P&O Cruises will be introducing a new entertainment feature onboard its newest Excel-class cruise ship. Arvia, as the latest vessel is called, will feature an escape room that will take guests into ocean canyons, encountering sunken cities and underwater creatures.
Arvia will join the P&O Cruises fleet in December 2022 as its second LNG-powered, Excel-class ship offering a Caribbean maiden season of fly-cruise holidays from homeport Barbados.
Arvia To Feature 3D Escape Room
Building on the rave reviews the cruise line has received over the first Excel-class cruise ship in the fleet, Iona, which launched last year, P&O Cruises is introducing new and innovative entertainment options for guests onboard the cruise line’s second Excellence-class ship, Arvia.
This week, the cruise line released a behind-the-scenes video that showcases the cruise line’s first-ever escape room, Mission Control, built and designed by Düsseldorf, Germany-based technology company, Tennagels.
Through an immersive experience, combining an escape game with multimedia simulation and a live-action story, Mission Control takes guests into ocean canyons, encountering sunken cities, and offers encounters with underwater creatures onboard the submarine Arvia II.
Guests will have complete control of their destiny through motion simulation and fully interactive consoles that will put them at the heart of the action, while 3D surround sound completes the immersive experience.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “We wanted to create something brand new and we believe this is the first of its kind in the world. Our technology partner specializes in things that have never been done before so boarding Arvia II is guaranteed to wow our guests and be like being in the biggest blockbuster movie.”
“The unique environmental experience will also leave guests with a greater awareness of the need to protect our fragile marine ecosystems.”
Guests will board the submarine in groups of 10 and form a team of marine explorers and underwater detectives under the guidance of Dr. Melissa Ryan, a virtual character who will guide guests through their mission.
Sailing December 2022
Guests will be able to experience the Escape Room from December 2022 onwards. Arvia will set sail on her maiden voyage on December 9.
Sailing from Southampton in the UK, the ship will visit Funchal, Madeira; Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Arrecife in the Canary Islands. She will then set sail towards the Spanish mainland with a visit to Cadiz, Spain, followed by a call to Lisbon, Portugal. Arvia will return to Southampton on December 23.
On January 6, the ship will be setting course across the Atlantic Ocean for her maiden season in the Caribbean.
The fly-cruises can be booked as a 7-day cruise from Barbados to St. Johns, Antigua, a 7-day cruise from St. Johns to Barbados, or a 14-day cruise from Barbados to Barbados. Ports of call in the Caribbean include Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten
Arvia, which means ‘from the seashore,’ is the sister ship to Iona, the first excel-class cruise ship for P&O Cruises. The 180,000 gross ton and 5,206-passenger cruise ship will be focused on the warm Caribbean weather, whereas Iona is more focused on the colder Northern European climate.
To that end, the vessel features a SkyDome with a retractable glass roof, the Altitude Skywalk high ropes experience, the tropical-themed Altitude Minigolf, the Altitude Splash Valley aqua zone, an outdoor Sports Arena, a swim-up bar, and an infinity pool.
Arvia and Iona are part of the Excellence class of ships. These include Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda, and AIDAnova.
