Iona at full capacity. How cramped does it feel?

[terrierjohn]

Today was the first day we have experienced chaos in the buffet,  but it was the perfect storm that anyone any good at management would have predicted and avoided.

We put the clocks forward an hour last night as we moved from Portuguese time back to Spanish time, which meant everyone had an hours less sleep so were late getting to breakfast. Also the weather forecast was dire with wind and squally showers and a high of 17 deg. So not too unexpectedly the buffet was heaving at 10 O'clock, which was just as the captain decided to do a crew fire drill. As a consequence just as the buffet ran short of every item of crockery many staff were diverted to this practise evacuation drill.

The result was chaos with long queues everywhere as passengers waited for coffee cups, plates, bowls and side plates. The only thing in plentiful supply was food, but with nothing to put it on, it gradually cooled and congealed, not apretty sight.

This should have been easy to predict and I doubt that a delay in the timing or deferment altogether would have been anywhere near as disastrous as the muttered grumblings of 4800 (yes that is the official passenger numbers from receprion, although many will be children sharing their parents cabins) disgruntled passengers.

It just goes to show that shipside management can be equally as incompetent as the shoreside ones.

[Selbourne]

5 hours ago, Red Ray said:

She is a beautiful ship though I agree with a full complement of 5200 pax there may be overcrowding issues.

As previously stated, 5,200 is not the maximum capacity. It’s the normal operating capacity based primarily on lower berths. I am told that in school summer holidays, with most additional (Pullman etc) berths occupied, it could be closer to 7,000. Iona has yet to be tested with those numbers. I doubt that she has sailed with much more than 5,000 so far, what with restrictions and slightly suppressed demand. We are on her next August (😱) so will report back then on what it’s like when she is REALLY busy 😂 

[terrierjohn]

4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

As previously stated, 5,200 is not the maximum capacity. It’s the normal operating capacity based primarily on lower berths. I am told that in school summer holidays, with most additional (Pullman etc) berths occupied, it could be closer to 7,000. Iona has yet to be tested with those numbers. I doubt that she has sailed with much more than 5,000 so far, what with restrictions and slightly suppressed demand. We are on her next August (😱) so will report back then on what it’s like when she is REALLY busy 😂 

I have not checked but I doubt she has1800 upper berths, and even if she has, with the limitations on children numbers for each muster zone I imagine her max capacity is not much more than 6000.

[Selbourne]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

I have not checked but I doubt she has1800 upper berths, and even if she has, with the limitations on children numbers for each muster zone I imagine her max capacity is not much more than 6000.

 I hope you are right, although that’s still probably around 1,000 more than she has carried so far?

 

Aside from the buffet issues this morning, how have you found the MDR (food & choice) versus pre Covid?

 

Also, as a fellow wheelchair pusher, how is Iona from an accessibility perspective? I should think very good? I’ve seen a video of an accessible cabin and was very impressed.  

[jaydee6969]

Cruisemapper has the capacity as 5206-6264.

 

Will find out how busy in 3 weeks, on our Canary Islands cruise.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

 I hope you are right, although that’s still probably around 1,000 more than she has carried so far?

 

Aside from the buffet issues this morning, how have you found the MDR (food & choice) versus pre Covid?

 

Also, as a fellow wheelchair pusher, how is Iona from an accessibility perspective? I should think very good? I’ve seen a video of an accessible cabin and was very impressed.  

For wheelchairs she is the best P&O ship so far, very similar to Celebrity Eclipse, lots of marble floors on the public decks and less carpet. The upper decks are a not accessible from all lifts, so you need to check them out early on, which I did.

MDR food choice is not as good as pre covid, but no one would starve, as before some dishes are far better than others, it's just a shame you dont know which ones until you've eaten.

[Selbourne]

50 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

Cruisemapper has the capacity as 5206-6264.

 

Will find out how busy in 3 weeks, on our Canary Islands cruise.

I would very much doubt that she will be sailing at anything like full capacity at this time of year, even at half term. TerrierJohn reports a lot of children on board (Scotland & private schools half terms?) and yet current numbers on his cruise are still only 75% of the maximum number according to your figures. As I say, I think it’s going to be July / August next year before she breaks through 6,000 passengers. 

[r1955]

I wanted to ask about school holidays. We are thinking of taking the cruise to the Canaries on Feb 18, 2023 for 14 days from Southampton. I saw that it's a half term holiday for some schools in Britain.   From your experience do you think there will be many children on board as I understand the holiday is just one week?

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, r1955 said:

I wanted to ask about school holidays. We are thinking of taking the cruise to the Canaries on Feb 18, 2023 for 14 days from Southampton. I saw that it's a half term holiday for some schools in Britain.   From your experience do you think there will be many children on board as I understand the holiday is just one week?

Probably, but unless you have a fear of children it wont be a problem. We see them at breakfast but seldom at dinner, and most are well behaved.

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, r1955 said:

I wanted to ask about school holidays. We are thinking of taking the cruise to the Canaries on Feb 18, 2023 for 14 days from Southampton. I saw that it's a half term holiday for some schools in Britain.   From your experience do you think there will be many children on board as I understand the holiday is just one week?

Yes, February half term is only one week, even for private schools (who sometimes have two weeks for half term in October). However, you will find that there will still be quite a lot of children as some parents may take their children out of school for the week before or after half term. There won’t be as many children on board as there would be in July or August though, when they are all off school. 

[r1955]

Thanks for your replies. I certainly don't have a fear of children  just want a quieter cruise now that my own are grown up 🙂. In addition as people wrote here, the ship usually has more people on as some cabins have 3 or 4 in them when there are families with children.

[jaydee6969]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I would very much doubt that she will be sailing at anything like full capacity at this time of year, even at half term. TerrierJohn reports a lot of children on board (Scotland & private schools half terms?) and yet current numbers on his cruise are still only 75% of the maximum number according to your figures. As I say, I think it’s going to be July / August next year before she breaks through 6,000 passengers. 

 

From other groups I am in, there will be a lot of children onboard, of various ages.  A lot are being taken out of school.

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

From other groups I am in, there will be a lot of children onboard, of various ages.  A lot are being taken out of school.

I’m sure that’s correct, but I bet you still won’t be any where near 6,264 passengers. Selfishly, I hope that I’m wrong, as you might then be able to give me some reassurance for our August 2023 Iona cruise, given that I suspect that we will be much closer to that number 😉 

[r1955]

47 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

From other groups I am in, there will be a lot of children onboard, of various ages.  A lot are being taken out of school.

Do you mean for the cruise in October or February?

[jaydee6969]

1 hour ago, r1955 said:

Do you mean for the cruise in October or February?

 

No, mine is November.  Will try and find out if I can pax on board.