MS Iona

History
Name: Iona
Owner: Carnival plc
Operator: P&O Cruises
Ordered: 2016
Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Cost: $950 Million[1]
Completed: May 2020 (expected)
Status: Under construction
General characteristics
Class and type: Excellence-class cruise ship
Tonnage: 183,900 GT[1]
Length: 337 m
Beam: 42 m
Propulsion: Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
Capacity: 5,200 passengers
Crew: TBC

MS Iona is an upcoming cruise ship, due to enter service for P&O Cruises in May 2020.[2] She is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.[3] At 183,900 GT, the ship will be the largest ever to enter service for P&O Cruises,[4] and for the British market.[5] She is the first of two identical ships being built by Meyer Werft for P&O Cruises, with the second due to enter service in 2022.[6]

Naming and construction

The ship was originally announced on 6 September 2016,[4] and on 27 October 2016, it was announced that the public would be invited to name her.[7] Construction started on 25 April 2018.[3] She will be the first cruise ship built for the British market to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG),[5] which is intended to make her more environmentally friendly than traditional diesel-powered ships.[4] On 24 May 2018, it was announced that the name Iona, after the Scottish Island Iona, had been chosen from 30,000 submissions.[5]

Facilities

Iona will have a three-deck-high atrium with a grand staircase. She will also have 17 restaurants, including 8 specialty restaurants, and 12 bars. She will have 16 whirlpools and 4 swimming pools, one of which will be part of a glass-covered entertainment venue called SkyDome, and features a retractable stage for shows.[8] The ship will also have a half-mile-long lanai deck with a covered promenade, with outdoor restaurants.[9]

Itineraries

Iona will spend her inaugural season operating sailings from Southampton to the Norwegian fjords.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Cruise Ship Orderbook". Cruise Industry News. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  2. ↑ "P&O Cruises' new ship to be called Iona". Cruise Trade News. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 "P&O Cruises marks first construction milestone for newest ship with steel cutting ceremony in Papenburg". Meyer Werft. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "P&O Cruises announces order for biggest ever ship". Travel Weekly. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "P&O Cruises Reveals Name of New Ship: Iona". Cruise Critic. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "P&O Cruises Reveals Second Megaship for 2022". Cruise Critic. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "The return of Boaty McBoatface? P&O asks public to name new ship". The Telegraph. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Pictures of P&O Cruises' SkyDome on Iona released". Travel Weekly. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "P&O Cruises Reveals More Details of its New Megaship". Cruise Critic. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Iona to sail to Norwegian Fjords for inaugural season". Cruise Trade News. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
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