ANGRY passengers have spoken out about P&O Cruises’ newest ship, Arvia, after customers were left frustrated, queueing for hours on Christmas day.
The £700m vessel left Southampton on December 23 for its maiden voyage, visiting sites such as Madeira and Tenerife.
But after issues on Christmas Day and Boxing Day including long waits for food and missed bookings, passengers have spoken out about their disappointing experiences on board.
One passenger, Debbie Laughton, is a seasoned cruiser, having been on around 40 cruises in her life and even meeting her husband on a cruise on 1993.
READ MORE: Take a look inside P&O Cruises' Arvia in Southampton
The 54-year-old who is travelling with her son and husband said she was left waiting hours on Christmas day as she awaited a ticket confirming her booking for dinner.
She added that even though they turned up for their 5pm booking, they weren’t seated until 6.30pm, with some even left waiting for food until gone 10pm.
“The ship is absolutely beautiful, there is so many fabulous parts. They just clearly weren’t ready to set sail on the 23rd.
“People gravitate to control and order and there is none of that.
“Staff are trying their hardest but there are not enough.
“We’re paying a premium to have this holiday. They haven’t done anything yet apart from the captain coming on and apologising.”
But P&O have put the dining issues around Christmas down to “connectivity issues”.
A spokesperson for the company told the Echo: “We are so sorry for those guests affected by the IT and connectivity issues on Arvia's current cruise which caused dining issues and restaurant delays for a proportion of guests on Christmas Day.
“This service was certainly not up to our usual high standards, and we wholeheartedly apologise.
“Our technical and IT team has been working to resolve connectivity as soon as possible and dining issues are now rectified.”
Youtubers, Dominik Scott and Tom Hughes-Lewis run the Tom and Dom Travel channel where they review cruises, showcasing their experience.
READ MORE: Arvia sails into Southampton ahead of maiden voyage
They said: “Arvia has certainly had some highs and lows. With maiden cruises, there are always expectations that there will be teething problems and Arvia is no exception.
“The ship is beautiful. The staff are working tirelessly to make sure everyone has a great time.
“Specifically for Christmas dinner, we did experience some minor issues, missing courses, and undercooked vegetables, but mostly we were lucky and had a reasonable time.
“However, we have heard from many other passengers who often come to speak to us after seeing our YouTube channel that they really did have a negative experience.”
They added that there are “a lot of unhappy people onboard” and that there are often queues.
The spokesperson for the company added that it is “doing everything possible” to ensure guests have a “wonderful holiday”.
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