P&O Cruises Reviews 

We had an amazing trip to Norway on Britannia, stunning scenery, ship was wonderful, staff were fantastic and friendly. Food was amazing with a good choice, shore experience were well organised and really enjoyable
We booked to go again, wonderful way to see different places

CASE: CAS-786523-X0Q9
Booking Reference: 2C3THG

am extremely disappointed and saddened by P&O Cruises’ decision to refuse, at your discretion, to refund the remaining £336.80 cancellation fee following the cancellation of our holiday.

As I have explained previously, this cancellation was not something we anticipated or wanted. We were genuinely looking forward to our holiday in January 2027, but unfortunately, life can bring completely unforeseen and devastating circumstances that are outside of our control.

My mother has recently been diagnosed with severe cancer, and as a family, our priorities have understandably changed. We have had no choice but to cancel our holiday so that we can focus on my mother and our family during what is an incredibly difficult and distressing time.

I have explained the circumstances to P&O Cruises on numerous occasions and have even offered to provide medical evidence from my mother’s doctor confirming her recent diagnosis. Despite this, you have still declined to consider refunding the £336.80 on a discretionary basis.

I fully appreciate that you have terms and conditions in place, but I also understand that there is discretion available in exceptional circumstances. I am therefore particularly disappointed that P&O Cruises has chosen not to exercise that discretion despite being made aware of the seriousness of my mother’s diagnosis and the exceptional circumstances surrounding our cancellation.

This is not simply about the money itself. However, £336.80 is a significant amount to us, particularly now. My family is facing an extremely difficult period, and I am now having to consider alternative ways of managing and facilitating funeral costs and other expenses that may arise. Every little bit of money matters to us at this point.

I find it incredibly upsetting that, despite providing a genuine and serious reason for cancelling and being willing to provide supporting medical evidence, there appears to be no willingness to show any flexibility or compassion in these circumstances.

I would ask P&O Cruises to reconsider this decision one final time and have the matter reviewed by someone senior who has the authority to exercise discretion. We are not asking for special treatment without reason; we are asking for some understanding in the face of a devastating and completely unforeseen family circumstance.

I sincerely hope P&O Cruises will reconsider its position and refund the £336.80 cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill. I am more than happy to provide the appropriate medical documentation to substantiate my mother’s diagnosis if required.

First time cruise and we chose P&O to travel to the Fjords. It did not disappoint. The staff were amazing, the ship (Iona) just a sight to behold. The food very good standard and plentiful. Scenery stunning. It was an anniversary trip and felt so special, a real treat and time to let someone else plan, pamper, cook, etc. Highly recommended.

WOW what a wonderful week we had aboard Azura, everything was perfect from start to finish, the ship, food, staff were all excellent and exceeded our expectations

As first time cruisers, we approached the experience with an open mind but by the end our expectations had been met or exceeded. We could not have found a better ship for our first cruise in Britannia, lovely in every aspect and detail. Now that we have been bitten by the cruise bug we will certainly be doing it again and cannot recommend P&O Cruises highly enough.

I went on Iona to the Norwegian Fjords 12-19 Sept 2026 and had the best time of my life, the ship is beautiful and the crew are very helpful, there is always something to do onboard. My only issue is the lifts. I use a mobility scooter and sometime I had to wait for a long time to be able to get in as other guests pushed past. Please delegate just one lift in each section for wheelchair users, we deserve to enjoy our holidays too.

7 nights on Iona to norway was amazing. Friendly people, the ship was amazing. Brilliant holiday from start to finish, next cruise with P&O allready booked.
Excellent

Amazing ship, process to board including parking made easy, found room OK small but clean and tidy as expected. Friendly crew. Loads of activities on and off ship.

Second time on Iona to Norway absolutely love it, the Iona is so big I was experiencing things this time I didn't on my first cruise, the staff are lovely they work so hard, the lady in the bag shop was so nice and the lady in the shop that sold the rings was also amazing, Victor who looked after our cabin was so helpful nothing was to much trouble, and it was a pleasure to chat with the captain in the hairdressers.
Cruise date 12/9/26-19/9/26

Britannia 2026 Fjords cruise
Absolutely avoid deck A (15). We were in A522, just beneath the Horizon buffet on 16. Every morning we were woken at between 3 and 4 by trolleys being wheeled from kitchens to buffet. It was mentioned to reception but the noise continued. Otherwise the cabin was fine, apart from signs of use in the bathroom and some carpet stains (!)
More generally if holidaying with 3,500 guests and 1,500 staff in a cross between a busy shopping mall and a 3 star hotel then go for it. If you like karaoke, quiz nights, bingo, casinos and an English pub then go for it. Unfortunately it wasn’t our thing. On a 7 day cruise we had just 28 hours where we were able to get off the ship and two full days at sea. If we ever cruise again we will fly somewhere to avoid these down times.
Food was excellent as was service

I was trying the cruise out on the Iona for a week trip to the Fyords as its my 50th wedding anniversay next May and wanted to decide if i liked the idea of having a cruise or a holiday somewhere else. We enjoy loking around different places and have done 2 Bus tours in America and Cananad for 10 Days and 15 Days and loved them.
My wife and I was so impressed we booked a 14 day cruise on board for nexy year.

This was my first cruise and wasn’t sure what to expect but everything felt effortless and easy. I got to see more of things than I would have normally by traveling to destinations whilst I slept rather than travelling during the day and losing that time. The staff were amazing, the ship and Chelsea Reynolds show was brilliant. I will definitely be booking another cruise in the future.

Just returned from what I consider the perfect holiday. Staff were really helpful and as a coeliac, my gluten free dining needs were well met

Easy to use online booking - talking to a rep because we had a Blue Light Card for extra discount/on board spending!) - they ensured suitable adjacent cabins for us & linked the bookings (makes restaurant bookings easier!).
Smooth embarkation - clean & tidy ship where all staff were welcoming & helpful!
Celebrated special Birthday during Cruise - had cards from P&O (corporate) and Loyalty/Sales (ship)…. Venue staff were also wishing me well (plus received free bubbly on evening and a bottle of Prosecco for answering a survey!)
Thoroughly enjoyed the holiday - a welcome break away from reality!

We had a excellent holiday on board the Iona food drink and entertainment was first class All staff aboard were very polite and helpful. When using any of the pools be mindful that the surrounding floor is very slippery as there is no non slip flooring .

Absolutely amazing first cruise. Iona was outstanding in every way and was perfect. The staff, entertainment and dining on board was exceptional and we cant wait for our next cruise.

This was our very first cruise experience and I can't recommend it highly enough. From booking our holiday onboard P&O Iona to Norway to disembarkation at Southampton we were very well looked after and the whole process has been a joy. Great ship, great staff,wonderful food and great entertainment options throughout our trip. When I go back to work tomorrow I will be checking available dates for next year's holidays and will be looking at where we will be sailing to again with P&O

Excellent first experience with P&O. Will definitely book again in the future

The food was very nice. And ports of call
The only thing that spoilt the holiday was we were promised 100pound credit for booking with the rep at barrhead travel which was never paid. Not very good on behalf of po.

Visiting the Norwegian fjords aboard P&O Iona was our first time on a cruise ship and also our first visit to Norway.

Norway—what little we saw of it—was stunning, especially the scenery within and surrounding the fjords. We visited Stavanger, Ålesund, Olden, and Haugesund. The first three stops were each unique and equally amazing. The sail-away leaving Olden aboard Iona was probably our favourite part, as we spent 90 minutes cruising back out to sea through the fjords.

In Stavanger, we took the fjord cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen, which was fantastic. In Ålesund, we used the hop-on hop-off bus and visited the aquarium, while in Olden, we took the Loen Skylift and went to see the glaciers. Haugesund, however, was a disappointment as there is not a lot to see, especially if the weather is bad. P&O use this port as the first or last stop before sailing back to the UK, as the ship is too high to fit under the bridge into Bergen and too large for smaller ports. So it is basically a three-town fjord cruise with a fourth added to suit P&O.

The ship… it’s a floating hotel with everything you could possibly need. Bars, restaurants, pools, an excellent gym, cinema, and plenty for young kids. The bars are all good, and even without a drinks package, the prices aren't bad at all.

Eating aboard is certainly an experience! With 5,000 people, the all-you-can-eat buffets cater to the masses, so the quality is poor and there is little variation… though that doesn't stop the Brits from demolishing an astonishing number of burgers, full Englishes, and fish and chips on a daily basis! The healthy food selection in the buffets was poor in both choice and quality, though to be fair, there didn't seem to be much demand for it. Breakfasts were okay—the fruit and muesli were good, but anything cooked wasn't, and even the smoothies were watered down. Also, dont expect to be server any drinks whilst sat down eating the buffet, we got 1 drink all week as there are not enough staff taking drinks orders. I’d recommend booking the specialty restaurants instead; most are included in your booking, though some dishes carry a small supplement.

We were in the Mini Conservatory cabins. An excellent room, but in hindsight we probably didn’t need to pay for the conservatory room which we didn’t really use. Everything in the rom is compact and there was nothing that were missing. Having a balcony on the 9th deck was amazing, especially leaving Olden. We went to a few of the music shows, all of which were great, though you do need to book ahead for some of them. We also attended one of the lectures which was fascinating. The gym was excellent, with a lot of machines, both resistant and cardio. No cable machines though. Also a great view out to sea !! The ship is extremely clean and well maintained, the staff work extremely hard and it shows.

We had priority for embarkation and so we were checked in and on the ship very quickly, Disembarkation was also smooth, and a 5 min wait outside the terminal for a taxi.

All in all… Norway we loved and would definitely return to. The cruise was a great experience that we’d do again, though I don't see us becoming yearly cruisers.