If you’ve already read my general guide to cruising with allergies, you’ll know the systems cruise lines use, the tips I swear by, and what to pack. But this post is different. This is about P&O Cruises’ Arvia specifically - what actually worked, what didn’t, and how it felt managing allergies for both myself (nuts) and my eldest (nuts, dairy, eggs).

Because here’s the truth: cruising with allergies doesn’t just change what’s on your plate, it changes the whole family rhythm.

📑 The Evening Ritual: Pre-Ordering

On paper, the pre-order system is meant to make life easier. You pop into the restaurant you’re eating at the next night, and let them know what you want to eat the next day. They then go away, speak to the kitchen, and let you know if your pre-order is possible or not. It completely removes all spontaneity, but it does give you the certainty of knowing that the next day’s meal is safe.

In practice, on Arvia it became my second job. Every evening I spent close to an hour negotiating meals for the next day – one of the worst was the Olive Grove where I sat on a bench in the entranceway for 90 minutes.

What could Arvia do to improve this? Speed it up, or at least offer a drink whilst I wait. Or, even better (as the Chefs Table did) – take my order, and then say they will call me and leave a message if there’s any problem. Quick, easy, still safe.

The thing that really capped off how annoying the pre-ordering system is; when they forgot or lost my pre order. It happened twice, which is really frustrating, given how much time the evening before was lost to that process.

🍖 Same Dish, Different Day

One thing I’ve noticed is that kitchens on cruise ships often develop a “safe favourite” if you eat in the main dining room.

On Arvia, this was meat and gravy. I ordered herb-crusted lamb with seasonal vegetables? I was given meat, gravy and boiler carrots. Roast chicken with ratatouille? Chicken, gravy and boiled carrots. By day five, I was starting to wonder if seasoning had been blacklisted for allergy passengers.

Safe? Yes. Exciting? About as much as watching the lifts go up and down.

For me, this is a big reason why we often use the speciality restaurants. I believe that the kitchens are more specialised (less mass-catering!) and so the crew are able to actually make an allergen-free version of the same dish, rather than just churning out the same plain meal.

🍝 Kids’ Cruise Diet: Pasta & Peas (Again)

The children’s menus and allergy options were especially tricky. In the main dining room, she was told “no” to nuggets, sausages, and fish fingers - yet the buffet offered the exact same sausages as “safe.” There was just very little consistency and it was so frustrating that she had so few options.

To be honest, I think this is indicative of a wider pattern I saw across the ship; if something is made fresh onboard, they can adapt it. But if it’s a bought-in item, it’s a flat-out “no” - no matter how safe it might be in theory. That meant we couldn’t have cakes, most desserts, odd items like soups, and even basics like chicken nuggets.

The result? Pasta and peas became her nightly staple. Not a disaster, but not the magical cruise dining experience you’d hope to share with your toddler either.

🏷️ The Buffet: Labels That Lied

• ⚠️ “Diet counter” dishes often contained allergens. Layouts were confusing and risky for cross contamination.
• ⚠️ Inconsistent labelling. Two identical chocolate tarts, one labelled with nuts, one without. Staff couldn’t clarify.
• ⚠️ Staff eventually admitted no buffet food could actually be guaranteed safe.

I explained to the head waiter how dangerous the inconsistent labelling was. His answer? That if you have allergies, you shouldn’t be in the buffet at all. It was really disappointing and exclusionary.

✨ The Bright Spots

• 🍦 Ripples Ice Cream Parlour was outstanding – the labels were clear, the staff were trained, and I actually felt confident. I ate ice cream without fear – sounds minor but it’s huge for a person with allergies!
• 🚑 The Medical Team - on an earlier Arvia trip I had one of my worst reactions at sea and ended up in the medical bay. The doctors were calm, kind, and utterly professional. The bill was £700, but travel insurance had my back.

📌 Lessons We Learned

• ⏳ Expect the pre-order system to eat into your evenings. Don’t take kids with you.
• 🥛 They do have oat milk, even though menus don’t list it. If you’re dairy and nut free – ask!
• 💊 Carry all the medication (and spares).
• 🍪 Bring your own snacks, especially for children.
• 🏷️ Treat buffet labels as conversation starters, not guarantees.
• 🥱 Manage expectations: on Arvia, “safe” often equals “same.”

💭 The Reality of Arvia with Allergies

Cruising with allergies on Arvia was doable - but it wasn’t seamless and it certainly (at times) wasn’t enjoyable. Some things were fantastic, others frustrating, and a few downright confusing. Most days were safe, but the inconsistencies made it feel like a constant background task.

I also find that, as soon as there are a few too many inconsistencies, I lose confidence in the ship. My anxiety rises the less confident I am, so by the end of the cruise I was a bit on edge every day.

Would I cruise Arvia again? Yes, and in fact I will be back on board in January. But I’ll be going in knowing pasta and peas are likely to be back on the menu, and booking speciality restaurants in advance so I can avoid meat-and-gravy PTSD in the main dining room.

If you want the bigger picture of how cruise lines in general handle allergies, head over to my cruising with allergies guide. But if you’re booked on Arvia, this review is the honest version of what you might face.

📸 Next Reads & Watches

• 🛳️ P&O Arvia Full Ship Review
• 🍼 Travelling With Babies and Toddlers on a Cruise
• 📺 Arvia Kids & Family Review on YouTube

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