What Christmas Eve on P&O Iona Is REALLY Like! Santa, Surprises & Limelight
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
It was really nice to have a little treat left by our cabin steward, or was it Santa? We'll never know.
The Limelight is billed as a dinner club and does come at an extra charge, but with that you get a three-course dinner.
We would 100% recommend going to see him. He spent lots of time chatting to the audience. He really interacted with everyone.
Creator's Tips & Advice
Questions This Creator Answers
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Port Highlights
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
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Christmas Eve aboard P&O Iona turned out to be one of the most memorable days of our Christmas and New Year cruise. After waking up to beautiful sunshine in Lisbon, we spend our second day in Portugal exploring the ship, enjoying stunning views from the promenade deck, flying the drone to capture P&O Iona alongside Ambassador Ambience, and making the most of the unexpectedly warm weather. Back onboard, Christmas celebrations are in full swing. We experience Santa's arrival in the Skydome, festive entertainment across the ship, Christmas Eve celebrations, and one of the busiest events we have ever seen onboard a cruise ship. Later, we review the Limelight Club experience featuring X Factor winner Matt Terry. Was the extra cost worth it? We take you through the food, entertainment, atmosphere, and whether we would book it again. Join us as we continue our Christmas and New Year cruise onboard P&O Iona, heading towards the Canary Islands. In this video: ✓ Christmas Eve on P&O Iona ✓ Lisbon cruise port ✓ Drone footage of P&O Iona ✓ Santa's arrival onboard ✓ Skydome Christmas celebrations ✓ Limelight Club review ✓ Matt Terry performance ✓ Cruise food reviews ✓ P&O Cruises Christmas cruise experience ✓ Tips for first-time Iona cruisers Subscribe for honest cruise reviews, ship tours, cruise tips, luxury and accessible travel inspiration, and modern cruising experiences from around the world. P&O Iona Inside Cabin 15436 - https://youtu.be/WTDU8DRozLs P&O Iona Review - https://youtu.be/lxfA8720QMA P&O Iona Ship Tour - https://youtu.be/rKyLLDiC2Uc P&O Iona is one of the most innovative cruise ships sailing from the UK and remains the flagship of the P&O Cruises fleet. Built by Meyer Werft and launched in 2021, Iona was the first LNG-powered cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and was designed specifically for British holidaymakers. At over 184,000 gross tons and carrying around 5,200 guests, she is the largest cruise ship ever built for the UK market. Stretching 345 metres in length, Iona offers a modern cruising experience with stylish interiors, expansive outdoor spaces, and a huge range of dining, entertainment, and leisure facilities. One of Iona's standout features is the impressive SkyDome, a glass-roofed entertainment venue that transforms throughout the day from a relaxing pool area into a vibrant space for aerial performances, live music, and spectacular evening shows. Guests can enjoy more than 30 places to eat and drink, including popular venues such as The Quays street food market, The Olive Grove, The Keel & Cow, and Sindhu by Atul Kochhar. There are also four main dining rooms, numerous bars and lounges, a luxurious spa, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and four swimming pools. This festive Christmas and New Year cruise departed Southampton on 20 December 2025 for a 14-night voyage to Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Madeira. After crossing the Bay of Biscay, Iona called at Lisbon, Portugal's historic capital, before heading south to the sunshine of the Canary Islands. Ports of call included Lanzarote with its dramatic volcanic landscapes, Fuerteventura's stunning beaches, Tenerife and the iconic Mount Teide, and Gran Canaria with its vibrant capital, Las Palmas. The voyage also visited the beautiful island of Madeira, famous for its spectacular scenery, botanical gardens, and New Year celebrations. With Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve celebrated onboard, this cruise combined winter sunshine, festive entertainment, sea days, and unforgettable destinations for the perfect holiday escape. We are Tom and Dom and we experienced our first cruise on the MSC Virtuosa during her UK staycation cruises in 2021.Our mission is provide a fair and balanced review of our travels. We look at the types of food that is available onboard, from main dining rooms, room service, buffets and pool side snacks. We include menus for each of cruises so that we can share the selection of drinks and meals that are available. Entertainment onboard a cruise ship is important to us and we enjoy theatre production shows, live music, quizzes and game shows. We love to explore different ports and destinations and enjoy sharing tips and tricks so that you can make the most of each port. We often explore ports independently but also book excursions that are interesting to us. Join our CRUISE CHAT Facebook group 👉 https://m.facebook.com/groups/728759168363809/?ref=share Support us and receive exclusive benefits! 👉 https://www.patreon.com/tomanddomtravel/membership You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! You can find our Socials on https://linktr.ee/tomanddomtravel #POIona #POCruises #ChristmasCruise #CruiseVlog #Lisbon #CruiseReview #Cruising #CanaryIslandsCruise #CruiseShip #LimelightClub #tomanddomtravel