We attended the Cruise Lines International Association conference which featured visits to three amazing ships including MSC Virtuosa, P&O Iona and Royal Caribbean’s Anthem Of The Seas.
Day 2: P&O Cruises Iona
On the second day of CLIA we boarded P&O’s Iona for the day and did a self-guided tour around the ship followed by lunch in one of the 4 main dining restaurants which are all freedom dining, The Pearl which is a beautiful restaurant with lovely modern decorations and stunning view of the sea from all angles. The food was delightful and had options for all dietary requirements.
This ship, newest of the P&O fleet has lots of amazing highlights that we visited including the wonderful skydome which is perfect for any rainy days as this venue brings the outside in. By day it is a relaxing inside pool and lounge area where you can chill out with a cocktail from one of the surrounding bars, take a dip in the pool or read a book.
If you’re hungry there is also delicious dining options in the skydome including Taste 360 which offers a street food style dining experience by the pool and also the Poolside Pizzeria offering tasty pizzas. By night the Skydome is an entertainment venue where some of the best shows on the ship take place such as the breath-taking aerial acrobats who make use of the height available in the skydome as it is situated on two decks, deck 16 and deck 17.
Another highlight of our visit on this beautiful ship is the Atrium area. This area is absolutely stunning with marble staircases and feels very bright and spacious. This area spans across 3 decks and is the first area you see when guests embark. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide an amazing view of the sea and surrounding areas when you are in port and is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by. The atrium also hosts some of the specialty dining restaurants including The Keel & Cow and The Glasshouse.
Our next stop on our visit was the two amazing infinity pools that Iona hosts right at the back of the ship which give spectacular views of the world around you. There are also infinity whirlpools on deck 8 which provide wonderful panoramic views of the sea whilst relaxing in a hot tub which would never get boring!
We then visited the worlds first Gin distillery at sea on board Iona and what a place for it to be! The sea-inspired Marabelle Gin is distilled onboard and the guests can see this happen in person. Marabelle Gin is inspired by the isle of Iona and is found at Anderson’s bar and library. The sea-distilled gin can be enjoyed at most of the bars onboard Iona. There is also the Crow’s Nest on Iona which is a beautiful hidden Gem right at the front of the ship and is a perfect place to go for pre-dinner drinks or after-dinner drinks whilst listening to the sound of a pianist playing every night. During the day, the views from the crows nest are stunning with 180-degree views of the sea or port.
The last place on the ship that was my personal favourite, is the traditional boutique quadplex Ocean Studios cinema venue. This venue has 4 different cinema rooms showing 4 different movies every day at a wide selection of times throughout the day and the best bit is that the movies aren’t old movies, they are up-to-date movies that are currently in cinemas.
The cinema area has a bright red velvet carpet and traditional cinema sofa in the waiting area and has vending machines as well as showtimes for each movie. The waiting area has a display of bulb-type lights which is a really nice touch and goes very well with the red carpet and all-around cinema theme. In the cinema rooms, they feature red velvet seats which are warm and comfortable offering a premium cinema experience.
My overall thoughts on Iona are that the ship is great for couples and families. The ship is very bright and airy throughout and has lots of quirks about her. The décor in all venues is very modern and the ship has a lot of eye-catching areas throughout. The Atrium is definitely a highlight of the ship for me as it is the heart and soul of Iona, it is a beautiful place to spend time in and is perfect to get photos taken here on formal nights. There are also endless places to relax and take in the breath-taking views, have a drink, and indulge yourself such as the Crows nest.
There is also a good number of venues that offer delicious food, and also lots of places around the ship where activities take place so there is always something on. The final thing I would say is really good about Iona is that there is a lot of deck space available therefore a lot of sunbeds can fit onto the decks which is ideal if you are holidaying to hot countries and saves the ‘fighting for sunbeds’ scenario as there are loads always available even if the ship is at full capacity.
