Our P&O Arvia Caribbean cruise was the trip where everything felt bigger: the ship, the heat, the journey and the number of moments when we stopped to say, “That is absolutely wild.” It was Lottie’s first time outside Europe and our first proper experience of the Caribbean, so there was a lot to take in.
Starting the adventure
We began at the airport lounge, partly to escape the noise and partly because Lottie intended to eat lots and lots of bacon before the nine-hour flight. Seeing Arvia properly for the first time was a moment in itself. The ship looked much larger than we had expected, and finding our cabin made the holiday suddenly feel real.
Our Arvia balcony cabin
Our balcony cabin felt more spacious than we expected from videos we had watched beforehand. The bed was enormous—closer to a super king than the tiny cruise bed Lottie had pictured—and there was useful storage throughout the room. We brought magnetic hooks for extra bags because cruise cabin walls are magnetic and the room itself only had a small number of hooks. It is a simple little tip, but it made keeping everything organised much easier.
The balcony gave us our own quiet outdoor space and made arriving somewhere new feel very special. The door mechanism took a moment to understand, but once we had worked it out, it became one of our favourite parts of the cabin. For a longer warm-weather cruise, we were pleased we had chosen the balcony.
Barbados: heat, turtles and immediate distractions
Barbados was our first Caribbean stop and the heat was unlike anything Lottie had experienced. We intended to show the town, beach and buildings, but within minutes we had become distracted by a huge caterpillar, crabs and then a turtle in the water. We promise it was not meant to be a nature documentary—it just became one for a while.
Bridgetown had colourful buildings, historic details, Independence Square and a lively waterfront. We walked to the beach, found white sand and stopped for drinks. The atmosphere was energetic and people regularly offered tours, jet skis and boat trips. It was useful to be polite but firm if we were not interested. We also learned more than expected about a drink called horny goat weed after Jordan tried it, which is a sentence we did not anticipate writing before the holiday.
Martinique and the mangroves
Martinique felt distinctly French, with beautiful architecture, a striking cathedral, gardens and an old fortress. We tried fresh sugar-cane juice and coconut water before Lottie attempted to get closer to a pelican without losing an eye. The day then became considerably more adventurous when heavy rain arrived just as we were preparing to kayak through the mangroves.
The kayaking was one of those experiences that looked slightly chaotic at first but became a brilliant memory. We were nervous, soaked and not entirely elegant, but the mangroves, local information and scenery made it worth doing. It was exactly the sort of excursion where the imperfect weather became part of the story.
The ship and the food
Arvia is modern, busy and packed with options. That scale can feel overwhelming at first, but it also means there is normally somewhere different to eat, drink or sit. Food mattered a lot to us, and the wider choice became one of the ship’s strongest points. The buffet could become very busy, especially on sea days, but there were enough alternatives that we did not feel trapped into eating the same thing repeatedly.
Because Arvia carries so many passengers, planning helped. Booking restaurants or entertainment where possible removed some of the stress, and exploring at quieter times made the ship easier to appreciate. Staff often looked extremely busy, but we still had many friendly experiences throughout the cruise.
Our honest Arvia verdict
Arvia suited us because we enjoy choice, modern facilities and having plenty to do. It did not feel like a small, traditional ship, and anyone wanting a very quiet cruise may prefer something more intimate. For us, though, the comfortable cabin, range of food and excitement of waking up beside a new Caribbean island made it an unforgettable trip.
The biggest compliment we can give it is that the cruise made us want to keep cruising. We came home with favourite islands, ridiculous stories, a new appreciation for balcony cabins and far too much footage. It was not flawless, but it was absolutely a proper adventure—and one we would happily do again.