Two Iona Questions

[ScotBrit17]

Going on Canaries cruise on Iona in February and have a couple of questions.

When are the Celebration nights, I have read people saying day 3, is embarkation day counted as day 1 or is it the first sea day. Looking to book hairdo !

Have been on Iona a few years ago and the wait time for a Costa coffee was always 30 minutes or so which was annoying, anyone cruised recently have an update on this. Would like to know for both sit down and take away. This will be one of the inputs on deciding if we take the drinks package.

 

[TigerB]

If you are on G404 so are we.

 

The dates will probably appear on the Cruise Planner in December.

That cruise has two full days before reaching Madeira; I wouldn't be surprised if the first formal night is on the second of those.

Likewise, there are two full sea days after Lisbon. On our recent Med cruise (G336) it was on the first of those; I would expect it to be the same on the Canaries cruise.

 

We've never experienced a wait of thirty minutes for Costa, nothing near that.  I think the longest we've had to wait on deck 6, from ordering with a waiter to delivery, is ten minutes.

If you haven't been on Iona for a while, you will find this time that more bars, if not all, serve Costa coffee.

[Red Leicester]

On Iona a couple of weeks back I annoyed many many people on Deck 6 by asking for "two normal teas please" and being told to skip the entire queue as it just required some boiling H2O and a bag.  I reckon if I was waiting it was a 20 minute wait.  Compounding by never knowing whether to queue at the counter or wait to be served.  But... that was a sea day and the worst, by a long way, I encountered.

 

I have long been an advocate for two queues in places that serve drinks, one for coffee and maybe hoy choc and one for everything else.  I have walked out of many at stations to make the train where I have just wanted a bottle of something or a tea, or food but been stuck whilst they make individual cups and do all the banging of stuff.  I was in Greggs once and someone bought a sausage roll and six coffees.  That was a long wait.  I must get the CEOs email address for these places...

 

[ScotBrit17]

Thanks for the feedback 

[Clodia]

Formal nights can generally be worked out. Usually 2nd night at sea on way down to the Canaries,  and penultimate night coming back. That all changed on current Iona cruise because of itinerary change, but I changed my hairdo without problems. 

Had Costa coffee a lot of mornings and rarely waited more than 5 minutes.

Edited November 23, 2023 by Clodia

[Selbourne]

When we were on Iona in August the coffee shop was understaffed (as were most of the bars TBH) and there was a queue all the time. No idea how long it took as I didn’t join the queue, but there was often only one waiter serving those of us who were seated and they struggled to keep up. 
 

This was a complete contrast to Ventura a few weeks back where we were always approached very quickly once seated and all the bars were adequately staffed. 

[Fionboard]

Just off Ventura. Have to say service and food were both excellent. 

[molecrochip]

You can now get Costa Coffee at any open bar. Thus change was made to reduce the queues are the one outlet on deck 6 of the atrium.

[terrierjohn]

9 hours ago, molecrochip said:

You can now get Costa Coffee at any open bar. Thus change was made to reduce the queues are the one outlet on deck 6 of the atrium.

We were drinking Costa coffees in the Glass house on Ventura back in 2018.