Iona Failings

Iona Cruise Review

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Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 17

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Atlantic Coast / Iberia

Sail date: October 30, 2021

Ship: Iona

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

First and last time using P & O (app is total rubbish and doesn't give item details of your purchases) First and last time out of Southampton as we usually fly from M A N or L B A

Embarkation

4 out of 5

What a drag after a seven hour coach journey

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Great food and fair selection of beers but when did a draught English pint become 500 ml ?? Are trading standards aware of this

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Limited but very clean

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Night singers talky bits totally mumbled but performances OK Shows OK but very limited access - other ships have filmed appearances and broadcast live to other unused venues on a large screen

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Mostly very helpful and friendly but sometimes hard work. Don't go to meals too late as service becomes rushed and haphazard

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Theatres at one end but dining at other. Don't even try to play hunt the reception area cos you will lose

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Four star rather than the expected five. Best to choose a mid-ship cabin. Supplied with four thick pillows for the two of us - one is not enough but two were too much. Two thick and two thin would allow for a better choice. Duvet extremely warm but no top sheet supplied.

Ship tip

Hire a mobility scooter and be prepared to NOT get to see all the shows that you fancy

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

Had booked triple trip so didn't get to use the shuttle bus. Too tired to use bus on the Sunday after investigating select status

Thumbs Up 0

Alicante, Spain

1 out of 5

£16 to use shoe shuttle bus - you are joking We were not advised that we were select passengers and could use the bus for free so didn't get off here

Thumbs Up 0

Malaga, Spain

3 out of 5

Hop one-off bus Ok

Thumbs Up 0

Cadiz (Spain)

5 out of 5

Great trip booked before departure from home. Walked back into Cadiz to main square for lunch so no need for a shuttle

Thumbs Up 2

Lisbon, Portugal

5 out of 5

Excellent tuk-tuk ride and used shuttle to return into town for lunch. At last we got to have a free bus ride :-)

Thumbs Up 0

Vigo, Spain

3 out of 5

Dead loss

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Smooth but would be better if lower and upper decks luggage areas were better separated to allow less pushing in to join the exit queue

8 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing

Haven’t been on P&O for a while I wouldn’t rush back. This is a very big, bland, beige boat. There is no wow factor & very limited daytime entertainment. Noisy cabin at night from a creaky boat. It reminded me of a nursing home at see. Very good food

An amazing cruise and ship.