Barbados Welcomes Another P&O Vessel – MS Iona

P&O’s MS Iona docked for the first time in Barbados yesterday, Sunday, January 26.

During a welcome ceremony onboard the vessel, Captain Andrew Wolverson and officials from the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Barbados Port Inc., and Platinum Port Agency Inc., exchanged plaques. 

BTMI’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Franklin, noted that the first Excel-class cruise ship is the second P&O vessel to sail into Barbados.  Its sister ship, Arvia, was christened back in March 2023 during a beachside ceremony in Speightstown, and having two P&O vessels sailing to the island speaks to the “strong and enduring relationship between Barbados and P&O cruises”.

“These milestones reflect the deep trust and collaboration between our country and your company, P&O cruises. Thank you for your confidence in our island as a sought after destination which promises to captivate the visiting families, travel groups, couples, and individuals, who are on board your ship. The continued growth of Barbados’ cruise tourism underscores our prominence as the premier home port in the southern Caribbean, servicing both contemporary and luxury vessels,” Ms. Franklin stated.

The CEO shared that during the period January to November 2024, Barbados received a total of 360 cruise calls, an increase of 61 calls compared to the same period in 2023.

Captain Wolverson said the vessel, named after the Scottish island Iona, began operating in 2021 and is on a 35-day round-trip Caribbean discovery. It sailed from Southampton, United Kingdom, on January 11 and brought just over 5,000 passengers to Barbados.

“Barbados, of course, is a fantastic Island, which our guests are incredibly excited to be able to get off and explore…. It is a true favourite of ours. This is our inaugural 35-night Caribbean cruise. We look forward to doing this again in the future. It’s going down really well; the guests are having a fantastic time, and this is probably the jewel of the crown, the trip to Barbados. And actually, we’ve got an overnight call here as well, so we’re very excited,” Captain Wolverson said.

The vessel’s next port of call is Castries, St. Lucia.

Author: Sheena Forde-Craigg