Venue Spotlight: Ocean Studios Cinema Complex onboard P&O Arvia
Have you ever wanted to relax in a cinema while at sea? Well, now’s your chance! In this post, I’m going to tell you about a venue that I was really impressed with on my recent cruise on P&O Arvia, the largest ship in the P&O Cruises fleet: Ocean Studios.
Before taking my first cruise on Arvia, I wasn’t totally sure - what is there to do on a huge P&O Cruise ship? Well, this place should make you smile on either a colder day at sea, where you want to come inside to warm up, or a hot day when you need some air conditioning to help you relax and cool down!
Ocean Studios is a venue that exists on both P&O Arvia and also P&O Iona. The photos that you’re seeing all through this post are from Arvia, although the venue on Iona is almost identical.
I’ve been on lots of cruise ships with onboard cinemas, but I rarely find them quite as impressive as what’s on offer onboard Arvia. The cinema on so many ships feels more like a ‘screening room’, rather than a cinema. However, on these ships, this is the ‘real deal’!
Onboard Arvia, it’s a multiplex with three screens, and on Iona there are four. When you arrive, you’re greeted by one of the very ‘Instagram worthy’ spots onboard - the traditional (yet very modern-feeling) lobby, with the red carpet, and the plush furnishings. On your cruise, you’ll probably find that the formal night photographer will set up in here, so it’s obviously a great photo stop during your cruise!
At the entrance, you’ll find vending machines on your left, where you can purchase a whole array of snacks to take into the cinema screen with you. On your right, you’ll find the adverts for all of the films and shows being shown during your cruise.
Next, let’s talk about the cinema screens themselves - this is what I was so impressed with! As I mentioned before, so many cruise ships claim that they have cinemas, but that claim often doesn’t really follow through with much substance. However, LOOK at these cinema rooms - you’d be forgiven for thinking you were at a cinema on land!
Impressive, right?! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first walked in here!
In terms of booking, I found that it was always a case of ‘no booking required’, so there’s no need to worry about booking ahead of time. Just turn up, and see what seats are available using the screens at the door.
I’m not entirely sure how this display works - either the seats are monitored somehow, or perhaps the technology is there to allow P&O Cruises to operate the cinema on a bookings-only basis in the future. I’m not sure which is correct, but I do know you didn’t need to book a seat during my cruise!
You’ll notice in the photos that each of the seats in the cinema were numbered. Don’t worry though - this doesn’t actually mean anything when the cinema isn’t bookable - just turn up, and enjoy the show!
If you like the sound of losing yourself in a decent movie while you cruise, but you don’t want to share the experience with others in a cinema, don’t worry! On P&O Cruises ships, you can usually watch the movies from in the cinema back in your cabin.
However you enjoy the movies while you’re at sea, I hope you have the best time! If you’ve enjoyed this post today, why not check out more of my P&O Cruises posts? Just click here to go there now, otherwise you can use the drop down menu at the top of the page!
Happy Cruising!