The mistakes people make on P&O Iona usually do not come from one big thing going wrong. They come from lots of small things.
Turning up on embarkation day without the right items in your hand luggage. Waiting too long to think about dining. Assuming the ship will feel easy to navigate straight away. Leaving show bookings too late. Or expecting the busiest sea day areas to feel calm and spacious at the exact same time everyone else wants to use them.
Iona is a big ship, and that is part of what makes her appealing. There are lots of places to eat, plenty of entertainment, several pool and hot tub areas, the SkyDome, the promenade deck, and a much more flexible dining setup than some older P&O ships. But that flexibility also means you need to understand how the ship works.
I’ve cruised on P&O Iona twice, including a very busy school holiday sailing with over six thousand four hundred passengers onboard, and this guide walks through the biggest P&O Iona mistakes to avoid before you cruise. These are the things that can make the difference between Iona feeling busy and stressful, or big, varied and much easier to enjoy.
Watch: P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid Before You Cruise
If you want to see these tips with real footage from onboard, watch my full Iona mistakes video below. This will help you understand how the ship feels in practice before we break each mistake down in detail.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Getting Embarkation Day Wrong
One of the first mistakes people make on P&O Iona is getting embarkation day wrong.With P&O Cruises, your embarkation time is allocated to you. You do not choose it yourself, and on Iona those times can sometimes be later than people expect.
That does not mean boarding will always be slow. Sometimes the process moves quickly. But on a ship the size of Iona, with thousands of passengers arriving, there can also be queues outside the terminal, especially during busy school holiday sailings or peak travel dates. The mistake is assuming you can just turn up early and walk straight on.
If you arrive too early, you may have to wait. If the terminal is busy, the start of your cruise can feel tiring before you have even stepped onboard.
The other embarkation day mistake is packing as though your suitcase will arrive at your cabin immediately. It might not. Luggage delivery can take several hours, especially on a busy turnaround day in Southampton. So keep anything important in your hand luggage. That includes medication, valuables, documents, chargers, and anything you might want before your case arrives. Swimwear is especially worth packing in your hand luggage.
If you want to use the pool, hot tubs or SkyDome early, you do not want to be waiting outside your cabin for your suitcase while other passengers are already enjoying the ship.
Once you board, get the essentials done first. Complete your muster check-in, pick up your cruise card from outside your cabin, and watch the safety video as early as possible. That way, the admin is out of the way and you can start enjoying Iona properly.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Trying to Do Everything on Day One
Another common mistake on Iona is trying to do too much on the first day. Iona is a very large ship. On embarkation day, everyone is boarding, exploring, finding cabins, checking dining, looking at the app, booking restaurants, finding the pools and working out where everything is. That can make the ship feel overwhelming very quickly.
A lot of first-time passengers make the mistake of thinking they need to understand everything immediately. They want to find the restaurants, the theatre, the SkyDome, the pools, the buffet, the promenade deck, the bars, the cabin, the app and the daily programme all within the first few hours. That is too much.
The better approach is to keep day one simple. Walk a few key decks. Find the venues you are most likely to use. Work out where your cabin is in relation to the lifts. Check where the main dining rooms are. Find the SkyDome, the theatre and The Quays. Then let the rest of the ship make sense gradually.
Iona is one of those ships that feels much easier by day two or three than it does in the first couple of hours. The first afternoon can feel busy and slightly confusing, but that does not mean the whole cruise will feel like that. Don’t judge Iona too quickly on embarkation day. That is one of the biggest mistakes of all.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Not Learning the Ship Layout Early
One of the easiest ways to make Iona feel less stressful is to learn the layout early. This is a big ship, and if you do not understand how she is arranged, you can waste a lot of time walking the wrong way, getting out at the wrong lift bank, or realising the deck you are on does not connect in the way you expected.
Once you understand Iona, the ship flows much better. The colour coding near the lifts is one of the most useful things to learn. Blue means forward, grey means midship, and red means aft. That sounds like a small detail, but on a ship this size it helps a lot.
The cabin corridors also give you clues. If you see sunrise artwork, you are heading forward. If you see sunset artwork, you are heading aft. These little details are easy to miss at first, but they make a real difference once you start using them.
Another mistake is relying on the lifts for everything. On Iona, the lifts can be one of the most frustrating parts of the ship at busy times. This is especially true on embarkation day, before dinner, after theatre shows, and on sea days when lots of people are moving around at the same time. If you are only going up or down a couple of decks, the stairs are often quicker.Learning how to move around Iona early will save you a lot of frustration across the week.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Leaving Dining Too Late
Dining is one of the areas where people can get Iona wrong very easily. Because there is so much choice, it is tempting to assume you can just decide what you want when you feel hungry and everything will work itself out. Sometimes it will. But not always.
Iona uses Anytime Dining in the main dining rooms. That gives you more flexibility than traditional fixed dining, but it also means you need to think ahead if you want to eat at the most popular times.
The virtual queue usually opens at around 6pm, and if you join late but still want a peak dining time, you may end up waiting longer than expected.
The Olive Grove is another venue that catches people out. It’s included in the cruise fare, which makes it very popular. On some sailings, it can look fully booked very quickly once people board. That does not always mean you will not get in, because people cancel and availability can change, but the mistake is ignoring it early in the cruise and then only trying when everyone else has had the same idea.
Speciality dining works the same way. If there is somewhere you really want to eat, such as Sindhu or The Epicurean, book it early. Do not leave the restaurant you care about most until halfway through the cruise and then assume there will still be a good time available.
Iona has very good dining choice, but you will get more from it if you plan the meals that matter most.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Not Understanding How Iona Dining Works
Another big mistake is not understanding how dining on Iona actually works. Some passengers board expecting a more traditional cruise dining setup, with a fixed time, an assigned table and one main restaurant used throughout the cruise.Iona isn’t like that.
The four main dining rooms all serve the same menu. The idea is flexibility rather than being tied to one restaurant every night. That is a good thing once you understand it, but it can be confusing if you do not.
People sometimes waste time waiting for one dining room when another one may be available sooner. Others assume the buffet is the only quick included option, when actually Iona has other casual choices such as The Quays and, depending on the time of day, Taste 360.
The Quays is especially useful because it gives you several casual dining options in one place. It can be a much better choice than defaulting to the buffet every time you want something quick.
The mistake is getting too fixed on one venue. On Iona, flexibility works better than rigid planning. Check what is available, keep your options open, and do not assume the first restaurant you try is the only answer.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Relying Too Much on My Holiday App
The My Holiday system is important on Iona, but relying on it too much is another mistake. You do need to use it. It matters more on Iona than some passengers expect, because it is used for dining, show bookings, your onboard account and daily planning.
But it is not a normal app. It’s a web-based system accessed through the ship’s Wi-Fi, and that can catch people out. If you aren’t logged in early, or you do not understand how it works, it can feel more fiddly than expected. It is also possible to get confused by virtual queues, especially if you accidentally leave one or assume closing the page will not matter.
So yes, use My Holiday. But don’t rely on it blindly. Get logged in early. Learn where the key sections are. Check dining and entertainment options as soon as you board. If something is not working or you are struggling, ask onboard rather than spending half your cruise getting frustrated by your phone.
You can still speak to staff, ask questions at venues, and use alternatives where available. My Holiday is useful, but it works best when you understand its limits.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Leaving Show Bookings Too Late
A lot of people focus so much on dining that they forget about entertainment. That can be a mistake on Iona. The Headliners Theatre shows can fill up, especially at the most popular times. The busiest performance is often around 8.30pm, so if there is a show you definitely want to see, do not leave it too late and assume you will sort it out once you are onboard.
The same applies to The 710 Club. Most live music around the ship does not need booking, but not everything works that way.
Even where you don’t have to book, timing still matters. Quizzes can get busy. Bingo can be very popular. Ocean Studios can fill for popular films. The SkyDome can also feel full very quickly if you arrive just before something starts.
That doesn’t mean you need to over-plan every evening. But it does mean you should look at the entertainment early in the cruise and book the things that really matter to you. If you leave everything until the last minute, you may still find something to do, but it might not be your first choice.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Choosing the Wrong Cabin
Choosing the wrong cabin can make a big difference on Iona. On a ship the size of Iona, location matters. A lot of passengers focus only on the cabin type. They choose inside, balcony, sea view, conservatory mini suite or suite, but do not think enough about the actual location.
Not all balconies feel equally private. The conservatory mini suites on Deck 8, for example, can look very appealing on paper, but they are beside the promenade deck. That means people can walk past and look towards the conservatory area.
Some passengers are completely fine with that. Others may find it less private than expected. If you are prone to seasickness, cabin position is also important. A cabin that is too far forward or too high up may not be the best choice if you are worried about movement. Midship on a lower deck is usually the better option.
Noise is another thing to consider. Look at what is above and below your cabin before booking. A cabin that looks perfect on the deck plan may feel very different if it is near a busy public area, entertainment venue or high-traffic space.
The mistake is choosing a cabin by category alone. On Iona, the location can be just as important as the cabin type.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Getting Sea Days Wrong
One of the biggest mistakes on Iona is getting sea days wrong. This is when expectations can clash with reality. If you turn up late to the busiest areas and expect the ship to feel calm and spacious, you may come away thinking Iona feels overcrowded. But timing changes everything on this ship.
Most passengers naturally head for the same obvious spaces first. The main pool areas. The SkyDome. The most visible sunbeds. The busiest hot tubs. That means those areas can feel full long before other parts of the ship do. The mistake is following the crowd and then assuming there are no better options.
There are quieter outdoor areas if you know where to look. Deck 19 is often overlooked for sunbeds. Deck 17, outside the SkyDome, can also be a useful option. The Sunset Bar area is a lovely place to sit, especially around sailaway, and after the refit there is more outdoor seating on Deck 8 as well.
Even in the SkyDome itself, do not give up too quickly. People often walk in, see the first rows full, and assume there is nowhere to sit. But if you keep walking around both sides, you can often still find space.
Port days and late afternoons are also useful. When many passengers are ashore, or when people are back in their cabins getting ready for dinner, parts of the ship that felt busy earlier can suddenly feel much calmer.
Iona can feel busy. There is no point pretending otherwise. But she also has a lot of space if you are willing to look beyond the obvious places.
P&O Iona Mistakes to Avoid: Underestimating Small Extra Costs
The final mistake is underestimating how quickly the small extra costs can add up. Iona includes a lot in the cruise fare.
There is a good choice of included dining, gratuities are included, and there is plenty of entertainment without needing to spend extra. You can have a very good Iona cruise without paying for every upgrade. But that doesn’t mean you will spend nothing onboard.
Coffees, cocktails, Wi-Fi, speciality restaurants, photos, shore excursions and shopping can all add up. None of those things may feel like a major expense at the time, but over a week the total can be higher than expected.
That is especially true if you have not decided in advance where you are happy to spend. You don’t need to say yes to everything. But it helps to know your priorities.
Maybe you would rather spend extra on Sindhu than on cocktails. Maybe Wi-Fi matters more to you than photos. Maybe you are happy with included dining but want to budget for shore excursions.
There is no right answer. The mistake is not thinking about it until you see the onboard bill.
Is P&O Iona Easy for First-Time Cruisers?
Iona can be a very good ship for first-time cruisers, but she is not the smallest or simplest ship to start with. The amount of choice is a strength, but it can also feel overwhelming on the first day. Dining works differently from traditional cruise dining, the ship is large, and you will get more from the cruise if you understand how My Holiday, virtual queues and entertainment bookings work.
That doesn’t mean Iona is difficult. It just means you should give yourself time. Do the essentials early, learn the layout, plan the dining that matters most, and do not try to do everything on day one. By the second or third day, Iona usually starts to feel much easier.
Useful Guides
P&O Iona What’s Onboard Guide – A full walkthrough of Iona so you can see the layout, main venues, decks, restaurants and pool areas before you board.
P&O Iona Dining Options – A practical guide to included dining, speciality restaurants, casual venues and how dining actually works onboard Iona.
P&O Iona Honest Review – My honest experience of sailing on Iona, including what worked well, what felt busy, and who I think the ship suits best.
P&O Drinks Prices and Menus – A helpful breakdown of drinks prices, menus and what to expect before you cruise.
P&O All-In Package – A guide to what is included, who it suits, and whether it may be worth considering for your cruise.
Useful Cruise Items to Consider
These are a few simple items that can make your cruise more comfortable and help you stay organised onboard. I personally use variations of these when cruising, and they’re all practical rather than essential.
Magnetic hooks Perfect for extra storage in your cabin
Packing cubes Keep your suitcase organised
Cruise luggage tags Protect your tags at the port
Travel Extension Lead UK For charging multiple phones, cameras, and laptops
Toiletry organiser Great for small bathrooms
You can also browse my full Cruise Essentials list for more useful items I use or recommend for cruise holidays.
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Cruise eSIM from Saily
Buying the ship’s WiFi package isn’t the only way to stay connected during a cruise. Saily has launched a cruise eSIM that provides mobile data at sea and in supported ports, which could be worth considering if you mainly need internet access for messaging, maps and general browsing.
You can check the available plans and coverage here: Saily Cruise Esim
Use discount code solotravel10 to receive 10 % off your purchase.
Affiliate disclosure: This section contains an affiliate link. I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through the link, at no additional cost to you. I haven’t personally tested the Saily cruise eSIM yet, so check the current coverage, data allowance and compatibility with your phone before purchasing.