Alan & Giselle

Does anybody have an pictures and reviews of the deluxe balcony cabins on Iona please.

Many thanks.

11 hours ago, Cruiserjules said:

Sorry I didn't seem to take many photos of the room.  We were in 12:529.  It was 7 cabins aft of the midships lift

Thank you so much it looks lovely can’t wait for our cruise.

2 hours ago, Cruiserjules said:

Stepped off Iona this morning, and whilst the washing is swirling in the machine and blowing outside,  thought I’d do a quick review.

 

Having dropped off our luggage, we hit the long testing queue at exactly 12.00noon, our allocated time. Tested at 12.23, then a tense wait.  Dave’s negative result came through after 10 minutes, mine after an anxious 30!  And so at 1.05 we stepped onto Iona.  Our muster station was where we entered (Emerald bar), so quickly up to our cabin on deck 12.

 

Our GA cabin was huge,  extremely comfortable with our settee next to the window.  Just a few points  - the shower door swings both inwards and outwards so is easy to get into, and the shower itself is powerful.  There’s an optional nightlight in the cabin for nocturnal bathroom visits and a dim light stays on in the bathroom all night.  The bed is huge and very comfy.  The main drawback is – there are NO drawers anywhere in the cabin.  There’s a single-doored half wardrobe with a shelf and the safe above the rail.  A single-doored cupboard with 4/5 shelves and a double-doored full-length wardrobe with the lifejackets stored on the shelf above the rail.    There are two cupboards by the fridge, the inside space of which is smaller than the outside suggests.  The sockets have been raised above the level of the desk to allow for wires and there’s a very useful USB point under each of the wall-mounted bedside lights.  The hairdryer is more powerful than any other P&O hairdryer I’ve encountered.  I have long very thick hair and it dried mine quickly.  Balcony is bigger than on Britannia, with two reclining chairs and a small side table.  The temperature inside the ship was set to “stifling”, so the efficient cabin air conditioning was very welcome

 

We ate in the Coral MDR, Sindhu, The Olive Grove, The Buffet, Taste 360, The Quays, The Beach House and The Glass House.  The specialty restaurants have their own exclusive menus not available on other ships.  The Beach House is free with no supplemented dishes, the Olive Grove has just a couple of supplemented dishes and Sindhu is pay per dish.  We couldn’t get into the Keel and Cow which is also pay per dish, but it smelt lovely (on occasions all through the atrium).  The frustrating part was getting into the restaurants, but once there, we found the waiting times not too bad, lessened as the week went on, and the food was lovely on every occasion in every location. 

 

The entertainment onboard was fantastic, Joe Pasquali was hilarious and surprising, Tony Hadley simply amazing, Manuel Martinez ‘s late night show was funny, and the Headliners Show “Festival” was the best show of theirs we’ve seen since Masquerade in 2010.  The sky dome light and aerial acrobatic shows were breath-taking, although the acoustics in the dome aren’t the best for any singers there.  The busker and sea shanty singers were excellent and there really was something for everyone, although we never timed the huge queues right to get into Gary’s 716 Club. 

 

The staff onboard were all, without exception, fabulous, and the “welcome onboard” from everyone was genuine. We only encountered “we can’t do that because of Covid” once at that was in Sindhu where it made no sense at all.

 

Now the not so good aspects – the Sailaway which we christened the “sneak out under cover of darkness-away”.  No razzamatazz, no excited announcement from the bridge, no water jets, no cheers, no party atmosphere on the open decks - absolutely nothing.  We had an announcement earlier to say what time be would be sailing and that we would be sounding the ships hooter more frequently than usual – (I heard it just once at Calshot) I am not sure what I expected, but it just felt an enormous anticlimax . The fireworks at Iona were lovely though, and we did get a lovely gift of two engraved cider glasses and two bottles of the brand of cider used to launch the ship.

 

So to the IT – the APP has a couple of letters missing at the beginning which would have described it more efficiently.  There are no menus on there (or on the TV screen)  and you have to keep the phone in your hand and keep refreshing the screen constantly to find your place in the queue or that you have been called. The internet kept dropping out, which was frustrating for both the passengers and the waiters trying to take orders using their IPads.  Due to the number of days onboard and the demand, by the second day every specialty restaurant onboard was fully booked, and that was with just 2800 (so I was told by a restaurant manager) passengers onboard, so at the moment, you do need to be ready to book as soon as you embark, but I'm sure longer cruises will sort the problem.   If I never hear the expression “Virtual Queue” again, it’ll be too soon.  

 

And my personal rant - mobile phones – everywhere.  People sitting at the tables looking at their phones, possibly trying to work the app, texting, talking loudly in an “I’m on the phone” sort of way when we were near enough to the coast to get signal, and spoiling everyone’s enjoyment holding them up and videoing the theatre shows – which, despite there being Entertainment Staff in the theatre, and announcements to the contrary - no one was stopped. 

 

And the biggest let down of all was the lack of an on-screen Navigation Map.  All around the coast, the Scottish islands etc, we had absolutely no idea where we were, except for Iona itself and Tobermory. I know several people complained at reception all getting told different things – “there isn’t one” “we didn’t think we would need one” or the frustrating– “it’s there but it’s not working”.   Come on P&O, this cruise was hardly a surprise, it’s been available since March!  This could have been mitigated by someone from the bridge giving us a few clues or commentary – there was Scottish Storyteller onboard who did his very best to point out things to people on the open deck, but that wasn’t why he was onboard and why wasn’t this done from the bridge – they managed to tell us when there were dolphins.  We just had one announcement per day (except on celebration night).  VERY disappointing.

 

I don’t need to describe individual aspects of each venue save to say we personally thought that the atrium lacks the “wow” factor, and the bars in there are a bit soul-less.     If you use The Retreat – it’s partially overlooked from the deck above, and apart from those at the front and back, every cabin overlooks the prom deck (8) with its walkers, sunbeds, seats and jacuzzies.   Some of the conservatory cabins are on deck 8, so are very close to everyone promenading/sunbathing etc, so choose your cabin carefully.   There are some lovely outdoor bars and pools and seven times round the track on deck 18 is a mile.

 

If you are still with me – I’ve made this sound a little more negative than I intended.  Iona is a fantastic ship, airy and bright with panoramic views from the atrium and the dining rooms.  Its tastefully decorated throughout in peaceful muted colours and after a day or so, was easy to find the way around, though you do walk a long way each day.  It felt covid-safe, masks were worn everywhere indoors except when seated to eat or drink and the cabin steward did not come into your room whilst you were in there or on the balcony.   I would go on again in a flash, my only reservation being that at times, it felt quite full with half-ish of its  passengers so how would it be with the full quota.

Fabulous review.

out of curiosity which cabin were you in and do you have any photos please.

many thanks.

Thank you, I will contact the bank tomorrow.

Hello

i paid by credit card.

I emailed them to ask how long refunds were taking and they emailed me back to advise they had not received a form from me, even though I completed it the day they were cancelled in September!
I received my cancellation invoice about 10 days ago for my Christmas cruise do I don’t believe just because you have the invoice that a refund is on its way, maybe I’m being cynical.


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22 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Ok so I re-read the terms and conditions and in typical P&O style, it says one thing in one place and one thing somewhere else.  So I wonder if that "generic" 110% FCC in the drop down box is a throw back from bookings up to October 15th and not for us.  It will be interesting to see, as my TA is doing the FCC for us.  He seemed to think it was correct that I didn't have to choose another cruise, it could just sit on my account.  We will see!

I went on the P&O website yesterday and had a look and was able to cancel my Christmas cruise and take the deposit as 110% FCC or transfer to another cruise, I filled in all my details for the FCC,  but today that option has gone and they still show that it was last updated the 2nd June which is clearly not true. I rang P&O to ask them about it and they told me that cruises from 16th October can only be transferred not cancelled without a penalty.  I wonder if I managed to get mine cancelled and the deposit turned into FCC, I suppose I will know in 60 days or so! 

Hi Andy,

Thanks for this, sounds promising.

Good morning,

Does anybody know if P&O operate trips to the Keukenhof Gardens when they are open  when they in the dutch ports, and if so which ports.

Many thanks. 

Thank you.

On 3/13/2019 at 3:42 PM, Alan & Giselle said:

I have pre-registered for N042, however I was also looking at N041.

 

has anybody else done a short 5 night cruise like this before Christmas and has it been worthwhile.

Would you know the itineraries for Ventura please?

Many thanks.

4 hours ago, Ulsteinvik said:

Sorry guys I had not much time to write here in the last time.

Here we go, AURORA World Cruise

 

3-Jan Southampton
4-Jan At Sea
5-Jan At Sea
6-Jan At Sea
7-Jan Santa Cruz de Tenerife
8-Jan At Sea
9-Jan At Sea
10-Jan At Sea
11-Jan At Sea
12-Jan At Sea
13-Jan Bridgetown
14-Jan At Sea
15-Jan Curacao
16-Jan At Sea
17-Jan Panama Canal - Full transit
18-Jan At Sea
19-Jan At Sea
20-Jan Santa Cruz - Huatulco
21-Jan At Sea
22-Jan At Sea
23-Jan Cabo San Lucas
24-Jan At Sea
25-Jan At Sea
26-Jan San Francisco
27-Jan San Francisco
28-Jan At Sea
29-Jan At Sea
30-Jan At Sea
31-Jan At Sea
1-Feb Honolulu
2-Feb Honolulu
3-Feb At Sea
4-Feb At Sea
5-Feb At Sea
6-Feb At Sea
7-Feb International Date Line
9-Feb Apia
10-Feb At Sea
11-Feb Suva
12-Feb At Sea
13-Feb At Sea
14-Feb Auckland
15-Feb Auckland
16-Feb Tauranga
17-Feb Bay of Islands
18-Feb At Sea
19-Feb At Sea
20-Feb Sydney
21-Feb Sydney
22-Feb At Sea
23-Feb Brisbane
24-Feb At Sea
25-Feb At Sea
26-Feb At Sea
27-Feb Rabaul
28-Feb At Sea
1-Mar At Sea
2 mjar At Sea
3-Mar At Sea
4-Mar At Sea
5-Mar Tokyo
6-Mar Tokyo
7-Mar At Sea
8-Mar Kagoshima
9-Mar At Sea
10-Mar At Sea
11-Mar Hong Kong
12-Mar Hong Kong
13-Mar At Sea
14-Mar At Sea
15-Mar At Sea
16-Mar Singapore
17-Mar Port Kelang
18-Mar Penang
19-Mar At Sea
20-Mar At Sea
21-Mar Colombo
22-Mar At Sea
23-Mar At Sea
24-Mar At Sea
25-Mar At Sea
26-Mar Dubai
27-Mar Dubai
28-Mar Muscat
29-Mar At Sea
30-Mar At Sea
31-Mar At Sea
1-Apr At Sea
2-Apr At Sea
3-Apr Suez
4-Apr Suez
4-Apr Suez Canal
4-Apr Port Said
5-Apr At Sea
6-Apr At Sea
7-Apr Valletta
8-Apr At Sea
9-Apr At Sea
10-Apr Cadiz
11-Apr At Sea
12-Jan At Sea
13-Apr Southampton

8 hours ago, Ulsteinvik said:

I have Aurora itineraries from a contact 

 

5 April 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Vigo - At Sea - At Sea - Cartagena - At Sea - Cagliari - Trapani - Salerno - Civitavecchia - At Sea - Barcelona - Tarragona - At Sea - Gibraltar - Lisbon - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

24 April 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Vigo - Lisbon - Porto - At Sea - St Peter Port - Southampton

 

01 May 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Cartagena - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Thira - Piraeus - At Sea - Zakinthos - Corfu - Messina - At Sea - At Sea - Gibraltar - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

20 May 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - Ronne - At Sea - Helsinki - St.Petersburg - St.Petersburg - Tallinn - At Sea - Klaipeda - At Sea - Warnemunde - Arhus - Skagen - At Sea - Southampton

 

05 June 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Haugesund - Skjolden - At Sea - Alesund - Andalsnes - Olden - Stavanger - Bergen - Kristiansand - At Sea - Southampton

 

17 June 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Cartagena - At Sea - Cagliari - At Sea - At Sea - Dubrovnik - Zadar - Venice - At Sea - Messina - At Sea - At Sea - Gibraltar - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

06 July 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - Skjolden - Alesund - At Sea - Akureyri - Grundarfjordur - Reykjavik - Reykjavik - At Sea - At Sea - Cobh - At Sea - Southampton

 

20 July 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Gothenburg - At Sea - Ronne - Gdynia - Visby - Stockholm - At Sea - St Petersburg - St Petersburg - At Sea - At Sea - Copenhagen - Kristiansand - At Sea - Southampton

 

05 August 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Stavanger - Olden - At Sea - Leknes - Tromso - At Sea - Alesund - Andalsnes - Bergen - At Sea - Southampton

 

17 August 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Gothenburg - At Sea - Visby - Stockholm - At Sea - Helsinki - Tallinn - St Petersburg - St Petersburg - At Sea - At Sea - Fredericia - Skagen - At Sea - Southampton

 

02 September 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - St Johns - At Sea - Corner Brook - Îles-de-la-Madeleine - At Sea - Halifax - At Sea - Boston - Boston - At Sea - Newport - New York - New York - New York - At Sea - Portland - Bar Harbor - St John - At Sea - Sydney - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

02 October 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - Andalsnes - At Sea - Tromso - Alta - Alta - At Sea - At Sea - Stavanger - At Sea - Southampton

 

14 October 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Malaga - At Sea - At Sea - Palermo - At Sea - Piraeus - Mykonos - Rhodes - Heraklion - At Sea - At Sea - At Sea - Gibraltar - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

02 November 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - Cadiz - At Sea - Valencia - At Sea - Ajaccio - Genoa - Civitavecchia - Naples - At Sea - At Sea - Gibraltar - Lisbon - At Sea - At Sea - Southampton

 

19 November 2021 Southampton - At Sea - At Sea - Andalsnes - At Sea - Tromso - Alta - Alta - At Sea - At Sea - Stavanger - At Sea - Southampton

 

17 December 2021 Southampton - Zeebrugge - Zeebrugge - Southampton

 

20 December 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Copenhagen - Copenhagen - Oslo - At Sea - Rotterdam - Rotterdam - Zeebrugge - Southampton

 

29 December 2021 Southampton - At Sea - Ijmuiden - Ijmuiden - Zeebrugge - Southampton

 

03 January 2022  99 nights world cruise

 

 

Thanks for these, does your contact have Ventura itineraries for 2021?

Hi Damian,

Many thanks for letting me know.

Hello Damian,

We are in the same cabin in October and have been in it before.

Did you ask for the sun beds or were they already there as we have always commented to each other that you found easily get 2 sun beds on the balcony.

have a fab cruise.

I have pre-registered for N042, however I was also looking at N041.

has anybody else done a short 5 night cruise like this before Christmas and has it been worthwhile.

Thank you Dai.

Thank you for letting me know.

When do P&O advise the new itineraries will be available for November 2020 onwards?

Since the update I cannot login into the app and I have emailed but it takes days for anybody to reply

Thank you RobinRed62, I certainly will.

Thank you for tour reply, Yes they are on cruise personaliser already, they came on yesterday, the sos came on Thursday and the trips came up about a week ago. I have booked a couple of dates. I was also wondering if they don’t open on those evenings.

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We now have the select dining on our Cruise Personaliser for Christmas.

However there are no tables available on Christmas Day or New Years Eve for any of the restaurants.

Is there a reason for this?

We transferred a cruise last week and the price for the new cruise was at current prices.

Same here, we changed one yesterday and the new one was at yesterday’s prices.

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