First time cruiser here! In July this year I set sail on the wonderful cruise operated by P&O Cruises named the Iona and had an absolutely amazing time!
People keep asking me what it was like as they were considering a cruise themselves and I've been asked multiple times what the food was like on the ship so in this blog post I'm going to tell you what it was like - it was OK.
Is it amazing and absolutely scrumptious cuisine? No, but you shouldn't be expecting it to be on a value for money P&O Cruise.
Is it inedible, poor quality food - a big fat NO!
The infamous marketing expert Rory Sutherland ones said something on the lines of, McDonalds success is not due to being the best at what it does, but because of it's consistent ability to not be bad.
The food on the P&O Cruise that I went on could be described in a similar way. Other than the meal we had on our last night (more about that later) none of the food I had from the buffet was amazingly outstanding - but it wasn't terrible either, it was very good quality, very tasty, piping hot, fresh and plentiful!
As with all other meals, for breakfast you can have as little or as much as you like - no need to pile you plate up high, just take what you like and if you want to go back for more then you can.
Needless to say, for my first breakfast on the ship I went for a cooked breakfast consisting of a sausage, some bacon, runny fried egg, black pudding, baked beans and a glass of orange juice
Very tasty, piping hot and a great start to the day!
If you didn't fancy a cooked breakfast then there was plenty of other delicious items to choose from..
Sausages (2 types to choose from), bacon, scrambles eggs, fried eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, black pudding, baked beans, toast (white and brown), various cereals with various milk, cold cuts of meat, bread and butter, pastries, chocolate muffins and plenty of fresh fruit!
Pretty much something for everyone, if you are a Vegetarian or Vegan then just let the staff know and they'll ensure there is something for you to choose from too!
So what about lunch and your evening meal then? Fancy some Fish and Chips - then go to the dedicated Fish & Chip shop!
Fish, chips, Heinz tomato sauce and a pickled onion - don't mind if I do! Not enough chips - then when you've finished these go back for some more, that's the best part of an all inclusive holiday like this, you eat what you want to eat, nothing more, nothing less.
If that doesn't float your boat (pun very much intended) then next door to the Fish and Ship shop one way is an American Burger, Hotdog and Fried chicken shop and on the other side is a noodle and curry shop!
If that still doesn't take your fancy then go up to deck 16 to the buffet where you'll find fresh salad, cold cuts of meat, freshly baked bread rolls, spaghetti Bolognese, meatballs, cottage pie, chunky chips, french fries, roast beef, roast pork, roast gammon, fresh vegetables, gravy, roast potatoes, curry, chilli con carne, mashed potatoes, potato wedges - the list/choice goes on and on and on!
If you still don't fancy any of that then head off to the Taste 360 Deck Food diner for freshly made pizza (made right in front of your eyes), a hot dog, burger, chicken, fish fingers, french fries, coleslaw and salad. All served buffet style so if you want a slice of pizza, a hotdog and some coleslaw then simply help yourself! Personally I went for a couple of slices of the pizza, some fish fingers, coleslaw and some salad.
There is always somewhere on the ship to get some food (up until midnight that is) so if you're peckish in the middle of the afternoon (like I was on one of the sea days) then just head off to the buffet on deck 16 and see what they have to offer.
There's plenty of seating available so enjoy the meal of your choosing, but you are not limited to where you can eat your plate of scrummy food. If you don't want to sit in the buffet restaurant and look out of the window, you can take you plate of food to pretty much anywhere you like on the ship to enjoy.
My partner and I paid a little extra on our cruise for access to 'The Retreat' where no children are allowed and only adults with a Retreat pass are allowed - it's right at the front of the ship (the bow as it were) so you get the most amazing views whilst eating your meal.
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| View From The Buffet |
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| View From The Retreat |
If you have paid extra for access to The Retreat then you can not only have smoked salmon for breakfast, but you can have afternoon tea (once lunch is over) and if you happen to be in a beautiful port like Stavanger then the views are amazing!
All of the food I have mentioned so far, is all included in the price of the cruise. If you want to try something fancier then for an additional (smallish) fee you can go to one of the premium restaurants - on our last day we booked a table at The Beach House.
We didn't fancy a starter so just went for a main and desert. I opted for the Caribbean inspired Seafood Basket and my partner went for the Surf and Turf without the seafood so 'just' had the most amazing steak.
Both meals did not disappoint! Remember when I said "Is it amazing and absolutely scrumptious cuisine? No" - well in The Beach House it absolutely is top notch cuisine and well worth the small extra fee.
Let's not forget desert..
They tasted as good as they look!
Overall I would give the food on board the P&O Cruises Iona cruise ship a very strong 4 stars out of 5!
Plenty of choice of both hot and cold food (pretty much at all hours of the day) so you can have what you like, when you like and as little or as much of you like.
