I need reassurance please

[babs135]

I'm in two groups on another well known site and reading the comments feel that (since the Pandemic) people either still love P&O or loathe it (citing multiple changes to how things used to be).  Also coming in half and half is the Iona.  Needless to say DH and I are booked on the Iona for the end of the month and as I was the one who chose the cruise I am beginning to feel a certain amount of pressure on me that if things aren't quite 'right' I'll be in the firing line.  Time, itinerary and, of course, a very good price were the reasons we booked, but part of me is worrying that we would have been better with a week in Spain, especially as the weather will be hot!!

I'm as certain as anyone can be that we will have a great time, after all someone else will be doing the cooking and cleaning, etc but I just need that little extra reassurance that it will work out okay.

Thanks in advance

 

 

[jeanlyon]

Well nobody can reassure you either way really.  Some will love and some will hate.  Surely your DH won't blame you for booking a cruise.  Go and enjoy it and make up your own mind.

[Spike11]

I don’t think I can give any assurance that it will work out for YOU, but what I can say is that we had a very enjoyable cruise on Iona to Norway last month. We have been cruising with P&O since 2013 and to be honest haven’t noticed any major changes - certainly nothing that would stop us from cruising with them in the future. I guess it depends on what is important to you. Some things that took place pre-Covid are still missing, but I suspect that they will come back in time.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Spike11
Forgot to mention Iona!

[jh1809]

I'd much rather be going on a cruise - assuming that it's not a fly-cruise - than holidaying in Spain, given the shambles that air travel to/from British airports seems to be at the moment.

 

I enjoyed my Med cruise in April, though that was on Aurora rather than Iona.

[emam]

While boards such as these can be helpful, sometimes you have to take what is being said with a pinch of salt. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. One of the big topics on changes is the no night time turn down. I don't think you would you get this if you stayed in a hotel at Spain, so straight away something not to worry about. Food is another topic which is personal to people and there is plenty of different places onboard to eat to please most people. Reports of food not being very nice can just be down to a persons own taste.

 

Are the likes of there being no sweets in the cabin or the fact that they no longer provide small bottles of shower gel going to affect your holiday. Most places are now providing shampoo etc fixed in large bottles to the wall. While people will argue it's a cutback, it's a move towards sustainability and won't effect the enjoyment of your holiday. 

 

While a lot of people who have been cruising for many years have seen lots of small changes, the same thing is happening on-land. Also they are still taking multiple cruises a year with P&O, so they must be doing something to make them return.

 

We have really enjoyed the P&O tours we have taken but some people wouldn't entertain them. Again it's personal choice. Some people prefer suites, some balconies and some inside cabins. They might say they would never go in another type of cabin. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, it's just down again to personal taste or affordability. 

 

Go and enjoy your holiday with an open mind not worrying about what other people think. Don't be put off by negative posts as people tend to post more about something they haven't enjoyed than something they have.  The crew are all lovely and Iona is a new ship. From the photos and videos I have seen she is lovely. If you don't like one part of her just go to another place. 

 

You will have a fab time and be wanting to return again. Just don't go thinking that you won't enjoy it, you will.

[dunnster1965]

I don't think you need to worry. Sure, some things ain't what they used to be and yet P&O are probably carrying around more people than ever before so it can't be too bad. If, at the end of your cruise you didn't enjoy it then be prepared to put it down to experience and take away the positives. Like anything in life if you go in with a positive mental attitude then the chances are that you'll come away wanting to book again - I hope so. Promise me one thing, that when you get back you let us know how you got on! 

[Britboys]

Relax and go with an open mind. At worst, there will be some things you like and others that you don't. Remember that people are more vocal when they don't like something and that there are lots of people who have had a great time on Iona.

I am a P&O 'traditionalist' and so choose to only sail on the two smallest ships. There are however a number of other traditionalists who cruise on every new ship and then moan that it is too big and not like Canberra/Oriana/Arcadia. It always amazes me that these folk never seem to research the ship they book and that Iona being huge comes as a surprise to them...🙄

I did one cruise a few years back (on another cruise line) that for me had mostly negatives but there were also positives and the week wasn't a disaster.

Try to relax and enjoy the preparations for your cruise.

[purplesea]

I sailed with Iona in January and although there were negatives, the positives far outweighed them.

I thought the food was good, the staff helpful and friendly and would sail on her again.

As others have said, go with an open mind and make your own opinions but I am sure you will enjoy the cruise. 

[Harry Peterson]

You’ll enjoy it - I’m pretty confident of that. I suppose it all depends on expectation levels, and if you’re expecting luxury you’ll be disappointed, because that’s not what the P&O brand represents these days. The price reflects that, though, and if you’re looking for luxury it’s going to cost a lot more.

 

In hotel terms it’s probably somewhere around the Premier Inn mark. If you go to a Premier Inn expecting that, you’ll be happy. If you go expecting full service luxury, you won’t.

 

It’s good, middle of the road cruising at a reasonable price. No luxuries, a lot of chargeable extras which used to be included (all avoidable though), but most of the complaints you read are fairly minor.

[Waju]

We went on Iona about 6 weeks ago, we booked it just to try a 'big' ship as we are fans of little old Aurora.  We had a great time, things are slightly different post covid, as they are everywhere - it's not just a P&O thing.

 

My preference would still be the smaller adult only Aurora but would I go on Iona again?  YES I would in a heartbeat, especially during term time when there won't be many kids around.

 

Don't worry, enjoy your holiday and don't forget to come back and tell us how much you enjoyed it!

 

 

[babs135]

Thanks for all your comments. Feeling more reassured already !!  Will try and remember to come back and tell you how it went.

[SarahHben]

All I can say is that we had a great week on Iona at the end of May this year.

We were a party of 6, my parents are regular cruisers with various cruise lines, my husband & I, and my sister and her husband were all first time cruisers and we all enjoyed it. My parents are due back on Iona in January and my sister rebooked while onboard to take her family on Iona next summer which I think speaks for itself. I wouldn't hesitate to book Iona again, but for now we  have Ventura and Britannia booked for '23 & '24.

 

 

[gsmt47471015]

Feel that most of the negative posts relating to P and O are regarding the port changes/cancellations, like most other cruisers we have found the service just as good and yes certain things have been removed (turn down, chocolate's on bed ) but overall the staff are as pleasant as ever and the level of on board service is as was before, if you have an open mind you will be able to make your own judgement. We too are trying Iona this summer and although we prefer the smaller ships are prepared to give it a go, if you don't try these things you will never know.   Have a great cruise😊  

[bbtablet]

"but part of me is worrying that we would have been better with a week in Spain, especially as the weather will be hot!!"

 

44 degrees in Spain!  -  too much of a good thing for my liking!

[Froxfield]

We went on Iona in May, concerned about being on so large a ship.  I can say no more than that we have now booked another Iona for November and one on Arvia next spring.  We were impressed with Iona! Now some of the entertainment was pretty average and not at all to our taste: but for us that is normal on a cruise ship.  The choice for dining gives it the edge for us over the smaller ships.  We would not go back to any of P&O's smaller ships.  As others have written, everyone has different opinions. But for us, Iona was excellent value for money.

 

Having vowed never to sail with P&O again following an awful experience on Oriana with perishing cold on board for a northern lights cruise, we are now back. How cold? Well people were wearing overcoats and boots in Andersons and we wore sweaters in bed!! Having liked Oriana before, we were relieved to see her go!

[Leomins]

We had a 2 week cruise on Iona in March and loved it! We wondered if we would find it too big but didn’t at all. Yes, it is further to walk from one destination to another but that’s not a bad thing unless mobility is an issue. 
We loved the extra choice the larger ship offered with regards to dining and entertainment, as part of our love of cruising is the feeling of ‘having a night out’ every night.

Previously, the smallest ship we had been on was Oceana many years ago. We would definitely book Iona again or Arvia. There was less choice in the MDR than before but what we had was nice. If the cruise price is good, adding extra for some additional dining still keeps the overall price competitive.

I wouldn’t bother with the drinks package, we drank quite a lot and most of what we had wasn’t available on the package, e.g. large wines, double spirits and expensive cocktails. Our final bill was 2/3 of the package price so win, win 💵😀

[sandancer]

Also something to remember is that it’s not only P&O where things have changed or been removed. All of the cruise lines are having to adjust to the situation post Covid. I would imagine that if you read posts on any cruise line forum you will find that things have changed. We just spent 4 weeks on a Celebrity ship and most certainly some things had changed but it didn’t stop us enjoying the cruise. No matter what, cruising remains (for us) the most enjoyable, cost effective holiday when you think what you get for your money. Go and have a great time and come back hooked on cruising. 

[molecrochip]

My personal take is that P&O is in the midst of change.

 

Some things have changed permanently, some things have changed temporarily, and some things had already changed pre-pandemic. Depending upon people's last cruise date pre-pandemic some of those last category may not have already been in place therefore get blamed on Covid (like day one turndown going. Some items have been delayed (like chose-your-own embarkation time).

 

People have not reset their expectations. There is an awful lot of 'in the old days'. Practically every cruise company ripped up their procedures and did a full route and branch review during the lay-ups. Some have returned very similar to before, some better. Some are struggling.

 

Where P&O is really struggling is communications out to passengers, and their relationship with their travel agent partners. I'm thinking cancellations and refunds. Also P&O has not been good of late regarding announcing policies and procedures post covid. This is most certainly as they got burned earlier in the pandemic when the government made changes at the last minute which they then had to implement. A lot of passengers have not been sympathetic to the changing covid-regulatory 

 

I've also flagged that there is a specific bug which is stopping people receiving cruise related documentation. I know of a couple of passengers who booked direct and didn't get any paperwork but do get marketing information. Unsubscribing to the marketing information, then re-subscribing pushed their email address back to the booking system and hey presto it worked.

 

Having to remove two ships from service so shortly after restarting was unfortunate but these things happen. Generally P&O is good at scheduling maintenance stoppages in advance unlike a lot of the American lines who just routinely announce a 3 week cancellation so a ship can go to dry dock.

 

On a positive, for those following the Arvia build, a lot more information is being dripped out, compared to Iona.

[Cruisemeister2002]

My wife perhaps being a bit more glass half full than myself glass half empty whilst not totally reassuring me with regards to cruises booked for early and late next year say's that it's still quite a way away and things will change again by then. We were due to cruise in February this year, but due to itinerary changes which neither of us wanted we were able to move to next year as P&O offered a generous additional OBC or the option to move to another cruise. We were not prepared to miss New Orleans, Key West, Miami and Port Canaveral for a couple of other Caribbean islands and another stop in the Azores. I afraid your concerns are my concerns as the last time we cruised was 2018. It worries me that whilst I am not concerned about the evening turn down service the fact that the number of staff or lack of leads to closure of facilities and although some have reassured me regarding Apps for dining and Theatre I still worry. Having said that our next cruise , God willing, is aboard Ventura and we are second sitting. The later one is onboard Iona, which will be Freedom, but apparently we still get priority although not sure how that works? 

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 6/12/2022 at 10:31 AM, emam said:

While boards such as these can be helpful, sometimes you have to take what is being said with a pinch of salt. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. One of the big topics on changes is the no night time turn down. I don't think you would you get this if you stayed in a hotel at Spain, so straight away something not to worry about. Food is another topic which is personal to people and there is plenty of different places onboard to eat to please most people. Reports of food not being very nice can just be down to a persons own taste.

 

Are the likes of there being no sweets in the cabin or the fact that they no longer provide small bottles of shower gel going to affect your holiday. Most places are now providing shampoo etc fixed in large bottles to the wall. While people will argue it's a cutback, it's a move towards sustainability and won't effect the enjoyment of your holiday. 

 

While a lot of people who have been cruising for many years have seen lots of small changes, the same thing is happening on-land. Also they are still taking multiple cruises a year with P&O, so they must be doing something to make them return.

 

We have really enjoyed the P&O tours we have taken but some people wouldn't entertain them. Again it's personal choice. Some people prefer suites, some balconies and some inside cabins. They might say they would never go in another type of cabin. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, it's just down again to personal taste or affordability. 

 

Go and enjoy your holiday with an open mind not worrying about what other people think. Don't be put off by negative posts as people tend to post more about something they haven't enjoyed than something they have.  The crew are all lovely and Iona is a new ship. From the photos and videos I have seen she is lovely. If you don't like one part of her just go to another place. 

 

You will have a fab time and be wanting to return again. Just don't go thinking that you won't enjoy it, you will.

I agree with many of your sentiments. I have been on sixteen cruises and could find for's and against's on all of them. Some ships whether small or larger we have complained about or loved. We go for an inside cabin on a majority of cruises for two reasons. Firstly because of the time of year we cruise Jan/Feb or Sept/Oct and also because we consider the length of time spent in a cabin means money we could be spending on other things is spent on the cabin if going for sea view or balcony. But then that's personal choice and I have absolutely nothing against those that prefer sea view or balcony. I can honestly say that although we have over the years causes to write to Carnival House we haven't been on a cruise where we have said we wished we hadn't gone on.

[gsmt47471015]

27 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

My wife perhaps being a bit more glass half full than myself glass half empty whilst not totally reassuring me with regards to cruises booked for early and late next year say's that it's still quite a way away and things will change again by then. We were due to cruise in February this year, but due to itinerary changes which neither of us wanted we were able to move to next year as P&O offered a generous additional OBC or the option to move to another cruise. We were not prepared to miss New Orleans, Key West, Miami and Port Canaveral for a couple of other Caribbean islands and another stop in the Azores. I afraid your concerns are my concerns as the last time we cruised was 2018. It worries me that whilst I am not concerned about the evening turn down service the fact that the number of staff or lack of leads to closure of facilities and although some have reassured me regarding Apps for dining and Theatre I still worry. Having said that our next cruise , God willing, is aboard Ventura and we are second sitting. The later one is onboard Iona, which will be Freedom, but apparently we still get priority although not sure how that works? 

We chose to take the additional OBC on the cruise that you moved from February and with hindsight (which is a wonderful thing) we too should have differed  to another cruise ,as we had been to all the cancelled ports we thought we would try Belize and Honduras which were new to us but in a tale which has now become the norm, after we accepted ,three days before departure Belize was cancelled with no substitute, ,as mentioned by Molecrochip P and O have a poor track record at communicating with passengers and it needs to improve smartish if they are to retain the goodwill of their customers. as a package P and O do some good deals but since the restart they appear to be getting left behind, while been aware that other companies have had their problems they do not appear to have the ability to disappoint customers on the level that P and O are doing

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

........The later one is onboard Iona, which will be Freedom, but apparently we still get priority although not sure how that works? 

According to the the P&O website there is no benefit to having a select fare on Iona and Arvia as far as dining is concerned. The benefit is described as having first choice for club or freedom dining  and first choice of sitting if you are allocated club dining. None of this applies If the ship only has freedom dining. There may be unofficial arrangements of course!

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

We've just come off Iona on Saturday. Sure, we found things not quite to our preference in some areas, but luckily we are a couple who take them for what they generally always are - minor niggles - and we certainly didn't allow them to spoil our holiday in any way, shape or form (and never do).

 

We enjoyed not being at work (of course 😊), the ship, the itinerary, the weather, the food, and had a fantastic holiday - and would do it all again tomorrow given the chance! 😊

 

Probably the worst thing for us was choosing to watch the magic duo, who we personally thought were poor lol, but even that just became an opportunity to laugh about how bad we felt they were.

[darknightsdespiser]

1 hour ago, BillieJeanKaraokeKing said:

We've just come off Iona on Saturday. Sure, we found things not quite to our preference in some areas, but luckily we are a couple who take them for what they generally always are - minor niggles - and we certainly didn't allow them to spoil our holiday in any way, shape or form (and never do).

 

We enjoyed not being at work (of course 😊), the ship, the itinerary, the weather, the food, and had a fantastic holiday - and would do it all again tomorrow given the chance! 😊

 

Probably the worst thing for us was choosing to watch the magic duo, who we personally thought were poor lol, but even that just became an opportunity to laugh about how bad we felt they were.

One thing I forgot to mention was that a lot of the "activities" were simply talks about shopping!

[Ardennais]

8 hours ago, molecrochip said:

My personal take is that P&O is in the midst of change.

 

Some things have changed permanently, some things have changed temporarily, and some things had already changed pre-pandemic. Depending upon people's last cruise date pre-pandemic some of those last category may not have already been in place therefore get blamed on Covid (like day one turndown going. Some items have been delayed (like chose-your-own embarkation time).

 

People have not reset their expectations. There is an awful lot of 'in the old days'. Practically every cruise company ripped up their procedures and did a full route and branch review during the lay-ups. Some have returned very similar to before, some better. Some are struggling.

 

Where P&O is really struggling is communications out to passengers, and their relationship with their travel agent partners. I'm thinking cancellations and refunds. Also P&O has not been good of late regarding announcing policies and procedures post covid. This is most certainly as they got burned earlier in the pandemic when the government made changes at the last minute which they then had to implement. A lot of passengers have not been sympathetic to the changing covid-regulatory 

 

I've also flagged that there is a specific bug which is stopping people receiving cruise related documentation. I know of a couple of passengers who booked direct and didn't get any paperwork but do get marketing information. Unsubscribing to the marketing information, then re-subscribing pushed their email address back to the booking system and hey presto it worked.

 

Having to remove two ships from service so shortly after restarting was unfortunate but these things happen. Generally P&O is good at scheduling maintenance stoppages in advance unlike a lot of the American lines who just routinely announce a 3 week cancellation so a ship can go to dry dock.

 

On a positive, for those following the Arvia build, a lot more information is being dripped out, compared to Iona.

It’s all very well saying that people haven’t ‘reset’ their expectations,  but I can’t see that P&O (and probably other cruiselines too)  have actually ‘reset’ their marketing either. They still promise the same as before so you can hardly blame people for having the same expectations! It works both ways. 
Personally, I think that we have to be realistic and accept that there will be changes. 
You’re spot on with your assessment of P&Os poor communications. I just wish someone in head office would go through the website carefully and just consider things from the customer’s perspective. Same goes for the Geiranger situation - can’t head office see how awful it is to expect people now to pay for the transfer there? Or even honour the current Mt Dalsnibba price instead of nearly doubling it?