Set to enter service in 2020, P&O Cruises have revealed a plethora of new features for its Iona cruise ship, including a four-screen cinema as well as a Pleasure Dome entertainment hub.
Squarely focused on its onboard entertainment, the cruise line is set to furnish its 5,200-passenger capacity ship with a whole host of options for people looking for top-notch merriment during their cruise holidays.
At the centre of its entertainment options is the SkyDome, a superb venue that gives guests incredible views of the ocean during the day and a wonderful look at the sky’s stars by night. Within the SkyDome, P&O have detailed a ‘hidden’ nightclub and boutique cinema where guests can enjoy live music, and all manner of movies to while away the hours at.
Located on decks 16 and 17, the all-weather SkyDome will feature a huge retractable roof and stage, its design a massively impressive feat conjured up by the award-winning engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan, the same firm behind London’s Embassy Gardens Sky Pool and Bulgari’s flagship New York boutique.
Meanwhile, its hidden venue, the 710 Club, is a low-key, high-class nightclub inspired by Covent Garden nightspots, with the décor and atmosphere to match. Expect live music and plenty of delicious cocktails to sip on while you take in a selection of superb live acts. Ocean Studios, its four-screen cinema, will play host to a collection of classic and modern blockbusters, optimised with the latest surround sound technology for a more immersive, around-the-clock cinema-going experience.
P&O Cruises’ senior vice president Paul Ludlow said of the SkyDome “It will be an exciting home to aerial performers who will make the most of the amazing space as well as guest DJs and current performers setting the tone for memorable evenings of music and dancing under the sparkling glass dome.
“Iona will bring new innovations and choice for our guests, but will also celebrate the best of P&O Cruises dining and drinking traditions. From intimate meals for two, to gatherings of friends and family, each day of a holiday on Iona will deliver an exciting journey of discovery through our widest ever selection of restaurants.”
“We’ve set out to make sure the sea is the star on Iona, and the design of the grand atrium tells you so much about how special she is going to be. Balancing intimate spaces with larger social areas, guests will be wowed by the three-storey-high glass walls and the ever-changing view they reveal. From the moment they step onto the staircase, I know guests will be swept away by the beautiful design.”
For foodies new and seasoned, Iona will also feature a choice of 30 different dining venues, the widest ever selection of places to eat and drink on a ship built exclusively for the British cruise holiday market. Take the Keel and Cow, for example, offering premium gastropub dishes including steaks chosen from a glass-fronted dry-aging fridge. Elsewhere, The Quays has gone globe-trotting for inspiration, serving up everything from Asian street food to American diner classics.
Iona is currently being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, and is set to launch in May 2020. Bookings will open in September.
For more information on Iona, head to our dedicated page here or give our friendly customer care team a call on 0808 2746 777.
