Iona January 2023

[Selbourne]

35 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

Once I wanted the sharing platter but my fellow diner didn’t and it was no problem having a half size portion of it suitable for one person.

I think those ‘sharing platters’ are a bit of a nonsense, designed more to ease workload than a genuine sharing meal. Given how small the MDR portions are now, especially at lunch, if I fancy what’s on the sharing platter I just order it for myself - and I don’t ask them to halve it 😂 

[terrierjohn]

An excellent review, although I have only done one Iona cruise, I could feel myself agreeing with most of the comments you make. We rarely use the MDR at lunch, but from your comments we are missing nothing, however we did find that taste 360 in the Skydome and the Quays were a good choice for a light lunch, 

It was interesting to note your comment about The Olive Grove trying to switch to the virtual queue, that was a comment I made on our post cruise questionnaire. However we also noticed the brief appearance of the OG on the virtual queue in the early evening back in October, so nothing appears to have changed.

[zap99]

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Here is a short summary of my experience on Iona, the more detailed version is below if you can be bothered to read it. The ship was not full which was an advantage, reception quoted 4270 passengers onboard. 

 

Embarkation - very efficient and cases came to the cabin quickly too.

 

The Ship - modern, clean, lots of nice little areas and a beautiful wraparound promenade. This ship absolutely connects with the sea, you don’t forget you are on a cruise and not just in a hotel.

 

Cabin - a little small but fine non the less. Bright, clean and has everything we needed.

 

Entertainment - daytime is very limited. Evening excellent choice of really good shows. The vast majority we thoroughly enjoyed. Some  good films on the on demand video in the cabins, we watched a couple if we wanted an early night.

 

Shuttles- we had  no issues but we tend to go out early and come back before the rush others onboard had a very different experience from what they have related.

 

Food  - Breakfast, good choice and all exactly as expected and served hot.

 

MRD Lunch lack of choice, extremely poor quality, stodgy and twice very greasy. Every day there was a sharing plate which further limited the choice for anyone on their own. (We checked out the menus in the passing each day and were uninspired).

 

MDR dinner, again very limited choices with the same items on the menu over and over again. Small portions of fairly bland food in general with the odd tasty gem. The food in the Quays was better but queues to get it and I don’t like buffets. Olive Grove, lovely fresh food. Much of the price included food in the MDR lets this beautiful ship down imo. NB the Olive Grove is no longer bookable, it’s now on the virtual queue.

 

Speciality extra charge dining - all very good and we tried them all at least once. Tasty food served hot and with a smile.

 

Pricing onboard - the speciality restaurants are reasonably priced for the quality. The Spa has lots of great offers (quiet ship). Tours over priced imo. Drinks way overpriced imo, much higher than even city prices at home (but the cruise was well priced so they have to make some profit). Beer and soft drinks are not too bad but wine is prohibitive for what is being served (in what is after all a tax free environment).

 

Weather and Sea - we were so lucky, calm seas in the majority of the cruise and very decent weather.

 

Health - the Captain made a general ships announcement at noon on the second last day that there is gastro intestinal issue onboard but any one who pays attention and with half a brain cell knew about this long before now. Lots of trays of room service and red bags in corridors. Buffet being served by staff along with tea, juice etc behind red barriers, tags on tables to say they had been sanitised, missing menus etc. A letter was also issued to all cabins with instructions on how to limit the spread.

 

Also a lot of coughs and sniffles around but then that’s the same at home.

 

Long version

 

Well we have sailed on every P&O ship in the fleet for decades so I wanted to keep up to date. We had Iona previously booked in a suite but it was cancelled during the early days of the pandemic. Roll forward to January 2023 and we booked Iona again, this time as a last minute cruise in a standard balcony for (hopefully) some winter sunshine.

 

While it is vulgar to discuss pricing and I would never do it while onboard, we got a good deal on this cruise. Consequently my expectations were tempered by the cost to an extent.

 

We booked a few nice tours in advance. Unfortunately one of the better ones, a walking tour through the food markets with a chef and cookery class, in Barcelona, was cancelled before the cruise. No matter, there is always something to do there. 

 

I managed to book some meals in advance of boarding so we had bookings for Epicurean x 4, Sindhu x2, the Chefs table x2 and Limelight.  I was able to book 4 shows before getting onboard.

 

Day 1 Embarcation

 

Embarkation was fine and took around 1 hour 15 minutes from arriving at the dock, through dropping off the car to actual embarkation. Our cases came fairly promptly as well.

 

Immediately on arriving on the ship we started to try to book shows etc for the rest of the cruise. Some things were almost fully booked already eg the 710 club which we managed to get for just two occasions. With thanks to @Grahpau for his instructions which helped (and we were also able to assist others onboard).

 

It is worth noting that you can only see what you have actually personally booked. Luckily enough I had made all the booking so the virtual diary was showing everything (and my husbands showing nothing at all). Worth sticking to using one account to make life easier.

 

I added a few shows and a couple more restaurant bookings which once I  sampled the food in the MDR I was very happy to have done. 

 

The cabin is absolutely fine. A little tight for space but perfectly adequate. Nice fresh decor and very clean. Wardrobe space is at a premium and the lack of drawers is a bit of a loss but nothing that can’t be worked around. As I was aware of the lack of drawers we put small items like socks in snappy bags so we could access them easily from the shelf and not have lots of loose items falling out and that worked out well.

 

The bathroom is a good size and the shower good pressure. Lots of open storage here for toiletries etc.

 

The balcony is a small as well but better than on Britannia.

 

Our cabin steward was very pleasant and welcoming, he kept the cabin immaculate throughout the cruise.

 

Having checked out the cabin and walked around the ship to find out where things were we showered and changed for dinner.

 

Tonight was one of  the evenings I had managed to get into 710 and the band was really excellent. Pity they are now fully booked (except for quarter past midnight shows which are too late for me). If you get the chance see these guys, great musicians.

 

We were booked for the Epicurean and glad we had done that as we had a lovely meal without any of the hassles of queuing, virtual or otherwise. Very good food, nice relaxed setting and great service. The lamb was particularly good. Didn’t like their version of crepe Suzette but the cheese plate was nice enough.

 

Lovely comfortable bed unfortunately not a good nights sleep as we were woken in the middle of the night with an medical emergency call. I hope whoever was taken ill is better now, not a great way for them to start a holiday.

 

Day 2 at sea

 

Virtual queue and a fairly quick table for breakfast. Breakfast was fine, the usual foods and all perfectly adequate except imo the coffee. The coffee is like frightened hot water and one sip was quite enough of this tasteless brown liquid which was so thin I could see the bottom of the cup! You have been warned. I brought my aeropress and nespresso coffee pods just in case and I will need them as I’m not keen on Costa coffee either.

 

Went a long walk many times around the promenade, I really like this wrap around promenade which allows a decent stretch of the legs. As it was a little cold it wasn’t too busy. Nice just to breathe in the fresh sea air and enjoy a stroll. The cabins on deck 8 are unusual and will be fine for some folks but certainly not all, everyone walking past was looking in on them but that novelty will wear off. Some are right opposite a noisy jacuzzi. 

 

Thankfully my lungs are not too bad at the moment so I can manage the stairs most of the time if I go slowly and it’s only 3 or 4 decks, which is just as well. The demographic of the ship is very old and there are many people with strollers, sticks, wheelchairs and some with very large electric buggies. The lifts are busy and stop on virtually every deck every time. If P&O are aiming for the younger market they haven’t got it on this particular cruise at least. The lifts are a bit of a bugbear and I’m glad I can avoid them a lot of the time.

 

There are a lot of solo cruisers. We spoke to one lovely lady who said it was her first time in a balcony as the solo offers for this cruise were so well priced. As a result of all the solo cabins and lack of children taking third or fourth berths the cabins seem to be sold out but the ship is not full. 

 

Had a mooch around the shops which have a decent range of goods. Not a lot to do as Brodies is full for the quizzes, there is a lengthy queue for the cinemas in the afternoon and I’ve also heard the speaker a couple of times before (he is really very good but not for a third time). Happy to just chill and we did our own mini wine tasting with a couple of flights in the glass house. 

 

There was no facility to book the Olive Grove which showed as fully booked for the whole cruise when we embarked so I asked about it at the desk. I was told on day 1 that they were no longer allowing bookings on this venue and moving it to the virtual queueing system as lots of people had complained about it being snapped up  before they even got onboard  and there were lots of no shows as it is free (and it’s the only daily free table service restaurant other than the MDR).

 

So on day 2 today we tried to join the virtual queue and it wasn’t there so back to the desk. No ma’am you can’t have a table as they are all fully booked for today. Pointed to the person who had given us the information yesterday (who wouldn’t make eye contact) and repeated what I had been told. Oh we have an IT glitch and it allowed some people (not everyone) to book today. So I can join a virtual queue tomorrow then definitely? Answer -yes. Day 3 it was on the virtual queue but only for about 30 minutes then it disappeared again! Let’s see what happens next. It should be noted that in the Horizen the Olive Grove is now asterisked as chargeable and my hunch is that longer term it may well be.

 

So the quays were rammed full and Olive Grove booked. Joined the virtual queue for the MDR. Pathetic is the only word I can use for this with limited choices and very poor quality food most of which was vegan or vegetarian. The “choice” for mains was a ham sandwich, a vegetarian sandwich, a lighter bite spinach feta cheese and mushroom struddle, Cumberland sausage & mash or a veggie Indian sharing platter. We got the platter and it was swimming in grease so most of it got left. No one bothered to ask why. Not impressed. On the basis of this meal and the menu for the evening we booked the beach House for tonight,s dinner (no problems getting a booking for any of the extra pay for restaurants, those included in the price are however busier)

 

The MDR menus we have seen so far (on the big boards) have been heavily weighted to vegan and vegetarian food. I would be perfectly happy with that if they were well prepared but if you are a committed  meat eater, the choice is much more limited than in the past.

 

Another thing to note, the virtual queue for the MDRs vanished at 1.24 and stated that the queue opens at 5.15 pm. The restaurant was supposed to be open until 2 pm but the queue on the app wasn,t. Same thing happens at breakfast, the app queue goes but you can still walk up and be seated.

 

The show tonight was a violin player and he was excellent.The house musicians in the theatre are also very talented, in general the quality of music onboard is excellent. The theatre  is showing s full on the app but it was only about 50% from what I could see. People are booking everything and then just not showing up so turn up and you will probably get in (at least on this quieter cruise).

 

Dinner at a half empty Beach House. A few people in front of us walked away when told that there was a £9.50pp charge. The Horizon is all to pot showing free restaurants like Olive Grove with an asterisk for a charge and chargeable ones without. There are no prices on the app either so it’s a guessing game re costs.

 

The food and service was good, I particularly enjoyed the curry goat and rum pineapple desert.

 

Day 3 at sea

 

Woken again this morning by an announcement (at 8.45 am, being lazy catching up on sleep from yesterday and actually 7.45 for my body clock as the time changed).This time a man overboard “for exercise”.

 

Skipped breakfast, had a decent coffee in the cabin and went for a long prom walk. 

 

Lunch at the Olive Grove (secured during the brief time the virtual queue was open then it was closed again for a while) lovely, far superior to the greasy offering in the MDR yesterday. It’s showing again today as chargeable on the Horizen but we were not charged. The Greek platter was very tasty and the pizza good.

 

The sea has been as calm as a mill pond so far. A bit colder than expected out of doors but still very pleasant.

 

We received vouchers for fizz for the Celebration night. Went to Anderson’s at 5.55pm and they would not honour them, it had to be after the Captains speech apparently but there was nothing on the voucher which says that. The queues both virtual and real for the MDR looked long - we looked along the deck when leaving Anderson’s. Probably fairly normal for formal night.

 

The Captain announced that there are 2400 Peninsular club members which seems quite low so a lot of new to P&O passengers onboard this cruise.

 

Really enjoyed the Festival show in the theatre, very upbeat.

 

Had a drink in the elegant Crows Nest then on to the Chefs Table. While this was in the buffet it was done well and looked nice with decent linen, glass and table ware. 

 

There was a wine waiter available and so we were able to order the wines to match the food. They all came at once but that was fine, better than waiting.

 

The gezpatchio was really nice but the English fizz not a great match,  it was not punchy enough imo.

 

The tian of shrimp was really tasty if very small and the kung Foo Girl Washington state wine an excellent match. The wine was really buttery with the starter, we both really enjoyed it.

 

The lamb was tasty but a really, really tiny portion even for me and I don’t eat a lot, it was just a few bites once off the bone. The Pinot Noir was fine if not exciting. Someone at the next table asked for more due to the small portions and was firmly told that was not possible.

 

The cheese was not what P&O advertise. It’s supposed to be Blue Monday, Hampshire Tunworth etc. What they actually served had been laid out for too long and was curling at the edges - brick hard Brie, an unidentified cheddar and a tasteless blue. Now those of you who are CC regulars know I like my cheese and I can tell a Hampshire Tunworth from cheap Brie. I showed the Manager what they advertise and bounced the Brie off the side of the plate. He took a photo of what is advertised, let’s see if it changes! There are a few little niggles like this but nothing that spoils a holiday.

 

For those who are interested the Beach Club was open on the opposite side from the Chefs Table on the Celebration night and bookable. This must have taken up a big chunk of the buffet area for those who did not wish to dress for dinner. Seemed like most people were in formal wear (of sorts)around the ship though.

 

After dinner we went to the 710 club which was unfortunately closed as one of the musicians is “poorly”. Shame to miss a good show but wish the person better soon.

 

Day 4 Vigo

 

Skipped breakfast and went into town to visit El Cortes inglis up the hill. Got some great bargains and a nice coffee here before exploring the town. Visited a little wine bar for lunch, amazing Rioja, lovely local ham and cheese eaten in the sunshine. It’s shorts with a fleece weather and a lovely change from cold, frosty and wet at home. 

 

The queue both off and back on was quick and efficient, the benefits of a slightly quieter ship.

 

Sitting on the balcony as I write this in the sunshine listening to opera from a lady singing in the harbour. Just idilic.

 

We have the limelight Club booked tonight for Mary Mac. Wasn’t sure what to expect re the food but I was impressed by the quality for banqueting service. The amuse bush was Vegan, a mix of aubergine, mushroom and garlic on crostini and vey nice

 

The vegan starter was also excellent, mushroom “scallops” done in Sherry and miso which was very tasty. OH had the ham terraine which was also nice.

 

OH had the steak which looked good. I had a lovely bit of sea bass served with gnocchi and a lemon cream sauce, the bass was crispy on the skin and just done for the centre as it should be.

 

OH had the chocolate bomb which he enjoyed and I had the vegan pudding which was a nut strudel in a warm apricot sauce and it was delicious. I’m not veggie but I often select these dishes for a change  and on this ship they are often better than the meat dishes. P&O could be tapping into a major market with what they are offering. Most of my nephews friends are vegetarian or vegan, that generation just are.

 

The entertainment was also first class. Mary Mac (drag artist) gave 100% from the minute she came on stage. Funny, quirky, a good singer and a huge personality. Slightly risky at times but in an inoffensive way. I would recommend this show if you want to see something just a bit different. 

 

After Limelight we went to the sky dome for the ariel show Rise. Loved the costumes and it was entertaining but I suspect we didn’t see the full show  to its best two of the flyers were out of commission. The guy in the toucan costume was so funny, a masterclass in acting like a bird.

 

Day 5 at sea

 

Went to Aqua for breakfast this morning booking via the app. There was a bit of an issue at the desk as a older couple next to us were asking for a table and told it was full meantime we were being served and got a table having come to the desk just after them. He was not happy and described the technology as a queue skippers charter that young people use. (Now it has been a while since anyone described me as young but all things are comparative). The point however is that he stomped away very unhappy so the app is clearly annoying some.

 

Went for our morning walk and the selfish were out in force bagging sunbeds on deck 8 with books and towels. Some had also moved the beds to face into the sun getting right in the way of the walking space. It’s a lovely day and we just enjoyed the decent weather and walked.

 

The queue for the Olive Grove is not on the screen again today. I don’t know if someone is switching it off or it’s an It glitch again. The menu in the MDR for lunch looks dreadful yet again. Just have to wait for the Quays to quieten down or the queue for Olive Grove to come back up.

 

Went to the Olive Grove and apparently the app queue switches off once it reaches a certain capacity. They gave us a pager. I wish we had known that an hour ago! The food was however good.  So if you can’t see to queue for Olive Grove go to the desk.

 

While waiting we joined the vocal coaching in the Club House which was fun.

 

Checked out todays Horizon and in the (very) small print they are announcing  that there is a cycle race in Valencia which is extending shuttle times as some central roads are closed. Asked about our particular tour and couldn’t get a clear answer from them about the impact. Additionally we are having to shuttle in to the join the tour which was not the arrangements when we booked (private transfers both ways) so we cancelled it. I’m sure the cycle race closing down chunks of the city was known about long before now.

 

We had a 6.45 show tonight, the first we didn’t enjoy so left after 10 minutes.

 

Epicurian again tonight so a good meal guaranteed. We had the halibut “sharer” which was excellent though I don’t know why it is only available for 2 as we were served two fillets on our own plates.

 

Day 6 Gibraltar

 

We got up early, had a quick coffee in the cabin and headed into Gibraltar. Got some real bargains, the prices were very competitive compared to the U.K.  We have been here numerous times so just wandered and shopped. 

 

Headed back to the ship before the rush (made clear that there could be very long queues to get back onboard from the bridge in the arrival announcement). We had bought a bottle of vary unusual whisky, it would have been at least double the price at home. I tried to hand the bag to security and told them what it was but they were not interested in taking it  so we took it to the cabin (no intention of drinking this onboard as it is strictly for for a special occasion). 

 

Had lunch in the MDR. I do like this ship but the selection and standard of food in the main restaurants is not good. You certainly won’t starve and there is the odd gem but no overall consistency. Left the food there as it was dreadful  and got a portion of fish and chips to share at the Quays and it was lovely - hot, crispy and tasty.

 

As I write we re leaving Gibraltar with an honour guard of seagulls in tow, the ship must be churning up fish. I’m now on dolphin watch.

 

Dinner in the MDR and we both ordered the sirloin steak done medium well. The two steaks came out and mine was thin and over cooked (like a bit of beef ham / minute steak rather than steak) and OH got a lovely thick juicy sirloin but it was medium rare and fully pink inside. We split his steak which was actually very nice and left mine which was like shoe leather. Complete lack of consistency in the food and clearly no on overseeing it.

 

Day 7 Alicante

 

The ship is docked in the town centre so a pleasant 15 stroll (or shuttle if you wanted one which dropped at the start of the town).

 

Had a nice wander round the shops then had a seafood lunch at a pavement cafe and people watched. The weather is still being very kind.

 

The show tonight was about travel and while it was a bit slow at the start the section in China was great with the dancing red lions. I won’t spoil it for those who have not seen this one but there are lots of great special effects.

 

Dinner in Sindhu was excellent and as we had booked before we boarded there was a 20% discount. I had the vegetarian menu and it packed a real flavour punch. The paneer dosa was really tasty. The veg thalli was interesting with a variety of both flavours and textures. OH had the signature thalli with duck, beef and lobster which he also really enjoyed.

 

Day 8 Barcelona

 

Ordered smoked salmon for breakfast expecting the thin slices. What came was a delicious thick filet of salmon which had been oak smoked. If you like fish, try it.

 

Got the shuttle into town. We picked the right time both ways as no queues.we did however hear lots of grumbles about waiting in the sunshine for ages.

 

I am still traumatised by the price of two small beers in Barcelona at 18 euros! A pavement cafe not even on Las Ramblas.

 

Singer in the theatre tonight from the Voice and yes she do have a good one.

 

Braved the main dining room for dinner. The mushroom pate was really tasteless so I didn’t eat it. The vegetarian main was unusual but it actually worked, ever had dal on top of lettuce, cauliflower and spinach before - don’t knock it until you try it. OH had bland but inoffensive roast chicken. Cant say I’m excited by the food in the MDR.

 

As we were in Barcelona until 9pm the Spanish Tax hit everything onboard. A lot of people were not aware of it and grumbling when their bottle of wine was 10% more but it was clearly highlighted in the Horizon(and again for tomorrow in Valencia).

 

Day 9 Valencia

 

Well as noted above we cancelled our tour as the cycle race got in the way. We decided to just go for a walk as the city would be congested. It’s around a 30 to  40 minute walk out of the port but on a nice promenade looking over the yacht marina and a couple of small restaurants. On the other side of the bay there is a lovely beach and some bars about a further 20 minutes on. On the way back we discovered there is a free port shuttle which would save much of the walk but we wanted the exercise. There is also a bridge across to the beach area which would cut much of the walk but it was open for the boats as it was a Sunday.

 

Lots of complaints about the lengthy shuttle into Valencia but this is a one of with a major cycle event closing off roads.

 

Tried a couple of gin flights in Anderson’s. A good way to try out some new ones, some I enjoyed and some not but that is the joy of trying them in small measures.

 

Magician in the theatre tonight and after dinner the space aged Ariel show. Both entertaining.

 

Gave the MDR room once last chance. It was poor imo. The deep fried Brie was an empty crust. The main course cold and the pudding inedible hard sponge. Now booked solid for speciality for the rest of the week. I’m clearly not the only one who feels this way as the speciality dining is filling up and the longest app queue onboard is for the included Olive Grove.

 

Day 10 Sea

 

Brilliant sunshine and calm seas on a perfect sea day. I’m sitting on the balcony enjoying the view and the Captain has kindly just slightly adjusted course to keep me in the sunshine - very nice man. No joking we just about went into shade then the ship moved west.

 

The Captain and bridge staff have been very chatty and informative. The Entertainments manager has been missing in action, the only time I have heard from him is when is trying to sell something.

 

In the queue for lunch at the Olive Grove with  27 ahead, by contrast the main dining room has just 2! That’s the difference in the food quality, people vote with their feet.

 

Watched digital in the main theatre, great special effects but the music is not as memorable. Also watched a really good Irish quartet in the Club House (which was mobbed) the Four Harps. First time we have been in here in the evening and seems to be the busy venue.

 

Day 11 Cadiz

 

We docked in the middle of the city a short walk from the port. Walked for miles enjoying the sites then did a Sherry tasting. The bodega is in the centre of the city just a few minutes from the port and serves 16 different varieties of Sherry in an authentic setting, it’s been run by the same family for generations. We had 4 (small) Sherry,s each, olives, jamon and sheep cheese for under £25.

 

Epicurean for dinner. We ordered the frogs legs which were small but tasty and the Dover sole which I generally like. The whole fish came and by the time I filleted it  on the plate and removed the bones it was stone frozen cold! They used to bring it on a hot skillet and the staff deboned it before serving on a hot plate. While Epicurean is still excellent there are elements missing like deboning fish, cracking and de shelling lobster, table side crepe Suzette etc etc.

 

Day 12 Lisbon 

 

Had a light breakfast and headed into the city for a wander. Enjoyed some local specialities and shopping before heading back to the ship for a late lunch.

 

Lunch at the Olive Grove, good food but very slow service from the generally miserable staff who work in here. Most of the staff in here are just not friendly verging on sullen, unlike the other venues onboard. I think they are perhaps overworked as this venue is very popular.

 

Show and then dinner. Had a brilliant on the bone aged steak tonight, really delicious.

 

 

Day 13 sea

 

We were up too late for the restaurant breakfast in the MDR and we have been avoiding the buffet areas as I had noticed the room service trays and red bags etc in the corridors for days now.

 

At noon the Captain formally announced the GI health issues onboard and the precautions to be taken were coming in a letter to all cabins which he requested everyone to cooperate with. 

 

Personally I avoid the buffets and the public toilets anyway and we eat at a table for 2, carry anti bad foam etc so far so good avoiding it.

 

Had lunch at the Keel and Cow. The baked Tunworth was excellent and I enjoyed the Prime Minister burger but in particular the Stokes Bloody Mary ketchup which I’ll be looking for once back at home.

 

Boring sea day with very little to do, mostly sales talks or bingo neither of which is of interest. Entering the Bay of Biscay which is a bit rougher today than 2 weeks ago.

 

Our “loyalty” vouchers came and instead of a party we get one cheap drink. Gone are the days of nice cocktails, canapés and music. The voucher even restricts what you can get to sparkling plonk, house wine, carlsbug, Orange or soda fountain (not even a can!).

 

Booked for Centre Stage tonight then the chefs table. The show was fine as was the meal. A lot of empty tables at Chefs table but the sea has been a bit more rough today so some green looking people heading back to their cabins.

 

The staff are working so hard to contain the spread of the GI issues by serving everything, wiping down surfaces etc meantime so folks are undermining their efforts. We have seen several couples move table to one they preferred in the Glass House and in the Crows Nest before it has been washed and when the card is clearly showing waiting to be sanitised. The public toilets are also busy in spite of being asked to use your own cabin facilities.

 

Day 14 at sea

 

Quiet day packing and not too much going on on the ship. Enjoyed a long walk around the promenade, one of the best features of the ship imo and a quiet drink outside in sunset bar.

 

Mdr menu looked boring so tried for lunch in the olive grove but it was fully booked so we had tapas in the Glass House which was very pleasant. Jamon ham and tomato bread, scallops with chorizo, lamb cutlets, king prawns, manchego, spicy chicken wings all washed down with a bottle of really excellent 2009 sparkling English wine. Really lovely lunch with a sea view.

 

Sindhu booked for tonight and an excellent meal. The Irish quartet were also back on, great act.

 

Well the cases are out and we just walked along the corridor to see a gentleman in a skimpy towel delving in his case for something. The towel fell, I averted my eyes but had already seen …….. too much. A warning to all, make sure you keep clothes for the final morning!

 

Day 15 Southampton

 

Opted to self disembark and selected 6.30am to get off as we have a long drive home.

 

So would I go on Iona again? It wouldn’t be a first choice as I found having to juggle about to book everything a bit stressful but I would never say never. If I got a good price and at a quiet time of the year I would definitely consider it. 

 

The ship was busy enough while we were on so I would dread to see it full but others may really enjoy the biz and buzz. 

 

Do your homework and know what you like and don’t like, this ship is certainly not for everyone but definitely provides a good cruise holiday.

Great review. Just like being  there.

[Harry Peterson]

I once had a colleague who introduced the concept of sharing platters well before anyone else. 
 

Conferences usually involved either sitting two or three seats away from him while dining - or wearing a waterproof cape.

[purplesea]

An interesting and balanced review, thank you, We were on Iona last January and although we found the menus limited and it seems that the quality has gone down hill since then. I am will eat vegetarian or vegan dishes occasionally, but on the whole I much prefer my meat and very little fish. We are due on Arvia in May so hope things are better.

[smokey01]

57 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I think those ‘sharing platters’ are a bit of a nonsense, designed more to ease workload than a genuine sharing meal. Given how small the MDR portions are now, especially at lunch, if I fancy what’s on the sharing platter I just order it for myself - and I don’t ask them to halve it 😂 

I too have to admit that when I received the half size sharing platter I could have easily managed the full size version by myself.

[RJChatsworth]

We were on this cruise and agree Eglesbrech’s report to be accurate, thorough and excellent.

 

We were in a rear suite comprising a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and huge balcony.  As such we were invited to take breakfast in the Epicurean.  The food was good but very restricted like no Eggs Benedict, no porridge, no hash browns, no beans etc etc.  They did do bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes. They even cut the crusts off the toast and it took time to get used to the idea we wanted them on.  We avoided the place regularly.

 

Passing through Customs this morning was interesting.  We have been through dozens of times, generally off Cunard, the last time being off Queen Victoria in November.  We have rarely seen any border officers although they are probably watching from somewhere. I don’t know what has changed but the place was heaving with them this morning.  It’s the first time I’d seen passengers pulled over and from one they had extracted dozens of cartoons of what I assumed were cigarettes.  Had they been alerted by the large amounts of onboard credit on this cruise or is it a reflection on some of those cruising on P&O?  Or are there other reasons I haven’t thought about eg spot check?   I wouldn’t wish to guess!

[Harry Peterson]

41 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said:

We were in a rear suite comprising a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and huge balcony.  As such we were invited to take breakfast in the Epicurean.  The food was good but very restricted like no Eggs Benedict, no porridge, no hash browns, no beans etc etc.  They did do bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes. They even cut the crusts off the toast and it took time to get used to the idea we wanted them on.  We avoided the place regularly.

 

That’s actually quite shocking. It’s one of the key benefits of having a suite, and breakfasts there were very civilised indeed - with a full choice of breakfasts.  Difficult to see how they could possibly mess that up, and disappointing that they have.

[Eglesbrech]

2 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

 

Passing through Customs this morning was interesting.  

Yes they were out in force even at 6.30am. We were about half way up the queue and by the time we went through the customs area they were already searching through cases and they seemed to know exactly who / what they were looking for.

 

I hope you are well. We seemed to have managed to avoid the GI bug. I wonder if there was any delay in embarkation as they would probably want to do a thorough clean.

[scarlet ohara]

We were also on the cruise and agree abut the MDR menus- very uninspiring. We didn’t actually eat there at all, as we had so much OBC to use. We had 3 meals in epicurean which were great. We enjoyed the Chefs table on the first formal night but cancelled the second in favour of the Keel and Cow.

We are doing back to back so are still onboard. We got a letter to the cabin last night asking us to leave the ship before 10 and not return before 12, to allow extra cleaning. We were given £30 each in extra OBC to cover the cost of lunch ashore! But we also got vouchers to attend the peninsular lunch so only got a coffee in town.,

We had a great cruise but are rather regretting staying on. It is a completely different vibe - very very busy. And children everywhere! We didn’t realise it is school holidays in some places- our son is a teacher in the North East and they aren’t on holiday till next week. 
Brodies was jam packed and so noisy we couldn’t hear the announcements. We took 30mins to get a drink, there were only 2 waiters serving. The couple who say beside us took almost an hour! The queue at the quays was about 30 people at each of the 3 serveries- we never saw more than 2 or three the last fortnight.

I really hope it settles down- it just seems so different from the last cruise- we just hope we aren’t in for a big disappointment 

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, scarlet ohara said:

We were also on the cruise and agree abut the MDR menus- very uninspiring. We didn’t actually eat there at all, as we had so much OBC to use. We had 3 meals in epicurean which were great. We enjoyed the Chefs table on the first formal night but cancelled the second in favour of the Keel and Cow.

We are doing back to back so are still onboard. We got a letter to the cabin last night asking us to leave the ship before 10 and not return before 12, to allow extra cleaning. We were given £30 each in extra OBC to cover the cost of lunch ashore! But we also got vouchers to attend the peninsular lunch so only got a coffee in town.,

We had a great cruise but are rather regretting staying on. It is a completely different vibe - very very busy. And children everywhere! We didn’t realise it is school holidays in some places- our son is a teacher in the North East and they aren’t on holiday till next week. 
Brodies was jam packed and so noisy we couldn’t hear the announcements. We took 30mins to get a drink, there were only 2 waiters serving. The couple who say beside us took almost an hour! The queue at the quays was about 30 people at each of the 3 serveries- we never saw more than 2 or three the last fortnight.

I really hope it settles down- it just seems so different from the last cruise- we just hope we aren’t in for a big disappointment 

Oh Lord. We are on her in August 😱

[CliveJ]

Wow - on Iona Mar. 4th; had been very much looking forward to it....& I'm sure forewarned is forearmed, but rather wish now I wasn't bothering.

Thanks nonetheless - I shall remove all expectations & hope for the occasional pleasant surprise !

[RJChatsworth]

2 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Yes they were out in force even at 6.30am. We were about half way up the queue and by the time we went through the customs area they were already searching through cases and they seemed to know exactly who / what they were looking for.

 

I hope you are well. We seemed to have managed to avoid the GI bug. I wonder if there was any delay in embarkation as they would probably want to do a thorough clean.

Thanks.  We are well.  As a precaution we didn’t go to Headliners on Thursday evening and went to a quiet Beach House Friday evening.

 

I hate to think what it might have been like with another 1,000 on board.  We were told there were 700 single passengers who were in double cabins for half the price they would normally have paid. A special offer. Don’t know whether this is true or not but we were aware of large numbers of single passengers.

 

I don’t expect we’ll go on it again.  Not the kind of experience we want.  it was like travelling in a floating shopping mall!

[scarlet ohara]

We were apprehensive before we boarded, this was our first post Covid cruise and I was very aware of all the adverse comments about lack of staff, Poor service etc. But we genuinely didn’t see anything of concern in the whole fortnight. There were always plenty seats, we got into the shows by just turning up a few minutes before they started etc. we really enjoyed ourselves and booked another cruise in May. This morning we commented that we’d happily go back on Iona, 

it’s just so different today. I hope it’s better tomorrow and will feedback when I can

[Valfan]

2 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

 

We were told there were 700 single passengers who were in double cabins for half the price they would normally have paid. A special offer. Don’t know whether this is true or not but we were aware of large numbers of single passengers.

 

It wasn't just a special offer for solo passengers for that cruise. I've done two on Iona in recent months and go on her again next Saturday, all at 0% Single Supplement. And I could have picked from lots of other cruises on her, all at no supplement at all. I just chose three with different itineraries.

There were a lot of solos onboard my first two. In fact several of them are booked for the cruise next Saturday too.  One chap is doing three back-to-back on her just now.  So far, Iona is a solo passengers' dream.  We've never had it so good!

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, Valfan said:

It wasn't just a special offer for solo passengers for that cruise. I've done two on Iona in recent months and go on her again next Saturday, all at 0% Single Supplement. And I could have picked from lots of other cruises on her, all at no supplement at all. I just chose three with different itineraries.

There were a lot of solos onboard my first two. In fact several of them are booked for the cruise next Saturday too.  One chap is doing three back-to-back on her just now.  So far, Iona is a solo passengers' dream.  We've never had it so good!

I’m pleased to hear that solo passengers are getting such a great deal at present, as they are usually stung heavily with single supplements. I’d also be filling my boots if in that position.
 

However, the fact that solos can occupy a double balcony cabin for no supplement is proof positive that, in spite of the spin, P&O are struggling to fill Iona out of season with the repetitive itineraries, as many of us predicted. You can be 100% sure that P&O wouldn’t be doing this if they could fill the cabins with couples, with the resultant double on board spend. 

[Eglesbrech]

12 hours ago, scarlet ohara said:

We were also on the cruise and agree abut the MDR menus- very uninspiring. We didn’t actually eat there at all, as we had so much OBC to use. We had 3 meals in epicurean which were great. We enjoyed the Chefs table on the first formal night but cancelled the second in favour of the Keel and Cow.

We are doing back to back so are still onboard. We got a letter to the cabin last night asking us to leave the ship before 10 and not return before 12, to allow extra cleaning. We were given £30 each in extra OBC to cover the cost of lunch ashore! But we also got vouchers to attend the peninsular lunch so only got a coffee in town.,

We had a great cruise but are rather regretting staying on. It is a completely different vibe - very very busy. And children everywhere! We didn’t realise it is school holidays in some places- our son is a teacher in the North East and they aren’t on holiday till next week. 
Brodies was jam packed and so noisy we couldn’t hear the announcements. We took 30mins to get a drink, there were only 2 waiters serving. The couple who say beside us took almost an hour! The queue at the quays was about 30 people at each of the 3 serveries- we never saw more than 2 or three the last fortnight.

I really hope it settles down- it just seems so different from the last cruise- we just hope we aren’t in for a big disappointment 

Interesting to hear what a difference a week makes. I hope is does settle down a bit for you.

 

I had the feeling they would do a deep clean, particularly as the next voyage is so full. I take it that embarkation was also delayed?

 

Re the school holidays I have learned from experience to make a note of them for all 4 nations of the U.K. to make sure I avoid them. Made that mistake by going by the Scottish holidays and having a ship full of English and Welsh children! It’s not that I don’t like children, it’s just that the ships are always much busier.

 

Have a lovely cruise.

[Cathygh]

The different dates for half term is a real pain when you have children and teachers in the family in different parts of the country. The only one that stays the same is May half term so when booking our family cruise for this year we had to go with May half term as the schools don't announce their calendars before cruises go on sale. 

 

[Advanced Diver]

Just got off the same cruise yesterday. For us it was a different cruise as we had to work around our daughter's shifts, and where she is allowed. In fact the rules around what crew can and can't do are quite complicated.

The cruise was indeed very enjoyable, with great weather and calm seas for most of the cruise. Whilst preferring the smaller ships, Iona was better than expected. It's modern and pretty smooth through the water (I wonder if it got the air lubrication system and if that helped). The prom deck is a nice walk but not much good for a run even if quiet. There is a running (jogging) track, but it's short, poorly defined and often had walkers ignoring the direction signs. I stuck to running in port.

We only eat in the MDR three times. Coral was the best, Aqua was pretty rubbish. The food was good but the steaks were thin and over cooked against what was asked for. We generally had no problem getting a booking in the specialty restaurants, with our biggest problem being that we couldn't book through "My Holiday" as we needed to book for three people. The Olive Grove was the worst - can't book, and doesn't appear on the "My Holiday" page. My wife's salad supposedly she had as a main course was the same size, just served as a salad or a main course so she went hungry that night! The Keel and Cow is OK but isn't in it's own room, so just feels part of the Atrium.

The outside public spaces to watch a sail in or out at the bow of the ship are limited to prom deck due to the Retreat, which overlooks the crew deck and is set well back from the bow so not ideal.

The Horizon buffet layout is form over function. There isn't anywhere to rest trays without them over balancing when getting food. Several trays were dropped this way by people.

There are no shaver points in the cabin to recharge an electric shaver. Not a problem for a 2 week cruise, but worth taking an adapter for a longer cruise.

You can't turn off the light in the bathroom at night - most annoying.

The wardrobes in the cabin are hard to get into given they face the bed, taking coordination with your partner, and the lack of drawers isn't helpful. The cabin overall felt narrow compared to Arcadia.

Unlike many people on here I love the "My Holiday" pages (NOT an app) in principle, but oh the entertainment listings are so limited - why is it restricted to bookable options? The TV in the cabin had the best display being able to compare a full week across all venues.

Talking of TV, the ship location display looks like it should be zoomable, but I couldn't find a way to do that. The actual useful info was limited compared to Arcadia, though the TV was much better, much clearer picture.

As the OP said Alex the Entertainment Manager was indeed missing in action. Twice the aerial shows were cancelled but there was no announcement, and he almost never did the intro and outro for the shows in the Headliners Theatre like he's supposed to. He's coming to the end of his contract and it shows.

The OP thinks the GI issues were visible well before we had measures - maybe, didn't notice. We went to Level 2 on Wednesday afternoon, and within hours went to Level 3. Staff not allowed in passenger areas, additional cleaning, someone requesting you to gel your hands, being served at the buffet. I'm told that a specialized cleaning company was coming on board on Saturday to deep clean (but they don't do the kids club - and we know how kids are a magnet for bugs).

Incidentally there are too few sinks even on Iona, there are more that the older ships, but not nearly enough. Hand Sanitizer does not kill norovirus, you need to wash your hands with soap and water, so all the pushing people to gel is just theatre.

The average age on board was 66.57, with 41 kids U 18, No Tier passengers 533, Newcomers 1208, Total Guests 4217. Total peninsular club 2476, with Mediterranean being the most populous at 572 guests. I'm sure next cruise (the one taking place now) is much different!

[Mollag]

What’s an air lubrication system Advanced Diver? That’s a new one to me

[Advanced Diver]

3 hours ago, Mollag said:

What’s an air lubrication system Advanced Diver? That’s a new one to me

Air Lubrication System is a method to reduce the resistance between the ship’s hull and seawater using air bubbles.  The air bubble distribution across the hull surface reduces the resistance working on the ship’s hull, creating energy-saving effects. With the right ship hull design, the air lubrication system is expected to achieve up to 10-15% reduction of CO2 emissions, along with significant savings of fuel.

 

https://www.marinelog.com/news/carnival-will-fit-more-cruise-ships-with-air-lubrication-systems/

[wowzz]

50 minutes ago, Advanced Diver said:

Air Lubrication System is a method to reduce the resistance between the ship’s hull and seawater using air bubbles.  The air bubble distribution across the hull surface reduces the resistance working on the ship’s hull, creating energy-saving effects. With the right ship hull design, the air lubrication system is expected to achieve up to 10-15% reduction of CO2 emissions, along with significant savings of fuel.

 

https://www.marinelog.com/news/carnival-will-fit-more-cruise-ships-with-air-lubrication-systems/

You can replicate the same system when you have a bath, so I'm told !

[Britboys]

On 2/11/2023 at 11:19 AM, Eglesbrech said:

Here is a short summary of my experience on Iona, the more detailed version is below if you can be bothered to read it. The ship was not full which was an advantage, reception quoted 4270 passengers onboard. 

 

Embarkation - very efficient and cases came to the cabin quickly too.

 

The Ship - modern, clean, lots of nice little areas and a beautiful wraparound promenade. This ship absolutely connects with the sea, you don’t forget you are on a cruise and not just in a hotel.

 

Cabin - a little small but fine non the less. Bright, clean and has everything we needed.

 

Entertainment - daytime is very limited. Evening excellent choice of really good shows. The vast majority we thoroughly enjoyed. Some  good films on the on demand video in the cabins, we watched a couple if we wanted an early night.

 

Shuttles- we had  no issues but we tend to go out early and come back before the rush others onboard had a very different experience from what they have related.

 

Food  - Breakfast, good choice and all exactly as expected and served hot.

 

MRD Lunch lack of choice, extremely poor quality, stodgy and twice very greasy. Every day there was a sharing plate which further limited the choice for anyone on their own. (We checked out the menus in the passing each day and were uninspired).

 

MDR dinner, again very limited choices with the same items on the menu over and over again. Small portions of fairly bland food in general with the odd tasty gem. The food in the Quays was better but queues to get it and I don’t like buffets. Olive Grove, lovely fresh food. Much of the price included food in the MDR lets this beautiful ship down imo. NB the Olive Grove is no longer bookable, it’s now on the virtual queue.

 

Speciality extra charge dining - all very good and we tried them all at least once. Tasty food served hot and with a smile.

 

Pricing onboard - the speciality restaurants are reasonably priced for the quality. The Spa has lots of great offers (quiet ship). Tours over priced imo. Drinks way overpriced imo, much higher than even city prices at home (but the cruise was well priced so they have to make some profit). Beer and soft drinks are not too bad but wine is prohibitive for what is being served (in what is after all a tax free environment).

 

Weather and Sea - we were so lucky, calm seas in the majority of the cruise and very decent weather.

 

Health - the Captain made a general ships announcement at noon on the second last day that there is gastro intestinal issue onboard but any one who pays attention and with half a brain cell knew about this long before now. Lots of trays of room service and red bags in corridors. Buffet being served by staff along with tea, juice etc behind red barriers, tags on tables to say they had been sanitised, missing menus etc. A letter was also issued to all cabins with instructions on how to limit the spread.

 

Also a lot of coughs and sniffles around but then that’s the same at home.

 

Long version

 

Well we have sailed on every P&O ship in the fleet for decades so I wanted to keep up to date. We had Iona previously booked in a suite but it was cancelled during the early days of the pandemic. Roll forward to January 2023 and we booked Iona again, this time as a last minute cruise in a standard balcony for (hopefully) some winter sunshine.

 

While it is vulgar to discuss pricing and I would never do it while onboard, we got a good deal on this cruise. Consequently my expectations were tempered by the cost to an extent.

 

We booked a few nice tours in advance. Unfortunately one of the better ones, a walking tour through the food markets with a chef and cookery class, in Barcelona, was cancelled before the cruise. No matter, there is always something to do there. 

 

I managed to book some meals in advance of boarding so we had bookings for Epicurean x 4, Sindhu x2, the Chefs table x2 and Limelight.  I was able to book 4 shows before getting onboard.

 

Day 1 Embarcation

 

Embarkation was fine and took around 1 hour 15 minutes from arriving at the dock, through dropping off the car to actual embarkation. Our cases came fairly promptly as well.

 

Immediately on arriving on the ship we started to try to book shows etc for the rest of the cruise. Some things were almost fully booked already eg the 710 club which we managed to get for just two occasions. With thanks to @Grahpau for his instructions which helped (and we were also able to assist others onboard).

 

It is worth noting that you can only see what you have actually personally booked. Luckily enough I had made all the booking so the virtual diary was showing everything (and my husbands showing nothing at all). Worth sticking to using one account to make life easier.

 

I added a few shows and a couple more restaurant bookings which once I  sampled the food in the MDR I was very happy to have done. 

 

The cabin is absolutely fine. A little tight for space but perfectly adequate. Nice fresh decor and very clean. Wardrobe space is at a premium and the lack of drawers is a bit of a loss but nothing that can’t be worked around. As I was aware of the lack of drawers we put small items like socks in snappy bags so we could access them easily from the shelf and not have lots of loose items falling out and that worked out well.

 

The bathroom is a good size and the shower good pressure. Lots of open storage here for toiletries etc.

 

The balcony is a small as well but better than on Britannia.

 

Our cabin steward was very pleasant and welcoming, he kept the cabin immaculate throughout the cruise.

 

Having checked out the cabin and walked around the ship to find out where things were we showered and changed for dinner.

 

Tonight was one of  the evenings I had managed to get into 710 and the band was really excellent. Pity they are now fully booked (except for quarter past midnight shows which are too late for me). If you get the chance see these guys, great musicians.

 

We were booked for the Epicurean and glad we had done that as we had a lovely meal without any of the hassles of queuing, virtual or otherwise. Very good food, nice relaxed setting and great service. The lamb was particularly good. Didn’t like their version of crepe Suzette but the cheese plate was nice enough.

 

Lovely comfortable bed unfortunately not a good nights sleep as we were woken in the middle of the night with an medical emergency call. I hope whoever was taken ill is better now, not a great way for them to start a holiday.

 

Day 2 at sea

 

Virtual queue and a fairly quick table for breakfast. Breakfast was fine, the usual foods and all perfectly adequate except imo the coffee. The coffee is like frightened hot water and one sip was quite enough of this tasteless brown liquid which was so thin I could see the bottom of the cup! You have been warned. I brought my aeropress and nespresso coffee pods just in case and I will need them as I’m not keen on Costa coffee either.

 

Went a long walk many times around the promenade, I really like this wrap around promenade which allows a decent stretch of the legs. As it was a little cold it wasn’t too busy. Nice just to breathe in the fresh sea air and enjoy a stroll. The cabins on deck 8 are unusual and will be fine for some folks but certainly not all, everyone walking past was looking in on them but that novelty will wear off. Some are right opposite a noisy jacuzzi. 

 

Thankfully my lungs are not too bad at the moment so I can manage the stairs most of the time if I go slowly and it’s only 3 or 4 decks, which is just as well. The demographic of the ship is very old and there are many people with strollers, sticks, wheelchairs and some with very large electric buggies. The lifts are busy and stop on virtually every deck every time. If P&O are aiming for the younger market they haven’t got it on this particular cruise at least. The lifts are a bit of a bugbear and I’m glad I can avoid them a lot of the time.

 

There are a lot of solo cruisers. We spoke to one lovely lady who said it was her first time in a balcony as the solo offers for this cruise were so well priced. As a result of all the solo cabins and lack of children taking third or fourth berths the cabins seem to be sold out but the ship is not full. 

 

Had a mooch around the shops which have a decent range of goods. Not a lot to do as Brodies is full for the quizzes, there is a lengthy queue for the cinemas in the afternoon and I’ve also heard the speaker a couple of times before (he is really very good but not for a third time). Happy to just chill and we did our own mini wine tasting with a couple of flights in the glass house. 

 

There was no facility to book the Olive Grove which showed as fully booked for the whole cruise when we embarked so I asked about it at the desk. I was told on day 1 that they were no longer allowing bookings on this venue and moving it to the virtual queueing system as lots of people had complained about it being snapped up  before they even got onboard  and there were lots of no shows as it is free (and it’s the only daily free table service restaurant other than the MDR).

 

So on day 2 today we tried to join the virtual queue and it wasn’t there so back to the desk. No ma’am you can’t have a table as they are all fully booked for today. Pointed to the person who had given us the information yesterday (who wouldn’t make eye contact) and repeated what I had been told. Oh we have an IT glitch and it allowed some people (not everyone) to book today. So I can join a virtual queue tomorrow then definitely? Answer -yes. Day 3 it was on the virtual queue but only for about 30 minutes then it disappeared again! Let’s see what happens next. It should be noted that in the Horizen the Olive Grove is now asterisked as chargeable and my hunch is that longer term it may well be.

 

So the quays were rammed full and Olive Grove booked. Joined the virtual queue for the MDR. Pathetic is the only word I can use for this with limited choices and very poor quality food most of which was vegan or vegetarian. The “choice” for mains was a ham sandwich, a vegetarian sandwich, a lighter bite spinach feta cheese and mushroom struddle, Cumberland sausage & mash or a veggie Indian sharing platter. We got the platter and it was swimming in grease so most of it got left. No one bothered to ask why. Not impressed. On the basis of this meal and the menu for the evening we booked the beach House for tonight,s dinner (no problems getting a booking for any of the extra pay for restaurants, those included in the price are however busier)

 

The MDR menus we have seen so far (on the big boards) have been heavily weighted to vegan and vegetarian food. I would be perfectly happy with that if they were well prepared but if you are a committed  meat eater, the choice is much more limited than in the past.

 

Another thing to note, the virtual queue for the MDRs vanished at 1.24 and stated that the queue opens at 5.15 pm. The restaurant was supposed to be open until 2 pm but the queue on the app wasn,t. Same thing happens at breakfast, the app queue goes but you can still walk up and be seated.

 

The show tonight was a violin player and he was excellent.The house musicians in the theatre are also very talented, in general the quality of music onboard is excellent. The theatre  is showing s full on the app but it was only about 50% from what I could see. People are booking everything and then just not showing up so turn up and you will probably get in (at least on this quieter cruise).

 

Dinner at a half empty Beach House. A few people in front of us walked away when told that there was a £9.50pp charge. The Horizon is all to pot showing free restaurants like Olive Grove with an asterisk for a charge and chargeable ones without. There are no prices on the app either so it’s a guessing game re costs.

 

The food and service was good, I particularly enjoyed the curry goat and rum pineapple desert.

 

Day 3 at sea

 

Woken again this morning by an announcement (at 8.45 am, being lazy catching up on sleep from yesterday and actually 7.45 for my body clock as the time changed).This time a man overboard “for exercise”.

 

Skipped breakfast, had a decent coffee in the cabin and went for a long prom walk. 

 

Lunch at the Olive Grove (secured during the brief time the virtual queue was open then it was closed again for a while) lovely, far superior to the greasy offering in the MDR yesterday. It’s showing again today as chargeable on the Horizen but we were not charged. The Greek platter was very tasty and the pizza good.

 

The sea has been as calm as a mill pond so far. A bit colder than expected out of doors but still very pleasant.

 

We received vouchers for fizz for the Celebration night. Went to Anderson’s at 5.55pm and they would not honour them, it had to be after the Captains speech apparently but there was nothing on the voucher which says that. The queues both virtual and real for the MDR looked long - we looked along the deck when leaving Anderson’s. Probably fairly normal for formal night.

 

The Captain announced that there are 2400 Peninsular club members which seems quite low so a lot of new to P&O passengers onboard this cruise.

 

Really enjoyed the Festival show in the theatre, very upbeat.

 

Had a drink in the elegant Crows Nest then on to the Chefs Table. While this was in the buffet it was done well and looked nice with decent linen, glass and table ware. 

 

There was a wine waiter available and so we were able to order the wines to match the food. They all came at once but that was fine, better than waiting.

 

The gezpatchio was really nice but the English fizz not a great match,  it was not punchy enough imo.

 

The tian of shrimp was really tasty if very small and the kung Foo Girl Washington state wine an excellent match. The wine was really buttery with the starter, we both really enjoyed it.

 

The lamb was tasty but a really, really tiny portion even for me and I don’t eat a lot, it was just a few bites once off the bone. The Pinot Noir was fine if not exciting. Someone at the next table asked for more due to the small portions and was firmly told that was not possible.

 

The cheese was not what P&O advertise. It’s supposed to be Blue Monday, Hampshire Tunworth etc. What they actually served had been laid out for too long and was curling at the edges - brick hard Brie, an unidentified cheddar and a tasteless blue. Now those of you who are CC regulars know I like my cheese and I can tell a Hampshire Tunworth from cheap Brie. I showed the Manager what they advertise and bounced the Brie off the side of the plate. He took a photo of what is advertised, let’s see if it changes! There are a few little niggles like this but nothing that spoils a holiday.

 

For those who are interested the Beach Club was open on the opposite side from the Chefs Table on the Celebration night and bookable. This must have taken up a big chunk of the buffet area for those who did not wish to dress for dinner. Seemed like most people were in formal wear (of sorts)around the ship though.

 

After dinner we went to the 710 club which was unfortunately closed as one of the musicians is “poorly”. Shame to miss a good show but wish the person better soon.

 

Day 4 Vigo

 

Skipped breakfast and went into town to visit El Cortes inglis up the hill. Got some great bargains and a nice coffee here before exploring the town. Visited a little wine bar for lunch, amazing Rioja, lovely local ham and cheese eaten in the sunshine. It’s shorts with a fleece weather and a lovely change from cold, frosty and wet at home. 

 

The queue both off and back on was quick and efficient, the benefits of a slightly quieter ship.

 

Sitting on the balcony as I write this in the sunshine listening to opera from a lady singing in the harbour. Just idilic.

 

We have the limelight Club booked tonight for Mary Mac. Wasn’t sure what to expect re the food but I was impressed by the quality for banqueting service. The amuse bush was Vegan, a mix of aubergine, mushroom and garlic on crostini and vey nice

 

The vegan starter was also excellent, mushroom “scallops” done in Sherry and miso which was very tasty. OH had the ham terraine which was also nice.

 

OH had the steak which looked good. I had a lovely bit of sea bass served with gnocchi and a lemon cream sauce, the bass was crispy on the skin and just done for the centre as it should be.

 

OH had the chocolate bomb which he enjoyed and I had the vegan pudding which was a nut strudel in a warm apricot sauce and it was delicious. I’m not veggie but I often select these dishes for a change  and on this ship they are often better than the meat dishes. P&O could be tapping into a major market with what they are offering. Most of my nephews friends are vegetarian or vegan, that generation just are.

 

The entertainment was also first class. Mary Mac (drag artist) gave 100% from the minute she came on stage. Funny, quirky, a good singer and a huge personality. Slightly risky at times but in an inoffensive way. I would recommend this show if you want to see something just a bit different. 

 

After Limelight we went to the sky dome for the ariel show Rise. Loved the costumes and it was entertaining but I suspect we didn’t see the full show  to its best two of the flyers were out of commission. The guy in the toucan costume was so funny, a masterclass in acting like a bird.

 

Day 5 at sea

 

Went to Aqua for breakfast this morning booking via the app. There was a bit of an issue at the desk as a older couple next to us were asking for a table and told it was full meantime we were being served and got a table having come to the desk just after them. He was not happy and described the technology as a queue skippers charter that young people use. (Now it has been a while since anyone described me as young but all things are comparative). The point however is that he stomped away very unhappy so the app is clearly annoying some.

 

Went for our morning walk and the selfish were out in force bagging sunbeds on deck 8 with books and towels. Some had also moved the beds to face into the sun getting right in the way of the walking space. It’s a lovely day and we just enjoyed the decent weather and walked.

 

The queue for the Olive Grove is not on the screen again today. I don’t know if someone is switching it off or it’s an It glitch again. The menu in the MDR for lunch looks dreadful yet again. Just have to wait for the Quays to quieten down or the queue for Olive Grove to come back up.

 

Went to the Olive Grove and apparently the app queue switches off once it reaches a certain capacity. They gave us a pager. I wish we had known that an hour ago! The food was however good.  So if you can’t see to queue for Olive Grove go to the desk.

 

While waiting we joined the vocal coaching in the Club House which was fun.

 

Checked out todays Horizon and in the (very) small print they are announcing  that there is a cycle race in Valencia which is extending shuttle times as some central roads are closed. Asked about our particular tour and couldn’t get a clear answer from them about the impact. Additionally we are having to shuttle in to the join the tour which was not the arrangements when we booked (private transfers both ways) so we cancelled it. I’m sure the cycle race closing down chunks of the city was known about long before now.

 

We had a 6.45 show tonight, the first we didn’t enjoy so left after 10 minutes.

 

Epicurian again tonight so a good meal guaranteed. We had the halibut “sharer” which was excellent though I don’t know why it is only available for 2 as we were served two fillets on our own plates.

 

Day 6 Gibraltar

 

We got up early, had a quick coffee in the cabin and headed into Gibraltar. Got some real bargains, the prices were very competitive compared to the U.K.  We have been here numerous times so just wandered and shopped. 

 

Headed back to the ship before the rush (made clear that there could be very long queues to get back onboard from the bridge in the arrival announcement). We had bought a bottle of vary unusual whisky, it would have been at least double the price at home. I tried to hand the bag to security and told them what it was but they were not interested in taking it  so we took it to the cabin (no intention of drinking this onboard as it is strictly for for a special occasion). 

 

Had lunch in the MDR. I do like this ship but the selection and standard of food in the main restaurants is not good. You certainly won’t starve and there is the odd gem but no overall consistency. Left the food there as it was dreadful  and got a portion of fish and chips to share at the Quays and it was lovely - hot, crispy and tasty.

 

As I write we re leaving Gibraltar with an honour guard of seagulls in tow, the ship must be churning up fish. I’m now on dolphin watch.

 

Dinner in the MDR and we both ordered the sirloin steak done medium well. The two steaks came out and mine was thin and over cooked (like a bit of beef ham / minute steak rather than steak) and OH got a lovely thick juicy sirloin but it was medium rare and fully pink inside. We split his steak which was actually very nice and left mine which was like shoe leather. Complete lack of consistency in the food and clearly no on overseeing it.

 

Day 7 Alicante

 

The ship is docked in the town centre so a pleasant 15 stroll (or shuttle if you wanted one which dropped at the start of the town).

 

Had a nice wander round the shops then had a seafood lunch at a pavement cafe and people watched. The weather is still being very kind.

 

The show tonight was about travel and while it was a bit slow at the start the section in China was great with the dancing red lions. I won’t spoil it for those who have not seen this one but there are lots of great special effects.

 

Dinner in Sindhu was excellent and as we had booked before we boarded there was a 20% discount. I had the vegetarian menu and it packed a real flavour punch. The paneer dosa was really tasty. The veg thalli was interesting with a variety of both flavours and textures. OH had the signature thalli with duck, beef and lobster which he also really enjoyed.

 

Day 8 Barcelona

 

Ordered smoked salmon for breakfast expecting the thin slices. What came was a delicious thick filet of salmon which had been oak smoked. If you like fish, try it.

 

Got the shuttle into town. We picked the right time both ways as no queues.we did however hear lots of grumbles about waiting in the sunshine for ages.

 

I am still traumatised by the price of two small beers in Barcelona at 18 euros! A pavement cafe not even on Las Ramblas.

 

Singer in the theatre tonight from the Voice and yes she do have a good one.

 

Braved the main dining room for dinner. The mushroom pate was really tasteless so I didn’t eat it. The vegetarian main was unusual but it actually worked, ever had dal on top of lettuce, cauliflower and spinach before - don’t knock it until you try it. OH had bland but inoffensive roast chicken. Cant say I’m excited by the food in the MDR.

 

As we were in Barcelona until 9pm the Spanish Tax hit everything onboard. A lot of people were not aware of it and grumbling when their bottle of wine was 10% more but it was clearly highlighted in the Horizon(and again for tomorrow in Valencia).

 

Day 9 Valencia

 

Well as noted above we cancelled our tour as the cycle race got in the way. We decided to just go for a walk as the city would be congested. It’s around a 30 to  40 minute walk out of the port but on a nice promenade looking over the yacht marina and a couple of small restaurants. On the other side of the bay there is a lovely beach and some bars about a further 20 minutes on. On the way back we discovered there is a free port shuttle which would save much of the walk but we wanted the exercise. There is also a bridge across to the beach area which would cut much of the walk but it was open for the boats as it was a Sunday.

 

Lots of complaints about the lengthy shuttle into Valencia but this is a one of with a major cycle event closing off roads.

 

Tried a couple of gin flights in Anderson’s. A good way to try out some new ones, some I enjoyed and some not but that is the joy of trying them in small measures.

 

Magician in the theatre tonight and after dinner the space aged Ariel show. Both entertaining.

 

Gave the MDR room once last chance. It was poor imo. The deep fried Brie was an empty crust. The main course cold and the pudding inedible hard sponge. Now booked solid for speciality for the rest of the week. I’m clearly not the only one who feels this way as the speciality dining is filling up and the longest app queue onboard is for the included Olive Grove.

 

Day 10 Sea

 

Brilliant sunshine and calm seas on a perfect sea day. I’m sitting on the balcony enjoying the view and the Captain has kindly just slightly adjusted course to keep me in the sunshine - very nice man. No joking we just about went into shade then the ship moved west.

 

The Captain and bridge staff have been very chatty and informative. The Entertainments manager has been missing in action, the only time I have heard from him is when is trying to sell something.

 

In the queue for lunch at the Olive Grove with  27 ahead, by contrast the main dining room has just 2! That’s the difference in the food quality, people vote with their feet.

 

Watched digital in the main theatre, great special effects but the music is not as memorable. Also watched a really good Irish quartet in the Club House (which was mobbed) the Four Harps. First time we have been in here in the evening and seems to be the busy venue.

 

Day 11 Cadiz

 

We docked in the middle of the city a short walk from the port. Walked for miles enjoying the sites then did a Sherry tasting. The bodega is in the centre of the city just a few minutes from the port and serves 16 different varieties of Sherry in an authentic setting, it’s been run by the same family for generations. We had 4 (small) Sherry,s each, olives, jamon and sheep cheese for under £25.

 

Epicurean for dinner. We ordered the frogs legs which were small but tasty and the Dover sole which I generally like. The whole fish came and by the time I filleted it  on the plate and removed the bones it was stone frozen cold! They used to bring it on a hot skillet and the staff deboned it before serving on a hot plate. While Epicurean is still excellent there are elements missing like deboning fish, cracking and de shelling lobster, table side crepe Suzette etc etc.

 

Day 12 Lisbon 

 

Had a light breakfast and headed into the city for a wander. Enjoyed some local specialities and shopping before heading back to the ship for a late lunch.

 

Lunch at the Olive Grove, good food but very slow service from the generally miserable staff who work in here. Most of the staff in here are just not friendly verging on sullen, unlike the other venues onboard. I think they are perhaps overworked as this venue is very popular.

 

Show and then dinner. Had a brilliant on the bone aged steak tonight, really delicious.

 

 

Day 13 sea

 

We were up too late for the restaurant breakfast in the MDR and we have been avoiding the buffet areas as I had noticed the room service trays and red bags etc in the corridors for days now.

 

At noon the Captain formally announced the GI health issues onboard and the precautions to be taken were coming in a letter to all cabins which he requested everyone to cooperate with. 

 

Personally I avoid the buffets and the public toilets anyway and we eat at a table for 2, carry anti bad foam etc so far so good avoiding it.

 

Had lunch at the Keel and Cow. The baked Tunworth was excellent and I enjoyed the Prime Minister burger but in particular the Stokes Bloody Mary ketchup which I’ll be looking for once back at home.

 

Boring sea day with very little to do, mostly sales talks or bingo neither of which is of interest. Entering the Bay of Biscay which is a bit rougher today than 2 weeks ago.

 

Our “loyalty” vouchers came and instead of a party we get one cheap drink. Gone are the days of nice cocktails, canapés and music. The voucher even restricts what you can get to sparkling plonk, house wine, carlsbug, Orange or soda fountain (not even a can!).

 

Booked for Centre Stage tonight then the chefs table. The show was fine as was the meal. A lot of empty tables at Chefs table but the sea has been a bit more rough today so some green looking people heading back to their cabins.

 

The staff are working so hard to contain the spread of the GI issues by serving everything, wiping down surfaces etc meantime so folks are undermining their efforts. We have seen several couples move table to one they preferred in the Glass House and in the Crows Nest before it has been washed and when the card is clearly showing waiting to be sanitised. The public toilets are also busy in spite of being asked to use your own cabin facilities.

 

Day 14 at sea

 

Quiet day packing and not too much going on on the ship. Enjoyed a long walk around the promenade, one of the best features of the ship imo and a quiet drink outside in sunset bar.

 

Mdr menu looked boring so tried for lunch in the olive grove but it was fully booked so we had tapas in the Glass House which was very pleasant. Jamon ham and tomato bread, scallops with chorizo, lamb cutlets, king prawns, manchego, spicy chicken wings all washed down with a bottle of really excellent 2009 sparkling English wine. Really lovely lunch with a sea view.

 

Sindhu booked for tonight and an excellent meal. The Irish quartet were also back on, great act.

 

Well the cases are out and we just walked along the corridor to see a gentleman in a skimpy towel delving in his case for something. The towel fell, I averted my eyes but had already seen …….. too much. A warning to all, make sure you keep clothes for the final morning!

 

Day 15 Southampton

 

Opted to self disembark and selected 6.30am to get off as we have a long drive home.

 

So would I go on Iona again? It wouldn’t be a first choice as I found having to juggle about to book everything a bit stressful but I would never say never. If I got a good price and at a quiet time of the year I would definitely consider it. 

 

The ship was busy enough while we were on so I would dread to see it full but others may really enjoy the biz and buzz. 

 

Do your homework and know what you like and don’t like, this ship is certainly not for everyone but definitely provides a good cruise holiday.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to provide such a comprehensive review. It's always good to see fair, balanced thoughts and for me, like some others, it certainly backs up my view that I have no desire to try either Iona or Arvia.

[Britboys]

On 2/12/2023 at 1:28 AM, Valfan said:

... So far, Iona is a solo passengers' dream.  We've never had it so good!...

Not a dream for all solo pax though. Still this solo passenger's idea of a nightmare...😀

[Valfan]

5 hours ago, Britboys said:

Not a dream for all solo pax though. Still this solo passenger's idea of a nightmare...😀

In what way?  I thought Iona would be too big, too many young passengers etc.  I said I'd only go on Iona and Arvia once each, as I've been on all the other current P&O ships and all those that have left the fleet in the past 29 years.

But I loved my first Iona cruise so much that I'm setting off this week for my 3rd cruise on her within 6 months. I just love the size and scale of her, the choice of venues, the light bright colours, the atrium, all sorts of things.

I think perhaps it's also because she's the one ship in the fleet where I can't go around bitter and twisted at all the changes and cutbacks since I was last onboard her, cos no one knew Iona before the unpleasantness.  I'll be able to test out that theory in a few weeks' time when I sail on Arcadia.