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Are you ready to see the world in widescreen? Our newest and most innovative ship, Iona was designed to invite the outdoors in. Gazing out from the stunning SkyDome, three-tier glass Grand Atrium or the brand-new Conservatory Mini-suite cabins, you’re never far from a spectacular view of the ever-changing horizon on Iona’s cruise holidays.
Iona is the greenest member of our fleet and the first British cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). As an Excel class ship, she has a host of unique features including an on-board craft gin distillery, spectacular aerial shows and an Infinity Pool with breathtaking panoramas.
We had cruised previously for two weeks on both Arvia (Med), and first on Iona (Canaries). We said after Arvia that we wouldn’t do such a large ship again for various reasons, but here we are two years later having done the Norwegian Fjords for the third time (Celebrity Silhouette and Britannia before) last week. We only booked this cruise a month before departure. My wife wanted a break, and having experienced this destination before it was an ‘easy one’ from Southampton. One full day at sea to Norway, then one full day at sea returning back to Southampton with 4 stops at ports in between. Accomodation I start with a very good, the cabin. We were in an inside midship on deck 4 which for us was a perfect choice really. The cabin itself was faultless. Plenty of storage, the air con worked well, the TV was big and clear, bed was very comfortable and I loved the powerful shower. Being an inside, while you lose the choice of looking at the view outside the ship apart from the bow view on TV, the sheer darkness was very good if that’s your thing to enjoy sleep. We heard a conversation where the lady was being woken by too much light coming through her balcony curtains. In June, it got dark very late and light very early, but we wasn’t to know that! In fact the only ‘problem’ we had was to keep checking the time as you could very easily sleep in later than what you would hope! Food On the whole what you would expect nowadays on this line, it was decent enough without being too remarkable, but was good value in the scheme of things. One of the slight negatives was it took until the last evening in the MDR for a waiter to ask how our meal was while tucking in. We had already dined in 3 specialty restaurants and the MDR, but no ‘checking our meals’ on these occasions? Too busy for that perhaps? Entertainment Sadly not as good as other cruises. 3 acts were used twice during the week, and the other was the youngsters singing and dancing in ‘Digital’ which has run for a few years now. No cruise director to welcome any act onstage, it really felt that the entertainment’s budget has been cut because they should have served up and spent more to entertain nearly 6,000 people on board. Ports Stavanger - I don’t mind Stavanger with the ship nestled close to houses on a hill. Olden - Been there 3 times now and love the place. Flam - First time here and just about on a par with Olden. The scenery from the Fjords on both sides as we departed was breath taking. Haugesund - No comment, nothing to see except one monument. Room Onboard The Ship I thought I would comment on this as it’s been mentioned in other reviews. Having already journeyed to the Fjords and experienced this ship before, our mindset was quite relaxed, maybe even a bit knowledgeable now. Gone was the urgency to disembark when the ship arrived at ports, and gone was the need to experience all areas of the ship. With the amount of people on board, you need to pick and choose times when you leave your cabin. Let the crowds go off the ship before you venture out, maybe even go out in the afternoon if time permits and you are not on any excursions. On sea days in particular with everyone on board you had to be lucky to get a good viewing seat in the Crow’s Nest or spot in the Atrium area. Just try thinking a little differently to where the masses maybe headed or heading! Would we do the Norway Fjords and cruise on this ship again? Well yes, it is possible. There are a couple of ports of call here we would still like to see, and it seems Iona is the only P&O vessel that does these fairly short breaks to the Norway Fjords. With a little planning of your own, a near 6,000 capacity ship can be made to feel smaller if your timing is right.
After a pretty negative experience on Ventura eighteen months ago, we decided to give Iona a try. I was a little concerned about so many people being on board. Would there be long queues?, would we be able to find a seat anywhere in the public spaces ?. It turned out this was never a problem. When it came to dining, as usual, the Horizon buffet was packed. But, we discovered with a little forward planning, if you timed it right, you could get seated. What we did find though, when it came to breakfast, the Quays was a lot less busy than the Horizon buffet. The standard of food was excellent in the Beach House particularly. Unfortunately, Sindhu was fully booked so we were not able to eat there. We did eat in the Horizon buffet a couple of times. Although it was better than Ventura in that the food was actually hot instead of stone cold, it still was more P&O ferries than P&O cruises. That's possibly why most of the other venues that you pay a supplement for were fully booked. My advice would be to book these restaurants as soon as you can, even before the cruise starts. Our balcony cabin unlike Ventura was very clean, we were really impressed with it. The cabin steward was very obliging, nothing was too much trouble. We only had one negative experience with the service on deck six at the coffee bar. After waiting ten minutes and no one came to ask us what we wanted, I decided to go to the counter and ask for some coffee. I was told that somebody will come over and take our order. After 15 minutes, we got up and left and went somewhere else . This was a one off as we had good service everywhere else. Embarkation and disembarkation were straightforward enough, no issues on that one. Out of the ports we visited, Haugesund was a bit of a waste really. It was a long walk into the town and there were no shuttle buses so we didn't get off the ship. Flam and Olden were spectacular, Stavanger was okay with everything a short walk away. So , all in all, it was a good cruise for us. We will definitely go back on Iona again. One final note, it was reassuring to see the crew very proactive in making sure people used the hand sanitizers and hand wash stations. Something that was sadly lacking on Ventura.
We had cruised previously for two weeks on both Arvia (Med), and first on Iona (Canaries). We said after Arvia that we wouldn’t do such a large ship again for various reasons, but here we are two years later having done the Norwegian Fjords for the third time (Celebrity Silhouette and Britannia before) last week. We only booked this cruise a month before departure. My wife wanted a break, and having experienced this destination before it was an ‘easy one’ from Southampton. One full day at sea to Norway, then one full day at sea returning back to Southampton with 4 stops at ports in between. Accomodation I start with a very good, the cabin. We were in an inside midship on deck 4 which for us was a perfect choice really. The cabin itself was faultless. Plenty of storage, the air con worked well, the TV was big and clear, bed was very comfortable and I loved the powerful shower. Being an inside, while you lose the choice of looking at the view outside the ship apart from the bow view on TV, the sheer darkness was very good if that’s your thing to enjoy sleep. We heard a conversation where the lady was being woken by too much light coming through her balcony curtains. In June, it got dark very late and light very early, but we wasn’t to know that! In fact the only ‘problem’ we had was to keep checking the time as you could very easily sleep in later than what you would hope! Food On the whole what you would expect nowadays on this line, it was decent enough without being too remarkable, but was good value in the scheme of things. One of the slight negatives was it took until the last evening in the MDR for a waiter to ask how our meal was while tucking in. We had already dined in 3 specialty restaurants and the MDR, but no ‘checking our meals’ on these occasions? Too busy for that perhaps? Entertainment Sadly not as good as other cruises. 3 acts were used twice during the week, and the other was the youngsters singing and dancing in ‘Digital’ which has run for a few years now. No cruise director to welcome any act onstage, it really felt that the entertainment’s budget has been cut because they should have served up and spent more to entertain nearly 6,000 people on board. Ports Stavanger - I don’t mind Stavanger with the ship nestled close to houses on a hill. Olden - Been there 3 times now and love the place. Flam - First time here and just about on a par with Olden. The scenery from the Fjords on both sides as we departed was breath taking. Haugesund - No comment, nothing to see except one monument. Room Onboard The Ship I thought I would comment on this as it’s been mentioned in other reviews. Having already journeyed to the Fjords and experienced this ship before, our mindset was quite relaxed, maybe even a bit knowledgeable now. Gone was the urgency to disembark when the ship arrived at ports, and gone was the need to experience all areas of the ship. With the amount of people on board, you need to pick and choose times when you leave your cabin. Let the crowds go off the ship before you venture out, maybe even go out in the afternoon if time permits and you are not on any excursions. On sea days in particular with everyone on board you had to be lucky to get a good viewing seat in the Crow’s Nest or spot in the Atrium area. Just try thinking a little differently to where the masses maybe headed or heading! Would we do the Norway Fjords and cruise on this ship again? Well yes, it is possible. There are a couple of ports of call here we would still like to see, and it seems Iona is the only P&O vessel that does these fairly short breaks to the Norway Fjords. With a little planning of your own, a near 6,000 capacity ship can be made to feel smaller if your timing is right.
After a pretty negative experience on Ventura eighteen months ago, we decided to give Iona a try. I was a little concerned about so many people being on board. Would there be long queues?, would we be able to find a seat anywhere in the public spaces ?. It turned out this was never a problem. When it came to dining, as usual, the Horizon buffet was packed. But, we discovered with a little forward planning, if you timed it right, you could get seated. What we did find though, when it came to breakfast, the Quays was a lot less busy than the Horizon buffet. The standard of food was excellent in the Beach House particularly. Unfortunately, Sindhu was fully booked so we were not able to eat there. We did eat in the Horizon buffet a couple of times. Although it was better than Ventura in that the food was actually hot instead of stone cold, it still was more P&O ferries than P&O cruises. That's possibly why most of the other venues that you pay a supplement for were fully booked. My advice would be to book these restaurants as soon as you can, even before the cruise starts. Our balcony cabin unlike Ventura was very clean, we were really impressed with it. The cabin steward was very obliging, nothing was too much trouble. We only had one negative experience with the service on deck six at the coffee bar. After waiting ten minutes and no one came to ask us what we wanted, I decided to go to the counter and ask for some coffee. I was told that somebody will come over and take our order. After 15 minutes, we got up and left and went somewhere else . This was a one off as we had good service everywhere else. Embarkation and disembarkation were straightforward enough, no issues on that one. Out of the ports we visited, Haugesund was a bit of a waste really. It was a long walk into the town and there were no shuttle buses so we didn't get off the ship. Flam and Olden were spectacular, Stavanger was okay with everything a short walk away. So , all in all, it was a good cruise for us. We will definitely go back on Iona again. One final note, it was reassuring to see the crew very proactive in making sure people used the hand sanitizers and hand wash stations. Something that was sadly lacking on Ventura.
There's a range of accommodation types to suit all passengers, including the new Conservatory Mini-Suite cabin; a signature option on Iona.
On Iona, good food is an art form. With 30 different venues across the ship to choose from, there’s something for everyone, whatever the mood or time of day. Plus in a fleet first, Iona is the first ship to offer exclusively Freedom Dining.
Create your holiday of a lifetime. Beyond all of the experiences that await ashore, there’s plenty to discover on board. We’ve jaw-dropping aerial shows, full-scale theatre productions, live music (bands, pop-up buskers and everything in between), party nights, comedy, the latest movies, guest presenters, interactive game shows and experiences, and much, much more. Each day can go your way.
The whole family will be in their element on a P&O Cruises holiday. From splashing in the pools to a game in the sports courts, watching a film together to sharing an ice cream – all of your favourite family moments can be enjoyed with a vast array of age-tailored activities. Family entertainment differs from holiday to holiday but could include archery, beatboxing, character appearances, silent discos or even a show by legendary children's presenters. Plenty of memories await.
A holiday with P&O Cruises offers you the chance to relax and unwind from the moment you step on board. Iona takes restoration and relaxation to a whole new level with a fabulous array of spa and wellness facilities, letting you max your me-time from Southampton to the sun.
The whole family will be in their element on a P&O Cruises holiday. From splashing in the pools to a game in the sports courts, watching a film together to sharing an ice cream – all of your favourite family moments can be enjoyed with a vast array of age-tailored activities. Family entertainment differs from holiday to holiday but could include archery, beatboxing, character appearances, silent discos or even a show by legendary children's presenters. Plenty of memories await.
