Shipyard delays have dashed the hopes of passengers trying ahead to setting sail on P&O Cruises’ Iona. Initially slated for refurbishment in March 2025, Iona’s overhaul has been pushed again to October 2025.
Iona Refurbishment Rescheduled
P&O Cruises introduced delays in Iona’s refurbishment will trigger a cancellation of two slated cruises in October 2025. In an electronic mail despatched to passengers booked on Iona’s October 18, 2025, cruise to Spain and Portugal, P&O Cruises said the cruise is “not attainable.”
”We’re actually sorry to tell you that your vacation departing 18 October 2025 is not going to be attainable on account of a obligatory reschedule of Iona’s deliberate refit,” the e-mail from P&O Cruises to passengers learn.
P&O, which is owned by Carnival Company, continued to announce the bookings had been cancelled, and passengers would obtain a full refund. These booked on Iona’s October 4, 2025, crusing obtained the identical discover.
”We perceive this information is disappointing and wish to apologise for any inconvenience this will likely trigger.”
Iona, a 184,000-gross-ton, 5,200-passenger Excellence-class ship, debuted through the Pandemic in 2020. Delivered from Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, the ship’s inaugural cruise was delayed till 2021.
The primary ship constructed by P&O Cruises in 20 years, Iona was the primary LNG-powered British cruise ship and the biggest constructed for the UK market. In response to The Insider, Iona was scheduled to start a guaranty refit between March 13 and finish April 1, 2025.
Right now, a niche nonetheless stays on the cruise line’s reserving engine after the vessel’s return to Southampton on the finish of a 12-night on March 13, 2025. It’s not clear if P&O will supply new cruises, now that the dry dock has been rescheduled.
Impacted P&O Iona Sailings
Iona’s October 4, 2025 cruise was meant to be a 14-night spherical journey voyage from Southampton, England, to Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.
The ship’s October 18, 2025 crusing, additionally a roundtrip from Southampton, was scheduled to be a 7-night “Northern European Metropolis Escape.” This cruise would go to Hamburg, Germany; Rotterdam, Holland; and Zeebrugge, Belgium.
P&O has not cancelled Iona’s October 25, 2025, anticipating the completion of her refresh forward of the 7-night “Spain and France” cruise. The primary cruise post-refurbishment will go to Bilbao, La Coruna, and Vigo, Spain, and Cherbourg, France, as Iona sails roundtrip from Southampton.
Whereas P&O Cruises didn’t rebook affected passengers on a later cruise or announce a reschedule of the 2 cancelled routes, it did reveal an incentive for passengers to rebook.
Together with the total refund, passengers will even obtain £100 per particular person onboard credit score on a newly booked cruise on P&O Cruises, capped at two passengers booked in the identical cabin.
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Though particulars concerning the delay haven’t been introduced, P&O Cruises has two extra ships presently present process multi-million-pound updates.
The two,388-passenger, 85,000-gross-ton Arcadia, and the 1,868-passenger, 76,152-gross-ton Aurora, are slated to be full in November 2024 and April 2025, respectively. The delays to Iona’s refresh might be a sign that work on Arcadia and Aurora could also be delayed.
