P&O Cruises has been contacting booked friends to tell them of the cancelation of the inaugural crusing of the brand new Arvia, initially scheduled to debut from Southampton on December 9, 2022. Solely the primary crusing is cancelled, nonetheless, and the ship will nonetheless sail on its deliberate December 23 departure.
New Arvia Cruise Ship Delayed
Arvia, the primary new ship for P&O Cruises since Iona debuted in 2020, can be barely delayed together with her inaugural crusing cancelled.
“For causes past our management, we’ve got taken the choice to cancel Arvia’s first cruise which was scheduled to depart Southampton on 9 December,” P&O Cruises mentioned in a press release offered to Cruise Hive.
“Now we have made this choice as we is not going to compromise on the excessive requirements of construct, inside design, and repair for which P&O Cruises is understood.”
Whereas additional particulars behind the cancellation are usually not offered, it’s seemingly that provide chain delays have impacted the vessel’s ending particulars. Somewhat than set sail with elements of the ship not but prepared for friends, the cruise line has opted to cancel that first cruise so as to give attention to ending the ship appropriately.
It’s also attainable that staffing issues at shipyards have impacted building schedules for brand new ships, notably with many areas nonetheless having quarantine protocols and well being and security restrictions remaining in place.
Two small fires occurred aboard Arvia in July, however are usually not believed to have impacted the ship’s building and are usually not the trigger for the inaugural delay.
Compensation Provided
Visitors booked on the now-canceled inaugural crusing are being offered a full refund, in addition to a further 10% future cruise credit score (FCC) to make use of on a future reserving with P&O Cruises.
The cruise line can also be providing a singular alternative for impacted friends.
“They will even be invited to a ship tour and lunch onboard Arvia forward of her first crusing, to allow them to nonetheless be among the many first friends to expertise our latest ship,” the assertion learn.
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It’s unclear what number of friends might be able to reap the benefits of that chance, nonetheless, as it’s unlikely that friends who might have deliberate to journey considerably to achieve Southampton for the inaugural cruise would be capable to alter journey plans merely to take pleasure in a ship tour and lunch fairly than a full cruise.
The brand new inaugural crusing of the 184,700-gross-ton vessel will now be the December 23, 2022 departure from Southampton, a 14-night roundtrip itinerary visiting the Canary Islands, Spain, and Portugal.
After that one crusing, Arvia will depart Southampton on her first transatlantic crossing on January 6 to reposition to the Caribbean, the place she is going to provide a variety of itinerary choices from Bridgetown, Barbados and St. Johns, Antigua by way of the winter earlier than returning to Southampton in March 2023.
Many New Ships Delayed
Delays as a result of shipyard staffing and provide chain points have been frequent issues with new cruise ships previously two years, with a number of vessels for various cruise traces experiencing comparable delays.
Carnival Cruise Line’s new flagship Mardi Gras, for instance, was delayed a number of occasions by way of the peak of the pandemic, whereas Disney Cruise Line’s new Disney Want, 12 sailings canceled earlier than the ship debuted in mid-July 2022.
Equally, Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Prima additionally had its inaugural crusing pushed again. That ship was lastly delivered to the cruise line in late July 2022, and accomplished her first crusing from a U.S. homeport earlier this month.
