Star Princess Inaugural Review: A True Supernova at Sea

There’s something genuinely magical about stepping onto a brand-new ship for the very first time. The scent of new carpets, the shine on every rail, and that mix of pride and anticipation from both crew and passengers. We’ve just returned from the maiden sailing of Princess Cruises’ Star Princess, and it truly felt like being part of history and was a truly special family holiday for us.

As a long-time cruise geek (and yes, I proudly claim that title), it’s rare that a sailing manages to feel this special without also feeling chaotic. Star Princess got it right. She’s the sister ship to Sun Princess (also in the Sphere class), which launched last year, meaning the kinks had already been ironed out. This wasn’t a brand-new class of ships struggling to find their feet. This was a confident debut from a ship that knew who she was from day one.

Here’s what we loved, what we’d tweak, and why I’d board her again in a heartbeat.

🛳️ The Basics

• 📌 Ship: Star Princess (Princess Cruises)
• 🗺️ Itinerary: “Grand Mediterranean” - Barcelona, Marseille, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Barcelona
• 📅 Sailing Date: October 2025
• ⏱️ Duration: 11 nights
• ⚓ Embarkation Port: Barcelona

📍 Itinerary Overview

Our sailing was officially titled as a Grand Mediterranean, departing from Barcelona and calling at classic ports such as Naples, Palermo and Cartagena.

In truth, we took it easy this time. With two prams, a baby, and a toddler, Marseille and Rome felt too complicated with their transfers and long shuttle rides, so we happily stayed on board. As I set out in this blog, sometimes the best shore excursion is… to not have one.

Naples looked interesting but quickly proved stressful with uneven pavements, mopeds, and a lot of attention from taxi drivers. We lasted about half an hour before retreating to the calm of the ship.

Cartagena, on the other hand, completely won us over. It’s an easy stroll from the gangway, lined with palm trees and quiet plazas, and we found a charming park with a pond where my eldest could play. It was one of those simple, perfect days that makes cruising with kids so worthwhile.

The weather was glorious for October. Temperatures sat around 22 - 25 degrees and it was sunny most days. The only rainy day was a good test of how crowded this new ship felt if everyone retreated inside and, overall, the ship absorbed everyone quite well.

🛠️ Ship Overview

Let’s start with the obvious: this ship is stunning. Star Princess feels like a floating five-star resort, all curves, light, and modern design. The Cascade Bar and the Dome give off Dubai beach club vibes in the best possible way, and the overall aesthetic is bright and polished without being sterile.

• 👥 Capacity for 4,300 guests and 1,600 crew
• 🏢 21 guest decks
• 🏊 4 main pools, with shallow sections ideal for families
• 🍸 More than 29 restaurants and bars onboard
• 🌞 A multi-storey glass dome and multiple open decks

The whole ship ran smoothly from day one. Everything was open, the crew knew their spaces, and it felt like a real home at sea rather than a prototype still finding its rhythm. Where there were a few new-ship problems (there was a net in the kids club, for example, which was poorly designed for children and they kept slipping through) they were quickly resolved (the net was going to be replaced by the next cruise).

🍽️ Dining & Drinks

We sailed with the Princess Premier package, and for us it was worth every penny. It included all speciality dining and drinks, which meant we could explore every venue without worrying about extras or feeling limited.

There was so much to love here, for all three generations.

The Sanctuary Restaurant was a wonderful surprise on the trip. We were invited to dine there after a rather unfortunate experience in Crown Grill (which took three hours and we ran out of time for dessert on my husband’s birthday). The ship’s officers went above and beyond afterwards, inviting us to dine in The Sanctuary for the rest of the voyage, and it completely transformed the week. The food there is truly, and consistently, wonderful. It turns out the best way to recover from a disastrous birthday dinner is to be whisked off to an extra special restaurant for the following nine nights!

For casual food, the Promenade burgers were another standout, as were the Detroit-style pizzas by the pool. Both felt freshly made and consistently good. The taco station had great flavours, although the “build your own” layout didn’t quite match the printed menu pairings. And breakfast in The Sanctuary deserves its own mention: banana bread French toast that I would board again tomorrow just to eat.

Other specialities like Love By Britto and The Catch By Rudi were also fabulous. And being able to go to them without worrying about extra charges, because of the Premier Package, was just brilliant.

Not every speciality was ideal for families. Umai Tappenaki and Hot Pot and The Butcher’s Block aren’t labelled adults-only, but in practice, children aren’t really welcome and there’s no kids’ menu, so families may want to skip those. I’ll cover this more in my dining review to follow, so do subscribe to my YouTube to watch that soon!

The vast array of cocktails were a delight, if slightly confusing, as there were so many similar names across menus that you might find yourself playing mixology bingo. We loved the Cascade Bar and Wake View Bar for early-evening drinks while my mum took the baby for a walk.

Coffee, on the other hand, was a let-down. It had a burnt flavour, there was no oat milk, and there were far too many flavoured options when all I wanted was a proper flat white. There was also no fresh orange juice on board (a supply issue, apparently), which led to one mimosa made with squash that I’m trying to forget.

🎭 Entertainment & Atmosphere

The overall atmosphere on board was calm, polished, and quietly joyful. You could feel the pride among the crew. Officers were visible every day, chatting with guests, taking photos, and celebrating each port with plaque ceremonies.

The entertainment itself was fine, though not groundbreaking. We would have loved a few more early-evening dancing options or family-friendly events before 10pm, but we enjoyed the smaller musical acts dotted around the lounges. My toddler will always find an excuse to dance even if it’s just her and a woman with a viola.

There weren’t any kids’ shows or speciality entertainment for children or toddlers, but with only around fifty children on board out of more than four thousand passengers, I can understand why.

😬 What Didn’t Work

• 🍸 Bar service was slow at times, especially in Crooners, although we were told this was due to tech issues and certainly wasn’t due to the crew not trying their absolute best.
• ☕ Coffee and juice were consistently disappointing. There was no oat milk, no fresh juice, and burnt-tasting coffee.
• 🍦 Ice cream had only three flavours and was fairly forgettable.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Speciality restaurants such as Umai and The Butcher’s Block aren’t clearly marked as adults-only but don’t accommodate children, and in fact we were actively told that children weren’t welcome.
• 👶 There’s no dedicated nursery room in the Kids Club, which makes it tricky for families juggling two age groups.
• 🙁 A small minority of guests seemed uncomfortable around children. One woman made me feel incredibly uncomfortable with her reaction while I was breastfeeding, which was upsetting, but most people were wonderful - we were kindly reminded by a fellow guest that we were basically on a ship with thousands of grandparents who doted on our little ones.

🌟 Highlights

• 👩‍✈️ Crew and officers - warm, visible, and clearly proud of the ship. My eldest was obsessed with the captain and was so excited every time he was seen on the ship (which was often!).
• 🌿 The Sanctuary Restaurant - calm, elegant, and consistently superb food.
• 🎟️ Princess Premier package - simplified everything and made it feel like a true all inclusive holiday.
• 🍔 Promenade burgers and Detroit pizza - family favourites.
• 🍞 Banana bread French toast at breakfast - genuinely unforgettable.
• 🧭 Easily accessible and beautiful ship - although large, I never felt lost or overwhelmed in the ship and it felt very easy to move around with a pram.
• 🛗 Smart lift system - allocates you a specific lift and works much better with prams or wheelchairs than traditional systems - a massive improvement for accessibility and families.
• 🛏️ Cabins - beautifully designed and genuinely family-friendly. The dividing curtain and motion sensor lighting made a huge difference. Full video review to follow soon.
• ☕ International Café window seats - the perfect safe play nook for little ones.
• 🔮 Spellbound - a fun, magical pre-dinner experience that’s unlike anything I’ve done at sea.
• 🎊 Inaugural atmosphere - commemorative pins, lively ceremonies, and a real sense of excitement.

🧾 Our Ratings

⭐ Ship

4.5/5

Beautiful, spacious, and already running like a seasoned vessel.

⭐ Itinerary

3/5

Iconic ports, but not ideal with prams.

⭐ Dining

4.5/5

Excellent food across the board; The Sanctuary a standout.

⭐ Entertainment & Vibe

3.5/5

Relaxed and refined, though not the strongest show line-up.

⭐ Children’s Experience

4/5

Lovely staff and shallow pools, but limited nursery space.

⭐ Cabins

5/5

Clever design; blackout curtain and motion-sensor lighting help families.

⭐ Service & Staff

4/5

Friendly, consistent, and professional.

⭐ Value for Money

4.5/5

Premier Package made it feel truly all inclusive, not nickel-and-dimed.

🌟 Overall

4.5/5

Elegant, modern, and full of heart — a true supernova at sea and a family memory for years.

We would sail Star Princess again in a heartbeat. The ship feels elegant, modern, and full of heart. It’s the kind of ship that spoils you — and possibly ruins all future cruises in the process.

🎥 Watch the Full YouTube Review

If you’d rather watch than read, you can find my full video review here: Star Princess | Inaugural Cruise Review (2025) - What It’s Really Like

📲 Follow for More

You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:

• 📸 Instagram: @lisschatsship
• ▶️ YouTube: LissChatsShip on YouTube
• ✉️ Email: lisschatsship@gmail.com

💬 Have you sailed on Star Princess, or are you planning to? I’d love to hear what you thought. Did your experience match ours, or are you booked for her next itinerary? Come say hi on Instagram or leave a comment below!

P&O Cruises Arvia Cabins Review: Conservatory Mini Suite, Tiny Inside Cabin and Why We Dodged the Upgrade

If you’ve ever tried to fit a baby’s travel cot, three suitcases, a toddler’s toy stash, and actual humans into a cruise cabin, you’ll know it’s basically a game of maritime Tetris. On our recent two-week P&O Cruises Arvia sailing around Europe, we stayed in a Deck 9 Conservatory Mini Suite, while my mum had a single inside cabin.

Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and why we politely declined the offer of an upgraded cabin.

🛋️ Our Conservatory Mini Suite

Let’s get one thing out of the way - the name “mini suite” is doing some very heavy lifting here. If you’re imagining two TVs, a bath, a separate sitting area… that’s not what you’re getting.

What you do get is:

• 🛏️ A sofa bed and coffee table.

💡 Tip: The sofa becomes the bed at night (your cabin steward will do this for you) but there are no edges or handrails. My eldest fell out more than once, so if that’s a risk for your little one, ask for extra pillows to cushion the fall.

• 📐 A little extra floor space compared to a standard balcony.
• 🌤️ A “conservatory” area (more on that in a second).
• 🛁 A slightly bigger bathroom - though not by much.

The space felt modern, comfortable, and like somewhere you could happily wind down after a long cruise day. Little confession from me: I once walked past a family’s open cabin door and saw Dad in the conservatory, Mum on the bed with a book, and a teenager lounging on the balcony. To me, pushing a pram with a sleeping baby in and not daring to breathe, it looked like bliss.

🧳 Storage - Weirdly Lacking

For a cabin category clearly aimed at families, storage is a bit of a puzzle. The wardrobe and drawers were fine, but the conservatory - which could easily have housed more shelves or cupboards - was completely lacking. Ours became a teddy bear den, which my eldest loved, but I’d have preferred a few more places to actually put things away.

💡 Tip: If you’re bringing a travel cot, plan your layout before unpacking. The best spot for ours ended up being in front of the TV (bye-bye evening movies), and we collapsed it each day for more space. That works for a baby; once they’re toddler-sized, you might need it out full-time so they don’t crawl under the bed.

🌙 Sleep & Lighting

If you like a pitch-black cabin, Arvia might (read: will) test your patience. Our shower light never switched off (by design) and the glow was impossible to fully block. Even with a baby sleeping bag laid out like a doorstop.

Add to that a slightly damaged cabin door that whistled at night (not the soothing sea sounds you have on an app!), and sleep wasn’t always perfect.

The door issue was fixed on the last day, but for a ship launched in 2022, I didn’t expect those little signs of wear so soon.

💡 Tip: Bring magnetic hooks and blackout material (or even a big towel) to block persistent light sources. Your 3am self will thank you.

🗺️ Deck 9 vs Deck 8 - Why Location Matters

Not all conservatory mini suites on Arvia are created equal. On Deck 8, your balcony sits directly on the promenade deck. That means joggers and tired parents strolling past, or bathrobe-clad hot tub youths holding court while it’s Love Island, all whilst you sip your morning coffee. Privacy? Gone.

Deck 9 is one level up, with a proper balcony, a view, and zero strangers peering in. It’s the reason we paid to choose our exact cabin - not because we’re fancy, but because I didn’t want to gamble and end up on Deck 8.

💡 Tip: Always check what’s above, below, and directly outside your cabin on the deck plans. The word “balcony” does not guarantee privacy.

🚫 Why We Didn’t Upgrade to a Family Suite

Before boarding, we were offered an upgrade to a Family Suite for less than £100 per person. Sounds tempting, right? Sure. Until you check the location.

These suites are at the very front of the ship, with floor-to-ceiling windows that look directly onto the promenade. People walk past all day. Plus, you feel more movement in rough seas, and you’re a trek from the nearest lifts.

Call me a control freak but I like to choose my cabin location, and the risk of ending up in a “technically bigger but actually worse” cabin isn’t worth it to me.

Read my blog here about why Bigger Isn’t Always Better (in cabins…!).

🕳️ Mum’s Single Inside Cabin

My mum thrives in an inside cabin. She likes the darkness, doesn’t mind the lack of a view, and prefers to spend her money elsewhere. But even she was shocked by this one…

The single inside cabin is tiny. One single bed, small table, and barely any floor space. I’m 5ft and even I found it a squeeze.

Worse still, she paid way over the odds thanks to the solo supplement - and for that price, you could easily get a standard double inside cabin on many sailings.

💡 Tip: If you’re cruising solo, compare the price of a standard double inside vs the “solo” cabin. Sometimes the regular inside is cheaper and bigger.

🤔 Would We Book the Same Again?

For now, yes. The Deck 9 mini suite gave us enough room to manage two small kids, a pushchair, and all the baby gear without going full chaos. But if we were travelling child-free, I’d save the money and go for a standard balcony.

If you’re planning your own P&O Arvia cruise, I’d say:

• 🧭 Research your deck before booking
• 🧠 Think about how you’ll use the space
• 🏷️ Don’t assume “suite” means what you think it does

And if you want to see the cabin layout, including where we finally wedged the travel cot - check out my full video review here.

🛏️ Planning Your Cruise Cabin?

You might also like:

• 📐 Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better in Cruise Cabins
• 🛳️ Full P&O Arvia Review

📲 Follow for More

You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:

• 📸 Instagram: @lisschatsship
• ▶️ YouTube: LissChatsShip on YouTube
• 📝 Blog: www.lisschatsship.com
• ✉️ Email: lisschatsship@gmail.com

P&O Arvia Dining Review: Best & Worst Restaurants (and the Secret One You Won’t Find Online)

If you’ve ever wondered whether P&O Cruises Arvia speciality restaurants are worth the splurge, or whether you’re better off sticking to the main dining room or buffet, I have (valiantly) completed this very important research for you… and my waistband is still in recovery.

If you’ve ever tried to eat a civilised meal with a baby who is more clingy than a Koala and a toddler whose core food group is “bread roll”, you’ll understand why cruise dining matters – it’s one of the only consistent moments of joy and (hopefully) ease.

Over our July 2025 Arvia sailing, I set myself a slightly ridiculous challenge: try almost every speciality restaurant on board so you don’t have to - and report back on the food, the vibe, how it worked with kids, and how confidently each venue handled our family’s allergies (nuts for me, nuts/dairy/eggs for my toddler), and whether it’s actually worth your holiday budget. Oh, and I found a secret dining experience you won’t see on the P&O website.

Spoiler: some venues were brilliant, some baffling, and one meant I had to go to the buffet with the youths at 10pm.

🍴 How This Works

I’ve split this review into sections for each restaurant we tried, starting with the included venues and ending with the priciest experience we booked. For each, you’ll get:

• 💡 What it’s like and where to find it
• 🧭 What we ordered and how it worked with kids
• ✨ How they handled allergies and our score out of 5

If you’re here for the quick answer, scroll to The Leaderboard at the end for our top picks, and where I’d avoid next time.

🥗 Dining on P&O Cruises Arvia (A Very Quick Guide)

Before we get into the speciality venues, it’s worth knowing what’s already included in your fare.

On Arvia, that is predominantly the Main Dining Rooms (Meridian and Zenith), which serve a different menu every day for dinner, as well as breakfast and lunch. On the higher decks, you’ll also find the Horizon Buffet, which is open almost all day and night. You’ll also find The Beach House (Caribbean-inspired, small supplement in the evenings), poolside grills, and a few grab-and-go spots for pizza and burgers.

Speciality venues (as reviewed here) are venues which aren’t part of the MDR or buffet system, which sit alongside all of that included dining but offer something different, usually for an extra charge. You can mix and match depending on your mood, budget, and how much energy you have left after chasing toddlers round the splash zone.

📋 Contents

• 🍝 The Olive Grove
• 🥞 Sixth Street Diner
• 👨‍🍳 Chef’s Table
• 🥩 Keel & Cow
• 🌱 Green & Co (featuring Mizuhana)
• 🍛 Sindhu
• 🍷 Epicurean
• 🥂 The Cellar Door

🍝 The Olive Grove (Included) on P&O Arvia

First of all, Arvia’s Olive Grove is not Iona’s (Arvia’s sister ship) Olive Grove, and it’s worth managing expectations up front. On Iona it’s a lovely, varied Mediterranean concept; on Arvia it’s effectively an alternate dining room with a handful of extra “Mediterranean” dishes, tucked along what I came to call Restaurant Row. If you wander along Deck 6, it’s basically dining room after dining room, and the Olive Grove slots in as one of them.

We ate here once, and that was plenty. The kids were restless and service was patchy. The “Mediterranean” options included a nice mezze platter, but the pasta was forgettable and the lighting was oddly gloomy for a family dinner. Allergy-wise, we got safe mains sorted, but desserts were a flat “no”.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

3/5 – Solid, not show-stopping; the Med extras are the best bet.

Vibe:

3.5/5 – Welcoming design, but I wish they would turn the lights up.

Allergy Experience:

3/5 – Mains were manageable; desserts a non-starter.

Service:

3.5/5 – Friendly but a little chaotic and rushed.

Value for Money:

3.5/5 – It’s included, so fine value, just not a standout.

Overall:

3/5

🥞 Sixth Street Diner (Included) on P&O Arvia

Decor-wise, this is a fun, bold, American-style diner that looks like it should be brilliant for families. Reality: long queues, slow service, and food that really didn’t justify waiting for. We tried it for breakfast – a mistake. Pancakes tasted identical to the buffet ones, only with added waiting. The toddler had fun with the booths, but that was about it. On paper, this should have been a family highlight; in practice, I wouldn’t bother again.

Allergy experience was mixed – they had oat milk but it took an age to appear, and options beyond that were limited. Service was flat, and I felt bad for the team because they were clearly overwhelmed.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

2/5 – I can have better, fresher, pancakes in the buffet.

Vibe:

4/5 – Love the look; shame the experience didn’t match.

Allergy Experience:

4/5 – This wasn’t a problem, but oat milk took ages.

Service:

2.5/5 – Slow, flat, and oddly indifferent.

Value for Money:

3/5 – It’s free, but not worth the queuing.

Overall:

2.5/5

👨‍🍳 Chef’s Table (Included) on P&O Arvia

Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It isn’t. On paper, Chef’s Table sounds intimate; in reality, it’s an organised scrum in the buffet space used by The Beach House on other evenings. Our sitting had 500+ guests. It was formal night, everyone was dressed up, and we all ate in a very loud room together – which is neither enjoyable nor fancy.

From a food and experience perspective, think: corporate awards dinner. My beef wellington was lovely, but noticeably different from my husband’s, likely due to allergy tweaks. I remain unconvinced that it was any different from what the MDR was serving that same night.

Service was sweet but clearly overwhelmed, drinks took forever, and orders went awry more than once. If you want “special”, the MDR would actually have felt calmer.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

3.5/5 – Genuinely good beef; the rest was banquet fare.

Vibe:

2/5 – Buffet in a tux; busy, echoey, not relaxing.

Allergy Experience:

4/5 – Safe, but admin-heavy.

Service:

3/5 – Lovely team, outnumbered by logistics.

Value for Money:

2/5 – Free, yes, but stressful; special it is not.

Overall:

2.5/5

🥩 Keel & Cow (À la carte) on P&O Arvia

Keel & Cow is pitched as a gastropub: steaks, serious burgers, comfort dishes. In practice, its location – perched at the top of the atrium – makes dinner feel like you’ve booked the best table at a shopping mall food court. It’s hot, echoey, and the lights dip without warning when the atrium shows start. With small kids, that sensory combo is… a lot.

Food-wise, our steak was fine rather than fantastic, which stings at this price point. We had better sirloins in the MDR. That said, allergy handling was brilliant even when I forgot to pre-order – calm, clear, zero fuss. Dessert options for me: none. But our server was wonderful and so kind with the children.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

3/5 – Edible, not exciting; steaks can be better elsewhere.

Vibe:

2/5 – Loud, hot, atrium-adjacent theatrics; not ideal with kids.

Allergy Experience:

4/5 – Excellent handling even without pre-order.

Service:

4/5 – Warm, thoughtful, genuinely lovely.

Value for Money:

3/5 – Rising prices + middling plates = meh.

Overall:

3.5/5

🌱 Green & Co (featuring Mizuhana) (£10pp set menu) on P&O Arvia

This one’s unique to Arvia – and easily my favourite. It’s light, colourful, airy, with sea-view tables that feel properly grown-up and thoughtfully spaced. My only concern was that it felt a little empty at times, which made me nervous for its future popularity. Hopefully it’s deliberate capacity management – because this is worth visiting.

The food is creative, beautiful, and full of flavour; the chakalaka wellington and coconut cake were standouts, and the sushi was fresh and bright. Portions can be small, so order wisely. Our first visit had an allergy mishap when my pre-order was forgotten (we sat for nearly an hour while they scrambled). Second visit: flawless. That’s how good it was – we went twice.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

4.5/5 – Inventive, flavourful, beautifully plated.

Vibe:

4/5 – Calm, airy, grown-up; occasionally too quiet.

Allergy Experience:

3/5 – One poor miss; second visit redeemed it.

Service:

4/5 – A mixed first impression, then excellent.

Value for Money:

5/5 – Priced lower than some, yet miles better.

Overall:

4.25/5

🍛 Sindhu (£21pp set menu) on P&O Arvia

Sindhu is a P&O favourite for us, and this visit mostly delivered on our warm, celebratory expectations. It’s absolutely lovely inside. If you’re planning to eat here, I’d recommend arriving a little early and having a drink at the bar – the Cosmopolitans and the East India Punch were both hits.

The lamb starter was particularly good, and all the mains were a hit. Portions are generous – maybe too big! The only issue was allergy handling: I was told I couldn’t eat several things (including the bread and poppadoms) because they’re bought in. A shame, as I’ve safely had them before.

The silver lining: service was excellent. The team made a real fuss of the kids and struck that perfect warm/professional balance.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

4.5/5 – Rich, flavourful, generous.

Vibe:

4/5 – Elegant, well laid out; a proper night out.

Allergy Experience:

3/5 – Safe, but too many “no, you can’t” moments.

Service:

4/5 – Excellent, especially with children.

Value for Money:

4/5 – Worth it for a treat evening.

Overall:

4/5

🍷 Epicurean (£35pp set menu) on P&O Arvia

Epicurean is the “dress up, be fancy” option. The décor leans soulless, but the location (high deck, tucked away near the suites) makes it feel like an occasion. Service was brilliant – one server even remembered my eldest from a previous cruise.

The food was refined and tasty, though not quite fireworks-spectacular. Côte de boeuf used to be hand-carved at the table; now it’s two steaks. Still delicious, but the theatre is gone. Desserts soared – the white chocolate crème brûlée was a highlight. Allergy handling was superb: I even got the same bread as everyone else. Trust me, that’s cruise-mum magic.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

4/5 – Refined and tasty, but missing the wow factor.

Vibe:

4/5 – Formal but kind.

Allergy Experience:

5/5 – Thoughtful touches (hello, bread equality!).

Service:

5/5 – Knowledgeable, warm, brilliant with kids.

Value for Money:

3.5/5 – Lovely splurge, but less special than before.

Overall:

4/5

🍾 The Cellar Door at The Glass House (£60pp) on P&O Arvia

The secret one. Cellar Door is a four-course, wine-paired dinner hosted in a small room off The Glass House. You won’t find it online – you need to ask at the bar or be invited by staff. It felt intimate (just five tables), hosted by a sommelier who guided us through each pairing.

At £60pp, it’s pricey if you’ve already bought the drinks package (you still pay full price). The food was thoughtful, but my pork main was overcooked, and allergy handling was unimaginative – no crackers with the cheese course, and no substitute offered. Still, pacing and atmosphere were lovely, and it did feel like a treat.

Verdict & Ratings

Food:

4/5 – Thoughtful menu; one miss on the main.

Vibe:

3.5/5 – Cosy and “in the know”, but atrium noise seeps in.

Allergy Experience:

3.5/5 – Safe but unimaginative substitutes.

Service:

4/5 – Warm, knowledgeable, nicely paced.

Value for Money:

3.5/5 – Pricey if you’ve got the package, but memorable.

Overall:

4/5

🏆 The Leaderboard

🥉 Third place – Sindhu
Flavour-packed, welcoming, and a proper evening out. If allergy handling returned to its former flexibility, it’d be a five-star contender.

🥈 Second place – Epicurean
Formal without frostiness, exceptional service, and a dessert I’m still dreaming about. Pricey, but feels like a treat.

🥇 First place – Green & Co featuring Mizuhana
Beautiful plates, brilliant cocktails, and the only venue we loved enough to revisit.

🚫 One to avoid (for breakfast) – Sixth Street Diner
All style, not much substance. If you’re queuing half an hour for the same pancakes the buffet is handing out… maybe skip.

🍴 My Tips for Planning Your Own P&O Arvia Dining

💡 Tip: Book your speciality dining the minute slots open (14 days before sailing). Popular venues really do vanish within minutes.

💡 Tip: With allergies, pre-order at least 24 hours in advance. It saves the awkward scramble when everyone else has ordered and you’re still negotiating risotto safety.

💡 Tip: Timing matters – some venues are calm at lunch but people-watching arenas at dinner.

And if all else fails? The buffet will always take you back. Anytime.

🔗 Planning your own Arvia food tour?

📺 My full Arvia family review (rules, facilities, dining & our Little Cruiser Score) is here: here
🛳 The ship-wide review – the good, the bad, and the crowded – is here: here
▶ Prefer to watch? The YouTube dining deep-dive, with menus and plates, is here: here

📸 Come say hi on Instagram @lisschatsship for real-time tips, snaps, and the occasional “why are the pram wheels always locked” rant. And if you’ve eaten your way around Arvia too, tell me your winners and “never agains” – purely for research… and a little nosy gossip.

📲 Follow for More

You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:

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P&O Cruises Complaints: What’s True, What’s Not, and Why I Still Recommend Them for Families

If you’ve spent more than ten minutes in a cruise Facebook group, you’ll know that P&O Cruises gets a lot of criticism.

Some of it’s fair, some of it’s wildly exaggerated, and some of it is just people mixing them up with an entirely different company.

I’ve sailed with P&O plenty of tim es — most recently a two-week summer cruise on P&O’s Arvia with my two young children. I’ve experienced both the “what were they thinking?” moments and the “this is brilliant” surprises.

Here’s my take on the most common complaints you’ll hear, whether they are fair, and why I still think P&O can be a great choice for families.

🚪 The Cabin Location Controversy

The most-vlogged P&O gripe online is about P&O Arvia’s conservatory mini suites on Deck 8. On paper, they sound lovely — private conservatory space plus a balcony. In reality, your balcony is directly on the promenade, and anyone walking past can wave at you while you sip your coffee. Some are even right next to hot tubs that seem permanently occupied.

The truth is that, it’s a significant design flaw if you value privacy. We specifically booked a Deck 9 conservatory mini suite instead — one deck higher, with a proper balcony and no foot traffic. You can watch my P&O Arvia cabin review for more detail on those issues here.

📌 Tip: Always check the deck plans before booking. Location, location, location!

✈️ The Maleth Airlines Mess

This one’s hard to defend. In 2023 and 2024, P&O used Maleth Airlines for long-haul P&O Caribbean fly-cruises. The aircraft had no entertainment, were cramped for eight-hour flights, and often didn’t turn up on time.

We were caught up in a 13-hour delay at a closed airport in Antigua with minimal communication. This was not unusual — I haven’t heard of a single Maleth P&O flight that ran on time.

I also have a severe nut allergy, and despite notifying the airline in advance and again on board, nuts were served on the flight. The crew had to make a last-minute announcement asking people not to eat what they’d just handed out. Not exactly reassuring.

Refunds for delays are still in limbo. We’re owed over £1,500, and the process is painfully slow. Due to the ongoing legal dispute between Maleth and P&O, it doesn’t look like any compensation will be forthcoming.

P&O has now switched to TUI and Norse Atlantic for their upcoming Caribbean sailings, which should be more reliable, but for some passengers the Maleth episode left a lasting bad taste. I get it; being locked in a dark airport with a sobbing two year old was not a highlight of my cruise.

💸 Cost-Cutting Claims

Post-pandemic, many guests say P&O has trimmed back the extras:

• 👥 Fewer staff, slower service
• 🍽️ Dining changes and extra charges
• 🧹 Housekeeping less frequent (and no more evening turndown service)

I agree some changes are noticeable, but others feel more like a shift in the industry generally. For example, I don’t personally miss turndown — I can live without a chocolate on my pillow.

Some people frame this as a P&O customer service issue, but in my view it’s more about knowing what’s included before you book. Manage your expectations and you’re less likely to be disappointed.

⛴️ The P&O Ferries Confusion

This one drives me up the wall. P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries are completely different companies. The ferry company made headlines in 2023 for mass redundancies and poor treatment of staff.

P&O Cruises had nothing to do with it, but plenty of people still think they’re the same organisation. They’re not. End of story.

🌟 What P&O Does Better Than Most

Now, before we all start packing pitchforks, I want to be fair — there are things P&O does really well. The staff? Brilliant. We’ve had so many crew members go out of their way to help us, whether it’s finding an extra bread roll for my toddler at 4pm or just remembering my favourite coffee after a hard night with our baby. And the fact you can sail straight from Southampton without a flight, all year round? Game-changer when you’re travelling with small kids, pushchairs, and a family-sized stash of Calpol.

But for me, there are two things P&O does that tip the scales in their favour for families — and they’re the kind of benefits you might not even know about until you’re onboard.

🧳 1) Bonded Luggage Service — The Airport Fairy Tale

If you’ve ever flown long-haul with children, you’ll know the horror: weaving through a crowded arrivals hall, pushing a buggy one-handed while dragging a suitcase, a Trunki, and possibly a toddler who’s decided now is the moment to practice her best unicorn gallop.

P&O Cruise’s bonded luggage service makes all of that disappear. Here’s how it works: if you’re on one of their P&O Cruises Caribbean fly-cruises (and a few other itineraries like Malta), you check in your suitcase at your UK airport. You don’t see it again until it’s outside your cabin door on the ship. No baggage claim. No customs hall balancing a wriggly child on one hip and a 23kg case on the other. You just step off the plane, get on the transfer, and go straight to your holiday.

If you’ve ever thought “I’ll wait until the kids are older before doing the Caribbean,” this might be the thing that changes your mind.

🌙 2) The Night Nursery

Every cruise line will tell you they’re family-friendly, but very few back it up with something as genuinely useful as P&O’s night nursery. Between 6pm and 2am, you can drop off your baby or toddler (up to age 4) for supervised sleep while you enjoy a grown-up evening on the ship.

It’s completely free (no babysitting fees, no booking a year in advance, no limit on usage) and it’s staffed by trained childcare professionals who will call you if your child wakes up and needs you.

For parents, this is gold. You can have dinner in a speciality restaurant without trying to eat a £35 steak in under three minutes. You can go to the theatre without worrying about bedtime meltdowns. Or you can just sit on your balcony with a drink and remember what silence sounds like.

And because it’s P&O, the nursery is indoors, quiet, and secure — not a noisy kids’ club corner. It genuinely feels like an extension of your own bedtime routine, not a compromise.

For me, these two services alone make P&O one of the most family-friendly cruise lines.

⚖️ My Verdict

P&O isn’t perfect. There are real issues worth knowing about, and they’re not for everyone. But they also do some family-friendly things better than most other lines — and for some, those benefits outweigh the downsides.

Would I book again? Yes. I have, in fact. I’m going on a Caribbean cruise on P&O Arvia in January and I’m already so looking forward to it! Take a look here and read about my review of P&O’s Avia in Europe in 2025 to see all the things I loved.

📌 Over to you: Have you experienced any of these complaints yourself? Or do you have a different P&O gripe (or compliment) to add? Let me know in the comments on my YouTube video or drop me a message on Instagram.

📲 Follow for More

You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:

• 📸 Instagram: @lisschatsship
• ▶️ YouTube: LissChatsShip on YouTube
• 📝 Blog: www.lisschatsship.com
• ✉️ Email: lisschatsship@gmail.com

P&O Arvia Cruise Family Review – Europe 2025: Our Honest Family Experience

Thinking of cruising on P&O Cruises’ Arvia with little ones? Here’s everything we learned from sailing with a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old in Summer 2025; the wins, the challenges, and what I’d do differently next time.

We’ve just returned from 14 nights onboard Arvia with our toddler and baby, and while this wasn’t our first time on the ship (we last cruised her in 2022), this was our first experience with two small children in tow.

So, what’s Arvia really like for families? Here’s everything we noticed.

👶 The Basics: Rules, Ages, and What You Need to Know

Minimum Age: Babies must be 6 months old and P&O are strict on this (they check birth certificates like you’re 17 and trying to get into Wetherspoons). Our youngest was just days past the minimum when we boarded.

🧸 Kids’ Clubs & Nursery

So what are the kids' club offerings on P&O Cruises - and how do they actually work?

🎏 The Reef

P&O Cruises offers a dedicated kids’ club called The Reef, which is split into four age groups:

• 🎈 Splashers: 2–4 years
• 🌊 Surfers: 5–8 years
• 🤿 Scubas: 9–12 years
• 🎮 The Scene: 13–17 years

Each group has a tailored programme of activities and is run by DBS-checked youth staff.

Sessions usually take place in three daily blocks:

• ⏰ Morning (typically 10am–12pm)
• ⏰ Afternoon (2pm–5pm)
• ⏰ Evening (6:15pm–11pm)

Do note: on port days, there are usually no morning sessions available.

Our toddler, aged 3, joined the Splashers group and had a great time - a big change from our previous cruise when she refused to go. The staff were welcoming, enthusiastic, and made a huge fuss over her arrival, which helped her settle in straight away.

🧸 Onboard Nursery

For babies aged 6 months and up, there’s a nursery room with toys, books, a little soft climbing structure and baby-friendly facilities - but it’s not a drop-off service. A parent or carer must stay with the child during the session.

We used this a lot when our eldest was a baby, but this time around, our youngest wasn’t such a fan. Still, it’s a calm space for a break - especially useful on sea days or when your cabin needs a tidy.

🌙 The Night Nursery

This is one of the standout family-friendly features on P&O Cruises’ ships. The Night Nursery is available for children under 4 years old and is open from 6:00pm to 11:00pm (or 1:00am with prior arrangement).

If your child falls asleep in a pram, or you’re able to take them up and settle them in the beds or cots in the nursery, you can drop them off and enjoy the evening. You’re given a pager and contacted immediately if they wake up.

Unlike many other cruise lines that offer paid babysitting, this is a free service, and a brilliant option if you want a relaxed adults-only dinner or show (or just sit in your cabin and enjoy the silence). It worked beautifully for us when our eldest was a baby - but our youngest is a contact napper and hates his pram, so we didn’t use it as much this time around.

📲 Booking System

One change we encountered on this sailing was a new booking system being trialled onboard. It had two main options:

• 💳 Paid Pre-Booking: You could book sessions in advance for between £5–£8 per slot. This helped guarantee childcare during adult-only dining or spa appointments.
• 📅 Daily Free Booking via App: Free sessions became available to book from 8:30am the day before. These were released in limited numbers, and while we found good availability in Splashers, we heard from other parents that trying to book for Surfers (ages 5–8) felt like competing for Glastonbury tickets.

⚠️ If you missed a session you booked, you could be charged up to £10, and drop-off periods felt chaotic - lots of queuing, lots of confusion. The app system added an unexpected layer of stress, especially with young children and unpredictable nap schedules. The prebooking requirement even applies to the Night Nursery, which seems really contradictory to the point of the Night Nursery – to watch your children if you’re lucky enough to get them to sleep!

In our case, we didn’t make every session we booked, but the team kindly waived the fees. Still, we found the lack of flexibility frustrating for families with little ones who don’t run to a fixed schedule.

🛝 Onboard Facilities for Babies and Toddlers

💦 Splash Zones and Pools

There are three pools where children are allowed, and unlike some cruise lines, P&O permits babies and toddlers in swim nappies to use them. Lifeguards are present at key times around the pools. Having said that, the splash zone was definitely the biggest hit with our toddler - colourful, shallow, and full of water features for safe, active play.

It’s worth noting that on sea days the pools did feel very busy. And if your little ones are sensitive to noise or crowds, it might not be the most relaxing space.

🏟️ SkyDome

The SkyDome - a glass-covered pool area with a retractable roof - is designed as an all-weather solution. But in practice, it turns into a hot, echoey space when the weather’s poor.

On rainy days, the dome was full of wet swimmers and soggy towels, and the pool itself felt overcrowded and overstimulating for small children. If you’re a UK reader, it reminded me a lot of a Center Parcs swimming pool.

🧩 Soft Play & Indoor Spaces

Disappointingly, some of the advertised facilities weren’t open. There’s a designated soft play area in The Club House which remained closed the entire trip. I also repeatedly saw adverts around the ship for a Little City role-play space which the adverts claimed would be posted in the Horizon magazine but, like the socks I always put in the washing machine, never appeared. It wasn’t clear why, and that lack of clarity was frustrating.

🐣 Toddler Time

Each day there was a 9:00am or 3:00pm “Toddler Time” show - themed music and movement activities aimed at the under-twos. When we tried this on a previous cruise, it felt flat - the staff were kind, but read from a script and didn’t engage much. We skipped it this time, but we’d love to see it improved in future.

🎭 Entertainment for Kids

P&O absolutely excelled here. Over the two-week cruise, there were themed shows for children - from pop performances to animal adventures - plus circus school, craft sessions, and dance parties.

Our toddler had a brilliant time, and even insisted we went to meet the Animal Guys one evening in their Meet and Greet. The crew outside the kids’ club also went out of their way to engage with children onboard - high fives, jokes, and lots of friendly chats at dinner.

A small note: some of the kids’ entertainment clashed with kids’ club sessions, which meant families had to choose between the two. A little more coordination here would have helped.

🍼 Dining with Babies and Toddlers

There’s a dedicated Children’s Tea held in the buffet most nights - perfect for families who want an earlier, more casual dinner. One evening, our toddler even “had tea with a T-Rex”!

But the kids' menu itself was limited, and allergy-safe options were more so. P&O Cruises advertise a link with Annabel Karmel, but we didn’t see that reflected onboard.

🥄 I’ve got a full post about allergy-safe dining on Arvia coming soon - stay tuned for updates!

We usually ate dinner together as a family in the main dining room, and the limited options meant that our eldest ended up eating pasta almost every night.

🥣 Weaning Onboard

We were weaning our 6-month-old during the cruise, and it was a mixed bag. Daily purees were available, but the flavours were odd - think “salmon and peach.” One of them prompted my husband to declare it tasted like “vomit with a dry finish.” We gave up on the purees after that.

Instead, we used one of our stops to buy some easier pouches for our youngest. If he’d been a bit older though, there were some suitable finger food options in the buffet too - soft bread, steamed veg, and plain pasta If you’re in the weaning phase, I’d recommend bringing some baby snacks and pouches just in case.

🚿 Changing Facilities

Most accessible toilets had fold-down baby changers, which was really helpful - no need to run back to your cabin every time.

That said, the toilet doors were... quirky. Some had an odd light-based locking system that confused a lot of guests, and more than once we saw people accidentally walk in on others or leave the door unlocked without realising. They definitely were not designed by someone who’s ever used a toilet with a toddler “guarding” the door.

🧳 What I Wish I’d Packed

One thing I really wish we’d brought? A small inflatable baby pool.

It would’ve been perfect for bath time, or for letting our baby splash near our sunbed without getting overwhelmed by the bigger pools. We’ve used the balcony bath trick in the past, but it wasn’t possible this time due to the location and layout of our cabin.

💭 Overall Family Experience

We had a lovely time - especially seeing our toddler enjoy the splash zone and children’s shows. But there wasn’t anything that felt truly magical or unforgettable for little ones, and I’m not sure our kids would be wowed by a second sailing on the same ship.

That said, we’re heading back on Arvia in January for a Caribbean cruise, and I’m really curious to see how different a term-time sailing will feel compared to this busy summer sailing.

⭐ The Little Cruiser Score

Our final rating for the family experience onboard Arvia - based on our personal experience with a baby and toddler:

⭐

Ease for Parents

3/5

⭐

Facilities & Features

3/5

⭐

Food Flexibility

2/5

⭐

Family Factor

3/5

⭐

Overall Score

2.5/5

This score reflects a bit of everything - some lovely moments, but also logistical challenges that made things feel more effort than ease.

💬 Have you sailed with babies or toddlers? I’d love to hear how it went for you - every family’s experience is different, and I always love swapping tips.

🎥 Want to See the Full Video?

If you'd prefer to watch our family review, including real footage from onboard and a full explanation of our score, you can catch the full episode on YouTube:

👉 Watch the Arvia Family Cruise Review

📲 Follow for More

You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:

• 📸 Instagram: @lisschatsship
• ▶️ YouTube: LissChatsShip on YouTube
• 📝 Blog: www.lisschatsship.com
• ✉️ Email: lisschatsship@gmail.com