My thoughts on Iona, Norwegian Fjords - September 2022

[degenerateftw]

I've been on that many cruises I've never felt the need to sign up on here or post but I felt compelled after this trip. I've enjoyed almost of all of them with odd bug bear! Let's start:

 

No turndown service. Ok - I can live with that and the cabin and ship were beautiful. 10/10 for those.

 

Sadly the food and service were not. I'll try not to comment on the breakfast buffet since they are hard not to like. You kind of accept a bit of crowding in the buffet. Anyway...

 

I found that I was thirsty for almost the entire cruise. Table service is pretty non existent so you need to find a bar and tackle a lack of staff to get a drink before you want to do anything, including dinner, which was a bit of a shock. My partner doesn't drink, which pretty much meant a bottle of wine to myself every night and then lug it about for another 5k steps back to the cabin unless you want to glug the lot to avoid looking like an old soak (i'm not sure which was worse). There was no other drink service in any of the MDR's. In the buffet, there's nothing worse than finding a table and then realising you're in for an hour long saga of going to the buffet in turn. You can put dining together to one side in there - it just won't happen. It's carnage.

 

Deck bars being open are obviously weather dependant which you'd expect - but the bar staff shortage is very apparent even when these bars were shut. On sail away night from Southampton, there was 30 minute queue to get a drink before we'd even set sail. You can't really call it a sail away night either, for so many reasons. I liked the quizzes but I came to learn not to expect a drink from the bar in Brodies either. When I did venture up to the bar, they told me to return to my seat for my order to be taken (it never was).

 

We didn't do a drink package as 15 drinks in a day is too much for me, but you need to factor in the soft drinks too. £3.25 for a can of coke is extortion, so even if you are a non drinker that could be an issue. If you don't drink and are happy carrying about a bottle of water all day, then you are fine as they have refill stations throughout the ship. For me, this was a holiday, so hot food, beverages and good service were my biggest things. Unfortunately P&O failed on this occasion as they managed none of these. I'm glad I took a bottle of Brandy on board with me.

 

Food was edible but nothing special. Buffet was feeding time at the zoo (in terms of capacity and quality) and they used the restaurant leftovers for late night snacks. No light bites or snacks to speak of. They did have some very good fish and chips in 'Hook Line & Vinegar' so don't miss out on those if you can get a seat.

 

I've read another post which stated who P&O's targeted demographic are - and I can confirm they have achived their goal. For me it is indeed a Butlins at sea. It's just a very new one.

 

It won't be my last time on P&O as I badly want to try the adult only ships and with a much reduced capacity. Let's hope they make up for the lack of class on board Iona. By that I mean, the service, the food - and yes - some of the people.

 

I had a great experience on Iona and I'm glad I tried it for a few reasons. Unfortunately it was nothing to do with the food or service. We too experienced missed ports, but at that stage I wasn't bothered. Seems I failed on not mentioning the buffet. 🙃

 

[GSPG]

Thanks.

I have heard a lot of crew have gone down with covid on ships, hence service levels have dropped through the lack of staff.

Do you suspect this is the case on Iona, or purely as there isn’t enough staff in the first place?

 

Iona is currently on a two week trip to Spain and Portugal. I wonder how that cruise is ‘playing out’.

 

 

 

 

[showingdiva]

22 hours ago, degenerateftw said:

 

I found that I was thirsty for almost the entire cruise. 

 

Thank you for your review of your time on Iona.  For all the pluses you mention, it seems there are still a few issues.

 

However, it was your sentence above that struck me.   Because in the three cruises I've done in the last 13 months (none of which on P&O), I have found myself incredibly thirsty too, again the entire cruise.  I am teetotal and pescatarian and don't add salt to meals.  I was panicking it was just me.  I was worse on MSC Virtuosa, a ship of not dissimilar age to Iona than I was on Queen Mary 2.    Would be interested to hear if anyone else other than you or I have experienced this.

[Red Leicester]

You say you grab a table and then go up separately to the buffet?  Is this part of the problem?  Mrs RL and me always went to get food first and then look for somewhere to sit.  A couple of times on Iona we had issues due to no seats but plenty of people having tables but no food.  We never had to wait more than a minute or two but ate together.  If everyone got food and then grabbed a table would the issue improve?  I don't know.  And I guess it depends on individual practicalities too.  I get some need to secure somewhere first.

 

Re drinks, the 15 drinks is a maximum per day, you don't have to hit that.  I had the non-alcohol package and on average hit the £20 spend each day.    I paid as I went on alcohol as I didn't find I'd hit the additional £20.  Again this comes down to individual choice.

 

Getting drinks could be slow on my last cruise.  I found approaching the bar sorted that though and waiters pounced.  As I read elsewhere the staff are probably hit by COVID too so might be thinned out in places.

 

I think comparing to Butlins is a little harsh.  Tastes change and demographics change so businesses have to adapt.  This is my view but I have observed a small minority of what I would class as the traditional cruiser to be quite rude, talk at staff and look down at me with disapproving looks and tuts when I wear jeans, walk into a lift or have a seat by a window etc. Does it mean I'm not worthy of being aboard? No as 95% of cruisers are absolutely lovely.

[Sarah1974]

when my friend and I cruise and use the buffet we get a table, one of us goes and gets their food, and then the other

[P&O SUE]

19 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

You say you grab a table and then go up separately to the buffet?  Is this part of the problem?  Mrs RL and me always went to get food first and then look for somewhere to sit.  A couple of times on Iona we had issues due to no seats but plenty of people having tables but no food.  We never had to wait more than a minute or two but ate together.  If everyone got food and then grabbed a table would the issue improve?  I don't know.  And I guess it depends on individual practicalities too.  I get some need to secure somewhere first.

 

Re drinks, the 15 drinks is a maximum per day, you don't have to hit that.  I had the non-alcohol package and on average hit the £20 spend each day.    I paid as I went on alcohol as I didn't find I'd hit the additional £20.  Again this comes down to individual choice.

 

Getting drinks could be slow on my last cruise.  I found approaching the bar sorted that though and waiters pounced.  As I read elsewhere the staff are probably hit by COVID too so might be thinned out in places.

 

I think comparing to Butlins is a little harsh.  Tastes change and demographics change so businesses have to adapt.  This is my view but I have observed a small minority of what I would class as the traditional cruiser to be quite rude, talk at staff and look down at me with disapproving looks and tuts when I wear jeans, walk into a lift or have a seat by a window etc. Does it mean I'm not worthy of being aboard? No as 95% of cruisers are absolutely lovely.

My husband and I do the same as you in buffets and don’t have a problem.

[Fionboard]

Rarely use the buffet as I do not do breakfast and prefer lunch and dinner in dining room. Had a look at buffet on Iona, although never used it, and it looked a bit small for size of ship.

[Eglesbrech]

On 10/4/2022 at 9:21 PM, showingdiva said:

Thank you for your review of your time on Iona.  For all the pluses you mention, it seems there are still a few issues.

 

However, it was your sentence above that struck me.   Because in the three cruises I've done in the last 13 months (none of which on P&O), I have found myself incredibly thirsty too, again the entire cruise.  I am teetotal and pescatarian and don't add salt to meals.  I was panicking it was just me.  I was worse on MSC Virtuosa, a ship of not dissimilar age to Iona than I was on Queen Mary 2.    Would be interested to hear if anyone else other than you or I have experienced this.

You should have got them to actually line up those delicious a/f strawberry daiquiris 😀.

 

We had no issues with bar service on MSC (for context used the YC bar most of the time) but horrendous problems getting served on Princess. The lines all seem to be cutting staff just too much to provide decent service and covid is no longer a reasonable excuse imo.

[Red Leicester]

9 hours ago, Sarah1974 said:

when my friend and I cruise and use the buffet we get a table, one of us goes and gets their food, and then the other

This is genuine curiosity and not criticism... why?

 

I have never thought any of the buffets as small.  On B222 Britannia we found the more mid ship serving area as always open for brekkie, dinner and tea but the aft serving area was only half open for brekkie and thus always quiet, never at dinner (or lunch if you prefer) which meant the seats down the aft were empty. and handed over the Beach House at tea (or dinner if you prefer).  Again tables portside and aft were plentiful.  A very small section portside and aft was cordoned off for crew, a few tables.

[Sarah1974]

11 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

This is genuine curiosity and not criticism... why?

With P&O I have only cruised on Oriana and Britannia (I have also cruised with Royal Caribbean and the buffet there has been rammed on every cruise I’ve done) and that was before covid so things may be different now but I have struggled to get a table once I have a plate of food in hand. We don’t use the buffet in the evenings when I imagine it would be quieter

[Red Leicester]

Why is it different before getting food?  To stop it getting cold whilst searching for a seat?

[alpha whiskey]

The buffet bug bear has to be the plonked cardigan or bag, and noone at the table......

 

[Red Leicester]

I just wonder whether the two ways of doing it are causing the "no seats" problem.  I've only really ever struggled once or twice in the buffet and that was on Iona and when only 2/3 full.

 

Back to the original poster...  I have done both adults only ships and family ships, I don't have children so would actively avoid but would say outside of school holidays I have never noticed children really.  One family on an Iona cruise who hogged a hot tub but just the one and there were others.  I don't fancy doing a large ship in August.

 

 

[Yorkypete]

5 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

You should have got them to actually line up those delicious a/f strawberry daiquiris 😀.

 

We had no issues with bar service on MSC (for context used the YC bar most of the time) but horrendous problems getting served on Princess. The lines all seem to be cutting staff just too much to provide decent service and covid is no longer a reasonable excuse imo.

Covid certainly is a reason. It is rising rapidly again and ships are no different to anywhere else.

[showingdiva]

3 hours ago, alpha whiskey said:

The buffet bug bear has to be the plonked cardigan or bag, and noone at the table......

 

 

Given quite a few cruise lines have done away with trays in buffet areas, try eating alone (for whatever reason) and trying to balance a couple of courses and a drink on a plate.  Go back for something and one or both of two things happen -, someone takes your table as soon as you stand up or a member of staff clears the table.

Edited October 7, 2022 by showingdiva

[davecttr]

I have developed a buffet technique for solo cruisers. For breakfast i am first in when you have the whole place to yourself. Then avoid busy times like the plague the rest of the day. Iona has the advantage of having two buffets, sort of with the Quays, apart from breakfast, serving plated food so no contaminated serving utensils. I wish all buffets were like that.. It will be interesting to see how Marellas Voyager buffet works, think of a full buffet place but with 8 different Quays style serveries serving plated items ( according the the photo renderings)

[Eglesbrech]

9 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

Covid certainly is a reason. It is rising rapidly again and ships are no different to anywhere else.

It may be rising now however they were not geared up for service at the low point either?

 

I don’t see the advertising for expensive cruises stating that you may not get adequate bar service, you may not get speciality dining etc.

Edited October 7, 2022 by Eglesbrech

[Red Ray]

21 hours ago, Sarah1974 said:

when my friend and I cruise and use the buffet we get a table, one of us goes and gets their food, and then the other

That's exactly what Mrs RR & I do.

[showingdiva]

16 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

You should have got them to actually line up those delicious a/f strawberry daiquiris 😀.

 

 

 

Do you know .. it's how I realised I had developed a thing for them   🤣

[Tigrou]

23 hours ago, alpha whiskey said:

The buffet bug bear has to be the plonked cardigan or bag, and noone at the table......

 

That 'plonked' bag could be mine.  I'm a solo traveller so when I go to get food there will be no-one at the table.  I leave something at the table to indicate the seat is taken and I will be back soon.

What else would you have me do?  Does being a solo traveller mean I'm only allowed to eat or drink what I pick up before finding a seat, and if I want anything else I have to vacate the seat and find another one?

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, Tigrou said:

That 'plonked' bag could be mine.  I'm a solo traveller so when I go to get food there will be no-one at the table.  I leave something at the table to indicate the seat is taken and I will be back soon.

What else would you have me do?  Does being a solo traveller mean I'm only allowed to eat or drink what I pick up before finding a seat, and if I want anything else I have to vacate the seat and find another one?

And as a couple,  we do the same.  No way that we are going to wander through the buffet, carrying hot food, trying to find a spare table.

[florence11]

On 10/3/2022 at 10:51 PM, degenerateftw said:

I've been on that many cruises I've never felt the need to sign up on here or post but I felt compelled after this trip. I've enjoyed almost of all of them with odd bug bear! Let's start:

 

No turndown service. Ok - I can live with that and the cabin and ship were beautiful. 10/10 for those.

 

Sadly the food and service were not. I'll try not to comment on the breakfast buffet since they are hard not to like. You kind of accept a bit of crowding in the buffet. Anyway...

 

I found that I was thirsty for almost the entire cruise. Table service is pretty non existent so you need to find a bar and tackle a lack of staff to get a drink before you want to do anything, including dinner, which was a bit of a shock. My partner doesn't drink, which pretty much meant a bottle of wine to myself every night and then lug it about for another 5k steps back to the cabin unless you want to glug the lot to avoid looking like an old soak (i'm not sure which was worse). There was no other drink service in any of the MDR's. In the buffet, there's nothing worse than finding a table and then realising you're in for an hour long saga of going to the buffet in turn. You can put dining together to one side in there - it just won't happen. It's carnage.

 

Deck bars being open are obviously weather dependant which you'd expect - but the bar staff shortage is very apparent even when these bars were shut. On sail away night from Southampton, there was 30 minute queue to get a drink before we'd even set sail. You can't really call it a sail away night either, for so many reasons. I liked the quizzes but I came to learn not to expect a drink from the bar in Brodies either. When I did venture up to the bar, they told me to return to my seat for my order to be taken (it never was).

 

We didn't do a drink package as 15 drinks in a day is too much for me, but you need to factor in the soft drinks too. £3.25 for a can of coke is extortion, so even if you are a non drinker that could be an issue. If you don't drink and are happy carrying about a bottle of water all day, then you are fine as they have refill stations throughout the ship. For me, this was a holiday, so hot food, beverages and good service were my biggest things. Unfortunately P&O failed on this occasion as they managed none of these. I'm glad I took a bottle of Brandy on board with me.

 

Food was edible but nothing special. Buffet was feeding time at the zoo (in terms of capacity and quality) and they used the restaurant leftovers for late night snacks. No light bites or snacks to speak of. They did have some very good fish and chips in 'Hook Line & Vinegar' so don't miss out on those if you can get a seat.

 

I've read another post which stated who P&O's targeted demographic are - and I can confirm they have achived their goal. For me it is indeed a Butlins at sea. It's just a very new one.

 

It won't be my last time on P&O as I badly want to try the adult only ships and with a much reduced capacity. Let's hope they make up for the lack of class on board Iona. By that I mean, the service, the food - and yes - some of the people.

 

I had a great experience on Iona and I'm glad I tried it for a few reasons. Unfortunately it was nothing to do with the food or service. We too experienced missed ports, but at that stage I wasn't bothered. Seems I failed on not mentioning the buffet. 🙃

 

I have just finished a cruise on Azura around Italy (interesting) I also noticed no wine/bar waiter in MDR so if I wanted a drink with my evening meal I would stop off at a bar and pick one up. 

[Bin man]

When we have cruised the mdr waiters that serve your food asked  if you want a drink with your meal .Has that stopped now ? 

[florence11]

On 10/9/2022 at 7:26 PM, Bin man said:

When we have cruised the mdr waiters that serve your food asked  if you want a drink with your meal .Has that stopped now ? 

We were only ever asked if we wanted water and what I also noticed is you also had to order your dessert the same time as starters and mains, that never used to happen before they would come back with the menu later for that.

[Jennizor]

We were on Azura 15th to 29th September and there were wine waiters in the MDR every lunchtime and evening.