MS Arvia is an Excellence-class cruise ship in service for P&O Cruises,[5] a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. The keel was laid on 15 February 2022.[6] The ship was built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg and left the shipyard on 5 November 2022.[7][8] She was delivered on 9 December 2022 to P&O Cruises.[9] Construction officially started in February 2021.[10]
 Arvia in Marseilles, 2023
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Arvia |
| Owner |  Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator |  P&O Cruises |
| Port of registry |  Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Ordered | January 2018[1][2] |
| Builder | |
| Yard number | S. 716 |
| Laid down | 15 February 2022 |
| Launched | 27 August 2022 |
| Sponsored by | Nicole Scherzinger |
| Christened | 16 March 2023 |
| Completed | 15 December 2022 |
| Acquired | 15 December 2022 |
| Maiden voyage | 23 December 2022 |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Excellence-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 185,000 GT |
| Displacement | 87,306 t (85,927 long tons; 96,238 short tons) |
| Length | 344.5 m (1,130 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 42 m (137 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)[3] |
| Decks | 16 complete, 3 partial |
| Installed power | total installed power: 61.7 MW (82,700 hp) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 18.5 MW (24,800 hp) |
| Speed | Service speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity | 5,200 passengers[4] |
| Crew | 1,800[4] |
At about 184,700 gross tonnage,[5] Arvia is the largest ship to be commissioned for the British cruise market. She was floated out on 27 August 2022.[11][12]
Arvia's normal operating capacity is 5,200 passengers even though her maximum capacity if 3rd and 4th berths are used is 6,264 passengers.[5][4]
Arvia was originally planned to embark her maiden voyage on 9 December 2022 but due to operational reasons, this was delayed to 23 December 2022.[13] Her maiden voyage was a 14 night Canary Island cruise from Southampton.[13] On 2 March 2023, P&O cruises announced that Arvia's godmother will be Nicole Scherzinger.[14]
Delivery was originally planned for the first halv of 2022, but later posponed to December 2022.[15][16]
Design and facilities
editArvia has over 30 bars and restaurants onboard.[17][18] Her design is similar to that of her sister ship, Iona, with some differences.
First, and unlike Iona, Arvia has two included Freedom Restaurants (Main Dining Rooms) and two included themed dining venues.[17] Iona has four included Freedom restaurants. The additional themed dining venues aboard Arvia are the 6th Street Diner which is themed after a traditional American diner and The Olive Grove which is a Mediterranean-style restaurant.[17]
Even though The Olive Grove is also available on Iona, there are a few differences. In particular, there are no supplements for selected dishes on the Arvia menu unlike Iona[17] and Arvia's The Olive Grove is located on deck 6 instead of deck 8.[19] Arvia also has a few specialty (extra) dining venues including Keel & Cow which is a gastropub, Green & Co which is a fish and plant-based restaurant, Sindhu which is an Indian restaurant and the Epicurean which is a fine dining venue.[17]
Another difference between Iona and Arvia is that the atrium on Arvia has a more wooden tone while on Iona, it uses more marble.[20] Like Iona, Arvia has four swimming pools, including two infinity pools.[4] Arvia also has 20 whirlpools including 10 infinity whirlpools,[4] a skydome with a retractable glass roof and a seascreen (outdoor cinema screen). Additionally, Arvia has an activity zone with a ropes course and adventure golf.[4]
Arvia's onboard spa, available at extra cost, has several facilities, including a hydrotherapy area with a salt steam room, cold room, sauna and experiential showers.[21]
Naming ceremony
editOn 16 March 2023, Arvia was named in Barbados by Nicole Scherzinger. The naming ceremony was a beachside ceremony. Olly Murs was also singing in the event. [22] Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley was also present in the event and gave a speech during the event. [22]
References
edit- ^ https://www.meyerwerft.de/en/press/press_detail/carnival_corporation_orders_new_ship_for_p_o_cruises.jsp
- ^ https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carnival-corporation-orders-second-new-ship-its-po-cruises-brand
- ^ https://carnival-news.com/ship/carnival-mardis-gras/
- ^ a b c d e f "P&O Arvia". P&O Cruises.
- ^ a b c "Arvia Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review". CruiseMapper. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Press Detail". MEYER WERFT. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Neuer Kreuzfahrtriese hat Werft verlassen: "Arvia" auf dem Weg zur Nordsee". TAG24 (in German). 5 November 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Winter, Harry de (6 November 2022). "Die schönsten Bilder von der Emsüberführung der „Arvia", | NOZ". noz.de (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "P&O Cruises Officially Takes Delivery of Arvia - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". cruiseindustrynews. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ "Press Detail". MEYER WERFT. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Meyer Werft floats out P&O UK's newest cruise ship Arvia | Cruise News". CruiseMapper. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ NDR. "Kreuzfahrtschiff "Arvia" verlässt Baudock - Proteste am Rande". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ a b "P&O Cruises New Ship Arvia Delayed | Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Nicole Sherzinger Arvia Godmother - Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ https://www.pocruises.com/content/dam/po/marketing-assets/press-centre/2020-articles/Update%20on%20Iona%20and%20XL2%20-%204.8.pdf
- ^ https://www.meyerwerft.de/de/pressemedien/pdf_press/mw_navigator_05_18_rz_web_final_1.pdf
- ^ a b c d e January 2023-April 2025 brochure. P&O Cruises. pp. 152–153.
- ^ "P&O Cruises new ship Arvia to feature more than 30 bars and restaurants, with exclusive destination-inspired dishes by Shivi Ramoutar and José Pizarro". Carnival Corp. 26 August 2022.
- ^ "Arvia Deck Plans, Layouts, Pictures, Videos". www.cruisedeckplans.com. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "P&O Arvia Build Journey". P&O Cruises.
- ^ Jewel, Ateh (24 April 2023). "I thought cruising wasn't for people like me. I was wrong". The Times. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ a b "P&O UK's newest cruise ship Arvia officially named in Barbados (Bridgetown) | Cruise News". CruiseMapper. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.