Insider Secrets: 11 Do's and Don'ts of Your P&O Iona Norwegian Cruise
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- In this final vlog in our P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords series, we wrap things up by sharing 11 valuable and not-so-common tips to make your cruise smooth sailing and 11 ‘no-no’s i.e. 11 things to absolutely not do!
Whether you're planning to embark on this specific cruise or any other cruise in the future, my 11 do's and don'ts will help you make the most of your trip. Stick around until the end because I'll be sharing some tips that you won't find anywhere else.
So let’s jump in as for one final time on this cruise, we head out on the road (well sea) again.
Today's highlights:
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Tip #1: Choose your stateroom carefully
02:23 Tip #2: Fly in a day early to allow for any travel delays
04:16 Tip #3: Book your excursions independently for cost savings and a more personalised experience
05:03 Tip #4: Research and plan your excursions based on the ports and your interests
06:52 Tip 5: Pack warm clothes and layers for changing weather in the Norwegian fjords
07:37 Tip 6: Bring motion sickness medication if prone to seasickness
08:29 Tip 7: Plan your restaurant bookings in advance
09:51 Tip 8: Give speciality restaurants a try for unique dining experiences
10:53 Tip 9: Utilise virtual queues and choose dining times to avoid crowds
11:36 Tip 10: Explore alternative places to get coffee to avoid crowded areas
12:26 Tip 11: Use the elevator smartly by pressing the up button to find space
14:32 Don't 1: Don't arrive at the port before the allocated check-in time
15:07 Don't 2: Allow enough time to get to the Southampton port cruise terminal
16:10 Don't 3: Turn off data roaming or put the phone on airplane mode to avoid excessive charges
17:35 Don't 4: Don't forget to bring necessary medications and over-the-counter supplies
18:18 Don't 5: Utilise the alcohol allowance to save money on drinks
18:59 Don't 6: Don't miss the all-aboard time and be mindful of time changes
20:12 Don't 7:Consider whether a drinks package is necessary based on drink prices
20:56 Don't 8: Don't use fingers in the buffet, practice hygiene and respect for other passengers
22:18 Don't 9: Be cautious with valuables and consider leaving passports in the safe
23:41 Don't 10: Don't forget comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and walking boots
24:42 Don't 11:Check onboard account regularly and address any discrepancies before disembarkation
26:28 - Preview of upcoming content on the channel in Africa
Links to book your excursions
Pulpit Rock excursion booked with rodne.no/
- Fjord cruise Lysefjord & Preikestolen at 1450 NOK (approx £110 /$135 for 2 adults)
Olden's Brikstal Glacier excursion booked with www.oldencruise.com/
- Glacier Express Shuttle Bus Olden - Briksdal at 1000 NOK (approx £75 /$91 for 2 adults)
Rib ride in Hellesylt booked with www.fjordguiding.no/eng - RIB Hellesylt - Fjordsafari Geirangerfjord - Total price - £104/NOK1,388.61
Viators - www.viator.com/
► The journey continues here:
/ ontheroadagainuk
www.ontheroadagain.uk
► Who are we?
We’re Rob and James, partners in crime and life for over 14 years. With our dog, Oscar, we love travelling, exploring the world and experiencing new things.
For the past few years, we have spent a month in the winter in warmer climes but the pandemic put paid to that so we decided to explore more of our beautiful home country, the UK.
We first cruised in 2018 and loved it so much that we decided to start vlogging about it.
We know there are many cruise channels, so we aim to make our videos entertaining and full of valuable advice and tips (that we wish we had known).
We publish 3 kinds of videos on this channel:
1. Our travel vlogs (including cruising, camper vans, Africa and other locations)
2. Site/hotel reviews
3. Product reviews
#P&OIona #cruisetips #cruiseship
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Thank You.
Thank you for thinking of less able passengers as well! Lovely to be included
I take a bottle of rum with me and am a happy lady. I cannot drink enough to justify P&O's drinks packages. I agree with you
Can I take alcohol on board shp
Thanks for the links to the independent companies you uses for trips - much appreciated and great video, very informative, thank you!
Glad to have helped. Have a great cruise.
So glad I've come across this video as I shall be in the same cabin you were in
Ah fantastic. You’ll have some stunning views
Thank you for your helpful tips
This was very informative… Thank you. I’m going on the Iona, my first cruise, with my friend in September. We’ve decided to go for the deluxe drinks package as we like our cocktails!! We’ve got a balcony cabin in the middle of the ship, I think the same floor as you had… Very excited!!
Have a great time!
Drinks package is worth it's weight in gold. Great value.
I guess it depends on how much you drink. We usually get a drinks package but on P&O the drinks are normal pub prices )@(unlike other cruise lines where drink prices are super inflated)
Is it worth it if I don’t drink alcohol?
You can buy a non alcoholic drinks package but tbh compared to other cruise lines, P&O drinks are regular pub prices
Thank you for the info
Excellent tips thank you! Im due to go on the Iona on 4th May, first cruise ever. Have to admit, im v neevous about sea sickness!!!! But i am excited!!
Take some sea sickness pills with you and you’ll be fine. Enjoy your first cruise
I will be taking my own tea bags for in the cabin
Good plan
I always do as I have decaf tea 😊
Tip 1 - We got there early last week and was expecting to wait but they told us to come on as they wanted us on early as possible.
That’s great!!
We always get the drinks package for peace of mind also with p &o they request your money daily then take it at the so if you spend £200 that's taken from your bank but you also have that amount pending for nearly a week
Agree about peace of mind. P&O drinks prices compared to other cruise lines are very reasonable (if you are not big drinkers it could well be cheaper to buy drinks rather than a drinks package)
Are paracetamol and ibuprofen legal in Norway?
I suspect so but worth googling
How does one actually accrue onboard charges?? This may sound stupid but it’s our first reluctant cruise but I hate flying so our only option
No such thing as a stupid question. Your room key acts as a “credit card” so when you purchase upsell items (eg buy something at a shop) it gets charged to your room and then after the cruise the onboard charges get charged to you credit card. So make sure the night before disembarkation you carefully check you onboard charges (on the app, TV or ask reception for a printed list)
No more 1Ltr of Spirts just wine or champagne policy has changed as of 8th of May which wasn't communicated by P&O they just updated their policy very sneaky of them.
Boo :-(
I rang PO after your comment regarding additional discount on speciality dining that you book prior to cruise. PO SAID THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL discount only your loyalty discount ?..
As per the P&O website “All dishes are individually priced allowing you the flexibility to choose one, two or three courses. A £10 per person reservation charge is required to secure your reservation. For Sindhu bookings made via My P&O Cruises, a 20% discount will be applied to all food items, and the prepaid reservation charge deducted from your bill.” This is the point we were making
We received 20% discount by booking sindu before hand plus our loyalty discount, we also only paid 7.40 surcharge for beach house by booking beforehand 😊
What’s the link for the excursion companies ashore please
All in the show notes attached to the video
If you have to pay for wifi, how do you book local, non-ship excursions without paying?
Book them way in advance of your cruise
It is free for on board connections. Only pay if you want Internet connection
It drives me mad when people go up to come down in a lift. Completely inconsiderate.
You can't do that on the new MSC ships. The lifts do not have deck buttons inside the lifts they are on the outside. You have to select the deck you want on the outside buttons and the lift only stops when you get to that deck or someone else's deck that pressed that deck button e.g. you cannot once inside the lift press a deck lower or higher than you selected from the outside button.
It worked extremely well and I don't remember any lift queues as people could not hog the lifts. All ships should be like that. It also means people who have wheelchairs can always get a lift free.
As for not going on cruise line excursions I am very wary of that. I saw 20 italians left behind in the Caribbean because the external excursion was late back. Also when we did a ship based excursion in Norway in winter our 2 coaches were stopped by the police and not allowed to go further as they failed a weight test on the rear axle due to the weather conditions ( heavy snow) . We had to wait for the coach company to send a third coach to split the load. This meant the coaches were two hours late getting to the ship .However as it was a ship organised excursion the ship had to wait for us.
Well if you feel safer booking excursions via the cruise company that is great. In the many cruises we have been on we always book our own. Save 50% and have never even gotten close to missing departure. But each to their own. Enjoy your cruise
Best reason for ship excursion I've read!!!