Arvia Vs Iona: 12 Differences Between Britain’s Biggest Cruise Ships

I’ve cruised on both Arvia and Iona, Britain’s two largest cruise ships (at the point of writing this article, anyway). From the outside, these ships look identical to each other, but once you’re onboard you can easily spot some key differences that exist between the two. Today, I’m going to tell you about 12 of these differences, to hopefully help you to decide whether Arvia or Iona would be the best fit for your future cruise.

After trying them both, I think it’s really important for anyone considering a cruise on one of these ships to understand the differences so that they can be sure to pick the ship that best suits their needs! 

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Let’s start by talking about the ship class that both Arvia and Iona belong to. Both Arvia and Iona are Excel class cruise ships, and you’ll find other ships in this class within the fleets of multiple different cruise lines. For example, they share a wider ship class with ships like Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee under the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, and Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana under the Costa Cruises brand. 

Both Arvia and Iona are huge - they each have 15 passenger decks, with 30 (yes, 30!) bars and restaurants spread across them. They’ve got loads of facilities onboard, including things like spas with full thermal suites, a theatre, a cinema complex, jogging tracks, shopping arcades and lots more. You get the picture - these ships bring a lot to the table!

Both ships have 7 different types of accommodation onboard, ranging from Inside cabins at the most cost-accessible end of the scale, to full Suites at the other.

When it comes to where these ships cruise to, you’ll often find Iona in cooler climates like Northern Europe and the Norwegian Fjords, whereas Arvia has been built to be considered a ‘sunshine ship’. She’s often found in places like the Caribbean or the Mediterranean in the warmer months, and yes - there are some parts of Arvia’s design that make her more suited to cruising in better weather, and I’ll show you these throughout this post.

When you look at the technical spec of both ships, Arvia has a slightly higher gross tonnage, but I’ve decided to discount that from my list of differences to focus on the onboard passenger experience. Trust me - you’re not going to feel any difference at all in terms of gross tonnage when you’re onboard! 

Arvia is a slightly larger ship than Iona in terms of Gross Tonnage, but passengers won’t feel this at all once onboard - it doesn’t affect the passenger experience in any way. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #1: The Main Atrium.

The Main Atrium on both ships spans decks 6, 7 and 8, and it really is the heart of the ship. This space is home to some of P&O Cruises’ most popular venues, including The Glass House and The Keel & Cow. It’s a space that’s important to familiarise yourself with, as knowing where the atrium is will minimise your chances of getting lost throughout the cruise - it’s easy to find your way from this central point!

Arvia’s atrium feels ultra-modern to me, whereas the atrium on Iona is a little more classic. On Arvia, you’ll find a large light fitting at the top of the space that’s purple, blue and white in colour, and this is complimented with additional stage-style lighting across each deck. This makes it a very impressive, and also quite theatrical, space to spend time in. When you compare this lighting approach to the one taken on Iona, Iona’s atrium features a much warmer white light, making it much easier to take that all-important cruise-selfie, with it being a much more ‘natural’ light!

Another key difference between the atrium spaces on the two ships is that the main staircase in Arvia’s atrium comes down to the lowest level at a much softer angle than on Iona. This means that Arvia’s central staircase meets the lowest level (deck 6) on the outside of the circle, whereas the staircase on Iona comes directly into the middle of the space. This makes the overall space on Arvia far more useable, with events like dance classes being held here during a day ‘at sea’.

The Main Atrium onboard P&O Arvia. It’s theatrically lit, with the ability to complete aerial shows in the centre of the space. © Fraser at Sea.

The Main Atrium onboard P&O Iona has a very different look and feel by comparison - which do you prefer? © Fraser at Sea.

Due to the slightly different atrium design between the two ships, there’s one other type of entertainment that takes place on Arvia that doesn’t on Iona: aerial performances. Throughout most evenings of the cruise, you’ll often find ‘pop up’ entertainment in the atrium on Arvia, which will feature aerialists performing some spectacular routines infront of you, while you relax with your favourite drink.

The aerial performances was something that I really loved while cruising onboard Arvia, and they’re something that I really missed during my time onboard Iona!

The Atrium onboard Arvia can accommodate very impressive aerial performances. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #2: The SkyDome

The SkyDome is the name given to the part of the ship that houses the main swimming pool up on the Lido deck. I was actually surprised by just how different these spaces were across the two ships.

On Arvia, the SkyDome features a retractable roof, allowing the outside the brought in. On Iona however, the roof is entirely fixed and does not have any ability to open. This does alter the overall vibe of this space, with Iona’s feeling like much more of a ‘venue’ than Arvia’s, in my opinion.

Onboard Iona, the fixed roof has aerial fittings, allowing the space to be used for aerial acts (much like Arvia’s atrium, but this is arguably a much more impressive space). Iona uses the SkyDome space as an evening entertainment venue for many nights of a typical cruise, with a wide variety of acts being offered up here.

The final difference between the two spaces for now is that Arvia’s upper level features seating which would be considered perfect for relaxing in the sunshine. On Iona, you’re going to find stadium-style seating, which is obviously there to accommodate more people when the venue is used for shows at night.

Iona’s SkyDome features a fixed roof, fitted with aerial technology. © Fraser at Sea.

Iona’s atrium features stadium-style seating, as demonstrated in the above image. © Fraser at Sea.

Onboard Arvia, you’ll find a fully retractable roof, making this the perfect ship for warmer weather itineraries. © Fraser at Sea.

The upper level seating onboard Arvia is different, making the venue a more attractive place to relax in the sunshine. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #3: Main Dining Rooms

When it comes to the subject of dining, there are a few differences between the ships. The first of these is that Iona features more 'Main Dining Room’ venues towards the back of the ship on deck 6.

On Iona, you’ll find the Pearl Restaurant at the very back of the ship on deck 6, with the Coral Restaurant upstairs on deck 7. The Aqua and Opal Restaurants are then slightly further forward on deck 6. On the other hand, Arvia has just the Meridian Restaurant on deck 6 and the Zenith Restaurant up on deck 7.

On Arvia the space housing the Aqua and Opal Restaurants is home to 6th Street Diner and the Olive Grove respectively - the former being the American diner-themed restaurant, and the latter being the Mediterranean restaurant.

Iona does also offer The Olive Grove, but we’ll come back to that as the setup is different to Arvia’s. Iona doesn’t have a 6th Street Diner onboard, which is a venue that I did miss during my 7-night cruise - I loved the diner while cruising on Arvia!

Iona features four Main Dining Rooms towards the back of the ship across decks 6 and 7, whereas Arvia has just two: one on deck 6 and another on deck 7. © Fraser at Sea.

Arvia features the ‘6th Street Diner’ American diner themed restaurant, but Iona doesn’t! © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #4: The Olive Grove

The Olive Grove is the Mediterranean inspired restaurant that you’ll find onboard both Arvia and Iona. Although this venue is available on both ships, there is a difference in the location of it, and also the meals offered within it.

On Arvia, this venue resembles what you’d expect from an included dining room on a cruise. There’s a high cover count, and the venue itself is really large. It’s directly beside the main restaurants, and so the overall feel in there is very similar. On Iona, you’ll find The Olive Grove located directly next door to The Quays, which is a far more informal venue up on deck 8.

Thinking about dining times, you can opt to eat your evening meal at The Olive Grove onboard Arvia, but this option is available for both lunch and dinner onboard Iona. This is a great point to remember, as you’ll often find that this venue is really quiet on Iona over the first few days of the cruise, as lots of passengers don’t seem to know it’s there at the start of the cruise!

Here’s a photo of the space onboard Arvia, and also onboard Iona - which do you prefer?

The Olive Grove onboard Arvia resembles a Main Dining Room. © Fraser at Sea.

The Olive Grove onboard Iona is a far more casual venue, which sits nicely beside the Quays on deck 8 of the ship. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #5: Green & Co feat. Mizuhana.

This one’s a simple difference - Arvia features a ‘Green & Co’ restaurant, but this isn’t available onboard Iona. At this dining option, you’ll find a wide range of vegetarian and dishes. There’s also a bespoke sushi bar in this space, offering you the ability to dine like nowhere else onboard the ship.

You might recognise the overall space in the below images - this is where The Olive Grove was onboard Iona in the above shots. With Arvia being Iona’s younger/newer fleet mate, I do wonder if this dining option will come to Iona in the future… Time will tell, I guess!

Green & Co feat. Mizhuana is a dining venue available onboard Arvia, but it doesn’t feature on Iona. © Fraser at Sea.

The interior of Green & Co feat. Mizhuana onboard Arvia. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #6: The Quays.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of The Quays as a venue. It’s an included food option onboard both ships, and it serves to take a lot of stress and pressure away from the Horizon restaurant (the main buffet) upstairs.

At The Quays, you’ll find three counters, which offer a street food-style dining approach. Where this venue has a difference between the ships is that two of the counters are the same, but one is completely different.

Both ships feature a ‘Hook, Line & Vinegar’ fish and chip shop, and also a ‘Fusion’ Asian food offering, but the third option onboard the ships is different. Arvia features ‘Roast Carvery’, which offers a selection of grilled meats and everything you need for a typical Sunday roast at home, while Iona features ‘The Boardwalk Diner American Grill’, which offers exactly what you’d expect from an American diner.

I guess Arvia won’t feature the American option here thanks to the bespoke diner two decks below, whereas Iona doesn’t have that as an option. Interesting, isn’t it?

Here’s the menu board from The Quays onboard Arvia, featuring ‘Roast’, the onboard Carvery. © Fraser at Sea.

Fancy a burger? If so, you’ll probably enjoy the Boardwalk Diner onboard Iona! © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #7: Ocean Studios.

‘Ocean Studios’ is the name given the both Arvia’s and Iona’s onboard cinema complex. Here, you can relax into comfortable seats with large cinema screens, to watch your choice of documentary or movie. The best part about this venue is that it’s entirely included in your cruise fare, meaning that you won’t have to spend any money at all to enjoy this aspect of the ships!

While the cinema rooms themselves are pretty much identical across both ships, there’s one key difference. Ocean Studios onboard Iona features four screens, whereas there’s only three onboard Arvia.

This is due to the fact that Arvia has an Escape Room venue called ‘Mission Control’, which you’ll find in the place of the fourth cinema screen at Ocean Studios. While I was onboard Iona, Ocean Studios seemed to be a very popular place to spend time, particularly during our sea days, where the screens would be almost full to capacity!

The images below show you the setup of Ocean Studios onboard Iona, which is identical to how it looks on Arvia with the exception of the 4th screen.

Arvia features a ‘Mission Control’ Escape Room venue instead of the fourth cinema screen at Ocean Studios. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #8: Emerald Bar on Iona becomes the Amber Lounge on Arvia!

This is the easiest difference to cover on our whole list today. Emerald Bar is one of the bar venues that you’ll find on deck 6 of Iona - it’s on the lowest level of the Main Atrium (where we started with difference #1).

On Iona, this bar is called Emerald Bar, but it changes name and styling onboard Arvia to become the Amber Lounge. There not a huge difference between these spaces, but it’s worth remembering to avoid getting confused if you’ve cruised on one of these ships before you embark on the other…!

Difference #9: Rum vs. Gin!

Did you know that both Arvia and Iona have their own means of producing their own alcoholic spirits onboard? On Arvia, you’ll find a rum distillery, and on Iona it’s a gin distillery.

On Arvia, P&O Cruises partnered with Tidal Rum to create their own bespoke rum brand, which is of course available to purchase from any of the onboard bars and also the gift shops. On Iona, they partnered with Salcombe Gin to create their own gin: Marabelle Gin.

You’ll find these venues (or the ‘stills’) within Anderson’s Bar on deck 6 of both ships, just off of the Main Atrium. It’s fascinating to stop by and have a read at the information board to find out how they produce onboard. Personally, I’ve never been to a gin distillery before, so I really enjoyed learning a little about the process during my cruise onboard Iona.

Of course, the proof is in the tasting, so why not order a cocktail featuring these unique spirits at one of the bars to see if they meet your approval?

There’s an information board in Anderson’s Bar that explains what you’re looking at - it’s well worth a visit during your cruise! © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #10: The Thermal Suite.

On both Arvia and Iona, you’ll find the Spa entrance towards the front of the ship on deck 6. The spa complex on these ships is actually spread across two decks: deck 6 houses facilities like the beauty salon and the hair salon, and deck 5 houses things like the fitness centre (or gym), treatment rooms and the onboard thermal suite.

The gym, treatment rooms and the salons are pretty much identical across the two ships, but the thermal suite does have a couple of differences that are worth highlighting.

Both ships feature a large hydrotherapy pool in the centre of the thermal suite, and they’re lined on two sides with seating options. Running down one side of the room is the access to the changing facilities, and there are showers and immersive rooms (think a Sauna and a Steam Room) on the other. Both ships have the usual sauna and steam room that you’d expect from a cruise ship thermal suite, but Arvia also features a ‘Cold Room’. In this room, you can encounter ice as soon as you leave the warmer rooms, allowing you to relax and bring your body down to a much cooler temperature very quickly.

I’d like to see this option added to Iona in the future - I wonder if this could be a new introduction following a future upgrade programme?

Both ships feature a large hydrotherapy pool in the centre of the thermal suite, which is part of the spa complex. © Fraser at Sea.

On Arvia, there’s a Cold Room, which doesn’t feature within Iona’s thermal suite. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #11: The Sports Arena, and the Top Deck Facilities.

This one is quite a big difference, especially if you’re cruising as a family with younger children. Onboard Iona, you’re going to find a full-sized sports court, but this isn’t the case on Arvia. On Arvia, it’s a MUCH smaller sports court (almost so small that I feel odd calling it a ‘sports court’), and that’s because there are two additional facilities up there utilising this space.

On Arvia, you’ll find the Altitude Skywalk (the high ropes course), and also the Mini Golf. The mini golf is completely included in your cruise fare, so you won’t need to pay anything extra to give that one a go, but that’s not the case for the Altitude Skywalk.

You’ll pay for the ropes course per person and per time, so this is something that you might want to be clear with your kids on before they head up for the first go on day 1 of the cruise! Check onboard for the most up to date pricing, but at the point of writing this article you should expect to pay around £10 per person, which will be billed to your onboard account.

What would you rather: cruise on Iona with a full-size sports court, or cruise on Arvia with a tiny sports court but these additional facilities? Decisions, decisions…

Iona features a full-size Sports Court up on the open decks, whereas Arvia has some very different amenities! Scroll through the images below to see how the above image on Iona differs to Arvia’s same space. © Fraser at Sea.

Difference #12: The Swim up Bar vs. The Splash Pool.

At the back of the ship on deck 16, you’ll find the Infinity Pool that this class of cruise ship is so famous for. This is where you can relax in the water looking out to sea over the very back of the ship. While the Inifinty pools themselves are identical on both ships, what sits directly beside them on the deck differs significantly.

On Arvia, you’ll find a large swim-up bar directly beside the pool, offering you the ability to relax in the water with your drink. On Iona, this space houses a small splash pool, complete with water jets and what looks like a mosaic-covered hot tub (I didn’t see it bubbling, so I think it’s a still pool…) in the centre.

Personally, I can’t decide which of these spaces I liked best. If my cruise on Arvia had been during warmer weather, I’d probably have preferred that, but it was a cold-weather cruise and therefore I had no desire to enter the water. Take a look at the images below, and make up your own mind on which facility you prefer…

The Splash Pool onboard Iona is directly beside the infinity pool, and it brings the sound of water to the space. © Fraser at Sea.

Here’s the swim-up bar onboard Arvia - would you get in the water for your favourite drink? © Fraser at Sea.

That’s 12 of the key differences between Arvia and Iona, the two biggest British cruise ships. I really hope you’ve enjoyed this article - if you have, then please share it with anyone else that you feel might also enjoy it, and please consider checking out another below.

If you’d like to see more from either Arvia or Iona, then you’ll find my ship tours for each of these ships below - why not come over and take a look around?