New Iona details

[SarahHben]

I've just seen on Twitter that P & O have released some new information about Iona. There's a cruise blogger (Cruise Mummy) who has written about children's facilities, but what caught my eye on the P & O website was the Ripples geletaria 🙂 I wonder if it will be included in the price?

 

[SquishTheWhale]

All the food options sound fabulous, like you I wonder what is included or extra price though!

[Denarius]

Celebrity ships have gelataria like this, all ice cream etc at no extra charge. It will be interesting to see if P&O follow suite.

[SarahHben]

5 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Celebrity ships have gelataria like this, all ice cream etc at no extra charge. It will be interesting to see if P&O follow suite.

 

Well, if it is for no extra charge, I think my mum might park herself in there for the week 🙂 

[yorkshirephil]

I think it will be an extra charge like Judes ice cream is charged for now on the ships that have it.

 

[P-L-B]

2 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

I think it will be an extra charge like Judes ice cream is charged for now on the ships that have it.

 

I was going to make the same point.

I can't see them changing there ice cream charging policy for Iona.

BTW, it's not just Judes It's also other ice cream options that are chargeable.

Although I hope I am proved wrong.

[Tom Baker]

4 hours ago, SarahHben said:

 🙂 I wonder if it will be included in the price?

 

I love your optimism 😂 😂 🤣 🤣

[SarahHben]

1 minute ago, Tom Baker said:

I love your optimism 😂 😂 🤣 🤣

 

I'm just a naïve newbie  😀

 

[kenhem]

I reckon that P&O think that the timing could have been a bit better for the pop-up circus acts on Iona announced today after the earlier reports of recent events on Britannia 😏

[purplesea]

We'll find out in due course! Don't expect it's included.

[brian1]

Bog standard Mr Whippy should be free and all others chargeable.Same as Princess.

[SausPud]

looks really nice and probably chargeable, unless they do a package plan. That would be nice.

[P-L-B]

Unfortunately P&O do not currently offer any free ice creams even the Mr Whippy type.

They do an ice cream package but that is only for the Mr Whippy type ice creams and it does not include the specialty type ice creams and Magnums etc.

To be honest imo the prices for their ice creams are very reasonable and are cheaper than some ice cream parlour prices back home.😀

[BrianI]

You can get ice cream everyday in the main restaurant at lunch or dinner. No extra cost.

Brian 

[P-L-B]

3 hours ago, BrianI said:

You can get ice cream everyday in the main restaurant at lunch or dinner. No extra cost.

Brian 

Yes, correct but I don't think anyone would expect to pay for their desert in the main restaurant.

To be honest I often ask for ice cream in addition to my choice of desert and they are more than happy to oblige. 🍨

[happy v]

I think it looks fantastic.

The only problem is when, on a cruise, would I ever be hungry enough to fit in a huge ice cream sundae?😋

[AndyMichelle]

4 hours ago, happy v said:

I think it looks fantastic.

The only problem is when, on a cruise, would I ever be hungry enough to fit in a huge ice cream sundae?😋

Yes, of course yes...

Always room to fit in a huge sundae, even on a Wednesday!!!😀

Andy

[Britboys]

I have no doubt that the Gelateria will be at extra cost.  Apparently they are going to be using a local Norwegian supplier in the first year.  I am just back from a Princess cruise and they have free 'Mr Whippy' ice cream available most of the day but don't expect to see that on any P&O ship soon.  I can recall the days days when staff used to bring round complimentary small blocks of vanilla ice cream on the open decks every morning.  I always thought it strange they did it mid-morning rather than mid-afternoon.

There is a little more information about the dining venues here:

https://www.pocruises.com/cruise-ships/iona/0

[brian1]

Ripples,reminds me of rasberry ripple,sweet and sickly,yuk.

[pete14]

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

I have no doubt that the Gelateria will be at extra cost.  Apparently they are going to be using a local Norwegian supplier in the first year.  I am just back from a Princess cruise and they have free 'Mr Whippy' ice cream available most of the day but don't expect to see that on any P&O ship soon.  I can recall the days days when staff used to bring round complimentary small blocks of vanilla ice cream on the open decks every morning.  I always thought it strange they did it mid-morning rather than mid-afternoon.

There is a little more information about the dining venues here:

https://www.pocruises.com/cruise-ships/iona/0

I love the ‘hook, line and vinegar’ fish and chip restaurant. 

[mcloaked]

I also saw that there will be Strictly dinner and dance evenings in the Limelight Club on Iona next year, but don't know if this will be the whole year once the new ship sails?  Presumably this means that you pay for the privilege of having dinner while one or other of the Strictly pros does some dancing or stands on stage and chats, and perhaps takes questions from those people having their dinner in there - not quite the same as having a proper ballroom and for those guests who can do ballroom dancing having an evening enjoying their own dancing as well as providing regular entertainment over a drink watching the other passengers who love doing their own dancing.  Of course there is always a following for pros from Strictly - but passengers who dance usually want to do their own dancing on a cruise, with an occasional distraction watching other dancers or even Strictly pros!  Just a shame there seems to have been a definitive policy for Iona not to have provided any proper ballroom facility for regular ballroom dancing for the passengers - all of the people I know who dance on cruises won't be booking on Iona for this very reason - so I guess the shop is being marketed for a different clientele than on ships where there is a dedicated ballroom.

[Tom Baker]

Iona is aimed at a strictly younger audience, who like to watch but can't ballroom dance.

[P-L-B]

1 hour ago, mcloaked said:

I also saw that there will be Strictly dinner and dance evenings in the Limelight Club on Iona next year, but don't know if this will be the whole year once the new ship sails?  Presumably this means that you pay for the privilege of having dinner while one or other of the Strictly pros does some dancing or stands on stage and chats, and perhaps takes questions from those people having their dinner in there - not quite the same as having a proper ballroom and for those guests who can do ballroom dancing having an evening enjoying their own dancing as well as providing regular entertainment over a drink watching the other passengers who love doing their own dancing.  Of course there is always a following for pros from Strictly - but passengers who dance usually want to do their own dancing on a cruise, with an occasional distraction watching other dancers or even Strictly pros!  Just a shame there seems to have been a definitive policy for Iona not to have provided any proper ballroom facility for regular ballroom dancing for the passengers - all of the people I know who dance on cruises won't be booking on Iona for this very reason - so I guess the shop is being marketed for a different clientele than on ships where there is a dedicated ballroom.

I agree with your concerns regarding Iona's apparent lack of ballroom dancing facilities.

We enjoy dancing and it's one of the reasons we like P&O.

We have booked Iona for next year on the assumption and hope that it would continue P&O,s tradition of providing ballroom dancing for its passengers, so we will have to wait and see.

Edited August 5, 2019 by P-L-B

[SquishTheWhale]

10 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Iona is aimed at a strictly younger audience, who like to watch but can't ballroom dance.

 

Ooh that's me then lol. I thought the dinner with Strictly stars sounded good! We love to watch it but certainly can't dance ourselves lol.

[Britboys]

11 hours ago, P-L-B said:

I agree with your concerns regarding Iona's apparent lack of ballroom dancing facilities.

We enjoy dancing and it's one of the reasons we like P&O.

We have booked Iona for next year on the assumption and hope that it would continue P&O,s tradition of providing ballroom dancing for its passengers, so we will have to wait and see.

 

I think Iona is a complete game-changer for P&O and will leave behind almost everything traditional.  The only classic, unaltered feature may be The Crows Nest.  Even Anderson's will include both a Library and a Gin Distillery.  There is no 'Club Dining' and at least as many for-fee dining options as free ones. Personally, I would be surprised if Formal Nights last very long on Iona - they may follow the likes of Marella and have a "Dress to Impress" night.  There is a Promenade but it includes dining terraces and whirlpools.  For traditionalists, it will be a case of "P&O - but not as we know it".  The company is taking a brave step forward and I do understand why - us traditionalists are on the wane and they have to look to the future.  They may say Iona is an evolution but personally I feel it will be closer to a revolution.  There may well be space for Ballroom Dancing but think more Azura/Ventura than Aurora.