This photo was taken from Ellisons Travel, St. Helens, YT69DWF, a smart Irizar i8 integral which was new to Ellisons in 10/2019. This was my transfer back to Lancaster after a fabulous cruise aboard Iona. Another Ellisons Irizar is alongside.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

MS Iona had arrived here earlier after a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain, having departed from Southampton in the early evening of 11/11/2023.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

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Looking over ABP Town Quay Marina and the River Test.

This photo was taken from P&O Cruises - MS Iona - IMO:9826548, on 25/11/2023.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

MS Iona had not long berthed after a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain, having departed from Southampton in the early evening of 11/11/2023.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved

Looking over ABP Town Quay Marina and the River Test.

This photo was taken from P&O Cruises - MS Iona - IMO:9826548, on 25/11/2023.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

MS Iona had not long berthed after a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain, having departed from Southampton in the early evening of 11/11/2023.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

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Live music and entertainment venue situated at the aft end of Deck 8. This view is looking towards the forward end.

That Don’t Impress Me Much: Original song co-written and recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released in 12/1998 as the sixth country single, and seventh single overall, from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain, and was originally released to North American country radio stations in late 1998. It became her third biggest single on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.

"That Don't Impress Me Much" has appeared in all of Twain's tours (Come On Over, Up!, Rock This Country, Now and Queen of Me). The country version was performed on the Come on Over Tour and the dance version on the Up! Tour. "That Don't Impress Me Much" was named Foreign Hit of the Year at the 2000 Danish Grammy Awards. A dance-pop remix of the song was used as the official song of the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Lady Marmalade: Original song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group the Eleventh Hour. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line that translates into English as: "Will you sleep with me?" The song first became a popular hit when it was recorded in 1974 by the American funk rock group Labelle and held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian RPM national singles chart. In 2021, the Library of Congress selected Labelle's version for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The song has had many cover versions over the years. In 1998, girl group All Saints released a cover of the song that peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The 2001 version by singers Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Pink and rapper Lil' Kim, recorded for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, and also a number-one hit in the UK. "Lady Marmalade" was the ninth song to reach number one by two different musical acts in America.

Labelle's version of "Lady Marmalade" was produced by Toussaint and Vicki Wickham, with the former also playing an RMI Electra-Piano on the recording. The rhythm section on the recording was New Orleans-based funk band The Meters. "Lady Marmalade" was released as a single in 11/1974 from the Nightbirds album released that September, their first album after signing with Epic Records. Patti LaBelle sang lead vocals on "Lady Marmalade" with backing vocals being contributed by bandmates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. "Lady Marmalade" is about a man's sexual encounter with the titular prostitute, but Patti LaBelle was completely oblivious to its overall message, saying: "I didn't know what it was about. I don't know French and nobody, I swear this is God's truth, nobody at all told me what I'd just sung a song about."


UKEBOX are the world's first ukulele boyband.
Performing worldwide at weddings, parties and theatre acts onboard luxury cruise lines, their travels have taken them from The London Palladium, G7 World Leader's Summit and all the way to the South Pacific. They're the ideal choice to be the highlight of your evening combining stunning harmonies and never-before-seen ukulele arrangements. www.ukeboxband.co.uk/.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

This photo was taken on 24/11/2023 and was the last evening on a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain. Having departed from Southampton in the early evening of 11/11/2023. Iona was now heading into the English Channel for an early morning arrival back into Southampton.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

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The Headliners Theatre is situated at the forward end of the ship over two decks. I think it seats circa 1,000.

Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies: Original song recorded by The Drifters in 1974. It was the second of four charting singles released from their Love Games LP. The late Johnny Moore was their lead singer.

The song reached the Top 10 in the UK, the second of three to do so. "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" also reached the Top 10 in Australia.


The FlyRights are great showmen with soulful harmonies and dynamic choreography, performing hits from some of the world's greatest entertainers in the genres of Soul, Motown and Swing including The Temptations, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Sammy Davis Jnr, Ottis Reading, Nat King Cole, James Brown, Michael Bublé, Jackie Wilson, and Michael Jackson. www.lmjproductions.co.uk/flyrights/

This was another excellent show by these guys. #FlyRights.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

This photo was taken on 24/11/2023 and was the last evening on a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain. Having departed from Southampton in the early evening of 11/11/2023. Iona was now heading into the English Channel for an early morning arrival back into Southampton.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved