Iona cruise ship reviews

Very comfortable cabin and excellent service from our cabin steward.

Iona is a very new, very large cruise ship and, from the moment of stepping on board in Southampton, everything about the ship — from the incredible size to the quality of the decor, to the service from the staff, right down to the smallest details have not stopped impressing me for the entire week. And even after that whole week, we were still finding it hard to get our bearings and know where everything is and how to find it all. Something else that amazed me is the sheer variety of experiences there are on the ship to keep people entertained during days and nights at sea. And despite so many people all living together on board one boat, everything seems to run like clockwork. Everywhere you go on board is so clean and tidy — there are thousands of staff constantly cleaning every area of the ship. Everything from a lecture on the history of oil exploration in Norway to live bands, comedians, sports, games, full-scale musical theatre productions to intimate classical music performances — there is literally something for everyone going on constantly. But if you just want to sit around and relax, you can do so on loungers on sun decks, around swimming pools, or in cafes, bars or multiple hot tubs.

Iona cruise ship reviews

Iona is the biggest cruise ship ever built for the UK market, packed with entertainment venues and more than 30 places to eat and drink. With a capacity of 5, passengers, the ship has the feel of a lively but classy floating resort. The ship is certainly striking. At the heart of Iona's deck plan is the dazzling Grand Atrium, with walls of glass on both sides spanning three floors, filling the space with light and sea views. Polished white marble and gleaming chrome add to the elegant, airy feel, while a curved marble staircase sweeps down into the centre. An enormous glass dome covers a double-height space on Decks 16 and 17, which serves as a pool, drinking and dining venue by day and a dramatic entertainment space in the evenings. Other intriguing features making their debut include a boutique, four-screen cinema, an intimate nightclub masterminded by Take That frontman Gary Barlow and the first gin distillery at sea. There's a lot that's well planned about this ship. Instead of one big pool and the overcrowding that can bring, there are two infinity pools on the cascading aft decks, the indoor SkyDome pool and the smallish Beachcomber pool on Deck 18, which spreads passengers out efficiently. New for Iona are 95 Conservatory Mini-Suites, a brilliant midway option between a balcony cabin and a suite. One of the perks of this room type is it allows passengers to open the area up to create a bigger outdoor space or close it off from the main cabin. This function is handy if you're travelling with a young child and you want to continue your evening after you've put them to bed. It's clearly aimed at a younger demographic than the line's more traditional ships, in the style of the entertainment, nightlife and restaurants. But in other areas, there's big change; open-seating dining, for example, and the requirement to book literally everything via the MyHoliday app.

A pity we had to change itinerary at the last minute due to industrial action, but out of the company's hands.

The rest of the fleet are as follows, Arvia the newest , Britannia, Azura, Ventura, Arcadia adults only and Aurora adults only. With all restrictions now lifted and the ship sailing at near capacity including nearly children how would this cruise compare to the one we had taken 18 months ago. There had been loads of negative comments all over social media but as with all our cruises we went with a completely open mind. Things that need to be pre booked either before your cruise or on the app once on board are the theatre, the club, the Limelight Club and all speciality dining including the main dining rooms. Headliners Theatre — booking on the app required. On our previous cruise we felt the show team in the Headliners Theatre were really quite poor but how things have changed.

Like everyone else aboard we were looking forward to getting back to sea as soon as we could after Covid. Many passengers had done one or more cruises already - it is a great way to try out different ships after all. The ship herself is beautifully built, bright, spacious and airy. The many hard surfaces and constant musak drove up the sound levels but not seriously. Our 'standard' balcony cabin was well appointed and very well sound proofed. The lack of drawers actually helped here but there was enough storage space for the cruise - and any size case could be stored under the bed. We found a gift of engraved wine glasses waiting for us; very nice but something else to pack later! The only cabin feature that we didn't like was a 'night light' in the shower which filled the cabin with light if the loo door was left open at night.

Iona cruise ship reviews

Ship: Iona. Reviewed: 1 year ago. Alesund, Norway. Southampton London , England. Stavanger, Norway. Olden, Norway. PhilPering 1 year ago. AuntPinkie 1 year ago.

Pacesetter homes austin

Enjoyable break and for the time of year the weather was good with rain in just one port, Vigo. Book your hotels with Booking. And despite so many people all living together on board one boat, everything seems to run like clockwork. Activities 4. But if you just want to sit around and relax, you can do so on loungers on sun decks, around swimming pools, or in cafes, bars or multiple hot tubs. At the heart of Iona's deck plan is the dazzling Grand Atrium, with walls of glass on both sides spanning three floors, filling the space with light and sea views. The Quays — included in your cruise fare, no booking required. We only really had really three complaints. Entertainment 4. Children from five upwards who are not vaccinated must take a PCR test within 72 hours before embarkation or on the day of embarkation. On all occasions we were seated very promptly, all our food arrived in good time, was of a good quality and was piping hot.

Ship: Iona.

If you are flying out of All drinks beyond tap water, tea, coffee and select juices in the buffet. Children from five upwards who are not vaccinated must take a PCR test within 72 hours before embarkation or on the day of embarkation. Food was very good with plenty of choice and friendly and efficient service from the waiting staff. Flat, calm seas almost the entire trip — although there was plenty of rain, we did also get some pleasantly warm, unexpected sun. Definitely worth getting the conservatory mini suite - the room was wonderful. Lots of friends we cruised with did purchase the Wifi on this cruise and did confirm that it is still very hit and miss. Havana is one of the most interesting destinations we have visited and we have put this But even as we left the most beautiful of the ports — Olden — we heard that a ship due to dock there the very next day had to abandon its visit due to a force 10 gale in the region. Lovely ship, lovely crew with good food. With so many bars and restaurants, food on Iona offers plenty of variety and you really could eat and drink somewhere different every day.