Emma Cruises

P&O Iona Cruise Photo Review – Ship, Food, Entertainment, and More

When P&O Cruises first announced that they would be launching a cruise ship called Iona, she was promised to be the ‘start of a new era in travel’. 

She cost £700 million pounds to build and expectations were definitely high.

P&O Cruises have been sailing since the 1970s, Iona was designed to be dramatically different from anything P&O had done before.

Building Iona was a bold and brave choice for P&O but what I wanted to know was, did the risk pay off?

I’ve just disembarked a week-long cruise on Iona and although I thought I knew P&O cruises pretty well before the cruise, this cruise showed me things I’d never have expected from P&O. 

Iona Was Meant to Launch in 2020

Iona had just been built and was completing her sea trial tests in March of 2020. Not the best timing in hindsight but that was just bad luck. 

She was delivered to P&O in October of 2020 and at this point, we still hoped that the pandemic would be over soon so that cruising would resume but it wasn’t until August of 2021 that Iona finally completed her maiden voyage. 

Anticipation for the ship had been building up over this time and there was definitely some level of anxiety about the changes that P&O were making compared to their traditional cruising history.

P&O iona sky dome swimming pool and seating top level

On one hand, we had families and younger people very excited to try Iona’s more flexible approach to cruising and on the other, we had traditional P&O cruisers who had been loyal to the brand for years, wondering if they would enjoy a cruise on a Megaship like Iona.  

Why Did I Book a Cruise on Iona?

I was originally meant to cruise on Iona in January of 2021 and I was gutted when that didn’t happen. I knew that I had to get on board the ship to try her for myself, so I booked a very cheap week-long cruise to Northern Europe.

I booked the cruise with my brother and we paid £439 ($600) each for the 7-night cruise including gratuities. 

For that price, I didn’t go into this cruise with huge expectations.

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A number of my friends and fellow YouTubers had been on Iona before me and I had seen mixed reviews about the ship and cruises online but I knew I had to try it for myself.

Most cruise ships do have a few issues when they first launch.

Embarkation Was Easy, Despite The Paperwork

The embarkation process was very easy, we went through a drive-through Covid testing centre at Southampton port, waited a while for our car parking and for our Covid results, and then when we had our negative results, we went into the cruise terminal. 

Like most cruises at the moment, we did need quite a bit of paperwork to embark, I had been in Spain the week before and when I told the lady at check-in this she looked concerned and said that she would have to speak to a manager.

I’d read P&O’s terms and conditions inside out to make sure that it was okay for me to board but I was still nervous while I stood there, until I stepped onto the ship I didn’t let myself get too excited.

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The manager came over to us and we explained where we had been and that we had had a PCR test since getting back to the UK.

It was okay and we did get our ‘OK to board’ stamp but those few seconds were tense. 

When We First Embarked Things Were a Little Different

Normally when you embark on a cruise ship you just wander off and do whatever you’d like to do, for most people they’ll either head to their cabin or to get a drink or food depending on the time of day. 

Our boarding time wasn’t until after 3 pm and when we embarked Iona things were a little different, we weren’t given our cruise cards before we embarking the ship and we were sent straight to our muster station with a piece of paper to have our QR code scanned.

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Our Muster Drill was ‘Virtual’

It’s a legal requirement that everybody embarking on a cruise ship has a safety drill and pre-Covid, this usually meant watching safety videos at what is called your muster station.

Believe it or not, we did all used to stand together in big groups, sometimes out on the promenade deck. 

Due to social distancing, this is no longer the case and you usually visit your muster station, then watch the videos in your cabin. This is what happened on our P&O cruise.

To learn more about how muster drills work now, check out this post: Muster Drills Have Changed For The Better (REVIEW of New After Covid Process)

After scanning our QR code we began the long walk to our cabin.

How Big is P&O’s Iona?

Iona is a big ship and I did know that before I booked the cruise, I don’t think until you’re really on board though, it’s possible to get an idea of scale. 

The last couple of cruises I’ve been on have been on ships half the size of Iona and until I was walking down the corridor to get to my cabin, I didn’t truly appreciate how huge Iona is.

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For those who know about tonnage, she’s roughly 180,000 gross tons and that means she can hold over 5200 passengers at a time with 1700 crew members. 

She’s around 4x the size of the Titanic. To learn how other modern cruise ships compare to Titanic, check out this post: Titanic vs a Modern Cruise Ship Fleet – Comparison with Photos!

Iona is designed with her size in mind meaning that there are LOTS of maps around and signs.

They also have a cool feature where the colour of the artwork on the stairs tells you where you are. These were blue at the front of the ship, grey in the middle, and red at the back.

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That’s the kind of detail I like on a ship, and it makes a big difference to me, I have no sense of direction. 

We Booked The Cheapest Cabin Available

We booked the cheapest cabin available which is a guaranteed inside cabin, this meant that we didn’t pick our cabin location and it was assigned to us.

Our cabin was cabin 11115 and it was right at the back of the ship. As in, there were no inside cabins further back than us. 

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I loved having the cabin number 11115 as it was really easy to remember our room number, we did have to tell it to quite a lot of people on the cruise, when checking in for shows or meals, but more about how that works later.

Being at the back was also great for me because that was where the buffet was.

I’m a firm believer in the idea that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on your cabin to enjoy a cruise. I hate the idea that somebody might be put off of trying a cruise because they feel as though they ‘need’ the money for a balcony. Inside cabins are totally fine. 

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Our Cruise Cards Were Left Outside Our Cabin

Our cruise cards were in an envelope outside of our cabin door and there are a few cruise lines that do embarkation like this.

I often hear the argument ‘what if somebody takes the card and gets into your room’. Well if they did before I got there then they’ll just be in an empty room, so not sure why they’d want to do that. If they’re on the cruise, they have their own room. 

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Our inside cabin was great and we were very comfortable here for the week.

P&O Clean The Cabins Once Per Day

We watched the safety drill videos on our TV and our room steward introduced herself to us. She explained that our room would only be cleaned once a day instead of the two times a day that P&O used to offer. 

To be honest that suited me perfectly.

I try to keep my cabin as tidy as possible and apart from needing extra towels occasionally or needing more toilet rolls I really don’t need my room serviced twice per day.

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I usually feel bad that the cabin steward has made my bed in the morning, I’ve climbed in there again in the afternoon and then they make it again in the evening, so at least I didn’t have to worry about that. 

Our First Exploration of The Ship Was Exciting

After completing our muster drill we went to explore the ship.

Personally, this is probably my favourite part of a cruise, the part where you run around the ship excitedly just trying to take everything in. It can feel a little overwhelming, especially on a big ship like Iona but that’s part of the fun for me. 

First, we went straight to Iona’s SkyDome.

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The SkyDome is the thing that sets Iona apart from other cruise ships and although there is a swimming pool in the dome, the space was used for so much more than swimming.

Iona is Great For Swimming!

Iona has 4 swimming pools and 16 whirlpools with what felt like thousands of seats outside. 

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Iona is one of the very few cruise ships that is designed with cold weather in mind. There is still plenty of seating outside, but even if that isn’t being used, there are inside alternatives for everybody.

Most weren’t used during our cruise because it was pretty chilly but the sun did come out at one point and everybody flocked to the sunny side of the ship.

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If you’re from somewhere cold you’ll know what it’s like to need to soak up the sunshine as soon as it appears. 

Our cruise was sailing at a little over 65% capacity and only time will tell how she will feel at 100% capacity. I am going to get the chance to find out though, more about that later. 

Iona also has a 4 screen cinema!

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What Was The SkyDome Used For? – Taste 360 Review

The SkyDome is used as a pool in the day and you’ll find bars here too with a place to grab food called Taste 360.

Taste 360 serves your typical poolside grill type of food, pizza, burgers, chips, that kind of thing.

They also have veggie burgers which was great for me and everything was always freshly cooked so it was really hot and tasty.

I hoped that the food on the rest of the ship would live up to the quality of the poolside grill!

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Those chips were perfect. 

Whenever we sat here, we would have a waiter with us within minutes to get us a drink and we always found the service to be great. Helped I’m sure by the reduced capacity. 

After a while, our minds started to turn to dinner, as they often do!

We Had to Book Most Things on P&O’s App

Speaking to other people on the cruise, one thing that seemed to divide opinions was how almost all of the restaurants had to be booked in advance on the app.

This wasn’t a problem for us at all, but I know how some people don’t like to use their phones when cruising.

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I like to eat early, around 6pm and this definitely helped me to be able to book the restaurants I wanted on the days that I wanted. If you were cruising as a larger group, or wanted to eat later in the evening, it may be tricker to get bookings.

With over 3000 people on our cruise though, I understood the need for the booking of the restaurants.

It’s just something to keep in mind. The booking of restaurants isn’t so much of a ‘P&O thing’ as it is a ‘large ship thing’.

Lots of ‘mega ships’ of this size require bookings to be made ahead of time. 

There are LOTS of Included Dining Options

We tried our best to try as many restaurants on board as we could.

Iona has 3 ‘main’ restaurants where bookings ahead of time weren’t required. Instead of going to the restaurant and standing in the queue to get a table you could instead join the ‘virtual queue’ on your phone.

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You’d tell it how many people you wanted a table for and if you needed a wheelchair space, you’d then have to keep your phone on that page and it would tell you when your table was ready. 

We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for our table to be ready and then at that point they would hold the table for 15 minutes.

We would be getting ready for dinner in the cabin, join the virtual queue and then just head to the restaurant when it was ready which was great. 

I’ve got to be honest I did find the dining options and having to book/virtual queue for things a little overwhelming when I first got on board.

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I’ve cruised a lot so I had some idea of how cruise ship dining worked but if you were new to cruise, or somebody who was used to cruising with a fixed table and dining time each night, it could get confusing and you could end up missing things.

P&O did have lots of information in the cabins about how everything worked onboard but I’m definitely one of those people who just tries things and works things out as I go.

An overwhelming amount of choice is somethings just something that comes with cruising on such a big ship.

P&O’s App Worked Well But Had a Few Features Missing

P&O cruises app wasn’t really an app that you have to download to your phone it’s more just a webpage that you have to load.

To use the app you have to be connected to the WiFi but don’t have to pay to use the WiFi in order to use the app. You’ve just got to be connected so that the ship can send you the information.

Overall it worked pretty well but did miss a few key things like the opening times of restaurants and the daily schedule.

Theatre Shows Also Had to be Booked

It wasn’t just the dining options that had to be booked ahead of time, all theatre shows did too.

Capacity in the theatres was reduced slightly for social distancing and we had to wear masks while watching the show. No drinks were allowed in the theatre at any point.

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My last cruise was with Marella where they hand you a drink as you walk into the theatre so that did take a little getting used to, but not the end of the world. 

I booked the main couple of theatre shows before we embarked the cruise, if you are travelling as part of a big group it might be worth doing this.

Each show was on 3x a night and most shows would be repeated two days in a row. I’m not exactly sure on the capacity of the theatre but it was quite big, that said with 5200 potential guests they need to make sure that everybody has a chance to see every show. 

Sometimes we would just book the shows 10 or so minutes before we went to the theatre which usually worked.

On one evening we wanted to see the 8.30 show but it was sold out so I booked the later show.

It got to around 8 pm, we were in a lounge and we were in the theatre mood so I decided to try and cancel my later booking and book the earlier show hoping that somebody had cancelled since I first tried.

When I asked my brother if I should try he said ‘well you can…’ clearly not thinking it would work. But it did! 

You can cancel and book the theatre shows at any time if you decide you don’t want to go or your plans change.

I assume that at some point before the show they release the spaces of those that haven’t shown up and let in people without a booking. 

The Theatre Shows Were Great

When we were on board Iona there were two main theatre shows, Festivals and Centre Stage.

The team of dancers and singers were amazing and both shows were great. P&O made good use of the theatre space and I enjoyed the shows a lot. I’m a very visual person

I like to see bright colours and costume changes and Iona’s shows had a lot of that, plus songs I liked and knew! 

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We also watched a comedian in the theatre and went to a couple of presentations about satellites and space, both very interesting! 

I usually like to go to the theatre each evening but because Iona is large and the shows are repeated two days in a row this isn’t really how a typical day onboard ended up working for us.

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What was great was that there were also shows held in the SkyDome. These would be acrobatic shows and the dome made the most amazing setting.

The SkyDome Was a Popular Evening Venue With Incredible Shows

The dome had lights on it, lasers, smoke, you name it.

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Most nights we would either go to the theatre, or we would go and see the dome show. They would also have live music in the dome, like the brilliant band She or the equally brilliant house band called Pulse.

We listened to a rock music show amongst a few other things.

For the main acrobatic dome shows it was pretty tricky to get a seat if you arrived with less than about 20 minutes to spare.

We usually just stood which was totally fine, the shows weren’t long, but if you do need a seat, get there early. 

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There was lots and lots and lots of live music around the ship with each show being repeated multiple times.

Covid rules meant that nobody could dance on the dancefloor but they could dance by their seats on the carpet, and they did!

Mask Wearing Was Compulsory if Singing Karaoke!

We went to karaoke one night and the person singing had to wear a mask which I thought was a little odd.

Masks have to be worn when walking around but not when seated in a restaurant or bar so nobody in the audience was wearing a mask and we were all singing along too.

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The singers did a great job singing through their masks though and I guess it’s just to prevent spray singing? You’d have thought they could just put them behind a screen though or disinfect the microphone.

Oh well, it was good fun anyway. 

Our Itinerary Changed – As They Often Do

When I booked our cruise we were meant to be visiting Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bruges.

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It was a week before the cruise that I got the email saying that Hamburg has been replaced with Le Havre. For those of you who don’t know, Le Havre is the port that’s usually referred to as the ‘gateway to Paris’ even though it’s usually a 3-hour drive away. 

It was actually my agent, also called Emma who told me about the change before P&O did and although I was looking forward to going to Hamburg as I’ve never been, that wasn’t the end of the world for me.

I was mostly looking forward to cruising on Iona. 

If you’d like to book a cruise through me, and my fabulous agent Emna, you can do so by filling out our booking form here: Book a Cruise .

We Didn’t Take Cruise Line Excursions

In Bruges and Rotterdam, we created our own walking tours, stopping off at the places that looked interesting like the cube houses in Rotterdam and the quaint little streets of Bruges.

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It’s really easy to wander around Bruges and Rotterdam and our main priority was just trying to walk when it wasn’t raining. We did 20k+ steps per day and really enjoyed it.

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I even found the world’s biggest Pepsi Max which is my favourite drink. 

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I didn’t know what we would do in the port is Le Havre though, I definitely wasn’t going to spend 3 hours each way on a bus to Paris. I’ve been to Paris so I knew I’d stay close by. 

We Spent a Lot of Time in The Main Atrium

After walking 20k+ steps in port whenever I came back into the ship I would be desperate for a drink.

The main atrium area of Iona is this huge area that is split over multiple levels with two staircases in the middle.

The glass windows are on both sides and we spent quite a lot of time here with a drink just sitting and watching the world go by. 

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P&O’s Drinks Packages Aren’t Great Value (For Most People)

I have to say, I think P&O have some of the worst value drinks packages on the market and for most people, it makes more sense to pay as you go.

That said the prices on board were really pretty good, a Pepsi cost less than it does in my local pub. Not only that but it was proper Pepsi and as the waiters always asked if we wanted ice, we always said no.

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Here in the UK, it isn’t the default to always get lots of ice in a drink in the way that it seems to be in the US and other countries.

It was pretty cold on this cruise away and the way I see it, if I’m paying for a glass I’d much prefer it to be full of Pepsi than half full of ice which just hits me on the nose and gets annoying.

Don’t get me wrong, if I’m cruising on the Caribbean the ice is much appreciated but on a northern Europe cruise in October, no thanks! Let me know if you’re on team ice, or team no ice in the comments.

They did have both Pepsi and coke to keep everybody happy. 

Also in the atrium, there is a Costa Coffee and a restaurant called the Keel and Cow which does cost extra. 

The Main Dining Rooms and Buffet Weren’t The Only Included Dining Venues

As far as included food goes though, even on our 7-night cruise, we could have eaten in a different place every night without paying anything extra.

There are LOTS of included food restaurants.

P&O Iona’s Buffet Was Open a LOT and Served Great Food

The first and the biggest is the buffet, the buffet was open from way before I got up until 1 am in the morning and would only be closed for a few hours in between.

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Lots of cruise ship buffets have long opening hours but P&O’s are extra good. The late-night snacks and late-night chocolate cake were AMAZING. 

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In the buffet I found the BEST Yorkshire puddings and lots and lots of roast potatoes. I couldn’t fault anything with any food item in the buffet, it was brilliant.

They even have veggie sausages for breakfast and vegan desserts! Woohoo. 10/10 from me. 

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There’s also tea and coffee available in the buffet all the time that it’s open at no extra charge.

P&O Provide Kettles in The Cabins!

Every cabin does come with a kettle and as I usually drink peppermint tea I took a few peppermint tea bags back to my room so that I could have tea in the mornings. 

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As well as having a kettle in your cabin we would also find little biscuits delivered each day.

The Quays was a Great Additional Dining Venue

An extra addition that most other cruise ships don’t have is a food court called the Quays.

This is kind of like an extra buffet but everything is made to order. We came here for pancakes for breakfast and burgers in the evenings.

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This area did remind me of the food court ‘galley’ that Virgin Voyages have on their cruise ships that they are so keen to not call a buffet. 

The Quays is located in the middle of the ship by the atrium and they even have a ketchup station here. I put ketchup on almost everything so this was great. 

Afternoon Tea is Served in One of The 4 Main Restaurants

P&O have 4 ‘main dining’ rooms as I mentioned earlier and as far as I can tell they all served the same menu which changed each night.

There are two main dining rooms at the back of the ship which I loved and also two on the sides. We only went into the restaurants on the sides for afternoon tea in true British style. 

Afternoon tea was a little strange because you didn’t order any food like you usually would, you still got food of course but it would just arrive.

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This meant that anything we didn’t eat would be thrown away which seemed like a waste but really it would just be mushed up and released as fish food so any cakes I didn’t eat were just dessert for a lucky fish. 

P&O Are Great For Vegetarians and Vegans

The food in the main dining rooms was always good and there were lots of vegetarian options.

P&O are one of the best cruise lines I’ve found when it comes to vegan dining with a vegan starter, main and dessert on every menu. 

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The Dress Code on P&O Cruises is Quite Strict

P&O have fairly strict dress codes compared to some other cruise lines but the dress codes mostly apply to the main dining room.

On ‘formal’ night called celebration night, most men wore a suit or at least a shirt and tie, you could probably get away with just a shirt though, maybe.

On non-formal nights the dress code is casual but you’re not meant to wear trainers, hoodies or light jeans in the dining room. 

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In reality, as long as you don’t look scruffy and don’t have big logos all over your clothes I don’t think anybody would mind.

If you do want to dress up though and have a prom dress or bridesmaids dress you’d like to wear you won’t feel out of place on a P&O cruise, some people went all out and looked lovely having photos taken in the main atrium. 

There Were no Photographers Onboard

Interestingly there weren’t any cruise line photographers onboard for ‘Covid reasons’.

Not too sure why Covid means P&O can’t have photographers as most other cruise lines have managed it since but it doesn’t bother me, I quite liked the prime photo spots not being taken up by photographers.

We ate in The Beach House and Olive Grove Restaurants

There’s also the Beach House and Olive Grove restaurants which are both included in our cruise fare on Iona.

Both have to be booked in advance and made sure we went to both.

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The beach house served south American food and it usually costs extra on other ships but was free on Iona for our cruise, I suspect it will cost extra on Iona soon though, but it was never very expensive.

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The Olive Grove restaurant is Mediterranean. I had a pizza in the Olive Grove which wasn’t Princess cruises Alfredo’s standard, but all in all the food was really good. 

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I Had a Decision to Make

As the cruise went on I was thinking more about the price I’d paid and the experience I was having.

I knew that I had other family members that I’d left at home that would enjoy the cruise so I did start a bit of cruise planning, while on the cruise.

Something I’ve never done before. 

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In Le Havre we Saw a Boat Show (By Accident)

When we visited Le Havre we were treated to what I can only describe as a boat show, but by accident.

We planned to walk into Le Havre just really to get some fresh air and stretch our legs but when we got to the main bridge the road was closed. The bridge was open to let in boats and we sat there for about 45 minutes, with other passengers, waiting for the boats to go by so that we could go over the bridge.

It turns out that a big boat race was due to leave Le Havre the next day so there were TV crews there and all kinds of people.

It was pretty cool to see but not what I had planned when I got off the ship.

We did have sunshine in Le Havre though which was amazing. We spent the rest of the day having drinks by the pool or wandering around the promenade deck.

Iona has a LOT of promenade deck space with infinity whirlpools and other things. 

P&O’s Iona Has Some STRANGE Cabins on The Promenade Deck

It’s here on the promenade deck that you’ll find a group of balcony cabins with a very strange design.

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The balcony cabins sit just above the promenade deck so when sitting out on your balcony you’d almost be sitting with the people on the promenade deck.

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You’re also a long long way from the edge of the ship and when walking by you can see into these cabins quite easily, not sure who designed these cabins but I would try to avoid them if cruising on Iona. Very strange!

The Ship Felt Clean and Modern

The non-restaurant areas on the ship were also lovely.

My brother described the aesthetic as being that of a ‘nice hotel’ and I think I agree. There was lots of marble, sparkles, and clean lines which I liked.

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There were lots of nice little touches like cushions and fabrics which made the ship feel quite expensive. 

We Visited The Pub Most Days

Even the pub was nice and we did trivia in here most days. It definitely had some sort of nice Wetherspoons vibes, but without the stickiness, you usually get in Wetherspoons. 

It was great for me that the trivia was so British, I often get confused on American cruise lines as the questions are very US-based but on Iona, there was even a question about Coronation Street! 

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Can You Book a P&O Cruise From Outside The UK?

Guests from outside the UK can and do cruise with P&O and the easiest way seems to be to book through VacationsToGo.

My friends Sean and Stef came over to the UK a few years ago and took two P&O cruises which they loved. It was so funny for me to watch my American friends discover British things on their P&O cruise. You can watch videos of their P&O cruises on their channel here: Sean and Stef IRL

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I Rebooked Iona, while Onboard

When onboard I actually booked another cruise on Iona and I really think that is the highest praise I can give to a ship.

Not only because I’ve booked it again but also because I’m going to be bringing 8 family members with me including my 2 nieces who haven’t ever cruised before.

For 2 adults and 2 children in a balcony for a week was only £1500 ($2000) and for me in my inside cabin was only £385 ($525). It’s impossible to argue with that price, it includes gratuities too! 

I only hope that Iona lives up to what I’ve promised and that the increase in capacity won’t change things too much. 

The cruises sails from my local port which makes everything a lot easier, my last cruise was a fly cruise, and as amazing as it was to get out of the UK, it wasn’t without it’s problems.

To find why I nearly got stranded in Spain and how that cruise went, check out this video next. 

Taking a Cruise: Recommendations and Resources Book a Cruise Get Travel Insurance Emma Cruises Shop My Favourite Bags – Mia Tui

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Another lovely break on the beautiful…

Another lovely break on the beautiful Azura, we call her our SEA HOUSE, there's literally nothing we'd rather do than spend as many weeks away onboard the superbly run, wonderfully staffed and deliciously stocked Azura. We love Mediterranean and Canary island fly-cruises. Especially the chance to enjoy warming winter sunshine between Oct and March in the Canaries...what could be better than soaking up the warm sunshine while its cold, dull, windy and raining in the UK.... superb X!

Date of experience : March 09, 2024

Reply from P&O Cruises

Hi Tim, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your 5 star review. We are so glad to hear that you had a lovely time on board Azura around the beautiful Canaries. We do hope to welcome you back on board again soon 😀 Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Thoroughly enjoyed the Cruise

Thoroughly enjoyed our Sydney to Singapore section of Arcadia's world cruise, evening entertainment was very good. Cabin bathroom & balcony seemed a bit bigger than on other ships. Daytime entertainment could have been a bit more varied but no where seemed crowded. Negatives ... transfer by agents from Sydney Airport to the harbour was absolute chaos, land at 7am but not allowed to board or even enter the Cruise Terminal till 2pm.

Date of experience : February 22, 2024

Hi Wendy, thank you for leaving us your honest review and feedback. We are truly happy to hear that your time on board Arcadia was a success and that you were looked after well by the team and crew on board. We do hope that we will have the opportunity to welcome you back on board again soon 😀 Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Her voice was smiling

Carol the lady who answered my telephone query was extremely knowledgeable about my request. Also she was really friendly which makes a world of difference to me when I am on the phone. I could hear the smile in her voice.

Date of experience : March 25, 2024

Oh dear Carnival what have you done to our beloved P&O

Returned to UK today following 2 weeks in the Caribbean. We did enjoy our holiday but the standard has dropped remarkably since Covid and Britannia is tired and run down. Many staff, hard working, kind and helpful cannot understand English. Standard of food has dropped. No longer adhere to Black tie policy in restaurants though superficially pretend to! Shore excursions - too many people for size of buses/boats Constant sales on board shopping - very annoying when already purchased! No turn down service and chocolate No nibbles with pre dinner drinks No petit fours other than black tie nights Rammed lifts making it difficult for those less able to navigate the ship Many drops and leaks on board Not enough waiting staff in bars and restaurants for size of ship Duvets and pillows passed their best! New ones needed Very busy and noisy on ship. Some partying until 3.30 am in bars near cabins Entertainment - worst yet. We have travelled on Britannia four times angle the headliner shows have been on before Cinema - mainly children’s films! Showed Oppenheimer at 6.30 pm. The film is 3 hours long and dinner sittings are at 6.30 and 8.30 🤷🏼‍♀️🙈 Positives Clean Hard working, helpful staff Still repairing scratches and niggles though going in for refurb in April Drinks and restaurants reasonably priced Excellent cabin staff Great entertainment in the limelight club but this is an additional cost Plenty of tea/coffee milk etc in room Wise range of films on tv in room - should you want to stay in your cabin or are poorly I am afraid our loyalty to P&O is no more. Feels very below previous standard and more 18-30s than cruise

Date of experience : March 23, 2024

Lovely Holiday

Really enjoyed my time on board.Cabin clean and staff lovely. Didn’t have a problem getting a sun bed on sea days. Spa and gym great. Didn’t have to queue for dinner reservations just chose the restaurant and went down and asked No problem at all. Good choice of food and didn’t have to book for entertainment always seemed to be room.Not sure if I was just lucky. Only difficulty was finding our way of the ship. Could definitely do with a bit more direction. Thank you for a lovely holiday.

Poor email service but better phone service - once got through

Booked a cruise which I had to cancel due to family illness. Received 3 different emails about my trip and responded to them all that needed to cancel, none of them responded to. Then also emailed on dedicated "contact P+O" email address, still not responded to, and it been 5-7 days now. Eventually called a few times between 0830 -6pm when I work and the wait was too long for me to do while working. Eventually had to time it for bang on 0830 and spoke to the lovely and helpful "Sharon" in customer services who was brilliant and everything sorted. So I have given a 5 star for Sharon and a 0 for email service , - hence a 3 overall....

Date of experience : March 18, 2024

Hi Mark, we are so sorry to hear this. Having read your comments, we are sorry to learn of the delays you have experienced when emailing our Guest Support team. We are receiving a high volume of contact from our guests at this time, and we are all working extremely hard to answer our guests as quickly as possible. I can only apologise for any poor impressions gained following your recent experience. Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Booked a p&o cruise in January 2024 and…

Booked a p&o cruise in January 2024 and paid in full on their saver fare for a bed configuration of Queen. Flying out on statuary (21/03/2024) and got a new booking conformation on the 20/03/2024) stating that we are in a twin room that cannot be re-configurated to a Queen. Call them and was told that there are no queen beds available and that because we had the saver fair we were upgraded and could not opt out. After explaining that we would rather be in our cabin grade that we booked as the bed are more important than the cabin grade, all I was told over and over again was that there is nothing they can do. If we are lucky, we got told they might be able to do something when we are on board. 2 stars at the moment because when I booked, I did call up and sorted something out and they were very good. Will update the review after the holiday and let’s see what happens (Twin beds are a little small for us) Not the best start when looking forward to a holiday to get told 2 days before about changes and that there is nothing, we can do about them.

Date of experience : March 21, 2024

Hi David, thank you for sharing your feedback with us about your recent booking experience. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the unexpected change in your cabin configuration. We understand the importance of having the right bed configuration for your comfort during your cruise. We regret that we were unable to accommodate your preference for a queen bed, due to the type of fare that you booked and availability constraints. We highly recommend guests booking on the Select Price to take advantage of the option to choose their cabin and conduct research to ensure they select a cabin that meets their preferences. When booking the Early Saver or Saver fares, guests do not have the same benefit of cabin selection, which might result in a cabin that does not meet individual needs and preferences. Nevertheless, we hope that the remainder of your cruise experience exceeds your expectations. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Had a fantastic time on Brittana ship…

Had a fantastic time on Brittana ship nothing was to much trouble staff amazing would highly recommend food entertainment everything was perfect

Date of experience : March 28, 2024

Great time on board Ventura.

We had a great time on board Ventura. We joined the ship in Southampton on 11th Feb for a 35 night cruise to the Caribbean and back. We really enjoyed the whole experience (this was our second cruise with P&O). There was a wide variety of food on offer, all of which was delicious. The staff were polite, friendly and helpful, and the entertainment was first rate during the day and in the evenings. The booked shore excursions were very good, apart from one in Roatan, Honduras, which was provided by a local company but was not good value. We were disappointed with the visit to Archie’s Iguana reserve (the first part of the trip). The staff did not engage with the group, gave very little information and hurried us on throughout. On a positive note, the boat trip around the mangroves and ship wreck was very enjoyable. P&O need to check out the quality of this particular excursion. Overall we were very pleased with the cruise and we will certainly consider P&O for our next adventure.

Date of experience : March 16, 2024

Hi Nigel, thank you for sharing your feedback on your recent 35-night cruise aboard Ventura. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the overall experience and appreciated the variety of food options, exceptional service from our staff, and high-quality entertainment. We regret to learn of your disappointment with one of the shore experiences and apologise for any lack of engagement experienced during this particular tour. Your feedback regarding the quality of this shore experience has been duly noted. Thank you for considering P&O Cruises for your future adventures, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon 😄 Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

5 weeks of relaxation and freedom

We've just returned from a 5 week cruise on Ventura. We would have been happy to continue. Being looked after, going to different destinations in the sun. Watching the sea from our lovely cabin and balcony, who wouldn't enjoy this

Date of experience : February 11, 2024

Hi Christina, thank you for sharing your experience on your five-week Ventura cruise with us! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your holiday and the wonderful service provided. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard for another fantastic cruise in the future! 🥰 Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

The cruise was a great experience only…

The cruise was a great experience only real complaint was the rip off price of the internet staff food and entertainment first class a few guests very selfish However will not use Pand O again as they would not let us defer our cruise for a year as the couple we were going with had to drop out due to cancer treatment

Hi David, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the overall experience, including the service, food and entertainment provided by our dedicated team! We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you encountered when trying to defer your cruise due to unforeseen circumstances. Our hearts go out to you and your friends who had to cancel their plans due to cancer treatment. While we strive to accommodate our guests' needs to the best of our ability, there are certain terms and conditions in place that may impact our flexibility in such situations. We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this may have caused. Your feedback is important to us, and we will take it into consideration as we continue to improve our services to better meet the needs of our valued guests. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

We are regular cruisers and have sailed…

We are regular cruisers and have sailed with P&O a number of times. Just returning from a 2 week cruise on Britannia. First the good bits. Britannia is a ship we have been on many times, we continue to enjoy the ship, staff/ crew were very friendly and helpful excellent in fact However P&O now appear to be a pre COVID and post covid cruise line. Pre COVID food, entertainment, which was dire,cabin facilities were so much better.Post COVID Carnaval Management seem to be positioning P&O as somewhat of an entry level cruise line. Fair enough, COVID had a dreadful impact on the finances of Carnival and they are clearly cost cutting, from the Airlines they use to no more lobster, beef wellington, Guinea fowl smaller portions at breakfast in the MDR, no nightly cabin turn down entertainment fairly average etc,etc. We purchased the classic drinks package. Nearly all the wines we picked from the list were unavailable with no alternative offered. Come on P&O if you offer a package with listed wines and you don’t have them don’t offer the package or make alternatives of a similar quality available. And please don’t tell the unavailability was due to supply chain issues. Pay up and get other similar wines available, Penny pinching no more no less. As I said this appears to be Carnival policy to slash costs and downgrade the customer experience.As a customer I too have a choice and regretfully will not be sailing with P&O again. Two further cruises booked with a competitor cruise line (Not Carnival) this year.

Date of experience : March 22, 2024

If you need help, back office staff, won't provide any

Was looking forward to another trip with PO, sadly not be. I encountered a problem with my account number input and sought help from the contact centre. I explained the problem within 4 separate messages, each time the request was accepted and a promise to get back to me was made. Result 4 zeros, total indifference, lethargy and obviously no concern about loss of custom. I am now looking forward to a Royal Carribean cruise.

Date of experience : March 14, 2024

Hi Ronald, thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We are very sorry to hear about your experience. We would most appreciate it if you could message us on Facebook, Instagram or X, for the attention of 'Sophie M', so we can assist you with this. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Re: Assaulted on Iona.

Re: Update to my original (1 Star) P&O Iona "Assaulted on Iona" Trustpilot review on 28/09/2023. P&O have got be the worst Company in the country for their Customer Service/Guest Support Services, they can call it what they will but I know that nothing ever ever gets dealt with.  This complaint is outstanding from a Cruise we had in September 2023. After 8 email contacts with 8 automated responses of 14 days and then no contact from them whatsoever the last contact being on 12th February with a response asking for our Case Number which was given to us in November 2023 and which I duly gave to them and P&O Cruises saying it will be investigated and that we’ll hear from them in 14 days the usual response and now it’s 5 weeks ago and still nothing, no contact. Please be warned because P&O Cruises just ignore you.  We’re 80 year olds and this incident happened to us through no fault of our own an incident that most certainly should have been investigated and resulted in an injury that totally spoiled our holiday. Shame on you P&O Cruises !! John and Irene Braithwaite

Date of experience : September 28, 2023

It was our first cruise, so unlike many other passengers we did not have any other ship to compare Arvia to. We absouletly loved it, fantastic food, amazing ship which was well presented and cleanliness maintained to a high standrad. Polite and friendly staff, who treated us with respect. The only dissapointment for us, was other negative and rude passengers!

Date of experience : March 02, 2024

Hi Lisa, thank you so much 😍 Your 5 star review is truly wonderful and we really are delighted that you had a great 'Maiden' cruise with us. This is exactly what we like to hear and what we like our guests to experience. Hurry back soon Lisa 🛳 Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Poor cruise around the Caribbean

TUI flight was typical holiday charter flight, let’s see if we can beat the world record for getting as many people as we can on an aircraft. The Arvia was stunning with good food and accommodation (balcony). Ports of call were terrible with up to 4 cruise ships in port (approximately 20,000 people) trying to get taxis or some form of transport and just being ripped off. This was a 14 day cruise around the Caribbean, never again.

Date of experience : January 20, 2024

Hi Ron, thank you for sharing your feedback on your recent cruise aboard Arvia. We're delighted that you found Arvia to be stunning, with good food and accommodation. However, we're sorry to hear that your experience with the ports of call did not meet your expectations. We understand your frustration with the congestion and challenges in accessing transportation, especially with multiple cruise ships in port. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused during your trip. Despite this, we do hope that we can welcome you back on one of our ships again soon. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Sucker for punishment?

So I went on another Iona cruise, this time to the Canaries. Infinitely better the second time around but still not without a significant issue. I thought it got resolved on board at the time but no, 2 months later still waiting on the agreed resolution. Emailed a month ago, just put on hold on the phone for 30 mins to get cut off. Come on P&O you should be better than this. At least your on board crew have a sense of what customer service should be. As for the reply from Sophie from the Social Media team, just kicking the can down the road. Great when dropping 1000's on a cruise, rubbish at addressing clear shortcomings.

Date of experience : January 13, 2024

Hi David, thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We kindly request that you privately message us via Facebook, Instagram or X so that a member of our Social Media team can discuss this further with you. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Easy relaxing holiday from start to…

Easy relaxing holiday from start to finish. Booked this cruise on the Iona from Southampton as my friend had recently had a knee op and couldn't fly. Took the parking option & cabin option on a select saver price inside cabin with on board spend. Used the holiday planner app whilst on board and booked evening restaurants whilst enjoying a pre dinner drink in one of the many bars. Found it very easy. Also booked some entertainment and speciality restaurants. All the staff were lovely from housekeeping to bar staff to waiters. The ship looks fabulous and they keep on top of maintenance. As we have been on several P&O cruises we do get some discount on our purchases which is a bonus. With tipping included and drinks prices like in the UK, I think P&O are a great value for money cruise company.

Hi there, thank you so much 😍 Your feedback regarding your recent cruise on board Iona is exactly what we like to hear and we are thrilled that you had a wonderful relaxing time, and enjoyed all the elements of cruising. Hurry back soon 💙 Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Not going to places that we booked for…

Not going to places that we booked for only left 1 pack of biscuits, 3 tea bags, 1 toilet roll, on the roll not replaced, shower curtain smells, know face cloth, television even taken out towards the bed NOT GOOD ENOUGH on the VENTURE.

Hi Joan, thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We are sorry to read of the reasons behind your 3-star review and that your experience on Ventura has left you feeling slightly disappointed. As we’re sure you can appreciate, this is certainly not our intention and we regret that your enjoyment of the cruise was affected. We strive for a high standard throughout our whole ship, including the cleanliness and the amenities provided within the cabins. As such, would encourage any issues encountered to be reported to your cabin steward immediately, who will be happy to resolve these for you. The bathroom amenities will be topped up when nearly empty or just finished. Face clothes are provided on request via your cabin steward. Once again, we offer our apologies for any aspect of your cruise that did not meet your expectations and do hope that we can welcome you back on one of our ships again soon. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

A Great Cruise on Arvia

Just back from 2 weeks around the Caribbean on the Arvia. Great food and entertainment but didn’t like the outdoor deck areas which felt very restricted. On sea days decks were very cramped and sunbeds (if you could get one after 9.00am) were very close together. Sail aways were nothing special. Service in some bars was poor and used glasses/plates were left on tables and not cleared away. No real supervision of staff could be seen in the bar areas. Although there were extensive drink menus, availability was poor in some venues. Why advertise drinks on menus when they are not available. Draft beer in all bars apart from the Glasshouse were flat. Lovely to see the Captain walking around the ship and engaging with holidaymakers. We enjoyed our holiday and would definitely travel on Arvia again in the future.

Date of experience : March 01, 2024

Hi Wendy, thank you so much 😀 We are so glad that you had great cruise on board our newest ship to the fleet, the beautiful Arvia 💙 Enjoying all the elements of our cruise is exactly what we wish for you to experience. Your comments have been noted regarding our drinks and service, we are sorry that you felt this way. Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

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Arvia was Great

We were on the Arvia in january. A wonderful ship. Booked for Med cruise in September. Crew members were great. Cabin was maintained daily no problem. Plenty of entertainment. Sunbeds a bit hit and miss. People saving 2 on each side of the ship to stay in the sun. But we found somewhere every day. Maleth-Aero? no comment. Food was good and speciality restaurants to choose from to help variety. No idea why anyone could be negative. But each to their own.

Date of experience : 06 January 2024

Reply from P&O Cruises

Hi Brian, thank you for taking the time to leave us your review regarding your recent cruise on board the fantastic Arvia 🤩 She really is a beautiful ship and we are happy to hear that you enjoyed all the elements she has to offer. We cant wait for you to sail with us again in September! Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

On board staff let down by poor procedures and customer service focus

We booked to go on cruise for half term. This never happened as the Pride of Rotterdam was in refurb for longer than expected. We got an email less than a week to go. The email was so generic, automatically generated and lacking empathy, it prompted me to query whether this was actually an email from P and O or some joke email. I got int ouch with them, they replied confirming the cruise is not going to happen then proceeded to send me several marketing emails about What will I do on board as the journey is just about to happen, What will I buy on board etc... completely confusing me as to whether the trip is now still happening or not and aggravating us further. When we went to Rotterdam, I loved the cruise and the people on board were fantastic. I just can't help but feeling like the management is letting them down with not investing in system maintenance and customer service more... About to book another cabin for my Dad to come with us on our next trip and am wondering if I should as I somewhat lost confidence in P&O... Please invest in your office staff and software and review your procedures.

Date of experience : 20 February 2024

Future Cruise Credit Expiry Date

We have had many excellent cruises with P&O, the last being on Azura over Christmas 2023 which was of the highest standards. I am currently trying to use up my future Cruise Credits from cancelled cruises over the Covid period. Onboard Azura I asked how much was left, Apparently this was not easy to see but I got a figure and then got told it looked like part of it needed to be used by the end of March 2024 which I was told was strange. In February whilst speaking with Bolsover cruises they checked for me gave me a different figure with no use by date evident. I phoned P&O today to try and get a definitive figure/answer but was told it expired on 10th March. I have received no correspondence from P&O informing me of this. I was told to email the Guest Support Team and request this FFC be reinstated so I can then use it whilst booking my next cruise. Hopefully this will resolve the situation. "Thank you" P&O in advance

Date of experience : 16 March 2024

Hi Peter, thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your future cruise credit. We're sorry to hear about the confusion you've experienced regarding the expiration date and the discrepancies in the information provided. Rest assured, our Guest Support team will thoroughly investigate this matter and provide you with a definitive answer regarding your future cruise credit in due course. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please expect to hear back from our Guest Support team to your email soon. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Had a great time aboard the Arvia

Had a great time aboard the Arvia. Food was exceptional. Entertainment was great. Staff were all friendly and couldn't do enough for you. Would definitely recommend. Only one downfall I wish there was free WiFi aboard, even if it was only in a certain area at a certain time.

Date of experience : 01 March 2024

Hi Angela, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great time and that you found the food exceptional, the entertainment enjoyable and our staff friendly and accommodating. We appreciate your recommendation and are delighted to have exceeded your expectations. Regarding your feedback about the WiFi, your suggestion for complimentary WiFi in designated areas is duly noted. Thank you for choosing to cruise with us and we hope to welcome you aboard again soon! 💙 Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Excellent time on and off Britannia

Excellent time on and off Britannia in the Caribbean. Food was excellent in MDR and speciality dining. Nice and hot as well. Yes the ship needs updating in areas. It was very clean and not that tired looking as some have said. The bathrooms need updating although all very clean.

Date of experience : 24 February 2024

Hi Kay, thank you for sharing your positive experience on Britannia with us! ✨ We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the delicious food in both the main dining venues and Speciality Restaurants. Your feedback regarding the ship's condition is valuable to us, and we're glad to hear that overall, it was clean and well-maintained during your cruise. We appreciate your comments about the bathrooms, and we'll certainly take them into consideration for future enhancements. Thank you for choosing to sail with us, and we hope to welcome you back on board soon! Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

so easy to book

This was so easy to book. Everyone on board were great and always willing to help. All areas around the ship were nice and clean, service in the smaller dining areas exceptional .Could be a bit slow trying to get a drink when busy but nothing really to complain about. I did see four of the theatre shows last year so a bit limited in the theatre .

Date of experience : 02 March 2024

Hi Michelle, we are happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and that the service was exceptional 😀 Your comments regarding our entertainment have been passed on accordingly. We do hope to welcome you back on board again soon. Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

ARVIA - My first cruise and first solo experience I was so excited but unfortunately my holiday was thrown into complete turmoil from the minute I woke up but thanks to Helen Kimber who really was my superhero she was absolutely amazing without her I would have returned home before I had even got on the ship I had so many things to deal with all made bearable by Helen she just kept appearing for me just when I needed her I really cannot praise her and her team enough! Would definitely recommend P&O Cruises nothing is too much trouble! I am booked on the Iona in April and can’t wait hopefully it will be a much smoother break 😊

Date of experience : 09 December 2023

Hi Kristine, thank you so much for your glowing review! We're so happy to hear that despite difficulties, you received fantastic support to help make your holiday enjoyable. We can't wait to welcome you on board again in April 😄 Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Wonderful ARVIA

Just had 2 weeks cruising the Caribbean on ARVIA. Absolutely fantastic. Everything about the holiday was amazing even the weather. The ship and crew are fantastic. I thought the ship was a little to big but actually when you are on you don't feel crowded at all.

Hi Brian, thank you for sharing your positive experience on Arvia with us! Providing unforgettable experiences for our guests is what we strive for, and we're delighted that we could meet your expectations 🥰 Your insight into being on one of our largest ships is much appreciated, and it's great that you did not find the Arvia to feel crowded. Thanks again for your lovely feedback - looking forward to your swift return! Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

P&0 Arvia.

P&0 Arvia. I gave a net promoter score of 2. We had a 11 hour flight delay ( Maleth Aero); no information provided ; lack of any leadership from Captain & Senior Officers. Very poor - I won’t be using P&O again & so far I have told 25 people how appallingly it was ( couples with young babies begging for a room to breast feed / change nappies/ wash their kids etc - appalling service viz - get lost).

Hi David, thank you for your review. We are sorry if you experienced a delay at the start or end of your holiday and a lack of information regarding your flight times. Our priority with our charter airline partners is to get you underway as soon as possible, but the operation of this sits with the airline and airport and is, regrettably, out of our control. Should you wish to claim for the delay, we recommend that you contact Maleth Aero directly, by visiting the following link and completing the form: https://www.maleth-aero.com/delays. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Loud and obnoxious

It was so loud it busted my eardrums. Disgusting. I swear if I was five million planets away I’d still hear the horrible music. The boat is also such a eyesore I hated it. Disappointing experience. Terrible customer service. Terrible everything.

Date of experience : 06 March 2024

Hi Lia, thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. To discuss your experience with our Guest Support team, we kindly request that you complete the contact form on our website, by selecting ‘Complaints’ from the topic options: https://www.pocruises.com/contact-us. This is so that we can determine how we can try and resolve your concerns and make improvements where necessary. We value our guests' feedback and aim to address all issues promptly. Your detailed input would greatly assist us in understanding and addressing your specific concerns. While our team endeavours to respond to your concerns as soon as possible, the formal response may take up to 28 days, in line with ABTA guidelines. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Just spent 4 nights on aurora and had a…

Just spent 4 nights on aurora and had a brilliant holiday. She is a beautiful ship, so clean and beautifully decorated. The ship has a comfortable and relaxing feeling to her. The food was of a good quality and the staff very friendly and professional. All round great holiday and looking forward to the next 6 P&O cruises. 😎⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Date of experience : 07 March 2024

Hi Emma, we're absolutely delighted to hear about your fantastic experience aboard the Aurora! Thank you for sharing your glowing review with us. We're thrilled to know that you found the ship beautiful and welcoming and that you enjoyed the quality of the food and the professionalism of our staff. We can't wait to welcome you back on board for your next six P&O Cruises. Here's to many more unforgettable adventures at sea! 🌊⚓ Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

2 week cruise to the Caribbean on…

2 week cruise to the Caribbean on Britannia, flights with Tui were good & on time. Have sailed on most P&O ships, first time on Britannia, not the easiest ship to navigate as there are no stairs midship which makes these lifts very busy. Food overall was good but repatative in Horizon restaurant. Beach house food was very disappointing compared to other ships. Afternoon tea in the Epicurian was excellent. Our balcony cabin (C502) was clean & spacious however there was significant vibration from the engines making sleep difficult at times. The coach back to the airport was basic with no space for hand luggage & the airport was very hot & crowded, obviously out of P&O's control. Overall a good holiday, next one already booked.

Date of experience : 23 February 2024

Hi Gill, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We're delighted that you found the flights with TUI Airways, food, afternoon tea at the Epicurean and your cabin good overall. However, we're sorry to hear that your experience with certain aspects did not meet your expectations. We fully appreciate the need for a comfortable night's sleep, especially while on holiday, and can only apologise that you had to deal with mechanical vibrations. We're also sorry to learn that you were not happy with the food in the Beach House. We're grateful for your valuable feedback, as it helps us identify areas for improvement and strive for excellence in all aspects of service. We hope to sail with you again soon! 🛳️ Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Fantastic yet again

Fantastic yet again, not everything perfect but p&O have it spot on with the easy transfer and your cases at the cabin, no gratuities to budget for and friendly staff. Yet again the ship was clean, great food and yes we had a few moans but they were solved quickly, nothing spoiled our holiday we would book again but they need to honour loyal guests and increase the OBC!!

Hi there, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and that our transfer and bonded luggage service made your journey seamless. It's great to know that the friendly staff, cleanliness and delicious food contributed to a memorable holiday. We appreciate your feedback regarding loyalty perks and would recommend checking out our Peninsular Club cruises, to receive an exclusive 5% discount on selected cruises: https://www.pocruises.com/peninsular-club 🤩 We look forward to welcoming you back on board for another fantastic cruise adventure! Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Cruise cancelled and no refund for…

Cruise cancelled and no refund for months, impossible to speak to anybody about the refund. When call contact centre they continuously put on hold for hours. Complaints about this are ignored. Still no refund.

Date of experience : 12 March 2024

Hi Laura, thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. To discuss this further with us, we kindly request that you contact us via Facebook, X or Instagram, and one of our Social Media team members can provide assistance. Alternatively, to raise a formal complaint with our Guest Support team, we kindly request that you complete the contact form on our website, by selecting ‘Complaints’ from the topic options: https://www.pocruises.com/contact-us. While our Guest Support team endeavours to respond to complaints as soon as possible, the formal response may take up to 28 days, in line with ABTA guidelines. Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

P&O are clearly are a budget cruise…

P&O are clearly are a budget cruise line !!Have just returned from a 45 day cruise from the UK to Sydney on Arcadia. If your looking for a cheap and cheerful cruise P&O are No1.Carnival have done a great job in bringing the standards and quality P&O had a few years ago down to the lowest ever.Having spoken to several guests who have used P&O for years all agree it's time for a change to other better cruise lines available. It's pretty clear that they are not up to numbers with the crew.Poor quality food same meals repeated, not always hot,small portions.Water leaks in restaurant from ceiling panels buckets everywhere !!.

Date of experience : 29 February 2024

Hi Don, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review. I am sorry to hear that your time on board did not meet your expectations and that you felt our standards have noticeably reduced compared to that of previous cruises. It is certainly not our intention to lower the standards in any area of our operation and we are sorry that you felt this was the case. Your feedback has been noted and passed on accordingly. Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team.

NO CUSTOMER SERVICES

P&O Australia. Very Old ship. Everything onboard was poor. First time and defo our last. NO CUSTOMER SERVICES OR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE THAT I COULD FIND. Managed to obtain email direct from ship. Offered compensation then heard nothing. I would NOT recommend P&O. Try Royal Caribbean or VirginVoyages..

Date of experience : 19 February 2024

Hi Mr Bain, you have contacted P&O Cruises who are UK based. Please contact P&O Cruises Australia at - https://www.pocruises.com.au/contact-us. Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team.

Wonderful family holiday

Just home from a week long cruise to the Canaries. Lovely boat, wonderful choice of food, and lovely friendly staff. Wonderful kids clubs. Great value for an all inclusive family holiday.

Date of experience : 09 March 2024

Hi Jane, this is great to hear and we are so happy that you had a great cruise and enjoyed your time cruising the canary islands for some winter sun ☀️🛳 Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

Caribbean cruise

Caribbean cruise. We took a weeks cruise but would have been better to do two weeks and visit more islands after such a long flight. Outward flight with ‘Maleth’ airways, (never heard of them before), was ok but no inflight entertainment although we were aware of this before we travelled. Return flight with Tui. Unable to pre book seats for either journey which was dissapointing as we would have liked extra leg room. Think the longer flights should have more room on board. Arvia is a lovely ship with lots of facilities.

Hi Collette, thank you for sharing your positive experience on Arvia with us! We're delighted to hear that you found Arvia to be a lovely ship and appreciated the vast number of facilities 😄 However, we're sorry for any inconvenience you experienced due to the lack of in-flight entertainment, as well as any challenges you faced with purchasing flight seats. Thank you for choosing to cruise with us. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard for another cruise in the future! Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

Having previous travelled on Marella…

Having previous travelled on Marella Cruises I was a bit unsure of what P&O would offer. We have just returned from 7 days around the Canary Islands and we loved our time on the P&O Cruise. The Beach Hut and Glass House is a must visit. We were given the opportunity to bid for an upgraded cabin and we put in an offer that we felt was reasonable and gladly received our upgraded cabin (Superior Deluxe Cabin). If I were to be critical, I would say the entertainment on the Marella is slightly better. We will definitely travel on another P&O Cruise.

Date of experience : 03 March 2024

Hi Kate, thank you for sharing your feedback from your recent cruise with us! We're delighted to hear that you loved your time aboard our ship around the Canary Islands. It's fantastic to know that you enjoyed dining at The Beach House and The Glass House, and we're delighted that you had the opportunity to upgrade to a Superior Deluxe Balcony cabin through our 'P&O Cruises Upgrade' programme. While we appreciate your feedback about the entertainment, we're glad to hear that it didn't detract from your overall enjoyment of the cruise. We strive to offer a variety of entertainment options to cater to all tastes, and we'll certainly take your comments into consideration. We're honoured that you'll be travelling with us again in the future, and we can't wait to welcome to back aboard! 💙 Best wishes, Sophie M - Social Media Team.

The Iona is a once in a lifetime experience …

Car parking is a must,The embarkation process puts airports to shame.The cabin was beautiful and the choice of where to eat,drink and watch the entertainment was great.

Hi Anthony, this is fantastic news! We are glad to hear that your cruise on board Iona lifetime experience for you 🤩 Iona really does have something for everyone to enjoy and we are happy that this is what you experienced once again. We hope to welcome you back on board again soon! Best wishes, Daisy - P&O Cruises Social Media Team

IMAGES

  1. 51 Meals I Ate on my P&O Cruise (Photos and Menus)

    p&o cruises food reviews

  2. P&O Cruises Ventura Ship Review: A Mini Three Night Cruise to Bruges in

    p&o cruises food reviews

  3. 51 Meals I Ate on my P&O Cruise (Photos and Menus)

    p&o cruises food reviews

  4. Cruise Ship Dining Experiences

    p&o cruises food reviews

  5. P&O Cruises: On-board the Pacific Pearl

    p&o cruises food reviews

  6. 8 Things That P&O Cruises Does Better Than Other Cruise Lines

    p&o cruises food reviews

COMMENTS

  1. 51 Meals I Ate on my P&O Cruise (Photos and Menus)

    Double Decker Burger (+£1.95) Milk Chocolate Fondue (+£4.00) Triple-layered Chocolate Fudge Cake. Prime Beef, Dry Cured Bacon, and Monterey Jacke Cheese in a Sesame Brioche Bun. Skin-on Fries, Onion Rings, and Coleslaw. Toasted Marshmallows, Churros, Vanilla Ice Cream, Toasted Almonds and Sprinkles.

  2. P&O Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of P&O Cruises

    1 - 10 of 3,885 P&O Cruise Reviews. Standards dropping. Review for a Caribbean - All Cruise on Arvia. Surreygirl11. 10+ Cruises • Age 60s. Read More. Sail Date: March 2024. Helpful. Seasoned ...

  3. Arvia Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic

    Always available dishes include prawn cocktail, cream of tomato soup, grilled salmon, chicken breast, sirloin steak and a fruit salad. Suggested bottles of wine for each menu are reasonably priced ...

  4. What our guests say

    21 March 2024. This holiday was beset with a variety of problems which, in my opinion, were dealt with as painlessly as possible under the circumstances. The destination ports were absolutely amazing and fully lived up to my expectations. Family of Four, 21 March 2024.

  5. P&O Iona Restaurants

    P&O Iona | Restaurants | Dining | Menus | Photos . The Definitive Guide to Dining on P&O Iona 2024/2025 With 30 plus restaurants and bars on P&O Cruises newest ship P&O Iona, including four main dining rooms (Pearl, Coral, Opal and Aqua) open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; freedom dining; complimentary dining and speciality restaurants, you will be spoilt for choice.

  6. P&O Cruises Reviews

    2,896 people have already reviewed P&O Cruises. Read about their experiences and share your own! ... Read 1 more review about P&O Cruises. GT. Greg Thorley. 1 ... big well done to our waiters in the restaurant at night.food was well cooked,hot,great choice,we loved Britannia so much even though looking a little tired,although going for 2 week ...

  7. P&O Iona Cruise Ship Food

    Here's the ultimate food tour of P&O Iona with all restaurants reviewed onboard the world's newest cruise ship! I show you all restaurants (including the bra...

  8. Iona Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic

    P&O Cruises' Keel and Cow menu offers different cuts of steak, dry-aged in a special cabinet and including a 32oz Tomahawk, for £32, complete with chunky chips, battered onion rings and ...

  9. P&O Gourmet Food Cruises Reviews

    P&O Gourmet Food Cruises: Read 3,195 P&O Gourmet Food Cruises cruise reviews. Find great deals, tips and tricks on Cruise Critic to help plan your cruise. ... 1-10 of 3,195 P&O Gourmet Food Cruises Reviews. Seasoned Cruisers Barbados Cruise. Review for aCaribbean - All Cruise on Britannia. Davdfred.

  10. P&O Cruises Reviews, Ships & Photos

    Find P&O Cruises reviews, top P&O Cruises itineraries, ship details, photos, and more! Check out our guide on why you should sail P&O Cruises. P&O Cruises sails 11 ships. Check out 11133 candid photos, 1247 reviews and advice real cruisers. Compare prices to find the best deal. ... Food and Dining. 4.4. Average rating. Entertainment. 4.2 ...

  11. Azura Dining: Restaurants and Food

    The Glass House. 4.6. (14 Reviews) Combining two of P&O's greatest passions; fine wine and sublime cuisine, passengers can savour premi... Free Price Alert. Explore all food and dining options for Azura from P&O Cruises with verified reviews and photos for all speciality restaurants, dining rooms and buffets.

  12. P&O Canary Islands Cruise Reviews

    1 - 10 of 98 P&O Canary Islands Cruise Reviews. Not bad but could be better. Review for a Canary Islands Cruise on Azura. Pepsi36. 10+ Cruises • Age 60s. Sail Date: January 2024. Helpful. First ...

  13. P&O Cruises Reviews

    She is a beautiful ship, so clean and beautifully decorated. The ship has a comfortable and relaxing feeling to her. The food was of a good quality and the staff very friendly and professional. All round great holiday and looking forward to the next 6 P&O cruises. 😎⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Date of experience: 07 March 2024.

  14. Best & Worst P&O Cruises Ships (Ranked By Reviews)

    5. Iona. Iona is one of the largest ships in the P&O fleet, and the largest to regularly sail from the UK. She has a wealth of great features onboard for all ages, including a fun-packed kids' club, a wide variety of entertainment, a gin distillery and a host of restaurants.

  15. P&O Cruises' Arvia Expert Review

    Very Good. Overall. Jo Kessel. Contributor. Arvia is a spectacular new cruise ship from P&O Cruises with wide-ranging appeal, from couples to families to multi-generational groups. Nicknamed the ...

  16. P&O Iona Cruise Photo Review

    When P&O Cruises first announced that they would be launching a cruise ship called Iona, she was promised to be the 'start of a new era in travel'. She cost £700 million pounds to build and expectations were definitely high. P&O Cruises have been sailing since the 1970s, Iona was designed to be dramatically different from anything P&O had ...

  17. P&O Cruises reviews

    P&O Cruises (Cruise): 2.8 out of 5 stars from 1,768 genuine reviews on Australia's largest opinion site ProductReview.com.au. ... P&O Cruises 1,768 reviews. ... Our 1st cruise since covid & sorry to say last with P&O. The food in the main dining rooms, Waterfront, Angelinas & Dragon Lady was cold at every meal time & quite boring, when we told ...

  18. P&O Cruises Reviews

    The ship has a comfortable and relaxing feeling to her. The food was of a good quality and the staff very friendly and professional. All round great holiday and looking forward to the next 6 P&O cruises. 😎⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Date of experience: March 07, 2024. Reply from P&O Cruises. Mar 15, 2024.

  19. Pacific Adventure Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic

    Pacific Adventure has four fee-free dining options plus nine different food outlets in The Pantry, bringing the total number of complimentary dining options up to 13. A lucky number for those travelling on a tight budget. The Waterfront is located on Deck 5 and serves breakfast and dinner every day, with lunch available on sea days.

  20. P&O Cruises Reviews

    2,896 people have already reviewed P&O Cruises. Read about their experiences and share your own! | Read 41-60 Reviews out of 2,714 ... Food overall was good but repatative in Horizon restaurant. Beach house food was very disappointing compared to other ships. Afternoon tea in the Epicurian was excellent. ... Read 1 more review about P&O Cruises ...

  21. P&O Canary Islands Cruise Reviews

    6-10 Cruises • Age 60s. Read More. Sail Date: February 2024. Helpful. Too many cut backs poor service food and entertainment. Review for a Canary Islands Cruise on Iona.

  22. P&O Australia Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of P&O Cruises

    1 - 10 of 266 P&O Australia Cruise Reviews. Very disappointed. Review for a Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Pacific Encounter. Lesley.V. 6-10 Cruises • Age 50s. Read More. Sail Date: March 2024. Helpful. Shabby ship and poor entertainment.

  23. P&O UK Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of P&O Cruises to UK

    1 - 10 of 1,567 P&O UK Cruise Reviews. Standards dropping. Review for a Caribbean - All Cruise on Arvia. Surreygirl11. 10+ Cruises • Age 60s. Read More. Sail Date: March 2024. Helpful ...