Just came back from a cruise & I had no hesitation in removing towels from sun beds / chairs if they’d been there for a while and putting them into the towel bins. I think it’s the height of rudeness to hog the damn things, especially if you’re leaving the ship. The one thing that struck me about the whole experience was just how self-centred people have become - I was really quite shocked by the behaviour of some folk, and I don’t see why it should be up to the staff to police that. People should just behave better!
I agree with every word you've said here. Do not feel you have to apologize for the shortcomings. P&O need to hear them and more than that do something about them. To me the biggest issue you have highlighted is the shortage of waiting staff, this has so impacted on the attitude of the staff towards the customers, it's inevitable. Thank you for your time. We have been home one week from IONA and I'm not sure we would go on her again. The Headliners stuff was the same this year as last year (22) and we never went once.
My wife and I went on the Iona to Norway for our very 1st cruise, the ship was running at FULL capacity , but short staffed due to illness. Every time we went to the buffet, the food was cold and tasteless after day two we never returned to the buffet. In the main restaurants the food was ok, but not as good advertised. We always seemed to get seated near the waiters station were they collect and scrape clean the dishes and opening and closing draws and cupboards, also the smaller female staff seemed to be doing the heavy work whilst the males were hovering around trying to sell drinks. We had an extra sea day due to bad weather , every single venue was booked solid ,all day, so we had a lazy watch TV day . The staff are 100% fantastic , but we're struggling to keep up ,not there faults. The accommodation was fantastic even in a force 10,which I slept through. We have learned the hard way, not to cruise on a big ship and going a lot smaller next time
A lot of the problems stem from understaffing - service on aurora was better than on Iona. We didn’t have any cold food and the only food that below par was a raw omlette I got one day. We had similar issues with seating main dinning room and discovers that they will always try it on and allocate to the worse table so in future just say that’s not acceptable. Sorry you had a whole day in cabin :( another trick we found is that even if the app said something was fully booked it was worth turning up just in case there were some spare seats
Thanks for that...we are due to cruise on the Iona in late March....nice to hear your views...get the overall opinion you enjoyed it which again is nice to hear...thanks for being honest...
Yes overall we had a great time but try to be as honest as possible. I suspect the staffing situation will have improved by march. We feel privileged to be able to cruise so we go with a positive mind set and have enjoyed every cruise we’ve been on - even when I ended up in quarantine last may!
Sailing out on the 29th oct on Iona, same destination as you’ve just been on, this is our first cruise and really looking forward to it, thank you for your honest reviews it helps first timers like us.
Yes the singers do mine so the quality is the same every performance. People not following dress codes doesn’t bother me that much it does not neffect me . But smokers smoking in non smoking areas does bother me . I agree with there not being enough wait staff .
It’s the first time I’ve seen miming on a cruise ship and I’m very diasapointed - I go to see a live show - which is what is advertised. The dress code is important to me as I love the elegance and the escapism it brings
@@mamajaneshusband I think cruising as changed a lot in the last 15 years or so not always for the better lots of things that were normal have disappeared and lots of corners cut . Also the staff are still good but not like years ago think it is mainly to do with too little staff and too much work for them to do . The food has gone down in quality and midnight feasts / chocolate buffet have disappeared. Also all entertainment used to be included non of this paying to see people . There also seems to a lot less entertainment. But cruise ships are getting much more on them especially the large Royal Caribbean ships and tend to going for a younger less formal crowd . Unfortunately I think the industry got rid of a lot of things because of covid and will not return them because of of cost savings . Saying all that I still enjoy cruising above other types of holiday .
Just found you and enjoyed this very much am going on board next year June to Norway..very interesting will be on to p and o to see if some of things u disliked are being addressed..ie sunbeds etc..
Our main issues as long time P&O customers was the lack of bar staff, when on occasions we really couldn’t get a drink, strange when the drinks are chargeable (P&O you are losing revenue there) and secondly the degradation of room cleaning, with no evening clean and turndown, why? Lack of staff, our room attendant was detailed to other cleaning duties in the evening. Sort these things out P&O or you will lose your regular cruisers.
The bar staff issue is crazy as recently on Arcadia there were more staff in much smaller bars. One of the bar staff who had been on Iona , said that management were adamant that the staff ratios were correct! Even the waiters on Iona complain the staffing is wrong. The turn down service is gone for ever apparently I’ve been told. As you say, people will vote either their feet.
We are sailing on Iona to the Canaries Nov. 12 for two weeks. Oh dear did you say the ship was rocky and wobbly. The thought of sailing through the Bay of Biscay would make me feel uneasy! We did a cruise July on the Sky Princess which is about the same size as Iona. When we sailed the B.O.B. both time and was very steady and calm. Well, we shall soon find out in a month time ! Thank you for your informative video.👌👏
Sky princess (3650) is smaller than Iona (5000) I don’t think Iona handled the conditions very well. I’ve been in far worse conditions and the ship has been less rocky. We were on deck 16 at the front so lower down cabins may not be so bad. Enjoy the canaries :)
@@mamajaneshusband My goodness, Deck 16, that's why you were feeling rocky and rolling! Our cabin will be on Deck 4. I always select cabin on the lower level and midship where possible! Thanks again!
we are going on our first cruise to the fjords on Iona in September. I don't see any information on the theatre shows on any post ? Do you have to book all the entertainment in advance. In the bars do waiters come and serve you or do you have to go to the bar yourself?
Our second cruise ever was to norway and we had a great time :) we hope you also have great time. So there are theatre shows every night usually 8:30 and 10:30. They can be very busy and you will need to book. The shows are a mix of shows by the in-house headliners group. These are popular songs gathered around a dance theme. Although they can be quite sophisticated. So the headliners are not playing every night they have guest performers that play some nights. These can be tribute bands, comedians, illusions etc. in theory you get waiter service in all bars but at busy times in busy bars it can be quicker to go to the bar. Hope this helps
We loved Norway. Key thing with Iona is to get stuff booked as soon as they become available to book about thee weeks before. Then when you get on board, get yourself a drink settle down and book everything you could book before getting on board.
Re: the shows. There is a vocal backing track, so they can make the shows sound big and full, with only 4 to 6 actual singers, the rest are just dancers who sing along, but without mics. As for that Bird Show in the dome, I found it very poor and the performers looked bored and embarrassed doing it..and the poor girl up in the air got stuck and they had to get a step ladder to get her down.
I think the dome is a bit of a disaster for P&O as it was much trumpeted but has lots of problems. We saw the acrobats stuck up in the air during their rehearsals.
@@mamajaneshusband All P&O shows (and most other cruise lines) use a "click track", this is a track, electronically timed to the beat of the music (also used in major productions in theatres) that the live musicians play and sing along too. It will add extra backing vocals, extra string lines, Brass etc, It is not a full backing track, but gives a much bigger orchestral sound to live shows, when there is only a 5 or 6 piece live band. I know people who work on the ships in the shows and theatre, and had asked them how they got such a big sound from a small band or cast. As long as you enjoy it, that's what really matters.
It was challenging to book wasn’t it. If you go on again turn up even if app says fully booked as some don’t turn up and they fill these spaces with people once band are on stage and ready to start.
You were lucky to get quality food across the ship .Just recently on the Arvia the food was poor ,except for keel and cow and 360 ,the buffet food was barely Luke warm .Not to P&O standards at all loads of other errors on Arvia which you have probably heard about by now . However Arvia will be a lovely ship when completely finished .Personally I found some of the entertainment acts were amateurish,but some were top class .The skydome acoustics were not good ,it must be very hard for the singers and bands .I somewhat agree with you on pulse ,I didn’t like the Pulse band on Arvia ,The singers from pulse in my opinion were poor and out of tune .
Yes been reading about problems on Arvia - we are not sue on her until next year, hoping all sorted by then, although P&O are having problems across the fleet with supply issues.
Of six cruises first time iv been lied to will never cruise again p&o rubbish went to noway visited none ports I paid for ship could not make it in July best ever weather. Cruise lines don't care
See this is the problem we were on your cruise and everybody just looked down there nose at children it was terrible as if they weren’t supposed to be there. If they wanted a adult cruise they should of booked one and to be honest it felt like a saga holiday……. Definitely won’t be using P&O again not like it used to be.
Oh we didn’t look down on the families - we’ve 5 kids and remember what’s it was like! However adult only areas should be adult only. It is strictly enforced on other family oriented ships we’ve been on. We had no issues with any of the families. I think P&O seemed to have a good set up with clubs for all ages. We talked to several families who were having a positive experience with their children. Keep Cruising - like much of life it’s not the same post Covid
Just came back from a cruise & I had no hesitation in removing towels from sun beds / chairs if they’d been there for a while and putting them into the towel bins. I think it’s the height of rudeness to hog the damn things, especially if you’re leaving the ship. The one thing that struck me about the whole experience was just how self-centred people have become - I was really quite shocked by the behaviour of some folk, and I don’t see why it should be up to the staff to police that. People should just behave better!
I would agree with you, however, I think the cruise company’s ask you not to act but to report in case a heated situation arises.
You two are just so darn cute !!!! Thank You so much for sharing your cruise experiences with us ! You always make me laugh .
Tx you and there is more on the way now we are back cruising should be uploading this week :)
I agree with every word you've said here. Do not feel you have to apologize for the shortcomings. P&O need to hear them and more than that do something about them.
To me the biggest issue you have highlighted is the shortage of waiting staff, this has so impacted on the attitude of the staff towards the customers, it's inevitable. Thank you for your time.
We have been home one week from IONA and I'm not sure we would go on her again.
The Headliners stuff was the same this year as last year (22) and we never went once.
Thank you. I think it’s very sad what’s happening to P&O. We’ve just been with Celebrity and NCL and there were no issues no hassle unlike P&O
My wife and I went on the Iona to Norway for our very 1st cruise, the ship was running at FULL capacity , but short staffed due to illness. Every time we went to the buffet, the food was cold and tasteless after day two we never returned to the buffet. In the main restaurants the food was ok, but not as good advertised. We always seemed to get seated near the waiters station were they collect and scrape clean the dishes and opening and closing draws and cupboards, also the smaller female staff seemed to be doing the heavy work whilst the males were hovering around trying to sell drinks. We had an extra sea day due to bad weather , every single venue was booked solid ,all day, so we had a lazy watch TV day . The staff are 100% fantastic , but we're struggling to keep up ,not there faults. The accommodation was fantastic even in a force 10,which I slept through. We have learned the hard way, not to cruise on a big ship and going a lot smaller next time
A lot of the problems stem from understaffing - service on aurora was better than on Iona. We didn’t have any cold food and the only food that below par was a raw omlette I got one day. We had similar issues with seating main dinning room and discovers that they will always try it on and allocate to the worse table so in future just say that’s not acceptable. Sorry you had a whole day in cabin :( another trick we found is that even if the app said something was fully booked it was worth turning up just in case there were some spare seats
I do think there is much to be said for the smaller size ship, there are less fasciitis but a better atmosphere
Agree with your comments on the food. I found the food bland, cold and tasteless. I also travelled to Norway, Norway was amazing Iona was not.
Thanks for that...we are due to cruise on the Iona in late March....nice to hear your views...get the overall opinion you enjoyed it which again is nice to hear...thanks for being honest...
Yes overall we had a great time but try to be as honest as possible. I suspect the staffing situation will have improved by march. We feel privileged to be able to cruise so we go with a positive mind set and have enjoyed every cruise we’ve been on - even when I ended up in quarantine last may!
It is hood to research cruises and destination. Go with an informed and positive mind set
Sailing out on the 29th oct on Iona, same destination as you’ve just been on, this is our first cruise and really looking forward to it, thank you for your honest reviews it helps first timers like us.
Thank you for your kind comments and enjoy your cruise :) look for our other video about important dates and what to do when cruising with P&O.
Yes the singers do mine so the quality is the same every performance. People not following dress codes doesn’t bother me that much it does not neffect me . But smokers smoking in non smoking areas does bother me . I agree with there not being enough wait staff .
It’s the first time I’ve seen miming on a cruise ship and I’m very diasapointed - I go to see a live show - which is what is advertised. The dress code is important to me as I love the elegance and the escapism it brings
@@mamajaneshusband I think cruising as changed a lot in the last 15 years or so not always for the better lots of things that were normal have disappeared and lots of corners cut . Also the staff are still good but not like years ago think it is mainly to do with too little staff and too much work for them to do . The food has gone down in quality and midnight feasts / chocolate buffet have disappeared. Also all entertainment used to be included non of this paying to see people . There also seems to a lot less entertainment.
But cruise ships are getting much more on them especially the large Royal Caribbean ships and tend to going for a younger less formal crowd . Unfortunately I think the industry got rid of a lot of things because of covid and will not return them because of of cost savings .
Saying all that I still enjoy cruising above other types of holiday .
Just found you and enjoyed this very much am going on board next year June to Norway..very interesting will be on to p and o to see if some of things u disliked are being addressed..ie sunbeds etc..
I suspect the staffing levels will improve and more importantly staff training will have caught up so issues are being dealt with. Enjoy :)
Hi enjoyed this...Were going next May...So excited...Thank you xxxx
Have a great time and watch out for more videos from us :)
Our main issues as long time P&O customers was the lack of bar staff, when on occasions we really couldn’t get a drink, strange when the drinks are chargeable (P&O you are losing revenue there) and secondly the degradation of room cleaning, with no evening clean and turndown, why? Lack of staff, our room attendant was detailed to other cleaning duties in the evening.
Sort these things out P&O or you will lose your regular cruisers.
The bar staff issue is crazy as recently on Arcadia there were more staff in much smaller bars. One of the bar staff who had been on Iona , said that management were adamant that the staff ratios were correct! Even the waiters on Iona complain the staffing is wrong. The turn down service is gone for ever apparently I’ve been told. As you say, people will vote either their feet.
We are sailing on Iona to the Canaries Nov. 12 for two weeks.
Oh dear did you say the ship was rocky and wobbly. The thought of sailing through the Bay of Biscay would make me feel uneasy!
We did a cruise July on the Sky Princess which is about the same size as Iona. When we sailed the B.O.B. both time and was very steady and calm. Well, we shall soon find out in a month time ! Thank you for your informative video.👌👏
Sky princess (3650) is smaller than Iona (5000) I don’t think Iona handled the conditions very well. I’ve been in far worse conditions and the ship has been less rocky. We were on deck 16 at the front so lower down cabins may not be so bad. Enjoy the canaries :)
@@mamajaneshusband My goodness, Deck 16, that's why you were feeling rocky and rolling! Our cabin will be on Deck 4. I always select cabin on the lower level and midship where possible! Thanks again!
we are going on our first cruise to the fjords on Iona in September. I don't see any information on the theatre shows on any post ? Do you have to book all the entertainment in advance. In the bars do waiters come and serve you or do you have to go to the bar yourself?
Our second cruise ever was to norway and we had a great time :) we hope you also have great time. So there are theatre shows every night usually 8:30 and 10:30. They can be very busy and you will need to book. The shows are a mix of shows by the in-house headliners group. These are popular songs gathered around a dance theme. Although they can be quite sophisticated. So the headliners are not playing every night they have guest performers that play some nights. These can be tribute bands, comedians, illusions etc. in theory you get waiter service in all bars but at busy times in busy bars it can be quicker to go to the bar. Hope this helps
@@mamajaneshusband Thank you
When UK had a Merchant Navy P&O found a way to hire only Lascars as crew
What are lascars?
Great tips thanks x
Where did you get your necklace from?? It’s lovely!
Going to Norway in April. First time on this ship.
We loved Norway. Key thing with Iona is to get stuff booked as soon as they become available to book about thee weeks before. Then when you get on board, get yourself a drink settle down and book everything you could book before getting on board.
Look up videos for all the ports you going to for hints and tips of what to do. Some you can self explore some you need to plan excursions
MamaJane says she got it at a craft stall in Greenwich village in London
Re: the shows. There is a vocal backing track, so they can make the shows sound big and full, with only 4 to 6 actual singers, the rest are just dancers who sing along, but without mics. As for that Bird Show in the dome, I found it very poor and the performers looked bored and embarrassed doing it..and the poor girl up in the air got stuck and they had to get a step ladder to get her down.
I think backing tracks is just posh Karaoke :( on Arcadia at the moment - superior theatre and no backing tracks :)
I think the dome is a bit of a disaster for P&O as it was much trumpeted but has lots of problems. We saw the acrobats stuck up in the air during their rehearsals.
@@mamajaneshusband All P&O shows (and most other cruise lines) use a "click track", this is a track, electronically timed to the beat of the music (also used in major productions in theatres) that the live musicians play and sing along too. It will add extra backing vocals, extra string lines, Brass etc, It is not a full backing track, but gives a much bigger orchestral sound to live shows, when there is only a 5 or 6 piece live band. I know people who work on the ships in the shows and theatre, and had asked them how they got such a big sound from a small band or cast. As long as you enjoy it, that's what really matters.
We tried but could not book the 710.
It was challenging to book wasn’t it. If you go on again turn up even if app says fully booked as some don’t turn up and they fill these spaces with people once band are on stage and ready to start.
You were lucky to get quality food across the ship .Just recently on the Arvia the food was poor ,except for keel and cow and 360 ,the buffet food was barely Luke warm .Not to P&O standards at all loads of other errors on Arvia which you have probably heard about by now . However Arvia will be a lovely ship when completely finished .Personally I found some of the entertainment acts were amateurish,but some were top class .The skydome acoustics were not good ,it must be very hard for the singers and bands .I somewhat agree with you on pulse ,I didn’t like the Pulse band on Arvia ,The singers from pulse in my opinion were poor and out of tune .
Yes been reading about problems on Arvia - we are not sue on her until next year, hoping all sorted by then, although P&O are having problems across the fleet with supply issues.
just found you love your videos
Thank you for your kind comments
Only common people have no idea what the word formal means
I’d class myself as common working class….
Of six cruises first time iv been lied to will never cruise again p&o rubbish went to noway visited none ports I paid for ship could not make it in July best ever weather. Cruise lines don't care
So sorry you’ve had a rubbish experience, perhaps worth trying a different cruise company?
See this is the problem we were on your cruise and everybody just looked down there nose at children it was terrible as if they weren’t supposed to be there.
If they wanted a adult cruise they should of booked one and to be honest it felt like a saga holiday…….
Definitely won’t be using P&O again not like it used to be.
Oh we didn’t look down on the families - we’ve 5 kids and remember what’s it was like! However adult only areas should be adult only. It is strictly enforced on other family oriented ships we’ve been on. We had no issues with any of the families. I think P&O seemed to have a good set up with clubs for all ages. We talked to several families who were having a positive experience with their children. Keep Cruising - like much of life it’s not the same post Covid