After a successful holiday aboard the P&O Arvia in 2024, we knew we wanted to cruise again. The combination of travelling between destinations while still enjoying sunshine, relaxation and quality downtime was simply too good not to repeat. We genuinely love cruising, so booking another two-week Arvia cruise for April/May 2026 felt like an easy decision.
One advantage of travelling by coach to the ship was the fast-track onboarding through the cruise terminal, which made embarkation smooth and stress-free. Once onboard, however, one thing quickly became apparent again: there is a lot of walking on Arvia. It is an enormous ship and you certainly get your steps in over the course of two weeks.
It was great to see the ship again. For the most part, it remains in excellent condition and has clearly been well maintained. We quickly got our bearings and this time our cabin was on Deck 15. Once again, we had a balcony room which I shared with my wife and daughter.
2026 Overall Experience
For anyone considering their first Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise aboard Arvia, you are very likely to have a fantastic time.
However, returning for a second cruise in 2026 did highlight a few areas where improvements could still be made, alongside plenty of positives.
Staff
The staff remained excellent throughout the cruise. Friendly, hardworking and consistently helpful. As is often the case, the only rude people we encountered onboard tended to be fellow passengers rather than crew members.
Food
Food quality was excellent once again. Desserts, in particular, appeared improved since our previous trip, and the buffet seemed to offer more variety, especially when it came to breads and rolls.
Restaurant choice remains strong, with The Beach House standing out as one of the better dining options onboard thanks to its varied and enjoyable menu. I cannot compare Arvia directly with other cruise lines, but I have to admit that some buffet offerings shown in YouTube videos from competitor ships appear larger and more varied.
The buffets felt extremely busy throughout the cruise, so we often used the My Holiday app to book restaurants each evening instead.
Entertainment
Entertainment remains one of Arvia’s greatest strengths. Guest performers, Mission Control and attractions such as Skywalk all add quality and variety to the onboard experience.
The main issue is that many of the core Headliners Theatre productions remain unchanged from previous years. Returning guests would certainly benefit from some newer shows being introduced into the rotation.
Thankfully, the guest performers helped make the entertainment feel a little more unique. That said, in my opinion there appeared to be fewer guest acts onboard in 2026 compared with our 2024 cruise. The Club House appeared to have a lot less guest performers.
Cinema capacity is also becoming an issue. Alternative arrangements for popular films, such as using the theatre for additional screenings, would greatly improve the experience. Whereas in 2024 I could simply walk in and watch a film, in 2026 you often had to arrive very early to secure a seat. Unfortunately, I never managed to get into a screening. This was partly due to poorer weather on our 2026 cruise, which encouraged more guests indoors.
The cinema would also benefit from better management of seat saving, as some guests were reserving seats with bags long before screenings began.
Shops
The onboard shops felt largely unchanged from our previous cruise. More variety would be welcome, with less emphasis on watches and fragrances and more general shopping options for everyday purchases and souvenirs.
The general gift shop is good and even had Lego. The shop selling sweets and snacks was convenient for Pringles though this time the pick and mix was limited with just a few choices compared to 2024.
This area of the ship also includes the gin store, excursion desks and travel agents for booking future cruises.
Internet and Drinks Packages
The onboard Wi-Fi works well, but it comes at a cost. On our previous cruise we purchased an internet package, but this time we only used the complimentary free hour. Even so, the service was reliable and easy to use. If cost is not a concern, I would recommend it.
For 2026, we opted to use the Red Bull eSIM service for connectivity during the trip. You can read my full review elsewhere on the blog, but in short, it was a complete waste of time (read here). My advice would be to stick with the ship’s internet package.
As for drinks, we do not drink alcohol and instead chose to buy soft drinks onboard and cans from ports during our stops. This saved us a considerable amount of money and worked out far cheaper than purchasing a drinks package.
Safety and Ship Maintenance
Both were excellent.
During the early hours and throughout the late evenings, staff could regularly be seen cleaning, maintaining and repairing different areas of the ship. One evening, for example, a team was sanding, staining and varnishing outdoor tables to keep everything looking its best.
Safety remains a clear priority onboard, with assigned muster stations, lifeboats, life jackets and mandatory safety videos all forming part of the process.
Ports
There are plenty of excursions available to book, although many can often be organised independently at a lower cost. The advantage of official tours, of course, is that if there are delays, the ship will wait for the excursion coach.
Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather at several ports on this trip. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed exploring each destination.
My favourite stops were Barcelona, Malaga and Cadiz. Gibraltar was perhaps the biggest disappointment, feeling a little bland and grey compared with the other destinations.
We visited six ports in total, with four being different from those on our 2024 itinerary.
Ducks
Many guests hide small ducks throughout the ship, and this seemed to be an even bigger trend in 2026. Some guests had even 3D-printed and customised ducks with tags before hiding them around the ship.
My daughter absolutely loved searching for them, and it became a daily activity during our walks around Arvia.
Ship Capacity
The ship felt very busy throughout the cruise. Arvia was close to full capacity in 2026 and the lifts were packed most of the time. I generally opted to use the stairs instead.
The cinema was consistently full, and the buffets were often extremely busy, making it difficult to find a table during peak times.
The stats below that I captured on both trips demonstrates how much busier the ship was and the staff ration has decreased as well. Certainly in 2024, the ship was more comfortable passenger wise.
Balcony Room
Our balcony cabin was excellent and very well maintained. It still looked fresh and comfortable, with only one minor issue: there was a small amount of mould around some of the lower shower seals.
Aside from that, the room was very good and provided a comfortable base for the entire two-week cruise.
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