P&O Iona Fjords

Iona 18 – 25 June 22 Fjords Cruise Cabin 14737 Deluxe with Sofa /Aft of the Ship I wanted to experience cruising now that the World is opening up again and sample for myself what differences there are now post Covid. After a smooth run down to Southampton from Cheshire we parked our car, the keys were left on the dashboard to be taken away to a secure car park and we boarded within 60 minutes of arriving and were in the Horizon restaurant. I could not fault the boarding process – Covid test certificate and vaccination checks were done and photo taken in record time. The bags were delivered shortly after boarding. Top Tip : Check in but get your photo done at the port as only takes a couple of minutes Our cabin (14737) deluxe balcony was roomy and wider than the standard balcony I had on my previous cruise on Iona – would recommend the aft outward facing cabins as the view was 180 degrees and Fjord stunning. Tea and coffee making facilities in the cabin and UK sockets and USB sockets by the bed. Plenty of space to hang clothes but no drawers. The under bed space is large enough to put your cases under. Also no shaver point in the bathroom – take an adapter! Top Tip : Pick the aft cabin for stunning views if you can get availability. 4 Main Restaurants on board with waiter service all serving the same menu. Join the virtual queue with the MyHoliday app which is free. Top Tip : Refresh the App when you are in the queue to update or you will not get notification of when your table is ready and you will lose your place We were going to get the drink package but once on board decided against it which I am pleased I did as we ordered the drinks we wanted and it did not come to what we would have spent on the package. Everyone will be different I know but I thought that there were too many restrictions on the package. Day 1-3 – Days at sea due to our late departure (due to weather) and we missed Stavanger. We had drizzle on day 2 but day 3 was hot and sunny and we had scenic cruise which view from our aft cabin was stunning. Days at sea could be filed with the gym, cinema (4 screens and latest movies), quizzes, shops, talks etc Speciality Dining. We only tries the Keel and Cow for their iconic Admiral Burger and it was very quiet but service slow. Then in the evening tried the Beach House (not worth the extra in my opinion and again slow service). We tried the Olive Grove on the last night but I would give a miss if I went again. Horizon was just a good (but not waiter service) or the Main Restaurant. One smart night when most dressed for dinner but otherwise fairly casual (no shorts) but otherwise most styles of dress accepted. Olden – we experienced the Loen Sky Lift as part of an excursion but I would recommend just to do yourself with the local bus which stops outside the ship. Tickets for the Sky Lift can be purchased at the kiosk/visitor centre located in the port. No queues. Flaam – this was not on the original itinerary but replaced Hellesylt due to bad weather. We opted for the Railway trip and was not disappointed. Haugesund – as we missed our hike to Pulpit Rock in Stavanger we chose the hike to the Waterfall there. Beware – it was more like a rock climb! Just for the fit and able but worth the effort if you can. Day 8 – Disembarkation. Had to vacate the cabin by 8am and disembark at 9.30 but it was a long process to collect bags and queues to leave even though no passport checks. This was the most queuing we had to do on the whole trip, everyone seems to leave at the same time. If I had known I would have left earlier. All in all, a fabulous cruise and I was impressed with how back to ‘normal’ everything seemed. We just had to do the pre-departure testing the day prior (does not have to be observed) and P&O now do not need proof of the result, you just had to verify on your declaration at check in that you have had a negative test to board. Iona is joined by her sister ship, the new Arvia in December 2022. Iona sails out of Southampton with a range of Canary Islands and Med cruises in the Winter and Fjords in the Summer while Arvia will firstly sail out of Southampton for her maiden voyages before sailing to the Caribbean when she will feature 14 night Caribbean Fly Cruises. Feel free to contact me for more information on these or any other cruises by calling me on my usual number (01270 560731) or email me at Anjie.naughton@travelcounsellors.com I look forward to hearing from you soon and thanks for reading.