Live from Iona Norwegian Fjords 20th May 7 Nights

[CarlaMarie]

12 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I think you are absolutely correct

 

Experienced cruisers on P and O without doubt have an advantage knowing what to do and when to do it

 

I imagine that's  similar most holidays we all go on though. 

 

We learn as we go

 

I don't personally feel it is about being tech savvy or being an experienced P&O cruiser. Yes it helps, but you also need an app that works without major glitches and for the ships to all implement the same rules when it comes to dining and booking.

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 hours ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

I don't personally feel it is about being tech savvy or being an experienced P&O cruiser. Yes it helps, but you also need an app that works without major glitches and for the ships to all implement the same rules when it comes to dining and booking.

It certainly helps to know things to pre-book that may become full

 

And how soon before you want to dine to join a virtual queue for

[Interestedcruisefan]

Glorious weather on our final sea day today heading back to Southampton

 

We will be coming home from the Norwegian Fjords with a sun tan

 

What a bonus!!

 

I've got an Agatha Christie talk in Club house planned for 2pm

 

On our first sea day we watched a talk from the same lady (Priscilla, a trained actress) about Pam Ayres, Victoria Wood and others

 

She's very good. Can't wait for 2pm. 

 

Also enjoyed a Lowry talk in the Limelight bar at the start of the cruise which I forgot to mention

 

Totally different to the Lowry talk I saw on Arvia. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

There was a big queue last night on Iona

 

6.40pm there were at least 100 people queuing all the way back to The Atrium to get into the Limelight Club that opened at 7pm. 

 

They didn't need to be queuing as they all have reservations but they chose to queue

 

They have made  the decision queuing to be given a table nearer the front was worth it to them 

 

Reminded me of the queues that happen when terminals at airports announce the flight is now boarding

 

I've learnt to stay sat down until everyone else has got on

 

Once you are in the Limelight the food is the same wherever you sit. The signing sounds the same.

 

And I've worked out 2 yards away from Gareth Gates earlier in the Cruise  and that's closer than the closest table to him in Limelight

 

So had I got a ticket for the Limelight I would have walked straight past that queue to Anderson's bar and headed back about 40 minutes later approx

 

But we all make our own choices according to what we prefer to do

Edited May 26, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Britboys]

18 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Does that road train still play the world's most annoying 'Alesund' tune / song on a continuous loop throughout the whole journey?  We experienced that on a visit there probably 6 or 7 years ago now and I still haven't fully recovered from the trauma.

A small drawback of cruising with Ambassador is that they have a 'theme song' that they play regularly and especially on formal night for the Baked Alaska parade. Some like the song but there are plenty of us that find it very irritating. This is a version of it but Ambassador's is not as subtle as this one...

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DI7DfO8NzQw

[Interestedcruisefan]

Now here is a really top tip

 

If you book Headliners theatre for the first show at 6.45pm you will definitely not need to arrive  early. In fact trust me you could use spontaneity if an early show can suit you

 

Last night we switched things round. 

 

We did cocktails at 6pm in andersons bar

 

Lovely and relaxed. I had a Gin Mojito and my wife had a spiced rum with ginger beer and lime (dark and stormy but DIY as that wasn't on the cocktail menu)

 

Then we waited til 6.40pm to walk to the theatre (for one terrible moment I thought the queue to the theatre was that silly big queue for Limelight that we had to walk past to get there)

 

Lady checked us in at 6.43pm and we sat down at 6.44pm to a half empty theatre 

 

Plenty of seats top, middle and bottom anywhere you wanted

 

Can't speak for disabled seats

 

But If you don't need disabled seats you certainly don't need to arrive early at all to walk straight into any seats you want for 6.45pm shows in Headliners I guess unless Gary Barlow or Nicole is performing on the ship.

 

First time we've done an early show 

 

At 7.20pm (whilst In the theatre) I swiftly joined the virtual queue for Pearl MDR With 40  guests in it. And by 7.34pm we were called forward with 15 mins grace. And  zero guests waiting to go into the MDR when we arrived. A perfect schedule for us last night.

 

Great MDR meal again with proper hand made (not reheated) chocolate fondant to finish

 

We both had starter, then soup,then main then dessert 

 

My wife then added cheese and biscuits again. Waiter asked if I wanted to add as well as "you should because you are on holiday"

 

Cheese and biscuits has been exact same each night as our original photo. Stilton, cheddar, brie and red leicester. 4 crackers. Plenty of fruit and garnish.

 

That's 3 nights in a row with 3 different waiters in MDR where we've had 5 courses instead of 3 and no problems at all.  I think the waiters expect it

 

3 great quality set menu meals. MDR on Iona is great IMO. Nothing at all I could fault. And service excellent as well

 

What's all the complaints been about for P and O MDR on here?

 

It's  very very  good. 

 

That's the theatre 30 seconds before the 6.45pm show started 

 

We could have sat in any part of the theatre we wanted

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Britboys]

10 hours ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

I don't personally feel it is about being tech savvy or being an experienced P&O cruiser. Yes it helps, but you also need an app that works without major glitches and for the ships to all implement the same rules when it comes to dining and booking.

Nooooooooooooo. You can keep all this booking nonsense on the bigger ships. Definitely don't want or need them on Aurora and Arcadia...

[Interestedcruisefan]

Festival Headliners show is my favourite show on Arvia and Iona

 

Superb again last night. The half empty early show crowd were loudly cheering the cast at the end

 

Quite rightly IMO

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

I want to be honest throughout this.

 

Just faced queues in the quays.

 

9 or 10 queuing for fish and chips and American diner food. Big enough queues to want to avoid them for sure

 

I actually planned to have a burger for first time but I've gone for chicken katsu without a queue instead. My wife's headed in for Asian prawns

 

I've got my eye on an Opera gateau or two for dessert

 

We have sunbeds directly outside quays facing the sun so I've brought mine outside

 

It's really glorious weather today

[zap99]

44 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

There was a big queue last night on Iona

 

6.40pm there were at least 100 people queuing all the way back to The Atrium to get into the Limelight Club that opened at 7pm. 

 

They didn't need to be queuing as they all have reservations but they chose to queue

 

They have made  the decision queuing to be given a table nearer the front was worth it to them 

 

Reminded me of the queues that happen when terminals at airports announce the flight is now boarding

 

I've learnt to stay sat down until everyone else has got on

 

Once you are in the Limelight the food is the same wherever you sit. The signing sounds the same.

 

And I've worked out 2 yards away from Gareth Gates earlier in the Cruise  and that's closer than the closest table to him in Limelight

 

So had I got a ticket for the Limelight I would have walked straight past that queue to Anderson's bar and headed back about 40 minutes later approx

 

But we all make our own choices according to what we prefer to do

Some folk join a queue and ask those in front ' what are we queuing for '?. Gareth Gates....oh. we're going to the 710.🤔

[Megabear2]

32 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Now here is a really top tip

 

If you book Headliners theatre for the first show at 6.45pm you will definitely not need to arrive  early. In fact trust me you could use spontaneity if an early show can suit you

 

Last night we switched things round. 

 

We did cocktails at 6pm in andersons bar

 

Lovely and relaxed. I had a Gin Mojito and my wife had a spiced rum with ginger beer and lime (dark and stormy but DIY as that wasn't on the cocktail menu)

 

Then we waited til 6.40pm to walk to the theatre (for one terrible moment I thought the queue to the theatre was that silly big queue for Limelight that we had to walk past to get there)

 

Lady checked us in at 6.43pm and we sat down at 6.44pm to a half empty theatre 

 

Plenty of seats top, middle and bottom anywhere you wanted

 

Can't speak for disabled seats

 

But If you don't need disabled seats you certainly don't need to arrive early at all to walk straight into any seats you want for 6.45pm shows in Headliners I guess unless Gary Barlow or Nicole is performing on the ship.

 

First time we've done an early show 

 

At 7.20pm (whilst In the theatre) I swiftly joined the virtual queue for Pearl MDR With 40  guests in it. And by 7.34pm we were called forward with 15 mins grace. And  zero guests waiting to go into the MDR when we arrived. A perfect schedule for us last night.

 

Great MDR meal again with proper hand made (not reheated) chocolate fondant to finish

 

We both had starter, then soup,then main then dessert 

 

My wife then added cheese and biscuits again. Waiter asked if I wanted to add as well as "you should because you are on holiday"

 

Cheese and biscuits has been exact same each night as our original photo. Stilton, cheddar, brie and red leicester. 4 crackers. Plenty of fruit and garnish.

 

That's 3 nights in a row with 3 different waiters in MDR where we've had 5 courses instead of 3 and no problems at all.  I think the waiters expect it

 

3 great quality set menu meals. MDR on Iona is great IMO. Nothing at all I could fault. And service excellent as well

 

What's all the complaints been about for P and O MDR on here?

 

It's  very very  good. 

 

That's the theatre 30 seconds before the 6.45pm show started 

 

We could have sat in any part of the theatre we wanted

 

Blimey. You'd struggle to get a seat here unless it's the 10.30 show.  Hardly a spare seat every night.  Mind you the acts have been outstanding and word travels, even 10.30 for Neil Lockwood was full apparently. 

 

 

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

Nooooooooooooo. You can keep all this booking nonsense on the bigger ships. Definitely don't want or need them on Aurora and Arcadia...

 

Sorry I didn't mean to implement booking on the app across the fleet. I agree Aurora and Arcadia do not need or want them. What I meant was on the the app it does actually say along the lines of "you do not need to use the app to dine" on the likes of Britannia, Azura and Ventura. However, if you have passengers turning up to a speciality restaurant to book a table for later that evening or later in the cruise and get told that isn't allowed and you will have to join the queue via the app - then there is a lack of consistency and misinformation. Why advertise that you can do that when that ship on that cruise isn't allowing it? It is these things that need to be ironed out.

[Interestedcruisefan]

One of the talks on Iona yesterday was entitled

 

"Introducing Arvia"

 

I kind of felt sad they didnt ask me to speak at that

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Blimey. You'd struggle to get a seat here unless it's the 10.30 show.  Hardly a spare seat every night.  Mind you the acts have been outstanding and word travels, even 10.30 for Neil Lockwood was full apparently. 

 

 

Way past my bedtime by then

[JeanieC,Aston]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Blimey. You'd struggle to get a seat here unless it's the 10.30 show.  Hardly a spare seat every night.  Mind you the acts have been outstanding and word travels, even 10.30 for Neil Lockwood was full apparently. 

 

 

Hi

I thought Neil Lockwood was the best ‘turn’ on our Iona cruise in Feb.

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

I thought Neil Lockwood was the best ‘turn’ on our Iona cruise in Feb.

Totally agree and what a lovely man when I met him earlier. He's run out of CDs to sell as everyone wanted one - he only brought 14 onboard - so he's taken names and addresses together with signing requests and is posting them out free of charge.

[Interestedcruisefan]

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Totally agree and what a lovely man when I met him earlier. He's run out of CDs to sell as everyone wanted one - he only brought 14 onboard - so he's taken names and addresses together with signing requests and is posting them out free of charge.

Nice to hear stuff like that about people

[JeanieC,Aston]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

There was a big queue last night on Iona

 

6.40pm there were at least 100 people queuing all the way back to The Atrium to get into the Limelight Club that opened at 7pm. 

 

They didn't need to be queuing as they all have reservations but they chose to queue

 

They have made  the decision queuing to be given a table nearer the front was worth it to them 

 

Reminded me of the queues that happen when terminals at airports announce the flight is now boarding

 

I've learnt to stay sat down until everyone else has got on

 

Once you are in the Limelight the food is the same wherever you sit. The signing sounds the same.

 

And I've worked out 2 yards away from Gareth Gates earlier in the Cruise  and that's closer than the closest table to him in Limelight

 

So had I got a ticket for the Limelight I would have walked straight past that queue to Anderson's bar and headed back about 40 minutes later approx

 

But we all make our own choices according to what we prefer to do

Of course some want good seats,,,the stage in the Limelight Club is in the wrong place.

Its set off centre and those down the bottom end can hardly see the act and some are just sat eating the meal outside of the ‘vibe’,,,,,no atmosphere at all.

I’ll give a tip…..

I found the Limelight Club at its best,no need to book a mediocre meal to see the usual second rate ‘artists’,although the Morecambe & Wise act is very good.

Go at 23:00 when they let the public in,,,have a nightcap or two and maybe a dance to the resident band.

 

Ps,,maybe the ease being reported to book the MDR’s is due to lots of people trying the MDR’s not being satisfied and going to the Buffet/Quays or maybe the Olive Grove.
Some people even preferred hot dog and chips in 360 than put up with the offering in the restaurants.

[Interestedcruisefan]

11 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Of course some want good seats,,,the stage in the Limelight Club is in the wrong place.

Its set off centre and those down the bottom end can hardly see the act and some are just sat eating the meal outside of the ‘vibe’,,,,,no atmosphere at all.

I’ll give a tip…..

I found the Limelight Club at its best,no need to book a mediocre meal to see the usual second rate ‘artists’,although the Morecambe & Wise act is very good.

Go at 23:00 when they let the public in,,,have a nightcap or two and maybe a dance to the resident band.

 

Ps,,maybe the ease being reported to book the MDR’s is due to lots of people trying the MDR’s not being satisfied and going to the Buffet/Quays or maybe the Olive Grove.
Some people even preferred hot dog and chips in 360 than put up with the offering in the restaurants.

 

Got to disagree Jeannie. The food in MDR has been excellent this week.  I'm converted to MDR this holiday.  Epicurean a level above and will still go. Buffet and quays and taste all good but MDR a level above them. MDR falling between buffet and epicurean as it should be in terms of quality. 

 

They are doing a great job in MDR on Iona this holiday. Maybe it's improved since you last tried it?

 

And Limelight for me last holiday the highlight was the food as well not the venue itself 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

42 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Got to disagree Jeannie. The food in MDR has been excellent this week.  I'm converted to MDR this holiday.  Epicurean a level above and will still go. Buffet and quays and taste all good but MDR a level above them. MDR falling between buffet and epicurean as it should be in terms of quality. 

 

They are doing a great job in MDR on Iona this holiday. Maybe it's improved since you last tried it?

 

And Limelight for me last holiday the highlight was the food as well not the venue itself 

I had two Epicurean experiences one good one bad, I'll talk about them in a sum up once the cruise is finished.  MDR here has been excellent, cannot fault the food. Personally I got lucky in Limelight had a table front row and centre.  Like Ms Cherry but her performance way too short and finished by 9.25pm leaving us all sat there thinking we've got to leave now as the Limelighters weren't on until 10.15 and they'd shut the bar as well.  I assume its intentional but when Chesney Hawkes was on it finished much later and people just stayed on.

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I had two Epicurean experiences one good one bad, I'll talk about them in a sum up once the cruise is finished.  MDR here has been excellent, cannot fault the food. Personally I got lucky in Limelight had a table front row and centre.  Like Ms Cherry but her performance way too short and finished by 9.25pm leaving us all sat there thinking we've got to leave now as the Limelighters weren't on until 10.15 and they'd shut the bar as well.  I assume its intentional but when Chesney Hawkes was on it finished much later and people just stayed on.

What time did the act start? 

 

Should get 40 mins at least of the main act I would say

 

And what was your limelight meal like MB?

 

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Got to disagree Jeannie. The food in MDR has been excellent this week.  I'm converted to MDR this holiday.  Epicurean a level above and will still go. Buffet and quays and taste all good but MDR a level above them. MDR falling between buffet and epicurean as it should be in terms of quality. 

 

They are doing a great job in MDR on Iona this holiday. Maybe it's improved since you last tried it?

 

And Limelight for me last holiday the highlight was the food as well not the venue itself 

 

It's good that you've tried the MDRs, and have found them to your liking.

 

By the way, have you been in them all? If so, or if you've had a nosey at them all, do any of them not have tablecloths? On Arvia it's the Meridian.

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

It's good that you've tried the MDRs, and have found them to your liking.

 

By the way, have you been in them all? If so, or if you've had a nosey at them all, do any of them not have tablecloths? On Arvia it's the Meridian.

We've done both Coral and Pearl so far

 

(They are the 2 bigger ones) will try a different one tonight

 

Both seemed identical and both had white table cloths. Same as Epicurean. 

 

Which adds to the ambiance for sure

[TigerB]

53 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

We've done both Coral and Pearl so far

 

(They are the 2 bigger ones) will try a different one tonight

 

Both seemed identical and both had white table cloths. Same as Epicurean. 

 

Which adds to the ambiance for sure

 

Thanks.  Yes, please come back to me on the smaller ones.

 

I like a tablecloth; the stains show you've enjoyed a good meal!  I'm not sure about the Meridian on Arvia, without the tablecloths; it felt like we were in a 🥄🥄🥄 😉

[Interestedcruisefan]

Well last night between 710 club at 7pm and the Headliners Magician at 8.30pm we went to Sindhu for spiced cocktails in their bar area only to find it no longer does them which is a shame as they used to be great. Instead they just do the less interesting generic cocktails the standard bars sell 

 

So we quickly moved to bar seats at the Emerald bar in The Atrium where an array of cocktail makers were working their socks off trying to keep up with the huge demand for cocktails in there. Very tasty and interesting cocktails on offer at this bar.

 

After which the magician in the Headliners was surprisingly very entertaining and made a nice change

 

710 Club really was brilliant again. It's a 6 star experience IMO and something you really must try and do. For us we will book as much as we can on our next cruise.

 

The 7pm show we had booked was full again and the 2 girls we saw trying to get in on standby sadly were unable to last night. 

 

We joined a 1 person queue for Aqua MDR towards the end of Headliners and were the last people to sit down in that MDR at 9.20pm. 

 

Aqua is smaller than Pearl and Coral and more intimate as a result. The fact we were the last to sit down meant a quick meal. We had starters, soups and mains again. My wife was too full to have  cheese as well last night. 

 

I had confit duck which was my least favourite MDR main of the holiday. It was ok but I wouldn't have again. 

 

Here's some pics