The inaugural sailing of Arvia, the new 5,200-passenger ship from P&O Cruises, departed Southampton on December 23 for a two-week round trip to the Canaries. With a swim-up bar, infinity pool and 12 restaurants, the ship promised plenty of Christmas cheer.
Unfortunately, things did not go to plan. Inaugural cruises — which are generally the first time a ship will sail with paying passengers — appeal to fans for the cachet of experiencing a brand new ship, but with that newness comes the risk of teething problems. For guests aboard Arvia, those issues included poor wi-fi connections, botched restaurant bookings and lengthy mealtime queues. Disgruntled passengers were quick to complain about the “absolute disaster” that “ruined” Christmas Day.
But when you bear in mind what can really go wrong on a maiden voyage — the Titanic, say, or the Swedish ship Vasa in 1628 — what happened on Arvia pales in comparison. But while this sailing may not quite have been the Christmas cracker that guests had imagined, it’s unusual now for an inaugural trip to be so beset by cock-ups.
When it comes to high-profile ship launches — and there are plenty of them at the moment — cruise lines are keen to ensure that everything is smooth and problem-free. Typically once all seaworthiness trials are complete, ships are put through their paces on dry-run sailings known as shakedown cruises, when travel agents and media are invited aboard to iron out any inconsistencies so that everything is shipshape by the time paying passengers settle into their cabins.
Even so, issues can arise. Last year, Essex-based Ambassador Cruise Line ran aground with plans for Ambience’s maiden voyage when “supply-side delays” caused the launch date to be pushed back by a fortnight, forcing the cancellation of the ship’s first sailings. Though passengers affected were able to rebook or claim a full refund, the inconvenience and distress of cancelling a holiday can be hard to swallow.
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Of course, accidents and issues can hamper any cruise ship, no matter how established. Take the Viking cruise ship that last weekend found itself barred from several ports of call in New Zealand thanks to “marine growth” on its hull; or the man who fell from a Carnival cruise ship and was plucked from the Gulf of Mexico after treading water for 24 hours.
“Having a cruise ruined is no laughing matter,” says Edwina Lonsdale, managing director of the specialist cruise travel agency Mundy Cruising. “Whether it’s a cruise or another big break, people invest a lot in their holidays both financially and emotionally, and even more so post-Covid. Whatever their reason for travelling, there’s a level of expectation. A big-spend holiday of this type needs to go without a hitch.
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“In the old days, new ships launched less frequently, so there was a premium to those sailings. It’s less of a novelty now with so many new ships arriving, but even so the cruise lines ensure that inaugurals are exciting by laying on special events and commemorative gifts to make passengers feel special.”
But what if your voyage turns out to be more farcical than fairytale? “Cruise lines know that passengers can feel disproportionally disappointed if anything goes wrong with their holiday,” Lonsdale says. “If things do go awry on a ship, efforts are quickly made to nip any complaints in the bud. Passengers may be offered incentives and discounts on future cruises, or find sums credited to their onboard accounts to spend around the ship. Small gestures such as this are usually sufficient to end any disgruntlement.”
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On an inaugural voyage, “complaints are never about the ship itself”, Lonsdale adds. “They’re usually only to do with procedures that aren’t yet running as they should. Far and away the majority of people go into their holidays filled with optimism and would rather have a good time than focus on the things that aren’t quite right.”
