Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you happen to be reading from. We have recently got back from our cruise onboard P&O’s Iona Cruise Ship, where we visited the lovely cities of Hamburg, Rotterdam & Bruges. Whilst on board we were able to try out plenty of food, from a variety of locations. Below, we shall go through the MDR’s, telling you the good and bad, and where P&O could improve. Check out our review down below.
The MDR’s (Main Dining Restaurants):
On board the Iona, there are four main dining rooms (MDRs): Aqua, Opal, Pearl, and Coral. We managed to visit three of them, with the exception of Opal. Here’s a rundown of our dining experience.
Starting with the positives: I didn’t encounter any meals that I disliked. There were a few elements that didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but overall, I was happy to try most things. The service throughout most of the cruise was impeccable. The staff were attentive, ensuring our glasses were always filled with water, efficiently taking orders, and bringing our food promptly. The evening meals were served at the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold, allowing us to dive in right away.
However, there were a few downsides. Breakfast food temperatures didn’t quite match the consistency of the evening meals. My eggs benedict, which I had most mornings, was often just warm enough to avoid being considered cold. On the first morning, we experienced a significant delay in receiving our food. A table of the same size seated next to us ordered, received, and finished their meal before we even got ours. On the second evening of the cruise, we had booked a table for 5:15 pm, only to find that the doors to Coral didn’t open until 5:30 pm.
A few areas where P&O could improve include reducing food waste. At breakfast, a table of six is automatically given 2 racks of toast, with the assumption that everyone will have two slices while waiting for their breakfast order. In our case, only about 5 or 6 slices were eaten, leaving the rest to go to waste. The same applies to butter, which is placed on the table at every meal before anyone has requested a bread roll. For us, only myself and maybe one or two others had a bread roll with dinner, and even then, I didn’t bother buttering it.
Another suggestion for improvement would be allowing guests to sit at the same table for the duration of the cruise. During a recent cruise with MSC, we were given a time and table number that remained ours for the entire week. This made the dining experience more personable, as we got to know our waiter, and it added a touch of familiarity to each meal.
Some of the meals included:
- Tiger Prawn Bhuna, with Basmati Rice, Corriander and Mini Poppadoms
- Cottage Pie, with Cabbage, Carrots and Beef Gravy
- Warm Orchard Fruit Strudel, complemented by a Zesty Lemon Custard
- Cookies and Cream Cheesecake, with Vanilla Ice Cream and Biscuit Crumb
- Chicken Makhanwala, with Rice and Naan Bread
- Cumberland Sausage and Mash, with Onion Gravy
- Treacle Sponge Suet Pudding, with Custard
Gourmet Gauge:
The Main Dining Rooms on board P&O’s Iona are delightful. The food tastes delicious with great attention put towards the presentation. The staff are always waiting to fulfil your next request. Value for Money all depends on what deal you get for your cruise, but for us, it was a good deal.
Taste: 8/10 🥄
Presentation: 8/10 🍽️
Ambience: 8/10 🕯️
Service: 9/10 🧑🍳
Value for Money: 7/10💰
Total: 40/50 Highly Recommend!
Have you been on board P&O’s Iona? What did you think of the food? Have you got a cruise booked, let us know where you’re heading off to in the comments down below!
The Taste Trekker 
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