P & O Iona Norwegian cruise? (1 Viewer)

[Mousy]

Picking the Funster collective brain…. Our Daughter, Son in law and Granddaughter (under 3) are thinking of taking a Norwegian cruise in June on the P and O Iona.

Does anyone who’s done this have any tips or advice?

Many thanks.

 

[TheMachMan]

We did the Fjords on the Ventura and loved it. We’re not really into cruises but it was worth it to see Norway. Would go again in a heart beat, stunning scenery.
Worth taking the excursions like going deeper into the Fjords on a smaller vessel, visiting the many different ports and seeing the glaciers.

 

[InvictaMoto]

Went P&O in 2019. Was pretty decent and places visited were good. - Bergen, Stavanger, Olden, Alesund. Compared with Saga P&O was a bit Butlins at Sea. Food so-so in the self-services and a battle to find a seat/table. Much better in the serviced restaurants. Entertainment was good. Can't say how a 3yo would find it.

 

[Gaston aires]

P and O have gone large with their new ships, and they have to fill them. Excellent VFM just so long as you don’t mind less formal cruising. Suits me fine.
Good value indeed.
Phil upmecabins

 

[Mousy]

Thanks for replying. We’ve never cruised so cannot offer advice. I presume not being near the engines is good. Does it matter what side your cabin is?

Ironically they are both in the Royal Navy! Think they are seeing it as a reasonably priced week away.

I can see us being invited along as babysitters next

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[irnbru]

Best to take a cabin thats got cabins above and below to avoid being under somewhere that moves chairs about a bit. Stay away from the very low decks to be free of engine noise.

 

[berni109]

The better half went last year on that very cruise.
Came back with food poisoning and covid.
Ship too big, pokey cabins, mediocre food but the entertainment was good.

 

[Bailey58]

Not been to Norway on a cruise but 3 times touring in the van. We were on the Ventura in December 2019 when we broke down leaving Tenerife. Spend an extra five days there and missed Lanzarote and Lisbon but at least we got a 50% refund, 14 nights for around £650. The best and experienced staff were all being moved to the "new" ship Iona soon after we were told. I've looked at Norway via a cruise but most of them seem to do it in 7 nights, I couldn't be bothered with the travelling to port and check in/out procedures for 7 nights, efficient as it may be.
All totally irrelevent but just go for it, it will give you a taste for Norway!

 

[Roby2008]

Did the Norwegian thing with P&O a couple of times, had a smaller ship though ( Aroura ), good experience, not sure there is enough to do if you have young kids though and we always have a wheely cabin so can`t comment on cabin location, we get what we are given.
The Fjords are spectacular and it doesn`t matter which side you are on, its a great experience to get an initial feel for a country.

We went back with the MH the following year to get more time in places, but that´s another story.
Have also cruised with MSC and Princess, P& O are still the best of the bunch for us, they have a more traditional feel.

We cruise because for a wheelchair user it´s a great way to travel outside of Europe, we have a MH for Europe because you can`t beat it and a Cabrio for daily drives into Tyrol and around the Cheimgau ................ Life can`t get much better.

In summary, go for it, it may be a once in a lifetime experience, or it may be the start of something, you can`t lose.......

 

[Langtoftlad]

Loved the Hurtigruten Classic Norway cruise did last year. Not a 'cruise' in the accepted sense but a working boat with passengers.
Food was excellent, cabins ferry standard but of course the star of the show was being so close to the scenery... in some cases a few tens of metres.
Standout excursions
1. Husky sledding
2. Snowmobile at night, from one port, racing across country to catch up with the ship at the next port.

Suited me down to the ground. I wouldn't thank you for huge ships, with their multiple restaurants and "entertainment". Let alone joining the 1000's of fellow passengers trying to get on & off the ship at each port.

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[cliffanger]

Picking the Funster collective brain…. Our Daughter, Son in law and Granddaughter (under 3) are thinking of taking a Norwegian cruise in June on the P and O Iona.

Does anyone who’s done this have any tips or advice?

Many thanks.

Dawn, I don’t know about the Fjords, but my ukey friend Deb went on the Iona and loved it.

The only thing she didn’t like was (being a newbie), she didn’t know that she needed to book the silver service restaurant as soon as bookings were opened (I think well before disembarkation) and was really cross that the restaurants were fully booked every night.

I can ask her for any info she thinks might be helpful for Phebs and Simon. xx

 

[Speve]

Loved the Hurtigruten Classic Norway cruise did last year. Not a 'cruise' in the accepted sense but a working boat with passengers.
Food was excellent, cabins ferry standard but of course the star of the show was being so close to the scenery... in some cases a few tens of metres.
Standout excursions
1. Husky sledding
2. Snowmobile at night, from one port, racing across country to catch up with the ship at the next port.

Suited me down to the ground. I wouldn't thank you for huge ships, with their multiple restaurants and "entertainment". Let alone joining the 1000's of fellow passengers trying to get on & off the ship at each port.

I will second your comment we did Hurtigruten northern lights from Dover last October 15 days and loved every minute of it
Not cheap but you get what you pay for excellent expedition team and a really great experience.
we thoroughly recommend them

 

[Langtoftlad]

I think of the cruise ships as floating towns... The point being to enjoy the facilities onboard, which generally appear to be superb.

But 5200 fellow passengers Vs 500 on the coastal boats. Shudder.
It took long enough to disembark at ports of call as it was...

Couple of points we had three coaches for the North Cape... How many coaches off a cruise ship?
Passing Arctic Circle ceremony, how long to wait (if they do it)
Berthing a cruise ship tends to be remote... The Nordkapp parked in town...

 

[Speve]

I think of the cruise ships as floating towns... The point being to enjoy the facilities onboard, which generally appear to be superb.

But 5200 fellow passengers Vs 500 on the coastal boats. Shudder.
It took long enough to disembark at ports of call as it was...

Couple of points we had three coaches for the North Cape... How many coaches off a cruise ship?
Passing Arctic Circle ceremony, how long to wait (if they do it)
Berthing a cruise ship tends to be remote... The Nordkapp parked in town...

We only had 230 people on our cruise on the Maud which can take about 530 so we had loads of space and good experiences at ports when disembarking

 

[hja]

I will second your comment we did Hurtigruten northern lights from Dover last October 15 days and loved every minute of it
Not cheap but you get what you pay for excellent expedition team and a really great experience.
we thoroughly recommend them

We did Hurtigruten a few years ago in May. Really enjoyed it. It was my retirement present to myself, I had wanted to do it for years. OH was a bit sceptical: "going for a holiday on a car ferry!" but he enjoyed it also. We liked the informality - no captains table, no getting dolled up for dinner. Excursions were good, food was good (vegetarian options were excellent) scenery out of this world. Because the ship was small we got into places the gigger cruise liners cant get.

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[Mousy]

Well as expected we’ve been co-opted into going!

Thanks for all the comments, I have passed them on. Covid and food poisoning didn’t go down well

Their thoughts are it’s a really cheap way (1.5k) for a weeks all inclusive holiday for the 3 of them. They hope to enjoy spending time together, looking at great views and with us along to help share childcare, perhaps have some time to chill out after a stressful work situation.
They are used to cramped cabins

Whilst a huge ship full of Brits isn’t our idea of a great time and we completely agree a smaller cruise could suit us better, maybe that’s for another time.

We hope to make some nice memories with Ophelia and check out Norway to see if we’d like to return in the Moho. If nothing else if it’s a disaster, it will make a great story!

Phoebe is now researching it all so no doubt we will have a busy schedule and standing orders by the time we embark
Appreciate all your help.

 

[Puddleduck]

We go Fred. Olsen which is more geared to older people but any children on board tend to be spoiled rotten by the crew.

If looking for a cheap holiday we book a last minute outside cabin as we are only in the cabin to change clothes and sleep so cabin size doesn't really matter.

The nearer you are to the medical facility the less movement in rougher seas.

Love Norway on a cruise and looking to go again at some point when my health settles and we can get travel insurance but we may have to book further in advance to get a wheelchair friendly cabin or pay more for a larger last minute cabin.

I like tender ports as being at the front of the tender as it powers to the landing makes me

Some real bargains to be had if you can go last minute. We have booked a follow on cruise when on board which worked out at £30 ppm I think - and we were treated like royalty. Everyone leaving the ship disembarked before 10 am, a porter moved our cases from one cabin to another and left them in the wardrobe so the room could be cleaned and we went ashore for the day after collecting our new cruise cards. Coming back on board no queues for us, straight through the VIP gate and big smiles from the security people for Mr Martin and Ma'am Helen as they called us!!!! My friend, the huge security guard whose home place is Samoa did the duck dance with me as we went through the scanner - to every one's delight but that is a different story. Lol

 

[nicholsong]

For Norway I would normally suggest Fred Olsen, but maybe not with a 3 year-old.

Loved the Hurtigruten Classic Norway cruise did last year. Not a 'cruise' in the accepted sense but a working boat with passengers.
Food was excellent, cabins ferry standard but of course the star of the show was being so close to the scenery... in some cases a few tens of metres.
Standout excursions
1. Husky sledding
2. Snowmobile at night, from one port, racing across country to catch up with the ship at the next port.

Suited me down to the ground. I wouldn't thank you for huge ships, with their multiple restaurants and "entertainment". Let alone joining the 1000's of fellow passengers trying to get on & off the ship at each port.

Stephen

I feel exactly the same about big cruise ships, which is why I have never done one.

Most of my sea ship journeys have been on ferries, sometimes with cabins, mostly Greek islands but also P'mouth -Santander.

One of my dreams has been to take the MH on Hurtigruten up the coast and stop off in several places for 1-2 days.

My dream was dashed last year when I found out that they will not take MHs.

We might still do it, but that means finding parking in Bergen and getting rooms in each port plus hire cars - not like MHing.

 

[cliffanger]

Well as expected we’ve been co-opted into going!

Thanks for all the comments, I have passed them on. Covid and food poisoning didn’t go down well

Their thoughts are it’s a really cheap way (1.5k) for a weeks all inclusive holiday for the 3 of them. They hope to enjoy spending time together, looking at great views and with us along to help share childcare, perhaps have some time to chill out after a stressful work situation.
They are used to cramped cabins

View attachment 728638

Whilst a huge ship full of Brits isn’t our idea of a great time and we completely agree a smaller cruise could suit us better, maybe that’s for another time.

We hope to make some nice memories with Ophelia and check out Norway to see if we’d like to return in the Moho. If nothing else if it’s a disaster, it will make a great story!

Phoebe is now researching it all so no doubt we will have a busy schedule and standing orders by the time we embark
Appreciate all your help.

I saw photos of our friends trip on a cruise of the Fjords last June and they all had sweaters and waterproofs on, so at least you won’t be bothered by the high temperatures and too much sun Dawn!

Joking apart, it will be lovely to spend some time with Ophelia - you’ll have a fab time.

 

[Mousy]

Phoebe reckons it will be 18 degrees ish. So definitely big coat weather

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[DT]

We have done several cruises that visit the Norwegian Fjords and they are spectacular. We have sailed on Celebrity, Princess and Cunard ships which are all excellent. Personally I would not recommend any ship that has more than 3000 passengers and pay the extra for a good balcony. Princess balconies are probably the smallest at sea. In a few days we leave Florida for Europe on Oceania Cruise Lines another great company. On our last trip to the Fjords we noticed a few anti cruise ship posters in some ports, in my opinion the huge 5-6k passenger mega ships are going to spoil it.

 

[dash300]

We were on Iona twice last year and it is a fine ship. Did the Fjiords in it when only half full and it was just superb. Balcony essential. Did it on a Canary trip later in the year and it was rammed full and not so enjoyable but still way better than Olsen which is best avoided in my experience.

 

[Brains]

For Norway I would normally suggest Fred Olsen, but maybe not with a 3 year-old.


Stephen

I feel exactly the same about big cruise ships, which is why I have never done one.

Most of my sea ship journeys have been on ferries, sometimes with cabins, mostly Greek islands but also P'mouth -Santander.

One of my dreams has been to take the MH on Hurtigruten up the coast and stop off in several places for 1-2 days.

My dream was dashed last year when I found out that they will not take MHs.

We might still do it, but that means finding parking in Bergen and getting rooms in each port plus hire cars - not like MHing.

Why not do the Hutigruten one way and the motorhome the other ?

Drive up to Kirkness via Sweden (roads are much faster and the country is flat, you could do it in 3-4 days if you wanted), leave the van at the top and fly down to bergen and meet the ship, pootle up on the ship for a week, to the top, pick up the van and pootle back down the Norwegian coast in the van, which would take you 3-4 weeks

 

[Widge]

Just done our first cruise, Med and Morocco so cannot comment on fjords. We went with MSC on one of their smaller ships about 2000 passengers generaly good value for money confortable excellent food and staff.

Our voyage was multi national so anouncements were a bit long winded, also most of the theatre entertainment was song and dance to get around the language problem, it would be difficult for a standup comedian for example.

My only real comments against was they wanted to sell their own tours, and that was the only information they had to provide about any of our destinations. Sometimes a long walk from the ship if you didn't use the tours.

On-board Internet was a ridiculous price but mobiles were fine in port and often worked even when 20km or so off the coast.

Lastly bugs go around in a closed system, there was a cough and cold going around that both of us caught luckily only really affected us badly with a slightly high temperature for a day, but we both still have a bit of a cough and have been back a week.

Overall a positive experience and good value for money, for the two of us, we paid 1300€ for 10 days (11 nights) all in (no drinks package) and we upgraded to a cabin with a good window, we could have saved 300-400€ if we had gone for a basic internal cabin. Would we go again? Probably depending on the ship and destinations.

 

[berni109]

Well if u are going then be aware that due to weather conditions the itinerary may change at the very last moment (like tomorrow we were due to be there but ended up somewhere else).
As we all know cruise excursions are notoriously expensive but for most cruisers doing your own thing is usually a lot more fun and more reasonably priced. EXCEPT if u have pre booked your own activity and u end up in a different port than the one you expected to be in.

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[Puddleduck]

We were on Iona twice last year and it is a fine ship. Did the Fjiords in it when only half full and it was just superb. Balcony essential. Did it on a Canary trip later in the year and it was rammed full and not so enjoyable but still way better than Olsen which is best avoided in my experience.

Each to their own.

I have been on a P&O cruise and was poisoned with gluten twice so never again. Fred. Olsen has never had an issue with my diet. I know my requirements are probably very different to many other people but a constant worry "will the food make me ill?" does not make for a relaxing holiday!!

One reason we have the van is that it takes away the worry over poisoning.

 

[Podney]

We went to the Fjords about ten years ago on the old Marco Polo. I can’t remember which cruise line it was,maybe Cruise & Maritime. Well worth the trip.
Anyway, my only strong recommendation is to go on the smallest boat you can find as you will then be taken to some of the more secluded places and smaller fjords. Some of those great big prison ships are awful and just not made for fjords.

 

[Bailey58]

We went to the Fjords about ten years ago on the old Marco Polo. I can’t remember which cruise line it was,maybe Cruise & Maritime. Well worth the trip.
Anyway, my only strong recommendation is to go on the smallest boat you can find as you will then be taken to some of the more secluded places and smaller fjords. Some of those great big prison ships are awful and just not made for fjords.

Yes that was CMV out of Tilbury, sadly they went bust in 2020 and Marco Polo was scrapped a year later. We had a few cruises with that line as not only was it cheap but convenient for our cruise friends at Chelmsford.

 

[Curt]

I have been on the exact same boat, the food was diabolical, with 5000 people fighting for every tray and then a battle for a deck lounger, pre-paid excursions were cancelled or pointless places we visited, mainly tourist traps open for the day of the arrival of this silly huge cash cow, and we got covid 5 days in. Apart from that it was great.

 

[Mousy]

I have been on the exact same boat, the food was diabolical, with 5000 people fighting for every tray and then a battle for a deck lounger, pre-paid excursions were cancelled or pointless places we visited, mainly tourist traps open for the day of the arrival of this silly huge cash cow, and we got covid 5 days in. Apart from that it was great.

Blimey that’s a ringing endorsement

I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the trip.

When you say tray, was that buffet dining? Did you eat in the main dining rooms with table service? There seem to be loads of restaurants, it’s confusing.

May I ask which month you went? Hoping June has better weather so ports less likely to be changed.

Was the scenery amazing?

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