As our family prepares to set off on a much-anticipated Norwegian Fjord cruise aboard P&O’s flagship, Iona, I expected excitement. What I didn’t expect was the frustrating pre-departure experience that’s left us more anxious than enthusiastic.

A Tech Experience That Belongs in the Past

While many cruise lines have invested heavily in apps that allow guests to easily view their itineraries, book restaurants, excursions, kids’ clubs, and shows.

P&O continues to rely on a dated web-based apps.

The P&O “Cruise Personaliser” portal for pre-cruise bookings and reservations is not a very functional one at that.

Accessing this site on mobile is clunky at best, and downright dysfunctional at worst. Pages crash, booking attempts fail, and in some cases, the system appears to take payment only to leave the item stuck in the basket. For a cruise line aiming to attract families and younger travellers, the lack of a modern, reliable tech solution is baffling.

Despite this promotional video featuring the lovely Olly Smith making it look effortless, I found out this wasn’t an isolated incident, many fellow passengers and others online reported similar issues.

https://youtu.be/-bQX6HtnVT8

Communication Breakdown

Trying to get help? Good luck.

Over four days, I attempted to call P&O more than 20 times—at different times of day—only to be met with recorded messages asking me to try again later due to “high call volumes.” When I finally got through after a two-hour hold, the agent couldn’t answer my question and simply told me to “ask once onboard.” Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

The website’s chat function was perpetually unavailable, and emails went unanswered. In a world where even budget airlines now offer fast, multi-channel support, this lack of service feels unacceptable.

Planning for Families: A Missed Opportunity

One key question I had was whether the kids’ club could be booked in the evening. This is vital for families who want to plan adult dinners or evening shows—but information was non-existent. Even the children’s club booking process itself offered no details and little communication. For a cruise that charges extra for some kids’ activities, this felt like a serious oversight.

Falling Behind the Competition

P&O’s reluctance to modernise and invest in customer-facing technology and support puts them behind other mainstream cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, MSC, and even their own sister brand, Princess Cruises, whose medallion technology is industry leading.

In a highly competitive market that depends on repeat business and hooking first-time cruisers, offering a smooth, stress-free experience from the moment of booking is critical.

Instead, P&O risks souring the experience before guests even step aboard.

I’m still holding out hope that Iona herself will make up for the bumpy beginning. But for now, it’s clear: when it comes to tech and service, P&O has some serious catching up to do.