SarahHben

So glad you had a good time! Lovely photos 😊

We did several excursions last May. We were due to do the boat trip past Pulpit Rock but it was too windy for Iona to dock in Stavanger so that one was cancelled. We did the troll cars up to the Briksdal Glacier at Olden, we had torrential rain but loved it, and then we did the ‘Geiranger on your own’ one where you get the ferry and have a set amount of time in Geiranger to explore. Geiranger was our favourite place of the trip. My husband has posted videos of the troll car trip and Geiranger on the same YouTube account as our cabin video.

It’s out of our budget too. We had originally booked a deluxe balcony on the curved bit & had selected ‘no upgrades’ but they were still keeping areas free for covid quarantine last May and we were moved to the conservatory mini suite. 😊

Hi We had a deck 9 conservatory mini suite on Iona last May, 9632, & loved it. In the cabin we were given robes (not to keep) slippers, a bottle of fizz, a box of chocolates, a bowl of fruit, use of binoculars & an atlas. In the bathroom there was a White Company gift set of shower gels, shampoos etc. We also had priority boarding as it was a mini suite & there was due to be a complimentary lunch but that was cancelled as there was some sort of convention on that day. My husband posted a video of our cabin on YouTube if you want a look at the cabin. If you search for your cabin number on YouTube you may find a video of yours on there.

Thanks everyone. I'd like to think that I dress to make myself happy, no one else, my husband probably wouldn't notice if I wore the same thing every night 😂 I used to hate clothes shopping, but then I lost a fair bit of weight 8 years ago and I started enjoying shopping and dressing up. Although some weight has crept back on recently I like that I still find joy putting an outfit together & feeling nice in it. That may sound daft or shallow but hey, 10 years ago I hated how I looked in anything, now I don't 😊

When we went to Norway last year, I took a cabin size case full of shoes for the 2 of us 😊

Yes I've made a few mistake buys and sold them on. Sizing can be so hit and miss between brands or even styles from the same brand.

Have a great time, I'm looking forward to hearing all about Ventura

Thank you. If the last formal night is the kind of unofficial b&w night on Ventura on my cruise, I'm not sure I'll fit in my b&w dress by then. My wine red dress is the loosest I have, I wont stand out like a sore thumb at all 😂

Thank you all for your replies. I'm taking 4 formal night dresses but was wondering if a different outfit for each smart/casual night was over the top but it sounds like there's a mix, so if I have room in our cases I will 😊 I have discovered Vinted fairly recently and have found some real bargains, most with labels still attached, but I've possibly over bought, now I can't decide which ones to take! @happy v My clothes list that I've started is is size order 😂 On my cruise last year I thanked my various pieces of control underwear each night and that was only a 7 day cruise 😏

Morning, Does anyone know if they still have black and white themed formal nights? I’m currently planning my outfits. Also do most of you (possibly more geared to the ladies?) take a different outfit for each night on a 2 week cruise or double up? Thanks

Because Mum was in a wheelchair due to an injury just before the cruise, we were all novice wheelchair pushers so probably struggled more than those of you who are more used to the challenges involved ☺️

If there’s an easier route from the ship to town it wasn’t obvious, but we had to push mum in a wheelchair up and over the bridge, it was hard going! I’ve attached a link to my husband’s video of us in Haugesund, it shows the walk over the bridge. We struggled with the wheelchair in Haugesund as there were lots of hills. Mum wanted to get to the water front but we didn’t feel safe trying to get the wheelchair to where she wanted to go.

I've just thought of another question.... can you take food from the buffet or grill into the Retreat? I know the Retreat offers various food options but if I wanted to grab a few slices of pizza to eat in the Retreat is that allowed? Also is Ventura's poolside grill likely to be open on embarkation? Thanks

Is it usual for captains to change mid cruise? Looks like there’s a change over mid way through our august cruise on Ventura

That’s great, thank you for that 😊

He definitely wouldn’t want to do the zip line 😊 We’ll book the train via P&O, I know it’s cheaper to do it independently but I’m a worrier and would feel safer knowing there’s no chance we’d miss the ship 🥴 Can you hire the bikes at the top if P&O don’t do an excursion that includes the option of cycling down?

So sorry to hear that. Hoping you have a quick recovery and can get home soon

Yes I have told him and yes he is crazy 😂 He is a keen cyclist but after hearing about Sandra’s accident I’d rather he was in a group and not on his own. It might put a dampener on the holiday if he doesn’t make it back to the ship before I sail off to my next port without him 😁

Ouch! I hope the soreness wears off quickly and you can enjoy the rest of your cruise. We’re visiting Flam next May on Britannia and my husband is interested in cycling down those hairpin bends. Is there an excursion that does train up & bike down or do you have to hire the bike independently? He would be cycling on his own because my rear end prefers more comfy seats rather than a saddle 😂

We’re going to be on Ventura in the summer holidays 🥴 fortunately we’ve paid for the Retreat for the fortnight!

My sister has just had the same email for their 5th August Iona cruise, she’s very disappointed.

Thank you both for that. I think my husband would really enjoy a tour if I can book us onto it.

Maybe it’s only me that calls it the cruise personaliser. It’s where you log in on the P&O website with your booking reference number, name & date of birth. Then the Travel Extras tab and it mentions the tour with the other welcome on board gifts like flowers etc. it says there’s limited places and you have to ask at reception once on board.

Hello I wondered if any of know how much the Behind the Scenes Tour costs on Ventura? I noticed when looking at my cruise personaliser that it is an option but no mention of how much it costs. Thank you.