P&O Arvia: Our 14 day Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary

When we returned from our Norwegian fjords cruise last June, people asked if we’d been bitten by the cruising bug. “One cruise and you’ll be hooked” they said. Mr Fletche and I enjoyed our inaugural cruise very much; the spectacular scenery, quirky port stops, a floating five-star hotel courtesy of the Celebrity Silhouette. And we could definitely see ourselves doing something similar again in the future. But not yet. So how DID we find ourselves on a 14 day Mediterranean cruise just 12 months later? And on a P&O Cruise at that – the Butlins of cruise lines?

**This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you go on to make a purchase or booking after clicking through one of my external links, then I may make a tiny bit of commission, at no extra cost to you!**

Ma and Pa Lee turn 70

And there, in a nutshell, is the reason for our swift return to cruising. “What are you planning to do to celebrate your birthdays?” I ask Ma and Pa Lee. “Well, we have been discussing going on another cruise…”

Yep, they had well and truly been bitten by the cruising bug. More on THAT later. And what started with “great, I’ll help you pick out an itinerary” became “great, how about we come along too?”. After all, it’s a privilege to be able celebrate special moments and still make memories with your parents as an adult. Like that time we took them to London for their golden wedding anniversary.

We narrowed down some dates, and the types of locations we wanted to visit. Mr Fletche and I could manage to squeeze two weeks out of our holiday allowance. The perfect time would be between Ma and Pa Lee’s 70th birthdays, falling just two months apart in April and June. We all definitely wanted somewhere where we could get a bit of sunshine. Although that’s never guaranteed when we’re travelling. Remember Lisbon?

We enlisted the help of an online travel agent and cruise specialist to pull together some quotes. And I’m not going to lie – the relative value for money of P&O Cruises made them a very attractive prospect. I’d just have to get over my snobbery. The price was right, the itinerary was right. Before you know it, we’d booked our second cruise in consecutive years. 14 days, cruising the western Mediterranean on P&Os newest and largest ship Arvia.

You can find all my thoughts on sailing on P&O Arvia in my detailed review here! I have also blogged separately about the drinking and dining options aboard.

Our 14 day Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary

Our 14 day Mediterranean cruise itinerary would take in six ports in three different countries – Spain, Italy and France. For Ma and Pa Lee, it would be the first time on French or Italian soil. Mr Fletche and I were particularly excited to show them one of our favourite Italian spots. And I would be returning to Barcelona for the first time since I was a wide-eyed eleven year old. Ma and Pa Lee are old hands at Palma, having spent many holidays in Mallorca and passing through Palma bus station on numerous occasions. But La Coruña, Cádiz and Marseille are new destinations to all of us.

I’ll post more about each destination over the coming weeks including what to do when you only have a few hours ashore, and vital information on how to get from cruise ship to the interesting bits. Oh, and where the toilets are.

Embarkation Day

We spend a relaxing morning at our pre-cruise hotel, the no-frills Premier Inn at Southampton North. It’s more relaxing than planned, thanks to a two hour delay in boarding time due to an essential ship deep clean. The passengers before us apparently brought back norovirus as a souvenir. Our 12:30 boarding time is pushed back to 14:30; Ma and Pa Lee are not due to board for another 75 minutes after us. We visit the onsite Beefeater for breakfast, and return as soon as it seems appropriate for a pint. This has definitely been a better option than last years Travelodge from hell, with it’s stifling rooms, noisy pipes and tiny parking spaces. And it’s a pleasant 15 minute drive to meet Arvia at the Ocean Cruise Terminal.

We booked our parking via CPS parking right at the cruise terminal. Mr Fletche is directed to park in a queue underneath a canopy, where the car is photographed for any dents or damage before handing over the key to CPS staff for on-site parking.

You can’t truly imagine the size and scale of a cruise ship until you’re right next to it. And Arvia is gigantic, much bigger than the Celebrity Silhouette. Yet she still manages to look elegant and sleek, the traditional red, white and blue livery on the bow, her glass roof glinting in the Southampton sunshine.

I’ve written more about our embarkation experience as part of a more detailed Arvia review. But a vital tip I can give you if you’re travelling in different parties – and particularly on different decks when you’re not sure of the cabin number – is to arrange a meeting spot and time. We had a very tense half an hour when we had absolutely no mobile connection and no way of checking that Ma and Pa Lee had actually boarded and located their cabin. Long story short: they did.

Day 3: La Coruña

Our first stop is La Coruña (A Coruña in Galician), a port city located in the northwest of Spain. It’s a city of much maritime importance, and it’s here that the Spanish defeated Sir Francis Drake in 1589. It is nicknamed the city of glass, as the windows along the Avenida de la Marina reflect the sparkling Atlantic. These unique buildings are called galerías, with their white wooden framed windows and enclosed balconies, letting in the light but providing shelter from the winds which rock this part of the coast.

It’s not a huge city with a mass of must-see attractions. But it does have rock carvings, a pretty Old Town, a stunning coastal path, the world’s oldest lighthouse and a sculpture park. It’s a cultural hub, a beach town and historic city, all wrapped up in one neat package.

You can read more about day exploring La Coruña here!

Day 6: Palma, Mallorca

After two days at sea, our next stop is the elegant Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca. The stunning gothic cathedral is the city’s focal point, but the historic centre has a multitude of charms. It’s easy to while away the time getting gloriously lost in picturesque streets. There are plenty of green spaces and gardens, including the tranquil S’Hort del Rei with its beautiful Cypress trees, gurgling pools and towering palms.

Plaça de Cort is a bustling square, famous for its ancient olive tree and impressive city hall. The 7m tall tree is a symbol of peace and unity, a gift from Pollença. There are plenty of quaint spots to relax and people-watch, or enjoy the hustle and bustle of market and food hall Mercat de l’Olivar. We took this Free Walking Tour so that we could learn a little more about the city during our all too short stay.

You can read more about our day exploring Palma de Mallorca here!

Day 8: La Spezia

Our third stop takes us to Italy. It’s the first of three busy shore days marking the start of our second week onboard Arvia. La Spezia is a port city which serves as a gateway to destinations such as Cinque Terre, Pisa and Florence. And it’s a pretty city in it’s own right, deserved of lazy explorations soaking up la dolce vita. Whilst many of our fellow passengers chose excursions further afield, we took advantage of La Spezia’s transport links and stayed local. We took the ferry to Riomaggiore, one of the five colourful towns of Cinque Terre, and then used the train to travel between the towns and back to La Spezia.

We had a wonderful sunny day. Unlike our fellow passengers who experienced flash floods and thunderstorms in Pisa and Florence. The kind of weather we usually get. Maybe our luck is changing.

You can read more about day exploring Cinque Terre from the port of La Spezia here!

The weather gods don’t always smile on us in Italy. Remember the storms that grounded our Bari flight?

Day 9: Marseille

It’s straight from Italy to France’s oldest city. Despite a slightly shady reputation in the past, Marseille is surprisingly vibrant, history and culture colliding with Mediterranean beauty and rustic charm. We focused much of our day ashore in Le Panier neighbourhood, and using the cute tourist train to ascend the hills to the magnificent Notre-Dame De La Garde. The views are stunning, showing the true urban sprawl of France’s second largest city. There are world-class museums, an elegant waterfront promenade and excellent street art installations throughout the city.

As in Palma, we took a free walking tour of Marseille’s Old Town, meeting our guide Yam at Le Vieux Port. This was an excellent introduction to the city’s history, culture and politics, and the best way to truly appreciate the transformation the city has undergone in the past 10 years.

You can read more about our day exploring Marseille here!

Day 10: Barcelona

After two hectic days in a row, we steel ourselves for the third. We get a day to relax tomorrow. Barcelona doesn’t really require much of an introduction. It’s busy and bustling, a sprawling city with far too much to fit into just eight hours. And its overrun by tourists. Those pesky cruise ships. Architecture is the true rock star of Barcelona, with Antoni Gaudi’s whimsical influences wherever you look.

We focused on just two attractions: La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Both are slightly away from the waterfront and the famous tree-lined Las Ramblas, and required us to familiarise ourselves with the Barcelona Metro. An experience for Ma and Pa Lee, and an introduction to the chaotic way Mr Fletche and I tend to travel. We scratched just the tip of the iceberg of Barcelona, and it definitely deserves a longer stay soon. My Gaudi bingo card remains largely untouched.

You can read more about our day exploring Barcelona here!

Day 12: Cádiz

Just a few steps off the ship and immediately we are drawn into the shabby narrow streets and pastel whitewashed buildings. Cádiz boasts a rich combination of European and Moorish heritage, like its neighbours Seville and Cordoba. It’s thought to be Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city, founded in 1000BC. It lies on a peninsula, with the Atlantic Ocean on three sides. Calm and serene streets give way to bustling squares and market places, the vibrant Plaza de las Flores leading to Mercado Central Cádiz, a historic market stall surrounded by tapas bars and other gastronomic delights.

It is easy to draw comparisons with Seville, and Mr Fletche and I both agreed that it’s impossible to experience the true Cádiz by day. We want to return to sample the nightlife, the flamenco, the tapas culture, the vermouth and the sherry.

Cádiz is our final stop. We have two consecutive sea days ahead of us as we skirt the coast of Portugal, cross the notoriously rocky Bay of Biscay once more before heading back into the English Channel, homeward bound.

You can read more about our day exploring charming Cadiz here!

Sea Days

We had seven sea days during our 14 day trip. The first sea day gave us the perfect opportunity to fully explore Arvia – and for some passengers to acquire their sea legs. The weather warmed up as we hit the Med on Day 5, so we were able to enjoy our sea days on deck, soaking up the sunshine. These days were a little like being on a beach resort holiday.

Sea days meant no alarm days. It was a chance to have a more leisurely breakfast or brunch, at the Olive Grove or 6th Street Diner. Arvia has a full itinerary of activities and entertainment on sea days for those that wish to participate. Craft sessions are available, with map-making and sock dogs on the agenda. There are dance lessons, and even the chance to join an Arvia choir (who gave a rousing performance to the Grand Atrium on the final day). Or there are quiet spaces, like Andersons with its games and book sharing cupboards. And our favourite spot, the Crows Nest, set high up on the bow with full-length windows looking out to sea.

Arvia has an excellent cinema, with three screens showing recent movies throughout the day. And our in-room entertainment system (let’s ignore the repetitive playlists of Cruise Radio) had so many films and box-sets that we could be onboard for a year and never get through them all. I had to adjust to a social media free world on sea days (not willing to pay ridiculous wifi charges just to keep up my Wordle/Duolingo streak) which meant lots of reading and lots of podcasts. And of course, Mr Fletche and I have a long-standing Rummikub tournament going on. Which I’m sure I must be winning by now.

Day 15: Disembarkation Day

It’s an early alarm call – all passengers must vacate their cabins by 7:30am. We’ve chosen to self-disembark, which means trying to work out exactly how four arms are to carry two suitcases, two backpacks, two suit bags, a holdall, a tote bag and a handbag. And we travelled light compared to some. Passengers that self-disembark get an earlier slot; our disembarkation “window” is 7:30-7:40am, with Ma and Pa Lee’s window slightly earlier.

We have the opportunity to grab a final breakfast from a slightly chaotic Horizon buffet before loading ourselves up like packhorses. We say goodbye to cabin 4:207, and to our cabin steward Manoj, a permanently smiling busy bee. With just two floors we consider doing the stairs, but our lift lobby is blissfully quiet, and we squeeze in with another couple who appear to have significantly more luggage than we do.

A procession of P&O and cruise terminal staff line our route, making sure we don’t make a final dash back onto Arvia. It’s quite the winding walk, but eventually we’re reunited with Ma and Pa Lee, waiting patiently in the departure hall. We cast a mournful look behind us as we leave the terminal behind in search of our car. We’re on the road, and back home just in time for second breakfast.

Final thoughts on our 14 day Mediterranean Cruise with P&O

Arvia is a wonderful ship, with many places to eat, drink and relax. Her size didn’t bother me – although some of those LONG lift journeys could be a little tiresome. We couldn’t help but compare some of the little touches with our Celebrity experience, and in some cases P&O even came out favourably. Sometimes it was the fellow passengers that were a challenge. And not even the kids – we could mostly avoid them.

I really enjoyed our second cruise, but we’ll be giving cruising a break for a while. Yes, I know I’ve said that before. Not so much Ma and Pa Lee, who had booked their next cruise – a mammoth 19 days – before they’d even returned to Southampton.

Mr Fletche and I miss the opportunity to linger longer in port, to return to favourite spots in different lights and yes, to sample the local nightlife. In cities like Barcelona we can only choose a tiny part of the city to focus on. It was like trying to squeeze 6 city breaks into two weeks, in 8 hour chunks of time. We tried to eat, drink and shop local where we could, to give something back to the community; we are well aware that tourists – and particularly cruise passengers – are not always warmly welcomed.

If we do cruise again, it will be because there’s an itinerary – or a ship – that particularly takes our fancy. But for now, we’ll be keeping our feet firmly on dry land.