IonaP&O

Iona – Everything you need to know. Updated for 2019

Get ready to holiday like never before! We’ve been teased with details about P&O’s newest ship Iona for months. Finally the itinerary and deck plans have been released and the aim of this post is to summarise everything we know so far about this beauty. We have updated this to bring you some more up to date information and a video of the build so far.

Back in May it was raveled P&O’s newest ship would be named after the Scottish island of Iona, she will be the first P&O ship to join the fleet since Britannia did in 2015.

Weighing in at 184,700 tons and with a guest capacity of 5200 and a crew of 1800, not only will she will be the largest ship built specifically for the British cruise market but also the cleanest as she will be powered by LNG .

P&O opened pre-registration for her on Monday the 3rd of September announcing her maiden voyage would be a 9-night cruise to the Norwegian fjords departing on the 14th of May 2020.

After this she will spend her maiden season doing 7-night fjord cruises, which has proven slightly controversial among some P&O customers who would have preferred a more mixed itinerary.

So, what do we know about this beauty so far?  Read on to find out.



The build so far

Above: P&O have released a video of the build so far

Iona dining options

We’ve been told Iona will have 17 places to eat with options to suit everyone.  With no ‘set dining’ – all guests will be assigned ‘Freedom Dining’ in one of 4 restaurants. Those special Gala Evenings that P&O are so known for and take place ship wide will still take place it was announced at a press event this week.

Included in the standard fare:

  • Freedom Dining in the Pearl, Coral, Aqua or Opal Restaurants
  • The Quays – Self-service food market style venue serving American ‘soul food’, Southeast Asian at ‘Fusion’ and Indian cuisine
  • The Horizon Buffet
  • SkyDome Pizzeria and Grill

Dining venues with a supplement:

  • Sindhu
  • The Epicurean
  • The Glass House
  • The Beach House
  • The Keel & Cow  – P&O’s Gastro Pub
  • The Olive Grove – Mediterranean style restaurant with the option to also eat in the conservatory area
  • Sundaes

For an additional charge 24-hour room service will be available.

Accommodation

Iona will have a range of cabins from insides up to Suites, with a new addition of a Conservatory Mini Suite.  P&O have released a video that can be seen below which will give you a good idea of the styling used as well as a closer look at the Conservatory Mini-suite


Olly Smith shows us a Conservatory Mini-suite

Cabin grades:

  • Suite
  • Conservatory Mini-suite (seen in above video)
  • Deluxe Balcony
  • Balcony
  • Sea view (Outside)
  • Inside
  • Single Balcony and Insides

Entertainment

With a variety of options available, you will no doubt find something to keep you entertained.  The venues on Iona are:

  • SkyDome – Somewhere to relax and dine in the day and be entertained by night with areal performances and deck parties
  • Grand Atrium
  • Headliners Theater
  • The Club House
  • The 710 Club – Adults only music venue
  • The Limelight Club
  • Ocean Studios cinema – Cinema complex with 4 screens showing a range of films from cinema classics to recent blockbusters
  • Library – Located in Anderson’s, wine and a book equals perfection!
  • Art gallery
  • Casino

Iona will also feature Dance instructors on selected cruises as well as Salsa & Line dancing sessions.


Take a closer look at the SkyDome

Children’s clubs

  • The Reef (age-specific clubs)
  • Night nursery
  • Scene, teen area
  • Daily children’s tea at the buffet

Sport and Fitness

Free of charge facilities include:

  • Fully-equipped gym
  • Selection of fitness classes such as Fab Abs, Early morning Stretch and Total body conditioning
  • Sauna
  • Steam room
  • Sports area
  • Jogging track
  • Golf Nets
  • Shuffleboard
  • Deck quoits
  • Table Tennis

For an extra charge:

  • Spa and Salon
  • Thermal Suite
  • Hydrotherapy pool
  • The Retreat
  • Fitness classes

Pools

5200 passengers will need quite a few pools, and there seems to be a good selection on Iona:

  • 4 Swimming pools
  • Infinity pool
  • 6 infinity whirlpool spas
  • 12 whirlpool spas

Bars

The most important part of a cruise (well ours) are the bars and what a selection Iona has:

  • The Club House
  •  Anderson’s
  • Brodie’s
  • The Crow’s Nest
  • The Glass House
  • Vistas – Casual venue service Eric Lanlards cakes and pastries
  • The Keel and Cow – Gastro pub
  • Emerald Bar – Cocktail bar with Sea views
  • 7 deck bars

P&O have also announced, Iona will also have her own on-board Gin Distillery – now that’s something that gets us excited.

 

Deck plans

Finally, to take a good look at Iona, make sure you check out the deck plans which can be found by clicking here

 

Hopefully you have found this post useful – now all that’s left to do is to book your P&O Iona cruise.  For further information visit P&O Cruises today

 

Please check back for further updates and to make sure you don’t miss anything from us follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.

 

 



 

Further Reading:

Below are some related articles from our Blog:

  • Our most recent P&O cruise overview from P&O Oceana can be found here
  • Want some reasons to choose a P&O cruise?  Take a look here