My thoughts on Iona, Norwegian Fjords - September 2022

[davecttr]

3 hours ago, SarahHben said:

Thank you.

I have to admit I am a cheap and cheerful wine drinker, I won't say which wines I like or some of you will never talk to me again 🤣

I like Barefoot white Zinfandel from Sainsbury's. Sick squid a bottle 🥳

 

edit - 10,000 posts, where do i get my free bottle 😁

Edited October 13, 2022 by davecttr

[wowzz]

5 minutes ago, davecttr said:

10,000 posts, where do i get my free bottle

Congratulations  - welcome to the "Too much time on our hands" club !

[SarahHben]

8 hours ago, davecttr said:

I like Barefoot white Zinfandel from Sainsbury's. Sick squid a bottle 🥳

 

edit - 10,000 posts, where do i get my free bottle 😁

That is one of my favourite wines, or it was before the headaches started anyway

[twotravellersLondon]

11 hours ago, wowzz said:

My wallet twitches whenever I buy a bottle of wine over £5,

 

A few years back, we had some friends including a self-confessed 'wine-buff' around for a meal. As a lark, we put some supermarket own label plonk into an empty bottle that had once contained a very expensive red wine... fully expecting said wine-buff to choke and splutter on it and declare that it was absolute rubbish... and we could all have a good laugh. Not at all... he waxed lyrical about the bouquet, the terroir the fruit flavours the balance the subtle tannins...  nobody had the heart to tell him that he was drinking plonk at less than £5 a bottle... a fraction of the cost of the original contents of the bottle!

 

Best of all... at the end of the evening he complemented us on our improved wine taste and knowledge!

 

But back to the point... if we have to drink and entire bottle of wine in the MDR... maybe we just won't bother if we're not in the mood.

Edited October 14, 2022 by twotravellersLondon

[jeanlyon]

5 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

A few years back, we had some friends including a self-confessed 'wine-buff' around for a meal. As a lark, we put some supermarket own label plonk into an empty bottle that had once contained a very expensive red wine... fully expecting said wine-buff to choke and splutter on it and declare that it was absolute rubbish... and we could all have a good laugh. Not at all... he waxed lyrical about the bouquet, the terroir the fruit flavours the balance the subtle tannins...  nobody had the heart to tell him that he was drinking plonk at less than £5 a bottle... a fraction of the cost of the original contents of the bottle!

 

Best of all... at the end of the evening he complemented us on our improved wine taste and knowledge!

 

But back to the point... if we have to drink and entire bottle of wine in the MDR... maybe we just won't bother if we're not in the mood.

I'm surprised you didn't tell him.  What a pillock!

[terrierjohn]

6 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

A few years back, we had some friends including a self-confessed 'wine-buff' around for a meal. As a lark, we put some supermarket own label plonk into an empty bottle that had once contained a very expensive red wine... fully expecting said wine-buff to choke and splutter on it and declare that it was absolute rubbish... and we could all have a good laugh. Not at all... he waxed lyrical about the bouquet, the terroir the fruit flavours the balance the subtle tannins...  nobody had the heart to tell him that he was drinking plonk at less than £5 a bottle... a fraction of the cost of the original contents of the bottle!

 

Best of all... at the end of the evening he complemented us on our improved wine taste and knowledge!

 

But back to the point... if we have to drink and entire bottle of wine in the MDR... maybe we just won't bother if we're not in the mood.

What is wrong with ordering your wine by the glass, a large glass is 250ml,  which equates to a third of a bottle, any more than that for a couple and you could easily finish off a bottle.

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

What is wrong with ordering your wine by the glass, a large glass is 250ml,  which equates to a third of a bottle, any more than that for a couple and you could easily finish off a bottle.

Can't remember the prices off hand,  but the price of a bottle is not much more than that of two  250ml glasses. You might as well buy a bottle,  and drink as much or as little as you want. 

[twotravellersLondon]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

I'm surprised you didn't tell him.  What a pillock!

 Believe me we tried but he was so full of praise for the wine... he possibly thought that we were just too mean to let him finish the bottle!

Edited October 14, 2022 by twotravellersLondon

[degenerateftw]

Just hopped in to check and see who had replied to my post and wow - I can't quote you all, but to comment / reply on a few things:

 

I was very disappointed with the lack of drinks options / service in the MDR. I prefer to drink beer with my dinner, then have a couple of glasses of wine, and then later on the G&T's come out, and as a forty-something cruiser, I'm sorry but water at dinner just won't do. In contrast, when we sailed on QE and we sat for dinner I asked for a beer and it was no trouble at all for them to go and get one for me. I was told it would take a few minutes and that was fine. I suspect that trip was some 2000 steps shorter that for the waiter on Iona - but that's not really my problem is it? This seems to be a fundamental issue on these larger ships which should be addressed. By all means serve bottled beer only for ease of transport - but to be limited to wine is just madness, especially with the demographic they are aiming at. Sorry but for me - walking around with an opened bottle of wine just felt tacky.

 

Picking up a drink on your way to the restaurant could be tricky. Iona does 'freedom dining' with a queue system, so going to deck 7, to pick up a pint (which could take 20 minutes) and then make your way to deck 6, didn't work. Cabin to deck 6 took around 15 minutes for us to get there, and you only get 15 minutes before your table goes back in the queue.

 

Don't kid yourself that queueing up for breakfast and then finding a table is doable on Iona. You'll see the moment you walk in there that it's not an option. 😒 Sail away night after 10pm, was the only time I saw it quiet and was lulled into the false sense of security! Iona's buffet is huge - but a lot of it was shut at various times.

 

On a seven day cruise - I can only think of two seperate ocasisons where I was actively offered a drink whilst at a table. To me - that is terrible.

 

Definately Covid onboard Iona. I can't believe that they would actively staff this ship they way it was. (I've been back over a month though and no troubles - yay!) I do also totally understand when someone said "you can't miss what you've never had". So true - I'm sure there's tons of stuff I've missed out on, but wow - in two cruises since the pandemic I'm clucking!

 

Don't knock Marksies 'Fresh & Fruity' own brand white wine. It's crisp and gorgeous, and only £5.

 

If I can remember anything else, i'll do an edit! Currently hovering over the 'book' button on a two week Ventura jolly to the Med. Somebody stop me!

 

Would love to hear from any other Iona travellers who have shared our experiences 🙂

 

Good day to you all ❤️

 

Edit: To RedLeicester - I got tutted at for having an Electronic cigarette, whilst wearing dark jeans on the promenade deck on QE after 6pm. There's definately snobbishness onboard all ships (*cough Cunard*). When I say some people lacked class, i'm referring to a few percent of the sweary loud types who tend to barge into you. I've made about 10 new FB friends on our last two cruises - people are so lovely generally, makes you wonder why everyone in the world just can't get on a ship and be fabulous to one another!

 

Everyone knows you get all the onboard gossip in the smoking pit. Top tip. 😊

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by degenerateftw
Ooops!

[Red Leicester]

I do agree that around 98% of all people I meet are indeed lovely.  It's the 2% that cause you 99% of your grief, if you choose to take it as grief.  Water off a ducks back to me, wearing specs in an early 90s Nottingham comprehensive sorted that one and I just leave people to their chuntering!  I would say 98% / 2% is similar to life in general.

I don't smoke though so can't join in with the gossip!

[degenerateftw]

Cruise ship gossip is fun. Who has had a letter about smoking on their balcony and who has had a letter about sunbathing nude on their balcony.... who'se had a letter about their complaint about the unprobed food etc. The guy who sails back to back on a 4 week stint who has complained about his lack of wins at the blackjack table and thinks it's clearly rigged... It's really interesting. 😆. If you don't smoke, just go there and hold a prop for a bit. You'll soon be in on who's 'in' and 'not in' lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by degenerateftw