Iona

Iona is operated by P&O Cruises and belongs to its Excellence class.

Iona is one of 2 Excellence class ships. Arvia (2022) is in service.

Iona measures 184,089 gross tons and 344 metres in length, with 19 decks.

Iona is bigger than 96% of the 418 cruise ships in service on Cruise Frog with a tonnage on record, and carries more guests than 97%. At 35.4 gross tons per guest she is tighter than 66% of 416; the median ship is 39.4.

Iona has a passenger space ratio of 35.4: 184,089 gross tons for 5,206 guests. Ratios over 50 feel spacious and under 30 busy, so Iona feels comfortable for her size.

Iona carries 5,206 guests at double occupancy, with a crew of 1,762 (about 3.0 guests per crew member).

Iona entered service in 2021 and was last refurbished in 2025.

Iona sails Northern Europe, Canary Islands and Norwegian Fjords itineraries. Her home port is Southampton, England.

Iona sails from Southampton, England. Fly into London Heathrow (LHR), which has 40 airport lounges listed on Lounge Frog.

P&O Cruises publishes the deck plans for Iona; this page links to Official interactive deck plans — confirm sailing edition and Official full ship deck plans (W28 published edition).

Cruise Frog rates Iona 3.7 out of 5 overall, the average of 6 editorial scores. She scores best on cabins (4/5) and lowest on pools & decks (3/5).

For the “Official W28 published deck plan” plan, start with these quieter-location candidates: Midship cabin sections on Decks 10, 11, 12, 14, away from lifts, stairs and laundrettes: Start with cabin sections that have accommodation directly above and below, then compare the exact room on all three decks. This reduces exposure to public venue floors but does not guarantee silence. Compare the exact cabin with the decks above and below, nearby lifts and connecting doors. These are layout-based suggestions, not a guarantee of quiet.

For the “Official W28 published deck plan” plan, review these flagged locations before booking: Deck 15 beneath the public parts of Deck 16: If overhead activity is a concern, compare the exact cabin with pools, deck furniture and food-service areas above. Early setup and daytime activity may be audible; this is a layout-based caution, not a measured noise report. Deck 5 cabin sections directly below public areas on Deck 6: For early nights or sensitivity to music, compare the exact room with the venue footprint above. Sound insulation and operating hours vary, and the plan alone cannot establish that a cabin is noisy. Deck 8 balconies alongside the public promenade: Compare the cabin symbol and walking route if balcony privacy matters. Passing guests and nearby outdoor venues may make some promenade-facing locations less private. These flags are not measured noise reports or a warning about every room on a deck. Read the sourced cabin advice for the evidence and any explicit operator warnings.

Find the cabin on the selected plan, then compare the same fore-and-aft position on the deck above and below. Check the full venue footprint, including outdoor seating, stages, service areas and entrances. Nearby activity can be a reason to investigate, but does not by itself prove a cabin is noisy. Use the cabin advice and its sources to distinguish layout cautions from operator warnings.

Use this guide’s deck selector to compare the decks around your cabin and open available diagrams in the zoom viewer. The full ship PDF and source links are listed for each plan edition.

Select your sailing date before comparing cabin locations. Editions can change after a refit. These answers use “Official W28 published deck plan”, reviewed 2026-10-21. The plan does not state a precise sailing-date validity window. Confirm this published edition with P&O for your voyage. The notes are evidence-based layout screening, not noise measurements or guarantees.