P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise
If you’re looking for information about the accessibility on the P&O Iona cruise ship then head to my previous post, this is just another travel diary so you can see what we got up to on our second cruise and what this P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise had to offer. Be sure to check back on my first cruise: P&O Iona Northern Europe Christmas Markets Cruise.
This was our first family holiday in 18 years that included my brother too, with the addition of his Fiancé, which meant that along with me, Alfie, my best friend, and my parents, we were a group of 7. We didn’t have trouble getting anywhere as a big group at all and always found tables in the entertainment venues.
General P&O Iona Cruise Information
So the P&O Iona is Freedom Dining which means you don’t have a set slot and can dine whenever, last year all the food places, including the buffet would be closed from 9-11 pm which seemed very odd but has now been changed. The buffet is now on all day long including late-night snacks which means it’s a lot less busier than the 11pm rush for a bedtime snack like in December!
They catered to everyone’s needs and there were special stations at the buffet or you could simply ask anywhere else for dietary needs. If you have very strict diet needs I’ve read that you can ask the night before so that they can prepare something, especially for you.
Across the 19 decks, there are 14 restaurants and 19 bars, 12 hot tubs, 1 regular pool, 2 infinity pools, and a hydro pool at the spa. With 6 theatres and entertainment lounges, including an actual cinema, as well as entertainment in Brodie’s (the pub) and Grand Atrium, there is really something for everyone, and whatever type of holiday you want to have.
A lot of places are included in the cost of your cruise but there are specialty restaurants too that cost a little extra but 99% are so worth it.
P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise
Our itinerary for this cruise:
- Stavanger
- Olden
- Alesund
- Haugesund
Due to bad weather, our itinerary changed to:
- Alesund (at 7 pm and then all day the next day)
- Olden
- Haugesund
We really wanted to get off at Stavanger as I did a lot of research and saw that it wasn’t cobbled around the docks so this was a sad change but judging by how rocky the ship was this time, a very sensible change! We didn’t plan to get off at Alesund or Haugesund as we thought they’d be most difficult with my wheelchair so we only ended up getting off at Olden and going to the Loen Skylift but that was absolutely incredible.
Day 1 – Embarkation and Sea Day
For some reason, we didn’t book a wheelchair space last time whereas this time we did and it was so much easier! Right up to the front of the cars for CPS parking, you then simply get out of your car, get your belongings, you then leave your car with them, and go across to the cruise terminal to drop off your bags which will shortly arrive outside your rooms.
The cruise terminal was a lot faster this time except they made us do a weird loop around loads of chairs to get to the accessible booking desk. I really don’t see the need for this, especially when people are pushing transit wheelchair users, it’s so much extra effort! Within 20/30 minutes of arriving, we were onboard though so you can’t complain too much.
As we knew what to expect this time we quickly headed off to our muster stations and then straight to our rooms, there was quite a long wait for the lifts but we expected this so just waited patiently. To see more on our rooms check out my Accessibility on the P&O Iona post. We all took an hour to unpack our rooms properly and wait for everyone to board so it was a bit calmer to get around.
Rather than exploring whilst it was still so busy we headed to The Glass House on Deck 7, this wasn’t open during our last cruise so it was on my list of must-visits, and wow, did it impress! It was very slow food service, but great drink service for the wait. We weren’t in a rush to go anywhere so it wasn’t a bother at all and the food was so worth waiting for. This ended up being our favourite place.
Day 2 – Sea Day & Celebration Evening
In classic Georgina style, I didn’t realise my phone had changed times in the night and woke everyone up an hour before we needed to be. Safe to say no one was happy.
We started off in a main dining room for breakfast which is a sit-down service and was really lovely. We then explored the ship before heading to a painting with coffee class. No one wanted to do this at all, they were all complaining their little heads off and then it was absolute silence whilst painting. Everyone was getting so into it and took it so seriously! It was actually super cute to just relax and have some fun like this!
My brother and I obviously turned it into a competition and Art Lady (the woman running the class) didn’t want to pick between ours but we both know she secretly chose mine as the best. It might sound a bit weird to do on a cruise holiday but sea days can be whatever you want them to be, this was at 10 am in the morning so it’s not like we were going to be doing much else and we all had a lovely time. I really recommend trying it!
We then went to the pub on board, Brodie’s for the pub quiz! We said last time that we wanted to do one again so we were super happy to be ticking off something else on our second day onboard. For lunch we went to The Quays which is on Deck 8, there are 3 stations for Fusion Asian Kitchen, the Katsu Curry here is so good, Hook, Line & Vinegar, the fish and chip bar, and finally Broadwalk Diner, for burgers. It’s all included and such a great place for a quick lunch!
We then had spaces booked in the Headliners Theatre for an interactive Gameshow called Wavelength. No one knew how this would work and it turns out they had already picked people to play from the pub a few hours earlier and it was basically watching a live gameshow, very fun!
Sunday was super busy and next up I had booked me, mum, and dad into the Epicurean for afternoon tea. We didn’t manage to get a booking last time so this was another thing on my must-do list. It cost £42 for 3 people. The Epicurean is the fine dining restaurant on board but I can’t help but feel that it really lacks atmosphere. Whether it’s just the older, slightly snobbier people onboard that tend to frequent there, or if like us you’re just scared to talk too loud, it’s just very quiet and lacking.
The afternoon tea certainly didn’t live up to the hype either. It’s really overly complicated when it doesn’t need to be at all, I mean, orange blossom and bee pollen scones? Scones just need to not be dry! Quite disappointing to be honest and not something I would book again now.
Celebration Evening is my favourite because you can REALLY dress up! Well, you’ll notice in this post that we dressed up every night but Celebration Evening was extra special. We had booked the Chef’s Table which is where half of the Horizon Buffet turns into a restaurant at night and serves a specially put-together menu. It seemed a lot better flowing than when we just went to a main dining room last time, and a lot better service too.
We had a lovely time and then afterwards I made everyone partake in family photos. I really wish we had stopped someone to take a photo of us rather than me screenshotting from videos, but there are quite a few shy people amongst our group (obviously not me), and we already had a bit of an audience. People were actually ‘awwwing’ out loud at, well what I can only assume, was our beauty.
We then headed to The Club House, we loved this venue last time and we did it again this time! It really is such a fun place at nighttimes. One of my favourite songs came on so Jemma, my future sister-in-law said let’s go dance! I wasn’t expecting this but soon I was full speed towards the dance floor rolling on a river.
The night doesn’t end there, we then thought, let’s try and get into the late-night showing at the 710 Club! This is always booked out for the entire week, completely full within hours of everyone getting on board. A little top tip though, most people end up cancelling their booking for the 12:15 am shows as they go to bed instead, so this is the one you’re more likely to be able to get in for!
We headed to the doors and I asked, please sir, can you fit 7? Being polite and extremely pretty gets you everywhere because we were in! It was a great band and performance and we’re all so pleased we stayed up!
Day 3 – Unexpected Sea Day (up until 7pm)
Naturally, after staying up so late, no one was interested in breakfast so everyone had a big lie in and we eventually came out of our cabins for an early lunch at The Olive Grove, which is easily one of the best places to eat on board. Some dishes, I must stress not every dish, cost a little extra but we’re talking a couple of pounds, not a full-priced meal. For example, my paella is £4, well worth it. The Olive Grove is a must-visit, you do have to book in advance but sometimes they can fit you in.
We then headed to The Club House for another game show, The Pursuit. We love quizzes and gameshows as a family and it’s such a fun thing to do.
It was then time for my hair appointment at the Oasis Spa/salon. Instead of washing my hair in the cabin and maybe staining the tiles red, I head to the salon instead. It’s much quicker, easier, and less painful this way, and plus, I’m on holiday! On a cruise holiday, you can really make whatever type of holiday you want.
We then got ready for the evening and me, mum, and dad headed back to our booking at the Epicurean for a 3-course meal. It cost £72 for 3 of us. We know from my dad and I going last time that it’s quite a slow service as you’re meant to just enjoy being there but with even less atmosphere than the daytime with afternoon tea, and quite literally having to whisper, the time went even slower than I could ever imagine.
Whilst we were there the others got off to visit Alesund as we had docked there overnight and everyone could come and go as they pleased. It’s a very cute town but lots of cobbles and all uphill so that solidified for us that it’s probably best to skip this port.
Back to the Epicurean and some cold, overcooked prawns later and we didn’t end up staying for dessert. We would have probably been waiting another hour for it so we left to meet up with the others.
We headed to Headliners Theatre for the magician and he was actually more like a comedian, so very funny and entertaining! We all loved the show and finished with a quick pass by the buffet for bedtime snacks.
Northern Lights
There had been talks of seeing the Nothern Lights during our cruise as the cruise the week before, another P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise saw them 3 nights in a row! We were so jealous and thought there must be no chance at all. At 1am there was a quick announcement to say that the Nothern lights were now visible but they should be best around 3/4am. As we’d only just been in bed for an hour, I thought I wouldn’t wake the others just yet but I really should have done so as I still think the 1am views were better than 4am, what do you think?
1am photo:
4am photos:
I woke everyone up around half 3 and we all came to my room to start but decided we’d be better off on deck 18 to see them properly. So many people were up and awake snapping away photos! A few of them didn’t realise you needed to put night mode on your phone so my friend Ryan helped them, we’re cute like that. I helped a lady get a better photo through a rail too.
You could see them with your own eyes too but not the green part, you could just see what looked like vertical clouds. Absolutely amazing though and we were so beyond pleased!
Day 4 – Alesund / Jemma’s Birthday
A sea day for us after deciding it wouldn’t be an easy port to get around, so we started late and went to explore a much quieter ship. First, we started in The Crow’s Nest on deck 17, again this is where older people tend to frequent more and was another very quiet place. A shame really as it’s so beautiful and there are views all around. It’s also a bit tricky to get to as deck 17 doesn’t connect all the way through due to the skydome, so you have to go to the right lifts or you’ll end up at a dead end.
As it was Jemma’s birthday, the birthday girl decided where we ate for lunch so we headed to Keel & Cow. This is a specialty restaurant where things cost a tiny bit extra but again a couple of pounds per dish and very worth it! The duck boa buns were unreal and if you’re going on the P&O Iona, you need to get them.
Everyone was really tired and I had my eyes on a watercolour class where you painted the lovely Alesund. Art Lady only had two tables set up but there were so many people who wanted to take part so we had to lean on this window ledge, but actually, we had a great view of what we were painting. Another hour passed and after posing like 6-year-olds for some photos with our pretty paintings we headed off for a rest before the evening.
Again birthday girl got to pick where we eat so we headed to The Beach House. This is where half of the Horizon Buffet turns into a restaurant at night time and serves massive steaks that you cook on a salt slab. We’ve been so looking forward to here and it was really impressive! I mean look at my seafood kebab? I could have done with a salt slab to warm it back up but it was still really tasty. This is another specialty restaurant that costs a little extra but as I keep saying, not much. For desserts, we all had the hanging marshmallow kebabs and they were amazing. Definitely a must-visit!
As we were already on the same floor, we went into the Skydome to watch an aerial performance. We watched a few last time and always really enjoyed them. We then were booked into the Headliners Theatre for The Greatest Days Musical based on the Take That film, everyone really enjoyed it.
Day 5 – Olden
Olden was the entire reason why we booked this cruise. Seeing all the photos and videos from here just looked out of this world and seeing it in person is even better than we could have ever expected. There are several Facebook groups that are absolutely a fountain of incredible knowledge and information when it comes to the P&O Iona. One tip we kept seeing was to get off first thing for Olden and that way you’d be on the Loen Skylift a lot quicker and they couldn’t be more right.
We were off by half 8 and independently bought our tickets from the stall directly opposite the ramp to get off. It was very quick and easy with assistance staff to help anyone who needed and then you’re immediately surrounded by these incredible mountains and views. We went further down the port to where the coaches were parked and queued for the Loen Skylift bus, it’s bright blue you won’t miss it.
Unfortunately due to where it was parked the ramp was far too high for me to get up so I did have to get out, this was my first bus as a disabled person so not the best experience. The bus ride to the Loen Skylift was around 10 minutes, very scenic and beautiful, and on the other side, there was pavement so the ramp was perfect and I could drive straight off myself. The views are just absolutely breathtaking and so beyond what I imagined!
We then headed inside the gift shop which had a large door frame that I couldn’t get over. We believe there’s a fully accessible route though as it’s listed as fully wheelchair accessible on their website and I’ve heard from other wheelchair users that it is. Once inside we headed into the lift, across a bridge and we were in the queue. Very easy but if you have low mobility then I really do suggest hiring a mobility aid as it’s a lot of walking without one. We were put at the front of the queue and the Skylift had completely flat-level access so I simply drove on straight and parked there with ease.
The lift itself takes 5 minutes and the views are incredible. Once at the top, there’s a huge viewing point that’s all flat, a gift shop that is not wheelchair accessible, unless you can hop over the door frame or go backwards. Again it is possible that it’s accessible from the lift inside on a lower floor but it was freezing so we didn’t explore more about how to get in the gift shop.
Across most of the mountain, they’ve made flat walkways, obviously, these do slope and curve with the mountain so I did have to be careful in a lot of places but I mostly managed to get anywhere I wanted. Including this mountain viewpoint which just happened to be a great place to watch my brother and dad Zipline! For around £45 each they Ziplined across and then back, it’s definitely a high-level activity as the walk to the zipline would have been too much for a lot of people!
We were all freezing at this point so we headed inside the restaurant at the top and it had utterly incredible views. The Skylift ended up costing £67 per person with booking directly, I can’t remember the price of booking via the P&O Website but I do believe it’s cheaper for booking directly. We then started to head back down and that’s when the rain started, luckily it wasn’t too long before the next shuttle bus and we were back on board after an incredible morning.
If the weather was a little better we would have definitely explored more but we were super lucky to have barely any queues and get there and back with ease. We’re all so glad that we went and experienced this. We headed back onboard to warm up and straight to The Olive Grove for lunch and it was super tasty as always. We then snuck in a rare nap before getting ready for the evening.
Of course, we had to have some balcony photos with the beautiful Olden in the background and gosh, doesn’t it just look unreal? I joked on my Instagram that it actually looks fake but it really does! For tea we went back to The Glass House, we just absolutely loved it the first time and we did it again this time! The views were so beautiful sailing out of Olden and we were in the atrium with great views whilst enjoying our food and drinks. The Glass House is such a beautiful location.
As we were back at sea, the shops opened back up so we popped off to do some shopping. I ended up buying some custom-length bracelets as that’s something I always struggle with as a plus-size woman. I also snapped a photo of the Swarovski bracelet I bought earlier in the week. I didn’t even hesitate and it was the last one, it’s so very me, don’t you agree?
After shopping we headed back to The Club House for a comedian. I won’t be harsh but the magician was funnier. We then headed for a quick spin in the Casino, literally a spin of the wheel to win a prize for £5. Before going past the not-so-silent disco on the way to bed.
Day 6 – Haugesund
After lots of research, Mum and I decided to make Haugesund our spa day as we missed out on massages last time and really wanted to try them this time. We booked in for a hot stone massage, followed by Thermal Suite Access for 2 hours (£39), and then had our hair washed and styled for the evening. Our massages were really great and we’d definitely have hot stones again!
We had already been to the spa before so we knew what to expect, but last time it wasn’t half as busy which meant the teeny tiny changing rooms were an actual nightmare. Lucky for us we had our swimming costumes underneath our outfits so we could just get changed in the open but then I couldn’t even get to the lockers so I just left the bag on the back of my wheelchair, which was already just left under a table as there was no space to leave it anywhere. Not ideal at all.
They could have easily designed this space better. There’s one changing room or you have to get changed in the toilet. In the disabled toilet, there’s no bench, no hooks, no nothing to put your things on to get changed. Just a big room and a toilet. There’s one single very small changing cubicle and then two showers. The bench around the lockers isn’t actually big enough for 2 people to comfortably get changed. It’s utterly ridiculous! We managed last time because we were alone but with so many other people it was terrible and made us leave earlier to avoid it on the way out.
We then headed back up to the Oasis Salon for our hair appointments. The others had been on an 18,000-step coastal walk to see The Rising Tides Statues. They met a cat along the way and had a lovely morning out but said we definitely would have struggled with my wheelchair so I’m glad I didn’t go.
We then got ready as we had a booking at Sindhu, the Indian Restaurant onboard. Only me, Mum, and Dad ended up going as no one else liked the sound of the menu but boy, did they miss out! One of the best meals on board for sure. We ordered our own starters and then chaat bombs and a pancake for the middle, everything was so delicious including the complimentary chutneys with mini poppadoms. For our mains, we all ordered the signature dish which is their most popular and it had lobster, duck, and chicken. It was flipping brilliant and I could eat it again right now! These also came with rice, curry, and vegetables to share in the middle.
We didn’t end up staying for desserts because we were simply too full but it was such a great place and I would really recommend going. As we were nearing the end of our cruise, I really wanted to try the premium cocktails in The Emerald Bar and whilst they were mostly poison and not very nice, the sorbet one was lovely. Afterward, we went to the Headliners Theatre for the magician’s second show but he wasn’t half as good as the first time so that was a little disappointing! We then headed for a look around the ship at night before having a pizza party with room service which was very nice!
I then took a lovely photo of the stars and headed to sleep ready for our last day.
Day 7 – Last Day / Sea Day
Everyone was being a little boring so only a few of us headed out early for breakfast and then a look around the ship. We really wanted to play basketball but unfortunately, it was only accessible via a stairlift that you had to ring to get someone to come and operate it. I didn’t fancy asking for permission or going on a stairlift as a plus-size person so my brother played football with Alfie whilst me and Ryan froze.
We made sure our rooms were packed up as cruises make it super easy to disembark by asking for most of your luggage the day before so it can be waiting for you in the cruise terminal.
Everyone did emerge for some shopping and then unfortunately they made us go to the Horizon Buffet, stating that it was ‘really good’ the day before. Either their tastes are terrible or they’re massive liars because it wasn’t great and an utter waste of a meal on our last day. NO prawns, NO lobster, pointless!
We saw that a magician was doing a workshop in The Club House so naturally me and my brother made everyone go as we wanted to learn magic. Daniel soon lost interest as I am clearly a natural-born magician, I mean, what can’t I do? Afterwards, there was bingo on so this was actually a clever plan to make sure we had a good table but unfortunately, playing Dora the Explorer all week had caught up to me and I started falling asleep so I had to go nap.
Fun fact – Did you know that your legs and ankles can swell whilst on a cruise? Theories say it could be from more salt in your foot to salt in the sea air! We had no idea until our legs blew up last year but this time we were prepared with massage balms, compression socks, and this lovely Fresh Light Legs spray from Ringana.
It was then time for our last evening on board and we had booked tickets to The Limelight Club! This is £20 each per person for a 3-course meal and special entertainment. This time it was West End Actress Alice Fearn and she was absolutely fantastic! Sometimes the menu in The Limelight Club is a little overly fancy but if you ask nicely you can order from the main dining room menu (that changes daily) so instead of some pea thing, I had a lovely duck meal!
It was then time for our last show at the Headliners Theatre, we really saw a wide variety of shows and entertainment on this cruise! The access in the theatre is really great too with accessible seating at the front or back.
Disembarkation
You have to be out of your rooms by 8am to allow them enough time to get ready for the next cruisers. After our last trip, we learned that they’re often very quick with disembarkation and you can usually get off a lot earlier than your allotted time, so we had breakfast in The Quays, which we did eat at a few times but I took no photos, it was lovely for both breakfast and the Katsu curry for lunch! Then we decided to head down to the atrium to wait to get off but everyone was just being told they could leave which was so smooth and easy. Within around 10 minutes we were outside and heading to the car. Honestly, a cruise holiday is so much easier than an airport and flying.
That’s it! That’s our family holiday. Over on my Instagram, you can see video highlights and soon on my TikTok I’ll be posting daily little vlogs from it too, so you can get all the information in whatever format you prefer! I so hope this helped you out with accessibility or just things to put on your must-visit lists! If there’s something I haven’t answered then please feel free to pop me a message or comment below.
We really enjoyed our time on the P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise and we’d definitely go back on the Iona, maybe even back to Norway!
