Just back from Arvia

[posford]

Not wanting to emulate Selbourne or Tiger or all the other excellent reporters, I will give my honest review of my latest cruise.

 

Overall, really enjoyed the cruise.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation,leaving the ship in port/returning to the ship in port. Absolutely fantastic and seamless.

Embarked 11.45, disembarked 7.45, absolutely no problems.

 

Food.

MDR dinner mainly very good. celebration nights fantastic.

MDR breakfasts, often dried up, not as good as Iona.

Olive Grove, absolutely fantastic.

Beach House, dire. Had our prepaid cost reimbursed. Head waiter, who recognised us from numerous cruises apologised for the food as said it was “not very good”.

Absolutely awful.

Loyalty embarkation lunch, absolutely excellent.

Loyalty portunius lunch dire. All three mains choices absolutely drenched in garlic. No cheese and biscuits as a desert. Had to insist on this and they were supplied. Loyalty manager was not interested in any feedback saying “it was a shoreside decision”

 

Entetainment, average. The Priverteers, who I was looking forward to did not turn up so the entertainment was down to the shows that we have already seen.  The pianist, Henderson Treble, was a good pianist but a poor singer.

 

Seadays were enhanced by having a couple of talks/interviews with Ollie Smith and Tom Parker-Bowles, very entertaining.

Lovely weather mostly to sit on the balcony, always a joy.

 

New alcohol policy, no comment.

 

Summary.

As an oldie, in my 70s, I really enjoy the big ships. Cabins large and new and furniture in all the venues new.

Andersons, lovely for late morning coffee, never packed.

 

Staff.

Had same table every night at 8.00, easy if you ask nicely.

Waiter and assistant waiter, fantastic. Two of the very best ever.

Cabin steward, absolutely useless. Always forgetting something.

Some days biscuits, some days not, some days towels some days not. One day Six facecloth,

other days towels hung on shower to dry. Made us laugh as he did try but was not very good.

Always a trial to get toilet rolls.

Captain Camby, very good, loads of info given every day.

 

These 2 new ships are very stable. Even in extremely bad weather they ride the seas very well.

 

 Looking forward to my 2 cruises on Iona in the Autumn.

 

Shame about the very poor itineraries going forward.

 

 

[doog442]

Captain Camby is a hoot. He must have run out of jokes by now surely😉

 

We're back on in Dec for another Caribbean, can't wait. Glad you enjoyed it. 

[Waju]

Thank you for that great review and I really enjoyed reading it very much.

We are on Arvia in a couple of weeks and hope we have as good a time as you did 😊

[Sussexboy]

I think that Captain Camby is a connoisseur of vintage joke books!

 

Having just returned from Arvia myself, I agree with much of the original post. One thing I would add, and it has been said before, is that the ship is understaffed. Having recently been on NCL Prima, the staff there were more numerous, and smiled a lot more. That said I cannot fault the team in the Crows Nest and the Epicurean. They were magnificent, and treated my wife and I like a King and Queen for the fortnight.

 

After reading many comments we were unsure about the dining arrangements. We found the virtual queueing to work very well, and the food was a very acceptable standard. In some cases it was very good, and not a green bean in sight.

 

Right, I am off to look for Captain Cambys grandmother who has been walking 5 miles a day for the past few years. He apparently has no idea where she is…….

[Windsurfboy]

Nice to hear ships very stable, suppose it takes a lot to move 180000 tons

[Interestedcruisefan]

40 minutes ago, Sussexboy said:

I think that Captain Camby is a connoisseur of vintage joke books!

 

Having just returned from Arvia myself, I agree with much of the original post. One thing I would add, and it has been said before, is that the ship is understaffed. Having recently been on NCL Prima, the staff there were more numerous, and smiled a lot more. That said I cannot fault the team in the Crows Nest and the Epicurean. They were magnificent, and treated my wife and I like a King and Queen for the fortnight.

 

After reading many comments we were unsure about the dining arrangements. We found the virtual queueing to work very well, and the food was a very acceptable standard. In some cases it was very good, and not a green bean in sight.

 

Right, I am off to look for Captain Cambys grandmother who has been walking 5 miles a day for the past few years. He apparently has no idea where she is…….

Sounds like he repeats the same jokes each cruise!

 

Lol

 

Yes he's good at putting smiles on faces!

[terrierjohn]

7 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Nice to hear ships very stable, suppose it takes a lot to move 180000 tons

Our deck 15 cabin on Iona in March did roll from side to side quite a bit as we sailed along the Spanish and Portuguese coast, but very little movement down on deck 5 and 6.

[purplesea]

11 hours ago, Sussexboy said:

I think that Captain Camby is a connoisseur of vintage joke books!

 

Having just returned from Arvia myself, I agree with much of the original post. One thing I would add, and it has been said before, is that the ship is understaffed. Having recently been on NCL Prima, the staff there were more numerous, and smiled a lot more. That said I cannot fault the team in the Crows Nest and the Epicurean. They were magnificent, and treated my wife and I like a King and Queen for the fortnight.

 

After reading many comments we were unsure about the dining arrangements. We found the virtual queueing to work very well, and the food was a very acceptable standard. In some cases it was very good, and not a green bean in sight.

 

Right, I am off to look for Captain Cambys grandmother who has been walking 5 miles a day for the past few years. He apparently has no idea where she is…….

I have heard his Thoughts for the Day many times, perhaps it's time he found some new ones!

[daiB]

13 hours ago, Sussexboy said:

I think that Captain Camby is a connoisseur of vintage joke books!

 

Having just returned from Arvia myself, I agree with much of the original post. One thing I would add, and it has been said before, is that the ship is understaffed. Having recently been on NCL Prima, the staff there were more numerous, and smiled a lot more. That said I cannot fault the team in the Crows Nest and the Epicurean. They were magnificent, and treated my wife and I like a King and Queen for the fortnight.

 

After reading many comments we were unsure about the dining arrangements. We found the virtual queueing to work very well, and the food was a very acceptable standard. In some cases it was very good, and not a green bean in sight.

 

Right, I am off to look for Captain Cambys grandmother who has been walking 5 miles a day for the past few years. He apparently has no idea where she is…….

Joke books? More like Joke page. We heard them over 15 years ago. 🙂

[daiB]

14 hours ago, posford said:

Not wanting to emulate Selbourne or Tiger or all the other excellent reporters, I will give my honest review of my latest cruise.

 

Overall, really enjoyed the cruise.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation,leaving the ship in port/returning to the ship in port. Absolutely fantastic and seamless.

Embarked 11.45, disembarked 7.45, absolutely no problems.

 

Food.

MDR dinner mainly very good. celebration nights fantastic.

MDR breakfasts, often dried up, not as good as Iona.

Olive Grove, absolutely fantastic.

Beach House, dire. Had our prepaid cost reimbursed. Head waiter, who recognised us from numerous cruises apologised for the food as said it was “not very good”.

Absolutely awful.

Loyalty embarkation lunch, absolutely excellent.

Loyalty portunius lunch dire. All three mains choices absolutely drenched in garlic. No cheese and biscuits as a desert. Had to insist on this and they were supplied. Loyalty manager was not interested in any feedback saying “it was a shoreside decision”

 

Entetainment, average. The Priverteers, who I was looking forward to did not turn up so the entertainment was down to the shows that we have already seen.  The pianist, Henderson Treble, was a good pianist but a poor singer.

 

Seadays were enhanced by having a couple of talks/interviews with Ollie Smith and Tom Parker-Bowles, very entertaining.

Lovely weather mostly to sit on the balcony, always a joy.

 

New alcohol policy, no comment.

 

Summary.

As an oldie, in my 70s, I really enjoy the big ships. Cabins large and new and furniture in all the venues new.

Andersons, lovely for late morning coffee, never packed.

 

Staff.

Had same table every night at 8.00, easy if you ask nicely.

Waiter and assistant waiter, fantastic. Two of the very best ever.

Cabin steward, absolutely useless. Always forgetting something.

Some days biscuits, some days not, some days towels some days not. One day Six facecloth,

other days towels hung on shower to dry. Made us laugh as he did try but was not very good.

Always a trial to get toilet rolls.

Captain Camby, very good, loads of info given every day.

 

These 2 new ships are very stable. Even in extremely bad weather they ride the seas very well.

 

 Looking forward to my 2 cruises on Iona in the Autumn.

 

Shame about the very poor itineraries going forward.

 

 

We were on the same cruise and the one before. We thought the Peninsular lunch was very good but then again we like garlic although I cannot say that we noticed it on the food we had. So it must have needed more. Breakfasts excellent in all venues we tried. I have to say they have improved the black pudding in all venues always well cooked and not dried out.

[Ilovemygarden]

I was on the cruise before - definitely no jokes from the captain on that one!  He hardly spoke at all.  

[9265359]

19 hours ago, posford said:

Not wanting to emulate Selbourne or Tiger or all the other excellent reporters, I will give my honest review of my latest cruise.

 

Overall, really enjoyed the cruise.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation,leaving the ship in port/returning to the ship in port. Absolutely fantastic and seamless.

Embarked 11.45, disembarked 7.45, absolutely no problems.

 

Food.

MDR dinner mainly very good. celebration nights fantastic.

MDR breakfasts, often dried up, not as good as Iona.

Olive Grove, absolutely fantastic.

Beach House, dire. Had our prepaid cost reimbursed. Head waiter, who recognised us from numerous cruises apologised for the food as said it was “not very good”.

Absolutely awful.

Loyalty embarkation lunch, absolutely excellent.

Loyalty portunius lunch dire. All three mains choices absolutely drenched in garlic. No cheese and biscuits as a desert. Had to insist on this and they were supplied. Loyalty manager was not interested in any feedback saying “it was a shoreside decision”

 

Entetainment, average. The Priverteers, who I was looking forward to did not turn up so the entertainment was down to the shows that we have already seen.  The pianist, Henderson Treble, was a good pianist but a poor singer.

 

Seadays were enhanced by having a couple of talks/interviews with Ollie Smith and Tom Parker-Bowles, very entertaining.

Lovely weather mostly to sit on the balcony, always a joy.

 

New alcohol policy, no comment.

 

Summary.

As an oldie, in my 70s, I really enjoy the big ships. Cabins large and new and furniture in all the venues new.

Andersons, lovely for late morning coffee, never packed.

 

Staff.

Had same table every night at 8.00, easy if you ask nicely.

Waiter and assistant waiter, fantastic. Two of the very best ever.

Cabin steward, absolutely useless. Always forgetting something.

Some days biscuits, some days not, some days towels some days not. One day Six facecloth,

other days towels hung on shower to dry. Made us laugh as he did try but was not very good.

Always a trial to get toilet rolls.

Captain Camby, very good, loads of info given every day.

 

These 2 new ships are very stable. Even in extremely bad weather they ride the seas very well.

 

 Looking forward to my 2 cruises on Iona in the Autumn.

 

Shame about the very poor itineraries going forward.

 

 

Currently sat on Arvia and agree with most points, but not all. 
 

MDR evening meals are as usual not as good as the MDR lunchtime meals, both a poorer selection and a more rushed delivery - I guess they are just under more pressure in the evenings. 
 

Disappointing that the version of the Olive Grove is not the same as Iona, so the same menu as the MDR at lunchtimes which reduces choice. And then the evening menu is a ‘dumbed down’ version of that on Iona, presumably because the food is prepared in the MDR kitchen and not a dedicated kitchen. 

[daiB]

17 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Currently sat on Arvia and agree with most points, but not all. 
 

MDR evening meals are as usual not as good as the MDR lunchtime meals, both a poorer selection and a more rushed delivery - I guess they are just under more pressure in the evenings. 
 

Disappointing that the version of the Olive Grove is not the same as Iona, so the same menu as the MDR at lunchtimes which reduces choice. And then the evening menu is a ‘dumbed down’ version of that on Iona, presumably because the food is prepared in the MDR kitchen and not a dedicated kitchen. 

But it is free, on Arvia, on Iona it is a paying restaurant.

Edited May 28 by daiB

[alpha whiskey]

9 minutes ago, daiB said:

But it is free, on Arvia, on Iona it is a paying restaurant.

Oh no, when did Iona start charging for Olive Grove? It was included when we last sailed on her in Feb. (apart from a supplement on a couple of items) 

[sandancer]

15 minutes ago, daiB said:

But it is free, on Arvia, on Iona it is a paying restaurant.

I don’t think so. We ate in there in March and it was definitely not chargeable then. Agree that there is a supplement on certain dishes but most of the menu is freely available without charge. 

[Harryjacobs]

It's free on Iona with sone dishes having a supplementary charge

[9265359]

25 minutes ago, daiB said:

But it is free, on Arvia, on Iona it is a paying restaurant.

Not quite. On Iona a small number of items have a supplement, but most don’t. 

[daiB]

11 minutes ago, sandancer said:

I don’t think so. We ate in there in March and it was definitely not chargeable then. Agree that there is a supplement on certain dishes but most of the menu is freely available without charge. 

It is still a paying restaurant however few dishes you pay for. 

[zap99]

4 minutes ago, daiB said:

It is still a paying restaurant however few dishes you pay for. 

In MDR on Arvia there are pay extra items on the menu.

[sandancer]

7 minutes ago, daiB said:

It is still a paying restaurant however few dishes you pay for. 

But you could still eat in there without charge. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, 9265359 said:

Currently sat on Arvia and agree with most points, but not all. 
 

MDR evening meals are as usual not as good as the MDR lunchtime meals, both a poorer selection and a more rushed delivery - I guess they are just under more pressure in the evenings. 
 

Disappointing that the version of the Olive Grove is not the same as Iona, so the same menu as the MDR at lunchtimes which reduces choice. And then the evening menu is a ‘dumbed down’ version of that on Iona, presumably because the food is prepared in the MDR kitchen and not a dedicated kitchen. 

Interesting 

 

That's the first time I've heard someone say MDR lunch was better than MDR evening

 

Never done MDR lunch on arvia but always thought lunch was a really limited menu and we would be better in buffet or Quays or the burger bar next to the pool?

 

Or come to think of it US  diner is decent for lunch on arvia?

 

So MDR lunch is good?

[alpha whiskey]

24 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Interesting 

 

That's the first time I've heard someone say MDR lunch was better than MDR evening

 

Never done MDR lunch on arvia but always thought lunch was a really limited menu and we would be better in buffet or Quays or the burger bar next to the pool?

 

Or come to think of it US  diner is decent for lunch on arvia?

 

So MDR lunch is good?

Yes, definitely give it a go!

[Harryjacobs]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

It is still a paying restaurant however few dishes you pay for. 

In 3 OG visits I have never paid a penny for anything including drink as I order water.  Therefore its a free dining venue with paying supplements if you chose to do so.

[posford]

Problem for us is that we can’t eat 3 meals a day.

we used to have lunch and dinner, but lunches were so good we could not give dinner justice.

We now do breakfasts and dinner and there is enough time between to enjoy both.

However on port days we do not do breakfasts or lunch, eating in the ports, and then having dinner, if we can manage it.

[posford]

By the way, the piri-piri chicken in Olive Grove is fantastic, and I am a peri-peri chicken connoisseur.