What Is the Biggest P&O Cruises Ship?

P&O Cruises welcomed its largest cruise ship Iona, to the fleet in July 2021, after a year-long delay due to the pandemic. The 180,000-tonne, 5,200-passenger ship is not only P&O Cruises' largest ever vessel, but the biggest-ever ship purpose built for the UK market. The ship runs on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which will also make it the cleanest-ever P&O Cruises' ship.

Iona features 30 places to eat -- the most on any P&O Cruises' ship -- and is particularly well-suited to families, with flexible dining and family-friendly restaurants such as The Boardwalk Diner and the piazza-style The Quay.

Iona also features new-to-the-line Conservatory Mini-Suites, an excellent option between a balcony cabin and a suite. The ship has 95 Conservatory Mini-Suites, which have a deeper balcony than a standard balcony cabin and a glass-enclosed sitting area.

The line debuted a new music venue on Iona called the 710 Club, featuring Take That’s Gary Barlow as the Musical Director; new restaurants including Taste 360, featuring dishes by the line’s Food Heroes, and Keel & Cow steakhouse and gastropub; the first gin distillery at sea; a four-screen cinema complex called Ocean Studio and the largest glass dome at sea, the SkyDome, which will form a focal point of the ship’s activities and entertainment.

Iona will be joined by a sister ship, Arvia, in December 2022.

Iona is based in Southampton and sails to the Norwegian fjords and the Canary Islands.