P&O Cruises‘ Iona has a frequent tour from Southampton, visiting countries like Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal before returning to Southampton 14 nights later. On November 26 and January 28, you’d only pay £774 (~€901) per person for a balcony cabin on that tour.
The price includes full board, evening entertainment, and daytime leisure facilities. Tips are also included, as usual at P&O Cruises.
The Route
This is the cruise’s itinerary:
- Day 1: Southampton
- Days 2-3: At sea
- Day 4: Vigo (Spain’s northwest coast)
- Day 5: At sea
- Day 6: Gibraltar
- Day 7: Alicante (Costa Blanca)
- Day 8: Barcelona
- Day 9: Valencia (Spain’s southeastern coast)
- Day 10 at sea
- Day 11: Cadiz (Andalusia)
- Day 12: Lisbon
- Days 13-14: At sea
- Day 15: Southampton
The Ship
The Iona is the biggest cruise ship ever built for the UK market, with a capacity of 5,200 passengers. The ship was launched in the summer of 2020 and is said to be good for families, and offer plenty of evening entertainment, as well as great food. Sadly, the Wi-Fi is apparently pricey. Overall, it’s a big ship with quality entertainment geared to British tastes. The onboard currency is the British pound.
Getting to Southampton
Most people will probably get to Southampton from London. You can, however, also fly directly to Southampton, e.g. from Edinburg or Glasgow with Loganair, from Amsterdam with KLM, from Dublin or Manchester with Eastern Airways, or from Belfast with Aer Lingus. The prices for round trips to Southampton usually range from €85 to €265.
Cover Picture: © P&O Cruises