P&O ferry docks at Larne Port after losing power in Irish Sea

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Customers onboard a P&O cruise say their Christmas has been ruined after a disastrous stay on The Arvia cruise ship, which was making its maiden voyage. The captain of the ship apologised to those who had been let down by a number of problems during their stay, including booking errors, poor Wi-Fi and long waits to eat.

While saying sorry to guests on Tuesday, the captain placed the blame for these problems on “IT and connectivity issues”.

The Arvia had been promoted as the “latest evolution in the P&O Cruises experience”. One of its main attractions was the “SkyDome” pool which is fitted with a retractable roof and also includes an infinity pool and obstacle course.

But passengers were left underwhelmed. A couple from Boston, Lincolnshire, spent £5,300 for a two-week voyage on The Arvia, but were left furious when their reservation for a Christmas dinner had been lost on Christmas morning.

Lynne Wheatley, 67, and her husband, Richard, found that another couple were already eating at their table when they arrived.

Speaking to the Times, Mrs Wheatley explained: “We waited two and a half hours and the food was awful. We were in a restaurant with no tablecloths — it was more like your kitchen table. I spoke to one couple who got sat down at 11pm.

“Don’t get me wrong, the ship is beautiful [but] it’s a shame because it’s ruined Christmas for a lot of people.”

Other customers felt this maiden voyage came too soon, as basics such as Wi-Fi were clearly not set up properly.

Gwyndaf Jones, a 57-year-old restaurateur from north Wales, said: “The Wi-Fi is non-existent. It’s the worst I’ve experienced at sea. I can’t even get my emails, let alone stream as they promise.”

He added that he was lucky to have no problems with his Christmas dinner but said that “in hindsight, they were not ready to sail”.

Secondary school teacher from Wales, Dominik Scott, has a Youtube channel on which he reviews cruises along with his partner Tom Hughes-Lewis.

He said that while he was lucky, he could see that other passengers were having a really bad trip.

Mr Scott added: “We tend not to book maiden voyages because there are always teething problems.

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“On Christmas Day we were quite lucky. Other people’s day was an absolute disaster. We didn’t experience anything half as bad.

“People like to stop and talk to us because they recognise us from YouTube and a lot of people aren’t very happy.”

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises told the Times: “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.”

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