Live On-Board Iona G208

[Gettingwarmer]

5 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Shame, especially as we are booked on her for next year.

They have moved The Olive Grove and theDiner to the two small MDRs and added a Sushi type restaurant near the Quays. 

[terrierjohn]

13 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Shame, especially as we are booked on her for next year.

Apparently the Olive Grove will replace one of the smaller restaurants, just hope it stays mainly extra charge free.

 

Late again as usual!!!!

Edited April 4, 2022 by terrierjohn

[Britboys]

20 minutes ago, DamianG said:

You’re such a flatterer Andrew, thank you.

Not flattery at all. The other good thing about your blogs is that you are someone who makes sure of enjoying whatever cruise you go on. This means that any small criticism is reliable, not just a moan.

[P&O SUE]

Great episode Damian, made me chuckle a few times! 

[kalos]

4 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

 

Later we went to The Quays for lunch and Michelle and I chose the “ultimate” burger (the name’s a bit of a stretch but nice enough) and Kyle had the fried chicken (“okay but it’s not KFC”). Of course Michelle and I had a glass of wine (Malbec, very nice) each to accompany our lunches but for me it was a poor match for the food. Thinking about it, which wine would go with a burger? Suggestions welcome please, as long as it’s priced by P&O at £6.95 a glass or under and included in the ultimate drinks package.

 

 

 

Pleased to read your having a great time onboard. Regarding the drinks I cannot help you with the choice of wine as I never got on with the stuff and was more a nice bottle of chilled Holstien pils myself or would have opted for Kyles drink   The burger you describe sounds pretty good but you cannot beat a homemade one.

The grandkids were hungry so I made them burgers from scratch. They got really upset about it and started to cry... I think Scratch is a stupid name for a cat anyway.

Keep safe and happy sailing you three 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by kalos

[Harry Peterson]

Thank you, Damian. A very enjoyable and pleasurable read. The next best thing to actually being on a cruise, rather than stuck here looking at a very uninviting sky and weather outlook.

[lincslady]

Damian - I am enjoying reading your blog - just wondering how old your son is.   From his choice of food, it seems to me he could be anywhere from 4 to about 12?  Do they have any kids' clubs on the ship - though he probably would not want to go to one anyway.  

 

I remember mine when he was about 8 having sausage, eg and chips on the M6 I think at Carnforth, and then having it all over again.

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 4/3/2022 at 9:20 AM, DamianG said:

Pulling into Zeebrugge alongside Virgin’s Valiant Lady. These big ships just don’t have the elegant look of Oriana or Aurora do they?

More like blocks of flats . Suppose it's all down to use of space whereas ships used to be made not only for elegance inside, but elegance outside.

[yorkshirephil]

6 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

More like blocks of flats . Suppose it's all down to use of space whereas ships used to be made not only for elegance inside, but elegance outside.

Couldn't agree more. I hope this one is as stylish inside as she is out.

[Cruisemeister2002]

1 minute ago, yorkshirephil said:

Couldn't agree more. I hope this one is as stylish inside as she is out.

Very nice. A tad like the Starship Enterprise.

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Damian - I am enjoying reading your blog - just wondering how old your son is.   From his choice of food, it seems to me he could be anywhere from 4 to about 12?  Do they have any kids' clubs on the ship - though he probably would not want to go to one anyway.  

 

I remember mine when he was about 8 having sausage, eg and chips on the M6 I think at Carnforth, and then having it all over again.

He’s nearly 12, a classic tween, sometimes acts like he is 4 and others like he is a late teen. 
He never took to the kid’s club when he was little and is adamant that he never will.

[DamianG]

[DamianG]

One for engineering fans, I just found this process fascinating. There was another bascule bridge in the distance which acted as a diversionary route while the blue bridge was open.

 

[Vampiress88]

Great post. Love a good holiday blog

[Selbourne]

An excellent blog as always Damian. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with a real time insight into your cruise, which is both informative and enjoyable. 

[Britboys]

6 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

Couldn't agree more. I hope this one is as stylish inside as she is out.

The interiors look very promising...

[Britboys]

6 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Very nice. A tad like the Starship Enterprise.

One of only two ships with this design. Well-known Italian designer Renzo Piano had a big hand in it and shaped the profile inspired by the dolphin... Sadly the sister-ship was a victim of the Pandemic cull.

[gsgbrumuk]

I think the value of the drinks package does depend so much on number of sea days or days not going ashore. Although not huge alcohol drinks when added up with all the coffees, teas and bottled water I'm sure we tend to get decent value out of it and we don't need to check the account for any errors.

Brilliant reading, keep up the good work.

Edited April 4, 2022 by gsgbrumuk

[DamianG]

Monday 4^th April

 

As predicted by Captain Dunlop the weather had really turned and we woke up to a grey, misty, extremely wet, and cold Zeebrugge. After last night’s announcement we had already decided to venture into Blankenberge today and despite the weather we were determined not to waver from the plan. On the plus side, we were pretty sure that it would be more crowded around the ship whereas the shuttle buses may not be too busy, so we hoped that would work in our favour.

 

Without rushing to get ready we pre-booked the Pearl MDR for breakfast and the table ready notice came through more or less immediately. The Pearl MDR is very similar to Coral and they are connected by an internal staircase. We were quickly seated and being a P&O traditionalist I ordered Eggs Benedict (I know it’s available every day but in the old days it was only Monday’s) with some vegetarian sausages on the side (which I won’t order again, let’s just leave it at that). Michelle ordered smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and Kyle went for some hash browns.

 

Our food was delivered after a 15 minute delay which wasn’t problem for us and we joked that it was the salmon causing the hold up. When it finally arrived Michelle was presented with a large plate with a small circle of toast in middle topped with scrambled eggs (i.e. no salmon). Michelle looked at the plate then the waitress who said “Is everything okay, madam?” followed by “Oh, the salmon!” A few minutes later a waiter brought out another plate with two portions of the salmon, and rather than add it to the plate with the scrambled eggs he insisted on making space for two plates. So Michelle had one portion with the scrambled eggs then soldiered through the second portion which was more of a struggle.

 

After breakfast I picked up a latte in Vistas then returned to the cabin where we had a bit of downtime before donning multiple layers ready to go ashore. All togged up we made our way down to deck 6 and were soon stood on the dock getting soaked with another couple, next to a fleet of 9 shuttle coaches, all with a driver in situ but none of which were letting us get on. After a 5 minute wait coach number 10 arrived and opened its doors for us. They must have some arrangement like those roadworks crews where one bloke does the digging and the other half dozen or more stand around watching.

 

We had a bit of a wait while the coach filled up then we were on our way for a 15 minute ride into Blankenberge. Once there, I almost obstructed a cyclist when crossing the cycle path then 2 seconds later I heard the screech of brakes as the rest of the P&O herd did it anyway. We had a simple mission of finding some toy shops and having a look at the beach, but it really wasn’t the day for it and in any case most of the shops seemed akin to those that you find at any British seaside resort, i.e. full of tat (for want of a better word). It was an easy stroll to the beach then we doubled back to catch the return shuttle without making any purchases but at least we’d been out for some (very) fresh air.

 

The return shuttle coach quickly filled up and we were on our way in no time. However, it took us by surprise by delivering us to the actual cruise terminal rather than directly alongside Iona on the dock. Inside the terminal we had to show our cruise cards then wait for another shuttle, this time a bus, for the remaining half mile or so. We were soon on our way again then it was a slow process getting back onboard with the usual security checks.

 

Yet again Kyle wanted to stay in the cabin so this time Michelle and I went for lunch without him with an agreement to collect some pizza for him on the way back. We went to the Quays again and this time Michelle had a Katsu chicken curry and I had a Thai vegetable curry. Michelle ordered us 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc that were a perfect match for the curries, which we both thought were extremely good. We both had desserts then trekked up to deck 16 to collect some pizza from Taste 360 and a dessert for Kyle from the Horizon restaurant. While waiting for me to return from the latter Michelle ordered us some more Sauvignon Blancs which we also took back to the cabin.

 

Mid-afternoon Michelle and I were getting a bit of cabin fever so we went to the Glass House for afternoon drinks. This time our waiter suggested New Hall Bacchus from Essex (yes, Essex UK) and very nice it was too. We enjoyed the drinks then on our way back to the cabin we picked up some Prosecco for our pre-dinner drink (on our way being going up from deck 6 to the Sunset Bar aft on 16 then back down to 14 – it’s all exercise).

 

Around 5pm Kyle wanted to go the gym again so we made our way forward and down to deck 5. It was busier than yesterday but still uncrowded and he enjoyed 20 minutes or so, mainly on the treadmill and bikes. On the way back he wanted a cup of tea from Vistas and I also got another bottle of water. The waiter kindly gave us a cup of milk for the fridge as well so that we don’t have to use those awful UHT whole milk sachets.

 

Captain Dunlop made his announcement and advised that the Rotterdam city port had been closed to all ships all day thus justifying his decision last night. He also advised that our Rotterdam pilot was already onboard ready for tomorrow morning which I don’t remember happening (or at least being told about it) on any other cruise. I wondered if the pilot would get any sleep and Michelle suggested that maybe they would top and tail with the Captain in his cabin!

 

At 7:30pm we were ready for dinner and decided to go to Aqua even if it meant having a long wait. We duly joined the virtual queue on the app then set off with the intention of waiting in Andersons which is next door. By the time we’d got down to deck 6 our table ready confirmation came through anyway so we were soon seated at a nice table next to a window, giving us a prime view of our forthcoming departure. The one negative is that one side of the table had one of those long, bench/sofa style seats which seemed to require a long reach to the table, even with a cushion for support.  

 

I was a little disappointed with the menu and ended up choosing Avocado with Spanish bread for a starter. The warm bread was delicious but the avocado was ice cold, so much so that it made my teeth tingle. They did go well together though. For my main I reluctantly asked for the (always on the menu) steak, but to be fair it was a good piece of meat pretty well cooked. It would have been perfect but was a bit more rare than medium-rare at one end. The chips were a little disappointing, I guess we’re all used to the triple cooked variety these days. Michelle had duck pate (which looked like a slice of pork pie) for a starter then veal, which she enjoyed. We both had a glass of red wine, Silk & Spice from Portugal which was extremely smooth (“hearty & spicey” said the menu). Kyle had his usual choices, I’ll let you know if he waivers from it in future. Dessert was my all-time favourite rum and raisin ice cream and Michelle had carrot cake.

 

After dinner Kyle finally got his opportunity to go around the shops and as usual some of the prices were eye watering, e.g. £20 for a kids t-shirt or £65 for a jute shopping bag. I’ll stick to the free ones we got from M&S last year, thanks very much. We stopped for a drink at the Keel and Cow but found it a bit noisy from the pianist playing 2 decks below in the Atrium, and generally just a bit lifeless and lacking in atmosphere. We therefore moved on to The Club but Pulse were on their break so there was just background music playing. We had a glass of French Rosé which was really good then called it a day around 10:30pm.

[DamianG]

8 hours ago, gsgbrumuk said:

I think the value of the drinks package does depend so much on number of sea days or days not going ashore. Although not huge alcohol drinks when added up with all the coffees, teas and bottled water I'm sure we tend to get decent value out of it and we don't need to check the account for any errors.

Brilliant reading, keep up the good work.

 

Agreed, it would never be an automatic choice for us in future, but it's worked out just over £60 per day for us taking into account OBC and Peninsular discount this time.

[Selbourne]

Another fascinating and balanced review. Many thanks. I’m delighted to hear that Eggs Benedict is now available daily as it’s my favourite breakfast item and Mondays always seemed to take a long time to arrive!
 

You mentioned Money Spider wine yesterday. It’s actually Australian from a producer called d’Arenberg and whilst we aren’t wine snobs (£5 bottles of wine from Waitrose etc usually do us fine) we have a selection of their wines for special occasions. Although easy to identify (most have a diagonal red bar across the label) they are very difficult to get hold of at home. I’ve never seen them in any shops, but I tracked them down from an online merchant in Bath. As well as being superb wines, they have entertaining names such as ‘Dead Arm Shiraz’. Here’s a few of the ones we have in stock at present (Money Spider second from right)! If Money Spider wasn’t to your liking, try Olive Grove. I think that they usually stock it in the Glass House. Cheers!

[bobstheboy]

28 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Agreed, it would never be an automatic choice for us in future, but it's worked out just over £60 per day for us taking into account OBC and Peninsular discount this time.

I didn't get the discount and OBC with any purchases on my three Iona cruises ?

[Adawn47]

I am thoroughly enjoying your interesting blog Damian. Expertly written and well described, I feel as though I am there with you. 

Avril

[DamianG]

41 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

I didn't get the discount and OBC with any purchases on my three Iona cruises ?

Sorry to hear that, all I can say is that we had a decent chunk of OBC with the booking and our carnival shares. We spent some of that on the first day then the remainder came off the up front charge for the drinks package then they deducted 10% Peninsular Club discount.

Edited April 5, 2022 by DamianG

[brian1]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Monday 4^th April

 

As predicted by Captain Dunlop the weather had really turned and we woke up to a grey, misty, extremely wet, and cold Zeebrugge. After last night’s announcement we had already decided to venture into Blankenberge today and despite the weather we were determined not to waver from the plan. On the plus side, we were pretty sure that it would be more crowded around the ship whereas the shuttle buses may not be too busy, so we hoped that would work in our favour.

 

Without rushing to get ready we pre-booked the Pearl MDR for breakfast and the table ready notice came through more or less immediately. The Pearl MDR is very similar to Coral and they are connected by an internal staircase. We were quickly seated and being a P&O traditionalist I ordered Eggs Benedict (I know it’s available every day but in the old days it was only Monday’s) with some vegetarian sausages on the side (which I won’t order again, let’s just leave it at that). Michelle ordered smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and Kyle went for some hash browns.

 

Our food was delivered after a 15 minute delay which wasn’t problem for us and we joked that it was the salmon causing the hold up. When it finally arrived Michelle was presented with a large plate with a small circle of toast in middle topped with scrambled eggs (i.e. no salmon). Michelle looked at the plate then the waitress who said “Is everything okay, madam?” followed by “Oh, the salmon!” A few minutes later a waiter brought out another plate with two portions of the salmon, and rather than add it to the plate with the scrambled eggs he insisted on making space for two plates. So Michelle had one portion with the scrambled eggs then soldiered through the second portion which was more of a struggle.

 

After breakfast I picked up a latte in Vistas then returned to the cabin where we had a bit of downtime before donning multiple layers ready to go ashore. All togged up we made our way down to deck 6 and were soon stood on the dock getting soaked with another couple, next to a fleet of 9 shuttle coaches, all with a driver in situ but none of which were letting us get on. After a 5 minute wait coach number 10 arrived and opened its doors for us. They must have some arrangement like those roadworks crews where one bloke does the digging and the other half dozen or more stand around watching.

 

We had a bit of a wait while the coach filled up then we were on our way for a 15 minute ride into Blankenberge. Once there, I almost obstructed a cyclist when crossing the cycle path then 2 seconds later I heard the screech of brakes as the rest of the P&O herd did it anyway. We had a simple mission of finding some toy shops and having a look at the beach, but it really wasn’t the day for it and in any case most of the shops seemed akin to those that you find at any British seaside resort, i.e. full of tat (for want of a better word). It was an easy stroll to the beach then we doubled back to catch the return shuttle without making any purchases but at least we’d been out for some (very) fresh air.

 

The return shuttle coach quickly filled up and we were on our way in no time. However, it took us by surprise by delivering us to the actual cruise terminal rather than directly alongside Iona on the dock. Inside the terminal we had to show our cruise cards then wait for another shuttle, this time a bus, for the remaining half mile or so. We were soon on our way again then it was a slow process getting back onboard with the usual security checks.

 

Yet again Kyle wanted to stay in the cabin so this time Michelle and I went for lunch without him with an agreement to collect some pizza for him on the way back. We went to the Quays again and this time Michelle had a Katsu chicken curry and I had a Thai vegetable curry. Michelle ordered us 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc that were a perfect match for the curries, which we both thought were extremely good. We both had desserts then trekked up to deck 16 to collect some pizza from Taste 360 and a dessert for Kyle from the Horizon restaurant. While waiting for me to return from the latter Michelle ordered us some more Sauvignon Blancs which we also took back to the cabin.

 

Mid-afternoon Michelle and I were getting a bit of cabin fever so we went to the Glass House for afternoon drinks. This time our waiter suggested New Hall Bacchus from Essex (yes, Essex UK) and very nice it was too. We enjoyed the drinks then on our way back to the cabin we picked up some Prosecco for our pre-dinner drink (on our way being going up from deck 6 to the Sunset Bar aft on 16 then back down to 14 – it’s all exercise).

 

Around 5pm Kyle wanted to go the gym again so we made our way forward and down to deck 5. It was busier than yesterday but still uncrowded and he enjoyed 20 minutes or so, mainly on the treadmill and bikes. On the way back he wanted a cup of tea from Vistas and I also got another bottle of water. The waiter kindly gave us a cup of milk for the fridge as well so that we don’t have to use those awful UHT whole milk sachets.

 

Captain Dunlop made his announcement and advised that the Rotterdam city port had been closed to all ships all day thus justifying his decision last night. He also advised that our Rotterdam pilot was already onboard ready for tomorrow morning which I don’t remember happening (or at least being told about it) on any other cruise. I wondered if the pilot would get any sleep and Michelle suggested that maybe they would top and tail with the Captain in his cabin!

 

At 7:30pm we were ready for dinner and decided to go to Aqua even if it meant having a long wait. We duly joined the virtual queue on the app then set off with the intention of waiting in Andersons which is next door. By the time we’d got down to deck 6 our table ready confirmation came through anyway so we were soon seated at a nice table next to a window, giving us a prime view of our forthcoming departure. The one negative is that one side of the table had one of those long, bench/sofa style seats which seemed to require a long reach to the table, even with a cushion for support.  

 

I was a little disappointed with the menu and ended up choosing Avocado with Spanish bread for a starter. The warm bread was delicious but the avocado was ice cold, so much so that it made my teeth tingle. They did go well together though. For my main I reluctantly asked for the (always on the menu) steak, but to be fair it was a good piece of meat pretty well cooked. It would have been perfect but was a bit more rare than medium-rare at one end. The chips were a little disappointing, I guess we’re all used to the triple cooked variety these days. Michelle had duck pate (which looked like a slice of pork pie) for a starter then veal, which she enjoyed. We both had a glass of red wine, Silk & Spice from Portugal which was extremely smooth (“hearty & spicey” said the menu). Kyle had his usual choices, I’ll let you know if he waivers from it in future. Dessert was my all-time favourite rum and raisin ice cream and Michelle had carrot cake.

 

After dinner Kyle finally got his opportunity to go around the shops and as usual some of the prices were eye watering, e.g. £20 for a kids t-shirt or £65 for a jute shopping bag. I’ll stick to the free ones we got from M&S last year, thanks very much. We stopped for a drink at the Keel and Cow but found it a bit noisy from the pianist playing 2 decks below in the Atrium, and generally just a bit lifeless and lacking in atmosphere. We therefore moved on to The Club but Pulse were on their break so there was just background music playing. We had a glass of French Rosé which was really good then called it a day around 10:30pm.

Excellent blog Damian.Essex wines are underestimated.The Tilbury grape with the overtones of the old Thurrock power station and the bouquet of Canvey gasworks is to die for.One question which could be a dealbreaker for sis and I.Is the blue nun in the package or understandably on the top shelf,Brian.

Edited April 5, 2022 by brian1