Lona has worked with P&O Cruises for five years.
After being delivered by the Meyer Werft shipyard on October 9, 2020, P&O Cruises’ Iona has finished her fifth year of operation. The 183,000-ton ship, which is a part of Carnival Corporation’s Excel series, made its debut as the biggest ship constructed for the British company. The Iona also became the largest ship built for the British market and the first ship fuelled by LNG. Eight speciality restaurants, thirteen entertainment venues, four pools and sixteen whirlpools are among the ship’s features, according to P&O.
Before the Iona welcomed its first passengers, it was in layup for almost a year since cruise operations were halted owing to the epidemic. The 5,200-guest ship set out on its first journey on August 7, 2021, when P&O resumed operations in the United Kingdom. The ship’s namesake island in Scotland was visited during the seven-night trip, which began with a fireworks show in Southampton. The Iona provided beautiful cruising around the Isle of Colonsay, Lochbuie, Duart Castle, Tobermory, Bac Mòr, Fingal’s Cave, the Sound of Jura, Claggain Bay, Mull of Kintyre, and Sanda Island, even though passengers were not allowed to disembark at any port because of the pandemic restrictions. After then, the ship kept sailing year-round from Southampton on itineraries to Scandinavia, the Canaries, and Northern Europe.
Earlier this year, the Iona entered drydock at a Rotterdam shipyard prior to finishing her fifth year of service. The ship landed at the site in October for standard maintenance and technological overhauls, according to Cruise Industry News. The ship will conduct a number of 14-night voyages to locations in Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands during the winter of 2025–2026. The Iona is also scheduled to take a 35-night round-trip journey to the Caribbean from Southampton in early 2026.
