
Unfortunately, we are interested in the scenery so on return from our Staycation cruise on Iona we have cancelled our 2023 Caribbean cruise on the sister ship Arvia, although we still have cruises booked for Britannia, Ventura and Aurora.
With reduced occupancy and the necessary Covid restrictions (Maximum 4 people in the lift at a time, many tables/seats out of action to enable social distancing, reduced staffing levels etc) it is difficult to get an idea of how Iona will perform under normal circumstances.
The good: Lots of individual venues/areas onboard; Water bottle refill stations; The Quays; The ‘App’ (when it’s working).
The cabin was well laid out and comfortable. The safe was a usable size, there was sufficient storage and the night light located below the bathroom door was welcomed by our toes.
On the downside the cabin seemed narrower than on previous ships and the location of the bed, which was quite close to the balcony doors, made it difficult getting up without catching the curtains resulting in gremlin like complaints about the bright light.
The lack of a shaver socket in the bathroom also meant we had to charge our toothbrush on the dressing table.
Ours was the first cabin in a recessed run and as such the view is restricted to about 85 degrees whereas on our previous balcony cabins we have been able to see a full 180 degrees. Also, because the balcony of the next cabin extended way beyond ours, it meant we were looking at the backs of our neighbours’ heads if they were out on their balcony and we had to keep the curtains shut when getting ready as they could see straight into our room. Neither the restricted view nor the fact that it is overlooked are mentioned in the brochure.