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What are the main selling points of iona

beachmad123

By beachmad123,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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beachmad123

beachmad123

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47 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

In comparison to the rest of the P&O fleet? 

Choice, (dining, venues etc), new, geared at slightly different audience, cost, greener. 

Very good question, I didn't think I would struggle to answer... 

Andy 

 

Thankyou Andy I had the same thoughts I came up with new and bigger 

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SarahHben "Live from...." Rare

SarahHben

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I can't compare it to any other P & O ship because our June cruise will be my first ever cruise, but the selling points for us were firstly the price, secondly the destination, both my husband and I wanted to go to Norway, after that it was the fact it will be fresh and modern looking. The size wasn't a selling point, we would have gone for a smaller ship if the  prices were the same. The sky dome was a plus knowing that the weather in Norway is unpredictable. Good choice of restaurants and bars, although the majority of our evening meals will likely be in the mdr, we will go to the Limelight Club and probably Sindu.

 

The things that are making me slightly nervous about the experience are the size, the number of comments about Iona's 'younger demographic' we are in our early 50's and the fact that it seems to be going away from the more formal evenings that I was expecting from a cruise.

 

 

 

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purplesea

purplesea

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9 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

The things that are making me slightly nervous about the experience are the size, the number of comments about Iona's 'younger demographic' we are in our early 50's and the fact that it seems to be going away from the more formal evenings that I was expecting from a cruise.

 

 

 

The main selling point for us was the fact that she is the new ship and my mother particularly was interested in sailing on her.

 

Our ages range between 60 to late 80's - so we are certainly not in the 'younger demographic' group and are booked to sail on her in July. 

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cjthedjeu

cjthedjeu

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The snobbery surrounding cruising in general and the Iona threads in particular are astounding. Why is it such a bad thing to have a ship which MIGHT appeal/attract a slightly younger clientele? However from previous posts it is obvious that this is not necessarily the case and with practically all cruise ships now you will have a broad range of passengers covering all age groups. This is down to cruising becoming accessible to more people as bigger and more affordable options become available and unfortunately a lot of people obviously do not like the change but there will always be smaller more traditional cruise ships available for those who want to live in the past.

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

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32 minutes ago, john watson said:

New and cheap are the worst USP's you can have in business. Both easily disappear.

 

Regards John

Not so, economies of scale have been driving the global economy since the industrial revolution, and long may that continue.

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Showingthatgame

Showingthatgame

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As others have said, big and cheap. The size means that there will be a large variety of speciality restaurants and a larger evening line up of entertainment. 

 

One reason for me is how Iona prides itself on connecting you with the sea. The aitrum with the huge surrounding windows looks very pleasant and the MDRs being situated at the aft again with the full height Windows is another good way to bring natural light in. You then have the quays outdoor dining with the very wide promenade and the entertainment space at the aft so you don't feel like you are trapped inside.  Take the quantum class ships on RCI for example, they basically have no windows at all and look like a shopping mall at sea. The reminding you that you are at sea was a usp for me over the other p&o ships. 

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Eglesbrech "Live from...." Rare

Eglesbrech

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17 minutes ago, cjthedjeu said:

Maybe the main USP will be that a lot of traditional cruisers that in my experience complain and moan about everything, will avoid Iona and therefore make it a much happier and relaxed place for a holiday.

Dream on. People will always want to try out a new ship and some will love it and some not so much. Those who don’t like it will share their views, your experience of “complain and moan about everything” may be their idea of helpful feedback based on years of experience.

 

A lot of old hands will have booked the maiden year voyages. Eventually in a year or two the ships core group of passengers will settle to those who really enjoy it. 
 

Iona looks like she has some interesting features as mentioned above. As long as people sail with an open mind them they should hopefully find something to enjoy onboard.

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john watson

john watson

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1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

Not so, economies of scale have been driving the global economy since the industrial revolution, and long may that continue.

 

I beg to differ:  1. in three years Iona will not be "the new ship" as other new ships will take the title.   2. Offering the cheapest price means you cannot increase your price as you will no longer be the cheapest price.  Economies of scale will likely drive bigger ships being cheaper again leaving Iona without these two USPs.

 

Regards John

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cjthedjeu

cjthedjeu

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3 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Dream on. People will always want to try out a new ship and some will love it and some not so much. Those who don’t like it will share their views, your experience of “complain and moan about everything” may be their idea of helpful feedback based on years of experience.

 

A lot of old hands will have booked the maiden year voyages. Eventually in a year or two the ships core group of passengers will settle to those who really enjoy it. 
 

Iona looks like she has some interesting features as mentioned above. As long as people sail with an open mind them they should hopefully find something to enjoy onboard.

Totally agree and if people waited until had been on board to detail out criticisms and opinions on what is wrong with it then I would have no problem with it at all but a lot of people are being extremely critical before she has even had a maiden voyage, and also critical of the people that they perceive will be wanting to sail on her.

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yorkshirephil

yorkshirephil

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For us it was the fact that she is cruising the Fjords which we love and it is my partners birthday. Normally we would not cruise on a brand new ship and let them iron out any wrinkles. Being a big ship is not an issue as we like big ships as well as the small ones. 

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mike x ftc

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There does seem to be a lack of 'something', she is incredibly large with a LOT of passengers and I'm sure there will be nice eating choices and day light, the dome looks lovely, but ships of this size on other lines, RCI, NCL, MSC etc all have features such as waterparks, boardwalks, lit up atriums etc etc. not saying this is the way P&O should go and I'm sure she will be lovely but there are a lot of people to entertain - and I'm not sure a quiz will cut it!!

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Eglesbrech "Live from...." Rare

Eglesbrech

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1 hour ago, mike x ftc said:

There does seem to be a lack of 'something', she is incredibly large with a LOT of passengers and I'm sure there will be nice eating choices and day light, the dome looks lovely, but ships of this size on other lines, RCI, NCL, MSC etc all have features such as waterparks, boardwalks, lit up atriums etc etc. not saying this is the way P&O should go and I'm sure she will be lovely but there are a lot of people to entertain - and I'm not sure a quiz will cut it!!

They are going to have to think about entertainment on a big scale, as you say a quiz or two won’t cut it. They don’t have the props that really big ships normally have which would be there as ready made entertainment such as ice rinks or flowriders.

 

Perhaps they will go for really high quality Guest speakers or regular music events etc. Ionafest may be the start of that kind of theme entertainment.

 

Time will tell.

 

 

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davecttr

davecttr

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4 hours ago, mike x ftc said:

There does seem to be a lack of 'something', she is incredibly large with a LOT of passengers and I'm sure there will be nice eating choices and day light, the dome looks lovely, but ships of this size on other lines, RCI, NCL, MSC etc all have features such as waterparks, boardwalks, lit up atriums etc etc. not saying this is the way P&O should go and I'm sure she will be lovely but there are a lot of people to entertain - and I'm not sure a quiz will cut it!!

Iona does have a substantial wrap around promenade deck which is more than Britannias two 'shelves'. I hope they don't try and restrict access. I found on Britannia there was a lack of any feeling of connection with the sea.

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