The Iona and us.

Just back from a two week Spain and Portugal cruise
on the Iona.
This was a late booking as Princess had seen fit to shorten the itinary of the cruise we had originally booked causing us to cancel with a full refund.
First and foremost the Iona cabin we had booked was totally unsuited to our party of three.
I have to admit to being disabled and although an adapted cabin is the ideal these are in short supply and are not always available. However, by exercising a little ingenuity, I can normally manage in a standard cabin.
Having previously had a similar cabin in the Brittania
We thought all would be well. WRONG !
In their efforts to increase passenger count it seems much in the way of “compromise” has been employed especially in the area of the bathroom. These can now be politely described as bijou and compact and are not a pleasant experience for anyone other than those of trim build.
My question is, why did P & O allow me took book that cabin, when they were fully aware of my condition?
The matter was resolved on board but only after some lengthy negotiations which quite frankly took the edge off the first few days of the holiday.
I understand the Bolsover do not have full cabin layouts available so it would be unfair of me to lay the blame at their door.
Having said that the Iona is a large ship with many facilities. The food was up to standard, especially the Fish and Chip bar, the crew were pleasant and unfailingly cheerful. Cleanliness was excellent and the holiday was enjoyable as are most cruises.
If I learned one thing from this trip it was to ensure your cabin meets your needs when booking as mistakes in this choice can be hard to rectify once on board.
One further comment, I do wonder if the Cruise lines
are considering the effect of the large ships on the places visited. For example when we reached Gibraltar a Virgin ship was already moored. This meant a potential “invasion” by potentially 8,000 visitors to this busy town. I fear that as the ship’s get bigger the pleasure will diminish.