P&O Cruises delayed Arvia’s maiden voyage because of “reasons beyond our control”.
The 5,200-guest Excel-class vessel, sistership to Iona, which launched in 2021, was scheduled to debut on December 9.
However, the cruise company said Arvia’s first cruise would now depart on December 23, 2022, and visit Spain, Portugal, and the Canaries, prior to repositioning to the Caribbean in January 2023.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said:
“Whilst we know this is disappointing for those guests who were booked to travel on December 9, we will not compromise on the high standards of build, interior design and service for which P&O Cruises is known.”
P&O Arvia and Iona are currently the newest and largest passenger liners designed and built for the UK source market. They are from Carnival Corporation's Excellence Class (aka "Helios" and "Carnival XL"). The vessel design was developed in collaboration with renowned maritime companies and interior design firms, including Meyer Werft (German shipbuilder), Jestico+Whiles (London-based hospitality design studio), Richmond International (London-based hotel architecture), Partner Ship Design (Hamburg-based maritime architecture specialist with several Carnival Corporation projects - including AIDA, Costa, P&O, CCL-Carnival).