Excellent video well narrated as I will be staying in a P&O Standard cabin this December Caribbean I found this video very interesting and informative. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching and for your very kind comment, it really means a lot to us 🤩 We are so glad that our video has been helpful to you - we try to include everything that we would want to know when getting ready for our own cruise, so it's great to hear positive feedback like this! It's very exciting that you are off to the Carribean with P&O in December! Have you cruised there before?
@kennethbowell4564 what an amazing first cruise - perfect for some winter sun! Joe's first cruise was a cartibean cruise on P&O Ventura and he was absolutely hooked, so hopefully you will have an equally brilliant time! We'd love to hear how you get on 😊
Thanks for watching and for the kind comment Mal, we are so glad our video was helpful 😊 Thats very exciting! Where are you sailing to? We really loved our time on Iona and have booked to go back again in May - we have ended up booking the cabin next door to the one in this video 😁
Thankyou so much for the lovely feedback Paul and Carole, it genuinely means a lot to us 🥰 We get a huge amount of inspiration from content creators such as yourselves, and we are so glad you enjoyed the video 😀
We stayed on the Ventura a couple of years ago and we were also surprised by how much space there was. I like that they have swapped to canned water. The balcony looked great. Brilliant room your! Xx
Thanks Emma and Jon, so glad you enjoyed the video 😍 Oh Ventura is a great ship! We had our first cruise together on Ventura, and have keep going back for more 😀 The swap to cans of water is brilliant - Iona is the most eco friendly ship in P&O's Fleet, and little touches like this add up over the course of a cruise 😀 Do you have any plans to sail on a P&O ship again?
@@MarinaAndJoeGo I would love to go on a P&O Cruise again maybe to Norway or somewhere. We have a busy 2022 but definitely when we can fit another cruise in we will be doing xx
@@EmmaJonYoureWelcome oh Norway would be wonderful - we had a Fjords cruise on Iona cancelled due to the pandemic, and hope to rebook as soon as we can 😊 We know what you mean - sadly we can't spend all our time on board either, as much as we would love to 😁 Perhaps we will see each other onboard one day?
Thankyou so much for watching and for your very kind comment 😃 We are so glad you enjoyed out vlog! We'll be bringing another iona balcony cabin review video soon showing the alternate layout, which definitely had an impact on how easy it was to get about.
Thanks for the lovely comment Angela, we are so glad you enjoyed the video 😊 That is fantastic! We are sure you will be too 😀 The balcony should come into its own on a warmer cruise like yours - we really enjoyed it, but Northern Europe on December isn't known for its sunbathing opportunities 😁 Please let us know how your cruise goes 😊
Looks like a great room! I'm sure having that window will make waking up on the high seas that much more awesome! We've never actually been on a cruise together, and this looks really cool. Great video you too, hope 2022 has many more great travels! 😊 🛥
Thankyou so much 😍 so glad you liked the video 😀 It absolutely did - it was so great waking up opening the curtains, and looking straight out on to the ocean 😊🌊 we'd definitely recommend it 😊 Hope 2022 brings you lots of travels too 😀
Thankyou for the kind comment, we are so glad you enjoyed our video 😊 That is very exciting! Where are you sailing to? This is a great cabin - we are sure you'll have a great time 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo we are going to the Fjords. Although I've cruised before (Cunard's Queen Elizabeth) I've never been on a ship this big so I'm a bit apprehensive about the crowds. I love sailing though. Keep up the great videos 👍
@@philippayne6655 oh wow, the Fjords will be wonderful! A great time of year to go as well 😊 There's definitely a different feel to the larger ships, but we have found both large and small to be very enjoyable 😊 Iona has very handy screens showing deck plans dotted around as well, which really help you get your bearings 😊 Thankyou so much for your kind comment 😊 We hope you have a wonderful cruise - please let us know how it goes 😃
Well, just got back from the Fjords. The ship was amazing and the cabin was just right. We were a little worried at first that our room was right down on the 5th floor when all the rest was so high up. It turned out to have so many advantages though. First, we could actually see the sea from our balcony which was really nice and secondly, when it rained the walkway on deck 8 kept us dry. The Fjords were amazing and we walked on average around 6 mile a day while out exploring. A few things I wish P and O would do on their ships just to make things a little nicer: first, I don't think it would hurt to keep the juice machines on all day instead of just breakfast. We don't drink that much alcohol so an occasional glass of orange juice wouldn't go a miss. We also wasn't a big fan of using the booking app for the entertainment and restaurants. We would have much preferred to use the cabin phone or even book at the venue but I guess we are still living in the dark ages. The staff were really friendly and if you asked for anything they seemed to go the extra mile to help. All in all we had a great time. My girlfriend came back with COVID though so that made a mockery of having to obtain a certificate to board the ship.
We really liked the balcony cabin on Iona. We didn’t find storage an issue but those bedside tables don’t do too much other than a couple of small bits. Great video though, so much detail!
Thankyou so much for the kind comment, we are really glad you enjoyed the video 😊 Sorry its taken us so long to reply - we missed the notification some how ☹️ We totally agree - the bedside tables are mainly useful for charging your phone and storing small items. You're not going to be stashing t shirts or jeans in them any time soon 😁
@@MarinaAndJoeGo Don’t worry about not responding! They’re great cabins on Iona. We’d love to cruise on her again. We’re on Britannia this month and I’m sure she’ll be just as good!
@@CruisingColemans we've sailed twice on Iona and loved every second 😊 We are back on board next May for a 7 night Fjords cruise and have ended up in the cabin next door to this one 😁 We think the bed and sofa will be the opposite way around, so it will be interesting to see what difference that makes. Ooh exciting about your Britannia cruise! Where are you sailing to? We have somehow not managed to sail on her yet - we had a cruise booked that was cancelled due to COVID, and haven't managed to book on since. Its definitely on our to do list though! Looking forward to following your adventures 😀
@@MarinaAndJoeGo We love a bed by the window. If we get that we feel like we’ve struck gold! We were lucky to have that on Iona but not on our last cruise on Anthem but if we’re on a cruise I’ve got no complaints! We’re doing the transatlantic. We’ve never done one before so should be interesting!
Thankyou for your kind comment Christopher, we are so glad you found the video helpful 😊 Thats very exciting! When do you sail? We really enjoyed our stay in this standard balcony and our daughter keeps asking when we are going back to 'her balcony' 😊 The Reef children's club was excellent too 😊 Have you seen our shower curtain cruise hack video? Marina came up with the idea as a way to make sailing with our daughter even easier, and we've found it so helpful (especially when our daughter is asleep and we are still up!) 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo not till April 2024 our little one will be 4 then so will check your other video out 2 years away but from your video looks like we made a good choice
@@GeorideGamer1984 ah it should be the perfect cabin for you 🥰 Thats good - plenty of time to plan and get excited 😀 We are sure you'll have an amazing time, and hopefully the need for the covid protocols will be a distant memory by the time you board 😀
@@GeorideGamer1984 absolutely- we've sailed on Iona twice since the start of the pandemic and if anything the procedures are reassuring 😊 they are certainly nothing that we haven't all learnt to live with over the last 2 years. It's probably the most COVID safe place we've been 😊 It will be nice when things are safe enough for the restrictions not to be needed though 🙂
We love the look of this ship, thank you for sharing the room tour! Looks a bit more spacious when the bed is not next to the wardrobe but I guess you don’t know which way round it will come. We are looking at booking up for a cruise on Iona next year ☺️ Great that the children’s bed guards can be added too!
Thanks for the kind comment guys 🤩 Its definitely our preferred layout of the standard balcony cabins - our deluxe balcony had the bed closer to the wardrobe but there is so much extra space that it didn't matter. If you want to know the layout of different cabins, the very lovely people who run this Facebook group have produced a spreadsheet showing which cabins have beds by the balcony and which by the wardrobe - the list isn't complete yet, but covers a lot of cabins and is based on confirmed information provided by passengers staying in those cabins. facebook.com/groups/poionacabinsandsuitesreviews/?ref=share It's also a great group, with loads of helpful cabin info from previous guests 😊
@@CruisingWithCalandra you are very kind and Joe is very flattered 😍 We've got quite a lot of content to get through though so he is sadly tied up for a bit 😅 Perhaps we can do something together one day though? 😀
How exciting! We hope you have an amazing cruise - Iona is a beautiful ship, and we absolutely loved our stay in this balcony cabin 🥰 There weren't any facecloths in the cabin bathroom when we sailed in August and December last year, although tissues and paper towels are provided. We'd definitely recommend bringing your own facecloth though 😊 We hope you have a fantastic cruise - please let us know how it goes!
Thank you Mariana and Joe. As usual with P & O; their ships are magnificent. They certainly leave Cunard for dead. Can you please advise whether "IONA" bases itself in England or America? Any chance of it coming "Down Under"?
Thankyou so much for your kind comment - we really appreciate it and are so glad you enjoyed our video 😃 Magnificent is absolutely the word to describe Iona 😊 We've booked a Fjords cruise on her for early next year and can't wait to be back onboard! Iona is definitely unlike any ship in Cunard's fleet, although the two lines offer rather different "products". We enjoy both, but if you are looking for a mega ship experience that is more relaxed and informal then Iona is 100% the way to go. Iona is based in Southampton in the UK, and as far as we know, there are no plans for her to sail to Australia (she's been specifically designed to sail from and around the UK). Her sister ship Arvia is due later this year and will be heading towards the carribean, but even she is unlikely to cross the equator as P&O Australia have their own fleet operating from there.
How did you find this fared against the deluxe cabin? We are booked for 14101 deluxe cabin and wondering if non private as over the front of ship/Under crew deck? X
This was a really good balcony cabin and we absolutely loved our cruise in it 😊 That said, the extra space and bigger balcony of our deluxe balcony cabin (we stayed in 14101!) was fantastic and a definite bonus over the standard balcony cabins 😀 14101's balcony is very private - neither of your neighbours can see in, and your are so far above the promenade deck that people could only see you if you stood at the edge and looked down. It's also not overlooked by the bridge as it projects above part of the balcony, so the angle prevents anyone looking in. If you want to see what it's like we have a cabin tour of 14101 on our channel, including the balcony, as well as more photos of the cabin and balcony on our Instagram 😊 We hope that helps 😊
We've just had 7days on the iona deck 11 475 & fantastic views however there is 4 decks up a infinity pool & iona have known about the problem with this pool on every cruise & still nothing been done . I stepped out onto our balcony & got a soaking from the overspill of the pool after 4 other cabins also experienced same they finally decided to empty it & put a safety net over it ! Brilliant we could now e joy our balcony but 3 days later after an evening meal & show back to our room only to find our balcony was 2inch deep in water . So o to the phone & a maintenance chap came up with two towels took o e look at the water on the balcony ventured onto the balcony to look up at the infinity pool stepped back in to our room only just in time as this awful whoosh & down came a torrent from the pool the chap old t be.ieve it & was quickly on his phone . We went to look at the said pool following day it had less water in it but have no idea if it was still being used. So high time P&O YOU GOT IT SORTED AS YOUVE HAD PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS ON THE OTHER CRUISES @ WILL IM SURE CONTINUE TO GET THEM & LOSE CUSTOM I will add we did get some compensation to use on board along with people in 4 other cabins So if any one wants to book that cabin you will out definitely get a super view but do double check that the infinity pool has been fixed then I'm sure you will enjoy your trip .
Thankyou for your comment and for sharing your experience with everyone, we are so sorry to hear you've had this blight your cruise ☹️ We remember hearing last autumn that some cabins beneath the infinity pool were getting water spill over onto their balconies but didnt realise that P&O hadn't resolved it yet. It's such a shame, particularly because you were (we think) on a Fjords cruise and probably chose that cabin to get those famous aft balcony views? We hope it didn't completely spoil your cruise and are glad that P&O compensated you - hopefully they will resolve this soon.
Thanks for your comment and question 😊 During our cruise most of the beers were between £4.25-£5, wine was generally between £5-£10 per glass, most spirits were around £4-5 for a single and £6-7 for a double, and cocktails were between £6.95 and £7.95 (of course prices can and do change). In our view the drinks package may be worth it if you plan to solely drink beer, the cheaper wines, and single measure spirits/cheaper doubles (and intend to have at least 8 drinks a day). If you have your heart set on glasses of bubbly or cocktails at sunset, however, then it isn't worth buying as these drinks aren't included in the package (any drink over £6.95 is chargeable with the Ultimate drinks package, although you do get 20% off these more expensive drinks). Another consideration is, if you are sailing with children, they will get a free children's drinks package if the adults in the cabin have the ultimate drinks package. That does go some way to making the package more cost effective, however if you are just planning on having a couple drinks a day or are wanting more expensive drinks then it is probably not worth going for. We have not found it worth getting ourselves for this reason. We hope that helps 😊
Thanks for the comment and question 😊 Yes, P&O can provide a travel cot on request. We'd suggest you call P&O or your travel agent before you sail to request it and then tell your cabin steward what time you want it set up/taken down once onboard (if you want it set up the whole time just let your cabin steward know 😊). Where are you sailing to? Iona is a great ship for a young family - we definitely recommend the children's tea in the buffet 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo awesome thanks. We are doing the Northern Europe cruise on Iona in April next year. We have never done a cruise before and will be taking our 22 month old daughter. We have booked a standard balcony cabin. Just hoping there will be enough room. Thanks
@@bavers oh fantastic - we did that itinerary last December and had a brilliant time (our daughter was 2 and a half and really enjoyed the ship- the children's club was really good 😊). P&O have also partnered with Wallace and Gromit and they had some excellent character meet and greets as well as themed events and film showings in Ocean Cinema 😊 We will be covering that in future videos. We found the standard cabin more than big enough for the 3 of us - there should be plenty of space for a travel cot in front of the sofa, although you may want it taken down in the day time for extra space. If you need it the sofa does become a very good sofa bed - it has a proper mattress (rather than a folding one) and is really comfy. We brought a bed guard with us, although P&O may be able to provide them if you ask 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo thanks. Any tips on what deck to choose or location on the ship. With it being our first cruise I’m worried about sea sickness. Is it best to stay mid ship? Also would you pay to select your own cabin?
@@bavers the best location to avoid seasickness is mid ship and low down, as those cabins get the least motion. If mid ship is unavailable aft/the rear is preferable to forward cabins. That said we have sailed on Iona twice and haven't noticed any sea movement. She's a very large ship, which reduces movement, plus has very modern stabilisers that make a huge difference 😊 We generally do pay to choose our own cabin since our children were born, but when it was just the two of us we always opted for the saver rate. Our reasons for doing choosing our cabin now are that we can ensure we get a cabin with a sofa bed (and not a pull down "pullman" bed, which wouldn't be suitable for a toddler), we can pick a part of the ship that we want (not only for reduced motion, but also not near to anything noisy like the theatre, bars, or beneath a pool or prom deck), and because we like the option of free parking at the port. Of course, before you decide you can ask what cabins are available. If they you would be happy with any of them the saver rate may be a good option, as you would be assigned one of them anyway 😊 We hope that helps 😊
What kind of people are these that unpack every damn thing out of their suitcase for 7 day holiday. Yes I can understand a few things coming out but why would you take it all out waste a few hours and then another few hours to keep it back in . All my stuff stays in the suitcase with a tiny bit in the cupboards. Am I the only one? Or does everyone fully unpack and fill wardrobes?
Excellent video well narrated as I will be staying in a P&O Standard cabin this December Caribbean I found this video very interesting and informative. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching and for your very kind comment, it really means a lot to us 🤩 We are so glad that our video has been helpful to you - we try to include everything that we would want to know when getting ready for our own cruise, so it's great to hear positive feedback like this!
It's very exciting that you are off to the Carribean with P&O in December! Have you cruised there before?
No, it’s my first cruise always wanted to go to the Caribbean.
@kennethbowell4564 what an amazing first cruise - perfect for some winter sun!
Joe's first cruise was a cartibean cruise on P&O Ventura and he was absolutely hooked, so hopefully you will have an equally brilliant time!
We'd love to hear how you get on 😊
I really love the cabin design on this ship - it just looks SO clean!
Absolutely 🥰 there's a subtle nautical theme to the decoration that is nicely refined, and as you say it just feels clean 😀
Booked a standard balcony cabin on Iona for a cruise in November so this was really helpful. Can’t wait to get on board now 😊
Thanks for watching and for the kind comment Mal, we are so glad our video was helpful 😊
Thats very exciting! Where are you sailing to? We really loved our time on Iona and have booked to go back again in May - we have ended up booking the cabin next door to the one in this video 😁
@@MarinaAndJoeGo From Southampton to Portugal and Spain (Canaries). So excited! The ship looks amazing. Enjoy your next cruise 😁
@@malbarks4803 that is a great itinerary 🤩 Have an amazing time - we'd love to hear how it goes and what you think of Iona 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo Thanks. Yes, I’ll let you know.
Excellent cabin tour, loved your clear narrative and your written titles. Great job!
Thankyou so much for the lovely feedback Paul and Carole, it genuinely means a lot to us 🥰 We get a huge amount of inspiration from content creators such as yourselves, and we are so glad you enjoyed the video 😀
We stayed on the Ventura a couple of years ago and we were also surprised by how much space there was.
I like that they have swapped to canned water.
The balcony looked great.
Brilliant room your! Xx
Thanks Emma and Jon, so glad you enjoyed the video 😍
Oh Ventura is a great ship! We had our first cruise together on Ventura, and have keep going back for more 😀
The swap to cans of water is brilliant - Iona is the most eco friendly ship in P&O's Fleet, and little touches like this add up over the course of a cruise 😀
Do you have any plans to sail on a P&O ship again?
@@MarinaAndJoeGo I would love to go on a P&O Cruise again maybe to Norway or somewhere. We have a busy 2022 but definitely when we can fit another cruise in we will be doing xx
@@EmmaJonYoureWelcome oh Norway would be wonderful - we had a Fjords cruise on Iona cancelled due to the pandemic, and hope to rebook as soon as we can 😊
We know what you mean - sadly we can't spend all our time on board either, as much as we would love to 😁 Perhaps we will see each other onboard one day?
Excellent commentary!
Thankyou so much for watching and for your very kind comment 😃 We are so glad you enjoyed out vlog!
We'll be bringing another iona balcony cabin review video soon showing the alternate layout, which definitely had an impact on how easy it was to get about.
Great cabin tour, clear and succinct! Thank you! We've booked a standard balcony cabin for our March cruise and I'm sure we'll be very comfortable.
Thanks for the lovely comment Angela, we are so glad you enjoyed the video 😊
That is fantastic! We are sure you will be too 😀 The balcony should come into its own on a warmer cruise like yours - we really enjoyed it, but Northern Europe on December isn't known for its sunbathing opportunities 😁
Please let us know how your cruise goes 😊
Looks like a great room! I'm sure having that window will make waking up on the high seas that much more awesome! We've never actually been on a cruise together, and this looks really cool. Great video you too, hope 2022 has many more great travels! 😊 🛥
Thankyou so much 😍 so glad you liked the video 😀
It absolutely did - it was so great waking up opening the curtains, and looking straight out on to the ocean 😊🌊 we'd definitely recommend it 😊
Hope 2022 brings you lots of travels too 😀
Great tour of the room I'll be in in a week's time. Thanks
Thankyou for the kind comment, we are so glad you enjoyed our video 😊
That is very exciting! Where are you sailing to? This is a great cabin - we are sure you'll have a great time 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo we are going to the Fjords. Although I've cruised before (Cunard's Queen Elizabeth) I've never been on a ship this big so I'm a bit apprehensive about the crowds. I love sailing though. Keep up the great videos 👍
@@philippayne6655 oh wow, the Fjords will be wonderful! A great time of year to go as well 😊
There's definitely a different feel to the larger ships, but we have found both large and small to be very enjoyable 😊 Iona has very handy screens showing deck plans dotted around as well, which really help you get your bearings 😊
Thankyou so much for your kind comment 😊 We hope you have a wonderful cruise - please let us know how it goes 😃
@@MarinaAndJoeGo will do
Well, just got back from the Fjords. The ship was amazing and the cabin was just right. We were a little worried at first that our room was right down on the 5th floor when all the rest was so high up. It turned out to have so many advantages though. First, we could actually see the sea from our balcony which was really nice and secondly, when it rained the walkway on deck 8 kept us dry.
The Fjords were amazing and we walked on average around 6 mile a day while out exploring.
A few things I wish P and O would do on their ships just to make things a little nicer: first, I don't think it would hurt to keep the juice machines on all day instead of just breakfast. We don't drink that much alcohol so an occasional glass of orange juice wouldn't go a miss. We also wasn't a big fan of using the booking app for the entertainment and restaurants. We would have much preferred to use the cabin phone or even book at the venue but I guess we are still living in the dark ages.
The staff were really friendly and if you asked for anything they seemed to go the extra mile to help. All in all we had a great time.
My girlfriend came back with COVID though so that made a mockery of having to obtain a certificate to board the ship.
We really liked the balcony cabin on Iona. We didn’t find storage an issue but those bedside tables don’t do too much other than a couple of small bits. Great video though, so much detail!
Thankyou so much for the kind comment, we are really glad you enjoyed the video 😊 Sorry its taken us so long to reply - we missed the notification some how ☹️
We totally agree - the bedside tables are mainly useful for charging your phone and storing small items. You're not going to be stashing t shirts or jeans in them any time soon 😁
@@MarinaAndJoeGo Don’t worry about not responding!
They’re great cabins on Iona. We’d love to cruise on her again. We’re on Britannia this month and I’m sure she’ll be just as good!
@@CruisingColemans we've sailed twice on Iona and loved every second 😊 We are back on board next May for a 7 night Fjords cruise and have ended up in the cabin next door to this one 😁 We think the bed and sofa will be the opposite way around, so it will be interesting to see what difference that makes.
Ooh exciting about your Britannia cruise! Where are you sailing to? We have somehow not managed to sail on her yet - we had a cruise booked that was cancelled due to COVID, and haven't managed to book on since. Its definitely on our to do list though! Looking forward to following your adventures 😀
@@MarinaAndJoeGo We love a bed by the window. If we get that we feel like we’ve struck gold! We were lucky to have that on Iona but not on our last cruise on Anthem but if we’re on a cruise I’ve got no complaints!
We’re doing the transatlantic. We’ve never done one before so should be interesting!
really helpful video just booked our first cruise on iona and booked a standard balcony cabin will have our little one with us too
Thankyou for your kind comment Christopher, we are so glad you found the video helpful 😊
Thats very exciting! When do you sail? We really enjoyed our stay in this standard balcony and our daughter keeps asking when we are going back to 'her balcony' 😊 The Reef children's club was excellent too 😊
Have you seen our shower curtain cruise hack video? Marina came up with the idea as a way to make sailing with our daughter even easier, and we've found it so helpful (especially when our daughter is asleep and we are still up!) 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo not till April 2024 our little one will be 4 then so will check your other video out 2 years away but from your video looks like we made a good choice
@@GeorideGamer1984 ah it should be the perfect cabin for you 🥰 Thats good - plenty of time to plan and get excited 😀 We are sure you'll have an amazing time, and hopefully the need for the covid protocols will be a distant memory by the time you board 😀
@@MarinaAndJoeGo yeah hopefully but if not the procedure does not seem too bad if they are not
@@GeorideGamer1984 absolutely- we've sailed on Iona twice since the start of the pandemic and if anything the procedures are reassuring 😊 they are certainly nothing that we haven't all learnt to live with over the last 2 years. It's probably the most COVID safe place we've been 😊
It will be nice when things are safe enough for the restrictions not to be needed though 🙂
We love the look of this ship, thank you for sharing the room tour! Looks a bit more spacious when the bed is not next to the wardrobe but I guess you don’t know which way round it will come. We are looking at booking up for a cruise on Iona next year ☺️ Great that the children’s bed guards can be added too!
Thanks for the kind comment guys 🤩 Its definitely our preferred layout of the standard balcony cabins - our deluxe balcony had the bed closer to the wardrobe but there is so much extra space that it didn't matter.
If you want to know the layout of different cabins, the very lovely people who run this Facebook group have produced a spreadsheet showing which cabins have beds by the balcony and which by the wardrobe - the list isn't complete yet, but covers a lot of cabins and is based on confirmed information provided by passengers staying in those cabins.
facebook.com/groups/poionacabinsandsuitesreviews/?ref=share
It's also a great group, with loads of helpful cabin info from previous guests 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo thank you so much, will be sure to check it out!
@@makingourmark our pleasure 😍 let us know when you book 🤩
beautiful room!
It really is 😍 thankyou for the comment 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo your welcome! Btw his voice sounds so professional does he want to narrate my videos lol
@@CruisingWithCalandra you are very kind and Joe is very flattered 😍 We've got quite a lot of content to get through though so he is sadly tied up for a bit 😅
Perhaps we can do something together one day though? 😀
@@MarinaAndJoeGo we can possibly one day lol
@@CruisingWithCalandra 🤩
Hi going on Iona in 11 days … looking forward to a balcony … random question do they provide facecloths in the bathroom please?
How exciting! We hope you have an amazing cruise - Iona is a beautiful ship, and we absolutely loved our stay in this balcony cabin 🥰
There weren't any facecloths in the cabin bathroom when we sailed in August and December last year, although tissues and paper towels are provided. We'd definitely recommend bringing your own facecloth though 😊
We hope you have a fantastic cruise - please let us know how it goes!
Thank you Mariana and Joe. As usual with P & O; their ships are magnificent. They certainly leave Cunard for dead. Can you please advise whether "IONA" bases itself in England or America? Any chance of it coming "Down Under"?
Thankyou so much for your kind comment - we really appreciate it and are so glad you enjoyed our video 😃
Magnificent is absolutely the word to describe Iona 😊 We've booked a Fjords cruise on her for early next year and can't wait to be back onboard!
Iona is definitely unlike any ship in Cunard's fleet, although the two lines offer rather different "products". We enjoy both, but if you are looking for a mega ship experience that is more relaxed and informal then Iona is 100% the way to go.
Iona is based in Southampton in the UK, and as far as we know, there are no plans for her to sail to Australia (she's been specifically designed to sail from and around the UK). Her sister ship Arvia is due later this year and will be heading towards the carribean, but even she is unlikely to cross the equator as P&O Australia have their own fleet operating from there.
Thanks. I'm assuming that suitcases will fit under the beds as p&o beds usually do?
They do indeed - we were able to fit 1 large, 1 medium, and 2 small suitcases under the bed as well as a pram without any issue 😊
How did you find this fared against the deluxe cabin? We are booked for 14101 deluxe cabin and wondering if non private as over the front of ship/Under crew deck? X
This was a really good balcony cabin and we absolutely loved our cruise in it 😊 That said, the extra space and bigger balcony of our deluxe balcony cabin (we stayed in 14101!) was fantastic and a definite bonus over the standard balcony cabins 😀
14101's balcony is very private - neither of your neighbours can see in, and your are so far above the promenade deck that people could only see you if you stood at the edge and looked down. It's also not overlooked by the bridge as it projects above part of the balcony, so the angle prevents anyone looking in.
If you want to see what it's like we have a cabin tour of 14101 on our channel, including the balcony, as well as more photos of the cabin and balcony on our Instagram 😊
We hope that helps 😊
We've just had 7days on the iona deck 11 475 & fantastic views however there is 4 decks up a infinity pool & iona have known about the problem with this pool on every cruise & still nothing been done . I stepped out onto our balcony & got a soaking from the overspill of the pool after 4 other cabins also experienced same they finally decided to empty it & put a safety net over it ! Brilliant we could now e joy our balcony but 3 days later after an evening meal & show back to our room only to find our balcony was 2inch deep in water . So o to the phone & a maintenance chap came up with two towels took o e look at the water on the balcony ventured onto the balcony to look up at the infinity pool stepped back in to our room only just in time as this awful whoosh & down came a torrent from the pool the chap old t be.ieve it & was quickly on his phone . We went to look at the said pool following day it had less water in it but have no idea if it was still being used. So high time P&O YOU GOT IT SORTED AS YOUVE HAD PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS ON THE OTHER CRUISES @ WILL IM SURE CONTINUE TO GET THEM & LOSE CUSTOM I will add we did get some compensation to use on board along with people in 4 other cabins So if any one wants to book that cabin you will out definitely get a super view but do double check that the infinity pool has been fixed then I'm sure you will enjoy your trip .
Thankyou for your comment and for sharing your experience with everyone, we are so sorry to hear you've had this blight your cruise ☹️ We remember hearing last autumn that some cabins beneath the infinity pool were getting water spill over onto their balconies but didnt realise that P&O hadn't resolved it yet.
It's such a shame, particularly because you were (we think) on a Fjords cruise and probably chose that cabin to get those famous aft balcony views? We hope it didn't completely spoil your cruise and are glad that P&O compensated you - hopefully they will resolve this soon.
How much are drinks on it is it worth getting a package or pay at the end
Thanks for your comment and question 😊
During our cruise most of the beers were between £4.25-£5, wine was generally between £5-£10 per glass, most spirits were around £4-5 for a single and £6-7 for a double, and cocktails were between £6.95 and £7.95 (of course prices can and do change).
In our view the drinks package may be worth it if you plan to solely drink beer, the cheaper wines, and single measure spirits/cheaper doubles (and intend to have at least 8 drinks a day).
If you have your heart set on glasses of bubbly or cocktails at sunset, however, then it isn't worth buying as these drinks aren't included in the package (any drink over £6.95 is chargeable with the Ultimate drinks package, although you do get 20% off these more expensive drinks).
Another consideration is, if you are sailing with children, they will get a free children's drinks package if the adults in the cabin have the ultimate drinks package.
That does go some way to making the package more cost effective, however if you are just planning on having a couple drinks a day or are wanting more expensive drinks then it is probably not worth going for. We have not found it worth getting ourselves for this reason.
We hope that helps 😊
We are travelling on Iona with a toddler. Do P&O provide a travel cot?
Thanks for the comment and question 😊 Yes, P&O can provide a travel cot on request. We'd suggest you call P&O or your travel agent before you sail to request it and then tell your cabin steward what time you want it set up/taken down once onboard (if you want it set up the whole time just let your cabin steward know 😊).
Where are you sailing to? Iona is a great ship for a young family - we definitely recommend the children's tea in the buffet 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo awesome thanks. We are doing the Northern Europe cruise on Iona in April next year. We have never done a cruise before and will be taking our 22 month old daughter. We have booked a standard balcony cabin. Just hoping there will be enough room. Thanks
@@bavers oh fantastic - we did that itinerary last December and had a brilliant time (our daughter was 2 and a half and really enjoyed the ship- the children's club was really good 😊). P&O have also partnered with Wallace and Gromit and they had some excellent character meet and greets as well as themed events and film showings in Ocean Cinema 😊 We will be covering that in future videos.
We found the standard cabin more than big enough for the 3 of us - there should be plenty of space for a travel cot in front of the sofa, although you may want it taken down in the day time for extra space. If you need it the sofa does become a very good sofa bed - it has a proper mattress (rather than a folding one) and is really comfy. We brought a bed guard with us, although P&O may be able to provide them if you ask 😊
@@MarinaAndJoeGo thanks. Any tips on what deck to choose or location on the ship. With it being our first cruise I’m worried about sea sickness. Is it best to stay mid ship?
Also would you pay to select your own cabin?
@@bavers the best location to avoid seasickness is mid ship and low down, as those cabins get the least motion. If mid ship is unavailable aft/the rear is preferable to forward cabins.
That said we have sailed on Iona twice and haven't noticed any sea movement. She's a very large ship, which reduces movement, plus has very modern stabilisers that make a huge difference 😊
We generally do pay to choose our own cabin since our children were born, but when it was just the two of us we always opted for the saver rate.
Our reasons for doing choosing our cabin now are that we can ensure we get a cabin with a sofa bed (and not a pull down "pullman" bed, which wouldn't be suitable for a toddler), we can pick a part of the ship that we want (not only for reduced motion, but also not near to anything noisy like the theatre, bars, or beneath a pool or prom deck), and because we like the option of free parking at the port.
Of course, before you decide you can ask what cabins are available. If they you would be happy with any of them the saver rate may be a good option, as you would be assigned one of them anyway 😊
We hope that helps 😊
What kind of people are these that unpack every damn thing out of their suitcase for 7 day holiday. Yes I can understand a few things coming out but why would you take it all out waste a few hours and then another few hours to keep it back in . All my stuff stays in the suitcase with a tiny bit in the cupboards. Am I the only one? Or does everyone fully unpack and fill wardrobes?
You are in the minority mate. It takes less than an hour to unpack and repack.