Iona cancels Getxo. Southampton is listed at 6:15 a.m. Saturday.
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Iona will not call Getxo. Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 22 Oct 2026, says Captain Andrew Foote cancelled that last port because of Storm Austen and pointed the ship back to Southampton.
The Southampton clocks below are from the port feed, read 23 Oct 2026. The schedule page says the list is provisional. Confirm the terminal with P&O before you leave for the port.
The photo on this page is the lead photo on that Cruise Hive story, Iona departing Southampton, credited to Martin Augustus. It is not a picture of the missed call in Spain, and it is not a picture of the ship off Brixham.
What the captain’s letter says
Cruise Hive says guests heard an onboard announcement and got a letter in the stateroom on Wednesday 21 Oct. The cruise is the 7-night that left Southampton on Saturday 17 Oct. Getxo, also called Bilbao-Getxo in the headline, was the last port, set for Thursday 22 Oct. Thursday is a sea day.
The article quotes Captain Andrew Foote. He wrote that this was a further change because of Storm Austen, and that the ship had decided to cancel the call to Getxo and return to Southampton. He wrote that the Bay of Biscay could be uncomfortable at times, and that after the Bay the ship would head toward the Brixham area for more sheltered conditions, then continue to Southampton.
Cruise Hive says Brixham is not a port call. It places the town on the south coast of Devon, about 120 nautical miles from Southampton. That distance is the article’s. Do not plan to get off there. The article also says AIS tracking showed the ship heading for Southampton rather than sitting in the Spanish port. This check did not open a separate AIS page.
No P&O newsroom post for the letter turned up. The wind speeds Cruise Hive takes from Windy.com, 20 to 30 mph on the Bay overnight and 40 to 50 mph in the Channel on Friday, are that article’s reading of a forecast widget. They are not in the letter quotes.
What the port lists
The feed was read on 23 Oct 2026. The schedule page maps berth 46 to the Ocean Cruise Terminal.
| Field | What the feed lists |
|---|---|
| Ship | Iona, visit 14683286 |
| Arrival | Sat 24 Oct, 6:15 a.m. |
| Departure | Sat 24 Oct, 5:00 p.m. |
| Berth | 46, Ocean Cruise Terminal |
| Agent | Carnival UK |
| Stamp on both fields | 22/10/2026 15:57:39 |
The feed does not label a time zone on that stamp. It does not print Getxo, Brixham, a weather reason, or a time you must be at the terminal. Cruise Hive’s 6:15 a.m. Saturday arrival matches this row. The article calls that return unchanged. The 5:00 p.m. departure is on the same visit. The feed does not say that clock is a new instruction for the next cruise.
The other Storm Austen moves into this port are a different set of ships. Arvia, Virtuosa, and Preziosa reach Southampton on Thursday night is the early-arrival post. It is not this Getxo cut. This note does not update the clocks in that post.
The earlier change on this cruise
Cruise Hive says this was not the first cut of the week. It says Iona skipped Le Havre, which the article lists as Paris, on Sunday 18 Oct because of civil unrest in France, and that the calls at Vigo and A Coruña were modified. The captain’s Getxo letter calls the new note a further change. The quotes do not restate the Le Havre day. Treat the France skip as Cruise Hive’s account of the same sailing.
The article calls Iona 184,089 gross tons. That figure is not in the port feed.
What this means if you are on Iona, or meeting the ship
If you are onboard, Getxo is cancelled. Thursday was a sea day on the way north. Brixham is a shelter plan in the letter, not a day ashore. Southampton is the end of the cruise. The letter quotes do not print a fare refund or a credit. If you bought a Getxo tour through P&O, ask the ship what happens to it. This check did not find a published rule.
If you are meeting the ship, the port lists 6:15 a.m. Saturday 24 Oct at the Ocean terminal, berth 46. That arrival field was already stamped on Thursday 22 Oct. The page still says the time can move.
If you are boarding Iona on Saturday, the same visit lists a 5:00 p.m. departure. The feed does not print your check-in time. Use the message from P&O for the terminal deadline. The Getxo letter is about the cruise that is ending, not a new port list for the cruise that leaves Saturday.
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Questions
- Did Iona cancel Getxo?
- Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 22 Oct 2026, says yes. A letter from Captain Andrew Foote, delivered to staterooms on Wednesday 21 Oct, says the ship cancelled the Getxo call and will return to Southampton because of Storm Austen. The call had been set for Thursday 22 Oct on the 7-night cruise that left Southampton on Saturday 17 Oct. No P&O newsroom post for the letter turned up in this check.
- What time is Iona due in Southampton?
- The Associated British Ports cruise feed, read 23 Oct 2026, lists Iona arriving at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday 24 Oct and leaving at 5:00 p.m. the same day. The berth is 46, which the port's schedule page maps to the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Both fields are stamped 22/10/2026 15:57:39. The schedule page says the list is provisional. The feed does not print a boarding deadline.
- Is Brixham a new port call?
- No. The captain's letter, as Cruise Hive quotes it, says the ship will head toward the Brixham area for more sheltered conditions and then continue to Southampton. Cruise Hive says there is no sign of a port call there. Do not plan to get off in Brixham.
- Is there a refund for the missed Getxo day?
- The letter quotes Cruise Hive prints do not name a fare refund, an onboard credit, or a shore-excursion refund. Cruise Hive also says this cruise already missed Le Havre on 18 Oct and that Vigo and A Coruña were modified. Those earlier changes are the article's. They are not spelled out in the Getxo quotes. Ask the ship about any tour you bought through P&O.
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 2Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz, 22 Oct 2026: P&O Cruises' Iona cancelled the visit to Bilbao-Getxo on Thursday 22 Oct because of Storm Austen. Thursday is a sea day, and the ship will look for sheltered water near Brixham. Cruise Hive says there is no change to the expected return to Southampton on Saturday 24 Oct. Guests were told by onboard announcements and a letter put in staterooms on Wednesday 21 Oct. The cruise is a 7-night that left Southampton on Saturday 17 Oct, and Getxo was the last port. Captain Andrew Foote wrote that, as per his earlier announcement, he was sorry to update guests on a further change due to Storm Austen, and that after considering the conditions the ship decided to cancel the call to Getxo and return to Southampton. He wrote that conditions through the Bay of Biscay could be uncomfortable at times, and that once through the Bay the ship would head toward the Brixham area for more sheltered conditions before continuing to Southampton. The article says the ship crossed the Bay overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, cites Windy.com for 20 to 30 mph winds on the Bay at that time and 40 to 50 mph in the English Channel on Friday, and says Brixham is on the south coast of Devon, about 120 nautical miles from Southampton, and is not a port call. It says AIS tracking showed the ship en route to Southampton rather than docked in Spain. It says the Associated British Ports schedule listed Iona at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday 24 Oct. It says Iona earlier skipped Le Havre, listed as Paris, on Sunday 18 Oct because of civil unrest in France, and modified the calls at Vigo and A Coruña. It calls the ship 184,089 gross tons. It quotes the Met Office amber warning, including gusts of 60 to 70 mph and perhaps 80 mph on exposed headlands, and a yellow warning of 50 to 70 mph. The lead photo credit is Martin Augustus, P&O Iona departing Southampton. The article does not print a fare refund, an onboard credit, or a tour-refund rule.
Cruise Hive, checked 22 Oct 2026 · Read 23 Oct 2026. Source for the captain's letter, the Getxo cancellation, the Brixham shelter plan, the earlier Le Havre skip, and the gross-tonnage figure. The Windy.com speeds and the 120-nautical-mile line are this article's. No P&O newsroom post for the letter was found. The hero is the lead photo. It is a departure from Southampton, not a photo of Getxo or of Brixham. - TIER 1Associated British Ports Southampton cruise XML, the feed loaded by the cruise ship schedule page, read 23 Oct 2026. IONA, visit 14683286, Lloyd's number 9826548, arrival 24-Oct-26 06:15, departure 24-Oct-26 17:00, berth 46, agent CARNIVAL UK, arrival field and departure field both stamped 22/10/2026 15:57:39, voyage state P on the arrival. The feed does not print Getxo, Brixham, a weather reason, a boarding deadline, a guest count, or a fare refund. The file does not label a time zone on the stamps.
Associated British Ports, checked 23 Oct 2026 · Primary clocks for the Southampton turn. The 6:15 a.m. Saturday arrival matches the time Cruise Hive reported from the schedule. The 5:00 p.m. departure is on this visit record. The feed does not say that departure is a new instruction. - TIER 1ABP cruise schedule page, read 23 Oct 2026, maps 46 berth to the Ocean Cruise Terminal. The page says the cruise ship schedule is strictly provisional and is subject to alteration without prior notice, and that more precise details are on Planned Movements within six days of the indicated arrival. The page does not print Iona's clocks in the berth list. Those clocks are in the XML.
Associated British Ports, checked 23 Oct 2026 · Terminal name for berth 46. The page does not print a dock-gate number in the berth list used here.
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