Iona....identical ship

Hi...regarding the new P&O Iona...is there an identical ship already out there like there was with Britannia "twinned" with Royal Princess so that we have some idea of deck plans. ..layout...etc ?

AidaNova is still under construction, but her deck plans are online. https://www.cruiseind.com/2017/12/27/aidanova-deck-plans/

Good spot, Michael, nice to know what the numbers mean

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Wow, that's huge. It will be exciting finding out all the facilities.

Would be nice to know which ones are accessible. Can't figure the signs out.

Wow, that's huge. It will be exciting finding out all the facilities.

I had a look at the plans and I could no see a big theatre. Perhaps I missed it on the plans.

Hopefully P and O will have a theatre and a ballroom.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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Some names against the numbers here.

https://media.aida.de/fileadmin/user_upload/v4/Schiffe/Helios/Deckspl%C3%A4ne/AIDAnova_Decksgrundriss.pdf

Cannot see any accessible cabins designated on here.

It doesn't look like there is a ballroom, but maybe they don't have a need for one as it could be a different target audience.

Also the COSTA SMERALDA. Carnival Cruise Lines will also receive one (or more).

These are very high density ships. They hold more pax than Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class but are quite a bit smaller. I imagine they will feel quite crowded.

Also the COSTA SMERALDA. Carnival Cruise Lines will also receive one (or more).

 

These are very high density ships. They hold more pax than Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class but are quite a bit smaller. I imagine they will feel quite crowded.

Difficult to know really. Oasis class ships do actually hold around 200 more than these ships but a big chunk of superstructure is cut out to create 'Central Park'. Iona etc may have more internal public space? I think Iona's cabin decks will look pretty much the same as AidaNova but the public room decks possibly very different.

Iona is going to be big. I had not realised. Is the 5,200 double occupancy or all births. Oasis is nearly 6,300 all births.

I cruised on the new Oasis class ship in April. She had only 5,200 passengers and never felt crowded. Royal Caribbean have designed everything to work well for a large number of passengers, are very well organised, make use of technology to be efficient. I never had to visit the pursers desk for example. P and O are not generally as good at such things. Britannia is short of a staircase and even checking your bill on the television seems too difficult on some P and O ships. How will they cope with such a big ship.

In Barcelona, Oasis class ships use two terminals. You pick your own boarding time and check in at home. How will Southampton manage this.

I hope P and O know what they are doing otherwise it is going to be a mess.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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Going by COSTA SMERALDA, she will hold 5224 double occupancy and 6522 total guest capacity. Based on other Carnival Corp. designs I would say she will feel quite crowded. Some of the basic layout is actually a holdover from Carnival's Destiny/Dream Class. I was never a fan of these ships. Elevator/stairtower placement is the same, and the ships continue to have a couple cabin decks below the public lounge decks, one of which has hull balconies. It's a fairly dated design IMO.

My personal opinion is that Royal Caribbean puts far more thought into the design and layout of their ships compared to Carnival Corp. The main objective of Carnival Corp always seems to be revenue, and stuffing in as many cabins as possible. Of course Royal Caribbean wants to make $$ too, but they seem to have a better balance. The Oasis Class is brilliant with the neighborhood concept so the ships rarely feel crowded. The neighborhood disperses the passengers around the ship at pretty much all times. Also the pool deck is enormous with 4 pools, plus the Aqua Theater pool (not for pax use) and the Solarium Pool. Again dispersing pax so they are not all around one pool area. The Central Park and Boardwalk neighborhoods are not actually included in the gt figure, as they are not enclosed spaces. Both are open air. Were they enclosed the gt for the Oasis Class would actually be much higher.

Anyway I'll hold judgement on the LNG ships until I actually sail one, but expectations are fairly low. Yes it's cool they are LNG powered, but it's not something that will impact the passenger experience in any way.

Going by COSTA SMERALDA, she will hold 5224 double occupancy and 6522 total guest capacity. Based on other Carnival Corp. designs I would say she will feel quite crowded. Some of the basic layout is actually a holdover from Carnival's Destiny/Dream Class. I was never a fan of these ships. Elevator/stairtower placement is the same, and the ships continue to have a couple cabin decks below the public lounge decks, one of which has hull balconies. It's a fairly dated design IMO.

 

 

 

My personal opinion is that Royal Caribbean puts far more thought into the design and layout of their ships compared to Carnival Corp. The main objective of Carnival Corp always seems to be revenue, and stuffing in as many cabins as possible. Of course Royal Caribbean wants to make $$ too, but they seem to have a better balance. The Oasis Class is brilliant with the neighborhood concept so the ships rarely feel crowded. The neighborhood disperses the passengers around the ship at pretty much all times. Also the pool deck is enormous with 4 pools, plus the Aqua Theater pool (not for pax use) and the Solarium Pool. Again dispersing pax so they are not all around one pool area. The Central Park and Boardwalk neighborhoods are not actually included in the gt figure, as they are not enclosed spaces. Both are open air. Were they enclosed the gt for the Oasis Class would actually be much higher.

 

 

 

Anyway I'll hold judgement on the LNG ships until I actually sail one, but expectations are fairly low. Yes it's cool they are LNG powered, but it's not something that will impact the passenger experience in any way.

Thank you. I thought Symphony of The Seas and my cruise on her were very impressive. You get the feeling everything has been carefully designed. You are right about the way passengers spread out through the ship. I like comedy and jazz which you might get once a week on some ships. On Symphony they each have a dedicated venue. The entertainment blew away my usual cruise ship expectations. A full musical for example. I was surprised how small some of the bars and lounges are, perhaps seating less than a hundred. This kept the feeling of intimacy. Apparently they try to schedule the same crew to a venue for the whole cruise. That way they get to know the regulars.

I am sure these ships are expensive to build but I paid far more than I would be prepared to pay on P and O. It is all about return on investment I suppose.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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The Oasis class ships have an advantage in that they have so much external space that is suited to a warm weather cruise. Iona looks to be a very internal looking ship and would likely feel much more busy indoors.

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The Oasis class ships have an advantage in that they have so much external space that is suited to a warm weather cruise. Iona looks to be a very internal looking ship and would likely feel much more busy indoors.

 

 

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You have a valid point about the Oasis Class ships. They are definitely designed for warm weather cruising and have awesome deck areas. This being said, I'm still impressed with how well they handle crowd control at night and during rainy days when most pax are inside. I've sailed on Oasis, Allure, and Harmony and each time I sail this class of ship I'm even more impressed.

I agree IONA will feel much more busy indoors, especially with 6000+ pax onboard.

The Oasis class ships have an advantage in that they have so much external space that is suited to a warm weather cruise. Iona looks to be a very internal looking ship and would likely feel much more busy indoors.

 

 

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Quite a challenge for Iona to meet. February in the North Cape to August in Malta. A true worldwide cruise ship.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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You have a valid point about the Oasis Class ships. They are definitely designed for warm weather cruising and have awesome deck areas. This being said, I'm still impressed with how well they handle crowd control at night and during rainy days when most pax are inside. I've sailed on Oasis, Allure, and Harmony and each time I sail this class of ship I'm even more impressed.

 

 

 

I agree IONA will feel much more busy indoors, especially with 6000+ pax onboard.

Symphony is my only Royal Caribbean ship. The Royal Promenade seemed the most crowded area. When the had entertainment on parts were roped off and there were lots of people for the entertainment. I also thought it would not be much fun getting to 150 Central Park crossing the North Atlantic in the winter. Then again you will never have to. Loved the ship and the cruise.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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