P&O UK announced plans for its highly anticipated liner Iona.
The liner was originally scheduled to launch in April 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic.
Set to be one of the largest cruise ship launches of this year, P&O has now announced that it plans to take delivery of the newbuild “before the autumn”, with her unnamed sistership set to be delivered in December 2022.
P&O Iona and her sistership are currently under construction at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg Germany.
P&O Cruises’ latest addition will be the largest cruise ship ever built for the UK cruise market, with a passenger capacity of 5206 and 1800 crew.
With 17 passenger decks, the liner will weigh 185,000 GT and feature amenities like a glass SkyDome and a total of 29 drinking and dining venues.
According to Paul Ludlow, P&O UK's president, the final outfitting of Iona was almost complete and was looking stunning and they would take delivery of her before the autumn. Iona’s sistership would join the fleet at the end of 2022.
“Both ships are eagerly anticipated by our guests and we are seeing strong demand for the future. The space on these two ships will allow for extraordinary experiences; visual entertainment displays; new dining concepts and many new areas for relaxation and indulgence.”
Itineraries for Iona are on sale, with the new ship set to sail the waters of the Norwegian Fjords, Northern Europe, the Canary Islands, Spain, and Portugal.
Itineraries for Iona‘s sistership will go on sale from spring 2021.