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Enjoying your Vlogs on P&Os Iona, you are giving me a great insight on what to expect on my first cruise, i am cruising on the latest P&Os ship Arvia on the 2nd of April 2023 for a 14 day cruise around the Med, Thanks for all the video's and i hope you cary on making them thanks.
I definitely identify with grumpy Paul, travelling can be frustrating and stressful. 😡😱 Every time I go on hol now I "have a word with myself" before setting off to be more calm and patient. 😌 Whatever happens I always get to the relaxing with a drink once we're all settled part in theend. 🍻
Oh my goodness what an absolute nightmare. I would have been even grumpier than Paul because the chaos sounded completely unnecessary. I really hope it's sorted before our first experience of P&O when we sail on Iona in March. Amazing what a cold beer can achieve, happy Paul. I'm really looking forward to seeing your series on Iona. Already I'm thinking we won't bother with the drinks package. As always I love your integrity, you say it as it is which is really appreciated.
We have spoken to some that have cruised since and do believe it has improved. The drinks package is no longer worth the money, we are cruising again on Iona in January and will not be purchasing it. The drinks under £6.95 means you can't try many cocktails which is a real shame! Thanks so much for watching!
Love all your vlogs-even the ones where Paul has a good moan-he's very funny. We are going on our first P&O cruise Sept 14th 2025 around the Med on Arvia. Really looking forward to it. This will only be our 4th cruise (2 on RC and one on Celebrity). Keep up the great vlogs! Alan and Cheryl- Plymouth.
Oh dear what a pallava at the start. Wow at the size of the balcony! Glad paul cheered up when he got his cider! 🤪 looks like a lovely ship though! Oh and nice to hear a familiar bit of music in there 😉
Just discovered your Vlogs and found them very informative and enjoyable to watch. My wife and myself are thinking of a cruise next year and loved the look of the P&O Iona. Will be watching more of your video's over the next few months.
The embarkation was certainly cause for grumpiness so Paul was certainly in order to be concerned. I have always tried really hard to be calm and non-provoked when going through the boarding process since so many strange things can happen. I keep telling myself "we're on a cruise", "we're on a cruise" and just let it go. Glad to see that Paul got enough ice i that first beer. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sometimes blips happen, but it was just one thing after another, certainly tested our patience. However the Thatchers Gold Cider and the generous amount of ice definitely helped LOL! Thanks for taking the time to watch Lou! 😀
Thanks for the brilliant video - what a palaver embarking! The COVID testing process has certainly been shakey at times (especially when the port is busy), but its absolutely worth it once you get on board 😀 And what a cabin you had! That balcony 😍
I rarely make comments preferring just to watch and enjoy but I have to say I have never before related to any other video more than this one and it did make me chuckle. It was like someone had filmed myself and my husband on pretty much every 'day one' of every holiday we have ever been on 😂😂😂 It is so nice to know I'm not alone. We will be enduring 'day one' of our own holiday in 9 days time and with all the added paperwork currently needed to travel I will be aiming to get my Mr Grumpy to the pool bar as quickly as possible. Wish me luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Thank you 😊 We will be on our first ever Repo cruise. Marella Discovery - Palma to Barbados. Sea day are my favourite days if I'm honest so I'm looking forward to it. I just hope we can get to the ship without killing each other first 😜 Love your channel, keep up the good work 👍🏻
We have yet to do transatlantic so very jealous on one of our favourite ships! If you can get through the first day sure you will have a fab time! Thanks so much for watching and commenting, it really is appreciated! 😍
I don't understand why P&O does it this way, whereas Royal Caribbean and Celebrity can make embarkation such a breeze. It took us less than 30 minutes from parking the car to opening the door to our cabin for both our cruises this summer. Both companies pay for our PCR tests 3 days before boarding and all we needed to show were this -ve test, proof of having both jabs and our ID.
We did the same trip a few weeks after you, pleased to report the testing queues and embarkation in general had improved alot. We only had 6 cars ahead in the drive thru test area. (It's vital to arrive at the time given not earlier) Totally understand why Paul was a little hot under the collar..... Get that man a beer quick !!
great blog you 2, Paul reminds me of my own mr grump, Denis. He would have been just the same as Paul. Pleased things only got better after all the hassle. Looking forward to viewing the rest of your cruise.
1 hour 20 mins is an improvement to our embarkation to the Britannia in July. Took us 4.5 hours to get on that ship. We had all the documents ready for them to see. Was just mayhem getting onboard. Hope it improves for our P&O cruise in January
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel yes it really was. We just got off Anthem of the Seas this morning after a 5 day trip to Liverpool and Belfast. Had a fab time! Royals boarding is much more efficient. Going on the Iona on 29th of Jan for a 14 night around Spain and Portugal. Got a really good deal on it
Anthem is a great ship, we loved our time on board too. There are some great deals to be had for sure, we are on the beginning of the month sounds the same itinerary. 😀
Love your vlogs as you give good descriptions re embarkation, cabins, what to do when 1st onboard, my daughter I have just been on RC Anthem of the Seas 5 day U.K. cruise. Had vaccination paper copies✔️ having watched your video beforehand knew that the key cards where on the door, watched safety video & went to muster station next, back to cabin booked all the shows to make sure we could go to all, booked evening meal times suitable for show times all done in 20 mins, lastly unpacked cases then off to explore, bonus was my daughter had put a bid in for an upgrade £30 each and we got one. Embarkation was all of 20 mins we had a fab time. Thank you you made it easy for us.
Thanks for the info. In which case then we shall arrive early for our drive-through covid testing. Our time 15.45, final boarding time 17.00. And lets face it, it is impossible to arrive at a UK destination at an exact time so you have to plan to get there early for something that is as close run as this, on par with driving into the airport carpark for exactly 1hr and 15mins before take off. We also get tossed out of our hotel at 12.00 so a very long wait indeed.
Your welcome, plenty more to come! Make sure you book any speciality restaurants as soon as you get on board, it was hard to get tables again. Olive Grove was extremely popular.
Hi Paul and Carole! Just starting your Iona vlog series from last year! I have a question. You said you booked a guarantee, was that and Inside guarantee or balcony guarantee?
Took us 2 hours to get on the Britania in September, luckily it wasn't raining or we'd of been soaked, no social distancing in the queue, so if anyone had of had Covid they could of easily infected everyone, no one with a negative test was allowed on ship but there where a lot of rooms/ corridors out of bounds being used for covid isolation ? , masks needed to be worn whilst walking about indoor s on ship....unless you where special 😏 and didn't need to tow the line, I didn't see one maskless passenger challenged by ships crew. We had a cruise with marella in the summer, the just needed proof of a negative test done st home before you travelled, seemed a much better way to do things. Sort it out P&o.
It is so frustrating! Agree lateral flow test done by yourself day of boarding, before arriving at port, then show evidence then straight on board would be the simplist way. Hoping things simplify as time goes on!
We have recently subscribed to your channel and are now totally hooked on everything that you produce, you are simply the best. What date in January are you back on Iona, we would love to say Hi! We are on 2nd January 😁
Yes sorry, 3rd January, we will make a point of looking out for you, thanks again for everything that you produce, you make it so interesting and informative with a wicked sense of humour 😂
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel my fav video you’ve done so far! He got a pint alright, a pint of ice 🧊 😂 lots of best wishes, keep up the great work, please buy Paulie a clip on mike so we can hear his brilliant comments better! Thank you 🙏
We had to wait 45 minutes to get to the drive through this time queing was well organised but when you have Britannia and Iona at the same time it's not surprising. Once we got through covid testing embarkation was quick straight through priority boarding and into the onboard embarkation lounge for a wonderful a la carte lunch and a few drinks.
Hi Thank you for the embarkation warning. Tell Grumpy Husband he is correct and we will arrive at our allotted time. Can you tell me if there is a wide choice of drinks in the drinks package. I am dying to try the drinks package so that I can have a few new experiences and not stick to the usuals. Obviously the package seems a good idea, but only if a lot of drinks are covered. Help please, I go on Iona on 30 October for 14nights.
The drinks package used to be great value with lots of cocktails. Sadly they have reduced the amount of cocktails and only drinks £6.95. We are on Iona again in January and are just going to pay as we go. We have a post on our website which explains all and shows current drinks prices which should be helpful. paulandcarolelovetotravel.com/po-cruises-bar-prices-drinks-packages/
We needed an accessible cabin but due to this information not being passed on at the time of booking they said they could not get us one but assured us that, so long as my husband did not need a wheelchair in the cabin we would be OK in an ordinary cabin. Complete nightmare when we got on the ship, we could not get the wheelchair through the door without folding it and there was a step into the bathroom. Luckily after one night we got allocated an accessible cabin like yours which was absolutely amazing. You do have a great balcony there, we only had a small balcony.
We have had the same problem with Paul's Dad in a normal cabin. Glad it got sorted. Studying the deck plans is always a great way to see which cabins have the best balconies for future bookings. 😀
Just come across your videos ,great I went on Iona August and back in December to xmas markets but taking a chance on a sea view saver as won’t use the balcony in Dec so hope it’s ok. Great memories
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel great we have t been Dec but never seen Christmas markets so thought ok , we always have a balcony but thought we try seaview as Dec , hope it’s ok 👍
We were on this cruise with you. Saw you loads of times Sindhu for one. But you were always busy filming or with Jamie so didn’t say hello. Only took us 45 mins to get through testing but we were 12:00 and arrived at 11:45
Oh you should of interuptted and said hello, it's always good to meet those who support our channel. Oh you were lucky then, earlier time than us! Thanks so much for watching!
We found that the testing was quite straightforward but some people did not get their test results until after their luggage had been boarded and their cars whisked away. My test result arrived just as I was pulling up for the car park.
Been in a lot of p and o ships but not this one . Hubby made me laugh moaning and I completely get it. Just pls don’t be talking over him as we miss what he is saying and he is funny. Really enjoyed it.
We've just come back from 2 weeks on Iona, took us 2hrs for embarkation, total lack of organisation. Went off in Madeira but took us 45mins to reboard. Disembarkation was also a nightmare and took nearly an hour. Covid precautions onboard are next to non existent.
Great video guys! I would have nearly blown my gasket too… 😆 cruise companies seem to have been so disorganised this passed summer with boarding… not entirely their fault but still frustrating all the same!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel Could you have asked to switch cabins if they gave you one of those promenade deck ones? I've never been on a cruise do no idea how it works 😆
Hi Paul, It is a personal thing, depends on what you like to drink and you will see what we think. For now though we have more information about the drinks package and whats included on our website here which may be helpful. paulandcarolelovetotravel.com/po-cruises-bar-prices-drinks-packages/
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel well prices have been reduced in the spring sale so if you do book for the 6th January would love to say hi 👋 and maybe share a drink or 10 😊
fantastic cabin.... so lucky.... although we have just gone for a fixed cabin for Iona next year for fear of being upgraded to a Promenade deck suite. It looks to be a bit of a lottery... sometimes you win but sometimes you can lose.
Agree we were very lucky! It is a gamble and like you nit prepared to take it again for fear if those deck 8 cabins! We are booked on Iona again in Jauary and have booked an aft cabin so looking forward to that!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel I have booked an aft cabin on Iona and while the walking on a big ship is going to be enormous, I would not want to be on deck 8. You got really lucky I think. Let us know how noisy it was near the lifts, I hope your luggage turned up alright. Thanks for this series, looking forward to seeing more.
We did get very lucky. We didn't hear any noise from the lift at all. It is a long walk from the aft but it is good for walking off those extra calories consumed!
Iona around the med was the final nail in P&O's coffin for me . Covid tests were laughable , covid safety was hit and miss (social distancing in the theatre but a free for all in other venues) . The Buffet selection was severely limited , the main dining rooms were just not hitting the spot. Plus points were the lack of photographers giving hassle and the relatively cheap cost of booze. P&O also allow you to take a litre of spirits each per person on embarkation.
Well, it sounds from the comments t he embarkation process has improved. Glad to report that Sally's embarkation on Iona in September, only took an hour and a half, from test to sitting in the Olive Grove. Look forward to the next vlog.😀😀
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel yes she had a great time. They had a former member of ELO as part of the entertainment, which got Sally into the theater, very unusual. Hopefully when they get to full capacity, there will be a more extensive menu and less distancing, it was a bit frustrating not being able to get in some venues.
Definitely prefer happy Paulie to grumpy Paulie.. mind you'd I'd feel the same if you can see a solution to making things far better for everyone... glad though that things improve the alcohol arrived... 😀
Hi Daniel it didn't work out this time for us as the cocktail selection is now really poor. More info can be found on our website here paulandcarolelovetotravel.com/po-cruises-bar-prices-drinks-packages/
I'm looking forward to my Costa cruise this weekend but not the 2.5 to 3hour embarkation process!!! Apparently the PCR testing incurs a 2.5 hour wait until you get the results! Apparently we'll be given a packed lunch whilst we wait!
....why in the ships they got like a small leather blanket on the beds?? i am sure is a stupit question but i saw 2 or 3 cruises videos and allways wonder. TY
Great video, thank you. You say you booked a “guaranteed” cabin. I take it you booked a balcony guaranteed? If not, some upgrade from an inside “guaranteed” 😃👍
The Iona was the 5th post Covid cruise we've done and the most disorganised. Being asked repeatedly to check the same things passport, insurance, proof of vaccine etc on embarkation. No way to check if people had watched Muster video, the worst app with such things as no daily menu for main dining room or entertainment programme. Choice of entertainment during sea days was also poor.
Anthem of the Seas was amazing. To be fair I think the whole Iona embarkation process just stressed us out so that the first few days we were on a bit of a downer and just kept comparing everything to Anthem instead of taking Iona on it's own merits. Once we got past that we did enjoy the cruise, as they say there's no such thing as a bad cruise. Love your vlogs always very informative and fun.
It is difficult to move on, but glad you did and enjoyed some time. We loved Anthem too, we had a great experience on there. Very different ships so hard to compare. Your right as long as we are cruising all is good! 😀
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel Yes was an awful cruise. To top things off when I complained I was sent a generic response which didn't even acknowledge my concerns.
Yes it is. We are not sure why we were allocated it, obviously not needed. We did hear that a coach load of passengers were not allowed onboard due to a positive test result, so maybe it was available because of this, though not sure.
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel hi thx, it is not visible unless one clicks on the down arrow, which i never thought to do before. thx. I guess that is the date of posting, not the sail date?
