Iona v Britannia - big pros and cons.. which one wins?

[amurray88]

Hi All,

I'm booking a Fjords cruise and wanted to sum up what we are negotiating in the hope that some of you kind folk would give me your opinions.

 

My wife and I are travelling with our 24month old. Both cruises leave Southampton. Britannia leaves on 27th June, Iona 6th July. My guess is Iona will have more kids on board. We will have a school aged kid in a few years but for the meantime we quite enjoy not having too many kids around so I think date wise it's 1-0 to Brittania.

 

Does Britannia feel more spacious? Used to be believers that bigger is better but starting to reconsider this after our Azura cruise - it just felt more space per person. Iona is bigger...but is it better if it's busy?

 

Ports -

Iona "ports"

Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjord, Nordfjord, Hellesylt, Geiranger Fjord, 

Sunnylvsfjorden, Storfjorden, Haugesund

 

Brittania ports

Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjord, Nordfjord, Ålesund, Haugesund

 

Any thoughts on these?

 

The price is pretty much identical so it really is a toss of a coin. 

 

Any comments or feedback is really appreciated.

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

Hi All,

I'm booking a Fjords cruise and wanted to sum up what we are negotiating in the hope that some of you kind folk would give me your opinions.

 

My wife and I are travelling with our 24month old. Both cruises leave Southampton. Britannia leaves on 27th June, Iona 6th July. My guess is Iona will have more kids on board. We will have a school aged kid in a few years but for the meantime we quite enjoy not having too many kids around so I think date wise it's 1-0 to Brittania.

 

Does Britannia feel more spacious? Used to be believers that bigger is better but starting to reconsider this after our Azura cruise - it just felt more space per person. Iona is bigger...but is it better if it's busy?

 

Ports -

Iona "ports"

Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjord, Nordfjord, Hellesylt, Geiranger Fjord, 

Sunnylvsfjorden, Storfjorden, Haugesund

 

Brittania ports

Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjord, Nordfjord, Ålesund, Haugesund

 

Any thoughts on these?

 

The price is pretty much identical so it really is a toss of a coin. 

 

Any comments or feedback is really appreciated.

If you're going for a balcony cabin then Iona balconies are almost twice the depth of Britannia's. If not and you like a big pool, then Britannia is best. Food menus will be the same in the included restaurants, but Iona has more choice of both included and Speciality restaurants. Theatre Entertainment will be the same In both ships, and both have impressive lighting and special effects, but Iona does have some ariel shows in the Sky Dome. 

[amurray88]

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

If you're going for a balcony cabin then Iona balconies are almost twice the depth of Britannia's. If not and you like a big pool, then Britannia is best. Food menus will be the same in the included restaurants, but Iona has more choice of both included and Speciality restaurants. Theatre Entertainment will be the same In both ships, and both have impressive lighting and special effects, but Iona does have some ariel shows in the Sky Dome. 

Thank you!

Are babies allowed in all pools on both ships do you know? On Azura they had a couple of small pools for babies. He won't be a "baby" by that point but probably still in swim nappies. Thanks!

[purplesea]

With regard to dining in MDRs, Britannia has club dining as well as freedom, whereas Iona only has freedom dining.

 

[tring]

Itinerary wise Alesund is a very nice little town, not so sure about Haguesund.  Iona seems to be doing more scenic cruising towards the end of the cruise though and that is a lot of what you would go to that area to see.  So possibly advantages and disadvantage there as well, but others could say more about how the itineraries are run.

 

If you are looking at 2025, the nearest Iona cruise leaves on 5th July, not the 6th - is that the one?  As that cruise is in the first half of July, I would not think of it as English or Welsh school holidays, which usually start into the second half of July, or a bit later than that.  Scottish school holidays are earlier, but not sure how many families would travel to the south of England with school age children to pick up a one week cruise going north.  there will though be 16 year olds and 18year olds who will end their school year early, after their exams finish, so they will be on hol for both of those cruises.  No matter what the ship or cruise, I would expect a school holiday cruise to be more expensive.

 

Edited August 20 by tring

[amurray88]

1 hour ago, tring said:

Itinerary wise Alesund is a very nice little town, not so sure about Haguesund.  Iona seems to be doing more scenic cruising towards the end of the cruise though and that is a lot of what you would go to that area to see.  So possibly advantages and disadvantage there as well, but others could say more about how the itineraries are run.

 

If you are looking at 2025, the nearest Iona cruise leaves on 5th July, not the 6th - is that the one?  As that cruise is in the first half of July, I would not think of it as English or Welsh school holidays, which usually start into the second half of July, or a bit later than that.  Scottish school holidays are earlier, but not sure how many families would travel to the south of England with school age children to pick up a one week cruise going north.  there will though be 16 year olds and 18year olds who will end their school year early, after their exams finish, so they will be on hol for both of those cruises.  No matter what the ship or cruise, I would expect a school holiday cruise to be more expensive.

 

That's the one sorry you're correct!

[amurray88]

1 hour ago, tring said:

Itinerary wise Alesund is a very nice little town, not so sure about Haguesund.  Iona seems to be doing more scenic cruising towards the end of the cruise though and that is a lot of what you would go to that area to see.  So possibly advantages and disadvantage there as well, but others could say more about how the itineraries are run.

 

If you are looking at 2025, the nearest Iona cruise leaves on 5th July, not the 6th - is that the one?  As that cruise is in the first half of July, I would not think of it as English or Welsh school holidays, which usually start into the second half of July, or a bit later than that.  Scottish school holidays are earlier, but not sure how many families would travel to the south of England with school age children to pick up a one week cruise going north.  there will though be 16 year olds and 18year olds who will end their school year early, after their exams finish, so they will be on hol for both of those cruises.  No matter what the ship or cruise, I would expect a school holiday cruise to be more expensive.

 

Any comment on which one feels more crowded?

It's so strange - we were on Symphony of the seas a few years ago and felt we had so much space. On Azura we felt we had loads of space too.... where as on NCL Epic and MSC Virtuosa it felt so cramped.

 

Thanks!

[tring]

25 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

Any comment on which one feels more crowded?

It's so strange - we were on Symphony of the seas a few years ago and felt we had so much space. On Azura we felt we had loads of space too.... where as on NCL Epic and MSC Virtuosa it felt so cramped.

 

Thanks!

 

TBH we do not travel.on the bigger ships, just Aurora, Arcadia and a one off Azura, and with Ventura booked for January.  I was just responding regards itinerary and the school holiday dates.  Hope you enjoy whatever you choose to a lovely part of the world.

 

[amurray88]

13 minutes ago, tring said:

 

TBH we do not travel.on the bigger ships, just Aurora, Arcadia and a one off Azura, and with Ventura booked for January.  I was just responding regards itinerary and the school holiday dates.  Hope you enjoy whatever you choose to a lovely part of the world.

 

Thank you!

[Plugtheleak]

Personally I think Iona has the better itinerary but that might just be me. Also lots more food options on Iona and probably more suited to newbies. Britannia probably feels a bit more traditional but as someone has said balconies are miserable on this type.

[amurray88]

1 minute ago, Plugtheleak said:

Personally I think Iona has the better itinerary but that might just be me. Also lots more food options on Iona and probably more suited to newbies. Britannia probably feels a bit more traditional but as someone has said balconies are miserable on this type.

Thanks for your feedback. How about crowds? I think I might have read that Brittania allows swim nappies whilst Iona doesn't so for us, this may sway it this year too.

 

Thanks!

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, amurray88 said:

Any comment on which one feels more crowded?

It's so strange - we were on Symphony of the seas a few years ago and felt we had so much space. On Azura we felt we had loads of space too.... where as on NCL Epic and MSC Virtuosa it felt so cramped.

 

Thanks!

There are a lot more passengers on Iona than Britannia, however IMO Britannia does seem a bit more crowded, possibly the lack of a promenade on Britannia could be the reason. 

[amurray88]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

There are a lot more passengers on Iona than Britannia, however IMO Britannia does seem a bit more crowded, possibly the lack of a promenade on Britannia could be the reason. 

You may be swaying me!

[terrierjohn]

13 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

Thanks for your feedback. How about crowds? I think I might have read that Brittania allows swim nappies whilst Iona doesn't so for us, this may sway it this year too.

 

Thanks!

You need to check with P&O about swim nappies, I seem to think they are only allowed in the tiny children's pools on all the ships.

[Thejuggler]

Check the passenger space ratios for each ship as its generally a good guide.

 

I'd also not restrict fjords cruises to P&O,  their offer is becoming poorer alongside other operators.

[kalos]

13 hours ago, amurray88 said:

Thank you!

Are babies allowed in all pools on both ships do you know? On Azura they had a couple of small pools for babies. He won't be a "baby" by that point but probably still in swim nappies. Thanks!

 

Hope this link helps  ...   See who can use the pools   in FAQ

 

https://www.pocruises.com/onboard-activities/daytime/swimming-pools-test#:~:text=Children are welcome to use,Aft) and the Coral Pool

[FamilyCruiserUK]

45 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You need to check with P&O about swim nappies, I seem to think they are only allowed in the tiny children's pools on all the ships.

We were on Azura a few weeks ago and it clearly states on the pool signs that swim nappies are not permitted in the main pool. Now how its enforced is another question. The pool attendants we had on Azura were stealing a wage. Didnt do much. Would tell off a child for bombing into the pool. 5 mins later child does it again and they just watched them. 

[amurray88]

6 minutes ago, kalos said:

 

Hope this link helps  ...   See who can use the pools   in FAQ

 

https://www.pocruises.com/onboard-activities/daytime/swimming-pools-test#:~:text=Children are welcome to use,Aft) and the Coral Pool

That would suggest babies can't use pools on Iona? 

 

Thanks!

[amurray88]

8 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We were on Azura a few weeks ago and it clearly states on the pool signs that swim nappies are not permitted in the main pool. Now how its enforced is another question. The pool attendants we had on Azura were stealing a wage. Didnt do much. Would tell off a child for bombing into the pool. 5 mins later child does it again and they just watched them. 

My wee boy was 6 months old when we were on Azura and we more or less just had them in the baby pool. 

 

I think we did go in the main pool but I didn't remember seeing a no baby allowed. Or was it maybe they were allowed in one of the main pools but not the other? Something like that I think

[amurray88]

Just checked...he was allowed in the Coral pool

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We were on Azura a few weeks ago and it clearly states on the pool signs that swim nappies are not permitted in the main pool. Now how its enforced is another question. The pool attendants we had on Azura were stealing a wage. Didnt do much. Would tell off a child for bombing into the pool. 5 mins later child does it again and they just watched them. 

Reviews in the Internet suggest that swin nappies hold solid waste for a short period, but are not good at holding liquid waste. I don't fancy swimming in a pool with contaminated water.

[Ardennais]

Personally, I much prefer Iona. However it does get busy during school holidays and the staff seem stretched. Your dates would probably be ok though. There are so many dining options and entertainment venues, and of course, Iona has a promenade deck - but you have to zig-zag in places! Britannia doesn’t have a promenade deck. The Quays on Iona is a great addition.

 

We have sailed on Iona this year and last year, and also on Britannia last year. We felt that the dining was poor on Britannia, and we have no complaints about the dining on Iona. 
 

The itineraries are quite similar. If Geiranger itself and say Flam and Bergen were offered, then that would probably sway me and I’d go on either of the two ships. We would sail on Britannia again if the itinerary was appealing, but we do love Iona!
 

 

 

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

There are a lot more passengers on Iona than Britannia, however IMO Britannia does seem a bit more crowded, possibly the lack of a promenade on Britannia could be the reason. 

I would agree with Johns assessment. The large promenade on Iona takes some of the traffic off the main areas making them feel less congested. The range of activities also tends to spread people out a bit and freedom dining means there is not the major movements of people all at one time associated with fixed dining times.

 

Iona balconies are bigger but you have to be more careful about selection as some are viewed as less desirable by (some) pax eg those on promenade deck which have little privacy or the deck 5 balconies which are near the gangway so overlooked when in port. The balcony on Britannia is a flower box and those to the aft had a reputation for being sooty but that may have been resolved.

 

Iona has more food venue choices (but more people using them).

 

The additional port of Alesund would appeal to me. It’s a lovely art nouveau city and worth a visit.

 

Whatever you choose, have fun.

 

 

 

 

[Funboy]

56 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Personally, I much prefer Iona. However it does get busy during school holidays and the staff seem stretched. Your dates would probably be ok though. There are so many dining options and entertainment venues, and of course, Iona has a promenade deck - but you have to zig-zag in places! Britannia doesn’t have a promenade deck. The Quays on Iona is a great addition.

 

We have sailed on Iona this year and last year, and also on Britannia last year. We felt that the dining was poor on Britannia, and we have no complaints about the dining on Iona. 
 

The itineraries are quite similar. If Geiranger itself and say Flam and Bergen were offered, then that would probably sway me and I’d go on either of the two ships. We would sail on Britannia again if the itinerary was appealing, but we do love Iona!
 

 

 

We would go again as well if Geiranger, Flam and Bergen were included but unfortunately Iona offers non of these. We sailed twice this year to Norway on Iona but the second one was mainly just a cruise. Be careful on the published itinery as Iona only visits Haugesund, Stavanger, Alesund and Olden. The rest shown are just cruise-bys. These cruises have become boring for us but that is only a personal opinion having been so many times to the same area.

 

Edited August 20 by Funboy

[amurray88]

9 minutes ago, Funboy said:

We would go again as well if Geiranger, Flam and Bergen were included but unfortunately Iona offers non of these. We sailed twice this year to Norway on Iona but the second one was mainly just a cruise. Be careful on the published itinery as Iona only visits Haugesund, Stavanger, Alesund and Olden. The rest shown are just cruise-bys. These cruises have become boring for us but that is only a personal opinion having been so many times to the same area.

 

Thank you! 

Would you recommend still doing the "Fjords" or are we better placed heading elsewhere? I think they've just become more fashionable over the last few years and we've not done them before.

 

Thanks!