Cruise essentials for first timers

[mybathistoohot]

I’m cruising on P&O Iona at the end of August, Spain and France. It’s my first cruise and apparently there’s a lot of hacks for cruising to make things easier and more enjoyable - regular cruisers please hit me with your tips and tricks! Iona specific stuff is cool too. It’s me, my parents (early 50’s) and DD6.

if you’re not a cruise goer or have strong opinions against them, here isn’t where you need to voice them thanks 🥰

If you go offshore independantly make sure you get back to the ship in good time .
We were 45 minutes late getting back but as we were on a Cruise trip they were obliged to wait .
A couple of trips (Rome and Bruges) passengers have been delayed by trains and the ship went without them . They travelled independantly so no obligation to wait . Had to catch us at the next port .

Agreed. The added value to (expensive) in-house excursions is that the ship waits for you. Which is a great reassurance for me.

I will put the advice that I post on all cruise threads, do not pack 23 pairs of shoes for a 5 night cruise, you will wear 3 pairs. I'm a much better packer now.

With a 6yo you probably have a big bag but I was kicking myself that I didn’t bring an evening clutch for formal dinners. Something just big enough for phone, DH’s glasses and cruise card.
I ended up using a makeup pouch when I had at least three at home.

Pre book as much as possible as soon as possible. Iona relies on an app for everything and you spend a lot of time refreshing it for tables, the theatre etc. Look at booking wifi before your trip, but you may find that there is a special offer in the daily Horizon sheet in the first couple of days.

The Retreat is lovely. You can get drinks, snacks, breakfast and lunch in peace & quiet, but it is a child free zone. No need to wait to grab a hot tub.

Arrival times are dictated by which floor your cabin is on. P&O doesn't give you a choice. If you do arrive on time you can be through all the checks within 20 minutes.

Ensure your insurance includes missed ports. Some policies will give each of you around £200 each if you do miss one. Hopefully you won't need to claim, but it does happen.

Keep your receipts from any large purchases in ports and reclaim the VAT. Any alcohol purchased onshore gets collected when you get back on board and returned on your last night. Duty free on board is also returned on your last night.

Never get sucked into a foot pamper session. They will spend an hour trying to get you to buy inserts. Slots for special offers in the spa are often for ungodly hours factoring in the time difference or for port days when everyone else is exploring.

Forgot to say that the drinks packages are rarely worth it. P&O are very reasonable & there are only so many glasses of house wine, cocktails, Costas and fizzy drinks you can face by Day 3, especially as everyone in you group has to have the package. (This may have been replaced now by all inclusive).

Haven’t read all the posts so may be repeating but I spent a week on Iona with my mum and DD and even though I had read there were charging ports, I couldn’t find them so my tip is that they are situated under the wall lamps by the bed. I’m currently on Arvia ( sister ship) and found them straight away. 😂

Other tips- take refillable water bottles ( and maybe squash for DD) as there are water stations around the ship.

Watch a ship tour/ tips on you tube. I’ve been on several cruises and only just learnt on our last cruise that lifts are colour coded so you know if you are forward/ mid or aft.

The quays on deck 8 on Iona does fabulous fish and chips and it’s busy but less chaotic than the buffet which at peak times can be a bun fight I had it today!

Use the my holiday app ( can only download on board) to book restaurants/ shows etc..

You'll get a daily magazine called The Horizon with a timetable of activities for the next day. Check it and take a photo of anything interesting so you’ve the times on your phone when out and about.

Enjoy, you really will have a fabulous time and your daughter will love it. Something for everyone.

Oh and in Horizon every day there’s the details of the port authority for the next day. Take a photo of it as if the worst happens and you miss your embarkation time at a port, you’ll have the details for the person and the phone numbers that can help you get to the ship at the next port. But seriously, the thick toast hint is much more useful 🤣

Wear stretchy clothes. My god I ate some food….

My tip re taking wine on board. We are allowed a litre each but it is of course difficult to find a bottle of wine by the litre over here.

My solution is to buy cans of wine - 5 x 200 ml :) Full use of the allowance and much easier to pack too!

Iona is very large. It takes quite a long time to walk from the forward to the aft! I found the main dining rooms on Iona to be not great but some of the speciality restaurants are nice. The Quays is good, burgers, curry , fish and chips and they do breakfast too - pancakes and waffles as well as the usual omelettes, full English type stuff.

And yes only flush the ship’s toilet paper.

Take soft drinks, snacks etc on board or pick up in port as the shop on board is not greatly stocked and is expensive

One small point - when you get in the lift to get off at a port, don't worry if you can't remember which deck you need to disembark - just press the star button in the lift and it will take you straight there. The lift and stair areas have coloured artwork so you always know which part of the ship you're at - red is aft, white is midship and blue is forward. Enjoy, she's a beautiful ship

Suitcases usually fit under the bed, I went in 16 cruises before realising this!

I wear a tiny cross body for my key card, lip salve and phone.

Do try the curries in the buffet.

Have been on sister ship Arvia, so assume Iona is similar.
there is a nightlight at floor level by the bathroom door to provide a low level glow at night.
Kettle and hot drink fixings are in your cabin, but take a cup of fresh milk from the buffet in the evening for your morning cuppa if you don’t like long-life milk. Take sachets if you like a flavoured coffee.
Ask your steward for flannels, body lotion, conditioner if you wish.
The shower has a pull out washing line for wet swimmers - pack a few pegs.
Blue towels are for deck/beach use and can be swapped for fresh ones on deck or by leaving on bathroom floor.
Do use the ship’s ‘app’ on your phone to book stuff and to join virtual restaurant queues.
Breakfast in the main dining room or the Quays. For the quays it’s helpful one person gets the drinks/fruit/pastries/cutlery whilst the other queues at the ‘stations’. The mini fish &chips hits the spot for a late lunch after being ashore.
The ships are huge, so have a good scout around to find a deck / pool area that suits your vibe. Some are lively, others are quiet. If the MDR is open for lunch that makes a nice change of scenery, rather than the buffet.
The buffet does a children’s tea, afternoon tea with scones etc, and a late night selection too.
Live music is a strong offer on the ships, so see what’s on and book in advance too.

Join the FB group for your cruise or at least an iona one, you'll get loads of tips

You can take alcohol for your cabin (within reason) and soft drinks too. I take an insulated water bottle and a travel coffee mug to refill in the buffet/in cabin so I don’t have to buy drinks as much. Pack of cards or travel games are good for little ones

Funny enough having read multiple times about clutch bags here - I don’t bother, take a little bag for your dc for a colouring book and crayons plus perhaps uno or cards in the evenings but for just me I tuck my cruise card inside my bra, saves loosing my bag!

Have only been on one cruise last summer - on a different cruise line. I joined a Facebook group a few months before so saw lots of questions asked - and the replies. Also watched a few you tube videos about the ports and specific room and the ship. Got a few tips from these.
Main things we got - magnetic hooks - got a pack of 6 from amazon - very useful to hang lanyards etc. Got lanyards to put ship passes in- need the pass for around the ship for drinks / room access / to get back on the ship! Although DS took his off on a toilet trip and left it in the loo 10 mins before about to leave for an excursion. Luckily went straight back and found it!
Bought clear luggage label covers - you print out paper labels to affix to your luggage so it can be delivered to your room - so was and added layer of protection so paper not ripped. Luggage got delivered around 1 -3pm, and did have to locate ours down the corridor. So good to have everything you need for the day with you.
Didn't apply to us as didn't buy a photo package, but if you do buy one, make sure you download pictures before yiu disembark as otherwise you may not get them.
Took some sandwich bags so easy to take a few bits from buffet back to room (ie pastries / cookies / fruit for in the room).
Depends on options of drinks packages and costs - we bought ours at a reasonable price (but found prices fluctuate daily). Nice not to worry about the cost of drinks as already paid for (and our 2 DS loved filling up at the machines).
Make sure travel insurance covers cruises (including any medical costs and repatriation costs).
Enjoy the cruise!

And remember to check times if there are any time changes - there is ship time which may or may not change to be the same as local time - important if on an excursion to be back by the right time. Also - the ship waits for no one (unless on a paid excursion through the ship).

Check the dinner schedule. We were on a rolling cruise, where passengers embarked at every port of call and the very dressy gala dinner was on our first night. I had packed swimwear in hand luggage, and ended up frantically blowdrying kids hair and trying to manage my own frizzy mess (salt water pools), make up, etc. Would have skipped the pool if I’d realised. Would have skipped the dinner except it was one of the highlights for our relative who was kindly footing the bill. I just didn’t expect it to fall on our first night.

You don’t have to eat all seventeen courses at dinner! We nearly exploded the first couple of evenings. Then realised we could just skip some courses…. then discovered the buffet and stopped going to the formal dining room.

Be meticulous about hand hygiene. Viruses are rampant on cruise ships and it’s an easy way to protect yourself. Clean the tap before using the water station and don’t touch your bottle off the tap.

Don’t bring over the door hooks because they damage the tops of doors and won’t be allowed. Magnetic hooks are better.

Just enjoy it….

The quays on deck 8 on Iona does fabulous fish and chips

The cruise I was on it was Fish and Ships..... lol

Some great tips here, been cruising 5 times, but did not know you could get an e-SIM. I would echo that going to the MDR for lunch (never done BF) might sometimes be better than the buffet, it does take a while (and maybe won't suit a 6yo) but the food quality and the experience was a lot better. Also check out your ports for getting off the ship, we don't do the excursions generally (we can get ourselves back on time) but there is a million miles between strolling off almost in the city (Savona) and getting off in the dockyards of Marseille to try and get transport into town. Have a lovely time x

I absolutely loved the two short cruises I did with mum.

When you board your suitcases will probably be taken away and you'll find them at your cabin - you may well not be able to access the cabin immediately as the previous occupants will be clearing out! So ensure you gave any essentials. Maybe swimming things, or go for lunch.

You'll probs have to pay for WiFi if you need it for work or Instagramming your way round.

Take evening dress for formal nights.

Do everything on offer that's included. I was so impressed with the shows - cruise ship entertainers are pros.

I attended several fascinating talks on history, jewellery and art.

Excursions can be fun - choose carefully. And be absolutely clear on what time to be back on board as they will leave you behind if you're late...

Be hygiene-aware. Washing hands, careful about buffets, loo hygiene etc. Norovirus has been a thing on some ships ...

I found a small swimming pool at the back of one ship with its own little bar, took a book and had a quiet hour while mum was resting.

Explore the whole ship and see what it has to offer.

Remember your chargers. You probably won't need adaptor plugs but double check.

Have fun.

Bloody love all of this! So many fab tips that I’ll definitely use!