Having only ever travelled on The Pride of Hull, the 22-year-old ferry that caught fire in the North Sea, I was excited by the prospect of a week’s cruise aboard the Iona, P&O’s newest and largest cruise ship.

With a guest capacity of 5,200, more than 30 places to eat and drink, 4 swimming pools, an infinity pool and 18 whirlpool spas, what was not to love?

Well, quite a lot, as it turns out.
For an amputee with a prosthetic leg, the lifts were hugely important. 18 decks of stairs was just too much for my Genium X3, even with its amazing step-over-step function. Unfortunately the lifts on the Iona were awful. Huge queues at all times. Often I’d be waiting over ten minutes for a free lift (they’d arrive, doors would open, and they’d be full) so I had to resort to climbing the stairs. What less able amputees would do, I have no clue. It really was frustrating.

Another negative was the teen club, The Scene. We registered on day 1 but couldn’t just turn up to play pool or hang out, we had to book a session via the Iona app and every single session was full for the duration of the cruise. Likewise, the cinema, where you were able to just walk in and sit down, was always full even when you arrived over half an hour early for the movie. Plus the snacks vending machine was empty on day 1 and never restocked.
There were numerous hidden costs and I spent the whole cruise asking: Is this included? The majority of the time it wasn’t. The cost for WiFi was extortionate as was the drinks package which didn’t even include bottles of coke, or cans of sprite, just watered down non-brand versions from the tap.
The shows were okay, the food was okay, but I felt like I was stuck on a glorified shopping centre for the week. I didn’t get it and I didn’t understand why other people would get it. Where was the magic? I honestly think I had more fun on The Pride of Hull wondering whether we’d make it across the North Sea in one piece.
Highlights were the hot tubs right outside our cabin. Always empty (it was April and cold so I imagine they’d be incredibly busy on a summer cruise.)

Hot Tubs on the Iona Cruise Ship
The Keel and Cow restaurant was the best (but you had to pay.)

The spa, really luxurious (but again you had to pay.)
The room service – probably the nicest food on the ship – no clue why they didn’t serve such a menu in the included dining, (but again you had to pay.)
The CPS disabled parking with priority boarding included, right outside the ship was definitely worth the expense.
I love to travel and I love to explore and our three stop-offs in Hamburg, Bruges and Rotterdam were great, but we didn’t have long enough to feel like we were actually there, we just got a snapshot of the highlights, and in my opinion that’s not what true travel’s really about.