What is the entertainment like on Arvia? In this P&O Arvia Entertainment Review, we share the entertainment available in every venue on Arvia, from traditional theatre shows to the more casual entertainment you can enjoy on your cruise.
We also share our opinions and recommendations on the entertainment we experienced and the performances you don’t want to miss.
We took a 14-night cruise on Arvia and have since been invited by P&O Cruises to watch the newest show, Schhh! Our opinions are our own, just remember, everyone’s tastes are difference. The good news is that there’s plenty of different types of entertainment onboard to suit different tastes.
What entertainment is on P&O Arvia?
Watch our video about entertainment onboard Arvia
Arvia has 11 entertainment venues catering for a wide range of ages and tastes:
- Headliners Theatre
- SkyDome
- The Grand Atrium
- Amber Lounge
- The 710 Club
- The Limelight Club
- Brodie’s
- Ocean Studios Cinema
- The Club House
- The Sunset Bar
- The Crow’s Nest
There’s live music in most venues with the chance to have a dance or tap your feet.
Musical theatre shows and guest performers add a good variety to evening entertainment. You can expect singers, groups and comedians to be performing throughout the cruise.
If you prefer more laidback entertainment, you can always find somewhere on the cruise ship to sit and enjoy some background music.
For children, there is entertainment in the kids clubs and special entertainment around the ship.
To get an idea of the wide variety of entertainment on Arvia, let’s take a look at each venue onboard, what you can expect and our opinions of our experiences.
P&O Arvia Entertainment: The Headliners Theatre
The Headliners Theatre spans Decks 6 and 7 and can hold an audience of up to 900 people.
Nightly theatre shows start at 6.45pm, 8.30pm and 10.30pm so there’s a chance to watch a show that fits around your evening.
To book a show, go to My P&O Cruises planner three weeks before your cruise to book shows for yourself and others in your cabin. You can choose the date and the time of the show you want book but there’s no need to choose a seat. You can choose where you sit once you get to the theatre for the performance.
If you arrive just as a show is about to start, be prepared that you may not be able to sit with everyone in your party as seats together fill up. We’d recommend arriving around 20 minutes before the start of a show.
There’s accessible seats available on a first, come, first serve basis, as well as spaces for people who use a wheelchair or mobility scooter.
Our Tip: Booking in advance before your cruise but if you don’t, it’s worth turning up just before a show to see if any seats are available.
There are production shows by the Headliners Theatre Company as well as guest acts, which change each cruise.
On our Arvia cruise, the Headliners Shows were Festival and Greatest Days the Take That musical.
Guest acts included a comedy juggler, comedians and vocal groups. Each show is available across two evenings so there’s a good chance to see the performances.
The gameshow, Wavelength, is held in the Theatre and this is kind of like Mr & Mrs. It’s virtually-hosted by Ben Shepard. We were invited to be contestants but politely declined (not really our thing!) but if you do fancy taking part, you should definitely speak to a member of the Entertainment Team.
Review of the Headliners Theatre
The Headliners Theatre is a good sized entertainment venue on Arvia. We booked in advance all of the entertainment we watched but not all performances were full.
The seating is tiered but we found that the best views are from mid-way back as the stalls seating is less so.
Our favourite performance in the Headliners Theatre was Greatest Days: The Take That Musical because it is the closest thing to a musical we’ve ever experienced on a cruise.
This show is a condensed version of the full musical but it is easy to follow and kept our attention throughout. The use of scenery is very clever, with moveable set items switching from scene to scene.
The musical was created by Gary Barlow and award-winning writer, Tim Firth. It features Take That’s greatest hits like Pray and Relight My Fire.
It’s worth mentioning that at the beginning of the show, there is a tragic twist that really is unexpected if you haven’t seen the film or stage version of this musical. This would not put us off watching this again or recommending it to others.
Some other passengers have commented on this not being appropriate for cruise entertainment but we disagree. It’s a refreshing change to the shows we typically watch in the Theatre and therefore it definitely has a place.
We also enjoyed a mixture of music and comedy in the Headliners Theatre. The guest performers were impressive apart from one comedian who lost the audience early one and sadly couldn’t win them around. Comedy is very subjective and therefore, it’s worth giving these acts a try even if it doesn’t turn out to be your kind of humour.
SkyDome
Let’s move on to the next big entertainment venue on P&O Arvia – the SkyDome.
By day this is the main pool area and you’ll find things like music trivia, movies and events on the big screen. There’s also a resident busker playing music while you chill out and relax.
By night, this becomes the second largest entertainment venue on Arvia with family-friendly shows, parties and tribute acts.
There are two levels to this venue and we thought that the view from Deck 17 was the best for watching entertainment.
Review of P&O Arvia entertainment in the SkyDome
In all honesty, we didn’t spend much time in the SkyDome on our cruise. It was certainly popular with families but we found other venues we preferred.
The evening shows were family-friendly and so it is a perfect place to go with the whole family. We did stay for a while to watch a George Ezra tribute act on one evening as we queued for the Chef’s Table. The performer was very good and the atmosphere felt pretty relaxed.
One show we did see in the SkyDome was Schhh by Nicole Scherzinger. This is described as an experience as it isn’t like your typical show on a cruise (usually lasting about 45 minutes).
The Schhh experience features performances across three hours so it is more of a chance to hang out with friends and family and watch the performances when they happen.
We were particularly impressed with the aerial performers, who scaled silks to skilfully spin and execute so breathtaking moves so effortlessly. We also enjoyed the percussion section at the beginning of the evening.
The clever use of moveable platforms over the swimming pool helped to change the performance space throughout the night and despite the show being purely dance and movement, we didn’t think this made it any less enthralling.
During Schhh there is a special cocktail available from the SkyDome bar. It’s a fruity cocktail with a spice-rimmed glass, which seemed to overpower the whole drink. After getting over our burning lips and tongue the cocktail itself was nice. We would recommend asking this to be served without the spice if you are not a fan.
The Grand Atrium
The Grand Atrium spans Decks 6, 7 and 8 but the entertainment definitely centres around Deck 6. You can expect more laidback entertainment here. This is perfect if you prefer chatting with friends or are just looking to have a quieter evening.
Every evening, aerial performances take place in the Grand Atrium and these short performances take place two to three times a night.
It’s a spectacle to watch and the performers make it look so effortless and graceful.
You won’t find the times of these aerial performances in your Horizon daily programmes so if you want to catch one, you should spend some time having a drink in the Grand Atrium and enjoy one when it starts spontaneously.
We would recommend catching at least one of these aerial performances during your cruise. They are similar, with slight differences in the props used each evening.
This is also where the silent disco was held on our cruise. We would exactly call it a silent disco though! We definitely heard it before we reached the Grand Atrium but it is a fun event that is very popular.
If you don’t fancy popping on the headphones for a boogie yourself, you can always watch the fun as you see passengers dancing and singing to completely different music all on one dance floor. If you’ve never taken part in a silent disco before it’s definitely worth getting involved.
You should also keep an eye out on the Horizon newsletter for special appearances from Wallace and Gromit. P&O Cruises has a partnership with Aardman so children can take part in special activities in the kids club and the Grand Atrium.
Amber Lounge
On one side of the Grand Atrium on Deck 6 is the Amber Lounge and here is a small stage where there’s musical entertainment at different points in the day. You can expect a pianist and some music inspired by the destinations you’re visiting on your cruise. On our Mediterranean cruise there was a Spanish influence to the entertainment.
This is more of your low key P&O Arvia entertainment and we noticed that passengers would sit here for a quiet drink or to read a book.
What is The 710 Club on Arvia?
On Deck 6 in the Grand Atrium is the 710 Club, this venue’s musical director is Gary Barlow and you can see one of his platinum discs for Greatest Day proudly displayed on the wall.
This is a small intimate venue with a resident band that play a variety of genres throughout your cruise.
Music themes include Supergroups, American vinyl and the Nations no. 1s. Nightly performances start at 7pm, 8.45pm and 10.30pm.
Entertainment in the 710 Club must be booked via the My Holiday webpage but you can’t book this venue until you board the cruise and connect to the ship’s wifi (don’t worry, you don’t need to pay for wifi to do this).
We missed out on booking this venue but we did manage to get seats for one session to give it a try and see what it was like.
Review of 710 Club on Arvia
We experienced the 710 Club on one evening during our Arvia cruise and it wasn’t enjoyable enough for us to want to return.
We found some spare seats for the session based on songwriting and unfortunately it was a bit dull. We think that it was unlucky that this was the session we watched because other themes definitely seemed more appealing.
The downside to this venue is that there is a bar but it isn’t open during the performance. We would recommend making sure that you order a drink before the session starts.
P&O Arvia Entertainment: The Limelight Club
On Deck 6, near the Headliners Theatre, is The Limelight Club. Entertainment in the Limelight Club takes place every evening and is only available once each night because it’s like a night out on a ship. There’s dinner before a show from a guest performer.
It’s worth being aware that this is the only P&O Arvia entertainment you will pay and it includes a three course meal.
You can find out who will be on board your cruise a few weeks before via the My P&O Cruises planner so you can decide if you want to book. It typically costs £25 to £35 per person.
We would definitely recommend booking this if there’s a performer you think you’d enjoy, because it’s a great night.
People you may find performing in The Limelight Club on your cruise are: Chester Hawkes, Deborah Stevenson, La Voix and Ray Quinn.
Once the main entertainment has finished in the Limelight Club there’s a late night band that plays in this venue from 11.15pm till midnight, so if you don’t want to pay for entertainment but still want to enjoy the Limelight Club venue, go to one of these late evening sessions instead.
We’ve experienced the Limelight Club on other ships, so we would recommend checking out our dedicated blog post about the Limelight Club to find out more.
Ocean Studios
Ocean Studios is the cinema on Arvia. It’s located on Deck 6, opposite Anderson’s Bar, and has four screens showing films throughout the day.
You can even get popcorn and snacks from the vending machines but these were unfortunately out of order during our cruise.
This is the perfect venue for families to enjoy a film together and the choice of films was varied. You shouldn’t expect the newest releases but films around two months after release.
Once you step inside, you definitely get the full cinema experience with comfy chairs and a big screen.
It’s worth being aware that if you miss a film in the cinema, you can watch it on your cabin TV.
The Club House
Towards the aft of Deck 8 is a huge lounge called The Club House and this is used for a number of things during the day. There are guest talks, children’s entertainment, game shows, comedians and music here and it’s definitely a place you can go in the evenings for some entertainment.
The Clubhouse has plenty of seating, a bar that offers table service and a good size dance floor. No matter how busy The Club House appeared, we always managed to find a table to sit at.
Review of The Club House Entertainment on Arvia
We found ourselves spending a good amount of time in The Club House during evenings because the house band was excellent.
Each evening had a different genre or theme and we particularly enjoyed:
- No. 1s
- Pure Pop
- Soul and Motown
- Floor Fillers
- Guilty Pleasures
The singers and musicians were very versatile and they definitely got your feet tapping. Lots of passengers go to The Club House to dance and the choice of music really encouraged you to get up on the dance floor.
Because this was such a large venue, getting a drink was sometimes tricky depending on where you sat but overall we really enjoyed spending time here.
Brodie’s
Next to the Casino on Deck 7 forward is Brodie’s. Brodie’s is the pub on Arvia and is a very popular venue.
If you’re looking to watch live Premier League football, this is where you want to head. If you’re a quizzing enthusiast, this is also your place!
Brodie’s was such a popular venue on Arvia that we only managed to find a seat once during our cruise for a sea day quiz. We enjoyed our time there and it was a good place to spend a rainy day on our way to the Mediterranean.
The decor did remind us of a Wetherspoons (nothing wrong with that) and you could get a drink quite easily here, but not somewhere to sit.
Sunset Bar
If you’re looking to spend some time outside on those warm evenings of your cruise, we’d recommend going to the very aft of Deck 8 to the Sunset Bar. This is a very relaxed and chilled out place to come and enjoy the wake views and some music.
The DJ typically plays during sail aways and then returns for a second set from 7.30pm to 10.00pm. It definitely has Ibiza beach bar vibes.
We really enjoyed spending time at the Sunset Bar because of the relaxed atmosphere and the gorgeous views. We headed here before Arvia departed almost every port because we could enjoy a cocktail and watch the land disappear.
The classic club music wasn’t too loud, so in our opinion was perfect to enjoy catching up with others at the end of the day and enjoying the outside deck.
The Crow’s Nest
Tucked away on Deck 17 forward is the sophisticated Crow’s Nest. The entertainment doesn’t start in this venue until the evening but this is a good place to have drinks and listen to the resident pianist.
The atmosphere here is laidback and there’s no need to go to the bar because table service is provided.
It’s particularly popular on Celebration Nights and the dress code does apply in this venue. We spent some time here one evening of our cruise sipping a cocktail, chatting and listening to the pianist.
The pianist was good but we preferred it when she didn’t sing – not because she was bad but because it was a bit too loud to have a conversation.
What shows are on Arvia?
P&O Arvia entertainment offers a variety of shows in the Theatre and SkyDome. In the Headliners Theatre there are two musicals performed by the Headliners Theatre Group:
- Festival
- Greatest Days: The Take That Musical.
In the SkyDome, you can enjoy:
- Play
- X
- Universe
- Schhh by Nicole Scherzinger
The other entertainment on board is mostly made up of guest performers who come on board for a few days at a time so you get a good variety throughout your cruise.
Does Arvia have an outdoor cinema?
As well as the four-screen indoor cinema, P&O Arvia has a SeaScreen in the SkyDome. You can watch films, events and play along with music trivia on this huge screen.
Because the SkyDome glass roof can retract in warm weather, you can can enjoy watching films on the big screen in the sunshine!
Do you pay for entertainment on P&O Cruises?
Almost all P&O Arvia entertainment is included in your cruise fare. There’s nightly entertainment across all venues, so there’s plenty of choice. The only venue you’ll pay extra for is The Limelight Club.
The Limelight Club offers a three-course dinner with an exclusive performance from a well-known artist. You can expect to pay £25 to £35 per person.
Is there dancing on Arvia?
P&O Arvia entertainment is less traditional than some of the other P&O ships in the fleet. For example, on P&O Britannia, The Crystal Room is a fantastic venue for ballroom dancing but on Arvia, this isn’t the case.
The best place to dance on Arvia is The Club House. It has the biggest dance floor and you can dance to a live band every night. The genre of music changes each night so you get a good mix of pop, Motown, disco and classics.
If you enjoy a dance, you should also look out for when the silent discos take place in The Grand Atrium. You have the choice of music channels, so if you don’t like a particular song, you can just switch.
10 tips to make the most of P&O Arvia entertainment
- You should definitely consider booking some of the entertainment in advance of your cruise using the My Holiday webpage (we’ve left a link to it in this video’s description.) Three weeks before your cruise, you should be able to book shows. You should also be able to see which guest performers will be in the Limelight Club.
- When you get onboard, don’t forget to make any reservations you want for the 710 Club. By day two of our cruise, all sessions had sold out.
- For Theatre shows, we recommend arriving no later than 20 minutes before the show starts so everyone in your party can sit together.
- Be aware, there are usually three shows in the Theatre each night: 6.45pm, 8.30pm and 10.30pm – the 8.30pm show will always be the most popular, so if you haven’t made a reservation, try going to the early or late show for the best chance of finding spare seats.
- The SkyDome show Schhh! is an evening of performances so go and see part of it or plan to spend the whole evening and enjoy the different sections. Try the spicy Schhh! Cocktail that’s only available during the performances, but beware, it is very spicy!
- If you’re looking for somewhere to sit with friends and enjoy a drink with some background music, we’d recommend the Crow’s Nest, the Sunset Bar or the Grand Atrium.
- If you are looking to dance, you should definitely check out The Club House and the Silent Disco.
- If you’re cruising with young children, keep an eye out for special Wallace & Gromit events listed on the daily Horizon newsletters.
- Spend some time in the Grand Atrium to catch one of the impressive aerial performances.
- If you love quizzes, we recommend going to Brodie’s early for a chance of a table.
What entertainment are you most looking forward to on Arvia? What have been your favourites? Let us know in the comments.
Laura is a UK cruise blogger based in Cornwall, UK. She founded Cruise Lifestyle in 2016 to share useful advice about cruising, destinations and food.
Last port visited: Bridgetown, Barbados
Next port of call: unknown, but she can’t wait for cruising to resume safely!
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