P&O crises what should I know

[MummyShah369]

Just booked a P&O cruise in August from south Hampton. I just don’t know what to expect as I have not done it before… also WiFi was expensive and have not taken the drink package… going to Norway so any tips / considerations welcome…

What crisis? I haven’t seen any headlines, what’s happened?

Are you always this awkward in real life? It is abundantly clear from the context of the OP that it's a typo for cruise and that they have booked their first cruise.

Which ship are you going on - Iona 7 nights? Are you taking children, if so, how old?

There might be a WiFi deal when you get on board. I bought a WiFi package for 2 of us last year and it was worth it, along with paying for the adult only Retreat area.

Get up very early on the day you sail into Olden. Sit on your balcony or go up on deck if you don't have a balcony with a mug of coffee and watch the most beautiful scenery unfold.

Weigh up which trips you fancy and book them in advance. They are expensive, but I think they are worth it.

Take a proper camera, don't just rely on your phone.

Consider pre-booking some of the restaurants. You can book some on the day, but I dislike being glued to an app on holiday.

we love P&O cruises.

They are great for children.

My top tip is have all the meals in MDR when possible. I HATE breakfast in the buffet as its so busy....
Go to the restuarant and its all served to your table... much more civilised.

Lunches are also nice and the dinners are amazing.

The kids do NOT have to eat from the kids menu.... they can eat anything off the proper menu.
Equally fussy adults CAN eat off the kids menu if they choose.

You dont have to only have 1 thing... you can order 2 starters and 3 puddings if you want.... or even 2 mains... or you could order steak and ask for 2 steaks.

The quays is nice to eat.. self service but better than the buffet.

Kids tea is served in the buffet about 5.30 ish (easily missed)

the cinema as very few seats so if you wan to see a film get there early or it will be full.

The entertainment is brilliant... make sure you watch the shows. They are very child friendly.

Olive grove is amazing... book as many tables as possible as soon as you board... most dishes dont have an extra charge.

Wifi is VERY £££... we have never used it and go internet free on sea days.. its liberating.... can use data in ports, but not at sea.

Have a wonderful holiday. (you will)

We love P&O cruises, Norway is awesome on a cruise ship, the views through the fjords are out of this world.

We haven’t been on Iona which I’m assuming is the shop you are going on but the reviews are great! Personally I prefer a smaller ship but like the Iona itinerary for Norway so probably will do it once.

Drinks package is very expensive, we never get it and always spend less.

Wifi is expensive and it’s not wonderful in cabins at the front or back but we get it because our dses are home and need to be able to contact us.

If you can afford a balcony for the fjords, do so. Or get out on deck, it’s magical, gliding through the fjords.

We did Norway on Aurora last summer and while the weather was shit, the cruise was incredible. Hopefully you’ll have an amazing time.

I never pay for the WiFi. Just when you get into port or a cafe use their WiFi or your phones data. Keep in airplane mode while at sea as it can connect to the maritime service which is super expensive. If you can see land you can just use rianjnv

You get 1 hour free Wi-Fi so use it on a sea day.
It’s much cheaper to book excursions with a local provider than P&O.
In Olden you have time to do Briksall glacier tour or Loen Lake trip AND Skylift. You get 10% off second trip when booking
If you are on Facebook join a general Iona group and the one specifically for your cruise

& ignore any chit chat on FB about dress codes and standards slipping. Iona is a VERY casual ship. You can glam up if you want to, but you certainly aren't expected to wear the equivalent of a prom dress or ball gown.

You haven't said which ship you're on, but be aware that there is a suspected norovirus outbreak in progress on the Iona. At the very least, take diarrohea medication and rehydration tablets as a precaution - Sod's Law being that if you don't take them then you'll be struck down.

Agree with PPs - don't bother with onboard WiFi. Use roaming data or hotspots in port and just switch the thing off at sea so there's no prospect of connecting to their incredibly expensive satellite cell.

Hey thanks for all the posts. To confirm it is the Iona…
Think we will need WiFi I know it’s expensive../
I was worried about excursion with local provider what happens if there is a delay and don’t get back in time?
I got ocean view did not get balcony due to the higher cost…
what is the food like for vegetarians how would it compare to say a resort holiday?
Also assume even in August it’s quite cold in Norway.. do the ships get to hot/ cold inside ?

You will have a brilliant time. Ioana has a huge range of places to eat and the buffet makes it clear what is vegan, veggie, GF etc.

Last year was the first time I bought wifi. I have elderly parents and my DH was at home manning the fort. I got the non streaming package and it was worth every penny. My 22 yo DD could stay in touch with her BF too. There is scope to get 1 package to cut costs, but you would have to share a device.

I've been to the Fjords in early May and late June. I foolishly didn't take a warm enough jacket on a boat trip in May and regretted it, but June was much warmer. Be prepared for all weather & imagine you're in Scotland! Indoors is fine, sometimes too cool in the main dining rooms.

Oh dear, is do you think this outbreak will continue till August is it normal to get the norovirus outbreak would the ship have doctors / medical care?

You can get the single WiFi package and allow your partner/kids/whoever to hotspot from your phone so you can both/all access the WiFi together.

Excursions are cheaper if you find a local tour company however if you're late back the ship will leave without you. The P&O excursions are more expensive but if you're on one and there's traffic or a delay of some sort the ship will wait.

Although there's a doctor on board I always take a small first aid kit because there's no point paying the excess on your travel insurance to pay the doctors bill if you can solve it yourself:

Paracetamol + ibuprofen
Motion sickness tablets
Diarrhea relief
Dioralyte
Throat sweets
Lemsip
Calpol
Germolene
Plasters

Definitely take motion sickness tablets even if you don't get travel sick normally. I was fully expecting to get sick initially on my first cruise, I get car sick, I struggle on rollercoasters.. turns out I was absolutely fine but my partner who's never got travel/motion sick a day in his life was awful for the first 24 hours until he got used to it.

I always take magnetic hooks with me (you can get these on Amazon), they're fairly heavy duty and all the walls in your cabin are majestic. It was something we could use to hang up raincoats when wet, bags, caps, I take a little linen bag to hang on a hook and wallets/purses/sunglasses/cruises cards/bits and bobs from pockets go in there. You don't get much counter space in the inside rooms so it just meant the surfaces were much less cluttered.

Take little hand sanitizers and use them as often as possible when out on the ship. Wash your hands properly before and after eating.

You can take your own soft drinks on board so if you haven't got a drinks package and want to save cash (especially if you have kids with you) take a few 6 packs of coke or whatever. There's a small fridge in your room. We took enough for a can a day each on port days so when leaving the ship we took a can each in our bags just for while we were out and about. All water in your cabin bathroom is drinkable so you can always take a refillable bottle with you to take off the ship if you don't want to buy a drink at the shore.

We take a hanging organiser (folds flat) for socks and pants. Takes up only a space in the wardrobe rather than multiple people's pants and socks taking up lots of space on the small number of shelves. We also take a type of coat hanger that holds four items at a time. Use them for multiple pairs of leggings or tops. Again, shelf space isn't much if there's a few of you in the room so was just an easy way to save space.

If you have a small child who doesn't like showers you can get a small inflatable paddling pool (if this applies to you I can get you the link of one that fits exactly in the bottom of the shower) we filled it up using the shower and it meant our 6 month old at the time could sit and splash while washing rather than us fighting tears in the shower. There's usually a small washing line (30cm or so) above the shower where you can hang a swimsuit or something but we found it was the perfect place to slot the paddling pool up out of the way when not in use.

Launderettes are free on board and open to use any time unless there's a norovirus outbreak. We took laundry sheets last time in case our youngest had an accident. Didn't want shit covered vests stinking out the room. We didn't have any accidents but did use the laundry sheets on the last day, nipped and got all our stuff washed and dried ready to come home in about 90 minutes while the baby was napping. If you do have small children it's worth taking a small amount of liquid laundry detergent to use in the sink in your room on the small chance the launderettes are closed and your child wets/poos themself. We also used the dryers a couple of times for ten mins to get the swim stuff dry when the kids wanted to go in twice in one day.

We also take a small amount of fairy liquid and a sponge with us to wash spoons or tupperware for any food the kids have had in the room. Our youngest was up at the crack of dawn so they'd have a porridge pouch or something before we went to the buffet a bit later and it was good to wash the spoons as there's no washing facilities on board for you. The tupperware was because we'd take a muffin or a bit of fruit or something from the buffet during the day back to our room in case the kids wanted anything before bed. I know you can leave the room and eat almost whenever but when the kids are washed and in bed with PJ's on it was good to be able to just give them a banana or something before bed instead of going back out.

Sorry I've rambled and if you don't have kids or young kids half of that won't be necessary at all but it might help someone reading anyway.

Oh and ideally take suitcases that when empty can stack inside each other to save space. You'll be able to put them under the bed.

There are many, many vlogs about Iona on You Tube. Search for Iona p and o and you’ll find them. They explain everything.

I was on the ship when the supposed "outbreak" occurred last week and can reassure you it was click bait exaggeration. I think it was single figures out of 5k+ passengers that had a tummy bug. So a TINY minority of people. Staff cleaned relentlessly and made everyone anti bac their hands before entering buffet areas.
Iona is truly amazing and I miss it big time! You'll have an incredible holiday OP!

I was on Iona last week too and the 'outbreak' reports are completely exaggerated.

Anyway, Iona is the most amazing ship, the fjords are amazing so you are bound to have the most brilliant time! I've been to the fjords 3 times in July/August and the weather is very similar to here - unpredictable. It won't be cold outside, but you might need a cardigan or jacket and it will probably rain at some point The ship has great aircon so it will be just right inside.

Veggie options are brilliant.

The virtual queue for the main dining rooms (MDR) is a bit of a pain we find, we just turn up and if it's busy you get a pager. If you turn up around 6 or 9 you'll probably get straight in, otherwise it can be a wait. If you want to book ahead you can only do it for 5.30 pm. Also if you're happy to share a table you'll get in quicker.

Olive Grove (free but some dishes have a supplement), Beach House (£11.50 plus supplements) and Epicurean (£35 I think plus supplements) are all fabulous. Oh and Sindhu is sublime, can't remember the cost sorry. The buffet (free) is fantastic.

IMO you have to be a massive drinker for a package to be worthwhile. Drinks are reasonable, like a normal pub.

The crow's nest bar is gorgeous.

I have no experience of Wifi sorry.

The main show in the headliners theatre are often fully booked on the onboard app, if your turn up 10 minutes before, you can stand to one side and they'll let you in just before - we have never had a problem.

There are a few facebook groups but the best is 'P&O Arvia & Iona - stupid questions are not stupid' 😂

cruise ships have had norovirus outbreaks for decades.

My first cruise was in 2004 and the ship had just had a NV outbreak.

Its a normal / common thing.

Back in those days you were handed your plate in the buffet, ONLY after they had watched you santise your hands.... and they would ask you to sanitise your hands too. Sadly this doesnt happen anymore... i guess they dont have enough budget to pay a person to personally hand people plates and remind people to sanitise their hands any more.
Ive spent nearly 100 nights on board P&O ships, and not had any problems.
I am meticulous about my own hand hygiene and avoid the buffets where other people touch the spoons etc.

Yes the ships have a medical centre, very well equipped, with skilled Drs who can deal with most things and perform emergancy surgary if required.
They also have freezers to store dead bodies, as its not unusual for people to die on board. They have literally thought of everything.

I forgot to mention the laundrettes on my last post.

They are excellent... bring your own detergent and take home a suitcase of clean clothes. (Free to use)
On my last sea day I:

1. wake up
2. in my dreessing gown / crocs walk along the corridor into laundrette (one on (almost) every passenger deck) and get washing on
3. get dressed etc in cabin
4. on way to breakfast move clothes into dryer
5. after breakfast collect my clean and dry clothes
6. continue with my day knowing i dont have a load of washing to do at home!

Don’t worry about outbreaks, it does happen same as in any land resort but it will only affect a relatively small minority if it happens!

We got Covid on our first cruise in ‘23 but we have done 5 more since and not been unwell at all.

We love cruising, it’s a great way to holiday and the fjords are magical on a ship.

Facebook is great for cruise groups, there will likely be a group for your specific cruise. I always join the group for my cruise, it’s a nice way to chat about excursions etc.

We tend to do a mix of P&O excursions and our own thing, very much dependent on what we want to do. If there is a lot of traveling involved I would want to security of a ship excursion in case of traffic.

We did have a bus break down on us in Lanzarote. We weren’t worried because we were on a ship excursion, just added an unexpected twist to a great day out!

Ok so we get free washing and drying facility or is it paid for by each garment? If machine is provided that’s actually really a useful facility

@Acc0untant & @nannyl Just caught up with posts, those are some amazing tips!!
I did not realise how well equipped it all is, but knowing that we can take a few soft drinks etc means drink packages will not be needed.
@crobbly thanks for all the info on restaurants that’s so informative…
The P&O app had really low ratings on App Store but assume that’s the best option for booking and managing the ship schedule… although it’s fine to just go up and queue or get a buzzer in some cases.

The launderette has normal (but bigger) washers and dryers. The only reason I've seen them closed is if there's a big outbreak on board but they've been open on all mine.

The last ship I went on is smaller than Iona but that one had 4 dryers and 4 washers. It can be busy at certain points if the cruise but while we're on a sea day I'll do 15 minutes and get stuff washed and dry and do the bulk before we go home. It's nice packing clean clothes away knowing there's nothing to do at home.

Yes, you have proper "normal" (but XL) washing machines and dryers.

Just go in and use them for free.
(also washing baskets / irons / ironing boards)

You can buy a dose of detergent from the shop, (about £1 per dose i think) or just take your own detergent / pods etc.

Every passenger deck except deck 8 has a decent size laundrette.

On Iona the machines tell you exactly how many minutes are left on the cycle. (On other ships it doesnt count down, but the standard washed are relatively quick)

Alternatively you can give your washing to your cabin steward for them to wash / dry / iron, buts it VERY ££, and you pay per garment, where as you can just do your own in the machines for free.

Mummyshah, the "app" (which isnt techincally can app, its a web page which can only be accessed when connected to the ships wifi) is ok.
We were on board on the first trip where they used all the features.... it did NOT go well..... for about a day the whole entire ship had to go back to paper, where they write all your drinks / orders with a pen etc and then you sign.

Then when it came back it came back with only a few of its features active.... but at least you could order drinks normally.

I assume they have sorted it by now as that was 2 years ago

I know this thread is about Iona and the Norwegian Fjords, but do any of you seasoned cruisers know anything about Azura?

We will be travelling on her in the summer and am a bit anxious about it, although it isn't my first cruise!

Not been on azura but seen on her sister ship Ventura 3 times.

I'm sure you will love it.

Don't be nervous, there is nothing to be anxious about.

You will have a fab holiday and see lots of places, eat tonnes of food and be as active / laid back as you want, and have great entertainment available.