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In July 2024 we sailed onboard P&O Cruises Iona for a 7 night voyage to the Norwegian Fjords. We’re not new to Iona, this would be our 4th sailing on her and we’ve always enjoyed sailing on Iona previously. Would she live up to our expectations?
Getting to Southampton
Traveling as a group of four meant we had to get creative with logistics. We decided to use a P&O organised coach for convenience. We chose this as our select fare benefit and frankly, we wouldn’t have fit all our luggage in one car!
We set off from Hopwood Services near Birmingham at 12:45pm. While this was later than we’re used to on embarkation day, it meant we were able to have a nice relaxed morning. That said, we did encounter a bit of drama. A traffic accident on the A34 caused delays, and the coach driver had to adjust the route. We didn’t arrive at the terminal until 4:50pm which was after the final check-in time of 4:30pm.
Thankfully, being on a P&O organised coach meant the ship waited for us. It was a bit stressful, but knowing the cruise line had everything under control made all the difference. Would we use the coach again? We personally wouldn’t, but our parents both said they would.
Embarkation
One perk of arriving late? No crowds! We breezed through check in and security. The staff, were understandably keen to finish their shifts in the terminal building so they rushed us through.
Once onboard we had to go straight to our muster station to get scanned in and before heading off to explore the ship we watched the safety video in our cabin (you can replay it through the TV menu if you miss it).
Dinner at the Beach House
If you know us, you know the Beach House on the first night is a must do tradition. We booked this via cruise personaliser before sailing which meant avoided the chaos of the main dining room on embarkation day.
Here’s what we had:
Lizzy: Sweet potato mozzarella skins to start, followed by the Lava Rock steak with prawns (£9.50 supplement). This was worth every penny! It’s easily one of the best meals I’ve ever had on a P&O cruise.
Laura: Nachos with chicken burnt ends (£1.75 supplement) for a starter and chicken tinga fajitas for my main. For dessert, I went with the banana split, which was delicious but tricky to eat, it came in a taco shell that kept flying apart.
Mom loved her crab starters, and Dad couldn’t stop raving about his chocolate coconut dessert.
The Beach House never disappoints, and this time was no exception.
Evening Entertainment
After dinner, we went to the Keel and Cow, where a busker was playing in the atrium and later, we caught Digital at the theatre, performed by the Headliners Theatre Company. Laura hadn’t seen it before, and she loved it! The show was packed with songs we grew up with, making it even more enjoyable for us.
To wrap up the night, we headed to The Club House, one of our favourite spots on Iona. Pulse were performing their Pure Pop set, which totally matched our vibe. While the drink service was a bit slow, we still had a great time and stayed until last orders.
Looking Ahead
Despite the rocky start with delays, we had an amazing first day on board. We’re so excited to explore more of what Iona has to offer and to show Mom and Dad the breathtaking beauty of the fjords for the first time.
Check out our video below for more detail and watch this space to find out everything else we got up to.
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