Iona Deck 8 Balcony Cabins

[Cpt Pugwash]

We've all read many reports on these cabins and seen photo's but discovered this homemade video taken by someone moved to one of these cabins that shows how bad they really are.

 

 

[devonuk]

I can’t see a video 🤷‍♂️

[Megabear2]

Horrendous. I've no idea how Molecrochip can possibly think people want these and can compare them to a poolside hotel room.  There appears to be constant movement outside your cabin with passers by never mind them sitting against the glass front of your balcony.  

[davecttr]

17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Horrendous. I've no idea how Molecrochip can possibly think people want these and can compare them to a poolside hotel room.  There appears to be constant movement outside your cabin with passers by never mind them sitting against the glass front of your balcony.  

....... and this is when the ship has nowhere near it's full complement of passengers. Obviously a maximising cabin revenue design decision. Carnival seem to have had some bad designs recently such as Britannia with no promenade deck, just 'shelves'.  Check out the MSC Seaside Class, ugly ships but no cabins on their equivalent of the promenade deck

[Ardennais]

There’s so much space inside and then …… simply horrible. Nothing appealing about the balcony. 

[indiana123]

Luckily we were on Deck 9 which was absolutely fine, but, of course, this was when she was only about half full.

 

Although on YouTube you can see them, it is only when actually there that it all feels a bit weird.   Not cheap cabins either.

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by indiana123

[Lisashusband]

When you walk towards the bow you go up an incline and then that glass partition isn’t much more than chest height.

I hear people asking what benefits they get if they book a conservatory mini suite, well you get to wave to people as they look in …

[amajaa]

Whatever where they thinking? Much much worse than whoever designed the ships that only have 2 or 3 cubicles in the Ladies outside the Theatre.

 

Now if they were cheaper than an outside I would get one but unfortunately they aren’t. A big risk if you go for a Saver Fare. 

[davecttr]

12 minutes ago, amajaa said:

Whatever where they thinking? Much much worse than whoever designed the ships that only have 2 or 3 cubicles in the Ladies outside the Theatre.

 

Now if they were cheaper than an outside I would get one but unfortunately they aren’t. A big risk if you go for a Saver Fare. 

🤑🤑🤑 is what they were thinking

[amajaa]

They must realise by now that no one wants one of these cabins judging by all the complains and all the people asking to be moved. A friend of ours was so frightened of getting allocated one of these cabins ( she was booking a select but still told she would get allocated a cabin) that she booked with another line.  They will have to make these all a lower grade. 

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, Lisashusband said:

When you walk towards the bow you go up an incline and then that glass partition isn’t much more than chest height.

I hear people asking what benefits they get if they book a conservatory mini suite, well you get to wave to people as they look in …

This photo explains exactly what you said.

Graham.

[Bobblehat71]

I've got a Saver Balcony booked in April, wish me luck ! 😅

[Son of Anarchy]

Went on Iona in September.  As much as we liked the ship overall, we certainly would not want a balcony on deck 8.

[Harry Peterson]

Surely an own goal? Take your first cruise in one of these and never cruise again with P&O.

[davecttr]

Iona is an Excellence Class ship and there are 3 others, AidaNova, Costa Smeralda and Carnival Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras has the balcony cabins with promenade but no Conservatory suites. The other 2 are more up market, both have 10 'conservatory suits aft but the balcony cabins on the prom deck do not have the adjacent deck, at least according to the deck plans

 

edit - yes, photos confirm those deck 8 balconies do not have an adjacent prom deck, the costa aft ones have a deck 7 prom area below them.

Edited February 22, 2022 by davecttr

[Bazrat]

5 hours ago, amajaa said:

They must realise by now that no one wants one of these cabins judging by all the complains and all the people asking to be moved. A friend of ours was so frightened of getting allocated one of these cabins ( she was booking a select but still told she would get allocated a cabin) that she booked with another line.  They will have to make these all a lower grade. 

I don’t think your friend was being totally honest, if you book select you pick your cabin you actually pay for the pleasure of doing that, so I would guess that your friend was going with another company anyway

[Bazrat]

I would guess no one here as ever had a poolside room in a hotel, we normally have them in the states but each there own

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

I don’t think your friend was being totally honest, if you book select you pick your cabin you actually pay for the pleasure of doing that, so I would guess that your friend was going with another company 

There are most definitely occasions when a select fare 8s a guarantee cabin.  I have had them on P&O with bookings on Azura and Britannia.  There are also currently Cunard sailings on sale in the next couple of months were the Cunard fare is offering a guarantee cabin.

[Bazrat]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

There are most definitely occasions when a select fare 8s a guarantee cabin.  I have had them on P&O with bookings on Azura and Britannia.  There are also currently Cunard sailings on sale in the next couple of months were the Cunard fare is offering a guarantee cabin.

So you book a select fare chose your cabin and COVID aside they would change it, you would obviously be due compensation failing that you would cancel, but the poster said that they could not pick there cabin which now you say you cannot choose your own cabin obviously if there available 

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

So you book a select fare chose your cabin and COVID aside they would change it, you would obviously be due compensation failing that you would cancel, but the poster said that they could not pick there cabin which now you say you cannot choose your own cabin obviously if there available 

There are occasional times when you cannot select a cabin on a select fare. This is normally when you are within 4 or 5 weeks of a sail date.  The reason to take the select fare on those occasions is to take the other benefits.  

[amajaa]

It was definite a select they were booking and no couldn’t chose cabin. They were booking late so I assumed that was why. 

[Bazrat]

15 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

There are occasional times when you cannot select a cabin on a select fare. This is normally when you are within 4 or 5 weeks of a sail date.  The reason to take the select fare on those occasions is to take the other benefits.  

Select fare would be pointless to us if you could not choose your cabin, the extras really would not add up for the extra it would cost.

[terrierjohn]

58 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

I would guess no one here as ever had a poolside room in a hotel, we normally have them in the states but each there own

Yes but generally only you would sit outside your room patio, no one else would sit there because it would be considered impolite, and there would be a spacious poolside sunbathing area in front of your room, not a narrow promenade deck full of sunbeds.

[Bazrat]

7 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Yes but generally only you would sit outside your room patio, no one else would sit there because it would be considered impolite, and there would be a spacious poolside sunbathing area in front of your room, not a narrow promenade deck full of sunbeds.

You find that the loungers are spread out and not specific to any room

[terrierjohn]

Just now, Bazrat said:

You find that the loungers are spread out and not specific to any room

Bring us back some photos to compare with deck 8 cabins next time you visit the states.