to find that Kyle and his grandparents had only just got there a few minutes before us so it was a good ending to a trying at times but overall great day.

Edited August 12, 2023 by DamianG

[DamianG]

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by DamianG

[DamianG]

Costa dodging around us as we were not due to depart until 6:30pm.

 

[DamianG]

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by DamianG

[P&O SUE]

Good reports again, I must say the faffing around with the dining sounds a pain. I might have to stick with Ventura!

[purplesea]

Tahnk you for an interesting and informative read. I sounds as though the booking of dining venues hasn't improved since we were on in May. We enjoyed the 6th Street Diner and had two evening meals there and a lunch.

[DamianG]

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by DamianG

[Selbourne]

8 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

I tried that Salted Caramel Espresso Martini and agree with your wife that it just tasted like cold (strong) coffee. I didn’t get the salted caramel flavour at all, nor the alcohol for that matter 😂 

[DamianG]

Update from Teddy’s home from home.  The other cockapoo is Basil. 
 

[DamianG]

2 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

Good reports again, I must say the faffing around with the dining sounds a pain. I might have to stick with Ventura!

Our next P&O cruise is on Ventura in 2025. I like Arvia & Iona but at this moment in time I’m not sure I’d want to sail on either in peak school holiday time ever again.