When my partner and I booked a vacation on one of the world's largest cruise ships last year, we couldn't have been more excited — or clueless.
In December 2023, we flew from the UK to Barbados, where we embarked on a two-week cruise across the Caribbean on Arvia. The ship was launched in 2022 by the British cruise line P&O and has 19 decks, 30 bars and restaurants, and the capacity to host 5,200 guests.
Arvia is the largest ship built for the UK market, a P&O spokesperson previously told Business Insider. It's also one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, according to The Times of London.
The trip marked my partner's first time on a cruise ship. I had cruised once before, on a five-night voyage around northern Europe on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth ship in October 2021.
With the capacity to host just over 2,000 guests, the Queen Elizabeth is far smaller than Arvia. I soon realized that my previous cruise experience wasn't enough to prepare me for this trip, and I made some mistakes along the way.