P&O Cruises Reveals More Features on New Ship Arvia: Men's Grooming, Experiential Shopping and Spa Experiences
(4 p.m. BST) -- P&O Cruises has revealed new ship Arvia will offer even more new-to-the-line features when it debuts in Southampton in December 2022.
The 5,200-passenger ship will feature a men's grooming area, new wellness experiences at the spa and more retail brands in the shopping area -- The Avenue.
Arvia is currently under construction in Germany and will make its Southampton debut in early December, before departing on its maiden voyage on December 9.
The dedicated grooming area will feature a barber's station stocking American Crew, Clinique for Men, Barbour Pro and Clarins for Men.
New for the spa is a cool room, salt room and two exclusive wellness suites -- one featuring a hammam, the other a steam shower -- both with private treatment baths, lounge space and refreshments.
The 900-square-metre Avenue retail space will feature new 'experiential shopping zones,' including a design-your-own fine jewellery bar; Pandora Brilliance lab-produced diamonds; and the first-at-sea Swarovski 'Wonder Lab' Concept Store.
Thirty new-to-the-line brands will be available, including Rado watches, Floral Street fragrances, Cotswolds Distillery, as well as Mulberry, The White Company and Apple.
Two Month Countdown to Arvia's Maiden Voyage
P&O Cruises' latest reveal comes less than two months ahead of the ship's maiden voyage, with the line releasing a number of special offers earlier this month to mark the countdown.
Among the line's pre-launch special offers is a £849 per person fare (based on an inside cabin) on the maiden voyage to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, departing on December 9, 2022.
Cruise Critic was among a group of selected group invited to take a sneak peek of Arvia, the follow-up to Iona, at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, earlier this month.
Other new features include Mission Control, the line's first Escape Room, themed on a submarine (which replaces one of the four cinema spaces passengers can find on Iona), Altitude Skywalk, a ropes course, right at the top of the ship, above a new mini-golf course.
Arvia will sail backward on the River Ems to the North Sea next month in preparation for its sea trials. Once completed, the ship will be handed over to P&O Cruises in a traditional ceremony on December 1.
Arvia will reposition to Bridgetown, Barbados, until late March before returning to Southampton to offer summer sailings from April 2, 2023.