A P&O Iona cruise package typically costs £800–£2,500+ per person for a 7-night sailing depending on cabin grade, with add-on packages (drinks, Wi-Fi, dining) pushing the all-in total to £1,200–£3,500+ per person for most travelers.
Photo: Travel Mutiny
P&O Iona is one of the UK's most popular mega-ships, and the sticker price you see on P&O's website is rarely what you'll actually spend. Between drinks, gratuities, specialty dining, and shore excursions, the real cost of an Iona cruise package can be 30–50% higher than the headline fare.
What a P&O Iona Cruise Package Actually Costs
Iona sails primarily from Southampton on European and Canary Islands itineraries. Fares are quoted in GBP and are per person based on two sharing. Here's what to budget across cabin grades for a typical 7-night sailing in 2025–2026:
| Package Tier | Cabin Type | Base Fare (pp) | Add-Ons Est. (pp) | All-In Total (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Inside cabin, saver fare | £800–£1,000 | £200–£300 | £1,000–£1,300 |
| Mid-Range | Balcony cabin, select fare | £1,200–£1,800 | £350–£500 | £1,550–£2,300 |
| Splurge | Suite or conservatory deluxe | £2,200–£3,500 | £500–£700 | £2,700–£4,200 |
Saver fares are the cheapest but lock you out of cabin selection and dining time preferences. Select fares cost more but include a price promise, cabin choice, and often onboard spending money (£30–£150 per person depending on promotion).
Photo: Travel Mutiny
Key Factors That Drive the Cost
1. Drinks Packages P&O doesn't have a bundled drinks-included model like Norwegian's More at Sea program. You pay per drink or buy a package separately. A typical P&O premium drinks package runs £40–£55 per person per day (pre-purchased). Bought onboard, expect to pay more. For a 7-night sailing, that's £280–£385 per person just for drinks — before any service charge.
For comparison: industry average drink packages run £50–£95/person/day across mainstream lines, so P&O sits on the lower end — but it's still a significant add-on.
2. Gratuities P&O includes gratuities in the fare for UK sailings — this is one genuine advantage over US-based lines like Norwegian (which charges $20/person/day in non-adjustable gratuities, or $25/day for Haven suites). No gratuity shock on Iona. That said, tipping at bars and restaurants is still common practice.
3. Specialty Dining Iona has an extensive specialty dining lineup including Sindhu (Indian), The Glass House, Epicurean, and Keel & Cow. Cover charges typically run £15–£35 per person per restaurant — cheaper than the industry average of ~$40/person but still adds up across a 7-night sailing. A couple dining out 3 nights specialty could spend £90–£210 extra.
4. Wi-Fi P&O charges for Wi-Fi onboard Iona. Basic packages run approximately £15–£20/day pre-purchased. This is below the industry benchmark (~$25/day for unlimited on most lines), but streaming is not included at base tier. Expect to pay £60–£100 per person for 7 nights of usable connectivity.
5. Shore Excursions This is where budgets explode. P&O excursions on Norwegian fjords or Canary Islands routes typically cost £50–£150 per person per port. A 7-night sailing with 4 port calls could add £200–£600 per person if you book through P&O. Independent arrangements are almost always cheaper.
6. Cabin Grade and Deck Iona has over 5,200 passengers at full capacity. Balcony cabins on higher decks or mid-ship locations carry a 20–35% premium over equivalent inside or lower-deck balconies. Conservatory Mini-Suites — Iona's unique glass-enclosed private terrace cabins — command a strong premium and book out fast.
Photo by Practical Tips to Save Money on an Iona Package
- Book Select fare when promotions include OBC. The onboard credit (sometimes £150+/person) can offset a drinks package or shore excursion cost, making Select fare better value than Saver despite the higher headline price.
- Pre-purchase your drinks package before sailing. Onboard pricing is always higher. Lock in the pre-cruise rate as soon as it appears in your booking portal.
- Skip P&O excursions at tender ports. At ports like Funchal (Madeira) or La Palma, independent taxis and local tours cost a fraction of P&O's rates and cover identical ground.
- Use the buffet and included dining strategically. Iona's main dining rooms and buffet (The Quays) are included. Specialty dining should be reserved for 1–2 genuinely special nights, not every evening.
- Book early for the best cabin selection on Select fares. Iona fills fast — popular sailings sell out 12+ months out, and early bookers get the best mid-ship balconies at lower prices.
- Watch for P&O price drops before final payment. If you're on a Select fare, P&O's price promise means you can claim the difference if the fare drops before you've paid in full.
Is a P&O Iona Package Good Value Compared to Other Lines?
For UK travelers, Iona offers genuine value advantages: no flights required, gratuities included, sterling pricing with no currency risk, and one of the best entertainment lineups at sea (SkyDome, The 710 Club, Headliners Theatre).
However, if you're a heavy drinker or diner, the à la carte nature of P&O's extras means costs can escalate faster than on lines with all-inclusive bundled packages. Norwegian's More at Sea program, for example, bundles beverages, specialty dining (3 meals), and Wi-Fi into the fare — though you'll pay a daily service charge of ~$15–20/day to keep it, and gratuities run $20/person/day on top.
| Cost Category | P&O Iona (7 nights) | Norwegian (comparable, 7 nights) |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare (balcony, pp) | £1,200–£1,800 | $1,400–$2,200 |
| Gratuities | Included | $140/person ($20/day) |
| Drinks package | £280–£385 | Bundled (+ ~$105–140 service charge) |
| Wi-Fi (7 nights) | £60–£100 | $210 (Unlimited, pre-cruise) |
| Specialty dining (3 meals) | £90–£150 | Bundled in More at Sea |
| Estimated all-in (pp) | £1,830–£2,533 | ~$2,100–$3,100 |
The gap narrows considerably once you factor gratuities back into Norwegian's real cost. For a British traveler sailing from Southampton, Iona is genuinely competitive — especially when P&O runs promotional Select fares with meaningful OBC.
Use CruiseMutiny to build your complete cost breakdown before you commit to any Iona package — so you know exactly what you're spending before you ever set foot on the gangway.