Iona

Iona is one of the largest cruise ships built for the UK market by P&O Cruises. She entered service in 2021 and carries around 5,200 guests, which places her firmly among the large ships. She was built at the Meyer Werft yard in Germany, has a sister ship in Arvia, and was the first ship built for the British market to run on liquefied natural gas, one of the cleaner marine fuels.

Her signature space is the SkyDome, a large pool deck under a glass roof that shelters swimmers by day and becomes the ship's biggest entertainment venue by night, with aerial acrobatics and shows staged high above the floor. At the heart of the ship sits a three-deck Grand Atrium built around a tall glass sculpture, a bright, sociable space with sea views that draws people together from morning coffee to evening drinks.

Iona was designed with food and drink front of mind. She has around thirty places to eat and drink, including The Quays, a food-market piazza with counters ranging from an American diner to Asian street food and British fish and chips. There is a traditional gastropub, four main dining rooms with flexible Freedom Dining, speciality restaurants, and even a small gin distillery on board where guests can join a tasting.

Entertainment runs from the two-deck Headliners Theatre to a boutique cinema, a spa and health club, and several pools, including a couple of infinity pools facing out to sea. Adults can retreat to a quiet sun deck with cabanas, while families are well looked after with age-banded kids' clubs and a complimentary night nursery.

She was named in Southampton in 2021 by Dame Irene Hays, and in a nod to something a little different the bottle broken against her hull was filled with British cider spirit rather than the usual champagne.

Iona suits families, couples and first-time cruisers who want a modern, big ship with a wide choice of things to do, from quiet corners to lively shows.