WorldofLauraJane

Those who choose to sail onboard Iona will not be disappointed as it’s a beautiful ship with so much to offer to passengers onboard. Iona first set sail in 2021 so she is a fairly new ship, she’s got a guest capacity of 5,200 passengers. 

As you board Iona you are welcomed by the bright grand three tier atrium which offers panoramic views. Onboard there are 30 bars and restaurants as well as 10 entertainment venues.

There are a range of cabins available onboard from

Inside cabin

Outside cabin/ Sea view cabin

Balcony cabin

Conservatory mini suite

Suite

I’ve been onboard Iona three times, I’ve stayed in both an inside cabin as well as a balcony cabin. Both these cabins are bright as well as spacious but the type of cabin you pick will always depend on your budget. Surprisingly cabins onboard have a lot of storage compared to other ships I’ve been on. Toiletries onboard are from White Company with the scent being flowers. 

Onboard there is no shortage of activities to participate in throughout the cruise as there are different ones across the ship. Some of the activities available onboard include playing sports on the sports deck such as football, table tennis and archery. There is a arts and crafts team with activities throughout the cruise which include painting, create wooden door signs, make a macramé keyring as well as origami. 

There is the chance to do a behind the scenes tour at a cost of £85pp where you get to see the work that goes into keeping the ship going on a daily basis. 

Towards the top deck of Iona is the skydome this is where  during the day it is a pool area which is covered and then of an evening there is entertainment on the pool as it is covered. 

There is evening entertainment in the main theatre onboard which is called Headliners as you enjoy shows from the entertainment team as well guest entertainers such as:

Comedy Magician Steve Ashcroft

The Voxens – female vocal trio

Dean Richardson as Freddie Mercury 

Comedy Impressionist Jon Clegg 

Vinnie McKee from Britains Got Talent

There is a onboard resident band called Pulse with performances each evening at one of the bar lounges Clubhouse as they sing music from soul, Motown as well as music from the 80s.

There is a club onboard with inspiration from Gary Barlow known as 710 club with a different theme each night such as American vinyl and 90s music. 

There is the Limelight club where a fee is charged but you are able to enjoy a three course meal with entertainment from artists that are known in the entertainment industry. Artists that have been onboard on my cruises include X factor winner Matt Cardle and Matt Terry but not together as well as  Comedian & Presenter Ed Byrne.

Onboard there is a pub called Brodies, this is where I would spend most evenings. During the day there are different themed quizzes such as sports, comedy tv and musicals. If you are wanting to watch sports there is also TV’s in Brodies which regularly has live sport on, whilst onboard I was able to watch live premier league games. Within the pub there is a pool table if you wish to participate in a game, there is no fee for this.

Onboard there is also a casino where guests are able to play poker, blackjack as well as slot machines. English pounds is required to play in the casino. 

If you are looking for somewhere to sit and have a quiet drink there are bars where you are able to do this such as Andersons, Emerald and Crows Nest. Emerald is a favourite of mine as they serve amazing cocktails, I attempted to work my way through the cocktails on the menu. During the day if you are wanting a speciality coffee such as a latte there is vistas which is located in the atrium and serves costa coffee which is an additional fee. 

If you are an ice cream lover take a trip to Ripples where there is a variety of ice cream flavours. You are able to choose to just get some ice cream in scoops or you may choose to get a sundae. There is also an ice cram afternoon tea available I would recommend only getting one between two people as this is big enough to share. 

Onboard there are four restaurants to eat at which are called Opal, Coral, Pearl and Aqua, I would eat at pearl most evenings which is located at the aft of the ship. Bookings for the main restaurants is done once onboard or you can choose each night to join a virtual queue. Another restaurant onboard which is included in the price of the cruise is Olive Grove which is a Mediterranean style restaurant, this is a favourite of mine onboard. If you are wishing to grab some food quick there are three options, the first one is Horizon which is a buffet restaurant or there is Quays which consists off three stations of food from fish & chips to Asian and then the final one is American style food of burgers and chicken. The third option for some quick food is taste 360 located in the skydome as they serve pizzas, burgers and hot dogs during lunch hours.

If you are onboard and wish for some more variety in food and you are willing to pay additional there are four different restaurants that come with an extra charge. One of the most popular restaurants onboard P&O is Sindhu where they serve Indian style food but this is not somewhere that I have visited. There is also located on one of the top decks Epicurean which is a fine dining restaurant in a classic contemporary setting. Keel & Cow is located on the second deck of the atrium where you are able to enjoy pub style food such as burgers, fish and chips or there is also the option of having steak, if you do choose to go to Keel & Cow unless you’ve got a large appetite I would recommend skipping a starter so that you are able to enjoy your main meal. The final option for a restaurant with an additional fee is the Beach House which is located within the buffet restaurant Horizon as they serve Latin American and Caribbean food. 

If you are travelling with children there are kids clubs on board with them being split in to different age groups. More information on this can be found in the daily schedule newsletter that is delivered to your cabin. 

Each evening your cabin steward will deliver a daily schedule newsletter to your cabin so that you know what is going on around the ship the next day. 

If you are wanting to do some shopping whilst onboard Iona there is a small number of shops on deck 7. There is Pandora onboard along with other jewellery stores as well as a beauty shop. There is a shop that sells bags and accessories from brands such as Radley, Katie Loxton as well as preloved designer bags and there is also a Mulberry store onboard if you are looking to treat yourself onboard. There is a spirits shop onboard which includes some offers on the spirits, personally if you are wishing to buy some spirits I would consider looking at the duty free in each port as you may get a better deal on spirits than onboard. There is a small store selling P&O merchandise as well as a small section of items that you may have forgotten to pack. If you are wanting some snacks for onboard there is a sweet shop on deck 8 which sells chocolate, Toblerone, Pringles as well as pick and mix sweets. 

Onboard there are four main swimming pools for passengers to use, two of these pools are infinity pools. There are some hot tubs located around the ship too with some of them located on deck 8 looking over the side of the ship.  

If you are wishing to book a massage or any spa treatments there is a spa onboard where they use Elemis products. Whilst onboard I had a 60 minute facial which is something that I would recommend booking. There is the option to book a pass to use the thermal suite where you can enjoy the use of a sauna, steam room as well as hydrotherapy pool.

Iona also has a sister ship called Arvia which I’ve sailed on, a post will be going live on this ship in the next few weeks.