Was I Reassured? A Review

[babs135]

As promised here is what I hope is an objective review of our recent cruise on the Iona to Norway.

As this was our first cruise post pandemic we were not sure what to expect.  This is not our first P&O cruise, having sailed on the Oriana back in 2014, and which, although we had enjoyed it, didn't exactly make us fall in love with P&O.  However, the desire for a break combined with a holiday that did not include the hassle of airports, a good sounding itinerary(!) and an equally good sounding price led us to the Iona.  We don't mind big ships, our last cruise being on the Symphony of the Seas, so we didn't mind getting lost up to and including the last day!!  We just laughed and started over again.

Our cabin was on deck 10, inside midship.  Small but adequate and thank goodness for a shower door and not the dreaded shower curtain.  Our steward introduced herself and was never seen again but the cabin was always clean.  We did miss the nightly turndown and chocolate, but it wasn't a deal breaker.  The crew worked hard and were always friendly but apart from embark and debark days we never saw an officer anywhere.  While I do understand why, it would have been nice for at least one of them to make an appearance.  The midday announcement was short and to the point but I never did catch the captain's name.  On all other ships we've been on there is usually a board with photos and names of the officers, but unless I missed it I didn't see one so we've left the ship not knowing any names.  Communication could have been better, for example we were informed that we would be sailing down a fjord to see the 7 sisters and that was it.  There are an awful lot of waterfalls in Norway but we worked out which were the 7 sisters (some are faint so you do have to count to make sure), however we were approached by a passenger who didn't have a clue where to look and had missed them!  For first time cruisers an extra announcement as the waterfalls drew near would have been very helpful.

Food is very subjective so I'll just say that whilst we most definitely did not go hungry the choice was boring and monotonous.  We have never had our evening meal other than in the MDR on any ship as DH is of the mindset that he's paid for it and, therefore, why pay for a speciality restaurant.  However 2 nights we ate at The Quays (included in the price) and enjoyed the fish & chips and the American burgers.  Again, we actually don't mind the buffet and apart from a couple of mornings were quite happy to go to the Horizon.  The coffee left a lot to the imagination though and if we were to sail P&O again I think we would take Nescafe sachets with us.  And why was there only water, along with tea and coffee available throughout the day?  All other ships have had some sort of fruit juice as well. (not talking about breakfast when there was juice).

Entertainment is another subjective matter.  The shows we went to I thoroughly enjoyed but DH hated.  And while I understand that being port intensive meant there was no chance of any talks about the ports, why wasn't there anything on the television in the cabin?  A few minutes of trying to sell excursions isn't enough.  And whilst I'm talking about the television, why was there no channel where the cruise director/crew members/officers talked about what was happening around the ship?  Is this normal for this type of cruise?  I'm curious about this.

As we knew prior to boarding Gerainger was no longer an option, docking instead in Hellesylt which was lovely.  We also enjoyed Stavanger and Olden but were disappointed with Haugesund.

As a bonus the weather for the week was absolutely glorious, meaning I didn't need to have packed umpteen sweaters or a cagoule!!!!

Having read through this review again, it sounds more negative than positive BUT this is just the opinion of one person and her hubby.  We DID enjoy ourselves and have some lovely memories.  But would we sail with P&O again?  Whilst you should never say never again I don't think we will rush back.

 

If you have any questions or feel that I've been unfair please ask for clarification, etc.

[david63]

7 minutes ago, babs135 said:

I never did catch the captain's name

Was it not in the daily Horizon paper waiting for you in your cabin when you embarked - it usually is

[Eglesbrech]

Thanks for taking time to share your experience, it’s always interesting to read first hand reviews.

[kruzseeka]

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

One thing which resonated with me is when opportunities to improve the passenger experience are missed - is that down to the staff on board a particular ship or simply a lack of a directive to provide additional input?  It wouldn't need to be a huge commitment, or indeed the Captain. 

 

Going back some years, on a different cruise line we had several examples of welcome input including The Seven Sisters where not only was this waterfall pointed out (as the OP says not always so obvious - we once had difficulty picking out three) but also The Suitor which is opposite with the folk-lore attached to it.  In fact the Captain rotated the ship so passengers were able to see both from either side of the ship.  (It was a smaller ship.) 

 

In this instance it was the Cruise Director who did the announcements and seemingly had responsibility to take on the role of informing passengers of interesting geography and history of places we were passing close by.  It was highlighted in the onboard newsletter and only broadcast on deck so passengers were able to go out to listen if interested.  But one of the most moving and memorable for me was on another trip when sailing through the Dardanelles when we were given a very respectful commentary of the history and significance as we approached the Black Sea.  It was accompanied by very appropriate, quiet music and a silence for a minute in respect of the fallen.  It was very emotional and I learned a lot which I've never forgotten.

 

It wouldn't cost anything other than some preparation and the CD's time to capitalise on such opportunities.  On that cruise line there appeared to be a policy of providing this 'enhancement' and would be nice if it were done more often and routinely where appropriate. Hearing the significance whilst looking out from on deck brings things to life in a way a written insert in a ship's newspaper can't match. 

 

I'm not complaining - just reflecting that for me it would be a welcome feature. 

[babs135]

3 hours ago, david63 said:

Was it not in the daily Horizon paper waiting for you in your cabin when you embarked - it usually is

Might have and I could have missed it!!!

[Ginb56]

We were on this same cruise on Iona and quite agree about the lack of communication from the captain - and never saw an officer all week. It was all so anonymous. Gone is the gala evening in the atrium with a glass of bubbly and the captain giving a speech - just done over the tannoy instead and vouchers given to claim your bubbly in any bar. No commentary of the seven sisters falls, or a pod of dolphins alongside us one day. And we really missed the sail aways - even one would have been nice. No sign of the bouncy entertainment team  doing their dances and audience participation. We only saw 3 ents team just doing welcome announcements of artistes in venues. Sad too that the Olden sail away by the locals wasn’t mentioned in Horizon or tannoy - if you didn’t know about it or had a port cabin, you’d miss all the fun. It was a terrific sail away that week. There were things we enjoyed about the ship but decided we wouldn’t do the big ships again.

[Fionboard]

Plenty of communication on Ventura last month. Were told about whales and dolphins whenever spotted by the bridge team. Depends on the captain. We had Brown and he is very accommodating.

[Francisdrake]

2 hours ago, Ginb56 said:

We were on this same cruise on Iona and quite agree about the lack of communication from the captain - and never saw an officer all week. It was all so anonymous. Gone is the gala evening in the atrium with a glass of bubbly and the captain giving a speech - just done over the tannoy instead and vouchers given to claim your bubbly in any bar. No commentary of the seven sisters falls, or a pod of dolphins alongside us one day. And we really missed the sail aways - even one would have been nice. No sign of the bouncy entertainment team  doing their dances and audience participation. We only saw 3 ents team just doing welcome announcements of artistes in venues. Sad too that the Olden sail away by the locals wasn’t mentioned in Horizon or tannoy - if you didn’t know about it or had a port cabin, you’d miss all the fun. It was a terrific sail away that week. There were things we enjoyed about the ship but decided we wouldn’t do the big ships again.

Agreed about the anonymity, lack of sailaways & entertainment team, we found the same on our cruise up the Fjords in May.   Only time we heard from the Captain was the 6pm tannoy announcements generally.

[davecttr]

I believe that the lack of officers etc is down to Covid, the last thing they want is to have them catch it.

 

We may never see a captains speech on Iona because she does not have an atrium, or rather the atrium is filled up with bars and restaurants, maybe the skydome like on Arcadia

[molecrochip]

3 hours ago, davecttr said:

We may never see a captains speech on Iona because she does not have an atrium, or rather the atrium is filled up with bars and restaurants, maybe the skydome like on Arcadia

With respect, Iona which serves the same purpose as any of those on board ship. Britannia's has bars and shops on most sides, so Ventura's, so Azura. Its also worth noting that its not always been done in an atrium. On Oriana, I think it was Harlequins where it was held as the atrium is quite small.

 

The lack of captains speech is a Covid change. I don't know whether in time, this will go back to the old way. I doubt it on Iona, but that's more to do with a lack of fixed dining (the speech used to be just ahead of the dining rooms opening). Last time I was on Iona, the captain's photo opportunity was held one morning on the dockside. One of my guests lamented that that they didn't understand the long queue as 'he never got a picture with the general manager of any land based hotel he stayed at'!

 

The turndown service is missed and I still understand it will return in the future. Its funny because many passengers are quite happy not to see the steward as long as the job is done right. In comparison, you very rarely hear complaints of not seeing the housekeeping in land-based hotels (as long as the job is done).

 

On a serious note, the lack of interaction is Covid related.

 

Final comment relates to Entertainment Managers (cruise directors). You'll note you see and hear from them a lot less nowadays. This has come down, not from Southampton, but Miami as I understand it. Their role has been made a lot more functional using standardised scripts. This has lead to a number of 'favourites' leaving the company. This has impacted P&O and Princess.

[Ardennais]

32 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

The turndown service is missed and I still understand it will return in the future. Its funny because many passengers are quite happy not to see the steward as long as the job is done right. In comparison, you very rarely hear complaints of not seeing the housekeeping in land-based hotels (as long as the job is done).

 

On a serious note, the lack of interaction is Covid related.

 

Final comment relates to Entertainment Managers (cruise directors). You'll note you see and hear from them a lot less nowadays. This has come down, not from Southampton, but Miami as I understand it. Their role has been made a lot more functional using standardised scripts. This has lead to a number of 'favourites' leaving the company. This has impacted P&O and Princess.

For us, I think the difference with turndown is that we rarely stay at a hotel for longer than 2 nights so it’s not such a problem. Tend not to lay about in a hotel room during the day either so the bed is exactly as we leave it in the morning. Very different on a cruise as we would shower again in the evening and sometimes have a snooze during the day. I’m not bothered about seeing the steward or the chocolates, but I did appreciate the fact that he did the usual things in the evening on our recent Princess cruise, so I’m heartened to hear you mention that turndown will return on P&O.

 

 

 

 

[Son of Anarchy]

What happened to all the little chocolates since the (temporary) demise of the evening turndown service?

 

Presumably the chocolates on board pre-pandemic were used up by remaining crew, and would have gone off by now anyway.

 

But what about the supplier?  Are they on standby to start supplying again?  Do they have enough staff to start making those little chocolates at short notice?

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 7/10/2022 at 9:23 AM, david63 said:

Was it not in the daily Horizon paper waiting for you in your cabin when you embarked - it usually is

I would imagine the Captains name was " Speaking" as they always say this is your Captain speaking ?

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 7/10/2022 at 9:13 AM, babs135 said:

As promised here is what I hope is an objective review of our recent cruise on the Iona to Norway.

As this was our first cruise post pandemic we were not sure what to expect.  This is not our first P&O cruise, having sailed on the Oriana back in 2014, and which, although we had enjoyed it, didn't exactly make us fall in love with P&O.  However, the desire for a break combined with a holiday that did not include the hassle of airports, a good sounding itinerary(!) and an equally good sounding price led us to the Iona.  We don't mind big ships, our last cruise being on the Symphony of the Seas, so we didn't mind getting lost up to and including the last day!!  We just laughed and started over again.

Our cabin was on deck 10, inside midship.  Small but adequate and thank goodness for a shower door and not the dreaded shower curtain.  Our steward introduced herself and was never seen again but the cabin was always clean.  We did miss the nightly turndown and chocolate, but it wasn't a deal breaker.  The crew worked hard and were always friendly but apart from embark and debark days we never saw an officer anywhere.  While I do understand why, it would have been nice for at least one of them to make an appearance.  The midday announcement was short and to the point but I never did catch the captain's name.  On all other ships we've been on there is usually a board with photos and names of the officers, but unless I missed it I didn't see one so we've left the ship not knowing any names.  Communication could have been better, for example we were informed that we would be sailing down a fjord to see the 7 sisters and that was it.  There are an awful lot of waterfalls in Norway but we worked out which were the 7 sisters (some are faint so you do have to count to make sure), however we were approached by a passenger who didn't have a clue where to look and had missed them!  For first time cruisers an extra announcement as the waterfalls drew near would have been very helpful.

Food is very subjective so I'll just say that whilst we most definitely did not go hungry the choice was boring and monotonous.  We have never had our evening meal other than in the MDR on any ship as DH is of the mindset that he's paid for it and, therefore, why pay for a speciality restaurant.  However 2 nights we ate at The Quays (included in the price) and enjoyed the fish & chips and the American burgers.  Again, we actually don't mind the buffet and apart from a couple of mornings were quite happy to go to the Horizon.  The coffee left a lot to the imagination though and if we were to sail P&O again I think we would take Nescafe sachets with us.  And why was there only water, along with tea and coffee available throughout the day?  All other ships have had some sort of fruit juice as well. (not talking about breakfast when there was juice).

Entertainment is another subjective matter.  The shows we went to I thoroughly enjoyed but DH hated.  And while I understand that being port intensive meant there was no chance of any talks about the ports, why wasn't there anything on the television in the cabin?  A few minutes of trying to sell excursions isn't enough.  And whilst I'm talking about the television, why was there no channel where the cruise director/crew members/officers talked about what was happening around the ship?  Is this normal for this type of cruise?  I'm curious about this.

As we knew prior to boarding Gerainger was no longer an option, docking instead in Hellesylt which was lovely.  We also enjoyed Stavanger and Olden but were disappointed with Haugesund.

As a bonus the weather for the week was absolutely glorious, meaning I didn't need to have packed umpteen sweaters or a cagoule!!!!

Having read through this review again, it sounds more negative than positive BUT this is just the opinion of one person and her hubby.  We DID enjoy ourselves and have some lovely memories.  But would we sail with P&O again?  Whilst you should never say never again I don't think we will rush back.

 

If you have any questions or feel that I've been unfair please ask for clarification, etc.

Oh dear. I hope some of these thing are going to return as interaction with the crew, Steward, Bar staff and Officers was always part and parcel of a good cruise. Will miss the chocolates, not because they were so good but we saved them and took them home to the Grandchildren. The first cruise we went on with P&O was on the Victoria, a small but lovely traditional style ship rather than the block of flats ships that are built today. We went to the Canary Islands and Madeira and as we sailed into port we had a running commentary by a fella by the name of David who did a super job. I do believe that not only is the itinerary important but also those you sit with at dinner. Cruises are the whole package, itinerary, food, drink, fellow passengers, crew, ship entertainment. In order to make the holiday one to remember you need, in my humble opinion, all these to align. It's a bit like a cake, leave two of three ingredients out and you end up with something bland and inedible. 

[Gettingwarmer]

15 hours ago, molecrochip said:

 

 

Final comment relates to Entertainment Managers (cruise directors). You'll note you see and hear from them a lot less nowadays. This has come down, not from Southampton, but Miami as I understand it. Their role has been made a lot more functional using standardised scripts. This has lead to a number of 'favourites' leaving the company. This has impacted P&O and Princess.

We usually don’t go to many of the entertainments but I have heard that people are upset by the lack of difference and freestyle of the cruise directors now in Princess and P&O. It is very much by the book. 

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

What happened to all the little chocolates since the (temporary) demise of the evening turndown service?

 

Presumably the chocolates on board pre-pandemic were used up by remaining crew, and would have gone off by now anyway.

 

But what about the supplier?  Are they on standby to start supplying again?  Do they have enough staff to start making those little chocolates at short notice?

There was a programme on TV about the firm that makes these, from memory they are by far he largest supplier of these in the UK, making for anyone who uses them.

[molecrochip]

1 hour ago, Gettingwarmer said:

We usually don’t go to many of the entertainments but I have heard that people are upset by the lack of difference and freestyle of the cruise directors now in Princess and P&O. It is very much by the book. 

Not the choice of the individuals. As I said, a number didn't like the new rules/scripts etc and left.

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

Not the choice of the individuals. As I said, a number didn't like the new rules/scripts etc and left.

I can see how it would cramp their style. We have not been on P&O recently but the Princess cruise directors were frankly a bit wooden and this explains why.

 

We commented on it on our feedback.

[Danamis]

3 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

I can see how it would cramp their style. We have not been on P&O recently but the Princess cruise directors were frankly a bit wooden and this explains why.

 

We commented on it on our feedback.

We have had some great Entertainment Officers over the years. Somethimes commenting on a sail in or sailaway at ports. Others have performed in the theatre in one man shows. One of the best shows we saw was the officers and crew performing in the theatre. On a T/A on Aurora there was a crew talent show. Some amazing talent! We have done two cruises this year and barely saw the Entertainment crew. Entertainment was the worst we had had... On Arcadia next week. Not holding my breath.

[Denarius]

On 7/10/2022 at 5:34 PM, davecttr said:

I believe that the lack of officers etc is down to Covid, the last thing they want is to have them catch it.

 

We may never see a captains speech on Iona because she does not have an atrium, or rather the atrium is filled up with bars and restaurants, maybe the skydome like on Arcadia

My first P&O cruise was on Oriana. There was no public room big enough to hold a captain's reception for everyone, so they had two; one in the Pacific Lounge and one in (I think) the Crows Nest. The captain did his speech in one then repeated it in the other. This practice may well be revived for Iona and Arvia.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Denarius
Clarification

[Britboys]

54 minutes ago, Denarius said:

My first P&O cruise was on Oriana. There was no public room big enough to hold a captain's reception for everyone, so they had two; one in the Pacific Lounge and one in (I think) the Crows Nest. The captain did his speech in one then repeated it in the other. This practice may well be revived for Iona and Arvia.

Yes, that's my recollection too. Similar on Aurora, in Carmen's and the Crows Nest. I doubt anything similar will be done on the two new ships when at full complement of 5200+...

[picsa]

On 7/10/2022 at 9:02 PM, molecrochip said:

Last time I was on Iona, the captain's photo opportunity was held one morning on the dockside. One of my guests lamented that that they didn't understand the long queue as 'he never got a picture with the general manager of any land based hotel he stayed at'!

 

Presumably they misunderstood that the captain isn't the hotel general manager on board the ship, as that is an entirely different role with that person having overall responsibility for Food and Beverage, Housekeeping, Customer Services, On Board Revenue, Entertainment and all associated Support Services.

 

Captains are for making sure you get to where you want to go and don't sink.

Hotel general managers are for making sure you have a good time whilst you get there.

[AchileLauro]

13 hours ago, Denarius said:

My first P&O cruise was on Oriana. There was no public room big enough to hold a captain's reception for everyone, so they had two; one in the Pacific Lounge and one in (I think) the Crows Nest. The captain did his speech in one then repeated it in the other. This practice may well be revived for Iona and Arvia.

Actually on Aurora and Oriana it would have been four cocktail parties. Two simultaneously in the Crows nest and show lounges for first sitting dinner followed by two for second sitting. It worked quite well.

On Oceana, Azura and Ventura the central atrium was used. My personal view is that it simply didn't work. No atmosphere whatsoever with everyone bunching up around a staircase trying to catch what was being said, or trying to catch a glimpse of who was saying it, while all along passengers in shorts and tees shirts passing through and snatching drinks off trays being carried by the waiters.

[davecttr]

2 hours ago, AchileLauro said:

Actually on Aurora and Oriana it would have been four cocktail parties. Two simultaneously in the Crows nest and show lounges for first sitting dinner followed by two for second sitting. It worked quite well.

On Oceana, Azura and Ventura the central atrium was used. My personal view is that it simply didn't work. No atmosphere whatsoever with everyone bunching up around a staircase trying to catch what was being said, or trying to catch a glimpse of who was saying it, while all along passengers in shorts and tees shirts passing through and snatching drinks off trays being carried by the waiters.

I have always thought that a venue requiring formal dress should NOT be a passenger transit area

[gsmt47471015]

4 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I have always thought that a venue requiring formal dress should NOT be a passenger transit area

Fully agree 👍