Iona Review

The cost of the holiday was good value, but the extras are expensive.

Review for Norwegian Fjords Cruise on Iona
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happy cruiser196263
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Value for Money
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Sail Date: Aug 2022

I booked this cruise only 6 weeks prior to departure, last minute booking as it fitted in with dates and location due to other family issues. I was incredibly worried about many of the negative reviews about the accommodation, food, service and destination. Well first thing to say is we visited all the ports of call and the visits into the fjords was well worth it, beautiful scenery. boarding was efficient and we were on board within 25 minutes of handing over the car keys to the parking company. There was lots of walking but the queues kept moving. I had booked an inside cabin which was located on deck 4. The cabin had everything necessary - a lovely touch was the 'White Company' toiletries, including hair conditioner when requested from the cabin steward. The cabin did have some engine noise and vibration, but I expected this for a cabin at this level. My partner - who was new to cruising said it lulled him to sleep. Once you can get to grips with the app it works well and allowed me to book up for the entertainment each night. Several times I was unable to book a show as it was full but we were able to book an earlier time. The dining rooms - our favourite was Pearl, due to it position at the rear of the ship provided excellent fine dining food, and we ate here the majority of the time, we didnt use the Horizon buffet, but we walked through it regularly to reach the back of the vessel and it was always so busy. The whole ship is beautiful, and provided something for everyone, young and old. There was never any issue with using deck chairs or sun beds at any time, and the weather was gorgeous the whole week. The captain - Wesley gave us a daily update and we looked forward to hearing his comments about the evenings sailing, he made himself available to chat to the guests at the first port of call, previous comments about the Captain were obviously referring to someone other than Capt. Wesley. The doors to the public toilets have a hands free entry facility - a good nod towards reducing touch. I was disappointed to see so few people use the hand gel on entry into the restaurants, and no staff requested customers use them. Overall a fabulous week, and being a family ship, it was a pleasure to see well behaved children in the restaurants. The entertainment was repeated a couple of times at the main theatre but there was plenty of options on the ship to find something else. Excursions were expensive - we only went on 1, and the additional supplements at some of the restaurants did not seem worth it as the food was first class in the freedom dining rooms. Internet was expensive - we didnt need it. The cost of the holiday was good value, but the extras are expensive.

Cabin Review

clean, serviced daily.

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