Iona 29 April 2023 - v- Britannia 28 April 2023 Opinions please

[Megabear2]

Currently my BIL and his family are on Iona, sailing yesterday.  Looking at the photos which are already arriving thick and fast my husband has offered to send me on one of these two now very cheap last minute deals.   I've only been to Norway once and that was in Juiy on Queen Victoria in 2016 so have no idea what to expect.

 

Obviously I know Britannia very well and looking at her itinerary it does look the better of the two.  However I'm not a big cold weather person and think that Iona might offer more for me as there are more indoor options.  As a result I'm leaning towards that but have some concerns and wonder if anyone on here is booked on either of these cruises.  

 

1. I assume that reservations for the shows and restaurants are already open so wonder if I'd actually be able to get in anywhere on Iona?

2. Would there be excursion availability or nothing available of any interest? I note Britannia goes to Flam but assumedly railway etc wouldn't be an option as so popular.

3. How wet/cold would it be normally?

4. What are the chances either ship will actually get to visit the ports on the itineraries?

 

The cruises are extremely cheap so not much to lose. Would you risk it and if so which would you choose?

 

Any thoughts/information greatly received.

[janny444]

Yes I would definitely risk it and I would choose Iona. Not sure if you have cruised on Iona but you have already cruised on Britannia so it would be a very cheap way of " testing" Iona to see if it ticks your boxes.

As you say if the weather is inclement there will be more indoor options on Iona. 

If you choose Britannia you may have to be very lucky with availability on the Flam railway at this late stage

Stavanger has the petroleum museum which you may find very interesting

[SarahHben]

44 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Currently my BIL and his family are on Iona, sailing yesterday.  Looking at the photos which are already arriving thick and fast my husband has offered to send me on one of these two now very cheap last minute deals.   I've only been to Norway once and that was in Juiy on Queen Victoria in 2016 so have no idea what to expect.

 

Obviously I know Britannia very well and looking at her itinerary it does look the better of the two.  However I'm not a big cold weather person and think that Iona might offer more for me as there are more indoor options.  As a result I'm leaning towards that but have some concerns and wonder if anyone on here is booked on either of these cruises.  

 

1. I assume that reservations for the shows and restaurants are already open so wonder if I'd actually be able to get in anywhere on Iona?

2. Would there be excursion availability or nothing available of any interest? I note Britannia goes to Flam but assumedly railway etc wouldn't be an option as so popular.

3. How wet/cold would it be normally?

4. What are the chances either ship will actually get to visit the ports on the itineraries?

 

The cruises are extremely cheap so not much to lose. Would you risk it and if so which would you choose?

 

Any thoughts/information greatly received.

I cant advise as to which one to chose, but as regards to whether the ships are likely to get into port, I know that Iona couldn't dock in Stavanger last Monday due to high winds, but apparently they called there on the last port day instead of Haugesund,

[CarlaMarie]

18 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

I cant advise as to which one to chose, but as regards to whether the ships are likely to get into port, I know that Iona couldn't dock in Stavanger last Monday due to high winds, but apparently they called there on the last port day instead of Haugesund,

 

I was just about to write the same. Due to the way she is built, she can be affected by high wind. She missed ports last year and has again this season. 

[Dobbers]

On Britannia on 28th, no bookings available yet for dining or entertainment as still saying to enquire on board. No details for Limelight club performers either. We chose this due to the stop in Flam. Iona is better for dining but not been on her at full capacity.

 

[Dobbers]

Just looked and the only Flam railway excursion not sold out is the one where you cycle back down. 

[Cruise_Rookie_2010]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

1. I assume that reservations for the shows and restaurants are already open so wonder if I'd actually be able to get in anywhere on Iona?

2. Would there be excursion availability or nothing available of any interest? I note Britannia goes to Flam but assumedly railway etc wouldn't be an option as so popular.

3. How wet/cold would it be normally?

4. What are the chances either ship will actually get to visit the ports on the itineraries?

 

The cruises are extremely cheap so not much to lose. Would you risk it and if so which would you choose?

 

Any thoughts/information greatly received.

We're going on Iona (G312), this will be our 3rd time on board her. Definitely wouldn't be concerned about getting into shows, the theatre is large enough that if you are a little flexible about when & where you'll get to see everything you want to. Same goes for the restaurants, but if there's something you particularly want to try (e.g. Epicurean) then you can book now before you board.

 

Even if the P&O excursions offered are full, you should be able to find independent operators doing the same excursion, these ports are used to having large ships and from the research we've done it appears they cater for them very well. We prefer to make our own way around, all the ports look very walkable.

 

Weather will be what it will be, take layers, you could need an umbrella, or a parasol.

Same situation with the ports, nothing is guaranteed, but in that regard Britannia may offer more certainty. Keep your fingers crossed & hope for the best, if you can't get off the ship then Iona (in our opinion) is by far the better place to be stuck in.

 

At these prices, treat it as a sampler, you can always do it again. Hope you enjoy the cruise, whatever you decide.

 

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Dobbers said:

Just looked and the only Flam railway excursion not sold out is the one where you cycle back down. 

Thank you, think I'm a bit old to cycle down.  How is the capacity on other excursions looking, having been to Flam a long time ago I recall nothing actually there if you don't go on an excursion. Thank you.

[Dobbers]

10 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you, think I'm a bit old to cycle down.  How is the capacity on other excursions looking, having been to Flam a long time ago I recall nothing actually there if you don't go on an excursion. Thank you.

Just showing the Viking Village & Tvinde waterfall, walking tour and a very expensive sea plane flight seeing available at the moment.

As OP said, there should be something from tour operators in Flam itself.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Dobbers

[daiB]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you, think I'm a bit old to cycle down.  How is the capacity on other excursions looking, having been to Flam a long time ago I recall nothing actually there if you don't go on an excursion. Thank you.

Not true, there is a very nice church very close to the dock. Well actually everything’s close to the port. 🙂.  However this church does very nice communion wine by the pint. 🙂 

 

On the matter of which ship after our recent cruises I would go for Iona. Although we are going on Britannia in July, But we are doing back to back to make it 3 weeks so Iona would not be an option for us. I know I have said I like to visit the same ports but not 3 times in 3 weeks.

 

Dai

 

[Cathygh]

I would do Iona, unless you really want to go to Flam. (I have never been to Flam so in that case I would choose Britannia!) I believe you can buy tickets for the railway at the station.

Lots to do in Stavanger from just mooching around,  lots of museums to see. You can take a local bus to the 3 swords. There is also a hoho bus around the town

In Olden my must do trip would be to visit the Briksdal Glacier, which you can do through P&O or you can buy tickets nearby from Olden Adventures.

On the forbidden social media site, there is someone very helpful who produces port guides.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Cathygh

[happy v]

Difficult. The weather would have to be the decider. So planning for the worst but hoping for the best. I would go for Iona. You could then try the likes of Keel and Cow, Olive Grove, Quays etc during the day  Also the cinema is a godsend. If the weather is brilliant you would be out and about and have to book another cruise. One week isn't sufficient for Iona

[Cruise_Rookie_2010]

On the subject of the ports being visited, I've found  a website called Whats in Port (not sure if I can post the link itself, just remove the spaces and add dot com) is very helpful.

[Megabear2]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I've gone with Iona based on all your suggestions and news from my family who are currently onboard.

[Cruise_Rookie_2010]

I hope you'll have a great time, April/May are typically some of the driest months of the year up there, but it's still likely to be chilly, particularly in the early hours if you feel like watching the sail-in.

[CarlaMarie]

On 4/17/2023 at 9:39 AM, Megabear2 said:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I've gone with Iona based on all your suggestions and news from my family who are currently onboard.

 

Hope you have a great time, am sure you will!  It will be really interesting for us to read your reviews of your cruises on both Iona and Arvia and how they compare. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

On 4/17/2023 at 9:39 AM, Megabear2 said:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I've gone with Iona based on all your suggestions and news from my family who are currently onboard.

Good for you Megabear!

 

Getting plenty of cruises in. Enjoy!!!

[Dahlia501]

Hi, My son and I are on the same cruise. if you have trouble booking excursions on iona, my son saw that the boat trip to pulpit rock goes from very close to where the ship should be docking. You should be able to walk down and book direct with them. They still had availability up to a couple of days ago. That's what we are going to do. My son is disabled and he wants to look at accessibility before booking.  But from what we've seen it looks good. Also someone else  on the boards pointed out it a bank holiday when we dock in Savanger. Havefun

[Galaxy]

Loen Skylift is also a very nice place to visit when in Olden. Shuttle bus and ticket can be buy in the Office at dock side, easy to find 🙂👍