Norway Fjord Cruise on P&O’s Iona
We had a wonderful time onboard P&O’s Iona. Fantastic cabin, wonderful food, fab entertainment, and most important of all: absolutely stunning scenery.
Life on board Iona
This was our first cruise, and indeed our first ‘package’ holiday. We tend to enjoy road trips, private villas or city breaks. We had no idea if we’d enjoy a cruise but also wanted to embrace a new experience, see the fjords… and avoid flying (this was the summer of multiple flight cancellations).
We were unsure if cruising was for us, but we absolutely loved it. Our cabin was lovely; plenty of room, lots of storage, great shower, very large balcony (we were in 15515 which had an extra large cabin, about three times bigger than most others).
The food was wonderful (separate blog on that here) and we really enjoyed the entertainment; live bands, theatre shows, a comedian, a silent disco (sooo fun!) - to name but a few. We particularly enjoyed the Limelight Club (additional cost but amazing food and fabulous entertainment, in our case Jaymi Hensley), the 7/10 Club (musical director Gary Barlow) and cocktails in The Club House (our favourite bar).
The crew were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for us and the Captain’s announcements amusing and enjoyable.
(Click on the images to see a little bigger)
Tips:
Pick your own cabin and if you want a balcony, go for a larger one (look at the deck plan to figure this out but we were in 15515 and had a balcony x3 bigger than others)
The food in the MDR’s (main dining room’s) was amazing, so we skipped the buffet and went there every night. It was silver-service, amazing food every single day. You can book in advance once onboard or join a virtual queue; we never waited long.
Book into the Limelight Club before you go - you can do this on P&O’s My Holiday portal. The food was lovely, the entertainment fab and it made for a fun change.
Review the drinks packages before you go. We went for the non-alcohol package as we’re not big drinkers, although we still had alcohol every night (I worked out we spent £220 on cocktails and wine - still saving money vs the alcohol package) … so think about what’s right for you.
Join a FB group to get more tips, advice and ask your burning questions.
Formal Night
Our second night was ‘Celebration Night’ aka ‘Formal Night’ or ‘Black Tie Night’.
We really enjoyed dressing up, it felt really special and I loved seeing everyone else who’d made the effort (it wasn’t compulsory, you can wear what you want in the buffet and several people did but the majority joined in).
We enjoyed a fabulous five-course meal in one of the MDR’s, one of the best of the trip.
That evening we went to the Club House for cocktails, which was our favourite bar.
Wonderful night not to be missed.
Port 1 - Stavanger
We enjoyed strolling around Stavanger, it’s a lovely place. This is a great chance to go deeper into the fjords and we joined a trip on a smaller boat to Pulpit Rock. The scenery was stunning and this was one of the best things we did during the whole trip. We just arranged this port-side (this goes for all ports, we didn’t do any P&O arranged trips).
Tip:
Go on a trip deeper into the fjord, we recommend Pulpit Rock.
Click on the images below to see a bigger version -
Port 2 - Olden
Olden was our favourite of all the stops; it’s an absolutely beautiful place, a quiet little town with picturesque buildings and absolutely stunning scenery.
Here we took the Loen Skylift, for stunning views of the fjords below. We walked to the very top of the mountain (not steep or too tricky) and then another bus trip to a Glacier (small in comparison to those we’ve seen in the Alps, but lovely none-the-less.)
The people of Olden were very friendly. This was Iona’s last stop in Olden for the season and they came out to wave us off, playing music, dancing and singing. The atmosphere was wonderful, even moving.
Tip:
Get up early to watch the sail-in to Olden; it’s stunning … the sail-out was wonderful too, get a table by the window and watch the many islands and skerries pass you by.
Port 3 - Alesund
Alesund was nice; but not as spectacular as the previous two. Still, we had a lovely walk around; some parts reminded me of Amsterdam, with buildings lined up beside the water. We went to the top of Aksla for more lovely views of the town below, then returned to the ship for lunch on board and reading in the gorgeous atrium.
Sea Days
We were supposed to only have one sea day, but ended up with a second as the weather meant we couldn’t stop at the last port. We spent our time walking about (Deck 8, 16 and 17 are best for this), reading in the atrium (with free Costa - due to our drinks pass), browsing the art gallery and I even did some fiction writing.
Tips:
Either plan some fun things to do, or take a book or other hobby - unless there’s great weather you may be indoors all day.
The whirlpools weren’t that hot (hence whirlpool not hot tub!) so take a robe with you, and maybe a warm hat if you want to go in.
Sea Days are a great chance to book a spa treatment, go for a swim, or try one of the many experiences on board including games, gin tasting and more.
Summary
We had a wonderful holiday onboard P&O Cruise’s Iona. We loved the ship, we loved the Norwegian Fjords and we had an amazing time. We’ve already booked another cruise with P&O. I couldn’t recommend this trip enough :)