Is Iona going to be late?

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Is Iona going to be late?

#1

Post by david63 »

... My guess is yes!!

I was reading in the weekend press comments about Iona such as her naming ceremony will on the 4th July (nothing new there) followed by a week long inaugural Ionafest cruise (apart from it being classed as the inaugural cruise, again nothing new). Also there was a comment that after being named she will start her inaugural season to Norway.

Other indicators of her being late are that both the Aida and Costa ships were late (by about eight weeks) and that Carnival's Mardi Gras has already been delayed by eight weeks - see a pattern emerging? Add to that the delay of naming her for eight weeks (again!) after the "planned" maiden voyage and the signs do not look good.

I wonder when the announcement is going to be made and if it is just wait for the backlash of it being P&O's fault.

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#2

Post by oldbluefox »

Better get started on my compensation claim.

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#3

Post by towny44 »

Meyer Werft are still planning on a February float out, and have indicated a March date for her Ems transit. If that is correct then unless there are major system faults it seems unlikely she would not be ready for a May handover.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#4

Post by Stephen »

oldbluefox wrote: 29 Dec 2019, 10:31
Better get started on my compensation claim.

Let me know how many compo forms you require Foxy.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#5

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

I need to get a shift on if I'm going to get my cruise booked, cancelled and then claimed for by May. I wonder if you can book and claim in a single transaction?


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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#6

Post by welshynurse »

I hope she's not late, it will be long walk to Norway in June otherwise!

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#7

Post by towny44 »

Just picked this up from Facebook, it's a translation from German so a bit stilted.

No delays with the IONA from P&O Cruises: The ship should, according to the current status, be delivered on time



Today, P&O Cruises announced in a press release that IONA, the new LNG building from P&O Cruises, is to be christened on July 4th, 2020 at the beginning of a Northern Europe cruise. This initially caused confusion, because P&O Cruises actually communicated the maiden voyage of IONA, i.e. the first cruise after the baptism of the ship, for May 2020.



Especially in English-language forums, rumors arose that the IONA, like the other ships of the Helios class so far, had to stay in the shipyard longer due to a delay. But that's not true, as the German P&O Cruises contact agency denies:


,, No, there is no delay. On May 14, 2020, the Iona will undertake its first passenger trip (9 nights in Northern Europe from / to Southampton). The cruise presented in the press release is an event cruise, at the beginning of which the official christening of the ship will take place. ''

If everything goes smoothly, the IONA will be the first Helios class ship to be delivered on time. AIDAnova (built at Meyer Werft in Papenburg) already "suffered" from delays: instead of the originally planned on November 15th, she was able to set off on her first cruise on December 19th. The second Helios ship, the Costa Smeralda (built by Meyer Turku in Finland), could not be delivered on time. It came on the market about two months late.



The fourth Helios ship, the Mardi Gras from Carnival Cruise Line (built by Meyer Turku in Finland), announced a delay of over two months as early as December 21 ( we report here ).



The thumbs are definitely depressed that the IONA really comes on time.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#8

Post by david63 »

I appreciate that there are translation problems but
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 10:43
is to be christened on July 4th, 2020
and
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 10:43
On May 14, 2020, the Iona will undertake its first passenger trip (9 nights in Northern Europe from / to Southampton). The cruise presented in the press release is an event cruise, at the beginning of which the official christening of the ship will take place.
don't seem to agree!!

At least one of those statements is incorrect.

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#9

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

I think the answer is that unconventionally the maiden voyage in May is before the official christening during the "event cruise" in July. The latter is the one referred to in the press release. Essentially a naming that people are paying to be attending. If I'm right though it's a communication failure that they haven't been clear about this departure from the norm. Of course the whole thing may have been planned that way just in case she's late. In which case they'd have to cancel a few pre-naming cruises but not reschedule the naming. Which might be tricky if the godmother is a high profile Royal.
Last edited by Mervyn and Trish on 11 Jan 2020, 13:32, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#10

Post by towny44 »

david63 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 11:51
I appreciate that there are translation problems but
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 10:43
is to be christened on July 4th, 2020
and
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 10:43
On May 14, 2020, the Iona will undertake its first passenger trip (9 nights in Northern Europe from / to Southampton). The cruise presented in the press release is an event cruise, at the beginning of which the official christening of the ship will take place.
don't seem to agree!!

At least one of those statements is incorrect.
There is a full stop after the comment on the first cruise . The next sentence relates to the press release about the naming ceremony cruise in July. Even me, with only a poor GCE pass in English could spot that.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#11

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

It means the real event is the later cruise and the so called maiden is really a shake down cruise! Unlike the Ventura thing where people booked the maiden and then they slipped one in before.

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#12

Post by Gill W »

Mervyn and Trish wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 13:28
I think the answer is that unconventionally the maiden voyage in May is before the official christening during the "event cruise" in July. The latter is the one referred to in the press release. Essentially a naming that people are paying to be attending. If I'm right though it's a communication failure that they haven't been clear about this departure from the norm. Of course the whole thing may have been planned that way just in case she's late. In which case they'd have to cancel a few pre-naming cruises but not reschedule the naming. Which might be tricky if the godmother is a high profile Royal.
It seems like a communication failure to me - they've muddied the waters so much its not really clear when the ship is going to be named. It seems really odd if the ship is sailing with passengers for about 6 weeks before the official naming. If they think the ship is going to be delayed, and its not going to be sailing in those 6 weeks, they should at least make people of who have booked aware of the possibility.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#13

Post by towny44 »

Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 16:47

. If they think the ship is going to be delayed, and its not going to be sailing in those 6 weeks, they should at least make people of who have booked aware of the possibility.
Gill, did you not read my post?
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#14

Post by Gill W »

towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 18:31
Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 16:47

. If they think the ship is going to be delayed, and its not going to be sailing in those 6 weeks, they should at least make people of who have booked aware of the possibility.
Gill, did you not read my post?
I read it
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#15

Post by towny44 »

Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 22:44
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 18:31
Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 16:47

. If they think the ship is going to be delayed, and its not going to be sailing in those 6 weeks, they should at least make people of who have booked aware of the possibility.
Gill, did you not read my post?
I read it
But what? Because I posted it you did not believe it?
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#16

Post by Gill W »

towny44 wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 10:30
Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 22:44
towny44 wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 18:31

Gill, did you not read my post?
I read it
But what? Because I posted it you did not believe it?
Excuse me??????

Not that I owe you an explanation for my post, but I was responding to Mervyn’s post, not yours. My post had nothing at all to do with you or your post

I’ve said nothing on this thread that other people haven’t already said, yet you choose to take exception to my post. This is not the Brexit thread, so if you are intending to treat any post of mine on the whole forum in forensic detail, you can think again. Just stop it right now.

Note to anybody else who reads this - sorry I had to say this in public.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#17

Post by towny44 »

Gill W wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 11:11
towny44 wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 10:30
Gill W wrote: 11 Jan 2020, 22:44


I read it
But what? Because I posted it you did not believe it?
Excuse me??????

Not that I owe you an explanation for my post, but I was responding to Mervyn’s post, not yours. My post had nothing at all to do with you or your post

I’ve said nothing on this thread that other people haven’t already said, yet you choose to take exception to my post. This is not the Brexit thread, so if you are intending to treat any post of mine on the whole forum in forensic detail, you can think again. Just stop it right now.

Note to anybody else who reads this - sorry I had to say this in public.
Gill, if you want the full story then you need to read all the posts. I had posted an update from the shipbuilders which clearly states that subject to any last minute major problems, Iona will be handed over on time.
You may not believe this, but you could at least have acknowledged it, your post made no mention of this and implied that P&O were not being totally honest.
I took exception to your post purely because of this, nothing to do with Brexit, most other comments on this thread predate my post, so far you are the only one not accepting this information.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#18

Post by Gill W »

Leave it, please.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#19

Post by Manoverboard »

What if it is late … does it actually matter ?

Surely many of the passengers who book early on cruises on a brand new ship are in reality doing so for bragging rights but they would also be savvy enough to appreciate that every now and again their cruise will not run due to a delay of some sort.
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#20

Post by david63 »

Manoverboard wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:09
What if it is late … does it actually matter ?
I suspect that it would if you were booked on one and it was cancelled, knowing the pathetic level of compensation that P&O have handed out in the past.
Manoverboard wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:09
but they would also be savvy enough to appreciate that every now and again their cruise will not run due to a delay of some sort
Not sure about that

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#21

Post by Manoverboard »

david63 wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:31
Manoverboard wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:09
What if it is late … does it actually matter ?
I suspect that it would if you were booked on one and it was cancelled, knowing the pathetic level of compensation that P&O have handed out in the past.
Manoverboard wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:09
but they would also be savvy enough to appreciate that every now and again their cruise will not run due to a delay of some sort
Not sure about that
So it all comes down to compo then ….. :lol:
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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#22

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

david63 wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:31
Manoverboard wrote: 12 Jan 2020, 13:09
but they would also be savvy enough to appreciate that every now and again their cruise will not run due to a delay of some sort
Not sure about that
I suspect that half the people who book cruises today do so simply because they're cheaper than Benidorm and may struggle even with the concept that there's a ship involved! I say this based on nothing other than some of the inane questions and comments on cruise groups on Facecloth. So the idea that building a ship is more complex than redecorating the back bedroom may well be beyond their savvy level!


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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#23

Post by welshynurse »

Can't work out how to quote messages but to me yes it would matter if it was late and no I did not book in it for bragging rights. We booked on because its the time and destination we want, and happens to be the new ship.

And I understand that ship building is more complex than decorating a bedroom...the hallway on the other hand...

Sorry for rant!

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#24

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

welshynurse wrote: 14 Jan 2020, 12:28
Can't work out how to quote messages but to me yes it would matter if it was late and no I did not book in it for bragging rights. We booked on because its the time and destination we want, and happens to be the new ship.

And I understand that ship building is more complex than decorating a bedroom...the hallway on the other hand...

Sorry for rant!
With your pedigree that goes without saying! It's the other half I worry about! :crazy:

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Re: Is Iona going to be late?

#25

Post by Ray B »

Mervyn and Trish wrote: 14 Jan 2020, 18:07
welshynurse wrote: 14 Jan 2020, 12:28


And I understand that ship building is more complex than decorating a bedroom.



Is it! Come along with Mrs B when it's time to do the bedroom. Picks the wallpaper, then it's round the shops to get bed linen the go with it.
Picks the bed linen, then it's round the wallpaper purveyors to find a paper to complement the linen plus a different paper at the end of the room.
All the time life is passing me by.
Don't worry, be happy

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