thoughts on iona cruise g128n

[poole boy]

this was a cruise to Scotland with out getting of because of corvid restrictions.
after saying on here the ship would not be for me I must now eat humble pie and admit I was very impressed with it mind you the ship was only carrying 3000 passengers the normal amount will be 5200.
we were really very impressed with the ship everything was well thought out and there seemed plenty of room even though a lot of tables and seats were closed to use because of corvid, there are 3 main lift shafts and so long as you caught the one relevant to your cabin getting about was easy,
the cabins in our opinion were very good indeed as were the balcony's were you could sit in comfort and with everything being new it was certainly an impressive ship there were plenty of places to watch the entertainment with fantastic strobe lighting effects creating good effects.
food there were plenty of places to eat and the quality of the food was very good the quays at lunch time was an excellent venue with a fish and chip shop Asian fusion and American dinner all serving very good food very fast.
returning to the lifts the time the doors stayed open was not long enough for me using a walking stick and we missed several lifts through not being fast enough I think if you are reasonably healthy you will love this ship and I would advice you to go as soon as you can while everything is still in a pristine condition.
my only doubts are what the ship will be like when sailing full 5200 so we are going to wait a year before booking again to see other peoples cruise reports on that subject and have booked onboard to go on Arcadia going through the fjords and on up to tromso next august.

[barney]

Cheers for that mate

[rogerrovers]

We were also on this cruise , and not a fan of big ships , but I think P& O have got it right for modern day cruising. We had a standard balcony on deck 12 . All the public rooms are well designed to let the outside in , and especially the Atrium
they did't disappoint.The lifts worked well never having to wait more than a few minutes.We ate in the Limelight Club, Epicurean, main restaurants etc , You don't have to pay to have a meal in The Beach House , and it's only one menu.
The weather was wonderful all around the western isles, Captain Camby was excellent in keeping you updated , we anchored overnight in Claggain Bay and Iona with lovely sunsets.
Mull of Kintyre, Isle of Gigha,Claggain Bay, Orsay, Colonsay, Iona sailed by Fingal's Cave & Bac Mor, Iron, Tobermory, Duart Castle, Lochbuire, Mull of Kintyre, Isle of Arran, Ailsa Craig .
Excellent week with wonderful weather. You must study deck plans , unless you want a cabin on prom deck ,easy ship to get around, and well thought out in every way .
Jenny

[Kendhni]

Thanks for the update pooleboy and rogerrovers. Nice to see the cruise market starting to open a little. We have not yet done a ship the size of Iona but look forward to trying it some day (you don't know if you will like until you try it)

[poole boy]

well upon returning from from Iona yesterday cruise g235 I must say I can confirm my original thoughts on arriving at Southampton we were told here were 5500 people on board and the ship was full I must say we both still really liked the ship but the number of people on board was horrendous we must have spoken to about 50 people on board who all said the same thing lovely ship but to many people on board as an example people moaning they could not get into shows but could see at least 80 empty seats long ques for eggs and bacon plates dishes and even tea spoons and the ques trying to get of at ports was horrendous.
so would we go on this ship again yes if we could find a cruise that was 70% full but a certain no if it was sold out my advice would be to people are pensioners go out of school holidays and we think you will really like the ship for people with children go if you want to in school holidays but don't say you haven't been warned.

[towny44]

We were on G234 on Iona from 8th to 22nd Ocr 2022. We were told there were 4800 passenger on board and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. The ship is big but there are at least double the number of outdoor spaces for sunbathing or just sitting and relaxing than any of the other big ships, and they were never crowded despite the good weather. Similarly the indoor space especially the 3 tier Atrium easily absorbs all those wanting somewhere to cool down and chill.
The app booking system does have growing pains, a lot brought on by the reluctance of passengers to utilize it, and then the staff adopting their own ways of accommodating them.
The MDR food was a little disappointing for choice and quality, but perfectly acceptable. We felt the buffet was easier for a wheelchair user to gain access than the other 3 big ships, the breakfast choice was fine, but lunch choice needs some major attention, we never used it for dinner. The Quays are a good idea, the fish and chips are good the fried chicken OK, but the Asian fusion needs a bit of attention. The Olive Grove is a great venue, but the booking system means the numbers it can accommodate are far too low, maybe the galley could not cope with higher numbers but seeing so many empty tables waiting for customers and wait staff twiddling their thumbs is very disappointing.
The rest of the speciality restaurants are the same as the other shops, except for the Keel and Cow, which suffers the same problem as the Glass House, they are both far too open to encourage me to dine there, with passengers sauntering past and wandering through.
Would we sail on her again, well most definitely yes and we already have 5 cruises booked on her and Arvia.

[screwy]

Have to agree with you John regarding the Buffet. Breakfast was good but lunch was quite poor, that’s why we used the Quays.

[poole boy]

Towny44 I can only say you must have different tastes to us as we really enjoyed our meal at the keel and cow but thought breakfast in the main dinning room was like being back at school but twice as crowded not a nice experience at all with nearly everything having ques definitely not for us we never heard any body saying anything against the ship but nearly everybody was complaining that the ship was over crowded still it takes all sorts to make a world and we could not agree with you on this point we already have 5 cruises booked with p&o for the next 2 years 2 on arcadia 2 on ventura and one on aurora so hope you will enjoy your cruises as much as we hope to

[towny44]

Poole boy, well from our experience of walking through the Keel and Cow it certainly would not have been as busy as the buffet, we only ever saw one table where passengers were eating in the 2 weeks we were on board. On sea days there were plenty of people sitting there, but I would be surprised if it and the glass house survive in their current format.

[poole boy]

I am amazed by what you said about Keel and cow as it seemed to be half full on dinner times and very nearly full at night with a 45 wait for food

[Manoverboard]

Chum ' Picky D ' has just returned from an Iona cruise to the Canaries. He reported that P&O has gone down the tubes, that the food was at best average and that many of the crew didn't have a clue. He and his two fellow equally picky cruisers couldn't get their Apps to work and that in the end they gave up and just pitched up to the restaurant albeit on one occasion they had to do three circuits of the dining room to locate their appointed table. The Apps didn't work for them regarding the booking of tours either so they missed out there as well.

They did however each enjoy their DeLuxe / Superior Balcony Cabins on Deck 15, or some such, which was sold to them at discount prices plus no single supplement.

He says that they will be booking Cunard or Saga for their next collective cruise.

[barney]

I love the diversity of opinion
We have friends who went on Iona in the summer and in their words , literally couldn’t fault it.
We have another friend who usually cruises in a suite with Saga who really didn’t like it.
Horses for courses
That’s all part of life’s rich tapestry.