Live from Iona Norwegian Fjords 20th May 7 Nights

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Did they go during school holidays?

Didn't ask tbh

[mrsgoggins]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

No

 

Although it's on the trolley they didn't wheel it to us which was disappointing

 

Nor crepes suzettes. I had to go to the trolley to watch it being made

 

Health and safety gone mad!!!

I am surprised at this because I had crepes Suzette on Iona in March - brought to the table ready made, and then again on Ventura recently, where they were made table side very skilfully. Also the  server assured me, confidently, that this service was once again being rolled out fleetwide and was now happening on Iona!  Guess it’s in progress, but heaven only knows why 🤷‍♀️

[TigerB]

1 minute ago, mrsgoggins said:

I am surprised at this because I had crepes Suzette on Iona in March - brought to the table ready made, and then again on Ventura recently, where they were made table side very skilfully. Also the  server assured me, confidently, that this service was once again being rolled out fleetwide and was now happening on Iona!  Guess it’s in progress, but heaven only knows why 🤷‍♀️

 

On Britannia last October, the excuse was Covid.

On Arvia in January, one excuse was no propane. On another day it was H&S.

On Arvia in April, the excuse was the waiters still need training.

 

At least on our last visit the trollies were out in the restaurant, albeit unused; hopeful for the future.🤞

 

[Gettingwarmer]

11 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Today we got the land train in Olgen

I thought I recognised the video. It is a nice trip and I think you are right about the lift, the clouds look low in your photos.  

[CarlaMarie]

12 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Today we got the land train in Olgen

 

1 hr 15  mins one hour round trip   the cost was 25 pounds each approx

 

We looked at a bus to the cable car 1.5 miles away with cable car  included

 

That was 70 pounds each per person. Seemed very steep (excuse the pun) plus the clouds are low today

 

Not sure we would have seen a lot from up there and I thought the price was more exploitative than Cadburys dairy milk on iona

 

 

 

 

 

The Loen skylift is well worth the money if you ever get to go again. Cloud can interfere with the views, but that is the fjords for you. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

I am surprised at this because I had crepes Suzette on Iona in March - brought to the table ready made, and then again on Ventura recently, where they were made table side very skilfully. Also the  server assured me, confidently, that this service was once again being rolled out fleetwide and was now happening on Iona!  Guess it’s in progress, but heaven only knows why 🤷‍♀️

On the menu here on Iona both the Iberico Ham and crepes suzettes said they would be served at the table

 

Hence why I ordered them

 

When the meat wasn't carved at the table I made sure to double check on the crepes suzettes 

 

Hence getting the offer to go and watch 

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

The Loen skylift is well worth the money if you ever get to go again. Cloud can interfere with the views, but that is the fjords for you. 

Now you've  made me regret not going!!

 

Lol

 

What you've not seen you don't miss I guess

 

We enjoyed the road train though. It came with a nice interesting commentary

[Interestedcruisefan]

Ive made a schoolboy error and booked limelight for Saturday night when we've already left the cruise

 

Just had to cancel 

 

Tonight we were booked for beach house but that clashes with a 710 Club booking at 7pm so instead we are going to do 710 club

 

Then join the queue for MDR and give that a go

 

I'm confident it will be fine as weve used the app for MDRS on Britannia before and GlassHouse on Arvia 

 

But will let you know of course

 

It should be peak time when we need to use it

 

 

[CarlaMarie]

How did you manage to book the limelight for Saturday when you aren't on that cruise? I wouldn't have thought that was even possible as it shouldn't appear as an option to book. 

 

Enjoy your evening

Edited May 23, 2023 by CarlaMarie

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 minutes ago, CarlaMarie said:

How did you manage to book the limelight for Saturday when you aren't on that cruise? I wouldn't have thought that was even possible as it shouldn't appear as an option to book. 

 

Enjoy your evening

It allows you to book til end of play Saturday

 

I did something similar on Arvia in Feb as well

 

I bet I'm not the only one who makes these errors

 

I was wrongly thinking it was my last night. When in facts it's my last day. Not only that we are getting an early departure

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Look how bright it is here now!!

[Gettingwarmer]

45 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Ive made a schoolboy error and booked limelight for Saturday night when we've already left the cruise

 

Just had to cancel 

 

Tonight we were booked for beach house but that clashes with a 710 Club booking at 7pm so instead we are going to do 710 club

 

Then join the queue for MDR and give that a go

 

I'm confident it will be fine as weve used the app for MDRS on Britannia before and GlassHouse on Arvia 

 

But will let you know of course

 

It should be peak time when we need to use it

 

 

How long is the 710 set? 3/4 of an hour and you’ll be joining queue at 7.45 near end of peak time?

Edited May 23, 2023 by Gettingwarmer
Question mark

[Cathygh]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Today we got the land train in Olgen

 

1 hr 15  mins one hour round trip   the cost was 25 pounds each approx

 

We looked at a bus to the cable car 1.5 miles away with cable car  included

 

That was 70 pounds each per person. Seemed very steep (excuse the pun) plus the clouds are low today

 

Not sure we would have seen a lot from up there and I thought the price was more exploitative than Cadburys dairy milk on iona

But much cheaper than going with P&O. We are doing that next week through Olden Adventure.

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Just arrived 710 club. Front row

 

Shocking half the seats are empty

 

But sold out 

 

People just don't turn up

 

That's a smoked cherry negroni

 

"Gary's favourite cocktail" lol

[Windsurfboy]

When you say sold out , did they have to pay for them or just book via app

[Cathygh]

@Interestedcruisefan how many people can you add to a virtual queue for the MDR please? 

Also have you seen any sign of a chocolate buffet in Horizon? Pre covid I found it  by accident as it was never mentioned in Horizon. (Why call the buffet and the entertainment schedule Horizon?- rhetorical question, no answer required unless someone actually knows!)

[Interestedcruisefan]

13 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

When you say sold out , did they have to pay for them or just book via app

No cost to book

 

I would say it was only 60 per cent full

 

But has shown as fully booked since end of embarkation day. People must greedily book all the slots then not turn up

 

(They should add a cover charge that you get as credit to spend on drinks when you arrive)

 

We were about the last to arrive and the entire front row of tables (7 tables for 2) was still empty

 

And plenty more tables dotted about

 

The singer  (a femaie singer/guitarist) was really great

 

Really classy and intimate experience

 

We have a couple more booked

Edited May 24, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Selbourne]

14 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

No cost to book

 

I would say it was only 60 per cent full

 

But has shown as fully booked since end of embarkation day. People must greedily book all the slots then not turn up

 

(They should add a cover charge that you get as credit to spend on drinks when you arrive)

 

We were about the last to arrive and the entire front row of tables (7 tables for 2) was still empty

 

And plenty more tables dotted about

 

The singer  (a femaie singer/guitarist) was really great

 

Really classy and intimate experience

 

We have a couple more booked

I know that you won’t agree, but this is further evidence that they should ditch this pre booking entertainment palava and return to first come first served, allowing the return of spontaneity which, for many of us, was one of the joys of cruising. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

How long is the 710 set? 3/4 of an hour and you’ll be joining queue at 7.45 near end of peak time?

 

It was a 45 minute set. I wasn't sure until the singer said at 7.40pm this will be my last song

 

So I opened the app at 7.40pm to book MDR table for 2

 

I joined a queue with 20 guests on it in Coral MDR

 

At 7.43pm (a full 3 minutes later) our table was ready and waiting

 

When we got to Coral about 7.55pm it was probably 60 per cent full

 

There  was signs for 2 queues (one if you had pre-booked and one if you wanted to get a pager)

 

There was nobody in either queue

 

There were about 4 staff waiting to take you to tables

 

Once inside I reckon 60 per cent of tables occupied were 2 people, 20 per cent were 4 people, 10 per cent were 6 people and 10 per cent were 8 people

 

Vast majority were choosing not to share as half the tables for 6 and 8 were several Asian and Indian family groups that I saw

 

We enjoyed the MDR experience and will likely do it again

 

The food was different to the buffet and  nicely presented and served.

 

I had 

 

Chicken terrine

Roast lamb

Honey Panacotta

 

My wife had:

 

Goats cheese terrine

Norwegian Cod

Chocolate Marquise (I shared that with her)

And cheese and biscuits!

 

She had brie, cheddar, red leicester and stilton several biscuits,  grapes and various other fruity garnishes

 

The marquise was delicious!!

 

MDR is very good quality stil IMO and it was extremely calm in there and well organised

 

The app booking could barely have been quicker and like I say it was prime time

 

We were in there for about 75 mins due to having cheeseboard as an extra

 

When my wife asked what was on the chessboard the waiter himself suggested order a dessert and I will bring a cheeseboard as well

 

The couple next to us ordered starters and soup and that was not even questioned at all

 

MDR is a nice option above buffet and below Epicurean in terms of time taken for the meal and quality

 

If time wasn't an issue then I could eat MDR every night for sure

 

Booking on the app once you understand how the app works is so simple it's untrue

 

We were expecting a much longer wait and wouldn't have minded. We would have just gone to Andersons bar for a cocktail if the virtual queue was long

 

I continue to never have experienced the app being a problem at all on my P and O cruises

 

I'm either lucky or others are unlucky

[Interestedcruisefan]

12 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I know that you won’t agree, but this is further evidence that they should ditch this pre booking entertainment palava and return to first come first served, allowing the return of spontaneity which, for many of us, was one of the joys of cruising. 

Sorry that means queuing and getting places early when not needed

 

There's many many places on the ship you can head to with spontaneity still but this is a small venue and it needs a system 

 

At  the end of the day it didnt spoil our enjoyment the fact it wasn't full

 

And my tip is if you fancy 710 club at any stage during your cruise just turn up at the advertised time and ask if they have space if you don't want to pre-book

 

(They almost certainly will have space as people who have booked without a cost just either forget or don't make it there for whatever reason)

 

It's a brilliant experience in there

 

The drinks are great and the entertainment is amazing

 

They only put really proven singers/musicians in there

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

It was a 45 minute set. I wasn't sure until the singer said at 7.40pm this will be my last song

 

So I opened the app at 7.40pm to book MDR table for 2

 

I joined a queue with 20 guests on it in Coral MDR

 

At 7.43pm (a full 3 minutes later) our table was ready and waiting

 

When we got to Coral about 7.55pm it was probably 60 per cent full

 

There  was signs for 2 queues (one if you had pre-booked and one if you wanted to get a pager)

 

There was nobody in either queue

 

There were about 4 staff waiting to take you to tables

 

Once inside I reckon 60 per cent of tables occupied were 2 people, 20 per cent were 4 people, 10 per cent were 6 people and 10 per cent were 8 people

 

Vast majority were choosing not to share as half the tables for 6 and 8 were several Asian and Indian family groups that I saw

 

We enjoyed the MDR experience and will likely do it again

 

The food was different to the buffet and  nicely presented and served.

 

I had 

 

Chicken terrine

Roast lamb

Honey Panacotta

 

My wife had:

 

Goats cheese terrine

Norwegian Cod

Chocolate Marquise (I shared that with her)

And cheese and biscuits!

 

She had brie, cheddar, red leicester and stilton several biscuits,  grapes and various other fruity garnishes

 

The marquise was delicious!!

 

MDR is very good quality stil IMO and it was extremely calm in there and well organised

 

The app booking could barely have been quicker and like I say it was prime time

 

We were in there for about 75 mins due to having cheeseboard as an extra

 

When my wife asked what was on the chessboard the waiter himself suggested order a dessert and I will bring a cheeseboard as well

 

The couple next to us ordered starters and soup and that was not even questioned at all

 

MDR is a nice option above buffet and below Epicurean in terms of time taken for the meal and quality

 

If time wasn't an issue then I could eat MDR every night for sure

 

Booking on the app once you understand how the app works is so simple it's untrue

 

We were expecting a much longer wait and wouldn't have minded. We would have just gone to Andersons bar for a cocktail if the virtual queue was long

 

I continue to never have experienced the app being a problem at all on my P and O cruises

 

I'm either lucky or others are unlucky

Encouraging that you didn’t have a queue. For future reference, it’s worth doing the MDR on the formal night. They usually have a Marco Pierre White menu and the food is better than the other nights. The queues will be longer (as the MDRs are more popular on formal nights) but worth it IMHO. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Encouraging that you didn’t have a queue. For future reference, it’s worth doing the MDR on the formal night. They usually have a Marco Pierre White menu and the food is better than the other nights. The queues will be longer (as the MDRs are more popular on formal nights) but worth it IMHO. 

Yes it's the dressing up for formal that puts me off

 

We actually feel smart on all the  other nights but without the black tie

 

I always wear a nice shirt and trousers and my wife a nice dress every night

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Sorry that means queuing and getting places early when not needed

 

There's many many places on the ship you can head to with spontaneity still but this is a small venue and it needs a system 

 

At  the end of the day it didnt spoil our enjoyment the fact it wasn't full

 

And my tip is if you fancy 710 club at any stage during your cruise just turn up at the advertised time and ask if they have space if you don't want to pre-book

 

(They almost certainly will have space as people who have booked without a cost just either forget or don't make it there for whatever reason)

 

It's a brilliant experience in there

 

The drinks are great and the entertainment is amazing

 

They only put really proven singers/musicians in there

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have gone to the theatre on all our cruises and whilst we have to get there early to get a wheelchair space, we have rarely known a situation where able bodied folk have to do the same. It’s almost always possible to walk in just 5 minutes before the show and get seats. In fact, it’s often possible for people to walk in after the show has started and still get seats - irritating though that is for others. 
 

The 710 Club doesn’t particularly appeal (never that keen on cruise ship singers), but I’m inclined to agree that they should introduce a more robust system (perhaps with a refundable fee when you arrive) to avoid the scenario you describe. There will have been passengers who were disappointed at not getting seats last night who were oblivious to the fact that they could have been admitted had they just turned up. 
 

Is there any chance that you could please post photos of the daily schedules (Horizon) - but only if you can post them the right way up! I was wondering, do they have two or three showings of the theatre productions? On most ships there’s two (8.30pm and 10.30pm) but I felt sure that I’d seen a Horizon listing for Iona or Arvia that also had a 6.30pm slot? Thanks. 

[DamianG]

My work colleague who was onboard last week went to the 710 Club several times and on each occasion just showed up at the last minute to ask if there was any space (and was always accommodated).

 

We didn’t have any issues using the app when onboard last year and the longest wait we had for any MDR was around 10 minutes.

 

I honestly believe that most of the reported delays and queues for the MDRs on Iona and Arvia are due to the demand for tables for two in the first couple of hours after opening.

Edited May 24, 2023 by DamianG

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

It was a 45 minute set. I wasn't sure until the singer said at 7.40pm this will be my last song

 

So I opened the app at 7.40pm to book MDR table for 2

 

I joined a queue with 20 guests on it in Coral MDR

 

At 7.43pm (a full 3 minutes later) our table was ready and waiting

 

When we got to Coral about 7.55pm it was probably 60 per cent full

 

There  was signs for 2 queues (one if you had pre-booked and one if you wanted to get a pager)

 

There was nobody in either queue

 

There were about 4 staff waiting to take you to tables

 

Once inside I reckon 60 per cent of tables occupied were 2 people, 20 per cent were 4 people, 10 per cent were 6 people and 10 per cent were 8 people

 

Vast majority were choosing not to share as half the tables for 6 and 8 were several Asian and Indian family groups that I saw

 

We enjoyed the MDR experience and will likely do it again

 

The food was different to the buffet and  nicely presented and served.

 

I had 

 

Chicken terrine

Roast lamb

Honey Panacotta

 

My wife had:

 

Goats cheese terrine

Norwegian Cod

Chocolate Marquise (I shared that with her)

And cheese and biscuits!

 

She had brie, cheddar, red leicester and stilton several biscuits,  grapes and various other fruity garnishes

 

The marquise was delicious!!

 

MDR is very good quality stil IMO and it was extremely calm in there and well organised

 

The app booking could barely have been quicker and like I say it was prime time

 

We were in there for about 75 mins due to having cheeseboard as an extra

 

When my wife asked what was on the chessboard the waiter himself suggested order a dessert and I will bring a cheeseboard as well

 

The couple next to us ordered starters and soup and that was not even questioned at all

 

MDR is a nice option above buffet and below Epicurean in terms of time taken for the meal and quality

 

If time wasn't an issue then I could eat MDR every night for sure

 

Booking on the app once you understand how the app works is so simple it's untrue

 

We were expecting a much longer wait and wouldn't have minded. We would have just gone to Andersons bar for a cocktail if the virtual queue was long

 

I continue to never have experienced the app being a problem at all on my P and O cruises

 

I'm either lucky or others are unlucky

This isn't really acceptable. There are a few people steaming that you are enjoying  things. Why should they need to book, they can turn up at any old London theatre, or restaurant, shout ' don't you know who I am " and walk right on in.  Thanks for your review. Enjoy.🤣